h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Without mentioning the exact age, but suggesting that it is so close to half a century, ... My wife is uncertain is she ought to be annoyed or proud. In any case,

I have been without employment for quite some months now and our meagre 'employment insurance' is well short of our normal needs. Has anyone suggestions of gifting or treatment that fit a (very) limited budget?

(Thanks to Monsy and Wowbagger, two unique ideas are reality, dinner out and with special friends is already a given)

Hi Nick

Not sure of the extent of your culinary skills, but perhaps a picnic of home-made bread and cakes could be a nice treat for the wife? Doesn't have to be expensive but always (in our house, at least) welcomed.

Anything hand-made would also go down a treat- for a small outlay you could make some nice soaps, even a hand-made card should be easy enough to do.

I think in this instance, the 'thought' behind the gift really does count.

Good luck, hope your wife's special birthday is one to remember.

It will be one that she remembers, ... (wives do remember, down to that smallest detail ... )

I have a few things up and special, but they must all involve time after her work-day, and before the next. She is a paid labourer in a shop, and while I do have some sway with the management, not enough to change the needed work hours enough to grant a day off.

You could make her a present which has the same number of little gifts as her age. None of them need to be expensive (photos, a flowers, something significant to her but meaningless to anyone else, a recording of a song, a promise of doing the washing up/some other hated chores, the promise of a foot rub, or back rub, or brekky in bed for a week). Whatever you can think of to make up the magic number.

Depends how long you have got to organise it - the people I know that have done this sort of thing have made it inexpensively (with several months of planning) or expensively (everything bought new from shops in the week before).

Something like a garden makeover if it's something she likes to enjoy but hasn't time to keep up together? Effort is the name of the game if money can't be thrown at the problem! And if you've given yourself enough time for planning, it'll be far more appreciated!

Indeed, am almost always disappointed with something expensive I've never talked about wanting, that I know he bought on Amazon yesterdayin a panic, and always chuffed with a cake he made, or photo montage he had to spend time on. Effort is definitely the key

<< a promise of doing the washing up/some other hated chores, the promise of a foot rub, or back rub, or brekky in bed for a week >>

You could make some coupons with 'good for one foot rub' or 'redeem for an extra hug', or something like that. Perhaps make a book of 50 (or however many years it happens to be), making them all different if possible. Only costs the price of paper.

An album, ask family and friends to contribute to the categories, something meaningful, funny story, greeting, a photo if they have one, or something that symbolises something important to them that your wife will appreciate

Remember to contribute yourself

Peanut

I agree with Kelli - The photo montage is a winner. I did ones of our girls for Mother's Day a couple of years ago, and they get looked at every day.

It could be one of family, one of the two of you, or a mixture of views of favourite places.

Monetary value isn't important (not to anyone worth bothering with, anyway) - it is the thought that goes into it. I'm sure she'll understand the circumstances.

I like the coupon idea. How about a hand made gift card for some activity she really enjoys that she can cash in after they've called you back to work.

If you dare, include a veto coupon. One opportunity for her to have her way, no matter the situation... Do you dare?

By right as the wife of the couple, she already has 'veto' power.

'Veto' is French for 'vet'. I was wondering why putting a vet coupon would be such a daring thing to do, or why it could be a good idea in the first place

A puppy! OK maybe not.

A ham(p)ster!

I know I've been touched by specially put together CDs, or photo montages with suitable music. And if the giving is set up sweetly too (a note beside a poured glass of wine, saying "play me" or something)that makes it all the more memorable.

50 memories in a scrapbook - each one with a description by you of why it's such a treasured memory?

Just to narrow some things down from a number of posts ... She has been well into scrap-booking for a couple of years, and I have scanned perhaps on the order of 2,000 photos. So for me to create such a one wouldn't really be on-par with many others she has made and is making.

As it stands, there will be the waking of the day ... She will work her job but for a few less hours. (Her boss likes me). There will be a dinner at a place that we enjoy, and she will find atleast 7, perhaps as many as 12, of our closer friends.

She has been advised to pack an over-night clutch. I have reserved the best suite in a 1930's deep-south plantation sort of house that was transplanted here piece by piece. And fully done as a bed and breakfast in period furniture, drapery, even wall-paper found from the time. With a fabulous 6-course and yet light breakfast to close it out.

Wowbagger was clever, talented and generous enough to do a 6-frame sketch of the day for me. Which is now printed large, laminated and will be her place-setting at the dinner with friends. The friend of Monsy will make (a little belated, sadly) a hand-blown glass bauble in her favourite hues to act as a sun-catcher and Christmas ornament.

And a few weeks later, she is already booked on a train with a sleeper room (private with wash-up) to take her home to her family some 750 miles away.

It doesn't compare to the garden party and planning that she and Venus (U218978) put together for my 50th, but in the "today and poorer" mode, it will have to suffice.

Oh, and we already have two as our keepers, so puppies, or other extra house-mates would not be ideal. They might be someone's dinner.

Sounds like you pretty much have all the bases covered. Why spoil her with anything else?

I figured the many minds of h2g2 ... I couldn't go wrong when seeking just one 'novel' idea. And there have indeed been some danged good ones.

Not sure about over there, but we've got cheap book clearance shops over here that sell a whole host of things other than books, including ready stretched canvas frames, the sort that artists use to paint on. I picked some of these up cheap a while ago and got some t-shirt printing stuff for the printer, that transfer paper that you print on, then iron onto a t-shirt.

Well, the wife had been mentioning that we hadn't got around to getting any wedding photos printed out. So, I printed one onto a t-shirt transfer and then ironed it onto a canvas. Probably cost about £3 in total, and we've now got an A4 sized canvas print of one of the wedding photos. Cheap, and very nice

Pastey, I do like that idea ... Simple and very do-able, with something perhaps more suited to the occasion. Thank you!