I used to give my grandparents gift certificates to the local grocery store, sm
Posted By: justme2 on 2007-11-02
In Reply to: Little ole ladies, gift suggestions? - Suggestions wanted
they would use them to buy special things like shrimp or other things that might cost a bit more that they wouldn't normaly buy for themselves. My parents are that age and I have given them restaurant gift certificates or if they have family out of town, prepaid phone cards, because I know some folks that age don't like paying for long distance calls.
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does your local grocery store off meals you can
buy that you just have to pop in the oven for a little while..I did this last year because I was so busy.. and it was a hit, we had prime rib and fixins, they also have turkey/ham dinners, it might save time and the dinner I got was tasty....(Obviously I am not much of a cook) Just a different idea.
Gift cert for 1 movie rental at blockbuster (or local video store)
and we wrapped it around an individual pack of microwave popcorn! Loved it!
Gift certificates
I think gift certificates for a grocery store, restaurant, beauty salon/spa, or nail salon would be great.
gift certificates for restaurants, car washes, etc.,
A nice pair of leather gloves? guys are tough to buy for !
Gift certificates for massages for Christmas question. (sm)
There is a little spa near us that has gift certificates for massages, aroma therapy, etc and had thought about getting my daughters each one as a Christmas gift. Thought they could go together as they are good friends as well as sisters. I am a bit of a country bumpkin myself and know nothing about these things. Anyone tell me a little about what they might expect? One daughter is pretty easy going, the other is a little more conservative. I understand sheets covering the body, just wanted to make sure the massage is confined to extremities and back, nothing too personal. TIA
Another grocery store one (sm)
 The ones who act like it's a total surprise that they actually have to take out their wallet and pay after they're given a total - worse yet, paying in cash, and have to dig around in their purse for the appropriate change. G-r-r-r
Grocery store......
My daughter worked at a grocery store as cashier in high school..she would come home disgusted at how some of these ladies would come through her aisle and pull their money out between their breasts...she hated touching that money. During the summer, she said it was even worse...they were sweaty and nasty and she had to take the money and recount it. She couldn't wash her hands enough!!
grocery store inconsideration--sm
This may sound weird, but I have had it happen to me just about every time I go to the grocery store, or any store really, that have shopping carts. People who stare right at you and then run right into you with their shopping carts, like they never even saw you. Most never even say excuse me. I just don't see how people can look you right in the eye and then run into you. I think it is purposely, just to get a reaction. RUDE.
Smoking in Grocery Store
I remember my mom pushing me in the grocery cart, I must have been 3 or 4, and she would be smoking away. When the cigarette was gone, she would throw it on the ground and step on it. Classy lady, I know, but really, that was the norm back in the 60's.
I'd start at the grocery store sm
Go for every loss leader in the place and cook with them. If baby carrots are cheap, get them. Glazed carrots. If zucchini is cheap, get some. Julianned, stir fried and splash on some soy sauce and garlic or oyster sauce and garlic, depends on what you have. Celery cheap? Waldorf salad. Potatoes are not usually cheap or very good this time of year.
Buy what is cheap and then look up recipes by ingredients. Much as I love allrecipes.com, I usually just use my good old Betty Crocker orange cookbook and look up by ingredients, substitute some stuff for things that are cheaper (i.e. another onion rather than another green pepper, ground beef for cut up steak, etc.)
Don't forget your seasonings, spices and garlic. Cheap food is not synonymous with food that doesn't taste good.
Ohhh and OLD FASHIONED MAC AND CHEESE out of that Betty Crocker. Cheap, easy and WONDERFUL.
Shun the cold cereal for other things. Look up breakfast cookies online. There are such things full of blackstrap, oatmeal, nuts, seeds, and other good for you stuff. It is novel for kids who think it is a joke to eat cookies and milk for breakfast.
I used to make a pumpkin pie and serve it as a veggie at dinner when I was short veggies and/or when we were having child company just to tease them: Eat up your vegetables! LOL
I was a grocery store cashier for several years..sm
and the best thing I saw come through line very late one night was a roll of duct tape, a bottle of wine, and condoms. The customer was one of my professors at school, I was the only checker open, so he had to come through my line. Ended up with an A in all 3 of his classes I was in, hopefully by smarts and not fear of blackmail!
Grocery Store Check Out Lines
I can't stand people who go into the line that says 10 or less items and have double or triple that.
I buy organic catnip (right in my grocery store) and
take a big pinch of it, rub it between your fingers hard to release the fragrance, then rub it right into the post - rub in your case. The fresher, the better. I've never known a cat not to eat it.
sticker shock at the grocery store..sm
I wanna vomit as well and hubby really has no concept of how high food has gotten.....
Still have 2 kerosene heaters that I won't part with in the event of a gas outage....but K1 is $3.50 a gallon.....I know what you're talkin' about trying to fill the tank with oil (I'm originally from the NE). We've got enough quilts and long underwear to make it through...And, I found insulated coveralls, Carhart (your winter uniform) $7...I hit the consignment stores and lucked out on that one!
A lotta people take for granted things like heat and food and have never chopped wood. In any event,it's great to know that you're okay.  Cat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjCzhckeEb4
I looked for this in the grocery store last night
but couldn't find it. What brand is it?
Check out deli at grocery store. They will know
x
I get mine from a regular grocery store
What you want to buy is a "city" ham, not a "country" ham. City hams have less salt. Smithfield hams are good. I've also tried Cooks' and Hatfield. Don't know if they sell those in your part of the country.
I get a catalog called Burger's Smokehouse and those hams look absolutely fantastic. I would love to order from there but I'm strapped for cash right now.
The past 2 years, we have gotten a 1/2 pig from a local butcher. DH loves them. I'm not crazy about them.
Be back in a bit, I have to go to the grocery store now! Great ideas. nm
!
I worked at a grocery-type store and he delivered chips there...
He is 5-1/2 years older than me so I figured he was "to old"--LOL..Plus, I had a boyfriend at the time. But I broke up with my boyfriend, and my husband and I have been together for 11 years in July, married for 7 years in June...
I have to disagree. EVERY grocery store chain does NOT sell gay & lesbian material.
v
I saw in the grocery store today Diet Chery Chocolate Dr. Pepper
and a lot of it for $1.99 a 12-pack. I could help out the poster below. If anyone sees Folger's Instant Straight Up Latte could you help me out? This is like taking crack away from a crackhead. Unbelievably hard and making me depressed to boot.
I'd go with gift cards to restaurants. You can buy them in grocery stores or Walgreens
nm
I went to a local store
called Fred's Beds and caught our Simmons on sale. I think the set was only $900. I was thrilled.
If you have a local craft store
like Hancock Fabrics or Joann Fabrics, they might be able to teach you the basics. You could also check with local quilting clubs - you might find a new hobby and meet new people this way.
Is there a local candy making store?
 They may have them, but not sure. I'm in Delaware, but we have a store that carries all kinds of little things to make your own candy. I do remember seeing cinnamon chips, and I wonder where they went? I wonder if you also tried Hershey's website for them or other websites. I wonder if you Google cinnamon chips???? just a thought....
Check with your local art supply store
An artist's portfolio works great for things like this. They come in all sizes and are generally relatively flat. Link below is to a site that sells portfolios of different sizes. I don't know about their prices - you might do a little research.
Got 3 at the local party supply store. I LOVE them.
x
I tried to donote to a local church's thrift store...
I had a small freezer and an entertainment center. When I went in the store and told the guy what I had he barked, "No!" he never even looked at me. When I went back out to my truck, a man asked if I was willing to sell him the freezer. He had been waiting for them to take it in the store to buy it, so I just "donated" it to him, but I could not believe how rude the person inside was. I would have been happy with a smile and a "No thank you."
A local mastectomy center might fit you for bras, too. Or a high-end lingerie store. nm
s
Gift card to a game store? (sm)
You could hardly go wrong with that. Here we have one called Gamestop and that is always the birthday gift everyone requests.
Give your local pharmacist a buzz.
I have some liquid morphine leftover from when my mother was dying and I've kept it for sentimental reasons if nothing else...oh going on 8 years now. I asked the pharmacist about it and he said that I should chuck it because it is 100% lethal now because of age. So, yeah, just give them a call...they love answering questions like that!
Oh, so we must be old if we rather give a gift than money? SM
I happen to agree with Annie! It's not my problem if the bride and groom over spent for their wedding. I didn't ask them to spend a dime. I didn't ask them to invite me. So why should I feel compelled to give a huge monetary gift to help them with the cost? Besides this particular bride and groom are not shy about bragging about how "blessed" they are. I happen to think it's tacky that they would have such a huge, traditional affair for their SECOND marriage! They've invited 200+ guests. I had no idea there would be a bridal shower until I got an invitation to that in the mail the other day! They are merging to complete households -- what could they possibly need? Each owns their own home with all the furnishings.
I'm not very happy with this whole wedding affair anyway. My daughter is the flower girl, my son is an usher, and I'm in charge of the guest book (whatever that means!). I've had to buy myself a dress and my son a new suit. The bride is furnishing my daughter's dress, but I've had to buy the shoes and have been instructed that she needs to have her done up at the beauty shop the day of the wedding at my cost!
And now I have to think about a bridal shower! Ugh! If I ever get married again, I am going to spare my family friends this circus and get married in my backyard! It'll be a kegger with all the BBQ you can eat. Just come as you are and bring a covered dish! 
Do we continue to give a gift? Help!
In DH's family you give to the godchild and godparent at Christmas. My DH's godchild is in her 20s, loves the labels, and does not respond to questions of what she would like for Christmas. The past three years we have not received a thank you for any gift. We were not able to attend the family celebration for the past two years but there this year. Did not receive a thank you after opening the gift or as she was leaving the house. Spoke to MIL later and said I was done with buying her any gifts as nothing is appreciated or even given the courtesy of a thank you. MIL insisted we still buy a gift, even a small gift under $10. I don't agree. Am I being harsh? I don't just buy anything - I take the time to shop and consider who I'm buying a gift for. Any advice?
restaurant certificates? movie passes? Isotoners? nm
s
I used to do store security for a major department store - try this -
Go to the store and ask to speak with someone from the security department. Tell them what you have stated here. Hope they are able to help you!
My dog loves coconut oil right off the spoon. Try the health food store. Sometimes in food store,
s
grandparents
I'm curious about how involved grandparents are in your child/children's lives........ how often they visit with them; overnight stays; extracurricular activities; babysitting, etc.
If you are a grandparent, how involved are you?
grandparents
My parents were very involved with my daughter when she was growing up - she stayed with them an average of 2-3 nights/per month. . She loved everything about them and everything they did. .they didn't spend a lot of money on her but always gave her tons of time. . as she got older, they would go to her school activities, etc. . After she could drive and after my dad died, she would take my mom places - shopping, out to eat, etc. . Mom died last May and it was hard for all of us. . My ex-husband's dad died before our daughter was born and his mother has never been much of a grandparent. . she lives in another state but still makes little attempt to be a grandmother - when my ex died (daughter's dad) her grandmother asked her what she could do to be a better grandmother. . she was told just call sometimes, send a birthday card, Christmas card, etc. . but she still made little attempt to stay in touch. . My daughter (who is almost 23 now and on her own) called me the other day because she was so excited she had received a letter from her grandmother. . In my opinion, grandparents can contribute so much. . I can't wait to be one!
Grandparents
My children are extremely close with their grandparents on both sides. My DH father passed away when my son was 6 months old and it breaks my heart that none of his grandchildren ever got to know what an incredible man he was. Both my children as well as my 3 nieces are extremely close with DH mother. She has always attended their school/sport events. When they were younger (there are 5 grandchilden in all) she would take one child out every Friday night and let them pick where they ate and what they wanted to do. They then spent the night with her. Last Sunday after church my son spent the afternoon with Granny just running errands.
My children are also very close to my parents. I lost my mother 3 years ago but they spent a lot of time with her and she was always at their activities, usually with DH mother. My father and stepmother don't seem to make it to very many of the kids events due to their schedule, but they are very mucha part of their lives. They are a lot better at being grandparents then they were parents. LOL!
What you say about how grandparents should do
My grandchildren are up some size and they could come see me. Do they? No. I did my part in keeping my children close to their grandparents as youngsters but my DIL so wound up in her own family, the paternal side just does not matter. I don't even try anymore.
I'm from KY and my dad and all 4 grandparents used
to eat scrambled pig brains every once in a while for breakfast. They slaughtered their own hogs, so they were available occasionally. That is one thing I never tired. We ate squirrel growing up too. And to this day still love fried country ham and red-eye gravy with homemade biscuits.
How far away from your grandparents do you live?
It sounds like it would be better for you to talk directly to your grandparents if possible, instead of your aunt or cousins. Just leave them out of the loop if they are going to act this way.
You have a right to name your child whatever you choose. I don't understand why these people are getting so upset. But sometimes people - especially family - will use the least little excuse to create drama. You don't need that in your life, especially not with a new baby to take care of.
If your grandparents live far away, do they have any neighbors are friends that they are close to who could help keep an eye on them for you? My mother had a couple of neighbors who all looked out for her and each other - if one was gone one of the others would watch the house and take in the mail, or if they hadn't seen one of them in a while, they would go check on them, things like that. If your grandparents have neighbors they are close to, you might do better calling them instead of your family. Sad but true.
Good luck. I hope you are able to see and talk to your grandparents. Don't let these other folks get you down. They'll get over it eventually.
Grandparents are not involved much. . sm
It's funny you should ask this question today. My mom, who lives 90 minutes away, came for a visit. We haven't seen her in about 4 months. My 2-year-old didn't know who the heck she was and was scared of her for the first day she was here. We only see her 3 to 4 times a year. I wish we could see her more. My dad died when my oldest was one. He had never even met him.
My husband's parents have little to do with the kids. They live 20 minutes away, and we hardly see them. It really hurts because they always have my SIL's kids. They are the same age as my kids and spend almost every weekend at their house. During the summer, they spend even more time with them. After a couple of years of this, I finally asked them why they don't ever have my kids over. They said they will try to spend more time with them. Last summer, they invited the oldest to spend one night, and the SIL's kids were there. I am giving up. Sorry this got so long. I am really sad about this right now.
A lot of people are so desperate for work that some will give you free bids and give you ideas while
nm
Are your grandparents your father's parents?
If so, maybe they are angry that you named baby after step-dad instead of their son. They expect you to be loyal to your Dad but not your stepdad who I would assume was in your life as much as your real Dad if not more. Families can be such selfish hypocrites. Where is their loyalty to you and their gratefulness to a man who probably helped raise you. I would cut them off in a New York minute. If you have children and a sister, you have family. Take care.
Is giving grandparents a scrapbook
I think it would be, but decided to get opinions. Thank you in advance.
No kids here, but I grew up w/grandparents.
They actually lived in our childhood home with us. Our mother was a single parent trying to get off welfare back in the 60s...going to night school to become an LPN and rearin' the 5 of us during the day. I have no doubt her parents saved her tuckas by doing all they did for her (and us!) back then. I have nothing but incredibly fond memories and miss them all immensely.
There's something to be said for families that pull together like that when times are tough, or even not so tough. Some days I regret not having one of my own, but I'm just waaaay too selfish and I know I'd make a horrible parent. Plus, I have no social support at all and I would be 100% on my own...certainly not the ideal way to raise a kid or two.
Fantastic assets grandparents can be...so long as they're not criminals or anything.
Grandparents are Heaven on Earth
I have no kids so can only give you a viewpoint of how my grandparents shaped my life. I grew up very close (personally) to my grandparents (grandma was my second mom). My grandparents (moms side) lived up the road from us (about a 5 min walk with an open field between us). In the mornings we would walk outside and if she was out we would yell "hello up there" and grandma would yell back "hello down there". She took care of my sister and I during the day while mom worked. We went everywhere with her every day (hairdresser, butcher, stores, errands, church activities, her friends house, etc). She taught us how to whistle with a blade of grass, play "here is the church & here is the steeple, open the doors and see all the people" with our hands. We ate every Sunday supper with them and then she and grandpa moved the living room furniture and taught us how to polka to Lawrence Welk. We also ate there often during the week. Once a week we would spend the night at their house. Grandpa had a lawnmower repair and sales business but anytime I was having trouble in school, he would come in and after supper sit down and help me (mostly with math), but he didn't even think twice about not helping. He was the most unselfish person in the whole world. When I was feeling down about my grade on a report card or test (I was a C & D student, occasionally a B and very rare an A) he would ask me if I did the best that I could and I said I tried really hard but I just didn't understand. He told me as long as I tried the hardest I could he was proud of me. We grew up in the country and g'ma taught us about wild flowers, quilting, and other country type stuff. During the winter we would have sled parties at her house for my girl scout troop and she would bring out hot cocoa with mini marshmallows. Just a couple years ago my best childhood friend was telling me she had just been thinking about that sled party and my grandma bringing us the hot cocoa, and I just have so many wonderful life memories the list would go on and on. She died when I was 16 (30 years ago), grandpa died a few years ago. I miss them so much it still hurts. My dad's grandparents lived 15 minutes from us and we spent every Sunday afternoon with them and when I was old enough to drive I would go up on my own during the weekdays and sit at the table and talk and talk with grandma for hours. I miss them both so much too. I think grandparents are the most wonderful gift a child could have. I was blessed to have mine live so close to us. They spoiled us rotten and we loved it!
Oh how I dream of being young again and having my grandparents to talk to. I'm now 48 and live alone with husband. All my grandparents and mom are gone, dad lives across the country and I see him once every 3 years. I sure do miss them all. I hope all kids have a chance to be close to their grandparents the way I was.
My mom (when she was alive) and dad all have fond memories of their parents (they both told me they had the best parents anywhere).
So the only way I can sum it up is that "Grandparents are Heaven on Earth".
kids visiting grandparents over the
you choose to not work nights so you could have time for you? LOL.... does anyone else see the craziness in this?
Bringing my issue with grandparents and cousins to the top
I am sorry, I got myself out of town for the weekend to get away. I am still at a loss. I have tried contacting my grandparents numerous times to no avail. I emailed my sister, and she talked to my grandmother who said she has simply "missed my calls." Thank you all for letting me vent Friday and giving me opinions. I will not stoop to their level. Also, to the poster who asked why I think the baby's name had to do with it, it is because she kept saying, "Figure it out, Daddy's girl" and because when I asked if that was it, she said, "What baby, did I say something about a baby" and "aren't you a little Einstein."
Thanks again all!
I might add that grandparents on paternal side are deceased so
only ones around are mine but that doesn't seem to matter to them.
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