To not buy a £1,000 present for DH birthday?

[DandyReader]

Usually, dh and I buy each other an experience for each other's birthdays. But this year, DH is turning 30. He said he'd prefer if I get him a gift. Fair enough, he'd like something to keep.

He has been banging on about getting a 'nice watch' for years. He could afford to buy one himself but knows it's a splurge. He has shown me multiple watches around the £1,000 mark and keeps dropping hints how he really wants a nice watch but can't justify that for himself. He hasn't explicitly asked, but I think he's hoping.

I could easily buy one for him, but I don't want to. I have savings targets to meet and don't want to start a precedent of spending silly money on gifts. AIBU?

I'm tight as fuck but 1k for a good men's watch is nothing? I'd stick it on a 0% credit card for 24 months as give him what he sounds like he deserves.

I actually think it’s a bit icky that he’s hinting like this. Particularly if he can afford it anyway. I don’t know why but I just find it a bit cringe 😬

Can you not imagine the responses if OP came on to say her husband had just spent £1,000 on a birthday present for himself?
He's been dropping hints for years but held back from spending that much on himself. Probably desperate for his wife to show the love and buy for him.

Obviously your finances etc are very important here.

How much do you usually spend on experiences?

If it’s less than £250 then YANBU
But if it’s around £1k then you may be BU

I personally would never spend £1k on a watch but I assume he wants something he can keep forever.

You’re either very sensible and know how much you can get for £1k.
Or you’re a bit miffed because usually his presents are experiences that you get to be involved in too.

Surely if you spend £1k on him for his 30th he’ll do the same for you.
Then you go back to spending less until each others 40th.

Give him money towards it and point out that a really good watch is tens of thousands. I bought myself a nice watch about 40 years ago and the nearest equivalent is about £900 now and I don't mind saying that although it was and is special to me, it's not in the Rolex Oyster league.

You can't. You'll get a cheap fashion watch, but nothing of any real quality.

Me too. DH would never ask for a present that cost £1000.

Noone needs watches at this price. It's just marketing and posturing.

If you can afford it and he can afford it, but he can't "allow himself to buy them", could you gift him a blessing and go halves on them?

It's not the most romantic, but requesting a specific expensive gift is not romantic either.

Or you buy each other a token for £50 to £100 and buy the expensive stuff yourselves.

Desperate? Desperate for his wife to show love by buying him watches? Really?

Sheeesh
There are some great watch snobs on this thread who obviously live in very different worlds from the plebs who would be more than happy with a Citizen watch for £300 - £400,

Don't you buy the people you love the presents they want ?

Interesting. I would feel embarrassed to ask someone else to spend that much on me. Especially if I could afford it myself.

She’s hardly likely to be doing that if she doesn’t want (but easily could) spend £1k.

I guess it depends how much you like your husband. Not that much I’d suppose.

£1k for jewellery type presents isn’t a crazy amount if you can afford it. My ex bought me several bits of jewellery over the years in that bracket and that was twenty odd year’s ago.

I'm just amazed by your word choice. Desperate ffs! Desperate for expensive watches! And he is showing a strength of will by holding back from buying them himself, how brave of him!

Two views, I guess neither are 'wrong', but I've never spent that sort of money on myself.

1000 is a decent amount of money to spend on a watch .
You’ll find a lot of people will think that 🙄

I'm with you, fucking insane amount to spend on an arm trinket. Can't believe a lot of the replies here. Must be nice being able to spunk a grand on a present.

We bought my son a nice watch for his 21st and got it engraved. It was quite a bit more than the price you have quoted so for a special Birthday it doesn't seem excessive if you can easily afford it.

I wonder what reception OP would get if she came here to moan about her husband spending £thousands on watches for himself.

OK, desperate may have been a bit OTT but if he's been dropping hints for years and hasn't spent £thousands on himself maybe he just wants his wife to pick up the hints and buy him what he wants.

Maybe it's time I started spending £thousands on bling for me.

When do you turn 30? If there something worth £1,000 you would like?
We’ve never had his or her money. It’s all joint. If he wanted a watch we’d make an experience out of choosing it and buying it together.

Heck of a lot of people on this feed agree with me.

My sister said they pay that for an annual family holiday. I was astounded. Would rather buy something that appreciated if I had to choose, maybe like a watch 🤔

Some people buy takeaway coffee, others invest

If the op is unimpressed at the idea of spending £1k on a watch, she’s unlikely to go “oh £3k sounds great”. Clearly a 1k watch is a decent investment but no, it’s not the same league as a 100k watch. A brand new Audi A1 is a nice car, but significantly cheaper than a BMW £75k tourer. I’m unsure what you think your post is achieving except belittling people spending “only” £1k on a watch. If you genuinely read that and think but it is “only” 1k then you are very out of touch with normal people.

You could get him a nice watch at the £200-£300 mark? Check out 2nd hand market even

I think its insane to ask anyone for a 4 figure gift. But if you can afford it and it's a special treat thats nice. But absolutely not something you should do if you dont want to