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What's the worst birthday present your OH has bought you

218 replies

justasking111 · 08/09/2023 10:12

I've just asked my OH politely to return my birthday present. He sulked a bit but will do. It's the first time I have done this.

So am I alone?

OP posts:
12moose · 09/09/2023 17:12

Ooooff I do think a number of people on here are excruciatingly harsh :O

NonMiDispiace · 09/09/2023 17:17

For my 70th later this year I am absolutely determined to spoil myself as I know full well he won’t bother!
So far I have ordered an amazing looking birthday cake, a bottle of my forever favourite perfume (Diorella), a two week holiday in Wales at my favourite seaside place and a beautiful leather handbag 😊

BillyNotQuiteNoMates · 09/09/2023 17:37

The worst present I had was a Baileys hamper and a Friends DVD box set. Not because they were things that I didn’t want, but because they were gifts my children chose and he put no thought or effort in at all.

weebleswobblebuttheydontfalldown · 09/09/2023 17:55

Electric tagine one year shortly after giving birth to DC3 - burst into tears as thought at least something for me like jewellery!

Few years later I got a sous vide - Amazon prime special!

Don't watch masterchef and never heard of one!! 😳🙈

Summerlovin24 · 09/09/2023 17:56

A treble clef pendant for a chain
I am not musical. Never have been
Lazy last minute gift. Just why??? Said a lot about his attitude towards me . I am easy to buy for. I have lots of sporty hobbies. Any book/socks to do with that hobby would have been perfect. I don't want anything expensive. Something thoughtful
He's now ex H
Meanwhile current partner has bought me a couple of books that so much thought went Into and 2 of them were actually in my save for later list on amazon

dizzydizzydizzy · 09/09/2023 18:03

Kitchen storage jars.

wincarwoo · 09/09/2023 18:21

I got tickets to see Leeds play. His team. I wasn't interested in football. Also a wine stopper. Wrapped up in a plastic bag.

arapunzel · 09/09/2023 18:48

A giant Lindt chocolate bunny. My birthday was on Easter that year.

Didn’t see much of it as then DD aged 2 took to pretending it was a real bunny 😂

Likeafurchin · 09/09/2023 18:51

My dh is just the worst for choosing gifts. Here are some I remember:

  • earrings (I don't have pierced ears)
  • jewellery from a shop where I'd told him I hate all the jewellery
  • food processor I'd specifically told him I didn't want
  • perfume for the third time running (Christmas, anniversary, birthday) when I'd said "please don't buy me anymore perfume". When I asked him why he'd got it, he said he got the same one for his secretary and she loved it... didn't understand why that made it worse.
Writing this all down, I can't believe we're still together!
Leab23 · 09/09/2023 20:25

I had an ex buy me a dinosaur patterned dress, that had poofy sleeves, I guess because I used to dress a bit differently. It was totally not my style. He walked me to his car and opened the boot and there it was, "oh yeah that's ya birthday gift" and then he had booked himself in for a tattoo for the day!

Tabbytabs · 09/09/2023 20:34

The second year we were together dp bought me a bin. A fucking bin. He did buy me some more (equally shit) presents, but the bin topped the list. I think the other ones were some frying pans (I’m veggie and only had one frying pan, so I couldn’t do eggs and bacon at the same time) and some other horribly practical things. It wasn’t his fault, in his family they are all about buying each other things they need, so this was normal for him. He didn’t seem to understand that if I want a bin I’ll go to Wilko and buy a bin. I don’t want that for Christmas. He has got better, but he still needs a list of what to get me.

DesdemonaTotteringBy · 09/09/2023 20:41

NaughtyBoyGeorgeMichaelJacksonBrown · 08/09/2023 12:43

Slim Fast.

Wish I was joking.

Wow!!!!! That tops the list of awful gifts!

NeverAloneNeverAgain · 09/09/2023 20:48

1st anniversary - anti wrinkle cream (I got married at 18)

Christmas one year an Iron.

Last Christmas one of the new xboxs that looks like a fridge. I've never played a video game in my life.

Lord knows how we've made it this far 🤣

Jezzifishie · 09/09/2023 20:52

This isn't in the same league as the other stories, but I'll share anyway! A board game that he wanted to play - it was crazy competitive and pressured (I prefer relaxing cooperative games) and I burst into tears while playing it because I was so stressed out and panicky.

DesdemonaTotteringBy · 09/09/2023 20:54

DH excitedly presented me with a frying pan for Christmas! It was really upsetting as I'd put so much thought into everyone's gifts that year. I told him I wouldn't accept the unnecessary frying pan and he'd need to go and buy me something better.

A few days later he presented me with new gifts. A cheapo mug (we'd just cleared out all the mismatched mugs and kept only the nicest set), a horrible dog walking bag containing poo bags and hand gel, a bag of dog treats, dog shampoo and towel, dog brush, flea spray and a t-shirt with the words 'I'm the dogs mum!'.

He was very pleased with himself and said I knew you'd like things for the dog because you walk the dog every day!

Sleepytimebear · 09/09/2023 20:59

Not particularly bad, but my ex husband said he wanted some large frames for lots of photos to put on the wall in our bedroom and I said I didn't like that idea. 6 months later that's what I got for my birthday. He then tried to take them in the divorce and I insisted I keep them as they were a gift (i was just being difficult really, i didn't particularly want them!).

He did once threaten to buy me a Dyson for my birthday. I said we already had a hoover and if he was buying it I assumed it was because he was going to do the hoovering from now on. He obviously didn't buy it in the end!

Itsjustmeee · 09/09/2023 21:01

Bathroom scales 😂😂

sarahdu · 09/09/2023 21:30

For my 40th I wanted something nice to keep. Something like a bracelet or necklace.

I got a shoe chair, giraffe print fake fur and fake leather covered.

to make it worse, this present was billed as something absolutely amazing, I had to like it because it couldn’t be returned and the kids had chosen it (apparently).

to put this into context, we weren’t short of furniture, because we’d both been married previously and had our own houses, so effectively had two of everything.

I started to open it in front of the kids and my parents. Saw part of it, stopped opening it and just couldn’t control my emotions. I asked what the f*ck it was, never normally swear infront of my parents. I walked out and cried the majority of the rest of that day.

apparentky I was ungrateful!!

I ended up giving it away to some students who were trying to furnish their house!

What's the worst birthday present your OH has bought you
Stifado · 09/09/2023 21:32

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

sarahdu · 09/09/2023 21:33

He is now my ex!

MRSBoredsome · 09/09/2023 21:33

A scratch card and my oh played it

feellikeanalien · 09/09/2023 21:46

My ex-H got me a spice rack for my 21st.

SevenOhOne · 09/09/2023 21:50

That shoe chair thing is truly awful 😂

frustratedashell · 09/09/2023 22:03

My husband presented me with a long narrow box. I was thinking it was a bracelet or necklace. I was gutted to find it was a posh pen! Was quite expensive but I was quite happy using a BIC biro!
Just felt like he didn't know me at all.

socialdilemmawhattodo · 09/09/2023 22:06

Songlines · 08/09/2023 10:23

Not birthday but Christmas.
A Hostess trolley, decorated with ribbons and balloons, so I could serve Christmas dinner from it.
He's my ex 😂

You are me, without the balloons or ribbons. Also an ex. I made him take it when we divorced and he moved out. Seriously wtf.