Let’s face it, we’ve all turned into couch potatoes recently. With the world beyond our four walls so turbulent, the temptation to settle into our little spot on the sofa and escape into the TV has been tough to resist.
Yep, binge watching behaviour during the last year has gotten a little out of control. Recently, Ofcom reported that lockdown had led to a surge in TV screentime and streaming, with Brits ‘’spending an average of six hours and 25 minutes each day watching TV and online video content – a total of almost 45 hours a week, and a rise of almost a third on last year’’.
Hey, we’re not judging. We’re actually writing this from the sofa. In the background, Come Dine With Me is on its 154th episode, and we couldn’t be happier to have Geoff from Wigan for company. Even if he is a bit of an arse.
In fact, some say binge watching can sooth the coronavirus blues. We couldn’t agree more; whatever gets you through this difficult period shouldn’t be giving you guilt.
As such, we figured that one of the best gifts you can get your lover this Valentine’s Day is something that will make their TV viewing experience all the more comfortable, diverse or even delicious. And let’s face it; doing so might buy you a few minutes of peace, too!
With that in mind, for the couch potato in your life, here are 5 IDEAL gifts.
BUY THEM A STREAMING SUBSCRIPTION
Or just give them the password to your Netflix account – we all do it, after all!
In all seriousness, giving the gift of a streaming service has got to be the ultimate gift for any couch potato, bringing the present of almost infinite choice to their fingertips! What’s more, it represents a free pass for them to spend even more time watching their favourite shows from the comfort of their sofa in the future.
Though it’s not possible to buy an actual subscription for others, many streaming services offer gift cards, making it easy to pay for a membership or a gift to someone special. These gift cards can then be used as a ‘prepaid subscription’ and without wishing to state the obvious, some of the most popular platforms around include:
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime
- Disney Plus
- Hulu
- HBO Max
- Now TV
- Sky Store
- And many, many more…
Your beloved couch potato can’t have a subscription to all of the streaming services out there, can they?
A GOOGLE CHROMECAST
Whether you’re lucky enough to own a smart TV or you’re simply looking for ways to simplify your loved one’s viewing experience, the Google Chromecast could be the perfect gift for the couch potato in your life.
A Chromecast is simply a device you plug into the back of your TV (at the HDMI port) which allows you to stream films, shows, live TV, Youtube and more, directly from your smartphone, all the way to the big screen.
Why would a couch potato need one, we hear you ask?
Well, the answer is simple – it just makes streaming and watching TV easier. You don’t have to faff around with the remote, suffer adverts, tolerate terrestrial TV, or ever get up off the sofa again. We’re reminded of a Simpsons episode here…
A MONTHLY SNACK SUBSCRIPTION BOX
If today’s streaming services have taught us anything at all, it’s that TV watching is a marathon not a sprint. Indeed, binge watching is clearly an endurance sport, requiring hours of our attention, focus and concentration if we’re to notice every nuance and plot twist which happens in our favourite shows (The Wire, if you’re asking).
Like any endurance sport, you need snacks to see you through, and lots of them. Enter snack subscription boxes, which can bring a huge variety of snacks to your door, perfect for those who love to veg out on their sofas with lots of delicious edibles.
You can find a UK subscription box to suit just about any taste. Some of our favourite snack subscription boxes include Universal Yums Snack box, which delivers an international snack box from a different country every month, and the Japan Centre Pop Culture Snack Box, full of delicious Japanese snacks and confectionery.
Hey, who said you could only explore the world right now through travel documentaries? Do so with snacks, too!
A POPCORN MACHINE
Speaking of snacks, popcorn is perhaps the king when it comes to pairing screens and salty, sweet treats. While bags of popcorn are, of course, fine (are they really though? And don’t you want more than just ‘fine’?), we all know that popcorn tastes best when it’s just been freshly popped.
Enter the domestic Popcorn Machine. The Independent have rounded up some of the best popcorn machines out there, so why not treat your loved one to the gift of perfect cinematic snacks this Valentine’s Day? If you want a popcorn machine to look the part – this is still your living room after all, not some sordid TV bingeing den – then VonShef sells a decent retro popcorn machine for just £19.99.
TV DINNERS
Stock your beloved Couch Potato’s fridge and freezer up with a whole load of TV dinners if you want to give them a good feed whilst they watch the entirety of Friends for the fifth time.
Let’s face it, when you want to catch your favourite TV show at 6pm, whipping up a weeknight dinner can be a bit of a scramble. Enter the queen of convenience – the frozen ready meal. Ready meals are big business these days and the choices are limitless. What’s more, they’re getting much healthier, which is welcome news, indeed.
If you want to fill up your loved one’s freezer on the cheap, Iceland is, of course, your first port of call. However, if you’re looking for something a little more premium, then your supermarket of choice should be Marks and Sparks; they’ve got loads of the frozen good stuff, thoughtfully sourced, prepared and easy to heat up, too.
When it comes to brand names, we’re fans of Charlie Bighan’s and Gressingham ready meals. Last year, Higgidy entered the premium ready meal market with a range of vegetarian and vegan options, including the delicious sounding ‘Mac ‘n’ Super Green with Crispy Kale & Pumpkin Seed Crumb’, as well as a ‘Mushroom & Puy Lentil Cottage Pie with Kale & Butter Bean Mash’, amongst several other plant based options. Count us in!
Or, instead of buying ready meals, why not make your own? There’s nothing quite like a home cooked meal to really show that you care; for your loved one who spends too much time on the sofa, it’s almost definitely a healthier option, too! And to avoid it feeling like a care package for a Couch Potato who has taken things too far, consider making your own personalised cardboard packaging for your homecooked TV dinners.
Phew; we feel listless and lethargic just reading all of that. If you’re keen to inspire a little exercise in your companion after all that TV, then check out these 5 IDEAL ways to encourage yourself to exercise.