Help this Hubby Find a "Hip" Holiday Gift
I recently received this email from a reader:
Hi Collin – I’ve been subscribed to your site for the last six months. I want to thank you for all the ideas and time that you put into helping others. My wife and I are on a tight budget this year, and since you are GREAT at finding bargains and coming up with unique gift ideas, I was wondering if you could post some ideas this season that husbands can get their wives and still be budget conscious. Thank you so much.
So this is where you amazing readers come in…. All you men out there, what inexpensive gift ideas do you have up your sleeve for your significant other? And all you women, what would you like to receive while still keeping your budget in check?
I’m sure you all are filled with great ideas! Can’t wait to hear!
I would love to use a lot of the beauty products that you can get for free from cvs or rite aid, etc, and use that to have a mini ‘spa’ day! The hubby massages, and it’s a cheap way to have a good day!
I think it’s cool to get a coupon book that’s personalized with things like an hour massage, time away alone (esp when you have kids), foot rubs, etc.
I agree with the coupon booklet. I never thought it would be a cool thing to get until we had our son last winter. I LOVE it when my husband “gives me the afternoon off” of goes grocery shopping for me. Maybe make one and slip it into a gift bag with some of her favorite perfume or some of her favorite chocolates.
A coupon book for free massages, laundry, house cleaning, or one for “Mommy’s day out!”
Homemade coupon book for things like : wash dishes one night, cook dinner one night, vacuming or whatever you know your wife would like help with, and not have to ask you to do and remember to cash the coupon with a smile so your wife knows she is your treasure and I am sure the gifts of time and heart will be returned to you many times over!! K 🙂
Use that $20 gilt credit scheme from a few posts ago. The have great stuff for $20 and under, i.e. free 🙂
Which post are you talking about?
keep scrolling down on the main page, and go to older deals. it is probably on the 3rd or 4th page now. it talkes about lunch boxes, but the credit is good for anywhere
Here’s the link you use to signup to get the Gilt.com $20 credit. https://www.gilt.com/account/register?pkey=mtvmen2
Once you’ve signed up invite 10 friends to join Gilt (you’ll enter their email addresses) and you’ll get free shipping!
one of my favorite presents is if you take or make a small table then gather a bunch of pics of you and all the important people in your life and then arange them on the table and clear coat it. its beautyful and sentimental. i can get the excact directions from my hubby but thats the jist of it
I would love to have the directions to this. This sounds like an awesome idea and i have living room tables that the wood is coming off on top but the rest is still in good shape and I think this would be perfect. Thank you!
For those ladies who already have an abundant supply of body wash, candles and other “girlie” goodies, the old standby of a coupon book is a great idea in my opinion. Include coupons for homecooked meals if you have a knack in the kitchen or dinner out (using a coupon!) if you don’t. Make one for a “spa night” where you draw her a bath, light candles and place her favorite magazines near the tub. Prepare some cool cucumber water and toss her towel, robe and slippers in the dryer so they will be cozy when she is done. If you want to go all out, include a back and/or foot massage and pedicure ( my hubs doesn’t “do” feet). Things along this vein are especially nice for busy moms ( try to get the kids out of the house or at least keep them quiet!) , but I think most women LOVE special attention and appreciation from their husbands.
Hope this helps!
There were no posts when I started composing my comment…..looks like I might have a popular idea! =D
I think it would be awesome to get movie tickets (from one of Collin’s deals of course) and a gift certificate to dinner (restaurants.com) from my husband and then have him tell me he will watch the kids one night so that a girlfriend and I can go to dinner and a movie!
What about a restaurants.com coupon to her favorite restaruant so you can have a date night. With a groupon for a massage or facial treatment.
Last year there were a ton of great photo offers. I ended up with a free photo mug, book and ornament. I would die if my husband took the time to put a photobook together for me.
this!
I think for men to just give their women something they have put ALOT of thought into makes all the difference in the world to me! If my husband got something for free but it took alot of thought, it would mean more to me than an expensive gift bought at the last minute. Most women just want you to genuinely show how much you appreciate them!
One of my favorite gifts of all time was a simple necklace from http://www.Mountaingirlsilver.com that has each of my kid’s names stamped on a disk. She has tons of personalized gifts in a wide range of prices. (I promise I don’t work for her and have actually only met her once by accident-it’s just my favorite gift!)
For even less you could go to one of those Pottery painting places and have something made with your kid’s handprints on them. I love grabbing my mug out of the cupboard every morning and enjoy my tea in a cup made with love!
Ohhh I would love that too! Anything he makes or is custom to me is a keeper because it shows thought behind it. what it comes down to is we LOVE ALOT of forethought and something that says you really know us and appreciate what we do! Other than that Susanna’s is GREAT too! Give cash for myself, a day to myself, and nothing to worry about when I get home… that’d be a dream anyday!!!
Divas4Deals, I just love your comment. I would love if my hubby would get me something that had A LOT of thought to it. I don’t need anything… but a gift that was thought through would mean more to me than anything. 🙂 My hubby tries. Don’t get me wrong!! But gifts that are well thought out, no matter the price is special to anyone.
My hubby always just gives me money and drops me off at the mall while he watches the kids all day and has dinner cooked and the house cleaned when I get home.It is like heaven.
That sounds good to me. My husband is bad at getting me gifts. Last year he got me 6 bottles of lotion, socks, and a VS secret nighty for him not me.
Oh goodness! Hahaha I would love to go shopping with a friend. Without my child for one day! hehe
This has my Vote! lol
THAT is the ultimate gift!! hahaha 🙂 I would absolutely LOVE this!
When you get your $10 VS cards – pass them along to your hubbies!! 🙂 They have lots of lotion / body sprays for those on a budget!
Date night gift certificate (Restaurant.com is a great place to get deals)!
A day out…you take care of the kiddos and things at home and let her go out shopping, to a movie with friends, scrapbook for the afternoon, etc….or if you don’t have kiddos, plan a day out with her, take her out to lunch, and go do some of your favorite things or even just take a walk in a park…and enjoy!
Amen! This would be the best!
Some of the jewelry that’s been on Modnique lately is incredible! Sterling Silver/ Gold, and after the credit and the “star” code you end up paying under $10 for a ring or necklace that retails close to $100. I got some for the women we’re shopping for this year and was really impressed with the quality! Also, my husband got me (i.e., I bought it and told him to give it to me… lol!) a spa Groupon for my birthday in early November- it was pay $55 and get $120 worth of services at a local spa… i just went last weekend and got my facial, peel, and shellac manicure and it was one of the best presents EVER! So my suggestion would be to keep an eye on Collin’s site for deals like the sale sites have, and also subscribe to Tippr, Groupon, Eversave, etc and skim them each day… You can get some great deals!
Everyone above has already said what I was going to say!
if you have kids, arranging for a sitter for a night out here and there where you can go out alone and have some adult time would be great too. Whether its dinner, movie, a walk in the park or just alone time at home, don’t forget to keep that connection with each other!
I would just love a day off. No cooking, laundry. dishes, & no kids duties. A day where I could just stay home to scrapbook, read, and sew without any interuptions. My meals served to me, Ahhhhh…….that sounds so wonderful!!
Amen!! haha Especially no interuptions!!
I have 5 kids and a hubby who works 6 days a week… this sounds wonderful! A day for me… what a great idea!
My stocking stuffers are honestly the gifts I look forward to, since they are usually the most surprising, and you can fit a lot of different things in there! It is easy to find great stocking stuffers at a low price. Think fuzzy Christmas socks (I’ve found these cheap a couple of days before Christmas, when they start to mark them down),” makeup (Covergirl, Rimmel, and NYC have awesome prices with coupons), candy(often free with coupons). But, if you are looking for a bigger gift, Daily Steals is a great website. They feature jewelry and popular electronic gizmos at excellent prices.
Already you can see a pattern in the comments… we wives/mommies like a little bit of pampering now & then. We NEED a little bit of pampering now & then, but don’t usually make time for ourselves.
A babysitter, a homecooked meal by you, a bottle of wine & her favorite movie.
My niece’s husband told her they were going shopping, but dropped her off at a day spa for a full body massage & pampering while he took the 7 month old to the electronics store! She was so surprised & very touched by the thoughtfulness.
Recreate a day when you and your wife both loved the most with out having to spend a lot! Definitely make it a time alone event if you have kids. Hope this brings a lot of smile and happiness to your wife and to you and you will remember the special day in another special way!
I’d figure out what her love language is and then figure a gift based on that. Are acts of service her love language? Maybe give her little gift certificates for laundry, dishes, a day out etc. Are gifts her love language? Use this site and find some inexpensive but meaningful items to show her you love her! Words of affirmation are the way she feels loved? Fill a jar with memories of why you love her or special things she does. The same could follow for the love lanuages quality time and physical touch. It took me years to figure out but a gift isn’t special to the recipient if it doesn’t make THEM feel special. You can make sure that it does by matching the gift to how they feel loved by figuring out their love language.
The Five Love Languages
Beautifully said:)
The Five Love Languages! Great book!
Absolutely!!! I totally agree. Find out what his/her love language is and whatever you do will be great, because you’re speaking her love language!
I would love to receive a poem or love letter (song if you’re musical) and have hubby prepare dinner but make it fancy with candles and wine and the little touches. Followed by a little pampering and dessert!! It’s the planning and thought that will mean so much. Dinner can be very simple, or even plated takeout-we were engaged over takeout Thai. Some simple wrapped gift like the poem and any meaningful trinket gifts that remind you of her, and tell her why:).
I would like a full day or weekend to myself in my house with no kids or husbands to look after. My hubby could take my daughter on a ‘date” somewhere fun and maybe stay at a hotel or visit relatives and I could stay home and watch silly movies, order take out – stay in my robe… scrapbook, whatever I want with NO distractions – sounds heavenly
I am with you on that. My husband always thinks it is crazy when every year for Mothers Day all I ask is to be left alone!
Check out groupon or restaurants.com. Get her a cert, to her fav restaurant or a groupon for a massage, or mani/pedi. Check those clearance racks at target. I found some reallly cute underwear for really cheap today! And Target has that $10/3 sleepwear coupon right now – im sure you could get some awesome stuff with that!
Groupon has the answer! They run deals all the time for AMAZING spa deals. If your wife is into that sort of thing sign up for Groupon (if you havnet already) for your city and there are bound to be good spa deals between now and christmas. Pheonix, for example, has 3 chemical peels for $99 as their deal of the day. But there are a lot of less expensive deals too (massages, hair treatments, etc) My husband got me (well i guess i got it and we called it my christmas present) laser hair removal through groupon, wahoo, no more shaving.
would love that, does it really work?
I’ve bought two or three of the Groupon’s and they work great. Never had a problem yet!
A “money tree” – decide your budget – then think of the places she shops at most. Go get gift cards from those places. for many of us ………..Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, CVS, Target, Walgreens, Victoria Secret, the nail place ……..So for me $5 or $10 at each place would be awesome.
Go to dollar store and buy a little Christmas tree – and use glue dots to attach the gift cards to tree
Give her a card offering your services as a babysitter or shopping bag holder.
Love this idea, my husband did a really cute birthday card for me one year like this. I would NOT at all mind a regift of that idea. I got my hair done and a new book from barnes and noble. Coffee and lunch etc etc…it wasnt expensive at all and its stuff that I just wanted that was for ‘me’ and I didn’t have to share.
One yea about 8 yrs we were very cash strapped. Wes took a canning jar, tied ribbon around it, wrote a bunch of sayings from his heart, things he loved about us/me. things that we made him smile, ect. and put them along with some cut up ribbon inside the jar. It was so thoughtful, touching and meaningful. I still have that jar in my curio cabinet. Gifts DONT have to cost money at all. this was one of the best he has given me.
How wonderful!!!! He’s a keeper!
#1 favorite is the coupon book—-free night away, doing dishes, breakfast in bed, etc. I also have gone to my favorite clothing store and tried on a bunch of things in various price ranges and put them on hold—then my husband and kids come and shop through the items I put on hold. I am still surprised at what they choose, plus I already like it and it is always the right size.
I also like gift certificates especially to the salon.
i like the coupon idea but have them printed on nice paper
It is an endless world of possability! From a gold plated rose, to making a book of pictures sharing your memories, a message in a bottle-you can buy a bottle cheap type of a love letter for your spouse, decorate as much or little as you want you can also buy them online ranging from low in cost to quite high, a pewter key with love message as the key to your heart, buy a nice jar and some hershey hugs and some hershey kisses, so when you are apart she can reach into the jar and have a hug and kiss from you anytime she wants, start a new tradition such as writing her a letter every friday to let her know how you feel and what is on your mind and write one for the beginning of many to follow (can be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, just make the effort!) search online for a letter memory box for her to keep them in., Stainless Steel Engraved Heart Envelope Pendant, well I could go on and on, I will just add this, never be affraid to use the power of google!
I think it’s the simple things that matter most. Think back to when you first met your significant other. What did you do back then that you don’t do now? (Ahh– keep it clean!! 🙂 ) Most of the time the answer is pretty simple…….well at least for me it was. I know my husband and I MADE time for each other and it was the walks, the talks, going to the grocery store together, finding a good movie and watching it together (with no interruptions). All those simple things that somehow manage to escape us these days. anymore. A candlit dinner, breakfast in bed, a gentle foot massage…….ladies, do you agree?????
If your husband is handy ask him to do something budget friendly that you may have been wanting for a while. I asked my husband to put a TV/internet jack in our kitchen so I can listen to music/watch TV while I’m cooking/baking in the kitchen. The other thing I asked for is to be able to sleep in a few days of the year:) Gifts don’t have to cost much or anything to mean something.
I am loving the deal-a-day sites and the great credits for signing up and referrals! In the last few days I’ve done a LOT of Christmas shopping. Some of my deals:
Gilt – Used the $20.00 free credit for a 100% cashmere knit cap, paid $7.95 shipping.
Ruelala – Used the $20.00 free credit for a pair of cashmere lined leather gloves, paid $18.95 shipped.
Groupon deal – Bought a $50.00 groupon to Coldwater Creek for $15.00 (was $25.00 but I had a had a $10.00 referral credit). Used it online in the outlet section for a very nice sweater and a leather purse. I was able to stack a 10% off “offer code” to pay a total of $15.32 with taxes and shipping. Total including the cost of the groupon $30.32.
Groupon – Bought a $40.00 groupon to The Body Shop for $20.00. Used it in store. They were (are?) running a promotion to purchase a holiday tote for a cause (to stop sex trafficing) for $5.00, get 30% off what you put in the bag plus one free gift each week for the next six weeks. I bought two $29.00 gifts plus the bag for $8.79 after the groupon. I went back the next day for my free gift and it was a large shimmery coconut body butter with a retail price of $20.00. For free! And I get five more weeks of free gifts! Total including groupon $28.79. So much fun!
I’m so excited-I didn’t know that the Groupon worked for online deals for Coldwater!
I got this email from groupon last night:
Hi Everyone,
Thank you for purchasing the Groupon for Coldwater Creek. We wanted to make you aware of a correction that was made to the online redemption instructions for this Groupon.
On the original printout, it said to enter the promotional code located in the lower right corner of your Groupon into the “Offer Code” field at checkout. The promotional code should actually be input by doing the following:
1. At the Order Review page, select “Coupon” from the “Gift Card, Coupon or Merchandise Credit” dropdown menu.
2. Enter your promotional code in the resulting “Coupon Code” field at check out.
3. Enjoy your Groupon!
If you had printed out your Groupon previously, you can see the revised instructions by reprinting from your My Groupons page. Sorry for any confusion, and if you should have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to let us know by e-mailing support@groupon.com.
Regards,
Shawn B
Customer Support
Groupon
When I input the groupon this way, I was allowed to enter an “offer code’ into another box, so I was allowed the additional 10% savings. It looks like I could have used a $30 off $100 purchase code, instead, but that was more than I wanted to buy. I found codes at retailmenot, but there are some in several magazines and other sites, too.
We’ve been married 16 years and are financially very sound, yet the gifts we gave to each other the first year of our marriage still top the list.
We went together, picked out 2 plain ceramic ornaments, bought paint in diff colors, and went home and painted them, wrote a special note on the back, then glossed them~all while listening to christmas music and drinking hot cocoa. We still put them on the tree together each year, and then talk for awhile about how much we’ve grown since we painted those little snowbears. Bottom line, my advice is do or make something memorable~~ together!
I am so glad we are talking about great deals on gifts. My dad just texted me and wanted to know where is the best place to get a good deal on a strand of pearls. I know this is a little pricier than the other ideas on here but I look forward to hearing what kind of deals are out there.
A lot of the groupon deals would make great gifts – I have seen spa packages for 50% off or more and restaurant deals too. Personally, I would love a spa day followed by a dinner out! 🙂
THE 12 DATES OF CHRISTMAS! Here is one I did for my husband and he loved it, you can switch it around for your wife.
The 12 Dates of Christmas – you plan the date, arrange the babysitter and execute the date. One date for each month of the next year, starting with Christmas night or at least before New Years. Christmas morning I gave him a box (I found a great one at Hobby Lobby) and I wrote him a letter telling him how much he meant to me etc etc and this gift would give throughout the year. I also noted that the dates excluded any family/holiday function, wedding or funeral or home improvements. We were on a tight budget the year I did this, had 2 small kids, 2 1/2 and 1, and we honestly didn’t need anything and the one thing my husband said he “wanted” over the last year, was more US time. If you do a little planning ahead, make sure she gets a invitation to each date, give it to her ahead of time, you don’t have to give her all the details for each date. She can keep your invitations and any memories from the date in the box.
With a tight budget, many of the dates I planned were at home after the kids went to bed. The first date was a massage from me. You could also give her a pedicure (or parlay those into 2 dates). The third date was a trip down memory lane. We opened a bottle of wine and watched videos of our kids and went through some photo albums. The 4th date was a day of personal shopping (I saved up for this one. We got a sitter for 3 hrs and we went shopping for him, just him – no kids. Of course I used coupons and sales!
The 5th was a morning of Golf. (you can tailor to you wife’s likes etc).
6th was a baseball game (no kids)
7th was a romantic Italian dinner after the kids went to bed. I grabbed a small table, red table cloth, candles and made a italian dinner. we ate outside after dark and had a great time. Basically you get the idea. Regardless of what you plan, it is making time for each other and taking some of the planning off of her hands. Hope this helps. P.S. My husband was so very sad the next year when he did not get his 12 dates of Christmas – so now we trade off every other week!
I LOVE this! I copied your post and e-mailed it to my husband. We are actually doing very well financially but I just can’t think of more “things” I want in my home. I love these ideas!!
Exactly – we have so much, but making the time to be good partners is the gift we always need to work towards with hectic lives. I loved that my husband wanted this gift over and over and that he was so touched that I LISTENED and ACTED. It really helped during the stress of two toddlers in the house. Now that the girls are a little older and we have more babysitter options – we do try to get out of the house.
Also great Christmas date – whip up some cheese and/or chocolate fondue after the kiddos go to bed (grab a bottle of wine or favorite winter beverage) and wrap Christmas presents. I do most of the shopping so my husband does most of the wrapping while I watch and enjoy the fondue. Happy Holidays!
I haven’t read anything else, so maybe someone already said this…but, hands down WRITE HER A LOVE LETTER!!!! wrap it in a keepsake box and give it to her. and don’t cut any corners…pour your heart out. or make a list of 100 reasons you love her. Do it, you won’t regret it. And expression of love that she can keep is worth more than anything money can buy.
If you REALLY pay attention to her, I’m sure she drops hints all the time (maybe even without realizing it) of things that she would like to do or fun places she would like to go. I think every woman really just wants to spend quality time with thier SO.
A few years ago, I came across the idea of creating a winter wonderland of gifts hanging from the ceiling. You can create this wherever you want… I hung each of the “gifts” from our bedroom ceiling. It’s basically a 25 days til Christmas countdown. I used Christmas colored push pins to hang little envelopes (you can hang snowflakes, hearts, etc) on red, green, and white ribbon. I numbered 1 – 25 on the outside of each envelope. Everyday, my husband would open the number that corresponded to that day’s date. Inside, he’d find little gifts to be redeemed, such as a foot massage, a movie night where he picks what to watch, a night out with his brothers or whatever, a batch of his favorite cookies, etc. Some of the envelopes had a clue inside that he’d have to follow to find an actual gift to open. The best gifts were saved for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Be creative! You don’t have to spend any money at all on this. It’s one of those gifts anyone would love to receive b/c of the time and thought that goes into it. And it makes your room look really cool! I’d sure love to have this gift returned to me someday.
I really love this idea – so creative!
My husband & i do a shared gift of theme park tickets. It sounds expensive but a whole year at Busch Gardens is $70 a person for the whole year (Nov15th 10 to Dec 31st 11). Plus many parks offer a monhly pay plan so you don’t have to have it up front or put it on a card with an interest rate. We do a different park every year, and its always avaliable for a “what to do?” kind of a weekend. This year mine will cost me $12 a month.
My husband loves to fish and I just like to spend the time with him. He got me a PINK fishing pole from Dick’s Sporting Goods for $34.99. I love it because now insted of sitting around in his way talking his ear off; I can spend the time fishing with him and MAYBE catch a bigger one than him too.
my husband and i hunt and fish together.
How about surprising her one evening (while you take care of the kids) with a nice, hot, steamy bubble bath with candles and wine. You could put together a basket with a new lotion, powder, etc. Even could add a wrapped package with a nice fluffy robe and slippers that can be picked up for under $20 this time of the year with all of the sales – …don’t forget some soft music – let her soak for a while, maybe read and have a nice cup of tea! works for me!
My favorite gift from my hubby?! Our first Valentine’s day together, he wrote a (somewhat long) poem for/about me. It was beautiful. He then framed it with photos of us around it. It is hanging next to the bed. Only a few dollars for the frame, but lots of thoughtfulness and love!
This week target has sets of pjs on sale for $10, get one of those some bubble bath and a coupon for a foot massage – Oh heaven!
The fact that this man is thoughtful and frugal enough to reach out and ask for ideas is a touching gift in itself. Happy for the lucky Mrs.
Try overstock.com for some awesome jewelry clearance deals. Cheap.cheap. and very nice products.Just bought claddaugh rings for all my girls. Beautiful. $29 ea and rings for the whole Irish clan! Get her a great book using one of the borders coupons I just saw avail in a post and of course maybe something she really wants while gazing at her new jewelry, reading her book, local housekeeping service if even for one day! (prob can pick this up for about 25bucks). You will get lots of Xs and Os!
My husband is wonderful about watching the kids so that I can have time alone. I just wish that I could come home to a clean house. The day out is voided if I have to clean for two days afterward.
There are so many posts I didn’t read them all so I apologize if this is already mentioned, but I love the idea of personalization like the others. The ArtsCow deal on customized ornaments $2 shipped would be really nice with a picture of you and your wife, and/or the kids if you have them. I ordered a bunch of these and plan on buying a nice looking ribbon to tie at the top and give these as gifts. I would LOVE getting something like that and it’s only $2. You can even add the year it was given in nice type or some other message.
I also think the Target $10 off 3 pajama pieces coupon could be used to get her a few nice clearanced pj pieces. I just got back from there with it and got 3 things (2 shirts, 1 flannel pant that matches one of the shirts) for $5. PJs are ALWAYS appreciated.
And I also love the idea of the personalized jewelry from online vendors mentioned above. I hope that all helps.