Built on friendship
You know that one friend who’s always late because they can never find their things?
You’re on a budget and fresh out of ideas, but you need a nice (yet affordable) gift for the man in your life. Preferably something that will make him smile and that he’ll keep using in the future too.
If you’re broke-ish and at a loss what to get your dad or significant other, we’ve rounded up some budget-friendly gift ideas for him that you’ll be able to find without roaming the stores for hours. Here's 7 affordable gift ideas for the man who “doesn’t need anything, so don’t waste your money”.
1. Hardware store gift card
A gift card to the nearest hardware store will be a nice surprise and one he can look forward to since it gives him the freedom to splurge on something just for himself without feeling guilty. And even though your dad doesn’t need anything from the hardware store right this minute, that will probably change soon (I mean, who doesn’t have something to fix in their home?).
Sure, it’s just an everyday gift card, but a thoughtful gift doesn’t have to be unique; it just needs to be useful.
2. Health care and grooming goodies
Dads are simple creatures. If they say they need soap or nose hair trimmers, that’s what they should get. We all love it when our gift is also a nice surprise, but that shouldn’t take priority over his wishes, especially if you asked him what he’d like directly.
Also, don’t shy away from useful health care products, especially if your dad is middle-aged or elderly and you know he has some health issues that he is careful of. Compression socks or joint pain remedies may not be a fancy gift, but to someone who needs them, they will be a welcome addition and a compact and handy blood pressure monitor is a great idea for someone who must check their blood pressure regularly.
3. A handy multitool
This is actually a great gift for anybody, but it’s especially welcome when it comes to fathers. With a compact little multitool in his pocket, he’ll always feel ready for any little fix life throws his way. Before you pick one for your dad, take a moment to consider what he might need it for. Will he keep it on his keyring, carry it in his pocket or his bag? How durable or light does it need to be?
There is a multitude of multitools (ahem) available, so take into consideration the questions above when picking out the one you think will be the best gift for your dad.
4. A Chipolo key finder and phone finder
This is again a great gift for anyone who regularly loses their keys, phone or wallet. It will help your dad find his keys with just one tap on his phone screen, and he can use it to find his missing phone too! A smart, useful gift that’s small enough to fit into any pocket and as a bonus, Chipolo is available in 6 vivid colours, so it’s easy to spot too.
5. Fancy alcohol
Who doesn’t occasionally indulge in a good glass of wine or whiskey, especially after a very long day? This is a great gift if you’re short on time since you should be able to find their favourite by visiting any larger food store nearby. Plus, finding out what they like shouldn’t be a problem, just think what they would usually order when eating out or even better, go ask mom.
6. A nice lunch
In a sense, this is the coolest gift you could possibly give your father - your time and complete attention. Unless he’s a foodie, don’t pick out a super fancy place with interesting combinations and small portions, instead, go for the good hearty Sunday-lunch type of meal in a nearby pub or diner. Indulge together with him and just relax with some small talk. Dads are usually tight-lipped, but after a glass or two, you should have no problem finding things to talk about.
7. A book of dad jokes
Sometimes your dad will surprise you with some of the sagest advice you didn’t even know you needed, and then immediately follow that up with an incredibly cheesy dad joke. While his wisdom comes from years of experience being a parent and a man in general, the dad joke part most likely came from one of his friends or a funny commercial he saw somewhere.
A good book of dad jokes will not only make him laugh, but he’ll also be able to share them with other dads, reinforcing his reputation as a cool and funny dad. A quick Amazon search should help you find the perfect collection of dad jokes to keep his comedy act going for years to come.
Bonus tip: 3 Father’s Day gifts to avoid at all costs
1. ‘World’s best dad’ gifts
Don’t fall into the occasion-appropriate gift trap and get your father something with ‘world’s greatest dad’, just so you have something to give.
2. Experience gifts
Avoid experience gifts unless this is something that they specifically enjoy. And even then, get two tickets so they won’t have to enjoy it by themselves, or even worse, have to buy a second ticket from their own pocket.
3. Novelty tie
He already has enough of these, trust us.
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What do father’s want for Father’s Day?
Getting a good gift for your father is hard, especially since most dads don’t really communicate what they want and usually keep their outbursts of enthusiasm to a minimum.
If our list of gifts for dad under 30$ didn’t give you any good ideas, then the next best thing would be to ask yourself ‘What can I do for my dad on Father’s Day?’ We bet there’s at least one chore on his list he wouldn’t mind you doing instead of him!
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