Search Results: gifts, new boyfriend

This Christmas, we didn't go all out and get each other super thoughtful gifts simply because we're broke and didn't have the time. We've been dating for a couple of years, so it's not like a big deal if we don't get an amazing present.

To give some background info, I helped my boyfriend buy his new laptop and contributed $100 to his purchase, and that basically counted as my Christmas gift to him. I didn't really expect much in return as my Christmas gift, as my boyfriend seems to be really bad at giving gifts. It's not that he doesn't put in the effort, but it's more like he has no idea what to get someone and usually gets them something that they would never use.

This year, he decided to give me a $50 iTunes gift card for Christmas, and I politely declined it simply because I don't even have an iTunes account. I have an android phone, and I rarely even purchase music myself as I usually get it free off the internet. If anything, it would be more useful for him to use because he's the one who always listens to music on his iPhone. I felt really bad about declining his gift this Christmas, but I knew for sure that I wouldn't ever use the gift card.

He seemed kind of bummed out that I didn't take his gift, but he wasn't heartbroken either. He was broke, so he looked all around his house for this (sort of) old gift card that he had apparently been saving.

Should I have just accepted it anyway or was my decision right to politely decline it?

I know in relationships that one person will usually let the other borrow their clothes, electronics, etc. with no hesitation and then have them returned the next day or a couple days later. If this was the case, I honestly wouldn't mind letting my boyfriend borrow my things. The problem is how he "borrows" my things.

My boyfriend is rather careless with material things and often borrows my stuff—such as my laptop, sweaters, headphones, etc. I have a problem with his carelessness because when he borrows my things, he would either return them late, damaged, or not at all because he lost them. I've let him borrow my brand new laptop a couple of times before I stopped because every time he returned it, it would be scratched, chipped, or dented in new places. When I received a really nice scarf from Peru from a friend, he immediately wanted to "borrow" it and I haven't been able to wear it once yet. The only time I was able to be in possession of my own scarf was when he was careless and left it at my place by accident. When I examined it, it had a couple of loose threads and a tassel was gone.

The most recent act of "borrowing" that really bothered me was my birthday gift. My boyfriend doesn't like surprises, so he will often just ask me what I want. I found a sweater with a really cool design and I showed him where to order it online. Needless to say, he liked the sweater too, so he ordered it in HIS size so he could "borrow" the sweater whenever he wanted to. When the sweater finally arrived, he immediately put it on himself and then decided to keep it for himself since it looked so good on him. This one really bothered me because I have been eyeing this sweater for the past couple of months prior to my birthday and finally got the courage to ask someone to get me it for my birthday only to be told that I can't have it.

Am I being too materialistic or is my anger justified here? What can I do about this?

I've been with my boyfriend for about four years, and I think we have a great relationship except for the fact that he spends too many hours playing online PC games.

We met in college, and we spent a lot of time together; we used to see a movie every couple of weeks, spend our afternoons and evenings watching Netflix, we went to an animal shelter to "look" and just "pet" some of the animals and I came home with a cat. We used to try new restaurants, go to the gym, and we used to spend some of our afternoons playing Mario Kart and Assassin's Creed. We don't do these things anymore.

For Christmas (2014), I got my boyfriend computer parts to build a PC; this was supposed to be my super awesome Christmas present to him.

I should've bought him fucking legos for Christmas.

This Christmas present resulted in him playing video games more often - which I was totally okay with. Why wouldn't I want him to play with the Christmas gift I got him? Now he plays so much that I feel neglected.

My boyfriend goes to work, comes home, sits on the couch for an hour to eat and browse Reddit, and then starts playing WoW or something else with his headset on. He probably starts playing by 6:30 or 7:00 p. m. (he comes home between 5:30 p. m. and 6 p. m.), and then he plays until about 11:30 p. m. or midnight. By that time, I'm already in bed and ready to sleep.

We always argue about how much he plays, but nothing has changed over the past year. He also says that video games is the only time he can really talk and kind of "hang out" with his friends since they all moved to different cities for work - and I understand that.

I don't think he's "addicted," but he plays a lot more than I'd like him to. I told him I've been feeling sad, lonely, and just depressed, but he doesn't care enough to make any adjustments - he justifies his game time.

So tell me, mysterious people of the internet, am I being needy? Is he being selfish? Am I in a love triangle with my boyfriend's PC?