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May 19, 2010 5:54 AM   Subscribe

Help us fill our registry!

I've posted this before. Yes, but hoping to hit some new people or people who might not have answered before.

We are still trying to fill our registry.

We are intending to be living somewhat on the cheap for the first year after getting married. We intend to be getting rid of cable (not only for the money saving aspect but because we think it will force us to get creative in spending quality time together).

If you have something in your home/office/apartment/whathaveyou that you feel is absolutely incredible and every person must own one - tell me about it.

If you feel there is something we can register for that will provide us with activities ... yay for that too.

We have registered for basic cooking stuff, but I'm open to hearing about products that are absolutely incredible that maybe I should get a particular brand/variety of.

We also registered for some board games/card games but I'd like to hear about anything in this category maybe good for the two of us - or that we could host a game night with.

We do have a Wii. Don't have a lot of games - so if there's any that would be good for us to play together. Let's hear about 'em!

Open to all suggestions.

Thanks Mefites!
posted by mittenbex to Human Relations (19 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
We do have a Wii. Don't have a lot of games

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, while old now, is a fantastic party game and a great test of one's embarrassment threshold.

Alternatively, you could buy a computer with Windows and let it sit for a year. I find that fills a registry.
posted by yerfatma at 6:05 AM on May 19, 2010 [3 favorites]


I worked as a registry consultant for a little while. Aside from the rampant commercialism of the whole wedding business, it's a good opportunity to get stuff you wouldn't buy for yourself. It's one of the last times in your life that people come together to celebrate you, and also give you stuff. I always told my couples that they should think about registering for china, or at least a set of "company dishes" because you never know when you're going to want to have people over for a nice dinner.

As far as activity-based gifts: Register for a tent and some camping things if you're into that. Maybe a grill if you don't already have one.
Quelf is a great game night board game, and different every time you play. For Wii, Mario Kart.
posted by honeybee413 at 6:05 AM on May 19, 2010


Everyone I know who registered for an ice-cream maker a. got it and 2. uses it, except the couple who divorced. Not that I'm saying there's a test there...
posted by Weighted Companion Cube at 6:28 AM on May 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'm a fan of the plan of getting things that are a step or two above what you'd be willing to buy for yourself: super-nice towels, sheets and a duvet; bar glasses (wine glasses, pint glasses, rocks glasses, whatever); kitchen gadgets if you cook, etc. Get some fancy art for the apartment. Hell, I'd register for tools and gardening supplies and paint and rollers at my local hardware store -- but then, my family would totally expect that from me and would actually get those things.

Gift cards are always nice, if you can talk people into them. What's good for entertaining guests? Think about what you might like, for the time when board games don't cut it any longer.
posted by runningwithscissors at 6:39 AM on May 19, 2010


Some registry stuff we were really glad we had on there:

-All-Clad pans
-Prepara Herb-Saver
-Thermoworks' Thermapen (can't live without)
-Board Games (Pandemic, Taboo, Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, Apples to Apples)
posted by sdis at 6:39 AM on May 19, 2010


Carcassonne!

There's a "big box" set that is awesome, includes 5 expansions. This is a great game for just two, but is just as fun with more folks (I think up to 6 can play). Just don't use the fairy in The Princess & The Dragon expansion. It's a stupid gambit that only benefits one player.

One of my favorite gifts that we received, but did not register for, was a beautiful hard bound world atlas. Second favorite was a gas grill from the in-laws.
posted by wwartorff at 6:39 AM on May 19, 2010


A rice cooker. Rice is cheap and an entirely different experience with the right device.

A bread machine could be a good investment too if you intend to use it near-exclusively, if used properly it makes delicious bread at a very low price.
posted by knz at 6:40 AM on May 19, 2010 [2 favorites]


Household tools! A basic set of good ones!
posted by bardophile at 7:01 AM on May 19, 2010


I got a rice steamer as a gift when I got married, and didn't use it for a couple of years (!) but it is one of the greatest kitchen appliances I have. It will steam vegetables, which is what I use it for most of the time, and the clean up is sweet. Most of the stuff can go in the dishwasher and a swipe will clean out the base.
posted by chocolatetiara at 7:08 AM on May 19, 2010


If you anticipate lots of gifts (big family, perhaps), it can be good to register for a bunch of things all at one store... then turn them in for a store credit towards something larger. Eg we registered for flatware and other stuff at Crate and Barrel, later decided that our cheap set was good enough, and got furniture instead.
posted by xo at 7:16 AM on May 19, 2010


The "Rabbit" Wine Opener- I love this thing.
Extension cords
A card table and folding chairs are very useful for entertaining guests.
An insulated food carrier is great if you are bringing hot food somewhere in the winter.

How well stocked are you for if someone gets sick? Do you have a humidifier? (a godsend for coughs, seriously). A good digital thermometer? Heating pads/blankets?

I also think people forget to buy a lot of important emergency/safety equipment when they are establishing a home. For example, every home should have:

-A good first aid kit
-Flashlights, ideally rechargeable or the kind with a hand crank for power
-An emergency radio (like this- I have one, it's really nifty)
-A fire extinguisher or two
-Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, of course
-A car jump starter, if you drive (especially long distances, or at night).
posted by castlebravo at 7:17 AM on May 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


The best thing we registered for, in a practical sense, were good knives and good pots and pans (all clads). We use them every single day and have for five years. They are awesome.

Also, really nice sheets. They're still getting used all the time.
posted by dpx.mfx at 7:25 AM on May 19, 2010


I use my covered glass cake plate surprisingly often ... it keeps bread and other baked goods fresh. 99% of the time it's holding bread or baked goods ... it hardly ever holds cake. And it looks surprisingly inviting there on the counter with food sitting in it!

Serving dishes and serving utensils. Even if you don't want to register for a complete set of china, get some serving dishes (my "everyday" dishes and my fancy china look well enough together that I can mix and match), which are annoyingly expensive and which you can use with your everyday dishes to dress up a holiday table, or on a buffet to make it look fancier, or whatever. Same with serving utensils -- they don't have to be fancy, but I use my "cold meat fork" and my various serving spoons all the dang time. Nice not to just be throwing soup spoons in the mashed potatoes but to have a big, actual serving spoon. In fact, the servers (dishes or utensils) don't HAVE to match your regular china or flatware at all ... they can be something fun and funky or elegant or unique. But they're good to own!

Oh, also? Glass pitchers. Even water looks nicer on the table in a pitcher, but you can also use it for margaritas, pink lemonade, an emergency vase ....
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:34 AM on May 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


A set of pyrex pans will last forever, and you will use them constantly. Also, a high-quality dutch oven (Le Crueuset is the gold standard brand) will be so durable and versatile that you'll never want to cook with anything else.
posted by litnerd at 8:04 AM on May 19, 2010


Costco or other giant warehouse store membership
AAA membership
Museum membership - lots of these have reciprocity with other museums across the country.
Netflix membership
gift certificates to Blurb so you can make a book of your wedding pictures.

Only because I'm in love with mine right now: a good ceiling fan.

Good set of speakers/stereo/iPod.

A good showerhead - one of my favorite gifts ever, it is more than ten years later and I've taken it with me every time I've moved.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:43 AM on May 19, 2010


Seconding board games. Carcassonne is great. Also I recommend Thurn Und Taxis, Cold War, and Stone Age (which you can play in a group).

If I were doing it, I'd ask for a really nice teapot, an electric whisk and hand blender, a red chrome toaster and kettle, and really really nice dressing gowns.
posted by mippy at 8:49 AM on May 19, 2010


I love my bamboo magnetic knife rack. It'll be especially handy if you're registered for good knives. If you aren't, I recommend Shun.
posted by halogen at 9:30 AM on May 19, 2010


Full-body pillow, rice cooker, nice cooler (for picnics and stuff).

You could also plan your registry around a new (or old) hobby: Plan a Grand Canyon backpacking trip, and use the registry for your equipment.
posted by coolguymichael at 11:40 AM on May 19, 2010


I forgot to mention this before, but you should definitely get some luggage if you don't have it -- you'll need it for adventures!
posted by runningwithscissors at 4:14 PM on May 21, 2010


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