Vary your gal's gifts

The unpredictable gambit
A certain kind of guy sticks to a consistent pattern in his gift giving. Every Valentine's Day, he gives his gal the same box of candy and takes her to the same restaurant as he's done for years. Each Mother's Day is breakfast out at the exact same restaurant. For the holidays, his gal always gets a ceramic something or other, along with a few other gifts.

Though she may appreciate these things, they've got a lot less zing to them than they could have otherwise. Your solution is the "unpredictable gambit."

You see, when a gal can predict what gifts you're going to give her as each holiday/occasion rolls around, it lessens the impact of those gifts. There's just no "wonder" in it when she already knows what's coming, whether it's a material gift or a date somewhere.

You've got to stick and move...be unpredictable. On one birthday, you could take her to an amusement park and give her some clothing...and the year after that, take her out for a fancy meal and give her a watch. Do something like this, and I guarantee she'll have no idea what you've got in store for her next birthday.

Don't take this to mean though that you should give her a terrible present once in a while "to throw her off." Vary her gifts, but make them all good ones.

Breaking routines
So what about those reliable old favorites...like her favorite restaurants, flowers, and perfumes? Returning to these gifts is perfectly fine, and you should do so. They've worked for you in the past, so definitely keep them in your rotation. Just don't get locked into overly predictable routines...an anniversary routine, a Valentine's Day routine, a birthday routine, and so on.

Routines can get stale after a while, and if left untended, they can cause all those special occasions to blend into a single memory in her mind. You don't want her to be thinking one day..."For our anniversaries, we always go to dinner at our favorite restaurant, he gives me a piece of gold jewelry with a dozen white roses, and he writes a little poem in the card." Rather, you want each anniversary to be a distinct memory such as..."Last year, we went to our favorite restaurant, and the year before that he hired a photographer for a photo session at the park, and the year before that he gave me..." and so on.

Building a multitude of good memories is part of the bedrock of a good relationship, so freshen up those boring routines by mixing up her gifts and taking her different places. This is one key to making your gal happy, so it's what you need to be aiming for. Believe me...putting in a little effort in this department will pay off greatly for you both in the future.

Vary your spending
This concept of "variety" applies to not only what types of gifts to get her, but how much you should pay for those gifts as well. Always get her nice things, but you should constantly be shifting gears on price. Sometimes get her something cheap, other times something pricey, and plenty of gifts with a whole range of prices between these two extremes.

You should lean more heavily toward the more expensive stuff on ultra-special occasions (like a 20th anniversary or a 50th birthday), but randomize these prices otherwise. As before, don't fall into a predictable routine.

This pricing technique will have two effects on your gal. First, the anticipation of each occasion will be more interesting, and therefore more exciting for her (because she won't know how luxurious the next gift is going to be). Secondly, when you decide to pull the trigger and get her one of those expensive gifts, its impact will be magnified (as it will stand out in greater contrast to all the less expensive gifts you've given her previously).

Casinos use this technique all the time to keep gamblers interested in playing their games. It's called "random intermittent reinforcement." When playing a slot machine, you have a variety of wins...small amounts, medium amounts, and sometimes a jackpot. This mixture is a lot more exciting than always receiving the same size win.

In fact, this variety is precisely what elevates gambling from a simple monetary exchange to a game. If you approach your gal's gifts in the same manner (like you're playing a game), then you're on the right track. Do your best to have fun with the process (cloak and dagger style), and she'll enjoy the resulting experience all the more.

Last thought
Always keep your gal wondering about the next gift you have planned for her. By avoiding the tired old routines that are so easy to fall into, you'll maintain a degree of mystery in your gift giving, and some excitement in your relationship.