You may live with your wife and be the family member that she spends most of her time with but…that doesn’t mean that you are automatically going to be the one who can come up with the best gift ideas!

Maybe it’s like that saying about not being able to see the wood for the trees?

Whatever it is, you can really use some outside help on thinking up the best wife gift ideas and if your wife has a sister that she talks to then you are in luck!

I’m a sister, and especially round about gift-giving times of year I’m constantly scanning conversations and emails for clues for gift ideas. Recently I visited a sister and stayed at her house, and just that few days worth of listening and taking note has given me enough “gems” to see me though Christmas and her next birthday with plenty of gift ideas for people who might be in need of some help.

OK so I’m tuned in to this stuff and maybe not everyone’s sister is scanning & storing top gift ideas like I do, but, the point is, that the information is there and with a little encouragement you might uncover a gem or two that you never would have thought of yourself.

So your mission is to get in touch with a woman that wife regularly talks to and to extract some ideas. If your wife has a sister then that’s a good bet, otherwise a close friend of even a colleague that she gets on well with. You can just be honest about it and say that you’d really appreciate some help in coming up with new ideas. Presumably the sister/friend of your wife’s actually likes your wife so she’ll be invested in wanting to help out!

You can ask if she has mentioned wanting to try anything out recently- that can be anything from a new food, kind of exercise or cosmetic product, and most of these will tranlate very easily into gift opportunities. If it’s someone that your wife has known for a long time then you can rewind a little and ask questions about what she wanted when she was little.

This strategy may not give you a list of ready-made ideas, but it is sure to provoke some thought and produce some new ideas that will help you come with fantastic gift ideas for your wife.

Perfume can make a fantastic present, for some couples it’s as much a part of the traditional Christmas as pulling crackers or decorating the tree! However if you buy the same perfume year in year out and you feel like you would like a bit of a change, or that she would but you don’t have a clue how to go about choosing a new scent then I have a couple of helpful ideas.

First up- the technological solution, well kind of…

There’s a web site that takes the brand that your lady currently wears and then will make some suggestions of other brands that are similar. http://www.scentmap.com is the place to go to try it out. Once you have an initial group of suggestions you can then use the “remote control” to help you find new scents.

Next, ask the expert

Armed with a few suggestions courtesy of scent map, you next port of call is the perfume counter. Try to go at a time when you will be able to actually ask the assistant some questions, or go to  place where you can try a few out (on a little piece of card might be better than your own skin for this) as in the end, if you hate the perfume, then it’s not going to make for a successful gift in the long run.

If all else fails…

The “cofret” makes a great option! This is a little mini selection box of a few different perfumes. It’s a great way to try out new perfumes without having to invest in a normal-sized bottle, and they fit very nicely into handbags plus in these days of low-cost flights, it can be very useful to have tiny versions for your hand luggage.

Practical Wife Gift Ideas

It can be difficult coming up with new gift ideas once you have exhausted the usual suspects like

• hobbies and interests,
• gift vouchers and
• perfume/chocolates/underwear.

Sometimes a practical gift can be very well received because it shows that you have noticed some detail about your wife’s life and that you cared enough to try and find a way to help alleviate the problem.

Back pain could be the result of different causes, if it’s serious then the best course of action is to seek medical advice. This list of ideas is intended only for occasional back discomfort.

Hot Back Wrap or Belt

These wraps can be used to heat the back in order to ease nagging back pain. Some models include magnet wave therapy as studies have shown that magnets may be an effective therapy for enhancing blood flow and pain relief.

Massage or Treatment by Physiotherapist or Chiropractor

If your wife enjoys massages then a session with a back pain specialist could be a soothing treat. You could make the massage as part of spa day which can include something else your wife would enjoy such as a manicure, swimming, sauna,

Stability Ball or Swiss Ball

These are great for improving core strength, including back muscles because even just sitting on the ball your body responds to the instability of the ball to remain balanced, thus engaging many more muscles. This ball could be used for exercising at home with, or is also extremely useful for stretching.

By stretching and/or strengthening the core muscles you can prevent back pain from occurring because your core muscles will be stronger.

Yoga or Pilates DVD

The stretching and moves in yoga and Pilates are very powerful in preventing back pain. The combination of stretching and strengthening moves helps to do naturally improve strength and flexibility thus helping to prevent back pain.

Long Thermal Underwear/Base Layer

Sometimes the thing that triggers back pain can simply be a cold draught that chills exposed skin. Fashions such as low-riding jeans or hipsters leave the middle section exposed. Thermal underwear that’s long will cover this area and keep it protected and warm. These days base layers in hi-tech fabrics like ultra fine merino wool are comfortable and a delight to wear.

Top Gift Ideas Lists

Thinking up thoughtful and practical wife gift ideas does not require any specialist skills or mind-reading abilities, all you need to do is notice the little things. Like colds and flu. For instance, if your wife is one of those people who regularly gets the sniffles once the colder weather moves in, then the following list could be a great source of inspiration for top gift ideas!

1. Juice For Health

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so they say. I’m not a doctor but I can tell you that I have not had a cold in three years, which is roughly when I stopped eating animal foods and opted for fruits and vegetables instead. If making the switch is too big to deal with right now then take a step in the right direction with a juicer. These machines can help you up your intake of the incredibly beneficial properties of fresh fruits and vegetables, and they’re delicious! Not only that but it can be a useful tool for weight loss too.

Extra credit: get a juicing recipe book to go with the machine.

2. Cold or Warm Humidifier

One thing that makes winter feel uncomfortable, even inside a warm building, is low humidity. People need a certain level of humidity to feel comfortable. In winter, the lack of indoor humidity can dry out your skin and mucous membranes. Low humidity also makes the air feel colder than it actually is.

These little devices provide relief from coughs, colds and flu symptoms and also relieve congestion from allergy and asthmatic-type symptoms.

3. Warm Accessories

Ear muffs, scarves, snoods, hats, neck warmers, gloves, leg warmers and arm warmers come in a dazzling array of shapes, styles, prices, colours and fabrics. Go for micro-fleece editions for sporty women, designer labels for designer gals or plain and sensible, but warm and snuggly for the practical woman.

Extra credit: Get a matching set in her favourite colours or from a favourite clothing designer.

4. Steam Inhaler

For cold, flu, bronchitis, sinusitis, laryngitis, and allergy sufferers, steam inhalers can offer relief. With a few drops on a suitable essential oil they can really help clear that congested feeling that colds create. They can also be used to help clean pores or intensify the effects a facial masque.

Extra credit: get one two little bottles of essential oils to go with it like eucalyptus, mint or lavender.

A Wife Gift Ideas List For Commuters on the Train, Underground, Bus or other Public Transport

Gift Ideas Lists are super-helpful for giving you great ideas, but before we dive in let’s take a second to remember why we’re buyig the gift in the first place. A gift is a token, a way of communicating emotions. It’s all too easy in today’s “disposable” society to forget the true meaning. If you hold on to that then your gift is much more likely to hit the spot.

When you give a gift to your wife, it’s a way of saying that you care about her and that she’s special. If you can keep that in mind and use it help pick the best option that will suit her then you’re on to a winner!

This list is for women who have to travel every day by train, bus or metro. There’s another list of top gift ideas for commuters who travel by car, but this one is aimed at where you wife has her hands free and travelling on some sort of public transport.

To figure out a great gift idea, a great strategy is to ask:
What are the challenges and frustrations here?
Then figure out smart ways to address or alleviate those problems.

Frustration: Noisy environment

1. Noise-cancelling headphones.
Really good headphones reduce unwanted ambient sounds so for the person who really want to be able to “switch off” from their surroundings and concentrate on a book, newspaper or music from their mp3 player, these are a fantastic help.
Keep in mind that she may not have a lot of space in her bag for hug chunky headphones, so go for a small, but effective pair.

Frustration: It’s Boring!

2. MP3 Player
Music can really help relax people and these days there are an incredible range of audio books to choose from for the person who would want to use their commute time to learn. From learning a new language to brushing up on IT skills, there are titles to suit every one. By helping your wife to maximise her time on the commute you could really be giving her a great gift.

3. Portable Video (and Music) Player
The latest generation of iPods and simiar play movies now too. You can play all sorts of video clips on these devices including training in a huge range of subjects and entertainment such as movies and TV. The storage space is incredible on these devices meaning that she can have a portable library of favourite videos to watch anytime she wants a little entertainment or brain trianing.

Frustration: Being Exposed to the Elements

4. Tiny Umbrella.
It can be frustrating for commuters when it come to rain. To carry an umbrella or not. If you don’t take one then you’re bound to get rained on, And if you do take one then you have to lug it around with you, in a cramped environment, and most likely leave it behind someplace! If, on the other hand you have a teeny, but very good quality umbrella tucked away for emergencies in your bag (that your clever husband gave to you) then you get the best of both worlds.
Try to get one a case so it can be packed away wet and stored in her bag without drenching everything else in the bag.

Personalized Photo Gifts

Never underestimate the importance of a personalised present.

Your digital camera could be the way into a whole genre of thoughtful gifts for your wife. Photo companies offer a huge array of products these days- they’ve moved on from the chunky coffee mug to an array of high quality products that, when used with a good image, capture a special moments forever and make beautiful and thoughtful gifts. This article presents some photo gift ideas from PhotoBox.co.uk- the only company I use and recommend to friends and family.

Laser-etched Photo Gifts

Take, for example these solid glass, laser etched photo gifts- the photo of your choice is laser etched into the middle of a glass cube, glass paperweight or a glass frame making a timeless classic and elegant keepsake. These are particularly good for photos of your children or wedding photos.

Handbag Photo gifts

Does your wife like bags? If she does then PhotoBox.co.uk make personalised handbags, totes and shopper bags in a variety of shapes and sizes- all with the image you choose to make any style statement you like.

Even if you’re not so good at taking photos yourself (although it’s worth giving serious thought to this as a life worth living is worth recording…!) you can easily procure photos from friends and family via social networks like FaceBook and on photo sharing places like Flickr and Picasa .

Fashion Photo gifts

Everyone does personalised T-shirts but now you can get a much wider selection: create your own catwalk worthy designs for kitchen aprons, bibs, fashion tops. Choose a design, pick a colour, add an illustration or photo, a few well chosen words and you’re done.

Try to get into the habit of asking people for their photos after get-togethers and build a library. I use Picasa on my PC and iPhoto for Mac users looks great. With such programs you can favourite the best ones and then when you need to make a photo gift you can just browse through your collection.

Personalized photo gifts make fantastic presents for your wife- just get yourself a system for keeping digital photos and it’ll make an invaluable source of wife gift ideas that you can rely on for all sorts of occasions.