Father’s Day is this upcoming Sunday; did you get something for the dads in your life yet? Dads can be difficult to buy for. Trust me, I am a dad and I don’t want to buy anything because I am a frugal stay at home dad. I absolutely do not want anything that isn’t useful. Please do not get anything that will just sit around collecting dust. It costs money and it will just make the place even messier. The best bet is to get an upgrade to replace something that is getting worn out. There are plenty of gift guides for the typical working dads so I’m writing for the early retiree dads who read this site. Feel free to pass this along to your wife and kids if you think this is helpful.
*There are links to Amazon in this article. We may get a referral fee if you buy something from Amazon.
1. Time
Any stay at home parent wants a little more time to do what they want. RB40Jr was out of school for two weeks and it was rough. He is a little older now and can play by himself for a short while, but he still needs a lot of attention. He has so much energy so it is pretty tough to keep up with him. By the end of the two week break, I was getting easily irritable and I didn’t like that. He is in summer day camp this week and life is so much better for both of us. Four hours of alone time makes a HUGE difference. Junior is in better mood too because he gets to play with his friends and exert a lot of energy. To give the gift of time, I would look for an affordable week long summer day camp in your area.
Another way to give dad a little time is to buy a complex toy for the kid. RB40Jr used some of the money in his piggy bank to buy the LEGO Star Wars First Order Transporter. He spent 2 days putting it together and he loves it. He decked out the transporter with all the lasers, missiles, and troopers he had. It is pretty intimidating.
2. BBQ
Every dad loves grilling, right? BBQ accessories are a perennial Father’s Day gift for a reason. Check the grill to see if you could get a nice accessory. I would love a warming rack to keep food away from the fire on our grill. Also, check the grill brush. If it’s all gunked up like mine, I bet your dad would appreciate a new deluxe BBQ grill brush.
If you have a big budget, here is a BBQ smoker that I have my eyes on – the Pit Barrel Cooker. It has rave reviews and promises to be the easiest way to smoke your ribs. I’ll have to wait until we move to a house, though. Our condo doesn’t allow charcoal grills or smokers.
3. Kitchen stuff
As a stay at home dad, I cook every weekday. I’m sure most stay at home dads has the same cooking duty. We appreciate having good tools in the kitchen. Look around the kitchen and see if there is anything that’s used a lot. A good chef knife is a must because prepping with dull knives is not fun. If you still have the crappy knives from college, it’s time to upgrade to something nicer. J.A. Henckles makes good knives at an affordable price. Check out Wusthof if he is an aspiring master chef.
Another candidate is the pans. Our nonstick pans are starting to peel and I’m thinking about getting stainless steel next time. It would be a little harder to clean, but we won’t have to keep buying new sets every 5-6 years. Just see what gets used the most and get an upgrade.
4. Daddy’s Juice
Mom has her mommy’s juice so dad needs some, too. Personally, I love a good local IPA. You know your guys best so you know what to get them. If they love beer and you have space, check out the Mr. Beer home brewing kit. I’d love to try one of these starter kits, but we just don’t have the space. I guess it’s a good thing we live in a small condo. It really helps with the whole frugal thing.
5. Shaving Kit
Shaving, every dad has to do it… Currently, I’m using an electric razor, but it will need replacement blades soon. A set of new blades or a new shaver would be a great Father’s Day gift. The alternative is to go with a manual razor. I’m sure most guys have heard of Dollar Shave Club by now. You pay a subscription fee and they will send you 4 replacement cartridges per month. The 4 blade system cost $6 per month and the 6 blades cost $9 per month. That’s not bad, but I hate subscriptions. I don’t need another thing on my monthly bill. Luckily, I found that Dorco is their supplier. You can get a Dorco razor and cartridges from Amazon and save a little bit. A Dorco 4 blade razor plus 10 cartridges cost $17.99 and that should last me at least 6 months. Not too shabby.
6. Hawaiian shirts
Getting a Hawaiian shirt is what you do when you turn 40; accept it. Hawaiian shirts are great gifts for stay at home dads. I wear them on special occasions when a t-shirt won’t do. I even got a compliment today at the summer camp. The kids love Hawaiian shirts. Yes, life is tough for us stay at home dads.
7. New Board games
I hate Monopoly. RB40Jr is obsessed with Monopoly and chess. Everyone is tired of playing the same board games over and over so let’s get something new. There are a ton of age appropriate board games out there. We just got Blokus a couple of months ago and it is a lot of fun. RB40Jr is getting good at board games. You can never have enough board games. Check out the best sellers at Amazon.
8. Boxers
Check the underwear drawer. If the boxers are in tatters, get him some nice new ones. I’d skip Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, and the other common brands. They are terrible boxers. I like the 100% cotton boxers from Gap.
9. Virtual Reality Glasses + Headphones
The ultimate “leave me alone” kit! On second thought, these probably aren’t the best gifts if you want the dads to be involved. I wish I had one of these when I was taking the hour long light rail ride to work, though.
10. Going out with the missus
Get a babysitter and take your guy out for dinner and drinks this weekend. It’s great to spend family time at home, but you need to spend time as a couple, too. We’re going out this Friday to beat the crowd. We haven’t been out together for a long time and I’m really looking forward to it.
That’s all I got. What do you think of my list? What would you like for Father’s Day?
Happy Father’s Day!
Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects across the USA so check them out!
Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital for DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.
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I’m not a stay at home Dad, but if I was I would LOVE receiving Legos, because they are for both you and the kids.
I have nephews and the Legos they receive are often too complex for them and they need help. It’s quality time.
My father still prefers Amazon gift cards rather than me guessing what he needs.
Don’t have kids yet. But if I put together my perfect list, I’m sure BBQ would be at the top. Nothing would make me happier than improving my overall BBQ experiences. Love the list, I love how the majority of the items involve gifts that are focused on getting the family together and spending time with each other. The only one that isn’t family friendly is the shaving kit. However, I guess you could have your family around when you shave?? Kidding kidding.
Have a Happy Father’s Day!
Bert
I stopped at number 1 and paused for a while. Time is essential. It is priceless, but yet it is so precious. I planned to keep it cheap this year and just have some quality time because this is something we truly neglect in our family. Thanks for the list and Happy Father’s Day!
On Mother’s Day my siblings and I each brought a dish over to my parent’s house and we all just enjoyed spending time together. My dad wants us to do the same for Father’s Day, so that’s the plan!
You pretty much nailed this one Joe! The only addition I might make is some actual tools (kitchen tools barely count!).
If you own a house you always need yard tools, and the occasional woodworking tool too!
Not only do frugal stay at home dads have to cook dinner and take care of the kids, but we have to *fix everything* too.
I don’t know if I’d trust Mrs. RB40 to buy tools. 🙂
Great list, Joe. I’d love to get #10… date night with the missus, planned and organized by the missus! Staying at home is fun, but we also need to get out consistently to flex our freedom a little. 🙂
Happy Father’s Day!
We are terrible at taking the time to do date nights. It’s been a really long time for us. Happy Father’s Day!
Great list.
Whenever anyone asks what I would like for any holiday, I send them a giant list of books I would like, with the advice to buy used. They get to choose which book they want to give and I get a surprise. It’s a win-win.
We love books, but we don’t buy them anymore. We have a great library system and we take full advantage of it.
We’re cooking a nice breakfast for Dad this year, but I also can’t resist a gag gift. Hubs is a huge Tesla fan, so I got him a Hot Wheels Tesla. “Look honey! I got you what you really wanted!”
I figured it can hold a place of honor on his desk 😉
I’m also planning on buying him a Costco-bag of new socks, but there’s nothing fun or sexy about replacing worn socks.
I see a few Tesla around here and I think it’s crazy people are spending that much on a car. It’s good, though. We need people who supports innovations.
New socks are good too. 🙂
We don’t have kids yet, but my wife gets me a 12 pack of craft beer from the dog on Father’s Day – it’s a great gift.
Nice, enjoy it! I love craft beer, but I can’t drink much anymore with my hypertriglyceridemia problem. A bottle of beer once in a while is okay, but not every day… 🙁