Great gifts for hard-to-please spouses

If you have a significant other, it's time to start buying some holiday gifts for them.

But those can be some of the toughest gifts of all to find.

So we went out with one of our "Don't Waste Your Holiday Money" super shoppers, to find some cool gifts that won't break the bank.

Even super shoppers struggle with what to buy for their special someone.

"You really have to think hard about what to get for your spouse," said Andrea Deckard, of the blog "Savings Lifestyle.com."

So Andrea took us shopping to find stocking suffers for hard-to-please spouses, girlfriends, or boyfriends.

What to Get a Guy
    
Andrea's husband, like most men, always welcomes anything gadget related.

She found the perfect item in the stocking stuffer aisle. "It's a little 'Hubman,'" she said, "a USB device to hook several USB devices together."

Cost: Just $10.

She then found another good stocking stuffer for a guy: A camping water bottle. "You can get these really inexpensively, for as low as $5," she said.

Or, for $15, she suggested a small cooler. "Every guy would love this for camping or tailgating," she said. " It's perfect."

That makes Andrea think of her husband's truck, which leads to another gift.

"A microfiber towel, for only $5.50, can be a perfect thing for a stocking," she said.  

Andrea said you you can add a bottle of car wax or interior cleaner, and you have a nice car clean up kit.

What Women Want

Andrea says a robe is perfect, because correct fit is not essential.

"This is a nice robe," she said, pointing to a rack of terry cloth robes. "They are soft, and just 20 bucks."

Ditto for a fashion scarf, at $15. "That's the one clothing idea that you know will always fit: You can't go wrong with a scarf!"
    
Andrea has two cautions for men: One, don't buy a handbag unless she has requested a specific one. Women tend to know exactly the type they like.

And two, don't buy cleaning tools. Andrea says while men usually welcome car or garage cleaning items, many women don't look kindly at brooms, mops or vacuum cleaners as gifts (unless she asks for a Dyson, for instance).

A blender or slow cooker, though, is usually welcome, and affordable. "I would say $20 for a slow cooker at a holiday season sale," she says.

Finally, she suggests socks and slippers, all under $20. Again, you rarely have a fit issue, unless your lady friend is Sasquatch.

Total stocking stuffers for a hard to please man or woman?  $75 or less.

The good news:  You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to make your significant other happy.

As always, don't waste your money.
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