Teens are notoriously hard to buy gifts for. First, they already seem to have everything. Second, they are incredibly finicky. Third, the items teens want, often cost way more than our budgets allow. But take heart, whether you’re shopping for the Sweet Sixteen or the Nifty Nineteen, gift-buying help is here for you.
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Connect Them with Friends
Keeping in touch with close pals is important for teens. Show them you support their relationships with a cell phone that keeps them connected. The [INFOGRAPHIC] Android Market Evolution, with open source code, has spawned the development of a whopping 300,000 available apps for download. Teens can do everything from keeping tabs on their purchases to getting instant weather alerts with the new smartphones. Affordable plans are available to keep the budget in check, and permit your teen to have some freedom. You’ll also feel safer knowing they have a reliable way to contact you when they’re away from home.
Entertain Them
Music and movies are also important to teens. Much of the enjoyment is social – they enjoy sharing the newest bands, stars, and gossip with their friends. Whether your teen is a Star Wars junkie or a Gleek, keep them updated on their favorite music and movies with the latest MP3 player, or video download machine. New devices and services are developed constantly, some services offer a set price for unlimited music or movie downloads each month. Other services charge a reasonable fee per download. Consider supplementing the gift with a month of free music or movie downloads.
Encourage Reading
Music and movies are great, but we also want educated kids who like to read. Give your teen the gift of access to thousands of titles, from the classics of Mark Twain, to the newest “Twilight” books. Barnes and Noble offers the Nook, and Amazon offers the popular Kindle. Many titles are past copyright dates, and are completely free for download. Many more books are available for only one dollar or less. One of the niftiest things about these ebook devices is instant access to the newest must-have novel as soon it is made available to the public.
Still Stuck?
A budget friendly gift for the finicky teen is a sampler of fragrances. Many designers offer gift sets for girls or boys. These designers allow the teen to sample each fragrance from the designer’s label, sometimes for a fraction of what a full bottle of cologne or perfume costs.
Gift cards are an alternative to the cop-out gift of cash. If your teen enjoys Abercrombie and Finch, Old Navy or American Eagle Outfitters, give them a gift card from their favorite store. It shows you know them well enough to choose their favorite shop, but doesn’t dictate what they settle for when they open their gifts.