5 Unique Retirement Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Retiree

5 Unique Retirement Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Retiree

Do you have a friend, spouse or another family member who's retiring soon or recently retired? If so, you're probably on the lookout for gift ideas they can enjoy in their new free time. Of course, there's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to retirement gift ideas. But with some attention to what the new retiree enjoys or plans to do during retirement, you can give a gift they'll appreciate and enjoy.

Here are five retirement gift ideas that retirees will love.

1. Hobby-Related Accessories and Supplies

Does your friend or family member have a favorite hobby? If so, something they can use for this activity should be on your list of retirement gift ideas. If they're a golfer, they'll appreciate golf balls (find out what brands they like first), hats, visors and tees. Better yet, give them a gift card to a pro shop they like or a store that specializes in golf supplies and accessories. You can do the same for tennis or pickleball players.

If someone enjoys a backyard sanctuary for birds and assorted critters, you can give bird seed, a bird bath or a bird feeder. Someone who plans to fish in retirement will appreciate fishing flies, hooks, a comfy outdoor chair or a fishing rod rack.

2. Master Class Subscription

Now that the retiree in your life has time to expand their knowledge and explore new hobbies or other endeavors, give them an annual Master Class subscription. The $180 annual membership is like several retirement gift ideas rolled into one, offering the subscriber access to more than 150 streaming video classes taught by famed instructors. Each master class includes 20 10-minute (on average) video classes.

Master class offerings include classes for:

  • Cooking.
  • Fiction, screenwriting and other writing.
  • Acting, filmmaking and directing.
  • Songwriting.
  • Tennis and other sports.
  • Yoga, wellness and mental strength.

3. Monthly Coffee or Wine Subscription

Your favorite retiree may now have time to fully savor that morning cup of coffee, so sign them up for a coffee-of-the-month club to explore and enjoy coffees from all over the world. For example, a six-month "coffee world tour" gift subscription for one 12-ounce bag of coffee each month from Atlas Coffee Club costs $99.

Does the retiree appreciate fine wines? California Wine Club has monthly wine club subscriptions starting at around $43 per month for two bottles of premium wine. The person receives the specified quantity of bottles a month, with shipments ranging from one to twelve months. Even a one-time shipment of two bottles is a gift any wine lover will appreciate.

4. Luggage

For retirees with travel plans on the retirement horizon, luggage of all sizes is a favorite among retirement gift ideas. You don't have to go all out with a full set of luggage, either. Give a wheeled carry-on bag that organizes a lot of items but fits easily into the overhead carrier of a plane. Or give a fashionable travel tote, bag or purse.

5. Books

There's no shortage of good books on retirement, ranging from how to be happy in retirement to making retirement funds last. If you know the gift recipient well enough to guess at a book they might like, go for it. Or, since buying books is highly subjective for most dedicated readers, the new retiree may appreciate instead a gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or a Book of the Month subscription.

But that's not the only way to "read" books. Book-related retirement gift ideas also include a subscription to Audible or another provider of audiobooks and podcasts. A subscription to Audible is only $14.95 per month, and you or the subscriber can cancel at any time.

Now that you have a handful of retirement gift ideas, try brainstorming your own, keeping in mind the retiree's personality, hobbies and other interests. That way, you'll have a better chance of giving the perfect gift your friend or family member can enjoy during retirement now that work stressors are behind them.

Deb Hipp AuthorThumbnail

Follow us

Don't be shy, get in touch. We love meeting interesting people and making new friends.