Small annoyances...

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Patchouli

Patchouli

Gatekeeper
Staff member
Moderator
Neighbor
HCL Supporter
Joined
Dec 20, 2017
Messages
12,760
Recently the girls and I went to an "antique mall" to see if they had any particular items.
There were a few vendors who had Corning ware dishes exactly like ones I still use and have had most of my married life (30+ years). These items were for sale, like $12 for one dish. If I were to have a yard sale and sell the same dish, I'd be lucky to get a dollar for it!
I was happy to buy some Corning ware cereal bowls for cheap there, so that was a good purchase.

Quite a few years ago, one of the kids had a new friend over to play. This little boy looked around at our stuff and said, "why is everything in here so old?" I don't really know what he was referring to. Everything was older than he was at that point. I have rarely bought brand new furnishings.

Which brings me to my next annoyance...birthdays. They are cool, great, wonderful. I love birthdays.
But I really don't like going out shopping for an obligatory gift and card.
Why am I like this?
Don't fuss at me for being weird about birthdays. I will continue to celebrate them like I do. I call my family member or child, say happy birthday, and that's the end.
I'm not really sure what people expect for their birthdays. Maybe I'm burnt out on it. (If you had as many kids as I do, you might also be burnt out on it, but maybe it is because I hate shopping).
How do you show birthday love?
What do you expect when it is your birthday?
 
I don't give gift cards or money. The only exception to the money is when one of my daughters wants to go shopping for the birthday and out to lunch with myself and the other daughters (there are 3). Then I give money and they can buy what they want, usually clothes or shoes. I keep a gift cupboard and a gift bin going of things I found at a good sale, something I've made, or something set aside for someone in particular. Those gifts I use often. Two of my staff's birthdays are coming up and I'll make them each a gift basket from those items.
 
I like to embroider when I'm in the car or waiting for something. So lots of embroidered table scarves. Also pin cushion mason jars, mod podged candles with old style prints on them, essential oil lotions, salves, cappuccino mixes, hot chocolate mixes, chai mixes, potpourri using my own roses, tea made with my own herbs, dried apples. I pick up small items I see at the store when they are a good price, too. I look for baskets to put gifts in at thrift stores.
 
Patchouli said:
Recently the girls and I went to an "antique mall" to see if they had any particular items.
There were a few vendors who had Corning ware dishes exactly like ones I still use and have had most of my married life (30+ years). These items were for sale, like $12 for one dish. If I were to have a yard sale and sell the same dish, I'd be lucky to get a dollar for it!
I was happy to buy some Corning ware cereal bowls for cheap there, so that was a good purchase.

Quite a few years ago, one of the kids had a new friend over to play. This little boy looked around at our stuff and said, "why is everything in here so old?" I don't really know what he was referring to. Everything was older than he was at that point. I have rarely bought brand new furnishings.

Which brings me to my next annoyance...birthdays. They are cool, great, wonderful. I love birthdays.
But I really don't like going out shopping for an obligatory gift and card.
Why am I like this?
Don't fuss at me for being weird about birthdays. I will continue to celebrate them like I do. I call my family member or child, say happy birthday, and that's the end.
I'm not really sure what people expect for their birthdays. Maybe I'm burnt out on it. (If you had as many kids as I do, you might also be burnt out on it, but maybe it is because I hate shopping).
How do you show birthday love?
What do you expect when it is your birthday?
Click to expand...

I chuckled at your post Patchouli. I have "vintage" stuff in my home too. I have the old record player and cassette tape deck that I got as a teen and still use. I have an Atari in my game room. I have the same dishware that we were gifted (used) when we moved in. I have since added some of the same dishware to my collection that I have found on yard sales or at second hand stores. I still have the same oven that we bought back in the 90's. Although, we've had to replace the frig and dishwasher. LOL! What can I say? If it works, why replace it? There's an added bonus......it's ALL paid for!

I don't really do much for Birthdays. Usually I'll call or send a card. For DH or kids I get some small gifts, but nothing extravagant. I think Birthdays are most important for the young kids and I don't really have any of those anymore:( I too do what AmishHeart does and keep a gift closet. I usually stock up on gifts when they go on clearance like gloves, candles, fancy shower gel, hoodies, hunting supplies, honey, maple syrup, etc. I'll pick up anything I think my family will use or like. Most of the time it's right after Christmas, so I have to keep it organized in a closet (or tote) or I'll forget about it. I actually have some totes labeled X-mas gifts for those occasions I need just a little something for someone I didn't really intend on buying anything for. That tote has saved my butt many times. I also have a cabinet with an assortment of cards. I have birthday, graduation, fathers day, mothers day, get well, thank you, etc. I also have blank cards that can be used for any occasion, that have also come in handy over the years. I also keep a small assortment of gift cards on hand that can be included in a card as emergency "oops, I forgot" gift. LOL!

My annoyance (and it's not really a small one) is when I park way out in the far reaches of the parking lot and some jerk parks right next to me and dents my car anyways!:mad: Yes, this happened last week! All the other spots around me were wide open.......WTH???? I left a nasty note on the windshield. I could see the paint from their white truck on my door, so I KNOW it was that vehicle that did it. People are so inconsiderate!
 
I also have gift bin or tote.
Have a variety of gifts from Newborn to Adult.
Also have binder with name of gifts and a spot for the name.
So hopefully the same person won't get the same gift.
I have a crochet pattern of cup and saucer that I fill with teas.
Some of the teas are from my herb garden, some I buy on sale or clearance.
Also do needlework, which I will frame. Sometimes it nothing but a saying they like.
Or their children's handprints made into table runners, and three D flowers made of yoyo's.
Little items I try to keep in stock, and things I can make.
Babies get bibs, drool cloths,simple sleeper/gowns with ribbon at the bottom, receiving blankets.
Small puzzles, usually homemade,homemade Lincoln Logs or Jenga Logs.
Wooden beads, thread spools painted primary colors for ankles, wrist etc.
Homemade ABC's blocks with local animal on them.
Just a few ideas.
 
"But I really don't like going out shopping for an obligatory gift"
My family used to give birthday gifts and we still do to the little kids but mostly now we do not. Instead we give gifts to each other at random. One of us will see something that we know one of the others would like so we buy it and gift to them. We do the same with our grown children. That way we always get something we really like instead of some last minute gift. The gifts might be well over a year apart or there might be a couple in one month. We think it is better this way because for one thing we never know when a gift might arrive at our place but when one does it will always be something great. And it is never about any monetary value instead it is about caring enough about the others to listen to them talk so we know them well enough to buy the right thing. And when we do get a gift we know it is from the heart and not just because it is a certain date on the calendar.
 
@Patchouli my thing is with pushy salespeople trying to sell over priced items when we go in looking for a bargain priced it will work but I don't need to pay mega bucks for it. In such cases I will say where is the gold plating on it to justify that price ? and then pick up a far cheaper version and still haggle the price down :) . Also I might add that I also hate when we go and buy anything when a salesperson refuses to talk to me but only talk to my husband in which case they have lost our business as DH notices too. Another thing is when we go and buy a car and they look at me and tell me oh it is such a pretty colour condescendingly, GRRR, to which my reply is well now I am not interested in the colour just what the mechanical specs are and show me under the bonnet thanks, yes I am an ex licenced motor dealer and know my stuff and what I and DH want.

Children are just so black and white and say what they think mostly :) , says something not good about the parents that the child is used to brand spanking new everything. We did have a friend come over with her children and they own a business and have multiple personal and business cars. She said looking rather sad oh dear you only have one car while we have lots.

Birthdays I have a gift cupboard where I keep mostly handmade items and gift cards that go to others. I will also choose gifts like handmade jams or dried herbs we pick from our gardens or alternatively gifts I have picked up throughout the year cheaply. Rarely do we shop for a gift last minute and I usually tailor the gift to the person's interests and decor which I will know colours and styles beforehand.
 
Last edited:
And then there's card prices! Wow! I have a few boxes of "generic" get well and bday cards that were bought discounted as a set from Walgreens. Also have a box of blank white cards with matching envelopes with pretty rubber stamps so I can make a card and write what I want inside.
 
When we were first married, work made it almost impossible for me to get into town to buy a card for the wife. And when I could get into town she would demand to see everything I had bought. So my solution was to make her home made cards. I put a lot of time and effort into them. "Too cheap to buy a card?" she would say.

Fast forward 20 years. Wife joined a "cult" that met every month to make cards and exchange the "how to"! And buy the stuff to do so. First time the wife gave me one of her homemade cards for my Birthday. What I was thinking in my head was "Too cheap to buy a card?" What came out of my mouth was, "Thank you Dear. This is really nice."

My side of the family would get together once a month to celebrate that month's Birthdays & Anniversaries with homemade ice cream. Wife's side fills obligated to celebrate individual Birthdays' and considers it insulting to celebrate two events at the same time.
 
I love it that you made cards, @The Lazy L . I used to make cards too. Watercolors.
@Sewingcreations15 and @hiwall , I like the idea of picking up an item I think someone would like and either just giving it then or on their birthday. I rarely think like that. LOL
@Amish Heart I have a few rubber stamps. Another great idea.
Buying clothing for my kids, I usually get the wrong size.
 
My wife makes cards for everyone. She has thousands of stickers, rubber stamps, and other related items to make the cards. She buys blank cards with envelopes. She sends out cards for every holiday, birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, etc, etc.
We spend a lot of money on postage and on the "free" cards she makes. But it keeps her busy and she enjoys it so she does it with my blessing.
I helped her design and order her own custom rubber stamp with which she stamps the back of every card she makes. Around Christmas time I never see or hear from her because she is busy making the 150+ Christmas cards that she sends out.
 
The most valuable thing I have is my time. I spend the day with my children and buy something they pick out while we are out enjoying the day. I do the same with my wife. I don't let her do the cleaning or dishes at home as I do that instead. When my mother was alive I would call to say thank you on my birthday and on her birthday we would spend the day together. I would buy her new shoes or a coat or what ever she chose, but what she enjoyed the most was the time we spent together and the conversations we shared.
 
Patchouli said:
...Buying clothing for my kids, I usually get the wrong size.
Click to expand...

I stop buying clothes for the wife. I'd get a dress size from one of her dresses hanging in the closet. Bought a dress that size and it was too small, "Do you wish I was that small and you want me to lose weight?" was her response.

So the next time I asked the Clerk, "What is the next size up from this one?" I got it right this time! "Do you think I'm this big?" Was the wife's response.

Back to the wife's closet. This time I check for the size on more then one dress. All different sizes!?!?

I've got a solution. I asked the wife to visit her favorite clothing store, pick out what so likes and have the store put her choices back in lay-away. Now I know no matter which one I pick I'll still pick the wrong one so I bought ALL of her selections! I let the children pick from my purchase so they could give mom something for Christmas. What was left I wrapped as my present to the wife. Wouldn't you know it the children managed to pick out the wife's favorite and mine were the so so?

Gift card...
 
Golleeee, @The Lazy L you just can't EVER win. I'd be thrilled you thought enough of me to even go out to shop, then you pick out a dress for me too. (My hubby is nice like that but most men know buying clothing for the wife is a no-win situation). Somebody needs a lesson in gratitude but learning doesn't come easy, only by experience, and some never learn.
:archery:
 
Last edited:
I have bought my daughter many things that were not what she wanted, and a waste of money for me. That is one of the reasons we only buy what we know the other wants. She wanted and needed new serving bowls to serve Thanksgiving dinner last year. For her, nothing can be just anything. It has to be just so. She got online, found the exact bowls she wanted, and I went to the local store and bought them.

She has told me in the past, "Don't buy me anything for Christmas. I don't really need anything." Other years, she has had a wish list. Last year, I made her a shop apron, because she and her boyfriend spend a lot of time doing shop things. I know she will get a lot of use out of the apron, and has already, but she had me change out some things and decorate it for her. It has to be just so for her.

This is the same girl who told me we should stop putting up Christmas decorations and a tree because it was so much work, when she saw how hard I worked when I was teaching and working on my house.
 
@The Lazy L I have a solution to your dilemma take wife ahead of occasion shopping with you and get her to pick after trying on what dress or anything on her wish list she wants and buy it for her. That way you can never get it wrong and if she later says she doesn't like it you can say well that is the one you picked darling :) .

By the way there is no standard sizing to women's clothing as they vary widely in size between brands so no wonder you couldn't get the correct size anyway just for your information. I can vary anywhere from an Australian size 8 through to a size 12 depending on the make of clothing and anywhere from a 8 - 16 in swimmers depending on the length of them because I am long in the body.

DH's solution as sizes vary so widely is if I say I need new dresses is go online honey and find what you like and I will buy it for you or he takes me shopping and says pick what you need and like and I will buy it for you. DH's taste is vastly different from mine, so I probably wouldn't like what he picked out for me either.

Your wife should be more grateful to you though because you think of her, and suggest or you suggest, I will take you back to the shop and exchange it for you so you can try it on and then I will buy it for you then.

I might add if I ever did what you wife did to you then DH would say "well you get nothing" whilst shrugging his shoulders and turning his back on me and he would take it back and get a refund and true to his word I would get nothing. That is the way we roll here in our home. In the BOM it says "God condemns the unwilling rich and the ungrateful poor" paraphrasing here.
 
Last edited:
A big annoyance to me, since I am on the computer most of the time, is the way the videos have stopped being fun to watch, because everyone is trying to make a buck off them. Yesterday, my friend and I were discussing all the homesteading videos we used to subscribe to and how they have all changed to asking for donations or promoting products that they make money off. It is the same way for all the low carb videos I like to watch. Always promoting instead of just sharing the information. Some of the homesteading ones, we KNOW had big money to set their places up in such a short time. So needless to say, we are not watching these that used to be good videos with real information. Now it is push this product or service but it usually causes me to unsubscribe to their channel.
 
katlupe said:
A big annoyance to me, since I am on the computer most of the time, is the way the videos have stopped being fun to watch, because everyone is trying to make a buck off them. Yesterday, my friend and I were discussing all the homesteading videos we used to subscribe to and how they have all changed to asking for donations or promoting products that they make money off. It is the same way for all the low carb videos I like to watch. Always promoting instead of just sharing the information. Some of the homesteading ones, we KNOW had big money to set their places up in such a short time. So needless to say, we are not watching these that used to be good videos with real information. Now it is push this product or service but it usually causes me to unsubscribe to their channel.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more.
I like watching sailing videos on YT but now they all want you to become a Patron and send them money every month, or they post videos on Vimeo and want you to pay to watch.
Their big hook is they won't censer out the nudity if you pay.
Why would I want to send money every month to someone sailing around tropical islands drinking beer?
There are several that have enough paid patrons they quit their jobs and just hang out.

Giving cards is another one of my pet peeves.
I bought my wife a box of candy and a card.
When the cashier told me the total I was shocked and asked why so much.
Yep, it was the card.
$9.95 for a card and the candy was $7.99.
My wife makes all the cards she gives out.
If, and that's a big if, I give out a card it's for a kid and the inside says blah blah blah money.:)
 
Squirrels that keep pulling the bark off the tree. That annoys me.
Waking up earlier than I need to and unable to get back to sleep, but didn't get enough sleep.
Traffic lights on a straightaway that aren't timed to one another; then you have to stop at every light.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top