What to Get Your Girlfriend for Her Birthday

In selecting a birthday gift for your girlfriend or significant other, you must differentiate. Don't be the same as every other guy she has dated -- don't get her diamonds (who cares about a clump of carbon molecules mined by starving children?) or clothing (unless she is there with you -- you need to make sure it fits her perfectly, and that she loves it).

Cultural content is often preferred: it is unique, and yet cheap. For some reason, an Alanis Morrissette CD never goes out of fashion as a good birthday gift. No, but seriously, get her tickets to a show she has been dying to see or a fun local concert. Go together.

Or get her a gift certificate for a day of pampering and bliss at a local dayspa. In general, a gift should be a little extravagant, but not outright ridiculous (a ruby-studded custom Aston Martin and Nokia Vertu may be overkill). Get her something she really wants, but would never think of buying for herself. Hence the decadent concert tickets or dayspa gift certificate.

If you get her an electronic device, make sure it is something that will bring joy and not hassles. You may not want to buy her a sophisticated camcorder, or a surround-sound system that requires a lot of setup. Go for something simple and sure to please; like an Apple iPod or point-and-shoot digital camera. These usually work right out of the box and don't require any special setup.

At the end of the day, it's only a material gift, but it still reflects on you. Be original, thoughtful, and keep it budget-friendly.