40th Birthday Gift Ideas

If you have a friend or loved one who is about to reach their 40th birthday (or another milestone), I have a fun and creative gift idea to share with you today!

This week I turned 40 years old. To be honest, I’m really not sure how I feel about that; it could take up a post all in itself.

For my 40th birthday gift, my Mom sent me the cutest thing! It was such a fun and unique idea that after I had opened a couple of the packages, I thought, “I HAVE to stop and take pictures of this!” It was such a nice idea that I wanted to share it with you here today.

40 Gifts for 40 Years; DIY Gift Idea

Last week 2 big boxes showed up in the mail.  I set them aside to open on my actual birthday.

What is in My Birthday Box

Inside each box, I found individually wrapped and numbered gifts.

The gifts were numbered 1-40. One gift for each year.

The first few gifts were framed photos of significant times in my life, my wedding, my kids being born, and a few of me as a baby.

The rest of the gifts were all things that I had done or liked to do. There were paintbrushes, crayons, kitchen gadgets, travel charms, notebooks, candy, and all kinds of other fun things.  I was seriously so touched by all of the efforts and thought that she put into the gift.

The last gift was 40 one-dollar bills that were bound together like a notebook (you can get them at the bank ask!).  Something tells me this will get spent on fabric 🙂

After I opened a few gifts, I waited until the kids all got home so they could help me open the rest. They got such a kick out of seeing what was in all of those packages!

Tips for Creating a 40th or Other Milestone Birthday Gift

My mom created this gift for me for my 40th birthday. However, you could use the same idea to create a gift for other milestone birthdays.

One: You Don’t Need to Buy 40 Gifts

The year my husband turned 50, I gave him 5 gifts. Each gift represented a decade of his life. For example, I got him a hat for his boat to represent his 40s, and retro cereal boxes to represent his early years.

Two: It Can Be Budget Friendly

Shop the dollar section, or DIY a few of the gifts to help you stretch your budget for the gift. Include things like their favorite candy or magazine.

Three: Take the Time to Wrap Each Gift

Part of what was so special about this gift was the care that my mom took while she was packaging it. She took the time to wrap and number each gift individually. She used her Cricut machine to create her numbers, but you can also buy number stickers.

Things to Put in a Birthday Box

If you’re stumped for ideas for what to put in the box, here are a few suggestions.

• Recipient’s favorite candy
• Old photos in cute frames
• $1 bills individually packaged
• Art supplies
• Makeup or perfume samples
• Christmas ornaments from some of their favorite travel destinations.
• A small handmade scrapbook
• Favorite drink or soda
• Fresh flowers
• Seeds (if they like to garden)
• Gift cards to their favorite restaurants (package in a DIY Gift card holder to make it a bit more special)