Birthday present idea for husband, can anyone suggest anything moneysaving?

Lizbetty

Hi everyone!

It's my husband's birthday on 15th August and we're brassic He started as self employed in May this year and it's going ok, but you know, early days...we used up our savings to help in getting him established and to cover the mortgage, etc, so we're having to be very careful with money.

We had 2 girls - one 25months and the latest little bundle is 7months, and so I'll have to think of something from them too! He's a fab husband and dad - I've not been a very good wife though, I had pnd with my 1st baby, and it has come back slightly with my 2nd, so I've been a bit distant on and off and not really shown him any appreciation at all (quite the opposite sometimes), which I'm really conscious of. He's always out and about with the kids - he even went self employed to spend more time with them, and he has been constantly supportive, so I just want to do something which shows how much I care really.

We have a house full of previously bought gift 'stuff', so I've put the Firebox catalogues in recycling, lol! I am hoping to get him a party type thing with buns and jelly (hopefully he'll be working so I can get it ready) but I wanted to get him something he could unwrap. He gets very soppy so anything family orientated would go down well. My head is all over the place at the mo and I just can't think what to get him, esp from the little uns.

All ideas welcomed, he does love woodwork, making stuff when he has time, fire (I got him an incinerator for christmas and that's he's favourite thing ever, I think, lol! ), getting out and about, not too bothered about gadgets really, apart from woodworky ones. Sigh. It's been a funny old year to date and I'm hoping to make his birthday special to perk it up a bit!

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate your help!

Lucy :beer:

firesidemaid

what about taking some photos of the kids and making a photo-related gift. either as pictures or into a mug etc

Kimitatsu

Thats what I would get from the little ones - a photo frame with Dad on it and pictures of them all together? Boots have a half price sale on many of their photo frames at the moment, so if you have spare points it could be very money saving!

As for you, why not make him a "cheque" book of things that he likes such as a pass for the washing up, a voucher for a foot rub, voucher for a family walk etc etc. It means that he has a bit more say if he feels that you are both drifting apart a bit, and can get you all together to have some time as a family? If he is very family oriented and a bit soppy to boot then that might go down well!

Good luck and battle on through, its never easy with small kids and starting a new business, but you will come out stronger at the end of it.

Nenen

What a caring post... you sound lovely and I bet your dh adores you! It is so difficult to show how much we appreciate our dhs at the best of times let alone when battling pnd! My dh is very similar to how your dh sounds... and we've been married 26 years now. IMHO the most important thing is that he knows how much you love him even when times are difficult (which is what you're obviously trying to show him through these gifts)!

From the children, how about doing one of those handprint or footprint pictures for your dh (you can take a hand/foot print from each of your little ones using poster paint) and put it with a poem in a cheap frame. If you can't run to a frame just print it onto card and he can use his woodworking skills to make his own frame! This website has a selection of poems to go alongside:
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/dad/mhandprintalt.html

For a present from you, would it be possible for you to get someone to have the children to stay with them overnight (or if they sleep well just put them to bed early ) so that you could buy/hire a romantic film and cook your dh his favourite meal and just have an evening cuddling up together?

Or as he sounds a lovely romantic, what about buying him a plant for the garden with an appropriate name, e.g. there's are roses named 'Heart of Gold' / 'Simply the Best' /'Eternally Yours' : search for a nursery near you (or mail order) that stocks them here:
'http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantfinder.asp

The only problem with roses is that they are usually supplied as bare rooted in Autumn -Spring when you can buy them for about £7- £10. At this time of year you will have to buy a container grown one which will be a bit more expensive.

If I think of anything else I'll get back to you!

mountainofdebt

Lucyeff wrote: »

He's a fab husband and dad - I've not been a very good wife though, I had pnd with my 1st baby, and it has come back slightly with my 2nd, so I've been a bit distant on and off and not really shown him any appreciation at all (quite the opposite sometimes),
Lucy :beer:

Can I just say that it was this bit in your post that I had to reply to .....just because you had pnd doesn't mean to say that your a bad wife.....would you say the same if you had any other illness? No I doubt it.

As for the present idea, whatever you decide to do it doesn't need to be expensive - I'm sure your hubby would rather that anyway if money is tight.

(It was hubby's 40th in April and I went from booking a stay in a hotel. with spa treatments, and a balloon ride to cooking him a slap up meal with photo birthday cake from Asda)

Nenen

Are you able to spend any money at all or has what you give got to be free? Let us know your budget to give us more ideas.... I feel like I'm a woman on a mission!

If you have a few pounds to spend then how about this book:
The Complete Manual of Woodworking (Paperback) by Albert Jackson (Author), David Day (Author)
It's got great reviews and is on Amazon for £10.98

Or, if he gets pleasure from making things then maybe he'd like a book or something to help him make a dolls house or little garden den for your dds? I'm almost 50 and still remember with great fondness the wooden sandpit my dad made me when I was 3! My dh and i made a garden den (out of an old chicken shed) in our garden for our ds' 3rd birthday and took delight in making all the furniture etc. It gave us almost as much pleasure to make it as it did my ds to play in it!

Garnet_Gem

How about a really nice chocolate bar? This can vary sizewise according to the money you have to spend on him. If you wanted to show you really cared, buy a variety that he loves but one that you can't stand!

Bowbelles

What about this, I did it for my mum for Mother's Day and she cried...

I gift-wrapped an empty box and added a bow and ribbon and attached a note saying "A box of kisses - whenever you feel need you can open the box and take one out, and remember how much I love you".

I also gave her a typed list of reasons for each kiss, e.g.

A Kiss for being so selfless

A Kiss for showering me with love and affection

A Kiss for teaching me to be strong
A Kiss for teaching me the importance of family

but you needn't do that.

What about a photo keyring or mousemat from the girls? You can have these made from your own digital photo's - I'm sure places like Boots/Tesco do them or you can order on-line (try Snapfish.co.uk).

I'm sure whatever you do will be appreciated, but spending a nice day together as a family would be lovely. You sound like a lovely family and I hope you have a great day.

Lizbetty

Nenen wrote: »

Are you able to spend any money at all or has what you give got to be free? Let us know your budget to give us more ideas.... I feel like I'm a woman on a mission!

If you have a few pounds to spend then how about this book:
The Complete Manual of Woodworking (Paperback) by Albert Jackson (Author), David Day (Author)
It's got great reviews and is on Amazon for £10.98

Or, if he gets pleasure from making things then maybe he'd like a book or something to help him make a dolls house or little garden den for your dds? I'm almost 50 and still remember with great fondness the wooden sandpit my dad made me when I was 3! My dh and i made a garden den (out of an old chicken shed) in our garden for our ds' 3rd birthday and took delight in making all the furniture etc. It gave us almost as much pleasure to make it as it did my ds to play in it!

Hi!

Thanks for the lovely posts and ideas! Just having to do a quick reply as the littlest is trying to lick my face (as they do!)..

Nenen, the book looks like it was made for him! He does love making things - at the mo it's a struggle finding time to do it with him being self employed, but I think I could rope my mum into helping me with bathing and feeding the kids on a Sunday and give him some time to read it and make things!

It's hard farming the kids out - the littlest is still breastfed and sleeps in our bed, so we can't leave her just yet (plus she's going through that phase where they freak out if someone else holds them, which starts off endearing and ends up a pain, lol!), and we can't leave the eldest at my mums overnight either - my mum and dad are fab, but they have a lot on their plate, and there's a few reasons I can't really leave em there all night at the minute, unfortunately.

I had thought of getting Si's best friend to come up - he lives in Bognor and he's skinter than us but a very proud chap, I'd wondered about persuading him to let me buy him a train ticket, but the hurdles are the cost (£48 minimum) and whether he'd let me! Sigh.

The poem idea is brilliant, and the photos - I can probably afford about £15-ish, I can print photos from the pc though (somehow!) and I got some free photo paper from an MSE link (wey hey!) so I could figure out how to do it. I can upload them ok, but getting them to fit them paper flummoxes me..!

Oops, he's just got back, bets go and finish later

hardpressed

Could you give him a promise of a 'date' a month? Get the children to bed, make the effort to do your hair and make-up, change into something nice, lay the table, candles, cook dinner, even beans on toast can be romantic by candle light with some soft music in the background, doesn't have to be anything grand, a bottle of wine if you like it and can afford it, and just spend time together. Then repeat every month.

alison6692

Hiya

You may also get more ideas using this thread. People have some fab ideas over there x

CLICK

HTH

Alison x