Cheap chocolate and presents from MIL

Lidl bunnies don't contain palm oil.
Cadbury and Nestle do.

I used to work in a high end independent chocolatier. I never buy Cadbury or Nestlé. I haven't bought them this year but I've eaten Lidl chocolate before and it was not bad at all.

I think you have missed the sarcasm there.

Lidl chocolate is superior to Cadburys nowadays without a doubt, both in taste and in ingredients. And it's not really any cheaper to buy an egg from there either.

Mine would have enjoyed eating the receipt 😂

Lidl bunnies are delicious, you should try them!

You sound hard work.

I’ve never know a child question what brand their chocolate is or turn any down for that matter.

and as for the toys, theres nothing wrong with toys just because they’re from B&M

Maybe unclench a little and let go.

I wouldn't ask them to buy your kids clothing, they might buy some ghastly high street abomination and how on earth could your children ever be expected to wear anything that didn't come with a designer label?
Seriously though, your kids must be incredibly picky if they only eat brand-named chocolate, sounds like this might be more your issues than theirs, maybe don't teach them that brand names equal quality, that's setting them up for a lifetime of wasting money on brand named things even when the own brand equivalent is just as good. We're big fans of Aldi's rip-off brands in our household, their Titan (Mars style) bars and Jaffa cakes, in particular, are every bit as good, if not better than the originals and much cheaper too! I have a friend who is a high-end professional chocolate-maker but, when she wants to pick up a quick chocolate fix she always heads to Aldi!
Finally, £10 doesn't sound excessively cheap for a toy and I'd be surprised if they all broke in five minutes, unless your kids are deliberately smashing them in which case I'd say you had bigger issues on your hans than your in-laws present choices!

Clothes to a child are necessities until they are brand hungry teenagers.

I have an image of you snatching the plastic tat away from your dc as they gleefully play with it, replacing it smugly with a Grimm's rainbow which the DC look at with disdain.

Imagine how you'd feel if you were asked to stop buying your Grandchildren gifts one day.

Give them food banks etc if you really can't find a use for them.

My nephew loves cheapie B&M toys. You sound really ungrateful.

Yes, if someone turned up with a clothing gift,
wooden toy or gift card at easter
@nottheplan I’d think they were odd,
but I’d be nice about it. My DM genuinely
believes Lidl is better and fancier as European chocolate, and she too can afford 5 star hotels…

there has to be some
backstory of alienation here as this is small beans.

Maybe they don’t believe in the absolutely appalling practices of Nestle.
for example
Maybe they have morals on that one !

thank fuck I can pay off my overdraft

🤣🤣🤣

What sort of cheap chocolate?
Some own brand is better than Cadbury’s.

You beat me to it, I love the chocolate from those two and it really doesn't taste or look cheap

They are cheap plastic and frankly you sound joyless, self centered and insufferable. When you buy a gift its for the RECEIVER not for your personal tastes, no kid is excited for and appreciating clothing or a £5 (what are kids in need of money for? he not going thank fuck I can pay of my overdraft) its the dullest and laziest possible gift you can give a child.

Lovely post.

Common sense prevails 👏👏👏

Mm
Im sure the kids will enjoy playing with the receipt for that 🤣

just a quess but that sounds like sarcasm from @CurlewKate

because there’s always loads of MIL bashing on MNet

I understand this OP

it's a horrible waste of money etc and landfill junk to give kids cheap toys that break quickly.

Have you got a child isa for yhem, i would say they get too much rubbish and a donation of 5 pounds to their isas would be more valuable.

I think you've worded it badly but I do understand. My Mil always used to buy clothes for my child, hideous gypsy style outfits. I wouldn't put her in them, I had to tell her I didn't like it in the end otherwise she would keep buying it and it was a waste of her money. It probably was mean but after she used to ask. She also used to buy tat toys constantly it was unnecessary like three days after Xmas still buying things. I think she had a shopping addiction if I'm honest she was always buying things off those fb buy and sell sites. It sounds ungrateful and it is I'll admit that. I know grandparents love to spend on their kids. It's a difficult one to navigate. Probably the best thing is to say thanks and donate it yourself.

Peak mumsnet snobbery.

No brand chocolate and gift under £20... oh no, the sheer disrespect clearly you should state only hotel chocolate at minimum and gifts £100+ shall be accepted in future.

Pull your head out your ass love. Its NOT your gift and you don't have to like it, let your child have their own relationship with their own family, its not about you.

@takealettermsjones all I am trying to say is that there is a difference between the in laws giving gifts that the OP has referred to. If the in laws genuinely believe the kids will like them that is great however there is the option that they are and doing it because it’s Easter or another occasion and they want to go down the lowest cost option so they can tick a box that they have given a gift. With regards to toys fully agree that price doesn’t always mean quality and some lower cost toys will outperform named brand time and again. That said there is a broad spectrum of cheap toys some which very much are are low quality and will break with ease I’ve taken the OP at face value that these were the type of toys in question.