A woman was left baffled when she found out that her partner had spent significantly less on her birthday than she had on his, sharing she’d spent £4,000 on his celebrations
It truly is the thought that counts when it comes to gift-giving, and not the money spent on something.
However, one woman found herself seething at her partner after he spent significantly less on her for her birthday than she did on his.
She admitted that she spent a whopping £4,000 on “a luxury long weekend for us both”, saying that she “earned more” than him.
But she’d taken it upon herself to total the gifts that he was going to give to her, and when they came to £80, she was worried he’d “gone off” her.
Taking to Mumsnet, she asked: “Is he taking the p***?”
She explained that her partner “earns £55,000 and has £6,000 of personal savings in his account” and he has “no mortgage”, so she was fuming when she was due to receive “birthday presents that total […] £80.”
“I’ve just spent £4,000 on a luxury long weekend for us both (granted, I earn more)”, she explained, asking: “Is he taking the p***? Has he gone off me?”
She continued: “I know the total amount because he just added it up (it’s not my birthday yet) and said, is that not enough?” Asking Mumsnet to decide whether she was “being a princess” or not, she was likely left humbled by the responses she got.
One wrote: “That sounds a bit mean, what have previous birthdays been like?”, with someone else sharing: “£4,000 on a weekend? You must be rolling. A well thought out £80 gift is fine. He is a partner, you’re not married.”
“Surely it’s about the gift itself, not the value?”, another Mumsnetter queried. “Some of the best gifts my husband has given me have been pretty low value, but incredibly thoughtful and meaningful.”
Another raged: “How does spending £4,000 on a weekend demonstrate love to someone? If you can afford it, it’s no big deal. On £55,000 a year, £4,000 would actually be quite a big ask. So, he’s going to spend less than you. Do you have an actual ratio in mind that would be acceptable to you?
“My husband and I don’t buy birthday presents for each other. But if we see something we know will make the other smile any time of the year, we take joy in doing that. That’s what I’d rather have than the pressure to hit some spending target.”
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