Whether your boyfriend has left already or if the signs are in the air you will want to know the best gifts to get your boyfriend when things aren’t going so well. The first thing you need to remember is that you really can’t buy love. Don’t even try to buy his affections or worm your way back into his good graces by purchasing a truly inappropriate gift for this stage in your relationship.

So, what are the ground rules for buying gifts to get your boyfriend to come back to his senses?

Don’t go Overboard

This is the number one rule you can’t afford to forget. Going overboard will be seen as an act of desperation and can have an unintended impact that you do not want in the end. Keep the gift appropriate for the stage of your relationship. If you’ve been married for 20 years your gift should be different than if you’ve been dating for 2 months. Simple is best in times like these because no matter what you think you aren’t going to buy him back if he’s already gone mentally. It’s going to take something clever to turn his head rather than something with a hefty price tag.

Don’t Expect the Gift to Change Things

You’ve spent hours pouring over catalogs looking for gifts to get your boyfriend to come back to you from Never Never Land where he seems to be spending a great deal of quality time these days and you are crushed because the gift doesn’t snap him out of it and bring him back to you with gusto. First of all, when a relationship is well on its way to broken, you’re putting an awful lot of pressure on the gift to make changes.

Don’t Give Gifts Without a Good Reason

In other words, if it isn’t Christmas, some other gift giving holiday, or his birthday, don’t even entertain the thought of gifts to get your boyfriend. It is the wrong answer without a doubt. Remember, you can’t buy his love and giving gifts without cause is a huge signal to him that you are getting desperate. You want to maintain a position of power in the dynamics of the relationship as much as possible.

Choose Gifts Suitable for the Occasion

Consider the occasion before you buy and find gifts that are suitable to the spirit of the season. Also remember that this if he’s considering leaving these will be gifts he takes with them so don’t buy a brand new television or recliner for him if you think he has leaving in mind. Christmas presents should be larger than anniversary or birthday gifts but should be subdued if leaving is in order.