A little something for hubby

...run my dilemna by my two colleagues on the business desk. Okay, both *immediately* voted for the cooking school and one of them even said, "Who cares what he wants?" Turns out there is a class that hubby would love: winter grilling. It's a one-time three-hour class where we learn how to cook rack of lamb with parsley, mint, and walnut saute, proscuitto-wrapped trout and rosemary and fennel pork tenderloin. At the end of the class we get to eat it all! That settles it. With my $85 certificate the class comes to $95 (including me). That's $60.50 over my budget. I could make all kinds of excuses but in the end I overspent. A little. Better luck next year!?!

PREVIOUSLY: UPDATE: To Kindle or not to Kindle? I can't tell if Hubby really means it when he says he *actually* doesn't want a Kindle, an ebook reader from Amazon.com. I wasn't very supportive when he initially said he wanted one a few weeks ago. The way I see it they are $400 "books" that are just as big as most paperbacks, about as heavy, and you still have to PAY $10 for each book you want to read on the gadget. (And it would bankrupt My Gift List budget.) Plus it's not like the selection is anywhere as good as our local library. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I like paper and turning each page. On the other hand, it is what he wants for Christmas. Or used to want. I can't tell anymore. Sigh, men.

EVEN MORE PREVIOUSLY: Hubby is fairly easy to shop for but I try to get one special, really unexpected present. Last year I kept him guessing by leaving a riddle under the tree that he had to solve to get the present – a year's membership to New York Road Runners that included a training class, two races, and a shirt. (He eventually found the present in his running shoes.) Haven't thought of a clincher gift for him this year, but I do have one thing on the list: underwear. Lame, I know! I'm rolling my eyes at myself. What kind of wife buys her husband underwear? But he NEVER buys it for himself. Or at least, I don't believe he has for multiple years. I compromise by buying him undies (preferred color: gray) only at Christmastime. If he's disappointed to unwrap a pack of bvds, it's more incentive to buy them himself.