What Do You Want for Christmas? - Blacksburg,VA

Well, I received the mani/pedi one year...and didn't enjoy it. Also received an iPad one year wondering what I would do with it. LOVE it!!! Great for dr.s visits, or any type of long wait. The iPad helps me be frugal. love it, love it. IPhone would be just as good.

I've asked for new pajamas (I still have maternity pajamas and my youngest child is 7... seriously). Also I'd like some new perfume, and some slippers that don't look like man slippers (I have big feet, so this is probably just wishing and hoping on my part).

I'd also really love a new Henckel chef's knife (can you ever have too many?) and a really big All-Clad stock pot.

Realistically, if I want any of this stuff, I'll probably have to buy it and wrap it myself, but that's another post for another time. :-P

My husband and I decided when we got married that exchanging Christmas gifts wasn't for us. We are both practical and just buy what we need when we need it. Instead we take a long weekend away without the kids each year as our gift to each other. Alone time with him is more important to me than things anyway. Tell him to plan a weekend away for the two of you and arrange for someone to watch the kids!

I know I'm getting a favorite dvd and there's likely something else, but when my husband asked what I wanted, my first reply was "a truckload of mulch". So romantic. He was just like your husband, rebuffed it and pressed me for another idea.

So: a new poncho; a gift certificate to the gourmet deli with amazing cheeses and olives; money for a new oilcloth for the kitchen table; gift certificate to the local tea shop...or a trailer rental so we can take a haul of stuff to the dump. (Apparently, I have fantasies of gardening and housecleaning! I so 'get' the frugal thing!)

I will be of no help to you! I have lived all my married life frugally and I can't get myself to ask for anything that's not practical! I tried very hard this time to at least get other people on my list pretty things, not practical. I guess I succeeded, if you don't count buying them on sale with a coupon.

I went to Macy's to get a gift card for my sis. I was so overwhelmed with the crazy grabbing and crowded isles and way over priced, complete wastes of money that I had to come home and lay down!

Try relaxing and think along the lines of, "if I had $20 (or whatever amount he's wanting to spend) what would I buy?" Surely you can come up with something. The books are just for you. I don't understand why he won't accept that.

I have difficulty coming up with something because I usually buy whatever I want for myself and at nearly 70 I have most things already. Back when I did have a list, it included candles, cologne, scarf, always clothes. costume jewelry, a gift card for books or clothes, fancy socks, a cell phone, a tablet, new fluffy towels, new kitchen towels, sheets. Even tho towels and sheets aren't necessarily personal they are used primarily by me and I enjoy having new ones and they aren't necessary.

I suggest that you could ask for him to fix dinner one night/week or month; to do the dishes once a week; or some other task that you'd feel good about not having to do yourself.

I've asked my family to all get along and I won't be getting that for Christmas and since I don't have a list I'll be pleasantly surprised at what they come up with. I've told them I don't need a gift and they agree, lol, that my house is full enough but they will think of something and I'll be pleased. I much prefer giving gifts than receiving them.

And it sounds like you're that way too by asking for things to help with the kids. You'd probably be most pleased if he bought you those things. Perhaps if you keep insisting that is what you want he'll do it.

My wish list includes trivets for the dining room table, house slippers/shoes (mine are about 4 years old and worn out), and a gym membership. They gym membership is really only b/c I did something to my foot and I want to use an elliptical until I can get back to running. And ellipticals are very pricey... gym membership for 6 months is MUCH cheaper.

Husband usually gets me a book or two, and I always get him books...we are both pretty big readers.
This year I don't have a lot that I want or need. A new toaster would actually be nice, but I didn't bother to put it on my wish list, because I don't think my husband would buy it for me. He'd just expect me to pick out the one I want to replace the old one and just go get it.

I also like to save "big ticket" items or even "medium ticket" items for gift occasions, since I know my husband will be spending money on me anyway. But, I am about out of big ticket ideas. We are at the point of deciding to spend our Valentines or birthday money towards landscaping replacement.... Husband ALWAYS has a CD or book he'd like, but he will buy them if I don't. So he gets several for whatever occasion. 4 books and 2 CDs are going under the tree for him this year. And I'm sure there will be others he will mention before the 25th gets here...

A purse (I only gets purses every 10 years or so)
Fleece pillow case (super cozy!)
Hair gunk (it will end up in my stocking)
Gardening gloves
Humming bird feeder
Socks (another stocking stuffer)
Flannel jammies

I agree that you should just get yourself the stuff to help you with the kids. LEt your husband buy you something for Christmas...if not for you then for him. He loves you and wants to show you this with something that you will enjoy for Christmas. It takes the fun out of it if you only request boring and practical things. What about personalized jewelry or something like a Pandora bracelet?

Clothes boots shoes jackets designer jeans etc..... (this is what I want the most)

Otherwise,
Kindle Paperwhite (hate reading on the ipad)
A jewelry hanging organizer
earrings
A new lens for my camera
Electric blanket
Riedell figure skates
Pajamas
A makeup train case from Sephora
Le Creuset French oven

I will not get any of it unless I buy it myself but it's what's on my Amazon wishlist.

Not a darn thing...really. Unfortunately, my 19 year old daughter has taken after me and has never made a Christmas list. It is left up to me to be creative. There isn't anything we go without during the year so we usually give the gift of activities or donations.

In the past, I always had ease coming up with a list of things I wanted.

Now that I have pretty much everything I need and we are on a tight
budget, I only need some basic things like:
-socks
-wallet
-gift card to a local discount store

That's it.
In the past I asked for:
-leather gloves
-boots
-slippers
-sweater
-jeans
-fuzzy throw
-throw pillows
-frames
-gift card to clothing stores
-gift card to a restaurant
-epresso machine
-clock
-watch
-costume jewlery earrings, bangles
-jacket
-throw rugs
-books
-DVD's of my favorite movies
-magazine subscriptions

So your husband is asking you to request a gift that is solely you? That's sweet! Is your anything you longed for like a mani/pedi, clothes, etc. that we frugally-minded wouldn't ordinarily spend money on for yourselves?

Some of the best gifts I've gotten were of those kind: mani/pedi, gift card to hair salon, etc.

This holiday season, I request the intangible, but if Santa has steady employment on his sled, go for it!

I asked for a few practical things such as slippers and a blender. I also asked for things that hold meaning for me such as a spiritual pendant and a t-shirt that says my son with autism makes me proud every day.

I wanted a Garmin so I bought one ... it came on Friday, so I played with it this wknd. That's what I do every year, I buy some stuff that I actually want and not stuff I need. I keep it budget friendly enough, but I figure if I get it myself and I wont have to get mad at husband for not going into the shopping HELL and buying me something. He hates shopping, so it's a win win for us to buy our own Christmas gifts. So far he hasnt gotten anything for himself yet... the Garmin was a mutual "want" for us.

I've asked for a new under cabinet radio for my kitchen, a Bissell Little Green Machine and the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. I'm getting my husband and I a gift certificate for an overnight getaway and a couples massage.

The stuff I have bought for myself (or will be buying soon) but am wrapping from the kids

a kindle fire but they know about it since it came in a couple of weeks ago and they want to play on it so it might just be a now thing for me.

--Toby Keith's new CD
--Blake Shelton's Christmas CD

Stuff I would like

--amazon gift card
--mani/pedi
--spa day (or a haircut/color/etc)

My husband just asked me this. I have a wish list. it was very hard for me to identify things, but my list has nothing to do with our daughter. I put down an I-Phone upgrade ($99) and portable speakers, a massage, gift cards to Home Goods and my favorite restaurant. I usually ask for books by my favorite author, but he got me a Kindle Fire last year and that's been a wonderful gift. I'd like a tv for our spare bedroom (my dressing room), a soft plush robe, a gold charm for my bracelet and a new headboard for our bed. Like I said, it's a wish list. He is a great gift giver, so I'm not worried at all.

A Keurig because that helps everybody especially when you're in great need of coffee ;)

Hi, Mama:

Why is it so important to have things?
Where is the loving kindness these days?

I am concerned about the materialism that
we are placing on how much we are loved.

Just wondering.
D.

My husband always "fusses" about me being so practical with my wish list as well. In truth he loves it b/c we are both frugal but he always gets grief from his colleagues when he is wrapping my new pans at work! LOL I grew up with nothing and gifts for us were practical items we needed so to me it makes sense! Anyhow, try to think outside of the box with your list. My wish list this year: 1. an explanation of all things iTunes/the "cloud"/apps/etc. (my husband is an IT guy and I feel so behind b/c I can't seem to find the time to really figure all of that stuff out) 2. my wedding band/engagement ring professionally cleaned 3. a movie I like on DVD 4. a family photo taken without complaint (and I promised not to complain either - we've had disastrous attempts in the past!) 5. laser hair removal for my underarms (b/c I get the worst razor burn there - I sent him a promo email) 6. a gift certificate for a facial (also sent him a promo email) 7. Yonanas ice cream treat maker to make "ice cream" from bananas (gave him 20% off coupon to Bed Bath and Beyond) 8. a pastry mat (another coupon to BB&B!) and lastly, a weekend away anywhere/anytime in 2013 with or without the kids! Obviously, I don't expect all of those but that's what he has to work with. Not exactly an Amazon friendly list but that's what I need/want. Good luck!