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Purchasing a gift for a person you've only recently met can be quite tricky, especially if you feel like you don't know them all that well.
Here are some things to consider when you are shopping for a perfect gift for a newly met friend (and everyone else!)

Remember, a good gift is...

...relevant. Consider the person's interests and tastes. Giving a ballerina a set of power tools as a gift might only work if she enjoys carpentering and fixing things around the house as a hobby. Someone who's afraid of heights might not appreciate a prepaid parachute jump adventure to a point of being reluctant to continue your friendship, which would be a bad thing unless it's exactly what you are trying to achieve.

...not too expensive,but not too cheap. Shop within your 'comfortable spending zone'. To estimate how much you should spend think of how much you would spend on lunch per day and multiply it by two. (For example, being a broke university student I usually spend around $6 a day on my midday meal. I can thus reasonably afford an $12 gift and not feel like my gift is inappropriately cheap). Dollar stores are great, but items that can be found there are often of poor quality and easy to recognize. Not that many people actually use candles (the most popular dollar store gift item by far), and those that do might not enjoy the thick black smoke along with plastic smell that tends to come off of lower quality candles. Dollar stores are great for purchasing cards or wrapping paper, but try to resist the temptation of purchasing the whole gift there. It could be that obvious. So, we have established why cheap could be bad. Why would expensive cause any problems? First of all, an expensive gift puts a strain on your budget. Also, it could put the recipient in an uncomfortable situation and have second thoughts about accepting the gift. An expensive gift could be interpreted as a bribe or possibly be seen as a standard for future gift exchange, and setting higher standards for other people often repels them.

...useful. People are more fond of receiving things they can and do use. It is especially important, however, that you are getting something that is equal or better in quality than what they already have. I often find myself running out of art supplies in the middle of projects and I never turn down blocks of newsprint or tubes of paint generously donated by other artist friends. However, sometimes I feel really bad when I get supplies I already have or the ones I have no need for: of course, I thank my friends politely for the money and the effort, but the joy isn't there. When in doubt about specific parameters, get a specialized gift certificate (from the store you would purchase the items at) and make it part of your gift.

...personal. Sign a card. It won't kill you to write a few words. (Unless you write something terrible and your friend will go after you with a chainsaw - but the chance of it happening is very small, really) Be genuine and creative, do not be afraid to express yourself. Go all out and produce a handmade postcard - it adds the necessary personal touch and complements store-bought gift nicely.

Also:
Make sure your friend is not busy when you are giving them the gift. You might not get all the ooooohs and aaaaaahs you expect, and probably deserve (or the other way around).
Do take the prices off of items. Your friends do not need to know how much - or how little - you paid for that gift.
Do not expect a gift in return. If you do get one you'll have a chance to find out how amazing an unexpected present can make you feel.

I hope you find these guidelines useful, and good luck with putting a gift together for your newly met friend.

Learn more about this author, Katrissa Singer.
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