Author Topic: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?  (Read 13263 times)

Kott308

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #50 on: December 27, 2017, 04:36:52 PM »
We had a secret Santa I work that I was on the fence about, but joined since I've only been there a few months and figured being a little more social couldn't hurt. We all entered our info into a google sheet that had a column for things we wanted and a column for things we didn't want. I thought this was a really neat idea. Apparently the coworker who picked my name didn't read the sheet....or maybe can't read....not sure.

Anyway, I posted in my "no" column that I didn't want candy. I'm not a candy/sweets person. I'm conscious about what I put into my body to a somewhat-annoying degree. I did list about 25 things that I do want, all of which were in the $10-$20 range, since that was the recommended spending limit.

I received two containers of candy. And also a candle holder without a candle in it.

Guess what got left in the trash on the way out the door?

Miss Piggy

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #51 on: December 27, 2017, 05:13:43 PM »
I didn't receive anything too ridiculous this year, but last year I was gifted a decorative angel, made from a gourd.

I have to confess...I received a gourd in the shape/art(painted) of my favorite dog breed, and I absolutely loved it! That was several years ago, and it is still proudly on display in our god-awful-wish-I-could-get-rid-of-it-but-nobody-wants-it wall unit entertainment center. But yeah, the gift giver knew I loved this breed of dog, so the cheesy-but-unique gift was perfectly appropriate for me.

wordnerd

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #52 on: December 27, 2017, 06:21:41 PM »
Someone gave my two year old a stretch Armstrong octopus. He dropped in a half second. Our little mustachian has no patience for consumerist crap. :)

FiveSigmas

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #53 on: December 27, 2017, 06:50:11 PM »
DD3 won the golden cocoon award - her present was in an Amazon box; inside was an Amazon "gift" bag, inside that was a plastic bag, inside that was another cloth drawstring gift bag, inside that was another plastic bag, which held her actual gift - a shoulder bag!

Hah! It's like a modern take on a Russian nesting doll.

Lski'stash

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Drole

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #55 on: December 27, 2017, 07:39:35 PM »
I threw away all our food storage containers before a move a few years ago and have since survived on the two I kept with me for lunches and simply recycling yogurt and other containers. 

Not acceptable to others it seems.  I was gifted a "coupon" to go pick out a set.  Not sure whether I'll actually have to pick a set to keep folks happy. 


Step37

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #56 on: December 27, 2017, 10:41:50 PM »
This one's slightly off topic, but I've been wanting to vent bit, so here goes.  I asked for a really good stick blender this year, because I've burned out three of them, all purchased used. DH knows better to buy appliances unless specifically requested, plus we happily keep our gift giving minimal. Anyway, apparently he ordered one from BB&B's website, because he left the paperwork on our shared desk. I dropped it and walked away as soon as i realized what it was,  so I didn't examine it thoroughly. Its nagging me that he probably did not use one of their ubiquitous 20% off coupons.

Should I return it and re-buy with a coupon or just enjoy the gift? FWIW, he bought the $99 Breville, which should last for years. We're FI/FIRE, so $20 isn't going to break us, but my frugal habits are deeply entrenched. No one else outside this group is likely to understand my line of thinking, so thanks for giving me a space to explore the question.

I'd let it go, he tried and it is a once per year purchase.  I'm sure the effort came from a place of love, even if it fell short in your eyes.

If he had an extended pattern of this type of thing, I would use other non-gift examples to bring up.  $20 is not worth hurting feelings over.

 This made me LOL. I also got a BB&B gift (countertop spiralizer), but I’m pretty sure he used the coupon.

IF you have a reason to go there anyway, and can pull off the swap without your husband knowing, I’d say there’s no harm done. If not, obviously it’s not a big deal. But of course I can see where you’re coming from!

Step37

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #57 on: December 27, 2017, 10:53:22 PM »
I got a very cute wooden “stuff” holder from my Secret Santa at work. I like it, but don’t need it at all. I don’t know what to put in it because I don’t have “stuff”. Help! I don’t want the giver to feel bad so I want to fill it with something, I just don’t know what. (It’s located behind my desk on a credenza, which is also empty.)



I like the idea of tiny, potted succulent plants in the square boxes. Maybe a photo in each of the middle ones (mounted on something stiff), larger one behind? Something neutral but pleasant to look at... not sure. It’s a nice looking stuff holder, but I prefer to keep my desk “stuff” in a drawer.

Dicey

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #58 on: December 28, 2017, 12:18:55 AM »
This one's slightly off topic, but I've been wanting to vent bit, so here goes.  I asked for a really good stick blender this year, because I've burned out three of them, all purchased used. DH knows better to buy appliances unless specifically requested, plus we happily keep our gift giving minimal. Anyway, apparently he ordered one from BB&B's website, because he left the paperwork on our shared desk. I dropped it and walked away as soon as i realized what it was,  so I didn't examine it thoroughly. Its nagging me that he probably did not use one of their ubiquitous 20% off coupons.

Should I return it and re-buy with a coupon or just enjoy the gift? FWIW, he bought the $99 Breville, which should last for years. We're FI/FIRE, so $20 isn't going to break us, but my frugal habits are deeply entrenched. No one else outside this group is likely to understand my line of thinking, so thanks for giving me a space to explore the question.

I'd let it go, he tried and it is a once per year purchase.  I'm sure the effort came from a place of love, even if it fell short in your eyes.

If he had an extended pattern of this type of thing, I would use other non-gift examples to bring up.  $20 is not worth hurting feelings over.

 This made me LOL. I also got a BB&B gift (countertop spiralizer), but I’m pretty sure he used the coupon.

IF you have a reason to go there anyway, and can pull off the swap without your husband knowing, I’d say there’s no harm done. If not, obviously it’s not a big deal. But of course I can see where you’re coming from!
Thanks for getting the intended humor, Step37.

Note to CindyBS. DH's effort did NOT fall short in my eyes. I adore the man, and I did ask for a brand-new stick blender. He never shops at BB&B, how would he know those coupons exist? The coupon "dilemma" was completely internal. Plus, twenty bucks is twenty bucks.

I guess if we had a holiday version of MPPs it would have been better there, but we don't, so I vented here, among my people. Thanks, all!

10dollarsatatime

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #59 on: December 29, 2017, 05:16:29 PM »
My mom gave me one of those mermaid tail blankets.  It IS dumb.  And I like it.  (And I'd mentioned to her before that they were silly, useless, and I wanted one but could never justify spending money on something so dumb.)  I'm using it now in my currently 59 degree house.

She also got me a utensil caddy with a built in bluetooth speaker.  It's a dumb gift for me... I'm an entertainment technician... I've got a studio audio setup in my living room complete with a bluetooth receiver.  That will end up as a regift.

Always my favorite... the bottle of Johnny's garlic spread seasoning.  It's the only thing I asked for three years ago, and now I get a bottle every year because my mother finds it laughable.

Shropskr

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #60 on: December 30, 2017, 11:53:30 AM »
and I thought the air fryer my mom sent me was dumb.  she bought the thing on clearance hen paid $28 to mail it to me.  I have very limited counter space.  I dont keep unitaskers around.

Roe

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #61 on: December 30, 2017, 03:49:51 PM »
Some little expensive ceramic box thing. I made the mistake on agreeing with a relative that it looks nice in their house. I meant that literal.

Other than that I was pleasantly surprised with not to expensive consumables. Great work, family!

Hargrove

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #62 on: December 30, 2017, 07:32:54 PM »
Hahaha, wow. I cannot compete with these. My strangest thing was a game to a console I don't have.

My SO is thankfully as non-materialistic as I could hope for, and I have to remind myself a lot of people have "giving things" as their primary love-language. Every year, I care about "stuff" even less. Newer friends, family, and acquaintances sometimes try to get "the thoughtful thing," but there's almost no stuff at all that either of us want. I'll donate and return gifts for more savings if it lets people feel good about "giving a thing," but at this point I would be good with nothing at all.

I love buying presents for people, because most people want stuff, and I remember "favorite thing" hints handily. It really is cool to see people genuinely delighted that you remembered something obscure, but Amazon makes gift-finding pretty boring. I wonder if it wouldn't be possible to convince givers that some of us are really fine with cash, or a donation to charity in our names. They gently remind me "no way," and we keep opening aloe-infused socks.

Dollar Slice

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #63 on: December 30, 2017, 07:57:33 PM »
The only really weird gift I got this year was maybe TOO mustachian. My SIL put a ribbon on a box of screen cleaning wipes as a gift for me. (She wasn't being cheap, either, they spent too much money on me and got me lovely things that I will use etc. Just kind of... random.)

rantk81

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Re: Report here! What dumb laughable thing did you open this year for Xmas?
« Reply #64 on: December 31, 2017, 02:50:06 PM »
Gaudy Christmas themed painted rocks from Mom.

Also a heavy helping of a guilt trip for not paying for all the cheap Chinese crap and junk food my mother piled into her shopping cart at Target, despite hosting my parents here for a whole week without them having to help at all with contributing to groceries, any meal preparations or any cleanup. And oh boy was there a lot of cleanup to be done after they finally left.



 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!