They say it’s the thought that counts when it comes to gifts.

And for most people, that really is true.

The older you get, the less you care about someone buying you something “nice,” and the more it means that someone just knows you and thinks about you enough to get you something fitting and heartfelt.

Then there’s stories like this one…

AITA Did I really do something wrong for his birthday, or is he being ungrateful? 33F and 28M

So for the guy I’m seeing, I decided to do the five senses gift idea for his birthday.

I went to Dollar Tree and picked up balloons and snacks to decorate my house.

I ordered him a nice wallet, made a silhouette painting for touch, created a playlist of songs he likes for sound, and included a thoughtful gift for sight. I also cooked his favorite meal, bought cupcakes, and sang happy birthday to him.

I put a lot of effort and care into it.

It was not a hit.

His reaction?

He said I “played in his face,” claimed I don’t love him, and complained that I didn’t spend “real money” like he did for my birthday.

He told me he’s “not a Dollar Tree person.”

And lest you think HER birthday was an expensive extravaganza…

For context, on my birthday, we spent most of the day arguing.

He accused me of cheating (I was literally doing karaoke with my mom, sisters, kids, and nieces/nephews).

Later that night, he came over, handed me some flowers and a record player, and that was it.

Now he says that his gift showed more love than mine did.

Am I really wrong here? Was my effort not enough, or is this a red flag?

I feel like we all know where the comments on Reddit are going, but let’s look anyway:

Yup, red flag.

Yeah I’d say the color of the flags is not in question.

There’s nothing chill about any of this.

It seems like you’re not getting anything you should be getting out of this.

He’s certainly not a catch.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.