My 40th - no idea!

[Redorwhitejusthaveboth]

How pathetic is this.... People are asking me what I want for my 40th birthday in December and I have a mental
Block... Need some inspiration. My friends and family are kind loving and generous but not rich.... I don't have a partner... I don't want jewellery or an experience type present.... Please give me a nudge in the right direction!

Burlesque cream tea - my girl friends loved it, we all got merry on cocktails and ate cake and watched the dancing which was cool, the men loved it too. I went to Volupte in London

Or just all go to the pub, sometimes I think there is a bit too much pressure on people to do stuff

How about a designer handbag? I have my eye on an Orla Kiely bag which is not expensive by Mulberry standards, but £120 is still more than I'd spend on a bag. Ask for something that you wouldn't be able to justify buying yourself but feels like a bit of a treat or frivolity. Or even something practical for the house like a DAB radio or a nice coffee machine.

My family all donated to an iPad fund for me. I am over halfway there & now waiting for prices to change as the new one is launched. Is there something you would like that people could contribute to? People were more than happy to do this as it suited all budgets & they know I will get something I would love but can't afford to get on my own.

Theatre tickets/tokens?

We were pretty broke on my 40th so we just had a plain old party, bring your own bottle and all. We provided crisps and an extremely weak cocktail based on value orange juice and half a bottle of vodka unearthed from the back of the cupboard. I did spend a bit of money buying nostalgic music from itunes. We had a fantastic time.

Do what you actually want to do, that's what I think your 40th should be about; and ask them for what you actually want. Would you like them to dig out any old photos they have of you, e.g. from school days etc, and put them all in an album for you? Or would you like a huge family/friends meet up at, I don't know, the Bristol hot air balloon festival, or a nice bit of woodland locally? Or would you like to meet one particular friend for an evening out? Or would you like to go abroad alone with your family? What would you do, if you could do anything?

For my 18th my dad was seriously ill, so I ended up having a massive 19th.

For my 21st it was my mum who wasn't well, so again I celebrated my 22nd with a lot of tequila enthusiasm.

I found I rather liked not celebrating these so called landmark birthdays until a year later. I had a fantastic 31st, and my 41st has been the best so far. Already planning the 51st! I did get taken out to dinner by some friends and family for 40, but actually it was rather meh, I was really quite upset about not being 30 something anymore, whereas a year later I was well adjusted to the idea and able to enjoy the celebration.