Anyone else's SO do this....

lyndausvi · June 2015

So DH's birthday is in 2 weeks. He mentioned to me that he wanted a certain chef's knife. It's a few hundred dollars, so not cheap. He specifically said he was NOT going to order it right away. Cool, I will get him that for his birthday.

3 days later I come into work and DH happily shows me the new knife he just bought from "the knife guy". This guy has a kitchen supply store out of a box truck (think UPS style) and pops into DH's place from time to time.

Grrr...

Now I have to find something else to get him.

Oh my grandfather use to do the same thing around xmas. We would think of a cool gift only for him to buy the same item a few days before because it was on sale.

There should be some rule that you should not buy something for yourself within 2 weeks of your birthday or xmas or any other gift given event.

Vent over. So who has a vent about their own SO?

kvruns · June 2015

yup mine does that all the time. A few times I specifically said you are not allowed to buy XYZ. It ruins the surprise but I don't care anymore!

redheadbride15 · June 2015

OMG are you guys sure we aren't married to the same man?!? This drives me crazy. My H has an early January birthday so I'm usually trying to figure out both Christmas and birthday gifts for him at the same time. Like @kvruns I have to tell him not to buy something after he's dropped some hints that that's what he wants. None of his gifts for the past 3 years have been a surprise, but he tries sooooooo hard to seem excited when he opens them anyway. Bless his heart.

beachyone15 · June 2015

Ugh, that's annoying! My H's birthday is in a few weeks so I went ahead and ordered his gift (display cases for his signed basketballs). They are currently hiding in the spare closet of one of our bedrooms with a blanket thrown over them. I'm really hoping he won't find them before I get a chance to wrap them. It seems like he's always around, so I haven't been able to wrap them yet - I need to get him out of the house somehow!

banana468 · June 2015

OMG, DH does the SAME THING.

Last year he wanted a new phone so he bought the new Nexus 7 right before Christmas. We'd just purchased a new TV so I bought him a sound bar -and then he returned it.

It's also a PITA when his birthday is 6 weeks after Christmas.

Maggie0829 · June 2015

And this is one of the reasons why H and I rarely give each other gifts.

[Deleted User] · June 2015

FI never waits to buy anything he wants, so getting him a gift is generally impossible. I've started getting creative and just getting him weird and semi-useful things he wouldn't buy for himself.

NowIamMrsKlein · June 2015

We actually do have a don't buy for yourself around a holiday rule.

Usually for Christmas it's 'don't buy anything for yourself in the month of December' This is two fold reasoning because a) stops them from buying something that would have been a good gift and b) December is an expensive month to begin with so we shouldn't be spending money on ourselves.

For birthdays it's usually a two week rule or an 'ask before you buy' thing.

emmaaa · June 2015

I am actually bad about that. DH hates it! I'll think of something I want and tell him and then I want it RIGHT NOW, so I go buy it for myself. DH does it occasionally but not often. DH and I actually very rarely give eachother gifts.

novella1186 · June 2015

abcdevonn said:

FI never waits to buy anything he wants, so getting him a gift is generally impossible. I've started getting creative and just getting him weird and semi-useful things he wouldn't buy for himself.

Can you give some examples? H isn't too difficult to buy for, but both our dads do the whole buying themselves stuff we were about to get them as gifts thing, and it drives everyone nuts. For father's day, my dad got brownies. Done and done.

lovemesomemonster · June 2015

FI does this all the time! He also is very conscious of money so he thinks anything that is not necessary is a waste of money which makes it even harder to shop for him!

redheadbride15 · June 2015

Maggie0829 said:

And this is one of the reasons why H and I rarely give each other gifts.

We had a conversation once in which we decided we would do this (for this reason and others). But then he went out and bought me a $200 birthday gift... and I was like "NO!!!!" So now we're back to me buying him things he would have bought for himself but instead now he has to wait for them. And patience is not one of his virtues...

Maybe now that we're married is a good time to have this conversation again.

lyndausvi · June 2015

Glad I'm not alone.

I've given DH underwear and white t-shirts that he wears under his chef jacket. He's appreciative, but kind-of disappointed. Oh well buddy, I would have given you the cool gift but you bought it for yourself instead.

One year i did buy him an Xbox. I got it for him 3 weeks before xmas and set it up so when he got home it was ready to go. No way I would have been able to wait until xmas to give it to him without him buying it himself.

He also isn't good at setting that stuff up. It was better for him to just walk into the house have it ready to go.

novella1186 · June 2015

lyndausvi said:

Glad I'm not alone.

I've given DH underwear and white t-shirts that he wears under his chef jacket. He's appreciative, but kind-of disappointed. Oh well buddy, I would have given you the cool gift but you bought it for yourself instead.

One year i did buy him an Xbox. I got it for him 3 weeks before xmas and set it up so when he got home it was ready to go. No way I would have been able to wait until xmas to give it to him without him buying it himself.

He also isn't good at setting that stuff up. It was better for him to just walk into the house have it ready to go.

One year H kept talking about how bad he needed socks, and how his ankles always get cold. So I got him some nice warm cushy socks for the winter that are the taller kind (not super tall, but tall enough to keep his ankles covered). He hated them. The other day, he took that same unopened package of socks out of the back of the closet and dropped it in the Goodwill box, while giving it a nasty look.

I THOUGHT it would be a good gift. I bought myself a pack of socks last winter and I was so excited for new ones that I jumped on the bed and did a happy dance (I'm a dork like that). But no, apparently this is not a good gift for H at all. No practical gifts for him. And I will NEVER get him socks again.

lyndausvi · June 2015

novella1186 said:

lyndausvi said:

Glad I'm not alone.

I've given DH underwear and white t-shirts that he wears under his chef jacket. He's appreciative, but kind-of disappointed. Oh well buddy, I would have given you the cool gift but you bought it for yourself instead.

One year i did buy him an Xbox. I got it for him 3 weeks before xmas and set it up so when he got home it was ready to go. No way I would have been able to wait until xmas to give it to him without him buying it himself.

He also isn't good at setting that stuff up. It was better for him to just walk into the house have it ready to go.

One year H kept talking about how bad he needed socks, and how his ankles always get cold. So I got him some nice warm cushy socks for the winter that are the taller kind (not super tall, but tall enough to keep his ankles covered). He hated them. The other day, he took that same unopened package of socks out of the back of the closet and dropped it in the Goodwill box, while giving it a nasty look.

I THOUGHT it would be a good gift. I bought myself a pack of socks last winter and I was so excited for new ones that I jumped on the bed and did a happy dance (I'm a dork like that). But no, apparently this is not a good gift for H at all. No practical gifts for him. And I will NEVER get him socks again.

sorry, but that was a dick move on his part. I would be pissed.

DH gives me socks and underwear every year for xmas. Then he gives me something non-practical.

We are all over the place with gifts for our birthdays. Last year we didn't, I decided this year I would. Normally, it's just a day out together. Birthday person picks the restaurant. Last year we took a ride through the mountains and found a cute place to stop for lunch. Our b-days are a few weeks apart and July is the busiest time of year, so a day off together is rare.

This year my birthday is the day before the million dollar wedding. I already know there will be no day off together. No meals together. More than likely I will have to work myself that night.

Maggie0829 · June 2015

lyndausvi said:

novella1186 said:

lyndausvi said:

Glad I'm not alone.

I've given DH underwear and white t-shirts that he wears under his chef jacket. He's appreciative, but kind-of disappointed. Oh well buddy, I would have given you the cool gift but you bought it for yourself instead.

One year i did buy him an Xbox. I got it for him 3 weeks before xmas and set it up so when he got home it was ready to go. No way I would have been able to wait until xmas to give it to him without him buying it himself.

He also isn't good at setting that stuff up. It was better for him to just walk into the house have it ready to go.

One year H kept talking about how bad he needed socks, and how his ankles always get cold. So I got him some nice warm cushy socks for the winter that are the taller kind (not super tall, but tall enough to keep his ankles covered). He hated them. The other day, he took that same unopened package of socks out of the back of the closet and dropped it in the Goodwill box, while giving it a nasty look.

I THOUGHT it would be a good gift. I bought myself a pack of socks last winter and I was so excited for new ones that I jumped on the bed and did a happy dance (I'm a dork like that). But no, apparently this is not a good gift for H at all. No practical gifts for him. And I will NEVER get him socks again.

sorry, but that was a dick move on his part. I would be pissed.

I agree. I mean if they were too tall for him or they moved around a lot when he wore them and he said, thanks for getting me these but they aren't comfortable (or whatever) then that is one thing. But to basically throw them out with a look of disgust on his face is kind of dickish.

redheadbride15 · June 2015

novella1186 said:

lyndausvi said:

Glad I'm not alone.

I've given DH underwear and white t-shirts that he wears under his chef jacket. He's appreciative, but kind-of disappointed. Oh well buddy, I would have given you the cool gift but you bought it for yourself instead.

One year i did buy him an Xbox. I got it for him 3 weeks before xmas and set it up so when he got home it was ready to go. No way I would have been able to wait until xmas to give it to him without him buying it himself.

He also isn't good at setting that stuff up. It was better for him to just walk into the house have it ready to go.

One year H kept talking about how bad he needed socks, and how his ankles always get cold. So I got him some nice warm cushy socks for the winter that are the taller kind (not super tall, but tall enough to keep his ankles covered). He hated them. The other day, he took that same unopened package of socks out of the back of the closet and dropped it in the Goodwill box, while giving it a nasty look.

I THOUGHT it would be a good gift. I bought myself a pack of socks last winter and I was so excited for new ones that I jumped on the bed and did a happy dance (I'm a dork like that). But no, apparently this is not a good gift for H at all. No practical gifts for him. And I will NEVER get him socks again.

My H gets socks every Christmas, though I'm not entirely sure he loves it...

The story is that when I first met him he only had this sad pathetic white cotton things that you buy in bulk at Target. And they were all stretched and stained and had holes in them and he was constantly having to buy more. I, on the other hand, am a big believer in buying really high quality wool-blend socks (Smartwool is my favorite brand). Yes, you pay $20/pair, but they last for 10+ years and are comfortable and warm and breathe when your feet sweat. So, our first Christmas I bought him like 3 pairs of these. And since then, he's replaced all of his socks and he now admits that he can't believe he ever used to wear such awful socks.

Despite this, he still rolls his eyes at me when I give him a pair (or two, or three) every Christmas.

novella1186 · June 2015

Maggie0829 said:

lyndausvi said:

novella1186 said:

lyndausvi said:

Glad I'm not alone.

I've given DH underwear and white t-shirts that he wears under his chef jacket. He's appreciative, but kind-of disappointed. Oh well buddy, I would have given you the cool gift but you bought it for yourself instead.

One year i did buy him an Xbox. I got it for him 3 weeks before xmas and set it up so when he got home it was ready to go. No way I would have been able to wait until xmas to give it to him without him buying it himself.

He also isn't good at setting that stuff up. It was better for him to just walk into the house have it ready to go.

One year H kept talking about how bad he needed socks, and how his ankles always get cold. So I got him some nice warm cushy socks for the winter that are the taller kind (not super tall, but tall enough to keep his ankles covered). He hated them. The other day, he took that same unopened package of socks out of the back of the closet and dropped it in the Goodwill box, while giving it a nasty look.

I THOUGHT it would be a good gift. I bought myself a pack of socks last winter and I was so excited for new ones that I jumped on the bed and did a happy dance (I'm a dork like that). But no, apparently this is not a good gift for H at all. No practical gifts for him. And I will NEVER get him socks again.

sorry, but that was a dick move on his part. I would be pissed.

I agree. I mean if they were too tall for him or they moved around a lot when he wore them and he said, thanks for getting me these but they aren't comfortable (or whatever) then that is one thing. But to basically throw them out with a look of disgust on his face is kind of dickish.

Yeah I was not happy. He pretended to like them when I gave them to him, but I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't. Then I caught him putting them in the Goodwill box with that look on his face and I said, "I KNEW you didn't like them!" (I think they were from our first Christmas so he probably felt weird about telling me he didn't like the gift). He said he was sorry for giving them away, but it's not like I would want him to keep something he doesn't like and won't ever wear. I think we both learned something from that stupid sock incident.

thisismynickname2 · June 2015

Count my DH in the hard-to-buy-for camp. Sometimes we get each other gifts now and sometimes we mutually agree to spend our money on an experience instead.

As OP asked about vents, well, DH keeps taking his dose of mouthwash by swigging from the bottle. WTF? So, your own spitty backwash is now going into the container of mouthwash. That's why mouthwash comes with those large screw tops-- mini-cups! I caught him swigging this morning yet again and said, "For the record, I think it's really gross when you do that. Use the cup. Which you can rinse." And it's Listerine too, which I bought, and is not cheap. Gah!

lyndausvi · June 2015

thisismynickname said:

Count my DH in the hard-to-buy-for camp. Sometimes we get each other gifts now and sometimes we mutually agree to spend our money on an experience instead.

As OP asked about vents, well, DH keeps taking his dose of mouthwash by swigging from the bottle. WTF? So, your own spitty backwash is now going into the container of mouthwash. That's why mouthwash comes with those large screw tops-- mini-cups! I caught him swigging this morning yet again and said, "For the record, I think it's really gross when you do that. Use the cup. Which you can rinse." And it's Listerine too, which I bought, and is not cheap. Gah!

my husband does the same thing.

We have separate mouthwashes now.

thisismynickname2 · June 2015

lyndausvi said:

thisismynickname said:

Count my DH in the hard-to-buy-for camp. Sometimes we get each other gifts now and sometimes we mutually agree to spend our money on an experience instead.

As OP asked about vents, well, DH keeps taking his dose of mouthwash by swigging from the bottle. WTF? So, your own spitty backwash is now going into the container of mouthwash. That's why mouthwash comes with those large screw tops-- mini-cups! I caught him swigging this morning yet again and said, "For the record, I think it's really gross when you do that. Use the cup. Which you can rinse." And it's Listerine too, which I bought, and is not cheap. Gah!

my husband does the same thing.

We have separate mouthwashes now.

For real, that's how it's going to have to be now. He can buy his own damn Listerine.

OliveOilsMom · June 2015

My dad is the WORSE to buy gifts for. He used the same lunch box for work for 15 years and didn't like it when my mom had to get him a new thermos. He was a truck driver, so its not like he needed an abundance of ties. He would be given t-shirts, but would only stick to a rotation of his favorites. Although he does love Crazy Shirts, which is a Hawaiian brand, so I will occasionally get him one of those. He is also a big coffee drinker, but doesn't always like the special blends I bring home for him. So now, when my dad gets a gift, he gets a case of beer. It certainly doesn't go to waste!

I will say H doesn't usually buy stuff and the stuff he does buy is computer related and he's picky about it. So I wouldn't just randomly pick out something for him since my knowledge about computers is pretty lacking. So when I do get him a gift, its always something that he wasn't expecting. But we don't always get each other gifts for Christmas or birthdays. It honestly depends on the year and what's going on.

beachyone15 · June 2015

lyndausvi said:

thisismynickname said:

Count my DH in the hard-to-buy-for camp. Sometimes we get each other gifts now and sometimes we mutually agree to spend our money on an experience instead.

As OP asked about vents, well, DH keeps taking his dose of mouthwash by swigging from the bottle. WTF? So, your own spitty backwash is now going into the container of mouthwash. That's why mouthwash comes with those large screw tops-- mini-cups! I caught him swigging this morning yet again and said, "For the record, I think it's really gross when you do that. Use the cup. Which you can rinse." And it's Listerine too, which I bought, and is not cheap. Gah!

my husband does the same thing.

We have separate mouthwashes now.

I mean...you guys kiss your husbands, right? I guess I have an UO here, but this wouldn't bother me.

Maggie0829 · June 2015

lyndausvi said:

thisismynickname said:

Count my DH in the hard-to-buy-for camp. Sometimes we get each other gifts now and sometimes we mutually agree to spend our money on an experience instead.

As OP asked about vents, well, DH keeps taking his dose of mouthwash by swigging from the bottle. WTF? So, your own spitty backwash is now going into the container of mouthwash. That's why mouthwash comes with those large screw tops-- mini-cups! I caught him swigging this morning yet again and said, "For the record, I think it's really gross when you do that. Use the cup. Which you can rinse." And it's Listerine too, which I bought, and is not cheap. Gah!

my husband does the same thing.

We have separate mouthwashes now.

And this is one of the many reasons why H and I have separate bathrooms. I can't deal with dirty or messy bathrooms. I also can't deal with sptiback and dried up toothpaste and shaving cream with hair in the sink. So H can have his bathroom to muck up and I will have my nice, shiny and clean bathroom where I don't feel like I have to wear shoes in the shower.

lyndausvi · June 2015

beachyone15 said:

lyndausvi said:

thisismynickname said:

Count my DH in the hard-to-buy-for camp. Sometimes we get each other gifts now and sometimes we mutually agree to spend our money on an experience instead.

As OP asked about vents, well, DH keeps taking his dose of mouthwash by swigging from the bottle. WTF? So, your own spitty backwash is now going into the container of mouthwash. That's why mouthwash comes with those large screw tops-- mini-cups! I caught him swigging this morning yet again and said, "For the record, I think it's really gross when you do that. Use the cup. Which you can rinse." And it's Listerine too, which I bought, and is not cheap. Gah!

my husband does the same thing.

We have separate mouthwashes now.

I mean...you guys kiss your husbands, right? I guess I have an UO here, but this wouldn't bother me.

He is contaminating the bottle. That bothers me.

Same with drinking milk about of the carton. Sharing a drink that is to be consumed here and now doesn't bother me. It's the long term effects of contamination of the bottle that is the issue for me.

kvruns · June 2015

novella1186 said:

abcdevonn said:

FI never waits to buy anything he wants, so getting him a gift is generally impossible. I've started getting creative and just getting him weird and semi-useful things he wouldn't buy for himself.

Can you give some examples? H isn't too difficult to buy for, but both our dads do the whole buying themselves stuff we were about to get them as gifts thing, and it drives everyone nuts. For father's day, my dad got brownies. Done and done.

@novella1186 I'm not the one you were asking but H got really excited about some car wash kit his financial advisor got him/us as a wedding gift. He's a car guy and apparently this is some awesome kit that H hadn't bought for himself surprisingly - I think it is this one, I know it is the brand and it came in a box on wheels http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/starter+car+wash+kit.do

Also have purchased http://www.amazon.com/Chamberlain-GPS1000-Lighting-Garage-Station/dp/B00GEFDG9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435087748&sr=8-1&keywords=garage+opener+air+compressor which is this thing that goes on the garage opener box and is like an air compressor thing for airing up things, has a light, power cord etc. I don't really "get" it but he really likes it as a way to not have so many things sitting on the garage floor.

novella1186 · June 2015

kvruns said:

novella1186 said:

abcdevonn said:

FI never waits to buy anything he wants, so getting him a gift is generally impossible. I've started getting creative and just getting him weird and semi-useful things he wouldn't buy for himself.

Can you give some examples? H isn't too difficult to buy for, but both our dads do the whole buying themselves stuff we were about to get them as gifts thing, and it drives everyone nuts. For father's day, my dad got brownies. Done and done.

@novella1186 I'm not the one you were asking but H got really excited about some car wash kit his financial advisor got him/us as a wedding gift. He's a car guy and apparently this is some awesome kit that H hadn't bought for himself surprisingly - I think it is this one, I know it is the brand and it came in a box on wheels http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/starter+car+wash+kit.do
Also have purchased http://www.amazon.com/Chamberlain-GPS1000-Lighting-Garage-Station/dp/B00GEFDG9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435087748&sr=8-1&keywords=garage+opener+air+compressor which is this thing that goes on the garage opener box and is like an air compressor thing for airing up things, has a light, power cord etc. I don't really "get" it but he really likes it as a way to not have so many things sitting on the garage floor.

Thanks! I feel like H would really like that air thing. Adding it to my potential "to buy" list...

teddygirl9 · June 2015

I am exactly like your H haha. If I want something, I will usually just buy it for myself. And for gifts, I don't like impractical 'you'd never buy this for yourself' kind of things. I want boring shit, like oil changes - something that I gotta do, but hate doing. Or, anything kitchen related.

You could maybe have his other knives sharpened? That's something tha tis important that the other chefs I know sometimes neglect. Or like a nice Le Creuset pot for home.

mrscomposer · June 2015

J is one of those people who spends two months deciding what kind of cell phone he wants before he actually bites the bullet and buys it, so who the hell knows what he wants - which means that gift cards are actually a better choice. He's big in to concerts, though, so event tickets are a safe bet with him.

Although - @novella1186 - did you say at one point that you got your H the beer steins from GoT? J and his brother would lose their minds with those.

lyndausvi · June 2015

teddygirl9 said:

I am exactly like your H haha. If I want something, I will usually just buy it for myself. And for gifts, I don't like impractical 'you'd never buy this for yourself' kind of things. I want boring shit, like oil changes - something that I gotta do, but hate doing. Or, anything kitchen related.

You could maybe have his other knives sharpened? That's something tha tis important that the other chefs I know sometimes neglect. Or like a nice Le Creuset pot for home.

the "knife guy" also sharpens knifes and the club pays for the service. DH has 3 sharpening stones too. Plus his good knives are under lock and key at work.

He is rarely at home for meals and if he is he would rather not cook. So any pot would really be for me :P

novella1186 · June 2015

mrscomposer said:

J is one of those people who spends two months deciding what kind of cell phone he wants before he actually bites the bullet and buys it, so who the hell knows what he wants - which means that gift cards are actually a better choice. He's big in to concerts, though, so event tickets are a safe bet with him.
Although - @novella1186 - did you say at one point that you got your H the beer steins from GoT? J and his brother would lose their minds with those.

Yes! I ordered it a few weeks ago and it's hidden in my office right now because H's birthday is not till September (I ordered it super early cuz I wasn't sure how things would work with overseas shipping and then making sure it wasn't broken when it arrived, etc. I wanted plenty of time for a back-up plan if anything went wrong, but it is awesome!)

Here's the link:

http://www.jelldragon.com/beer_mugs.htm

Anyone else's SO do this....

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