Author Topic: Bought the wife Flowers  (Read 9999 times)

usmarine1975

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Bought the wife Flowers
« on: August 19, 2014, 11:13:25 AM »
Well today I went and did it, paid too much for flowers to be delivered to my wife at her office for her Birthday.  In my defense I do not do this often and it's not something the wife requires.  I like to do it occasionally maybe every other year or so.  Just so she can get flowers at the office.  It's a shame what they charge for these flowers but for me the joy it brings my wife when I do actually do it is worth the price of admission.

jordanread

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2014, 11:56:53 AM »
Well today I went and did it, paid too much for flowers to be delivered to my wife at her office for her Birthday.  In my defense I do not do this often and it's not something the wife requires.  I like to do it occasionally maybe every other year or so.  Just so she can get flowers at the office.  It's a shame what they charge for these flowers but for me the joy it brings my wife when I do actually do it is worth the price of admission.


I've found that dressing up and doing a DIY stripper-gram at her work is way more frugal, and a lot more memorable. :-)

boyerbt

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2014, 11:58:40 AM »
Well today I went and did it, paid too much for flowers to be delivered to my wife at her office for her Birthday.  In my defense I do not do this often and it's not something the wife requires.  I like to do it occasionally maybe every other year or so.  Just so she can get flowers at the office.  It's a shame what they charge for these flowers but for me the joy it brings my wife when I do actually do it is worth the price of admission.


I've found that dressing up and doing a DIY stripper-gram at her work is way more frugal, and a lot more memorable. :-)

+1

And if you're really good you might some tips and that is all pure profit!

hernandz

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2014, 12:43:34 PM »
What a lovely gesture.  Every other year or so seems like a good schedule for such an indulgence.  Does she have a favorite flower or did you go with roses?

usmarine1975

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2014, 12:46:07 PM »
I went with Sun flowers to brighten her day.  Roses are a bit cliche and I can go downtown and get a bunch of roses for $5.00-10.00

I didn't use the normal favorite flower, chose something different.

MrsPotts

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2014, 12:50:51 PM »
A happy spouse is a good investment.  ;)

sandandsun

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2014, 12:54:37 PM »
I did it last year- 40 roses for her 40th... it was the first time I'd sent flowers to work (I bring them home often)...wasn't cheap but was well worth the money :)

MgoSam

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2014, 02:43:56 PM »
Yeah, I know that sending flowers can really add up, but one thing I have done is look for options. I wanted to send flowers to a program director for doing a great job organizing everything and I found a local florist that delivers and I found

a. Next day service fee was still cheaper than 1-800 flowers and the other main site
b. Price of the flowers was lower
c. Hence over all price was way lower
d. The quality of the flowers was better (at least to my non-flower-minded mind).
e. Would rather have a local florist get the money than have it go to 1-800 who in turn gives a small share of it the another local florist (or maybe the same one).

Also, I don't send flowers to someone often, but in general it can be a great investment towards the relationships you have in your life. I sent flowers to a customer that had breast cancer a few years ago, and she still brings it up with an extremely bright smile whenever I see her at a trade show. Knowing that I provided her some comfort during such an ordeal is worth it's wait in gold to me.

Cpa Cat

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2014, 03:03:06 PM »
The Mustachian thing to do would have been to pick dandelions to brighten her day. Then, in the card (written on a recycled piece of cardboard), remind her that she can eat the greens for lunch.

You really missed an opportunity here.

jordanread

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2014, 03:55:19 PM »
In all seriousness though, these gestures (especially if the person values them) are great. It's the freedom to make that choice that we strive for here.

Personally, I usually do flowers a few times a year, and a couple times a week I hide a post it note somewhere with sweet nothings written on it. About 5 years ago, I did a blurb book too. It was not mustachian, but even though it cost something like $50, it's valued way more than that by the person it was written for.

lizzzi

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2014, 06:16:17 PM »
DH was always good about thoughtful gifts at meaningful times--was not wildly romantic or extravagant, but more or less hit the highlights. (The one exception was when he took an old Christmas card that was mostly done in reds, crossed out "Merry Christmas", wrote in "Happy Valentine's Day" and gave it to me on Feb. 14. Yes, he did pay for that one stupid gesture! Bwa-ha-ha-ha. I insisted on dinner out and a movie, which trust me, I would never normally want to do--but I was getting revenge!) Anyway, the one thing he never did was send flowers to my office. I would have liked that, just to kind of be able to show off. Several of the other girls got flowers at the office, and I thought it was nice. But I did get them at home from time to time, and really appreciated it. In terms of the stripper-gram…hmmmmm…I've never seen that done, so can't comment. In the office, wouldn't they probably call security?  Hahahahahaahaha.

jordanread

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2014, 07:21:55 PM »
DH was always good about thoughtful gifts at meaningful times--was not wildly romantic or extravagant, but more or less hit the highlights. (The one exception was when he took an old Christmas card that was mostly done in reds, crossed out "Merry Christmas", wrote in "Happy Valentine's Day" and gave it to me on Feb. 14. Yes, he did pay for that one stupid gesture! Bwa-ha-ha-ha.
If you were already Mustachian at that point, I would think that was endearing. Granted, I'm a guy, and my ideas of romance are...um...unevolved. :P

In terms of the stripper-gram…hmmmmm…I've never seen that done, so can't comment. In the office, wouldn't they probably call security?  Hahahahahaahaha.

Nah, the confidence required to be a stripper-gram totally overwhelms the confidence of security. They have a tendency to think "If this mostly unattractive man is willing to do this, I bet he knows karate or something".

lizzzi

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2014, 07:41:21 PM »
Hey, jordanread, you look OK in your picture, so stop with the "mostly unattractive" jibe at yourself. DH and I have always been Mustachian before we knew what it meant, but come on…crossing out Merry Christmas and writing in Happy Valentine's Day?? There's a difference between being Mustachian and being just plain cheap and stupid. I love home-made cards and gifts--he could have drawn me a heart on notebook paper with our initials in it, and that would have been OK…but to cross out Merry Christmas…grrrrrrrrrr.  Unacceptable.

jordanread

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2014, 11:19:47 PM »
Hey, jordanread, you look OK in your picture, so stop with the "mostly unattractive" jibe at yourself. DH and I have always been Mustachian before we knew what it meant, but come on…crossing out Merry Christmas and writing in Happy Valentine's Day?? There's a difference between being Mustachian and being just plain cheap and stupid. I love home-made cards and gifts--he could have drawn me a heart on notebook paper with our initials in it, and that would have been OK…but to cross out Merry Christmas…grrrrrrrrrr.  Unacceptable.
Just need to keep things in perspective. Sometimes the self deprecation is required or else my head will explode. Or so my gf says. I find the crossing out merry Christmas thing funny, but that may be because on the rare occasion we give physical gifts, they are wrapped in Xmas paper, since we inherited a plethora of it about 5 years ago. Sometimes we draw sunglasses on the snowmen for summer presents. Thanks for the compliment too.

strider3700

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #14 on: August 20, 2014, 12:59:18 PM »
I paid $60 to have flowers delivered once and thought it was pretty good.   Next time I splurged and bought the largest option costing nearly $120.  I couldn't tell a difference.    Recently I spend $40 at costco on multiple bunches and stuffed them in a vase we already had.  It was more impressive then either of the ones that were delivered.

MgoSam

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #15 on: August 20, 2014, 02:44:04 PM »
Last year I was dating someone and had her over for dinner on Valentine's Day. Instead of buying her the typical red roses, I found a beautiful red plant and instead gave it to her. She loved it and it instantly endeared me to her father who told her, "He understands value!," due to me giving her something that won't just last a few days but can last longer.

jordanread

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #16 on: August 20, 2014, 05:41:16 PM »
Last year I was dating someone and had her over for dinner on Valentine's Day. Instead of buying her the typical red roses, I found a beautiful red plant and instead gave it to her. She loved it and it instantly endeared me to her father who told her, "He understands value!," due to me giving her something that won't just last a few days but can last longer.

That's why I love giving the 'hydroponic, still-alive' romaine. Not as pretty, but way more delicious.

usmarine1975

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #17 on: August 20, 2014, 07:47:32 PM »
Flowers were a hit as I knew they would be.  Money well spent.

Davids

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #18 on: August 20, 2014, 08:26:01 PM »
Sometimes you need to be antimustachian!

lizzzi

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #19 on: August 20, 2014, 08:32:47 PM »
+1    Although I think the stripper gram, hydroponic lettuce, and wrapping paper of Christmas snowmen with sunglasses on in the summer has a certain charm. (Well, maybe not the lettuce…)

jordanread

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #20 on: August 20, 2014, 08:35:57 PM »
+1    Although I think the stripper gram, hydroponic lettuce, and wrapping paper of Christmas snowmen with sunglasses on in the summer has a certain charm. (Well, maybe not the lettuce…)

You can't make a salad out of snowmen. My SO seems to like them all, which in the end is all that really matters. Just like usmarine's SO.

lizzzi

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #21 on: August 20, 2014, 08:57:03 PM »
Yes, it really is the thought that counts, and giving someone something that is personal and  something special for them alone. I hadn't thought of this for years, but when I was in high school for some reason I developed a taste for prunes. I don't know why--they just tasted good to me. I remember the boy I was dating at the time went out and made a special trip to the store to surprise me with a box of prunes. It was nice.

surfhb

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #22 on: August 21, 2014, 10:00:26 PM »
This should be in the Badassity Forum, not here!      These are the things you should spend money on

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #23 on: August 21, 2014, 10:24:34 PM »
I sometimes send flowers to my mother at work for her birthday. Not the house; she likes them to come to work where all her friends can see them! One year when I was broke and living in her town, I baked a cake and brought it, along with my then-five-month-old baby, to her work instead. (I don't recall how I pushed the stroller and carried the cake simultaneously...)

Barbaebigode

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #24 on: August 22, 2014, 10:30:53 AM »
So, poster said he "paid too much", yet not saying how much was actually spent and people are praising it and even calling it badass?

This is weird.

jordanread

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #25 on: August 22, 2014, 10:36:28 AM »
So, poster said he "paid too much", yet not saying how much was actually spent and people are praising it and even calling it badass?

This is weird.

When he said he paid too much, I believe it wouldn't have mattered how much they cost, as from a functional standpoint they are useless, and an ultimate expression of consumerism. The comments rewarding him was understanding that he realized it, understood it, and made a conscious decision that it was worth it. That's all. FI is about freedom, and this was a good example of someone mindfully making a purchase that wouldn't normally be considered mustachian.

usmarine1975

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #26 on: August 22, 2014, 10:51:29 AM »
So, poster said he "paid too much", yet not saying how much was actually spent and people are praising it and even calling it badass?

This is weird.

When he said he paid too much, I believe it wouldn't have mattered how much they cost, as from a functional standpoint they are useless, and an ultimate expression of consumerism. The comments rewarding him was understanding that he realized it, understood it, and made a conscious decision that it was worth it. That's all. FI is about freedom, and this was a good example of someone mindfully making a purchase that wouldn't normally be considered mustachian.

     If it helps I paid $64.98 for the arrangement I chose.  As I stated I paid to much as I can get a decent arrangement on a street corner in my city for as little as $5.00 with roses.  It's two guys that set up a table and sell flowers.  They are well known in my City and have had numerous write up's in the local paper.  The difference would be that they don't ship them to my wife's office and that I know from past experience she does like.  She doesn't like me to spend a lot on flowers and would prefer I save money.  But the occasional extra expense brightens her day.  I think it's been 2 years since I sent them to her office last. 

Barbaebigode

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #27 on: August 22, 2014, 12:13:01 PM »
So, poster said he "paid too much", yet not saying how much was actually spent and people are praising it and even calling it badass?

This is weird.

When he said he paid too much, I believe it wouldn't have mattered how much they cost, as from a functional standpoint they are useless, and an ultimate expression of consumerism. The comments rewarding him was understanding that he realized it, understood it, and made a conscious decision that it was worth it. That's all. FI is about freedom, and this was a good example of someone mindfully making a purchase that wouldn't normally be considered mustachian.

I think it's weird because in a blog with so much " do X instead of Y and get similar results for less", how much you pay for stuff sounds like a pertinent information.

usmarine1975

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #28 on: August 22, 2014, 12:17:50 PM »
I didn't feel the specific amount was important as Jordan stated it was more the idea of the decision.  But now you have the number so there it is.

usmarine1975

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #29 on: August 27, 2014, 07:30:36 AM »
I forgot to figure the $5 I got back from the purchase via Upromise taking my actual cost to $59.98.

johnny847

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #30 on: September 02, 2014, 05:36:19 AM »
Reminded me of:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-afford-anything.htm

"I got lucky with my wife. She's even cheaper than I am, but she's rare.

Want to know how cheap she is? She hates flowers because she can't bear knowing that they die in a week and then the money is gone. She'd rather just have the money. I sometimes leave a $20 on the counter. When she asks "what's this?" I respond "flowers." She then gets all smiley. Marriage is weird. "


But in all seriousness, we all need to balance spending now vs saving for later. And most of us here are pretty good about saving, so I don't think it's a big deal to pay to send flowers to your wife.

MgoSam

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Re: Bought the wife Flowers
« Reply #31 on: September 02, 2014, 08:47:47 AM »
Reminded me of:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-afford-anything.htm

"I got lucky with my wife. She's even cheaper than I am, but she's rare.

Want to know how cheap she is? She hates flowers because she can't bear knowing that they die in a week and then the money is gone. She'd rather just have the money. I sometimes leave a $20 on the counter. When she asks "what's this?" I respond "flowers." She then gets all smiley. Marriage is weird. "


But in all seriousness, we all need to balance spending now vs saving for later. And most of us here are pretty good about saving, so I don't think it's a big deal to pay to send flowers to your wife.

I once dated a girl that while she would like flowers, loved it when I got her pretty plants instead. They would demonstrate the appreciation that flowers get, while also living longer. Her dad also loved the concept. It is a shame that it didn't work out, to date she is the only person I have dated that has pretty much already embraced a mustachian philosophy.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!