“Shopping”.

For girls, this word induces much excitement; the possibilities are endless! Blouses, dresses, skirts, shorts, jewelry… you name it. However, it becomes a little more difficult when shopping for someone other than yourself.

Gift shopping. Just the thought gives me shivers.

Gifting a significant other can be quite a maddening experience. You begin to overthink simple things, asking yourself, “is it something they already have?” or “do they even like this color?”

Like Christalyn Banner says, “Gift giving is part of the culture no matter where you are no matter how long you stay.”

Don’t freak out though! With the help of “The Strategist” from New York Magazine, and a few teenage girls, hopefully, you’ll find some inspiration (especially with Valentine’s Day fast approaching), and newfound confidence in your gift-giving skills.

Starting on the more material side, you have a couple of gift options for every type of girlfriend:

For the Music Lover:

Go vintage! Wow your girl (and save some money) with a Victrola Bt Suitcase Record Player  with 3-speed Turntable, for a more analog music experience. You can buy one for $40 at Walmart.

Maybe you could get her that speaker she’s been talking about! Or, show her what she’s been missing. The Anker Soundcore 2 goes for $39.99 on Amazon, and has a high-quality sound that rivals high-end models.

For the Game Lover:

Who doesn’t love the Sims? Sims 4: Get Famous is hot right now. Target sells the PC version for $28.99.

Is she a bit more on the hard-core side? If she doesn’t have it already, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is a great option; get it at Best Buy (on sale right now) for $29.99.

For the Fashion Lover:

 You could do so many different things for a fashion lover, the simplest option would be to get your girl a gift card. Get more for less at fast-fashion stores, such as Zara, Forever 21, and H&M. Or, get her a card for Amazon or Target; they have everything!

For the Beauty Lover:

Makeup sets are a beauty lover’s dream! A great one is the Tarte Pineapple Of My Eye Collector’s Set, a super-deluxe beauty gift set with mascara, lip balm, and eyeliner in addition to the eye-shadow palette! Find it at Sephora for $59.

Fenty Beauty is everything, so your love is sure to appreciate some lipstick, highlighter, foundation, or all of the above from this makeup brand. Pricing ranges from $20-$39 per product and can be bought at Sephora.

For the Trend Lover:

Face masks are so in right now.  Help that special lady out by getting a Dr. Jart+ Clear Skin Lover Rubber Mask, which can be found at Sephora for $10. If sheet masks aren’t her thing (no shame, they can be perplexing), pick up a Glossier Moisturizing Moon Mask from their website for $22.

PINK will always and forever be a thing and an easy thing at that! Go with a classic PINK lingerie set for a trendy gift that’ll last. When on sale, you could snag a cute push-up for around $12.99-$19.99, and panties for $2.99-$3.99.

Meaningful:

If you made it this far, let me tell you a true life hack. I asked three female GRHS students their opinion on the ideal gift, and my suspicions were confirmed:

A gift for that special girl should be something you spent time thinking about and put energy into getting. It doesn’t have to be $100, or 24k gold, or Instagram-worthy.

Sahba Amjadian, 10^th grade, says, “I’d like something meaningful, the price doesn’t really matter for me.” The best gift she’s ever received, according to her, was a heart necklace with the date her and her boyfriend started dating engraved on it.

Pay attention to detail, and remember the little things that she spends extra time on. That dress she spent a little longer looking at through the window, or those shoes she gushed about on and off for half an hour.

Sienna Espindola, 11^th grade, says, “A thoughtful handwritten message or something sentimental is all I really need. The little things are what I appreciate the most.” She says the best gift she ever received was a vinyl from her favorite band (you can totally pair that up with the suitcase record player).

Don’t just buy something that’s sentimental without a background you both personally connect to. Find a gift that matches a story you both relate to, something you can smile, cry, or laugh about in the future.

Hannah Guehria, also 10^th grade, says, “I would like to receive something meaningful and personal as a gift from a boyfriend.” The best gift she ever received was a James Avery ring.

You now have so many options, so you shouldn’t break a sweat this Valentine’s Day! Whether you decide to stick to the basics and grab your girlfriend something from the mall or give her something more on the sentimental side, just make sure it’s worth her while. Best of luck to you!