I would love that.
Especially the swiffering housemate.
Nah, I wouldn’t trust 'em.
I have Viasat, and I still have a data cap. What’s true for you is not true for me.
Starlink isn’t an option for me.
On a more serious note, there are stories of people gifting firearms to individuals who were known to have serious mental/emotional problems.
Okay.
Early on in their marriage (because as far as I remember, it was always sitting there, closed, in the dining room) my father gave my mother a sewing machine, complete with cabinet and seat, that all came together when not in use to become a very compact wooden box. Even 45 or more years later, after she had died, he never understood why she wasn’t thrilled with it. “She could have made all her own clothes, and for you kids too!” I guess she didn’t have the heart, or the nerve, to set him straight.
She did learn later in life though. When he was getting ready to retire, my father’s dream was to sell up and buy a big RV and go traveling all over the country. My mother (reportedly) said something on the order of “You want to travel, fine, we’ll stay in hotels. I don’t want to take my housework with me on vacation.” She won the day, they did a fair amount of traveling, by car, and staying in hotels and motels, and eating in cafes and restaurants.
Whereas I’d have loved to receive this as a gift!
See, it’s all about knowing your recipient! She worked full time and did the cooking and housework, she really didn’t have the time or energy to learn how to sew.
Yes, indeed. I’m fortunate to have a lovely wife who enjoys receiving cookware.
I am still mulling over a gift my daughter my has sent my wife two years in a row and at considerable cost for postage. It has the form of an advent calendar with 24 tiny (maybe an ounce or two) of Bonne Maman jam. Aside from the fact that we are Jewish, I had diabetes (although I have recently been told I no longer do, but I am not going to start glomming jam). My wife got through the first one by the end of the year, this year she is only up to jar #4. I really don’t know what my usually very intelligent daughter is thinking.
Theres a line in a cute take-off on a Green Day song.
Things You Don’t say to Your Wife.
Happy Anniversary I got you a treadmill.
Wish I could add the link.
I actually gave my wife a treadmill for Christmas a couple of years ago. She had been wanting one and was delighted to get it.
You didn’t ask for advice, but having been in her position with my own parents, I recommend just telling her (before the shopping season starts), and maybe give her a couple of alternative suggestions. I’ll bet just about anything she just know what to get you. I ended up sending my parents gourmet coffee beans, since they liked to grind their own beans. After a while we decided that, at our various ages, it didn’t make a lot of sense to exchange gifts at all, so we stopped.
My first birthday after we got married was a snow tire.
When we bought our first house, I walked into the kitchen on the morning of my birthday, and the place was awash in water. The water heater had died. So for that birthday, I got a new water heater.
Look, we needed that stuff, and my birthday just happened to fall on the days that something died, so it as easy to say the replacements were “my” birthday gifts.
However…
My most recent birthday, Mr VOW was all excited to give me my presents: a quad cane and a grabby stick.
My response: “Really? You like to live dangeously?” I mean, I was already pissed off I was turning 71.
I let him live.
By the way, he is currently using the quad cane.
~VOW
My Beloved likes Godiva Chocolates and sharp swords, and if I am really in the doghouse I get her both. You would think giving her swords when she is pissed off at me would backfire, but so far it has worked out beautif
Dang. He was…cut off.
Should we be concerned?
That’s cutting it close…
When you have that kind of razor-sharp wit, you play it to the hilt. Maybe someday I’ll take a stab at it.
Just another slice-of-life story.
When my ex and I moved in together, and had the “who does what” convo, I made it clear that I loathe vacuuming. I hate the noise; I hate the smell. I handled 90% of our household stuff (while also working F/T) but he could at least vacuum once a damn week.
He bought me a fancy-ass Roomba, and suddenly, vacuuming became my chore, too.
Joke’s on him; I still have the Roomba. Damn thing cost more than a month’s rent.
Yes! My wife and I (we both cook regularly) are in the process of replacing our wedding gift (20 years ago) and self-bought Target cookware with Le Creuset. I have her current wish list on my phone.
Mine sent me links and said, “Your gift is doing the research, but I want one of these.” She got one and loves it. Of course, I also bought jewelry. 
For our anniversary, we bought a Roomba and called it our big gift to each other. We have two dogs and we split the Swiffer duties.
I often will tell her in advance of b-days/Christmas, etc - “Here are things I want that I think the kids can get for me. I won’t buy them for myself until after the holidays.” She does the same, but I always make sure to get her at least one gift that wasn’t on the list.