Birthday Gifts for a Husband Who Has Everything

You know the problem: ask him what he wants and he says he is fine, then buys the thing himself in March. The best birthday gift for a husband who has everything is one he can use up, do or hear, not one more object for the shelf. Here are 12 ideas that clear that bar, from free to a real splurge. Our top pick is a song about him, because it is the one thing he cannot go out and buy for himself.

Listen to a real Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry his name and your stories.

12 birthday gift ideas for a husband who has everything

1. A song about his life ($39.90). You share the stories, the nicknames and the habits you tease him about, and Songbond turns them into an original song. It takes up no space at all, and nobody else could have given it to him.
2. A full day off from everything. You take his calls, run his errands and cover his jobs around the house for one day, then hand him a written plan with nothing on it he has to do. It costs nothing, and most men who have everything have almost no free time.
3. A class in something he has never tried. Blacksmithing, welding, woodturning or knife-making. One-day workshops usually run $80 to $250, and he comes home with a thing he made and a story to tell.
4. A subscription that gets used up. Coffee from a small roaster, hot sauces, craft beer or cured meats, delivered every month. Usually $20 to $40 a month, and nothing is left behind to dust.
5. A better version of the thing he has worn out. Look at his wallet, his work boots or his pocketknife. If it is falling apart and he refuses to replace it, buy the best version you can find, usually $60 to $200.
6. A donation in his name. Pick the cause he talks about most: the animal shelter, the youth team he coached, the hospital that looked after his dad. Write him a short note about why you chose it.
7. Tickets to a stadium he has never been to. If he follows a team, pick an away game in a city you both want to see. Expect $100 to $400 for two seats, plus the trip.
8. The old family videos, finally digitized. Those tapes in the closet will not play for much longer. Having a box converted usually costs $50 to $200, and the first evening watching them together is the real gift.
9. A pro for the job he keeps putting off. The fence panel, the dripping outdoor tap, the strange noise in the truck. Book the handyman or the mechanic and let him off the hook, usually $100 to $500.
10. A tasting night at home. A whisky, wine or cheese flight with tasting notes, set out after dinner with a couple of friends. Kits usually run $60 to $150.
11. A year of questions that becomes a book. He gets one question a week by email about his life, writes his answer, and at the end of the year the answers are printed as a hardcover book. Usually $80 to $120.
12. A night alone with nothing planned. A cabin by a lake, a fishing rod and a weak phone signal. One or two nights usually cost $150 to $400.

How to choose for the man who has everything

Ask yourself one question about each idea: will this be gone, done or heard a year from now? If it will still be sitting on a shelf, keep looking. Then match the gift to how he likes to spend a free Saturday.

• If he is always busy: the day off, the pro for the job he keeps avoiding, or the night alone.
• If he likes to make things: the class or the tasting night.
• If he is quietly sentimental: the song, the family videos or the book of his stories.

How to find out what he actually wants

Men who say they want nothing usually drop hints without noticing. For two weeks before his birthday, keep a note on your phone. Write down every time he says 'I should really', 'one day I'll' or 'remember when we'. Those three phrases point to the job he is avoiding, the thing he wants to try and the memory he keeps going back to. Ask his closest friend the same question over coffee, since he may tell a friend what he will not tell you. By the end of the two weeks you will have a short list that is really his, and any of the ideas above can be matched to it.

Give him a song for his birthday

Create a song for the husband who has everything. Tell us about him, and his song is ready within 24 hours. If his birthday is tomorrow, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: milestone birthday song ideas and an anniversary song for your husband.