advice already received, thank u

thestaircase · June 2015

edit: advice already received, thank u

southernbelle0915 · June 2015

I like experience-type gifts. From what you posted here, I would get him a gift certificate or membership to a shooting range.

TrixieJess · June 2015

What have you gotten him in the past?

Me sharing what I would get my FI isn't going to help as he is the complete opposite of your H.

For instance: This year there is a book that he wants that is coming out 2 weeks before his b-day, that's what I'm getting him. I've gotten him video games, books, funny t-shirts and booze for his b-day.

What about planning a nice night away?

Cookie Pusher · June 2015

Sex. That's pretty much our go-to gift for all occasions since we already have so much stuff. No complaints from either of us, even after 13.5 years.

julieanne912 · June 2015

We don't do gifts anymore, but the last time I did, bought him tickets to a baseball game, a few rows behind home plate. We go to games a lot but usually sit in the cheap seats, so this was cool.

OliveOilsMom · June 2015

If you have a local football team or he has a favorite football team. I recommend trying to get him a pair of tickets to one of their games. (They should be on sale now, I know the Eagles tixs have gone on sale) Or an authentic football jersey of his favorite player.

For H's 30th, I threw him a surprise party. I had his favorite food (ribs) and his favorite beer too. There was obviously a birthday cake. I honestly don't recall what I got him for his birthday that year. The year before, we left for our honeymoon on his birthday. I did get him a throwback jersey for his favorite baseball team. He absolutely loved it!

Are you a good cook? Could you make H his favorite dinner? One year, while we were trying to save money, we stayed in for a Valentine's Day dinner. I cooked bacon wrapped filet (cheaper to do that at home, then out at a restaurant!), he has repeatedly said that is the best thing he has ever eaten. Even better than fancy steakhouses, he's been to. So cooking him a fancy dinner might be nice too.

NowIamMrsKlein · June 2015

I try and pay attention through out the year for when he mentions that he likes something, or would like to buy something eventually. I keep a list on my phone, whether its the mention of a video game he wants to try, or a bluray that he cant believe he doesn't own, to something as simple as a random kitchen utensil that he keeps reaching for that we don't have. (for Christmas I put an olive oil mister in his stocking and he's still talking about how awesome it is).

Sometimes we agree on no presents, so then I usually just ask him what he wants for supper and I make him that. I'll make some dessert, pick up some wine. Put on a cute outfit and really make it about him, and then we will watch a movie that I may necessarily not want to watch but he's been dying to see. Sometimes those are the nicest things.

princessleia22 · June 2015

We typically don't do gifts for our birthdays. But, this year I took DH skydiving for his birthday. We had talked about doing it for many years. My parents tend to search on Groupon for good activity deals for gifts. She gave my brother the gift of helicopter ride one year. This year for my birthday she gave me gift certificate for riding in a glider plane. There are some fun activities that you may not otherwise think of.

I agree with Southernbelle that a package to the shooting range may be a good gift. Depending on the range, full annual memberships can be expensive. Outdoor range is usually much cheaper. But, sometimes they offer smaller memberships or fun packages. And if you aren't interested, maybe it's something he can do with his friends.

Or if he sits in a truck all day, maybe a lumbar support or massager for his truck? Or my DH gets really tight shoulder muscles from work and loves getting massages. We actually have an appointment for both of us to get massage tomorrow.

Maggie0829 · June 2015

Has he ever tried Cross Fit? You could pay for him to do some cross fit classes.

I will also third the shooting range package. Has he had his eye on a certain gun? I am not sure of your budget but you could always surprise him by taking him to a gun shop and buying the gun he has been eyeing. Or maybe buy him a nice gun cleaning kit?

Maybe getting him a spa day would be nice. A massage and a facial?

I know you say that you two are boring but what do you like to do together? Maybe spend the day exploring a new nearby city? Go see a play? Just do something new and maybe you will find something that you both like.

novella1186 · June 2015

Last summer H saw an old Schwinn bike at an antique store and it was exactly what he'd been looking for for years. It was in really good condition and it was pretty cheap, so I snuck back to the store and bought it for him and hid it in my parents' garage till his bday.

This year I tracked down the company in the UK that makes all the beer mugs for Game of Thrones (his favorite show) and ordered one for him. They're cut and molded from cow horns and look like this:

I feel like I'm doing pretty alright so far. Oh yeah and one year I got him lizards. We still have one of the lizards. She's an old lady now but it launched a whole big terrarium-building hobby for H.

doeydo · June 2015

I try to listen to thing she says and I write down a gift idea when it comes to me. For instance, she loves Pokemon and one of them she says is her spirit animal and onesies (like the kind of pajamas) came up in conversation once and she said they look so comfortable and she would love to try one. So I contacted a person on Etsy that makes custom onesies and asked them to make a onesie that looks like that Pokemon character.

Also, she collects Pop Vinyl figurines, so I got her a new one from one of her favourite TV shows on her birthday along with a bouquet of her favourite flowers.

badbnagdway · June 2015

southernbelle0915 said:

I like experience-type gifts. From what you posted here, I would get him a gift certificate or membership to a shooting range.

Agree. Experience-type gifts seem most appreciated by my H. For Christmas one year I got him a tank driving experience and planned a trip for us to go (the place was a couple hours away so I booked us a cabin in the same town as the tank place).

I think it's his favorite present he ever got. Look around for cool experiences you think he'd enjoy.

peachy13 · June 2015

My fiance just turned 30 last month and he had a great day! I told him ahead of time to take work off on his bday and the day after, and that I was going to take him away for a surprise trip. This was all true, and I found a nice little hotel 2 hours away from where we live... and leading up to his bday he was really excited about not knowing where we were going. And the kicker was that I drove him towards our destination on the morning of his birthday, and surprised him with a trip to a skydiving facility! He was really excited. I jumped with him, we took an awesome photo, and it was pretty incredible and memorable. Then, we went to the hotel (sexy time) and I took him out for a nice dinner later. I know he had a great day.

artbyallie · June 2015

Would he enjoy perhaps a pair of tickets to see his favorite football team play?

H just had his 30th birthday this March, and I bought him a video game and took him out to dinner to a place we'd never been. Among other things, he got another video game, gift cards to a couple restaurants, money, and a funny t-shirt or two. We also went to visit friends we hadn't seen in a few years.

drunkenwitch · June 2015

I bought my man tickets to Weird Al for gis birthday. It was totally all for him, I swear. ..cough

HedgehogMama2016 · June 2015

The most relevant gifts to your situation that I've ever gotten for FI that were popular are probably magazine subscriptions. He loves motorcycles & cars, so in the past I've signed him up to receive the Top Gear Magazine (The original UK top gear) and also Motorcycle Mojo, both of which he loved, and loves getting every month. The motorcycle one especially has cool trip ideas and tips about your bike, not just ads and reviews, so even if he's happy with his current bike it could still be interesting.

I agree with PP that if he's a football fan, tickets to see his team play would probably go over well, even if you're not the one who goes with him.

mj8215 · June 2015

PPs have given you lots of good ideas, just wanted to add that if you would like to get him a "physical gift" as opposed to tickets to a game/show/etc, how about a nice wristwatch? FI didn't really wear one until I got him one for his last birthday and he loves it and basically wears it every day. Obviously a bit more challenging to pick something he likes, that is suitable for work, etc, but just something to consider.

bride2b71614 · June 2015

I try to listen to what he wants throughout the year, and buy it. FI prefers experience gifts to material at this point.

I think if he likes shooting, you should go with the gun range membership.

Or another alternative; find out his favorite NFL team and player on that team. Maybe get his favorite players jersey and tickets to a game?

MJKlover · June 2015

My FI's birthday was this past Friday. I bought him the grill he has been wanting. He's happy and I get meals out of it. It's a win-win.

dolewhipper · June 2015

Every year we take a trip at the end of the summer which coincides with his bday, but I don't tell him where we're going. Depending on our budget we have done staycations close by, weekend cruises, or going across the country. This year I'm planning for us to go to Cedar Point.

OliveOilsMom · June 2015

I finally remembered what I got H for his 30th birthday! It was bugging me all weekend! I got him an experience driving a Lamborghini. He loved it! I often see groupons for exotic car driving experiences.

banana468 · June 2015

I think I got DH a kid gift and a grown up man gift.

Kid gift: a Tauntaun sleeping bag (from Think Geek).

Grown up gift: A lens for his DSLR.

advice already received, thank u

Re: advice already received, thank u

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