Clutter-free Gifts for Rookie Dads
- Consumable food. A subscription to a monthly beer, coffee, or meat club will bring something fun in the mail each month. Eat, drink, and be done with it! I always buy bulk candy for my husband’s stocking.
- Concert tickets. Use Pollstar.com to find what’s coming soon. Print a picture of the band and wrap it up.
- Hotel night to spend with you. Plan a reservation for a date when you’ll be comfortable leaving baby with grandparents overnight.
- Gym membership. He’s less likely than you are to take it as a hint.
- Class or a single session of learning something new. Tae Kwon Do or drums are a longer commitment. Rock climbing could be a one-shot deal.
- Arrange to fix something broken. His bike or that g*d* garage door lock. Tie a bow around it and reveal it at the right moment.
- A humorous plaque. Put his claim to fame on something around the house, such as “Rick Ross: Winner of Least Used Snowboard in 2009 Award” attached to his gear. Or “Rick’s Throne” affixed to the toilet.
- Entertainment. Use the iTunes store to buy a full season of a favorite cable show.
- Tickets for a sporting event. Basketball, hockey, local college soccer games, whatever makes him happy.
- Xbox LIVE Membership for the year provides more geeking out time.
- Premium subscriptions to a favorite website like ESPN, Financial Times, or upgrades for LinkedIn (for the laid-off) and Flickr (for the social photographer).
Worth the Clutter? If you already have an XBox or Wii, splurge on Beatles Rock Band. This is about the clutter-iest recommendation we could make, but it’s just so much fun! And you can play together.
Want more ideas? Cloud 9 Living has assembled a whole directory of experience-based gifts, from hot air balloon outings to golf lessons with a PGA pro. Their Water and Snow Experiences category has plenty of inspiring options. If you decide to purchase an experience through Cloud 9 Living, use promo code Rookie09 for 10% off through December 31st.
Photo credit: abbyladybug on flickr.
Old Navy had a Beatles Rock Band demo on Black Friday and now I’m hooked. So much fun!
The Meat Tree bouquet from Beefjerkybouquet.com is pretty clutter free. Comes with a reuseable beer mug:)
Every meat-eating man’s favorite gift: the bacon of the month club. I’ve given this gift many many times and it’s always a huge hit. The original and best club is at http://www.gratefulpalate.com
All great ideas! I’ll come back to this list for bday & Christmas ideas too!
The only one I disagree with is the plaque. Useless crap made in China using cheap materials. Isn’t that exactly what is cluttering up this world anyway?
[...] I’ll just share a few things I like for dads. But first, another disclaimer. I’m anticipating that some readers are from this school of thought: “Father’s Day is not about stuff to buy.” Or maybe “I cannot possibly make room in my house for another chrome digital widgety-bobbit”. Is this you? Then have a look at our Clutter-Free Gift Guide for Dads. [...]
[...] 11 clutter-free gift ideas for men, brothers, dads, and husbands [...]
Love the experience ideas! Hubby’s on his way to rock climbing for Christmas.
Thanks for the inspiration!