One Mother's Day they bought me a mop. Yeah, don't do that. Another time it was a new frying pan. Yeah, don't do that one either.
Stuff like a vacuum should just be because you need one. Unless she asks for a vacuum. In my house, in my life, I'd be pretty ticked off if he spent a few hundred on jewelry when what I really needed was a new vacuum. But I'm not a roses/lingerie/jewelry kind of gal.
My BEST GIFTS were an Ipod Shuffle for my 50th birthday and a scanner for my computer for Valentine's Day. The big surprise there was because we don't normally give gifts on V-Day. I like stuff that's practical and I'm usually too [-]cheap[/-] thrifty to buy it for myself.
I handle all the banking/bill paying for us so it's hard to make a purchase and not have me know about it. One of the most thoughtful things my DH ever did for a gift is take cash out of the bank to buy my gift. That way I wouldn't know where he shopped and he could surprise me. That's how he bought the Ipod Shuffle and I never knew until I opened it. He even gave back the cash he didn't spend. Very well trained.
Stuff like a vacuum should just be because you need one. Unless she asks for a vacuum. In my house, in my life, I'd be pretty ticked off if he spent a few hundred on jewelry when what I really needed was a new vacuum. But I'm not a roses/lingerie/jewelry kind of gal.
My BEST GIFTS were an Ipod Shuffle for my 50th birthday and a scanner for my computer for Valentine's Day. The big surprise there was because we don't normally give gifts on V-Day. I like stuff that's practical and I'm usually too [-]cheap[/-] thrifty to buy it for myself.
I handle all the banking/bill paying for us so it's hard to make a purchase and not have me know about it. One of the most thoughtful things my DH ever did for a gift is take cash out of the bank to buy my gift. That way I wouldn't know where he shopped and he could surprise me. That's how he bought the Ipod Shuffle and I never knew until I opened it. He even gave back the cash he didn't spend. Very well trained.