The best Father's Day bargains

We round up the best gifts and treats for dads of all ages ahead of Father's Day.

I always find men so hard to buy for, probably because for years all my father has ever asked for is socks and ties. With Father’s Day fast approaching (19th June) the search is on to find a slightly more interesting gift which doesn’t break the bank.

Be age conscious

There are some presents which might be cute when coming from your five-year-old, but are less cute when you are pushing 30 (or so.)

The great thing is that the younger you are, the cuter - read ‘cheaper’ - your gift can be. There are loads of cost effective little gifts available, and what kind of awful father would turn up their nose at one of their little darlings’ handmade gifts?

Ideas for young children

A great idea is to send a photo gift. You can produce a whole range of t-shirts, mugs or calendars and just plaster your child’s face all over them for a unique and thoughtful present, sure to delight any proud father!

BonusPrints currently has an offer that allows you to get a photobook worth £13.99 free of charge (you just pay £3.99 P&P). Register with Bonusprint and they will email you a code to enter at checkout. I have just received my book; they are really good quality and well worth the postage fee.

With Snapfish you can download your pictures and choose whether to adorn a mug, a calendar or a canvas print, among other ideas. Don’t forget to check your cashback site (read How to be a cashback king to learn about the joys of cashback) when ordering products like this. For example, through Quidco you can order an 11oz photo mug reduced from £7.99 to £4, get 20% off cards and gifts and get a photo book worth £19.99 for just £10. On top of these deals you will get up to 7% cashback.

With so many websites offering cheap personalised greetings cards, why buy an expensive anonymous card from the supermarket? Look at a website like Moonpig for good Father’s Day deals. Last post is on 16th June, and a personalised photo card will cost from £2.99. The site has lots of gift ideas that might give you inspiration.

For the ultimate in ‘cute and free’ cards just print off one of these from Netmums.com – your child will have fun colouring it in and what father would dare to criticise?

Ideas for older ‘kids’

If, like me, you are well into adulthood, it may not be so cute to send you father a t-shirt with a picture of your smiling face on it. I also don’t think my dad would thank me for a mug with the faces of his three adult offspring on it. But there are alternatives.

Booze & Chocolates

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Highlights this week include vouchers for 15% off at B&Q until Monday and 20% off at Homebase until Sunday, new half-price sales at House of Fraser, Debenhams and Asda, £10 off a £50 spend at BHS, BOGOF on Capri sets at La Senza, 50% off at The Body Shop, up to 90% off in the Lookfantastic sale, free Time Out city guides, the cheapest pre-order price for the new Legend of Zelda game and £38.40 off the complete collector’s edition of Farscape!
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If you go through Quidco you can currently get 10% off when you spend £20 or more at Hotel Chocolat, as well as earning 9% cashback. With next day delivery there is still plenty of time to get ordering. Similarly visit Thorntons through Quidco for 20% off your Father’s Day order and 8% cashback.

Majestic Wine is offering good Father’s Day prices on bottles of wine and champagne which you can personalise with your own message. Order before the 16th June to ensure delivery, and visit the website through Quidco to enjoy 4% cashback on all sales.

With Moonpig you can kill two birds with one stone, buying a personalised bottle of wine or spirits and getting a free large card worth £5.99.

Experiences

For an ‘experience gift’ try a day out with Red Letter Days, who are offering 20% off a huge range of experiences like skydiving or racing car driving.

There are also deals on short breaks and dinners out if the father in question does not happen to be an adrenalin junkie.

Pampering

If your father is a ‘modern man’ there are lots of pampering products aimed at the male market. For pampering gifts look at Living Social, which is currently offering a luxury traditional wet shave, haircut and massage package at The Refinery in London for £59 down from £138. Sign up to Living Social to find deals specific to your area.

Although this is pointing out the obvious, take your dad’s character into account when deciding on a present. Splashing out on a massage or male grooming session, which may be little more than an embarrassing form of torture for some men, could be a waste of money, no matter how good a deal you get!

Novelty Gifts

If you’re really stuck for ideas there are lots of sites offering ‘unique’ or ‘humorous’ gifts, and a browse through might give you some inspiration.

Take a look at a website like Getting Personal for things like photoframes, cufflinks, notebooks, novelty games and other ‘light-relief’ ideas. Again, if you visit through Quidco you can get deals like 10% off all Father’s Day gifts, 5% off football books and 15% off mugs, plus a great increased rate of 15% cashback.

Delivery Dates

Make sure you check your delivery dates before ordering. Today is the last day you can order some of these deals if you want to be sure they will arrive in time for the big day!

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