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August 1, 202413 min readGetting an appropriate and thoughtful gift for someone retiring is no easy task! Thankfully, our guide for considerate retirement gifts for women has all you need to pick the right present with confidence. After all, imagine finally reaching the moment where you can relax and enjoy everything you’ve worked so hard for, only to leave feeling misunderstood or unappreciated.
Whilst every woman is different, we asked our team and friends to reflect on appreciated retirement gifts they have given. We also explored some of the visible Collection Pot fund collections made for the purpose of collecting retirement gifts for women. Although we’ve handpicked the best examples to inspire you, it is time to start your own research! Ask your soon-to-be-pensioner about her future plans, hobbies, family and friends and where she likes to spend time. The more personal you can make your retirement gifts, the better.
There are several categories of retirement gifts out there and they will appeal based on the unique tastes of your colleague, employee, friend or family member. Having a good understanding of what ‘type’ of person she is can help you scour the internet for appropriate gifts! When it comes to what to choose, remember that the act of giving a retirement present offers the chance to do something meaningful and personal. So, is her free time spent scaling peaks with an alpine crew or by the coast for a quiet weekend. Whatever it is, let what you know, inform what you pick.
Here are a couple of ideas for each category to help you pick the retirement gift that’s perfect for her.
Does she want to get away from the UK? Perhaps see more friends and family? Or, take time to explore some culture? Gifts for retirement don’t have to be all about slowing down!
Ideas:
It could be nice to kickstart their retirement with the gift of laughter. This could be done with a Comedy Evening for four from Buyagift. If she’s been singing her socks off about leaving work, why not treat her to a Two-Hour Karaoke Experience for up to seven people for £110 from Red Letter Days. What about a getaway? A particularly thoughtful retirement gift would be knowing where she wants to go, and buying something that fits into this. Does she want to see more of the world? You could purchase a gift card for AirBnB. Perhaps she has family she wants to spend more time with? A Halfords card could get her on the road, or you could grab a National Trust Gift Card for some destinations to see along the way. If she wants more theatrical culture in her life, she could use lastminute.com for shows such as The Book of Mormon Theatre Show – from £29. Or, maybe The Lion King or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. All of these are available with The Lifestyle Gift Card.
The trouble with buying gift cards out right, is you don’t know how much money to put on there. Additionally, as the person organising, you don’t want to be out of pocket waiting for your colleagues or friends to pay you back. Thankfully, as all Collection Pots can be paid out to a gift card, it means that the whole office can contribute into the Pot allowing the retiring recipient to choose whether she cashes out the balance to her bank or to whatever gift card she fancies!
Thankfully all the experiences previously mentioned, can be bought through Collection Pot. Here are some of the many gift cards she can cash out her Collection Pot balance on:
Does she love the great outdoors? Gifts for her retirement don’t have to be all about sitting down and drinking! Consider some more naturalistic ideas if she has green fingers or an active lifestyle.
Ideas:
If she is really into her health and fitness, you may worry you will get it wrong. Getting gifts for her retirement that suit her lifestyle, means instead of going functional, go above and beyond! As a keen outdoor lover she might be using the same old tools and tech. Take a look at her trainers to see if they are in good nick, or ask what she does before or after her big events. This personalised hiking boot bag is a nice pick. If she prefers running, she will love a copy of Runners World Magazine, or maybe a personalised running shoe tag. More into Yoga? The brand Lululemon is the one for stretchy and stylish leggings. Heard of Cycology? If you aren’t into biking, maybe not, but she will love these jerseys. This floral design is perfect!
Right category but still worried you’ll get the wrong present? Thankfully, with a Collection Pot it means that she can choose exactly what kit or card she needs! Here are the gift cards she can cash out her Collection Pot balance on:
Is she into tech? A Photoshop wizard to a master DJ? Never assume someone who is retiring won’t want tech! Try and get some that won’t date, or go for the best you can buy now and add something extra. The days of a keepsake to get dusty are over. It’s far better to love and use what you have now.
Ideas:
We love the sound and style of a classic The Roberts Radio RD70. Priced at £180, it boasts 1950s styling and a hand-crafted acoustically-tuned wooden cabinet, now with Bluetooth for streaming music from her smartphone. We also love the Victrola Eastwood Turntable with Bluetooth, available at £109.99 from Argos, offering improved clarity and a cool aesthetic.
For tech during their travels, invest in a waterproof speaker! She may love the JBL Flip 6 speaker, priced at £99.99 from Argos, which delivers exceptional clarity while also being waterproof and dustproof.
Here are the gift cards she can cash out her Collection Pot balance on:
Does she plan to pick up a new hobby in her retirement or does she have one you know of? If she’s creative or crafty, a great retirement gift could help her make more of this with her free time!
The retirement gift you give to suit hobbies will depend on the person! It could be as simple as sourcing all the tools for them to try a new hobby like crafting, making air dry clay, painting canvases or sourcing tutors to guide them in. If they have a hobby they want to take further, it may be wise offering a cash collection or a gift card!
Hobbycraft has great-value starter craft kits. We saw a felted sausage dog that intrigued us, but there’s a craft kit for everyone, from painting sets to building your own (miniature) racecars. There is also a great value but equally as inspiring metal press kit allowing a brand new skill to be picked up. While low-cost, you can pair this with other items to make a really fantastic gift set.
And on that note, why not team food and a new potential hobby? The Afternoon Cheese Experience Day For Two at £59 is a good way to experience new things. Un-brie-lievable potential for a new hobby!
Does she love eating out or cooking up a storm in the kitchen? These are some good picks to inspire you.
Ideas:
Retirement gifts for women tend to skip over food gifts, whereas men get all the fun with whiskey, beer subscriptions and even meat and cheese hampers! But does your retiree also love to cook or bake?
You could get a classic Le Creuset set, a stylish mixer or a whizzy new air-fryer. Are they more interested in soaking up some fizz in the sun than fine dining? One way to spoil them is with the Ultimate Champagne Trug from The White Company, priced at £215. It is a luxurious statement piece hand-soldered in nickel-plated stainless steel, perfect for chilling up to four bottles of champagne. We also love this brilliant wooden ‘Retired free and fabulous’ statement wine rack, perfect for those extra long nights with no alarm clock!
Another great idea is an experience to dine out. Take a look at the many great experiences on offer with a gift card, such as The Faulty Towers dining experience on lastminute.com, a 2 hour interactive production, set in a restaurant where the audience are the diners who enjoy a 3 course lunch or dinner!
Here are the gift cards she can cash out her Collection Pot balance on:
We never said ladies retirement presents were easy, in fact, getting it right can be super tough. Still not confident in her hobbies or interests? That’s okay! These are some of our favourite picks when you want to get it 100% right.
When it comes to jewellery, you can see at a glance what she might prefer, from chunky and funky, to silver or gold. Our choices for gold include this wavy 18ct plated brass bracelet from Missoma, or for a more modern fun touch, the personalised element of this 18ct yellow gold-plated pendant necklace from PDPAOLA is sure to be a hit. Want to keep it simple? This Mizuki Kissing Double 14ct yellow-gold and floating freshwater pearl bracelet combines classic textures and styles to make a modern take on the retirement gift.
Selfridges are synonymous with quality and will be appreciated by every retiring woman. She can pick from a huge range of items. We love this Paravel weekender bag for her new found freedom to take longer trips, or the huge range of custom fragrances like Pleasing.
Whether she likes to rush around or laze about, a spa day is almost guaranteed to be appreciated. These can be bulked up with extra treatments, a hotel stay, or tickets for extra family or friends to join her. Go local, or national. Champneys is a safe bet, with 6 locations and two types of spa locations that cater for every preference and activity, in spa resorts and spa hotels.
A Collection Pot of funds is the best way to give a gift from a group. A present so perfect can be hard to pick, but with a Pot they can get whatever they desire, from gardening gloves to gift cards, leaving it to the retiree to choose how to spend their Pot.
Leave a message in the Pot to let them know how much you’ll miss them! Customise the Pot by adding your own avatar and cover photo. Individual contribution amounts are never shown, but you can also hide the total raised from the Pot. We’ll send the Pot via email as soon as it closes. So, sit back and relax, knowing that you have just found the perfect present for your soon-to-be-retiree.
Elaine Keep is an accomplished content writer with over 15 years of experience in the field of marketing and content creation for many leading brands, where she shares her passion for research and helping others through her articles. You can also find her in 'mum mode', walking in the countryside or enjoying the dreamy combo of a new non-fiction book with a tea and chocolate bar to hand.
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