Father’s Day, gifts for men…always a challenge!

Got gifts?

Need ideas?

Read on!

In my opinion, men are the most difficult to shop for, so I’ve come up with a solution that’s perfect for Father’s Day, Dad’s birthday or any special day for the man in your life! It’s called…A Day For Dad!
 
A Day For Dad

• Plan a day that revolves around all dad’s favorites…favorite foods, favorite activities, favorite movie & more!
• When dad opens his homemade Father’s Day card (in the morning) have a note with a clue about his first activity! Once he figures it out…let the fun begin!
• After he finishes his first activity, present him with clue #2!
• The day will continue with clues & fun!
• If your children are old enough, let them each plan an activity or cook one of the meals.
• Younger children will love making homemade Father’s Day gifts to give!

Take a look at some of our most memorable “Days For Dad”…yes, they all revolve around his favorite things!

• Camping!
  My husband loves to camp, so we surprised him with a family campout, and a few small camping items for his gifts!
• Golf
  We surprised him with a round of golf at one of his favorite area courses, & we’ve established it as an annual tradition! It’s called “The Bucket Tournament”, and the winner gets to fill the bucket with his favorite snacks!
• Beer
  For his 40th birthday, we gave him 40 beers, for 40 years! With the help of the local liquor store, I selected 40 different beers along with a book called “The Beer Lovers Guide”.
• Favorite Food
  My husband loves a good hamburger, so when we first moved to Houston I found the restaurant that was supposed to have the best burgers in town. This was our dinner stop after the round of golf!
• Tools
  My husband is not a handyman, but one year he wanted a drill (I still don’t think he’s used it!). Instead of traditional gift wrap, we had him follow a “string trail” throughout the house until he arrived at his toolbox which we had cleaned out, organized & put the new drill in!
• Homemade Father’s Day Gifts
  Over the years, a few of our favorite homemade Father’s Day gifts have been: homemade picture frame for my husband to take to his office, a hand-painted #1 dad t-shirt, a shoe box decorated to be a “catch all” in his closet and a painted rock paperweight!

 
So, think outside of the traditional “gift box” and certainly think beyond the necktie!

Go make a list of dad’s favorites, and soon you’ll have a plan for Father’s Day!

If you have a favorite Father’s Day gift…do tell! Simply click the title of this post, and a comment box will appear!

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Image courtesy of: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Make Dad smile with one of these free printable Father’s Day cards!
 

 
 
Love this!
 
 

 
 
Let your little ones fill in the blanks!
 
 

 
 
Another cute one for your little ones to add their own drawing!
 
 

 
 
Got teens…they’ll love giving dad this one!
 
 

 
 
Sweet!

 
 
My Dad will love this!
 

If you’re a regular reader of The Budget Diet, you know that free printables are one of my favorite gifts. They’re personal, semi-homemade and did I mention FREE? I’ll bet you could find one of these that will make Dad’s day special.

 
 
Print these fun cupcake toppers for a festive Father’s Day dessert!
 
 

 
 
If a bottle of wine is on your dad’s wish list, print this bottle wrapper!

 
 
Let your children print out these coupons to give to Dad!
 
 

 
 
Print, cut and snap a fun photo for Dad!
 
 

 
 
Sweet! This one deserves to be framed!
 
 

How easy & fun! Give this gift and make Root Beer Floats!
 
 

 
 
If Dad’s a golfer, here’s a great way to give a round of golf!
 
 
Tomorrow, I’ll have a great selection of FREE printable Father’s Day cards!

$29 for a 12-Cigar Sampler from Famous Smoke Shop ($75 value)
 
 

$12 for $25 worth of Ultra-Thin Wallets
 
 

$25 for $50 worth of Men’s Ties and Accessories at Ties.com

 
 

This offer valid through 12:59am on Thursday June 7th, 2012

With Father’s Day being right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to treat your Dad on Father’s Day. If money is tight but you’re still hoping to add a more personal touch to your Father’s Day gift, you could always make your Dad a homemade gift or research some fun activities you could do with your Dad on his special day.

Here are a few ideas on how you can make Father’s Day extra special this year:

DIY Gifts

• Picture Collages
  Instead of having all of your childhood pictures sitting in an album and collecting dust in the back of your closet, why not use them to make a small (or big!) photo collage for your Dad? (If you’re worried about ruining your childhood pictures you could always scan them onto your computer).
• Desk Organizers
  If you have some extra tins lying around the house, you can always transform them into crafty little desk organizers for your Dad to put his pens and pencils in. Either paint the outside of the tin with his favorite color, or glue and/or tape paper on the outside of the tin and then decorate it with stickers.
• Vinyl Record Bowl
  If you’re feeling exceptionally brave and creative, and if your Dad has some old vinyls lying around the house, then you could try to melt the vinyl in the oven so it forms into the shape of a bowl. Because vinyl records are made out of PVC material, it will actually melt when placed in the oven, however, it may be harmful for your health so before you try it make sure you leave a window open or have a fan blowing in the kitchen.
  1. First, heat the oven to 200 degrees
  2. Put a bowl face down on a cookie sheet
  3. Then put the vinyl on top of the bowl so it will help it form a bowl shape when it melts
  4. Place the cookie tray, bowl and vinyl onto the middle rack of the oven
  5. Depending on the thickness of the bowl, wait approximately 8 to 10 minutes before removing the cookie sheet from the oven
  6. Put some oven mitts on and then slowly push the vinyl into the shape of the bowl (be very careful as you could permanently damage your oven mitts or even burn yourself if you’re not careful)
  7. If you are having problems with the shape of your vinyl bowl, then simply place it back in the oven and reheat it for about a minute and then try reshaping it again.
  8. The vinyl bowl should not be used for food…just let dad use it for mail or a catch-all!

Activities
Sometimes the best gifts don’t come in the form of material objects, but as fun activities so you and your Dad can spend some quality time together on Father’s Day.
Depending on your age and what your Dad’s passions are, here are three of the many activities that your Dad is bound to enjoy on Father’s Day:

• A Game of Catch
  If you have some old baseball mitts lying around the house, then why not play a game of catch with your Dad? It makes way for good conversation, plus it’s a great way to spend some time in the sun now that the summer season is officially here.
• Update Your Dad’s Music Collection
  If your Dad has an iPhone or an iPod, or even if he relies on a CD player, you could always download all of your Dad’s favourite albums and tracks (if he doesn’t have them already) or introduce your Dad into some of your own favorite bands.
• Go Watch a Sports Game
  Whether your Dad likes hockey, baseball, football or basketball, try researching into some local sports teams and see if they are going to be playing a game in your city or town on Father’s Day.

 
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Written by: Maria Rainier
Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she’s written on human services programs along with architect jobs. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, playing piano, and hanging with her Dad.

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Image courtesy of: arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net