Dumb Question #52 - How Do You Shop For Your Spouse?

We all have those special days like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc.  How do you shop for your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend?  Do you just buy whatever strikes your fancy at the time?  Do you take the easy way out and give money or gift cards?  Enquiring minds want to know.

At this point it's usually flowers and gift cards and lucky for me, she is totally okay with it.

I will usually see what's on here Amazon Wishlist and get an idea. Plus I know what style clothes she likes and know what colors she likes to wear.

At this stage in life, we don't really need or want anything.  So, I'll either ask her what she wants and make a list or it's flowers and a gift card.  I've been trying to make an effort to browse around a store to see if anything strikes me as to something Tori may like.  I'm a terrible gifter.  No imagination.

Gift cards. It is actually harder for her to buy for me.

I go the easy route.  I usually ask her what she wants and she will send me ideas on Amazon or a specific store's website.  But I have guessed what she might want before, and also bought her gift cards.  For example for Christmas this year I bought her two outfits from Amazon that she picked out, but I also got her a Hobby Lobby gift card, and a little nick-knack that I picked out on my own.
On her birthday I bought her a jacket that I saw her eyeing at Costco a few days before.  
So kind of all of the above. 

I do several things.  I try to watch her in stores and see what she likes but won't buy for herself.  Holly will also send me wish lists from Amazon, but then I shop around the internet and see where I can get the lowest prices.  I have bought her gift cards, but I feel I can do better than that since we know each other so well.  I have never just given her money.

Our 32nd anniversary is next week.  She sent me a Pandora charm list of 4 potential charms she wanted.  I got two of them and ordered her a pair of bone conduction headphones for when she is working.  She does not know about the headphones at all.

Make it more interesting - How do you shop for a spouse? Meaning, where can I buy a spouse? 

Mine doesn't want me to buy clothes. She wants to try stuff on first so I haven't bought her anything other than a few Beatles t-shirts. Candles are always good too. When she gets off work she likes to hit Starbucks so I usually buy her a card for there. 

Sometimes she will tell me "You know what YOU want so just order it and I'll wrap it when it gets here" and that works too.

The part about that I DON'T like is that if I order music (CD's or records) and if there is any holiday close by (in this case, Father's Day) she will intercept the mail and wrap it up. I noticed I had a record deliver this week and it was nowhere to be found. When I went in the back closet to get cat food I noticed a square shaped present wrapped which is the LP I ordered.

MikeInFla wrote:

....
The part about that I DON'T like is that if I order music (CD's or records) and if there is any holiday close by (in this case, Father's Day) she will intercept the mail and wrap it up. I noticed I had a record deliver this week and it was nowhere to be found. When I went in the back closet to get cat food I noticed a square shaped present wrapped which is the LP I ordered.

Oh man that would stink.  My family knows not to mess with my music. 

Staybrite wrote:

MikeInFla wrote:

....
The part about that I DON'T like is that if I order music (CD's or records) and if there is any holiday close by (in this case, Father's Day) she will intercept the mail and wrap it up. I noticed I had a record deliver this week and it was nowhere to be found. When I went in the back closet to get cat food I noticed a square shaped present wrapped which is the LP I ordered.

Oh man that would stink.  My family knows not to mess with my music. 

That would just royally tick me off!  If I ordered it for my own enjoyment, then leave it alone.  My wife won't buy me music because I buy what I want when I want.  As far as gifts, that is off limits.  I don't care if I ordered something and it comes a couple of days before my birthday or Christmas.

That's pretty funny Mike!  I had that happen to me once: I ordered myself a CD and was surprised by how long it was taking to arrive.  Then lo and behold Christmas morning I open a present "from my parents" and there it is!  We all got a good laugh out of that.

Wish list. 

A miracle of the modern era!

We all create one, and at least we know we'll get something we like, even if the rest of the stuff is absolutely diabolical!

So, Socks, hankies, deodorant and soap is nasty.
Socks, hankies, deodorant, soap and "Christian metal cd from my list" is awesome.

It works the same way for my wife.

Problem solved 

kerrick wrote:

That's pretty funny Mike!  I had that happen to me once: I ordered myself a CD and was surprised by how long it was taking to arrive.  Then lo and behold Christmas morning I open a present "from my parents" and there it is!  We all got a good laugh out of that.

Ummm...I think that is illegal.  LOL

I live more rurally, so I would probably try Farmer's Only if I wanted a new spouse.  

I'll ask what he wants.
Most of the time I can order the things my husband likes online.