Money Moral Dilemma: Should I buy my family gifts when I go on holiday as they do for me?

CapeTown

I believe somewhere on the MSE site  there is a whole thread devoted to not buying Christmas presents. Surely holiday presents are the same.

iclayt

Oh stop being so miserable and buy your family some biscuits.

Pollycat

Adamhoward20 said:

I am very anti giving and receiving unwanted gifts. It is a waste of money, plastic and stress trying to find something suitable. 

Your friends and family may decide to buy you something, but that in no way obligates you to return the favour. 

+1 to this.
Unwanted gifts are a waste of money.
The author of the dilemma should work on their family to stop buying gifts - I think it's rude to keep buying stuff when you've been asked not to. It's certainly not 'good manners' to feel you have to reciprocate.

Like another poster, I do buy odd bits of food from holidays for a couple of friends - olive oil, maybe local alcohol, coffee beans etc unavailable here.

toadhall

I tend to pick up magnets, usually I'm asked to bring them one back

NannyJaffaCakes

If this is a family tradition and they want to continue it, then bring something edible appropriate to the area you are visiting.  My family used to do this until one year we all decided that enough was enough and decided to stop.  It works for us and there's no bad feeling or gifts put in cupboards because they are unwanted.  Talk to your family and see what they think.  

Moneygonewhere?

When I go away in this country my daughter feeds my cat so I bring back an edible gift for them all to enjoy. Not rock though. It's bad for their teeth and the over eighteen's have to pay for dental treatment.

If I go abroad then the cat goes to a cattery and all the family are with me on the holiday.

Agent57

No.

And when they bring you back a gift say "Oh, you shouldn't have". "No, really, you shouldn't have."

I go on holiday to get away from all this nonsense.

Timbobmit

The suggestion of local food or drink good idea. Or put some money in local charity box instead (maybe Lifeboats if at seaside) and postcard to explain.

Gizasmum

Pollycat said:

Adamhoward20 said:

I am very anti giving and receiving unwanted gifts. It is a waste of money, plastic and stress trying to find something suitable. 

Your friends and family may decide to buy you something, but that in no way obligates you to return the favour. 

+1 to this.
Unwanted gifts are a waste of money.
The author of the dilemma should work on their family to stop buying gifts - I think it's rude to keep buying stuff when you've been asked not to. It's certainly not 'good manners' to feel you have to reciprocate.

Like another poster, I do buy odd bits of food from holidays for a couple of friends - olive oil, maybe local alcohol, coffee beans etc unavailable here.

Me too. I haven't brought holiday gifts back for 40 years. I'm not being mean.

My Mum and sister bring back small gifts that are a complete waste of money and generally if no use or interest to me. I've told them repeatedly over the years to stop doing it, but they insist. I have 3 unwanted and unneeded key rings from they're last weekend away. It was only 100 miles away from home to a place I've been hundreds of times, and much more often than them. It's getting to the stage that I'm going to have to throw stuff into the bin in front of them so that they'll finally get the message.

Holiday gifts are generally tacky rubbish. I hardly ever see something I want to buy, even for myself. If I do see something I know a member of my family would love, if it was affordable and small in size then of course I would buy it. It wouldn't be classed as a holiday gift though, it's just a gift I happened to buy when I was on holiday. It's no different from what I'd do at home, absolutely nothing to do with me being in holiday. I hate shopping for anything at any time. Why on earth would I go out my way to waste time and money on bringing back unwanted rubbish?

Cirrus5

Simply, No. But tell them you won't before you go.