I’m looking for gift ideas for my brothers birthday. He doesn’t drink, budget would be $150 Max. I don’t know him well, so I have no idea what he likes.
Looking for a Gift for 40+ Year Old (Not Alcohol)
chakel on 21/02/2022 - 15:50
Comments
- 1
- 2
Costco membership if it is local to him and his family and Giftcard?
According to the RAA in my state Costco has the lowest average petrol price on a ongoing basis. (around 5-10 cents/litre approx).
So it is a gift that keeps giving every time he fills his car with petrol there.
Ask his family/partner/friends/your parents? They might have somewhat of an idea.
I would choose this option
he is the family
"…so I have no idea what he likes…"
It is extremely unlikely that anyone on OzB will know.
I do; a stripper
That's the problem though, isn't it. You state your own preferences and OP's brother is potentially a member of a strict religious group that absolutely abhors such things.
Not according to the education we got about religious people from popular movie/fictions we watched/read LOL
@GG57: I think the gist of the comment is that it has become clear to @mountaineer, that thanks to modern communications preventing so many moribund institutions covering up such terrible abuse as part of their day to day activities, that a significant portion of our societal depravities have actually been embedded by (some of) the people who control our fabled and respected religious organisations.
Indeed. In which case the brother will know, and hopefully won't accept my suggestion.
Perhaps you are talking about whether he will take offence? In such a case I can only apologise for telling a crass joke and not self-censoring myself.
Indeed I should also accept the rise of the authoritarian state and pre-emptive thought control through influence (not just religious of course, there are many entities, corporations, and groups via all forms of media). All of them are increasingly using neural networks, machine learning and state governance to control and even oppress dissenting ideas.
Of course it is a slippery slope of thousands of pages of appended and amended law that ends up w the wholesale loss of such freedoms.
I can only suggest that it is our perilous position, at the end of that slope, that motivated me to tell a joke. If it caused offence, I am sorry. What I find more distressing however is that soon there may be no way to defend such shocking, appalling expression.
Pure Platinum dollars?Edit: Aw, permanently closed.
Can you take him to dinner?
I vote for this (the dinner)
If you don't know him that well, maybe itd be worth buying him a meal and spending some time together and get to know himPlus It'll make it easier to buy him a present next year!
What about a nice merino knit jumper as it will be winter soon enough. If you have an idea of his size. Or a fountain pen. Or a leatherman. Or a nice classy backpack. Or a thermos. Or an experience like a hot lap.
hot lap
See above Pure Platinum permanently closed
Oh I didn't know what that was lol
I just assumed you meant a nice warm lap to sleep on.
Ozbargain NFT's
/thread
NFT of this comment only $55. I don’t accept crypto.
Samsung 500GB Portable SSD T1, every 40yo guys need it, other than good bottle of scotch.
That would probably only hold 25% of his p0rn collection though
Only 25%? He's 40, he would have home videos on DVD, buy him a DVD burner as well.
preloaded with pr0n, enough to last him an entire year until his next birthday
Non-Alcoholic wine?
Fruit juice?
I lol'd. Was thinking prune juice.
Lego is always the answer my friend
Great answer.
Maybe excluding the Titanic, SNES and Colosseum, there are a lot of new sets under $150.
Look in to the Creator Expert range.
oh no no no
lego technic, splash out and buy him a;
https://www.toyworld.com.au/products/lego-42131-technic-cat-…
and an excavator to go with it
https://www.toyworld.com.au/products/lego-technic-liebherr-r…
Oh no no no
You've blown past the prescribed limit.
You could've at least recommended something under $150.
Tools?
I don’t know him well, so I have no idea what he likes.
not sure what is the circumstances/history/story between you two, but my suggestion is to trawl through his social media and see if you can spot something that he is into.
personally, if I don't know someone that well, I won't even bother with a birthday present, relative or not.
Amazon Echo Show 5 (for $35 @ https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/682051) and $100 gift card (or some smart home devices)?
You're an artist, gift him one of your paintings
budget would be $150 Max
If your paintings are worth > $150 then paint him a special bargain canvas.
That's the answer I always give when my father, who paints, asks what would I like as a gift.
I tell him to paint something for me. He usually replies with "go and pick somethiing from his stack of completed ones".
He doesn't understand that the painting being done 'for' me is what makes it a present that I would appreciate.Receiving a gift that someone has put thought and effort into is what makes it, to me, an appreciated gift.
Agree, being made something is a lot more valuable gift than being bought something, assuming the person giving the gift has enough money to be very comfortable. Everyone only has 24 hours in the day no matter how much they earn. Taking 10 minutes to order something online is a lot less valuable than spending ten hours making something by hand, even if the thing you made would sell for less than what was spent buying something. Though if the thing you buy is super hard to find and it required a few hours of research to track it down and had to be ordered six months in advance that would be different. I tried to institute a handmade-only Christmas one year (as all we are doing when giving gifts to other adults is going shopping for stuff they otherwise would have bought themselves) but it didn't go down well. Especially with one relative for whom family is near the bottom of the priority list and who earns six figures and the spouse does also.
Why only "assuming the person giving the gift has enough money to be very comfortable"?
Does that mean that if someone doesn't have alot of money but instead makes you something because that's better than they can otherwise afford it means less?
@sk3iron: No I meant that if they don't have a lot of money, then buying you something also means a lot, as they have to go without something to do that. Making something is also meaningful as they gave up their spare time of which everyone only gets a limited amount. If someone has plenty of money then buying something (unless it is something incredibly thoughtfully chosen that was difficult to get), doesn't mean much as all they lost was 10 minutes of their time, their lifestyle did not change meaningfully.
Lego? Try to get it on sale so you can get "more" for the budget.
But keep the receipt and if he doesn't like it (and hasn't opened it) can refund and buy something else he likes.
1 year ozbargain platinum
Free t-shirt for new sign ups
Also, as someone in their 40's I wouldn't be expecting someone I hardly know to buy me a gift let alone spend $150.
Seems odd to me. Surely at 40 you have everything you need and if you don't then you don't need it. I don't expect anything from my family and especially not from a random
I don't expect anything from a random.
What about a random …… brother?
I don't even think OP knows the brother's exact age.
The plot thickens!
must ….. resist …. asking …. for …. the ….. back ….. story …..
D'oh. I missed that part.
Siblings gotta gift … even the random ones ;)
It wasn’t until I was over 40 I started getting nice things.
Up till then budgets had been very tight, usually the cheapest options.
Good chance to buy quality versions of things like tools, kitchen stuff, clothing, accessories, but also consumables.
Nice coffee and alcohol are things I rarely splurged on, so were good gifts for me to receive.In my 40's I'd rather spend quality time with people than get gifts. Everyone is different.
I give up trying to explain this to my wife.
True, but if you get a gift you want it to be something that you're going to use and keep for a long time, something quality. At 40 you don't want to be getting clutter.
A really nice atlas? Inscribed with something about the world being at his feet and here are some maps to help him on the journey?
For my 40th, my sister got me something from each decade - including one of those old 'annuals' and a special movie on DVD that I had always loved.
A special childhood book could be lovely without having to spend a fortune - the thought that counts?
Or a model Ferrari and say you are thinking him a real one?
….my brothers birthday.
He's your brother and you're asking us random internet people? 🤣
Without wanting to sound rude, put some damn effort into it yourself! lol
An 18 yo…
…Whiskey
That's what I was thinking..then saw the no alcohol tag..😇
Then the brother will give it back saying I don't drink. Win for OP
If he's remotely hands on, leatherman wave plus can be had for about $165 without trying.
I got one of these for my 18th birthday. Broke it being a dumb 19 yo and got it replaced under lifetime warranty. One of the best gifts I have ever received.
Skeletool is a pretty good gateway Leatherman too.
5 pack of Rapid Antigen Tests.
Something the two of you can do together and get to know each other a little better?
IMO spending $150 on a generic gift is a waste of time, you might as well just google "gifts for 40 year olds" and look at the generic chefs knife/wallet/tickets/track day ideas and pick out something cheap. Odds are he won't want it anyway, there's nothing that simply everyone wants.
How about a Solo Stove? I just bought a bigger one ($300+) for my husband to use as a firepit, take to the beach/camping, etc, but the Solo Stove Light is within your budget. You'd have some money left over for a camp kettle or something to go with it.
https://www.survivalsuppliesaustralia.com.au/Solo-Stove-Lite…
Ask his bro…. oh.
Get him some nunchucks.
Definitely not Lego, it's pretty niche for 40 year olds (outside of ozbargain) to like Lego.
It's definitely a segment of people. I don't know if I'd call it niche, I know a lot who would like it - but I know more who wouldn't.
Digital asset.
What do you know about him, that are his interest and whatnot. That will help us narrow down an ideal present.
Or just get him $150 worth of bitcoin lol
I don’t know him well, so I have no idea what he likes.
I think I need to hit the hay soon hahah. Anyway I think the Bitcoin idea is the way to go hahah
Get him a non-alcholic spirits/wine
Here is a list of selections: https://www.danmurphys.com.au/other-drinks/non-alcoholic-dri…Do non-drinkers appreciate assorted non-alcoholic drinks?
My experience has been that drinkers will occasionally drink non-alcoholic drinks if they are driving or need to work, are on a detox etc. but want to be sociable.Most non-drinkers I know don’t particularly like to taste of alcohol (well, some liked it too much) and wouldn’t really appreciate non-alcoholic drinks as gifts.
I’d actually go further and say I don’t think I know any non-drinkers who choose to drink non-alcoholic wine/spirits/beer.
Since you don’t know your brother well, and have no idea what he likes, buy yourself something nice. If you’ve never bothered before why start now? 🤣
Better late than never?
Maybe a Yetti? Everyone in Darwin is obsessed with them. you could get his name engraved on it
https://au.yeti.com/
https://www.amazingco.me/aus/at-home Gift voucher he can pick his own send him a cake https://www.cakemail.com.au/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImsqWyoWS9gIVk… or a balloon
https://www.balloonmail.com.au/
Or a gift card that’s like eftpos we’ve used the in heaps of restaurants https://card.gift/product/restaurant/Do you even know them? What do you know of them?
I love the cakemail idea. But he lives up the coast about 3 hours north of sydney.
Oh he lives there
Get him a flanny shirt and thongs.
Perhaps a pigdog too.
bag o'chips and a bucket o'prawns
Might be able to find an AU Falcon taxi if you look around.
Absenth. Simples.
Can't even spell Absinthe.
Sorry had too much absenth
cufflinks
cufflinks
Yes, and a trimmer for his mutton chops sideburns. Because it's 1888.
Is he your stepbrother? Try not getting stuck in something with your ass up
If he has kids get him something he can do with them
Find out what he was doing at their age and get him that to enjoy with them
It could be Lego, ninja turtles, yo-yos frisbees, a kite etc. And a nice box of chocolates
Make a donation to The Human Fund on his behalf.
Don't know the op's age but budgeting just $150 for 40+ year old is too small.
I would be happy to get a Airpods for my me time, but it's already over the budget.The older you get, the less you give a shit how much it costs imo.
LEGO Technic App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car - 42109
$149 at Big W.
An unadvertised feature of these App-Controlled Technic sets is the ability to drive them around with an X-Box or Playstation controller, which is very cool.
I know it's the thought that counts, though I know if I were to ever receive a gift for a bday, etc, I would prefer a gift card, such as a jbhifi card.
No, not a giftcard! Giftcards are an obligation. They're like money, but you can only use them at places that you might not regularly shop. We have relatives who give us gift cards every year and it annoys us because we get things like Westfield cards when the nearest Westfield is half an hour away.
While we encourage all retailers within our shopping centres to accept Westfield Gift Cards they are under no obligation to participate in the Gift Card Program.
Participation is voluntary and participating retailers may exit the Westfield Gift Card program at any time at their sole discretion.
https://support.westfield.com.au/hc/en-us/articles/360038288…I was so surprised last time i tried to use the card how many places did not accept them
Gift for a 40+ year old….gift will be quite different for a 40 year old vs a 100 year old…probably need to narrow the range a bit.
If I had a brother that I didn't know very well, I would be most pleased if they treated me to dinner at a fancy Japanese/Pizza restaurant then we can get to know each other better. I shout my brother, who I do know well AYCE sushi or any restaurant he wants.
- 1
- 2
Visa/Mastercard giftcard of $150.
You don't know him well, so why try to guess?