Omg such anality from pil. Come and share your anal behaviour stories (lighthearted)

Ponders sounds like you are well on your way, but you could just catch it in time. Go and do something very wasteful to even things up maybe?

oh thanks, Sparkling

I already soak dirty dishes (from overnight - being an elderly slattern) in the sink before loading the d/w, & complain about people running the shower for 15 mins solid instead of turning it off & on like me, so am I making a good start?

"shit herself into a coma", dh and I are hooting at that

My Dmum is notorious for this kind of behaviour, bless her.

You can never leave her house, or have her visit, and come away empty handed. We joke that she's Teflon coated. Unpacked after our Christmas visit last week and discovered the reason the car was so overloaded was because she'd 'helped' with the packing, and managed to sneak in the entire contents of her fruit bowl - including a large melon and whole pineapple!

She also drove over to Dsis's house one time to leave half a packet of wooden washing pegs on her front doorstep. The other half she posted to me! Neither of us had mentioned needing more pegs...

She's so careful with with food that she often serves up micro portions. We were there for my birthday last year and she made meatballs for tea. Dsis and I were careful to request pasta because they don't eat it (or rice, bread etc). When we got there she'd forgotten the rice and had tried to stretch a pack of 12 meatballs between six people, so we got two each plus some broccoli :o. Poor DH's face was a picture.

She's a huge fan of the Avon and Betterware catalogues and must send a fortune on utter crap that lasts two minutes. Like the notorious onion keeper or the microwave egg poacher that either spills raw egg all over the counter (too small, wobbly) or nukes eggs to rubber. The best thing about her catalogue habit is that fact that it's on collision course with her endless guilt over spending money.

She made herself feel better about all the tat delights she bought before Christmas by wrapping it up and giving it to Dsis and me. I got a lovely set of felt Santa napkin holders...

I luffs my mum :).

shit herself into a coma

Ah Fuck I've got flu and nearly coughed up my entire lungs chuckling at that

All visitors to PIL's home MUST park on their driveway even if it is already occupied by their car, SIL's car, FIL's work van and the only available 'space' is so small that it is impossible to open the back doors to remove the DC. If the eminently more sensible option of parking on the road is taken, there is much tutting and pursing of lips while MIL informs FIL that we have walked "all that way" (100 metres tops).

When DH and I were first going out and he still lived at home, we made the mistake of bringing a McDonalds over the threshold (disclaimer - we were young and very hungover). Cue handwringing from MIL about us "eating it out of the papers". Had never occured to me to plate up a Big Mac and fries.

PsIL always warm red wine by the fire. It's supposed to be served warm, apparently.

But my DF always used to have a glass of "good" brandy (Armagnac or whatever). The women of the family were never offered a glass. This was a luxury only able to be savoured by a man. However, when my DSis brought her BF (now her DH) along, of course, he was offered some. I can still see the discomfort when he asked to mix it with coke!

My parents are early seventies Ponders, but it was a very gradual thing so you need to be aware.

The picnics!
You know those picnic tables overlooking the motorway/dual carriageway, which make you think 'who in gods name would have a picnic there?'.
Answer - my parents.

When they go shopping ( to shopping mall or similar) they eat sandwiches in the car park, and then going for cake in John Lewis .

They are not poor BTW.

HyvaPaiva
You are setting an old lady's mind at rest now.
Mine are not as detailed as those you receive, but are to make sure sure that I am met at the airport or hotel by my busy son.

Mine often include a list of restaurants he might like, as he has a limited vegetarian who eats fish diet (see another thread!) so I hope I am not too set in my ways.

Thanks for your kind post

would some of you please give ages for these lunatics?

only I'm 61 & don't do any of this; I want to know when I'm supposed to start

My DPs wash their recycling.

They also have some elaborate shower routine which occurs at the crack of dawn as their power shower 'uses too much water'. On to get wet, off to soap up, on to rinse, off to apply shampoo, on to rinse off all for no more than 30s intervals.

BUT DF will wear a shirt a day and put it in the wash to be laundered and ironed by my DM regrdless of whether it needs it or not. They are both obsessed by us putting a load of washing on whenever we stay with them even if we are only there for one night.

They've been having a butter war for most of their 40 year marriage. DM likes to keep it in the fridge, DF would actually like to spread it on his toast. A wild solution might be to take it out when they get up at he crack of the sparrows wotsit but noooo they just grumble about the other leaving it out/putting it away. DH started microwaving it so he could spread it when we stay with them and now DM leaves it out especially for him. DF is fuming.

dont want to be a party pooper but i think we can all learn some frugal tips from this generation.....,

1. heavily preggers - v v hot weather - at bar about to buy drinks, FIL insisits he will pay - argy bargy from me - give in to him. I ask for TWO sparkling mineral waters - as v thirsty and HOT and can see only small bottles.

FIl returns to table to table with three drinks only, two spk minerals which HE pointedly drinks one of - and drink for dh.

2. Mil has back door mat - with dish towl like cloth on top - with a smaller dust type rag placed on top of that = I dont step on door mat at all.

3. Specific sinks for handwashing for different guests

4. had heart attack about wood floor warping after spying a " single" drop of tea running down my cup - therein ensued much drama and excitement after DH went to get a cloth to wipe the drip from my cup and he got the wrong cloth.

5. offered to help with dishwasher once too - BIG MISTAKE, spoken to softly and carefully whislt it was explained which plate went where - which cloth to use....and how glasses dont go in....I nealry asked him if he could put his hands on that manual he must have written on how things are done in this PRISON...

6. panic after each meal until plates safley away in dishwasher

7. Panic when a handbag strays into the kitchen or any room of the house - again in very gentle voice - explained - that handbags and all bags MUST stay in the utility room, as he has seen what happens when things get - chaotic....

8. mil deeply offended by any dirt of filth you leave her to clean up, such as a stray hair ( just the' one' you missed whilst sweating cleaning up water marks after a shower),

9. the whole upstairs of the house carpets CHANGED - new ones brought after DH sicked up - chicken tika massala on the floor up there....( luckily they didnt know it was after eating too many magic mushrooms ......even more lucky that when he came round he hadnt - as he thought....taken a bloody spray can and scrawled all over the walls in the fucking "no go zone room" where no is allowed expcept xmas, and even then with no colored liquids...

It is such a generational thing, isn't it?

We serve gravy straight from the pan here. Unless there are lots of us (or we're trying to be posh haha) then we serve it from either a teapot (which we never use otherwise) or a big plastic juice jug thing.

Drives MIL crackers. She's bought us various gravy boats for the purpose but they're too small. The Christmas-themed one is good though.

My in laws not only switch everything off at the wall and unplug (literally everything is also connected to a circuit breaker), but they DISCONNECT THE WASHING MACHINE FROM THE MAINS EACH AND EVERY TIME THEY USE IT. Sorry to shout, but I don't often get the chance to let this out.

They have a different cloth for every conceivable purpose, including separate arse flannels which are actually brown.

LRD - I am going to visit them later in the week and find a way to casually drop into the conversation that DP is going to pick me up tampax. DF's face would be an absolute picture.

Oh another FIL one!

No way can you eat in his car, absolutely not!

But even worse is if you touch the windows when they mist up

I did that in the early days, never forgotten.

He would truly shudder at the state of under the DC car seats and our windows

Great thread

It drives my DM nuts that I use a milk jug for gravy and use the milk straight out of its plastic jug.

She bought me an insulated gravy jug for Xmas this year. But it's tiny so guess I'll still be using the milk jug.

No one except my MIL is allowed to make FIL a coffee. If I try and sneak one to him she snatches it away, pours it down the sink and makes him a proper cup. I kid you not.

Oh and plates have to be warmed in the oven or food will get cold!? Wtf?!

recharge - we obviously have similar parents.

If I want to really bother my dad, I will send DH out to pick up shopping including tampax. It is Wrong, apparently.

Here's a couple for you.. Staying with parents over Xmas, df was aghast I wanted to have a shower as he'd just 'cleaned the bathroom'!! Also Dm put one, yes one, rasher of bacon back in the fridge after making bacon sandwiches!? Just cook the bloody thing!