Birthday present disappointment.

Blimey! I would have bitten his hand off. I think it was a thoughtful and kind and expensive! Gift.

Given he's saved you a few hundred pounds why don't you go out with him to buy yourself something you'd like for yourself. Win win l reckon.

I am with the posters above. I would have bitten his hand off too.

Nope, sorry, I just cannot agree with some other replies. He sounds exactly the type who would give his partner something "nice and useful to help with the housework, dear".........

My father redularly did it: one year a pressure cooker, another year an upright vacuum cleaner, etc.

But the year he gave her a half-moon rug "that'll look nice in front of the gas fire" it was a wonder the roof didn't blow off the house.

Pleased to say that Dad learned his lesson in time for the next year.

If your partner could have run to even a small box of Lindt choccies, it would have saved his soul........

When I was asked by my son, what I wanted for my birthday I said plants for the garden. So he , his wife and children took me out for breakfast then onto a garden centre where he bought the plants I wanted. They all came back to my house, helped me put the plants in, did weeding and cutting back. Then my daughter in law cooked for us all. It was one of the best birthdays I have had. They did buy me some small gifts too.

What a wonderful, thoughtful birthday present Gymstagram

I have to say I am shocked that Shortbreadandkilts’ partner even expected to be paid for doing her gardening job. Call me old fashioned but partners should do things for each other without expecting payment.

I think it was a thoughtful present and a surprise, and will give you far more lasting pleasure than a box of chocolates.

I think someone is being a tad ungrateful. What a treasure of a man.

I too find it odd that a “partner” would expect paying, perhaps the relationship is not as close as all that.
Conversely a box of chocolates from a partner would have been a bit of a cop out as a present.
The third thing is that we get older “stuff” -and that includes presents- is less welcome. A day out, a special meal, a weekend break by all means but no more “stuff”.
So actually - saving you paying somebody else by doing the garden work for you was a really kind gesture.

I agree with the others. A physical gift is something he might have given to anyone - perfume, chocolates, bath stuff etc are nice but you can buy all of that yourself. Putting in time and physical labour is much more personal, and I assume is something he would only do for you?

I was surprised when you mentioned payment and that he said he "would be cheaper"- but I expect he'd always planned this as your secret gift. 😉

I would be truly delighted to have had the gift of a whole week of someone's time and effort lovingly given.

If I could choose between a week of gardening or a gift... I would not choose the gift!

Well I think you are being VERY ungrateful That was a big practical birthday present wihich saved you hundreds if pounds and you d rather have some perfume or a bottle of wine ….lyou even got a card from him, blimey a lot of men don’t even remember birthdays much less a card and a weeks worth of back breaking work
We ve no idea whether this is a new or long term relationship they obviously don’t live together and poster says * I was fully prepared to pay him* so it doesn’t sound like a full on husband/ wife situation, it’s not his house not his garden . I bet he thought that saving you hundreds of pounds would be a great way to show you he loved you but you d rather have a small inexpensive trinket good grief you don’t deserve him

Send him this way I ll happily have some house repairs for my Christmas present

I would have been absolutely thrilled to have the garden done but surely, unless gardening is his profession, I wouldn't expect to pay my partner.
Do you expect to be paid for jobs you do?

I wouldn't expect hundreds of pounds to be spent on a gift either.
You sound a very lucky lady shortbread

Whitewavemark2

Blimey! I would have bitten his hand off. I think it was a thoughtful and kind and expensive! Gift.

Definitely … gardening best part of a week …labour of love ..
I would have appreciated this ‘gift’…

Agree totally with BlueBelle.

If the job would have cost ‘hundreds of pounds’, why would he be expected to do it for nothing? It didn’t sound like he was just cutting the lawn.

As for preferring a present!

How old is the OP? Sounds more like a child, wanting a present.

jane43 I thought so too and my son told me he enjoyed the day and thought it was better than physical presents, so happy all round. Not sure the grandchildren thought so😁 but they "helped".

Gramaratto poster doesn’t say he s her partner she says he’s her boyfriend in my eyes there’s a difference a partner is a step up from a boyfriend They don’t live together it’s not his house or his garden we don’t know how new the relationship is !
No I wouldn’t expect to pay a ‘live in’ partner (who was using snd enjoying my garden) for a job but a ‘live in his own house boyfriend’ yes I probably would expect to for a very big job like that, obviously not for changing a light bulb 🤣

Shortbreadandkilts, if he had asked you if you wanted him to do your garden instead of buying you a birthday gift what would your response have been I wonder?
There’s considerable value and commitment in a weeks work and he did at least remember your birthday!

BlueBelle

Gramaratto poster doesn’t say he s her partner she says he’s her boyfriend in my eyes there’s a difference a partner is a step up from a boyfriend They don’t live together it’s not his house or his garden we don’t know how new the relationship is !
No I wouldn’t expect to pay a ‘live in’ partner (who was using snd enjoying my garden) for a job but a ‘live in his own house boyfriend’ yes I probably would expect to for a very big job like that, obviously not for changing a light bulb 🤣

I was given quotes by gardeners and the cost was more than I could afford. I mentioned it to my partner (we don’t live together) and he said he would do it for less. He did it, did a great job and it took the best part of a week

No BlueBelle - she does say “partner”.

You re right RosiandherMaw I must have been getting muddled up with another poster Apologies to Gramaratto

Doesn’t change my opinion he doesn’t live there so not reaping the benefits of the garden and poster says she had already talked about paying him if he did do it so it should have come as a lovely surprise to have it all done dusted and no hundreds to fork out

Would others if given the choice have gone for the gardening which saved me a few hundred pounds or a less expensive but personal gift chosen by him for me?
I think the answer from 99% would be for the garden
Re paying a partner I think that really depends on the strength of the relationship they don’t live together we don’t know how long this relationship has been going on for or how the finances work also we don’t know anything about the man.. is he a worker who took time off to do the garden or did it in his week off or is he a retired man sitting on a big pension
So a lot of variables

Wow, what a lovely man! You sound like a spoilt child, throwing your dummy out of the pram……..

Poppyred

Wow, what a lovely man! You sound like a spoilt child, throwing your dummy out of the pram……..

Yes Poppyred 🤣😂

And Shortbreadandkilts, can you send him round to me? I've a birthday coming up.

What a lovely, lovely man! He gave you something he knew you really wanted but couldn’t afford and you would rather have had a small physical present which would probably have been something you didn’t really want and could have bought yourself.
You sound very childish and ungrateful! Watch you don’t loose him.

He gave you his time - nothing more precious than that- and his energy - that’s not always in plentiful supply.

In essence he gave you himself.

I’m sur there were other things he would rather have spent his time and energy on, but he gave them to you.

And you would rather have a bottle of perfume off the high street🙄