2 posts tagged “christmas”
Who is the cheapest person you know? (Not frugal... just annoyingly cheap!)
Submitted by kryan70.
my step-mother.
i personally think you get what you pay for. granted, the most expensive of an item isn't always the best, but buying something for $10 will definately outlast (& probably out perform) the same type of item that you might buy for $1.
step-mother, on the other hand, believes that the cheapest of everything works just as good. granted...it *might* the first time or two...but i've seen her using several cheap items she bought for pennies on the dollar compared to what a good quality of the same thing would cost & she struggles, it does a half ass job (if that). now, i know that some cheap items do work very well, so i'm not knockin' all cheap stuff. but MOST of everything she buys doesn't work very well, or falls apart/breaks after not too long.
...::: a little pause in the rant about the step-mother :::...
now, before we get into my christmas gifts from bad gift givers... i must tell you that over the years of getting shitty christmas gifts i have *not* perfected the "oh, i really like it" face. most people i have ever gotten gifts from give shitty gifts. i just don't understand WHY people don't pay attention to what someone likes & give them that sort of gift or something that falls within their interests/tastes. my mother for example. God love her, but she used to buy TONS of crap i didn't want or like just so i'd have LOTS of presents to open on christmas day. i don't know how many YEARS it took me to get it through her head that i'd rather you buy me 1 or 2 things i REALLY REALLY want & like than 20 tiny presents i don't like & won't keep. she FINALLY understood after several years. skot & candance & i like a lot of the same things, so the gifts i've gotten from them were always pretty cool. ^_^ now, i'm sure i've been guilty of giving a shitty gift myself... if so i *deeply* apologize. for example, my cousin skot & his wife candace... they like movies, games & some odd cool things. (& they sometimes go through obsessive phases - candace for example was on a hello kitty obsession when i was so i think i gave her some hello kitty stuff one year) i usually try to give them some movies, or tv dvd box set, gift certificates to the theater, one year i gave them this really cool african looking wooden carved statue thing. some other people in my family are hard to buy for... they either don't want anything, or never buy the things they want... so it's hard to imagine what they'd like. anyway, many appologies to any crappy gift getters i may have offended. =P
...::: we now return to the scheduled rant :::...
example... clothes. i get clothes from them (dad & step-mother) for christmas. *rolls eyes* i HATE when people buy me clothes. for some reason people never seem to ::remember:: what i like to wear & buy other shit that i don't like. but i have to wear it a time or two anyway... for christmas this year i got 3 shirts (among other things). all from wal-mart no less. well... the blue one (which was actually a pretty color of slate blue) after about 3 washings started to fall apart around the neck. i was *so* shocked. (yes, i'm being sarcastic) the black one with this tan piping design thing after one wash became all frayed & thready. the 3rd shirt i was given - being a sweat shirt hoody thing & actually was kind of cute - hasn't suffered the "cheap mans fate" like the other 2 shirts have.
i ALSO got a "Everythings A $1" store quality flashlight, car emergency flasher lamp thing. o.O my first thought was "WTF is this?" i mean, seriously, do they NOT realize that the flashlight i keep in the trunk of my car (below)
is of better quality & will do more good than a flashlight that would have come from the everything's a buck store (i trashed the flashlight about a week after christmas & i couldn't even find an image of a crappy enough flashlight to post.)
i got some soap - i kid you not. not like a nice pretty basket of soap... oh no, some regular pick up off of the shelf, 3 bars in a paper wraped pack, bars of irish spring (the blue kind) soap. now, i LIKE irish spring soap... the green & blue soaps. so that was kind of nifty...but i've never gotten *just bars* of bath soap like that for christmas... or for ANY gift occasion actually. ROFL
i also got "gifts" that i can use for work. a log case (like a plastic clip board that opens up to put papers inside), pens, work gloves, & other things like this.... *sigh*
let's see...what else.... um... oh yes, they DID give me the North & South dvd box set...but that was only after she asked me to order it in like august of last year - she thought they only had it on VHS - & after it arrived she already had it. so, she gave it to me. i was glad to get it b/c i like the movie.
now, keep in mind that dad doesn't buy the gifts. i imagine i might fare a tad bit better if he bought the gifts, but you know, i don't really know.
things she has bought for others: for kids, it's the usual coloring books, colors, markers, etc. but does she buy really cool coloring books? nope. the jumbo $1 kind that are good for a 2 year old.... but she gets those for like 8 & 9 year old kids. *sigh* even i know better than that. cheap clothes is also in there somewhere. cheap toys that are SO not desired... you know, from the $ store. *sigh* for guys... it's stuff i just would be embarrased to buy. granted dad & her son get the usual socks, sweats, undershirts & undies. *rolls eyes* i DO NOT consider those gifts. (well, for women to GET nice pretty undies is always a nice gift... but socks & boxers for guys is not in my opinion) let's see...what else... oh yes... the antler phone. she bought one for her brother & one for her son. not as a joke.... as a real gift. she took it out of the box & i *died laughing*... after i could breathe, i said, "that's an awesome gag gift. what'd you really get for them?". she looked pretty pissed & said, "this isn't a gag gift... they like to hunt."
so, compared to what they go me... here is the stuff i bought myself for christmas:
i also bought a new keyboard for my computer & some little speakers too. the good speakers i bought AGES ago that sounded awesome got broken by my cats knocking one of them off of the desk & it landed "just so" that it broke off of it's little plastic stand thing.. & i can't replace the stand since i bought them forever ago. so, i figured i'd get better speakers later in life.
Show us your loot!
'twas a good christmas! i got bought 5 dvd box sets i've been wanting & also the rest of the movies that are spread out... along with Chibi-Robo for my NGC. i also got myself a new keyboard for my computer & some cheap speakers. i wanted bose, but... well...
the movies on the far arm that are hard to see in the pic are: Notting Hill, The Village, Quills & Under the Tuscan Sun. The gold box set is the Alias (complete collection) Rambaldi artifact box Limited Edition of 40,000.
=)
