Father’s Day Gift Guide

Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, and like most women I’m struggling to figure out what to give the Dads in my life.

I think I make it pretty easy to buy gifts, I drop hints, I circle things, and send emails. Leading up to Mother’s Day there are plenty of ads, and specials to help you figure out what to buy mom. Everything from cameras to jewelry and knick knacks to designer goods are pushed by marketers.

Father’s Day is a different story though. There are few ads, or store specials, and somehow traditional dictates that Dad gets a snooze in the hammock, or breakfast in bed, possibly some hand crafted items from the kids. This despite the growing number of dads who stay at home with their children, or know there way around the boardroom and the playroom.

While I’m not always an advocate of buying something just for the sake of a day on a calendar, I do think it’s important to take out to honor the dads in my life. They often don’t get as much credit as they deserve.

A major obstacle to finding the right gift, most men seem to have everything they need, and most things they want aren’t exactly budget-friendly. (Sorry, honey that iPhone 4 is going to have to wait.) So what’s a mom or daughter to do?

Hopefully some of these gift ideas will help you find the thing for the dads in your life. I’ll also be giving away several items, so stay tuned for those over the next 2 days.

Father’s Day Gift Guide

For the Techy Dad:

For the techy dads on your list Bento 3 is a great tool for organizing everything from events to Dad’s fantasy football team with ease on your Mac, iPhone or iPad. Some ideas for using Bento 3 include creating a travel planner (keep flight, hotel and car records), create a runner’s log (track pace and distance on the road or the treadmill), and keeping track of your wine collection.

For the amateur photog dad, or the aspiring photog the X5 is a great gift idea. It offers the portability and ease-of-use of point-and-shoot digital cameras, as well as the higher picture quality, faster speeds and manual control options found digital SLRs without the price tag. It retails for $179.99!

The Play Wireless Router is another great tech dad gift. With fast download speeds, and 3D coverage you can send Dad to the another room to stream video and music he loves without making the whole family watch the game or listen to hair bands from the 80s.

Does Dad always seek peace and queit? iFrogz has introduced a pair of comfortable headphones that would make a great Father’s Day gift. iFrogz CS40s are part of a new “comfort series” addition to the EarPollution headphone line by iFrogz. They retail for $39.99, and would make a great gift for the Dad who is always telling the kids to be quiet.

For the Fit Dad

The FitBit is brand new to the market, just in time for Father’s Day, so you know he doesn’t have it yet! It keeps track of your motion, and uploads the data to the Fitbit site so Dad can keep track of his movement, and progress towards weight loss or workout goals.

The Fitbit accurately tracks your calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and sleep quality. The Fitbit contains a 3D motion sensor like the one found in the Nintendo Wii and tracks your motion. The activity data collected by the Fitbit device is wirelessly uploaded to the Fitbit Website where the user can track their progress toward personal goals. On the Website, users can also log nutrition, weight and other health information in order to gain a complete picture of their health. -from Fitbit

For the writer:

The Ergosleek pen is a pen I came across when searching for something different for Dad’s day. This pen allows the user to tap into the natural weight of the hand, which acts as the downward pressure. This eliminates the need to squeeze or push down hard as you do with a stick pen. So if you have a dad in your life who has arthritis, carpal tunnel, etc. this would make a great gift.

For the security minded Dad:

The Ogon Wallet is a fan-shaped wallet that protects your cards from electronic identity theft, and defends against electro-magnetic strip demagnetization. It’s also waterproof. This would make a great gift for dads who are concerned about security or who need to carry a wallet at the beach, or at the pool.

For the foodie Dad:

Does Dad love chocolates?  Intemperantia produces delicious chocolates for under $30.00. The chocolates are hand-crafted with care, and arrive in a classy boxes that have a masculine look.

If Dad is a coffee lover, ROASTe is a great option. You can get Dad a gift card so he can pick his own blends shipped directly to his house.

If Dad travels and has a sweet tooth the Chocolate Traveler is a neat option. They have 8 wedges of  European-style chocolate in a tin. Each flavor and holiday has a uniquely designed tin that doubles as a special keepsake long after the chocolate’s been enjoyed and can be used later for collecting coins, paper clips or as a paperweight.  At just under $5 for each tin, this is an affordable, yet luxurious gift for the foodie dad.

Another coffee gift perfect for a dad with a new baby, or one that stays up late working hard, this gift set from Community Coffee includes ground coffee, a canister, scoop and a reusable tumbler. Everything comes wrapped in a wooden crate for Dad to enjoy!

For the handy Dad

Dremel is a favorite tool, and this Father’s day they are unplugging for the first time! The rotary tool is now offered cordless. As Dremel says, “the Dremel 8200 Does It All, Unplugged^™”

Stay tuned over the next few days as some of these items will be offered as giveaways for you or your Dad.

Kelly

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About Kelly

Kelly Whalen is the founder of The Centsible Life, a blog where motherhood and money meet. Her goal is to help readers live well on less. Kelly is a mom to 4, and loves that she can stay at home with her kids, and still pursue her passions for writing, personal finance, and social media. You can often find her on twitter and Facebook talking money and motherhood.

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