What to get for the man who has everything – well, he’s already got me ;)

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This is a thrice-yearly problem for me. I have a husband who doesn’t want anything. For birthdays, he insists he’d rather no one celebrate it, at Christmas, he claims he doesn’t want a stocking, and thinks that Valentine’s Day shouldn’t warrant any effort.

Actually, make that 4 times a year: even on our anniversary, he starts dropping hints during the weeks beforehand that he won’t be expecting a gift. Yet he spoils me every time. I think ‘showered with gifts’ is the correct term.

Thankfully, I always ignore him and go ahead and buy him loads of prezzies anyway, and of course, he is delighted. You see, he’s not all bah humbug or a grumpy old sod, he simply doesn’t want anyone to make a fuss, but is always pleasantly surprised when we all do!

This year I’ve been going for a different approach to gift giving and trying out some new, thrifty ideas for the man who doesn’t want anything. Here are my plans:

A public celebration of him

Spend hours creating a Facebook photo album with all his silliest photos, then share it with friends on the big day and tag him in all 100 images. It could be all the fancy dress outfits he’s worn over the years, or his worst face-pulling antics. The album I’ve made is ‘The Beard’, including all the silly shapes he’s trimmed his beard into over our lifetime together, including a handle-bar moustache and ‘the tiger’. There’s nothing like a bit of public humiliation to say ‘happy birthday’ to the one you love.

Bake a massive cake

You don’t have to be the best cook; it just has to be BIG with piles of sweets and choccies on top. They say size doesn’t matter, but it does when it comes to a man’s birthday cake. Here’s the recipe I used to bake the cherry and chocolate cake below.

I already know that I’m a bit rubbish at making cake (honestly, I’m getting worse – my last attempt was put out for the birds and even they didn’t want it), so I’ve bought some packet mixes to make sure I don’t go too far wrong and will just cover up any mistakes with a load of buttercream and chocolate icing!

Go out for dinner

Sticking with the food theme, take him out for a big slap-up dinner. Again, it doesn’t have to be expensive, posh or luxurious – just BIG. Think massive portions, meaty meals and huge ‘sharer’ desserts for one.

All-you-can-eat buffets really come into their own on birthdays, and if you don’t fancy a night out how about ‘one of everything’ on the takeaway menu? Burgers, chicken, pizza, chips, kebab (hold the salad) and a 2 litre bottle of fizzy pop will result in a very satisfied man at the end of the meal.

Make him do something

Buy a voucher and send him out on a fun activity for the day. Football tickets, golf, knitting classes etc. Paintballing is always worth considering too – some venues, like at paintballing Bristol include 100 free paintballs in a session priced under £15, which goes to show these experiences really don’t have to cost a fortune.

One of the most memorable gifts I’ve ever bought hubby, and the one he always refers to, is a racing day at Silverstone. He loved driving that Ferrari and 9 years on we still have a photo of this ‘racing driver’ hanging on the bedroom wall to prove it.

But doesn’t have to be a pricey activity and there are plenty of discount deals available online, just shop around and go for the cheapest. I mean, the one he’ll enjoy the most. 😉 If you get an experience voucher, he can choose what he’d like to do himself and enjoy a day out that he’ll really love.

What do you think of my plans for hubby’s next celebration? Do you have any ideas of your own for treating the man you love without spending a fortune? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear your tips.

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