Submitted by Righteous_Weevil t3_113024z in relationship_advice
Going to preface this with the fact that I make ok money but am also a full-time student, so a lot of my income goes to my education.
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Yesterday, my girlfriend and I exchanged valentines day gifts. We've been working out more and more over the past few months together, and she's been looking for more ways to get healthy, so I got her a nice yoga mat/block combo, a month's membership to a local yoga studio, and a high-quality massage gun. She had expressed interest in trying yoga and had been having issues with muscle soreness. She got me a new insulated water bottle and some candy. When she opened her present, I could tell she wasn't super thrilled but didn't say anything in the morning.
After I picked her up from work, she admitted she was disappointed in my gift and had been expecting me to get her the perfume she had hinted at a month ago. Keep in mind this perfume she hinted at one time was $600 a bottle, which was way outside of my gift budget for valentines day. I tried to explain to her that I couldn't afford a super expensive present so soon after the Christmas season, but she asked me to drop the subject before she got mad. I dropped her off at her place, and she's been radio silent ever since.
I don't know how to proceed with this relationship. I feel unappreciated for the thought I put into my present and honestly a bit used. Part of me feels I should apologize and put the perfume on a credit card. Still, the other part thinks that would only exacerbate the issue and set a precedent for future present-related behavior; I also shouldn't be adding to my debt for Valentine's day. Simultaneously I see a disconnect between the type of present she gets for me and the type she expects in return; I wasn't disappointed in any way by her gift, but her reaction has me circling back to it. I already have multiple insulated water bottles; the one she got is plain white and only $25. I don't like taking this transactional mindset about gifts, but it's hard not to when your significant other demands a $600 bottle of perfume for a gift on a day she previously insisted she "doesn't really care about."
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TL;DR: I got my girlfriend a thoughtful gift when she wanted an expensive one and caught flak for it. How should I convey my feelings to her in a constructive way?