40th Birthday Gift - Son

When asking for suggestions for a gift, it is reasonable to also mention a budget. No boasting, just necessary information.

gill that's a nice suggestion, the artwork.

500 is merely a number and kk had to share with us how much she wishes to spend on her s or how else could we make any suggestions?
Maybe a watch, a camera, a coffee machine - something he can look at and remember.

t

Yes. Definitely you annsixty. No boasting in the OP. Just a reasonable question.

I'm sorry I can't hink of anything. I would give the cash, along with a woolly-pully from Next.

Lot of snarky comments in response to a perfectly reasonable question. It is nobodies business how much anyone had or chooses to spend. What about a small piece of art? There are websites selling pieces from up and coming artists which could even be an investment. Obviously you would have to be confident of your son's taste or perhaps enlist his wife/partner to choose? It would be something they could both enjoy and would be a permanent reminder. My parents and my brother did this for my husbands 50th birthday.

Absolutely nothing wrong with sharing your largesse. I just don't think it needs be shared. It is a private thing and announcing it smacks of boasting ,or is that just me?

I would think poor Kateykrunch has run away to hide! It is surely up to her how much she gives her own son.

OMG I wouldn't normally jump in, but how do we know that kateykrunch hasn't saved up to splash out on her son's birthday gift?! We just don't know.

For a long, long time, my stock reply to my children were "I/we can't afford that". As a "late bloomer" I finally ended my working career in a well-paying job, and it gives me great pleasure to be able to shower people with gifts spoil my children (and other members of my family) for once in my life.

As someone else pointed out, what that amounts to, is my business ...

I was looking forward to this thread, and so far some of the suggestions and replies are lovely.

Are you all tight-wads?

What the flip is wrong with giving away with a bit of money to your adult children when you get older? A birthday seems as good a time as any.

I think by the time your children get to 40 they should be spending lots of money on your birthday, not the otherway round.

Note to my children: It's a big one this year

We bought DS a new barbecue for his 40th as he'd worked really hard landscaping their very steep garden to make it safe for the DGCs. That was six years ago and it's still going strong

Way, way under £500 though

PS I am another one gobsmacked at how much some of the amounts mentioned.

I bought one of my brothers his own star for his 40th and the other his own Scottish Lairdship (we're Scots). I think it cost around £50, but I can't remember for sure. Both were well received and the certificates are now framed and hanging on their walls. At the time the ideas were quite new, but I think it's popular now.

Sorry posted message too soon. I love your comments Phoenix!

My MIL gave her DS2 (my BIL) a cheque for £1000 for his birthday every year for 20 years.

£500! shock Good grief, words fail me!

Why on earth would a birthday (even one with a "0" on the end) make ANYONE think that they had to/should spend that amountshock

Our eldest DD was 40 in January. She said she and her DH were going on a city break to Rome (but I knew that would never happen) so we had a family meal shared with her cousin who was 40 a few weeks later and myself and his Mum (my dear sister) paid the bill.
I wrote her a cheque for £40 and gave her a photocopy and said I would give her the real thing when she booked the break. . . . I still have it! Lol!

Five hundred one pound coins would be a bit bulky! I gave GS 100 shiny new one pounds in a pirate treasure chest for Xmas a couple of years ago. He as delighted. But not sure about for a grownup man!

I think we should mind our own business about how much OP wants to spend.

Coolgran I love the sound of the mug made by the people who make stuff for Game of Thrones. If I google, will I be able to find where to get it from? Or perhaps a link?

Hear, hear, phoenix, annsixty and Lona. There's a particularly cringeworthy thread on Mumsnet at the moment where people have been asked how much they have in savings, and some of the bragging and boasting is just awful. Mind you, I did like the one that answered something like "eleventy billion pounds"

The city break sounds lovely, if you can easily afford it. Likewise theatre tickets or a spa day, with babysitting thrown in. My son would love the idea of the shiny £1 coins, but he certainly wouldn't be getting 500 of them!

ann I'm with you.

I should add that the voucher was for a meal and wine FOR TWO!!

When my eldest son turned 40 last year, I gave him a voucher for a meal and wine at a lovely, intimate French restaurant in town. He seemed really thrilled by the present (as did his partner). They texted me with a photo when they were at the restaurant. I was babysitting.

I think I have remarked before ( many many times ) we do have a huge differential in members wealth on GN and I am very sorry to say that some posters do like to let us know. Remember the poster with family holdings of £200,000 of premium bonds? And the rest. When we have threads about being offended, I am offended by boasting and flaunting of wealth.

Well, now I feel really mean. We stopped buying the adults in the family birthday presents when the grandchildren arrived. Me and DH never knew what to get them and they seemed to have everything anyway. I should add that we don't expect them to buy us presents either!