Fathers often get shorted when it comes to Father’s Day.

Fathers don’t typically get big bouquets of flowers. And I know they are sick and tired of all those tired and tacky ties and silk boxers they get every year.

Discover Card took a survey a few months ago on what people plan to spend for Father’s Day. It was no surprise to me that people said they planned on spending less on dads than they would for moms on Mother’s Day – although the dollar difference isn’t huge.

And what do dads want?

Not much, it turns out, at least in this one survey. One-third of all fathers picked a greeting card as the No. 1 present they hope to receive for Father’s Day. The second most popular gift was a meal at a restaurant.

Fathers, it seems, appreciate simple over sizable.

I’ll buy that (because it’s cheaper) and because perhaps many know it’s what you say and do that really matters.

Let me start. In honor of Father’s Day, I want to pay tribute to the best father I’ve ever known – my husband.

I’ve only seen my own father a few times in my life. But if I had the opportunity to choose a father, it definitely would have been a man with the same character traits as my husband, who is the dad of our three children.

A major influence in helping me practice good financial sense is my “Boo,” the man with whom I’ve been wed for almost 15 years.

It was my husband’s idea that we come up with what he calls “house rules” – two key rules that have kept us from fighting about money. One is that neither of us can buy anything costing more than $200 without discussing it with the other. Another is we both have to agree to such a purchase before it can be made.

Most important, he’s the voice of reason when I’m inclined to say no every time our children want us to buy them something they don’t need. He brings sensibility to my overzealous frugality.

It was my husband who persuaded me to give our children an allowance. “Children need to make some of their own buying decisions and mistakes,” he said.

I envy my children. They have the benefit of being raised by a man who is financially balanced. Their father saves well. He spends smart. He knows that it’s important to indulge them a little (and me, too).

My husband has achieved “money harmony,” as Olivia Mellan, a Washington, D.C.-based money coach and psychotherapist, would say.

I will buy my husband something for Father’s Day but I know he would appreciate hearing what a wonderful father and financial role model I think he is.