To think clothes pegs are NOT a birthday present?

[EssenceOfGelfling]

Happy birthday to me!

DH gave me one main present (£250 camera) which I am delighted with. He also got 2 small presents for the DCs to give to me. One was clothes pegs. Apparently he was struggling to find something in Tesco and knew we needed them.

WTF?

Even worse - MIL gave me clothes pegs a couple of years ago as a stocking filler. DH and I had a good laugh about it....

Meanwhile my mum sent me a beautiful bunch of flowers. Except I have terrible hayfever and have been sneezing continuously in the 10 mins I've had them in the house. She has never sent me flowers before because she knows this :-(

I am trying not to be all entitled about it, its not a significant birthday and I'm so happy with the camera. But seriously - CLOTHES PEGS???? I fucking hate laundry!

I am trying to think of something equivalent for his next birthday. Suggestions welcome.

[LongTimeLurking]

£250 camera and you are whinging about clothes pegs? Stop being so ungrateful.

[Bringmewineandcake]

Lightbulbs

[yoshipoppet]

Give him a deodorant. Say you were in Tesco and you knew he needed one...

[MardyBra]

Unfortunately you've posted this in Aibu and you will probably get a bit of a rough ride on this one. I think you are bu as you've had a posh camera and this is just a "stocking filler", as it were. Likewise, I'll often get a nice pressie or two plus some other bits and bobs for the house - e.g. new frying pan or mixing bowl, in the past.

YANBU regarding the flowers.

[Topaz25]

Clothes pegs are a bit thoughtless but I think the £250 camera more than makes up for it! I am Planning an equivalent gift for his birthday sounds a bit petty. Surely for it to be an actual equivalent you would have to give him one expensive awesome present and one silly one. Can't you just laugh it off and make a joke about how he must be turning into his mum, since she gave you clothes pegs once?

[SquigglySquid]

I had a boyfriend in high school. One year for Christmas, his father got his mother an ironing board cover. No joke.

One year my dad got my mom a vacuum cleaner for Christmas, but it was an expensive one that she kept wanting to get, so I suppose that was a good gift since she wanted it. :)

[EssenceOfGelfling]

I was fully expecting a stocking filler - just not bloody clothes pegs again!!!

[SquigglySquid]

and X post with everyone else. Just laugh it off. You got a nice camera. He was obviously thinking of you. He just forgot to have the kids get you a gift.

[EssenceOfGelfling]

Yes I didn't say anything at the time and don't plan to. Just venting on internet instead. The camera was something we researched together and budgeted for about 6 months so am so pleased to finally get my hands on it!

[ContinentalKat]

YANBU and you have earned the right to make fun of your dh forever now!

From now on your birthday tradition will be one big, lovely present and one mindblowingly weird and cheap stocking filler. I like light bulbs and rawl plugs. Poly filler comes to mind, too.

PS. Happy birthday

[IamRechargingthankYou]

Maybe he thought you would see the funny side- like you both did when MIL gave them to you. Maybe I'm clutching at straws a present for DH in the future

[MelanieCheeks]

I agree, he thought it was a running in-joke that would make you laugh.

[passmethewineplease]

Depends. Do the clothes pegs hang the clothes out all by themselves? If not YANBU.

[Misspilly88]

I'd be happy with clothes pegs if they were cool ones needed. I was overjoyed with my Christmas presents last year- Tupperware and a steam mop. I think the camera makes up for it though.

[EssenceOfGelfling]

No running joke sadly - I mentioned it and he went 'oh yeah...' He has the memory of a newt. No offence to newts.

[MyFairyKing]

YABabitU because you did get a lovely main present.

[Joysmum]

YANBU given previous history on this.

He doesn't know you as well as you'd like.

Camera is fab but doesn't mean you can't educate him again on the clothes pegs.

[SlightlyNerdyPianist]

Clothes pegs? CLOTHES PEGS??? Is that because what every woman wants for her birthday is to do more housework? I'm sorry, does your DH mistakenly think this is the 1950s?
A gesture from a DC when DH really can't think of anything could have been a homemade cake, breakfast in bed, a small box of chocolates, a card, a pair of socks, a mug etc. loads of options, and none of them expensive.

Clothes pegs.,FFS.

YANBU. And nor are you being ungrateful.

[JoeyMaynardsghost]

Think I would have pegged them to his balls and then used my nice new camera to take a photo of him.

What was wrong with a bar of chocolate? ffs. Men often do not think.

[ElleCloughie]

Is he not aware that they sell chocolate in Tesco? And wine? In fact, a great many things that could make a cheap and cheerful something-to-wrap-up-for-DC-to-hand-over type gift. Hoever I am totally in favour of you getting him something really odd as a little gift for his next birthday. Pipecleaners, perhaps? Or grate polish - especially if you don't actually have a grate.

[Brittabot]

My MiL got me an ironing board cover for my birthday once. Apparently she'd asked my DH what I'd like and that's what he came up with. I don't even iron!

[JoeyMaynardsghost]

Maybe get him some hemorrhoid cream. He may not have piles now but he may well have a sore butt once he's removed the pegs from there!

[Scotslasslivinginfrance]

i love the randomness of being given a packet of pegs! Your main present was sorted and he had to come up with 2 small token gifts to wrap from the kids, it totally makes sense to me and it will be one of those stories that you can always tease the kids and him with but that all depends on whether you can look back on this fondly and see the quirkiness of it.