Now don't get me wrong with this blog. I'm not exactly someone who spends thousands ofdollars on Christmas presents for the postie, garbage collector etc.
In fact, as I said in a previous blog, I was shocked that some parents spend thousands of dollars on their kids presents each year.
But there's a line between being sensible with money and being a mean-spirited scrooge.
The following quotes came from some people on my frugal living group - we were comparing notes about the Scrooges in our families. My son's grandma (exes mother) is my family Scrooge.
She gives me free calendars that she gets in the mail from businesses, or the free Leunig calendar that comes in the newspaper.
For birthdays, she gives me the free stress balls and rulers she gets from her bank (ANZ).
I suspect she is actually trying to insult me and hurt my feelings, but actually I get a good laugh out of it - as I did with the following stories from my online buddies:
Joni ► (Sydney) - Dec 16, 9:25 pm
SlL without fail, we get regifted old presents that have been used and then taped back up, were originally given by us to them 10 years ago or were a free promo when you bought something else. eg a 12 year old computer disc game. Once DH got a box of dreadful Chinese biscuits that were inedible, looked like a present her hubby got from a client and rejected then the tin was sealed back up.
Kirsten (WA) - Dec 16, 9:51 pm
I've recieved personal care packet from airlines (with toothpaste / brush and eye mask). With the toothpaste already squeezed. For a Christmas present.
Sharon M (Too far to walk) - Dec 16, 10:06 pm
This is a true story. My sons friends would never go home when they were meant to regardless of how many groundings they got. One year their father told them to be home at a certain time to go Christmas shopping and of course they were an hour late. So he didn't go at all. One son got a toothbrush for Christmas and the other got a piece of wire sticking out of a bit of foam. Luckily they are good humoured boys. (And they knew their mum had prezzies for them when they went back home).
Pat (VIC) - Dec 17, 12:06 am
My DH had an old Auntie, the sister in law of his German mother, who had some very strange traditions. One was to invite all the extended family for a Christmas get together. The strange thing was, her sons and her nephew were told to sit at the table with all the best china and cutlery, etc. and they got very nice gifts. The rest of us had to sit in the kitchen and were given the odd cups and mugs. One person would get a couple of teabags, another half a jar of jam. The kids got plastic spiders or second hand dolls. The thing was, she would carry on as she gave us this stuff as if she were giving the world. And she got heaps of good pressies back as I think they all thought they had to stay in her good books. Some of the rellies used to get very irate about all this and would whinge like mad while she was in the other room and then smile and nod at her when she condescended to join us in the kitchen. I just had to try and stop myself from laughing my head off from when we arrived to when we left. I found the whole event hilarious. She was not poor and died a few years after we came here. A really funny but tight old woman.
Leisa (QLD) - Dec 17, 8:07 pm
Not a Christmas one but birthday .... when I turned 14, my aunt (who doesn't like us anyway) sent me a card for a 10 YEAR OLD with $2 taped inside and my name spelt wrong!
Bella H () - Dec 20, 3:45 pm
Last year I received some christmas wrapping paper from my MIL. The year before that I got a broom head - not even the whole broom, just the head.
K_C (Southern NSW) - Dec 17, 10:37 pm
DH received two HUGE spanners ie about 3inch ring part, 50cm long. They still had the $2.00 Clints stickers on them. No, DH didn't own anything remotely big enough to use them on. Meanwhile his siblings (5 of them) were given toasters, jugs, gorgeous linen, dinner set.
Miss B (NSW) - Dec 17, 9:17 am
My parents are always quite generous so when my brother got married they bought his new inlaws a gorgeous hamper from David Jones and they got back a packet of chips wrapped up in chrissy paper ??? And my brother got for his first christmas off them a packet of snail pellets???? I mean what goes through some peoples minds , snail pellets ??? And they weren't even trying to be funny .
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
...and I'm still laughing :)
ReplyDeleteThe used plates (ie - some still with remnants of the last meal served) and the freebies that come with the paper don't seem quite so bad after hearing about the half-empty jars of jam :)
This year it was one SIL who complained that Nana gave more stuff to my kids than hers ... (H got a whole extra magnetic notepad - ahhh the inhumanity of it all).
Your SIL sounds a bit eccentric, but in a different way. Aren't people strange? So much diversity in the world. Half a jar of jam, indeed! And the broom head and snail pellets cracked me up too.
ReplyDeleteI once got a really expensive chess set, when I was six, from my eccentric great aunt. I had never played chess before, so she offered to teach me. We played several games and she beat me over and over (no letting me win)... and she go mad if I moved the pieces incorrectly. I hate chess to this day, perhaps that's why...
Eccentric people make me laugh.