by Kevin Lockett

Created on: June 16, 2009   Last Updated: June 17, 2009

Buying a gift for your dad on Father's Day can be tough.

Unlike moms who are happy to receive a card, a bouquet of flowers, a box of candy or a simple phone call on Mother's Day, dads are not that easy. Some dads have not bought new clothes since The Backstreet Boys were hot and how many times have you bought your dad a gift for Father's Day, only to see it at the bottom of his closet or worse, placed in a bag for Goodwill!?!

Below are some cheap, but effective Father's Day gift ideas, so your dad will receive something he will enjoy and you do not have to spend a lot of money on a gift that mysteriously finds its way to the garage.

Try something he likes-You might not like fishing, going to the golf range or watching NASCAR, but it doesn't hurt try something your dad likes on Father's Day. A week or so before the big day, find out what your dad's favorite activity is and make plans. If he loves the Daytona 500, find out which sports bar or restaurant will be showing the race and make an afternoon or evening of it, (if he has some buddies who like the same thing, invite them too). Even if you don't know who Kyle Busch is, at least you can eat a good meal and spend some quality time with your dad.

Buy a gift with big type- Most dads are too vain to admit that their eyes are going bad. If this is the case, buy your dad a gift with big type. If he squints when dialing the home phone phone, buy a new phone with bigger numbers. If he holds his watch 20 feet away from his eyes, buy one with big numbers. If he has been having trouble reading his favorite book like The Bible, buy him a version with larger print. Your dad might not embrace your big type present right away, but don't be surprised a few months after Father's Day, he will be telling you the time without holding his watch two inches from his face.

Create a DVD box set- Did your dad become a fan of HBO's The Wire during its last season or maybe he is secretly a fan of Army Wives, but doesn't want you to tell your mom, well this is a great way to buy something that he will enjoy. Go to Amazon.com or a local store that trades DVDs and pick up a box set of your dad's favorite show(s) for a cheap price. Better yet, buy single go to the same store and build a 3-4 DVD box set of your dad's favorite films or actors. Build a few sets, so you can give him Clint Eastwood -The Dirty Harry Years on Father's Day, Clint Eastwood-The Western Years Part 1 on his birthday and Clint Eastwood The Oscar Yearson Christmas.

Set up his DVR- Although setting up Tivo or a DVR seems pretty simple, for some dads it is more confusing than programing the VCR! On Father's Day, find out what your father's favorite shows are and set up his Tivo/DVR to record them each week. By doing this, your dad not get see his favorite shows whenever he wants, but you don't have to drive 100 mph to his house each week to record C.S.I before The Who starts playing.

Give him a tie...box - Although the title of this article is Don't buy your dad another tie for Father's Day!, this is not say that you can't buy him one. On Father's Day, give your dad a nicely wrapped tie box, which will include a gift certificate to his favorite clothing store. Tell him to choose a day and both of you will go tie shopping. By doing this, you will not only get a chance to bond with your father, (and find out what he looks for in clothing), but he will finally receive a tie on Father's Day that he will actually wear

There is no guarantee that your dad will like any of these gifts, but odds are that he will at least appreciate the effort and that alone could make this year's Father's Day special.

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