To ask for birthday gift ideas for my daughters 30th?

[equalmeasures]

Daughter is 30 next year, it will also be the summer she graduates from university. She has done a lot the past 6 years to really turn things around, she was heading down a very bad path and has turned into a kind, caring and thoughtful daughter so I would like to make her 30th special.

My budget is no more that £1000. Any ideas?

She can drive and has a car.

Apple Watch is something she could get herself if she really wanted. She actually doesn't have 'hobbies' per se.

She enjoys cycling but as an enjoyable day out not as a hobby.

She loves, loves, loves reading and is constantly buying new books.

She's not a huge jewellery person but I think if it was something sentimental she would enjoy it.

She enjoys spending time with her daughter, doing activities, for example, she often talk excitedly about all the holidays she's going to take with her daughter once she has her degree and is earning. She says she can't wait to make memories with her.

A trip away is a good idea...she would like to go to NYC I know that.

My mum bought me a dishwasher for my 30th and honestly it’s been the best present ever. Only bested by a tumble dryer after baby 2 came along.

@Atalune she's got a dishwasher and a tumble drier or that would have been an idea.

Private number plate for her car

I know this thread is asking for ideas which is lovely but why is a big deal made of 30th? Also it isnt about how much you spend and overdoing it, very grabby i would say, surely any gift you receive from a loved one should be cherished?

@Cinni23- btw that gift sounds so beautiful, what a lovely thought for a present.

I would buy something for up to £250 and the give her the remaining of the £1000 as a cash gift.
I didn’t get anything for my 30th from my parents unfortunately my mums youngest daughter with her new husband has the same birthday as me and it was her 10th so I couldn’t compete. She actually text me a week later to say happy birthday.

Honestly reading the different suggestions on this thread makes me realize that you’re probably better off either asking your daughter what she’d like or buying her something small for about £50 (a pretty piece of jewelry, special edition of her favourite book, photo album, nice lunch out somewhere etc) and then giving her £1000.

It’s a lot of money and whilst some of the ideas on here are really nice they’re definitely not what I’d choose if I was given a budget of £1000 (I’m about your daughter’s age and I’ve just finished my Masters degree).

If you want to give her a ‘thing’ that she can keep then maybe offer to take her out for a lunch and shopping day where she can choose exactly what she wants (if someone was going to buy me a very expensive handbag/watch/jewellery then I’d definitely want to pick the one I like best).

A trip sounds lovely, if you know that’s something she’d like to do then you could wrap up a loads of travel agent brochures/travel magazines with a note letting her know that she has £1000 towards whatever trip she’d like to do.

She also might value the money. I know the piece of mind that comes from having some savings or a contribution for a deposit on a house is definitely the thing I’d value most!

Good luck finding something she’ll like!

My favourite present for my 30th was a pair of diamond stud earrings. I’ve worn them nonstop since!

An item to keep (jewellery or a watch) and an event to remember - even just a lovely afternoon tea, or if splurging a spa day/weekend, red letter event like parachuting or track day. Depends on her interests really! But the something to keep will mean so much more in years to come (even if it’s a small part of the gift such as an engraved locket or pretty earrings) and the main money goes in the experience/event).

Nothing tech based as that will become obsolete and ultimately end up as trash (or at best just unusable).

A nice piece of jewelry, antique perhaps combined with a shared experience, night away etc.

Willoughby book club subscription. You tell them what sort of books she reads and they will choose a new book for her every month and post it out to her. They come wrapped in tissue paper and it’s like getting a present every month!

It's my daughters 30th in 6 weeks or so.and so far done nothing. I usually pay for her and her brother to go on a holiday together as both enjoy that. But covid has put the dampers on . I dont have a massive budget either.

I would have liked diamond studs too!

Is she into handbags? If so I'd get her this Louis Vuttion neverfull, it's around £900- can't remember exactly but it's not above £1000. I adore mine!

Just seen she likes going away with her daughter. Why don't you plan a trip for the 3 of you somewhere?

From what you've said...you could do -

A nice pair of earrings/piece of jewellery for around 100 pounds (since you said she would be more interested in the sentiment behind it rather than the actual piece of jewellery)

A couple of well thought out books that you think she would enjoy, you could write a little message in each one as well as a really nice bookmark, maybe with a collage of pictures on the bookmark. Say that all costs 100 pounds.

Then a weekend trip with you, her and her daughter? Maybe a trip to Rome or Paris or wherever you think she would enjoy.

Her favourite chocolates, bottle of wine and nice flowers.

Any leftover money, you could gift to her, but not sure how much would be left after that to be honest.

My parents bought me a painting of a place we went to often on holiday when I was a child for my 30th. It's the kind of thing I'll always want to have on my wall & remember where it came from.

@iamagruff great idea

I bought my dd a kayak for her 21st, which she loves.

An electric bike?

How about an easy to pitch tent with all the gear as well? It means she can have a holiday cheaply for years to come.

I know these aren't things "to keep" but what is, other than jewellery? I'd suggest a photo book as well.

@FleetwoodRaincoat

I bought my dd a kayak for her 21st, which she loves.

An electric bike?

How about an easy to pitch tent with all the gear as well? It means she can have a holiday cheaply for years to come.

I know these aren't things "to keep" but what is, other than jewellery? I'd suggest a photo book as well.

If she drives and is looking forward to holidaying with her DD I think a set of camping gear is a brilliant idea! They could go to so many places and fairly cheaply.

A £1000 to be spent on a trip would be my pick.

For my daughter's 30th birthday, I gave her a large basket filled with 30 gifts, each with a number on and either a poem or a sentiment of what she meant to me; she was allowed to begin opening them 15 days before her actual birthday and finish 15 days later; she was also lavished with her main gift from me and her father on her actual birthday.
I did this to show her that it wasn't only her birthday that meant so much to me/us; it was the days leading up to and following her birth, as her impending arrival healed many family scars and brought myself and my Stepmother closer together.
She was ecstatic and still talks about it today, not about the presents, which ranged from a pair of hairbrushes she had been eyeing up to an item she needed for her home, but about the thoughts behind them, and how the poems and cards in each gift meant so much more to her than the items themselves.
I invested £300 in total (£1 for each year; believe me, it took me a long time to save up), but the link between me and my daughter has been strengthened even more.

sorry forgot to attach photos

Watch, yes, but not an Apple watch. It'll last 5 years at the most and then be useless. There are some lovely watches by Longings and Tissot that would be under £1k.