In just three more months (give or take a day), my wife and I will be celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary.
Even though I wouldn’t describe myself as a perfect husband, I do think I go above and beyond the call in certain areas; especially when it comes to buying my wife little gifts; like flowers. In fact, I have even had some of her friends tell me they wished I would give their own husbands some lessons.
Since we were married (and not including the three years before that), I think I have bought my wife close to 1,000 bouquets of flowers. And, no, that’s not an exaggeration. My wife likes flowers and I like getting her things she likes.
Because of this, I do feel I’m becoming a bit of an expert both about where to buy flowers and what to look for when buying them. And, because of what I said above about her girlfriends telling me I should share some of my expertise, I would like to point out a few things I have learned over the past 8 years.
First, “just because” flowers mean much more. It’s still OK to buy flowers for her birthday, your anniversary, etc. But, I found my flower purchases are much more of a hit (with her and her friends) when I just bring them home at random; when she isn’t expecting it.
Sometimes I’ll make up a reason like “I knew you had a long day at work” or “I appreciate you taking care of the kids” but, most of the time, they are “just because.”
Second, avoid online sellers. When I first started buying flowers, I would go to 1-800 Flowers or FTD. And, I discovered I was wasting my money. They were much more expensive than the local shops (which were where the flowers were coming from anyway) and the flowers didn’t last any longer than the cheaper bouquets.
There are times when these places do come in handy; such as surprising her by having flowers delivered to her at work. But, for 99 percent of your purchases, you’re better off just visiting the store.
Third, mix things up a bit. My wife loves roses. But, I found buying her roses all the time got boring. So, I started buying her different kinds; while still getting her roses every two or three times.
A little extra bit of advice when it comes to this, visit a flower shop rather than a grocery store, department store, etc. because they usually have special bouquets based on the time of year and I have yet to find one that was over-priced.
Fourth, when buying, look for flowers that are kept refrigerated and have shorter stems. This is one thing I can’t claim to be an expert on and couldn’t give you the science behind it. But, I have found, when I do this, the flowers do seem to last longer; making them worth spending a bit more money on.
Fifth, remember flowers ARE NOT a waste of money. I recently had a friend tell me this and, quite honestly, it ticked me off a bit. I like making my wife happy and, if that means spending a bit of money on something that will eventually die; I still think it was worth it. I’m not saying you should go outside your budget. But, you shouldn’t look at it as investing in flowers; look at it as investing in your relationship.