Bobby Berk has been happily married since 2012, but he admitted there’s one aspect of their relationship that’s not typical. See why the HGTV star said he and his husband rarely give each other gifts.
Bobby Berk Dishes on Why He Doesn’t Exchange Gifts With His Husband
During a December 26 appearance on the “Why Won’t You Date Me?” podcast with Nicole Byer, Berk shared an interesting detail about his marriage.
The HGTV star and his husband, Dr. Dutron (Dewey) Do, don’t exchange gifts.
“I haven’t gotten him a present in 20 years. Like, we don’t do birthdays, we don’t do holidays, we don’t do Valentine’s,” Berk shared.
The “Junk or Jackpot” star continued, “We don’t put those societal pressures on each other that the world puts importance on or like puts pressure like, ‘Oh if you don’t find the perfect restaurant or the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day, he’s a worthless man.'”
While they don’t do typical holiday gift-giving, Berk shared he will “randomly get [Do] something.”
Rather than spending money on material items, they instead splurge on experiences. “The time that you’re getting to spend, uninterrupted time with your significant other — no kids, no work, no friends, no family — is worth far more than getting the perfect table for Valentine’s,” Berk explained.
Berk’s Gift Giving Philosophy Is a Hit With Fans
On December 29, Byer posted the podcast clip on Instagram. The caption noted: “If you didn’t spend money on Christmas, birthday, and Valentine’s gifts … you could go on a vacation! @bobby is doing the math for us today. He shares the unconventional way he and his husband avoid resentment by ditching gifts entirely. More couples can learn from this example!”
Berk explained in the comments, “We’ve been together for 22 years and this was our philosophy even when our trip budget was no more than hot dogs on a free camping trip weekend.”
Many fans shared that they follow the same practice. “We do this too. We only gift for our child. We use that money to go out for a nice dinner on birthdays and anniversaries,” one fan commented. “It’s not a trip but it’s time together eating an amazing meal and we love it.”
“We do this too! Experiences > presents,” another fan shared.
“We do the exact same thing. If I want something, I’m gonna buy it for myself,” one person wrote. “But experiences with my husband are the gifts that keep giving.”
