Men’s Lifestyle Essentials – Things Every Man Should Own

Whether we’re talking about the modern man of today, or a traditional kind of guy, there are just some things that every man should own. This is the men’s lifestyle edition, with no clothing of fashion included, as I feel that deserves it’s own, bigger feature.

Mobile Phone

They aren’t so much of a mobile phone, and more like a mobile computer these days. How often do you call or even text? Probably not as much as you use the browser, social media, or other apps. Mobile phones, or smart phones as they’re known these days have become an increasingly important part of everyday life, and are an essential lifestyle gadget to have in your pocket. Leave this in the house, and it feels like you’ve lost an arm.

Watch

I’ve always thought of a watch as a proper man’s piece of jewellery, and every man should have one. They don’t just tell the time, a quality timepiece makes a statement, the same way as clothing, a car or anything else you care to mention. If you’re of the opinion that “you can just pull out your phone to find out the time”, you aren’t really getting the idea of a wrist watch. There’s a huge amount of watches which you can get which will suit your own individual style, from a simple analogue to a chronograph, it really adds that little bit extra to any look.

Blu Ray Collection

A man needs to chill. We’re busy with life, but you need to give yourself a couple of hours a week at least to just chill out and do nothing. A great way to do that is to watch a film. Since we’re all about HD these days (pretty soon we’ll be all about 4K) blu rays are the way to go. What’s good is that all the classics can be bought on Blu Ray. I’m talking about Top Gun, The Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs to name a few, and more modern classics like The Wolf Of Wall Street all looking epic in HD.

Big TV

Pretty much a standard these days, but the big screen TV is a must have. You need at least one, but preferably one in virtually every room of your house. 40″ is pretty much the benchmark these days, and going anything up from that is a must. As with many things, size is not everything, there’s plenty to consider when you’re going for a big screen, and you need to check out the quality of the TV, not just the screen real estate.

Bluetooth Speaker

Once upon a time owning a good stereo was up there with everything. They had big sound, and were big old units themselves. In the days of Hi-Fi systems you could stack up to the ceiling, and have some speakers just as big too. CD changers came around and changed the game, and now we’re fully into the digital age where a good speaker is what you need with your phone, computer or MP3 player containing the music. There’s plenty of premium options out there which look and sound the part, with mid-range and lower end speakers doing a good job too.

Headphones

Headphones are great because you can play your music as loud as you like, and nobody can complain. Headphones have became fashionable on their own, with high end headphones taking up significant chunks of the market. The most well known for the past couple of years are the Beats by Dre, but there’s better choices, such as B&O BeoPlay H6 and the offerings from Sony, Bowers And Wilkins, Bose and Sennheiser are options too.

If you are like me and you go running or go to the gym, you’ll want a pair of in-ear headphones too, which are the only way to work out and listen to music on the go.

Computer

A computer, laptop, or ultrabook is an absolute essential these days. Personally I am old school, and I love a proper desktop PC as you’ve already seen in the desk of a fashion blogger. I think they are so much better, you can do so much more, they’re more productive and powerful. The obvious drawback is their portability, and having a 2nd portable is definitely a plus if you can do it. For that obvious reason, people have started to shy away from a traditional desktop these days, but for me, for blogging and productivity, there’s nothing better than dual screens which are both 22″+ to work on.

Windows or Mac? Well that is personal choice. I love Windows, and prefer it over Mac any day. I have a MacBook Pro and tried OSX for years but I simply don’t like it as much as Windows. Buying a Mac means you’ve pretty much got to stick with their hardware configs and Mac-only software and hardware, whereas the eco-system for Windows is vastly greater. I don’t use my MacBook Pro very much these days, and when I did I had the benefit of installing Windows on it through VMWare.

Car

It’s true what they say, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. When I sold my last car and had to wait a few weeks for a new one, it was like loosing an arm. I was thinking I could go here or there, and then realised I did not have my car. A guy having a car is essential in 2016. The good thing about this, is that unlike the olden days, today small cars are not only affordable, but they are cool. We’re living in the golden age of the hot-hatchbacks.

There’s such a great choice available; I love my Fiesta, I think it’s the best small car for the money. There’s the Citroen DS3, Audi A1, WV Golf, Mini Cooper and a few others too. What’s better, a shiny new hot hatch, or a 5 year old boring BMW 3 series? Don’t be the guy who has a flash car driving around in bad clothing complaining about the cost of insurance and petrol 😉

Credit Card

You’re a grown man, so get yourself some credit! 😛 If you ever need to buy something which costs a fair amount and you don’t want to carry a huge amount of cash around, the credit card is the obvious choice. It’s far better for shopping online, as you’re insured, and if you’re a grown up staying in a nice hotel, you’ll likely need a credit card to check in too.

Money

Credit cards are good, but cash is always king. You should always keep some money accessible, having a small stash comes in handy for the odd small items, unexpected emergencies and of course nights out for food or entertainment.

Verdict

Being a guy these days means there’s lots of essential lifestyle items which any man should own; From gadgets to everyday items, they have become a necessity of every man’s life.

What are your men’s essential items?