All the time in the world.... still no easier to think of ideas for difficult men!

[RockingMyFiftiesNot]

Like many others am starting to plan for Christmas to give me something to do. DH and I don't spend a lot on each other, preferring to buy something together that we wouldn't otherwise (new picture/piece of furniture/weekend away).... with a few things to open on Christmas Day.
He will always appreciate books/favourite wine/spirit/toiletries/clothes but I always like to find one thing that is different but useful. Not easy as he tends to buy what he wants when he sees it.
I know from past years there are many other people in the same boat.
I very much doubt that starting this thread now will make it any easier but always worth a go!

Tickets / things to do are my go-to for DH. He's a rugby fan so tickets to a match always goes down well, as did booking and paying for a camping pitch and sending him away for 2 nights with his mates (win win )

Bbq tools
Thermos food flask
Bluetooth shower speaker
Day and night clock from Suck UK
Solar phone charger
Jigsaw mat
Pizza stone and pizza cutter
Beer bottle coolers/chilling sleeves
Microfibre towel
Camera tripod
Spice box from The Spicery

My Dh likes brewing beer with those tinned beer kits so last year i bought him an enamElled sign with house as pub name eg welcome to name of road arms free house. Was about 6 quid and he loves it.

I have a few ideas for DH so far. He has an autumn birthday too so trying to come up with a few options!

• Coffee/gin subscription
• Gin making and tasting distillery tour
• Calvin Klein boxers
• AirPods Pro
• A desk tidy
• Kindle
• His favourite aftershave (that he wouldn’t normally buy for himself)
• A photo calendar for his desk (this was a hit a few years ago)

Things I've got for my mr so far (it's his birthday on 28th dec as well)

3 tolkien books (wh smith)
Lamb of god cd (amazon)
Oakland raiders bobble hat (sports shop)
Dragon ball z tshirt (primark)
Thorin oakenshield figure (toysforapound)

I'll get him a little snack hamper and also some DVDs nearer the time from Tesco as they tend to do 2 for £8 or buy 1 get 1 free etc. And a ps4 online store voucher

Typo do some fun things . We bought my son in law a giant noodle bowl saying always hungry . It was £8.00, about half what I expected.

Thank you everyone.

Has anyone ever bought one of those Grid-It things that are regularly suggested on these threads? Would like to know if they can be wall mounted?
DH has started to do more DIY during lockdown so a few bits like Grid It would be useful

Bumping for answer to grid-it question and any new suggestions please.

So far I've got DH:-

2 tops from Bee Inspired (he always wears grey/white/black and mentioned he thinks he needs to wear other colours... so we have sky blue and canary yellow )
New Nike trainers

Planning on getting him:-
Aftershave
Smellies

I've also been looking on Etsy for something for him off the kids - DD2 will be arriving in November so want something novelty or something for him like the photo frame with a star map in I got him after DD1 was born which was probably rather for me for the space on the wall than DH

My DH has a Grid-it I bought a few years ago. He really likes it for travel - it's the sort of size you would use for charger cables and plugs and small devices. I've not really seen one that is large enough for tools or to be wall mounted.

Men are so difficult to buy for. Dh's birthday is September so I've used a lot of ideas for that. We've just bought a new sofa which we agreed would be our main Xmas present to each other and we would just get buts for Xmas day. However, my DH is teetotal for the first time this year so anything booze is a no go now and that was a definite successful idea in previous years!

During Lock Down my DH was missing hand pulled Real Ale and discovered a Brewery in a Bag Real Ale brewing kit. It is a bag like the one in a wine box and comes rolled up in a tube. You just add water and the yeast and leave it for 30 days. There is a tap in the bag which dispenses the beer when it is ready, He was very impressed with the beer, one batch is finished and the second one is quietly brewing away. You don't need any equipment so it is easy to do, we have given them to my DB and DBIL for birthday presents. We gt them on Ebay but Lakeland are now selling them.

A 3 month Readly subscription. Thousands of magazines you can read online, including big titles. Perfect pressie for my Dad. Then I got one for myself! I found out about it last year on a thread like this.
gb.readly.com/

I love the brew bag idea, I am going to pinch that and get a personalised beer glass with 'loofah ale' on it or something

Mine is coveting a work bench, think it is called a work mate, handy for that DIY

For his recent b day he got a wine rack and a new moka for espresso

In other years I have had great success on Etsy for unusual but useful things like a board that told the time in the various locations he deals with for work which are different to the usual NY, London, Tokyo ones in the shop

My family would describe me as a difficult man to buy for. My solution is to keep a public wish list running on Amazon and any time I'm tempted to buy something that I'd like but don't really need I wish list it instead. End result is my family have plenty of ideas to choose from when it comes to birthday/xmas and I buy much less "stuff" on a whim. This has worked very well for the past few years.

I must follow this thread for some ideas. Last year I took one suggestion of a lock pick set and it was a massive hit! DH loved it and fiddled away with it all over the holidays.

@IHeartSusanDey that sounds ideal, where was it from?

ooni pizza ovens look great. But are pricey
uk.ooni.com/

I did my own grid it for DH a few years ago. Big big hit and still used today. So I got a cheap charger bag from aliexpress, some Velcro cable ties and bought a nice otterbox lead and portable charger. You could add in nice headphones and that sort of thing.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot is this what your thinking?

www.bigdug.co.uk/storage-boxes-containers-c363/plastic-parts-bins-c364/plastic-parts-bin-kit-mega-deals-p1728

I think ikea do something similar as well.

Heel tread do great socks for your petrol heads
heeltread.com/

It's a nightmare, and DP's birthday is at the end of October, so I have the stress of getting him a bday present then I have to think about xmas straight after.

Dont forget the annual lynx set haha

@GreyGardens88

It's a nightmare, and DP's birthday is at the end of October, so I have the stress of getting him a bday present then I have to think about xmas straight after.

I feel you pain, my DH's is December

Oh sorry Vacman,,,,I'm useless at coming back to check threads. It was just a wee kit from Amazon. He really loved it and got so good at it too. On the thread last year I remember a lot of women said their husbands really liked it so a big hit!!

I'm struggling this year. he doesn't read or cook for fun or have a hobby.
Bluetooth speaker bedside lamp
Bomb cosmetics gentlemen's bath gift set
Watch
Is all I've got so faror

I got him a cow footstall last year and it went down really well.

@IHeartSusanDey

Oh sorry Vacman,,,,I'm useless at coming back to check threads. It was just a wee kit from Amazon. He really loved it and got so good at it too. On the thread last year I remember a lot of women said their husbands really liked it so a big hit!!

Thanks I'm sure I'll find one easily enough

This is a very useful thread as my dh is really difficult to buy for and his birthday is the start of January so even if I survive Christmas I am then completely stumped for birthday. Each year gets more desperate. My grown up dc also struggle terribly to know what to get him. So far the lock pick kit is a brilliant idea - just a bit on the dodgy side as well which he will like. Last year's best idea was a chocolate subscription but I was more excited about it than he was tbh.