50Th Birthday Party Gift

[cris r]

Hi Any ideas. My husband and I are having a disagreement over a lady friends 50th party gift. We are due to go to this party and although we know the couple well and have done for many years. ( my husband has been asked to be best man at there wedding later in the year ) We don't really see the lady at all once every two years.... maybe. ( my husband has been life long friends with her partner ) He wants to spend a tenner. I disagree I think a little effort should be put into it. Am I being just a women about this. They will put a buffet on but as my husband says he will not be eating it. Grrrrrrr It would be interesting here what other people say Chris x

[cupid04]

ornamental photo frame with a picture of you and tight husband!

[anneasquith]

he wont be eating the buffet................leave him at home with a packet of crisps.......... bottle of champagne for the gift.

[Mosaic]

When faced with this kind of dilemma, I go for a nice but token gift and a bigger gift to a charity in the recipient's name, so they can see you have 'given' but they don't have to feel obliged.
Let's face it - the original aim of wedding presents was to enable the impoverished young couple to furnish their home. These people have every object they need.
So, I'm not agreeeing with OH but I'm not agreeing with you either....sorry to be a pain.

[mrs_overall]

Does she have a sense of humour?
For a friends 50th I got her a bottle of champagne but also made up a gift bag containing: a hairnet, a packet of Werthers Originals, a plastic rain hood, Steradent, a leaflet about incontinence aids, some hair curlers, a huge outsize pair of sensible knickers, a Saga holiday brochure and other things along the same lines

[Cloverjo]

To be honest, a tenner sounds a bit tight, unless you are genuinely skint. You shouldn't feel you have to spend loads of money.
You can get a decent bottle of champagne for not much more than a tenner, anyway. I would do that. I find your husband's attitude that he won't be eating the buffet so shouldn't have to spend much a little odd. It's not a like-for-like arrangement. But you sound quite disgruntled anyway, so you don't need me to say that.

[cris r]

Thanks for the reply's just need reassuring that I have not lost the plot. And yes cloverjo disgruntled is a word among many that I would use. But after 36 years of marriage he has not changed when it come to spending money I just tell myself he can not help it ha ha XXX

[Cloverjo]

He sounds a bit like my dad! I'm sure they are both lovely in all other ways!

[ummmm]

Depends how much you can afford.

Get a card, put a tenner in it...then go out and buy them a present without him knowing. Saves him getting stressed about it.

[boxtops]

A spa token would be nice, say £25? It sounds as if you are good friends. I wouldn't spend more, a tenner is mean - and you don't eat the buffet in proportion to the value of the gift ....

[mallyh]

just wondering why he won't eat the buffet?

[anneasquith]

because there may be GARLIC BREAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cris r]

Ha ha he loves garlic breadbut he hates seeing things like sausages on sticks and curly sandwiches. He will only eat them if he knows who has made them. I suppose you could say stuck up... that's what I say. No if he thinks its coming out of his pocket he is tight. That's why I do all the gift buying. Anyway I have bought a nice bottle of champagne not cheap And he can stick his tenner where the sun don't shine ( bless him ) Thanks again xx

[Nini74]

why not buy her something to do with the upcoming wedding?? vouchers to have her nails done or something like that? thoughtful, yet can be reasonably priced too. If he's best man at their wedding i'd ssay a tenner is a little mean for a 50th birthday present. The logic about whether he will eat the buffet or not is completely lost on me - if I go to a party and don't eat the buffet I don't go back to the gifts table to retrieve my gift! lol x