just wondering for grownups, particularly mr.mari, i always ask what they want for their christmas present (and birthday really) - i really honestly think its the best way to get people what they want, but then i was thinking today (while looking at mr.mari's birthday/christmas links list), im not sure i would like it the other way round?

im not bad at buying presents but i just think its easier (lazy!) and less wasteful (mean!) to get stuff people have asked for...i usually ask for a couple of suggestions so they dont know EXACTLY what they will get, but would you prefer a surprise, or would you rather choose?

I l ike suprises of everyone except oh. I decide what i want and then take him shopping, usually a coat or boots.



My mum always gives me cash but my sister always buys something nice for me and I buy her something nice. We're of a similar age so we just pick something that we'd like for ourselves.



I like oh to tell me exactly what he wants as I spend quite a bit on him and would hate to waste money. Last birthday he got a Kindle

I have to tell Stuart what I want. It does my head in that he cant pick something I like. He literally moans months before bday/xmas that he needs to know what I want and then buys me exactly that. I suppose its good in a way as Im getting something I like. It prob annoys me so much as when I ask him what he wants he always says 'nothing'. I think its only polite to help the other person out if you are forcing them to make lists!

My mum I can tell what I want for bdays, usually a haircut & colour. But xmas she buys stuff throughout the year and iv not much say in what I get. Annoying in ways as some years I end up with a bag of nice things that maybe cost £100+.... but id have prefered the option of asking for one thing at £100 if you get me? But then id prob miss the pants, novelty socks and bath bombs

Suppose it depends who it is that wants to know. Stuarts always asking me to pick something for his MIL to get me for xmas/bdays and he'l tell her but I refuse to do that. I hate the thought of picking something thats more than she intended to spend. I also got peed off last year as we had bought a few sanctuary sets for our mums/MIL/SMIL and stuarts mum turned round 3 wks before xmas and told Stuart she had bought a coat and wanted half the money for it as her xmas present, I thought that was a bit rude tbh.

Have I actually answered the original question or just wrote a journal to myself?

I get annoyed when people ask me... well by people I mean OH although most of the time he's pretty good. I feel like people should know me well enough to use their imagination and I don't think I'm that hard to buy for... I love bags so you can't go wrong with a handbag if you can't think of anything else.



But then when it comes to my Dad I do NOT know what to get him and always ask his girlfriend for ideas (although she is useless and doesn't give me any help) so he normally ends up with the same old stuff.



I guess it depends on the person.

I always give people a list (when they ask). I know I'd rather get something I want if they're going to spend money on me (although honestly not bothered if they don't) so don't see the problem asking other people

I always write a list of what I would like & what shop.it's in as hubs has no idea what to get me and every year he also asks me what do I tell people you want and I always say a voucher for a shop, like last year it was Robert Dyas & Argos as I'd seen a couple of things I liked and I really wanted an electric wok but I thought it cost too much for 1 person to buy me but with a couple of £10 vouchers I got it. This years vouchers I would like are Lakeland ones as I've seen something I reallllllllly want lol lol.

Mil always says "Dilly you should buy something for yourself not the house".but there's nothing I want. Give me kitchen equipment, recipe books etc... and I'm happy :-D xxxxxxx

I have far too much crap in my house now - candle holders with no home, perfume I don't like, make up bags, make up sets that are tried out but unused, bath bombs that I'm allergic to etc etc. I am clearly the most ungrateful biatch ever lol

These days I use the amazon wish list facility and add things on that I fancy as and when I spot them. You know the things I would like but don't really need so can't justify the cost when we're scraping for a food shop some weeks. There are things I save for asking oh / mum / dad specifically like I needed a winter coat so mums helped with that for my bd and it was nice to go shopping together for an evening. Dad's got me a handbag and OH is getting me some shoes. My sisters, MIL and friends will dib off the wish list so it works out well for me xx

I always ask my mom what she wants as she tends to need a few things then i would get her a few surprise stocking fillers.

I ask ohs parents wat they want as they have everything and the mil is quite fussy.

OH i always surprise him.

The rest of the family i just bargin hunt for, i have just got them perfume gift sets lo.

char

I tend to ask people around the person im buying for like my mum i will ask my stepdad and vice versa so it ends up being a surprise to them x
Oh justs tells me what he wants and then il just pick what i wana get and he normally asks me then normally gets me something i dont know off x

I dunno.

I was saying to my oh that we could get his mum a nice expensive pair of earrings or something for her xmas as Id saw some lovely ones and he said back that she had already told him she didnt want jewelry or clothes. I thought that was really cheeky considering Ive told her a few times not to get hannah something if ive got it or planning to get it and shes just went and got it anyway.

but if it was my mum I wouldnt be annoyed.

I normally tell oh what I want but for my birthday this year there was nothing I wanted or needed so he picked it on his own and think I will just let him from now on as I liked what he bought.

I guess for myself I would like to be bought something I needed but its also nice to be surprised
but I like to just buy for other people and not something they need

x

i like to ask, and also to tell

i dont have a house big enough for junk..... still get loads though!

Ungrateful or what lol x