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Paying over the odds for Christmas gifts

3 replies

Weehectorreturns · 23/11/2024 14:20

I appreciate this is first world problems to a degree..

I’ve discovered my husband’s Christmas presents to me (I was playing a game in his phone and the Amazon dispatch note popped up and I stupidly clicked).

Things are tighter financially this year as my husband retired early due to ill health. He was in hospital last year so we’ve agreed to have a good Christmas especially for our young teenage son.

Thing is, I’ve been tracking all the sales, unlocking discounts for everything this year and have discovered he’s just willy nilly bought stuff for me and paid well over RRP (on Amazon - overpaid a £10 on a candle, £5 on a bubble bath, paid £30 for a box of chocs). He’s spent about £30 more than what he would have paid if he’d walked into a shop and bought it full price.

I think he’s possibly heading for a Parkinson’s diagnosis so finds buying on Amazon easy but it annoys me he’s paying over the odds. He did the same last year but I let it slide. I wasn’t snooping - I had to unbox and wrap my own presents as he was in hospital long term and the delivery notes were there. For example, last year - he paid £60 for Neom candle that was £45 full price and £21 for a Glossier lip balm (£14) he thought I’d wanted as I’d been looking at it online (I’d been looking at this for a young relative).

Do I smile and graciously accept his gifts knowing he’s overspending or mention it, tell him we can send things back I’ll send him a list of other suggestions. Not a complete control freak over his choice of lovely things just worried that I can’t trust him to buy things any more. I do more of the household ordering for energy suppliers, insurance, etc and our money is locked away in ISAs so I’m not worried about the bigger finances.

Would I be unreasonable to mention his overspending?

OP posts:
Sprogonthetyne · 23/11/2024 14:40

If they're already ordered I'd just accept graciously, but in future I'd get in early with "I'd really like X, I've seen it's for Y price at Z shop" type detailed suggestions.

MartinCrieffsLemon · 23/11/2024 14:48

Hugely controlling to only look at items as to what he's spent and thinking "could of got it cheaper"

He's paying extra for the convenience and ease as he can't go out shopping.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 23/11/2024 14:53

If he likely has Parkinsons then does he find getting out and about difficult? If he does, then how is he going to 'shop around' for your gifts? I'd suck it up, it's not exactly bank-busting amounts over the odds he's paying, and maybe think next year about finding something you can recommend he buys for you from an 'approved' site.

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