Gift ideas for mother in law!!! Assistance needed.

[HappinessAhead]

So me & mil don't get on very well but that's another thread

I still like to make an effort to give her a decent gift but unfortunately we only have a budget of around £30 (absolute maximum, if we could get her something for £20 I would love that).

Her birthday is a few days before Xmas so I also need to get her a birthday present of similar value.

I've lost count of the scarves, gloves, handbags & candles that I've bought her.

She's early 60s, retired and no hobbies to speak of.

Thank you.

Dare I ask - could you ask her what she would like?? Or is that considered being rude? (Or likely to land you with a massively expensive expectation of getting something way beyond your price range? )

Consumables. Everybody eats, even her, so a small hamper of goodies. Fancy biscuits and posh tea in a pretty tin are you friends.

I feel she cooks how about a good food magazine subscription?

A graze box subscription? You can buy gift vouchers.

Do you have kids? I just get my MIL a really nice photo of the kids in a frame every year because she needs one to remember what they look like

I would also suggest a teapot with some lovely tea x

Slippers, posh hot chocolate, crosswords, knitting, new towels, plants, china mugs, fleecy rug, cushions

She sounds awesome OP! The fact you are thinking so hard about getting her a nice gift when she sounds, frankly, like hard work is lovely. It does sound as though she might possibly not appreciate anything, no matter how much thought and effort you put in?
Someone has already suggested old films on dvd, but I was going to suggest old TV shows (not the ones endlessly repeated on ITV4 or whatever though). One of my mum's favourite presents of recent years was a dvd of Ever Decreasing Circles . If she's really into the daily mail, maybe one of the slightly racist 80s sitcoms?

I also managed to buy my mum the original Miss Marples (Jane whatnot) on eBay, but they were all dubbed into Dutch. My mum watched them regardless with English subtitles, but it was unsettling!

A novel? A Emma bridgewater mug set? Some hand cream? A cookbook?

How about a calendar with her grandchildren's photo? You can make them on Vistaprint.

Buy some plain white tea towels and some fabric pens/paint? Get the dc to decorate them. Or do the same with mugs and ceramic paint?

DH has just advised me that due to work commitments, we won't be able to travel to his parents over the Xmas period (it's a good 10 hour drive away) so now it means any gift needs to be small so I can post it. I'm thinking maybe the pandora bracelet idea. I've had a look though and they're £40 but I can get for £28 on eBay (not my usual port of call but xmas is very expensive for us as we have an extremely large family). The reviews seem good, then I could get her a charm for her birthday. Thoughts?

That’s a lovely idea op. The other option is just that you accept she won’t like anything and get her a generic gift for £10-15 she put it out of your mind. My gran was like this and you can drive yourself mad with it but if you just accept they’re going to give away/put behind the sofa for best anything you get then you can buy with that in mind and shed the effort and guilt.

Pretty bird box/feeder so she can watch the birds in her garden whilst reading the paper?

How about cake? A special tin to keep 'em in, then choose a cake to send for each birthday/Christmas. Some of the fruit cakes last for ages. Even if she doesn't eat it herself, surely she will want to share it with the coven her friends.

www.bettys.co.uk/bettys-cake-tin

Hampers www.bettys.co.uk/gifts-hampers including some in the £16.30 price range

Cakes www.bettys.co.uk/cakes

Gifts (had to look here, wondering what else could gifts be... turns out to be inspirational gifts for friends and family. Right, that's my Christmas sorted, too, result.

I got my MIL one of those clear Perspex bird feeders that stick on the glass, so you can see birds up close. She loved it.

RonniePass ... you have literally saved Xmas for me. L’Occitane oil she would love that.

OP ... re the charm bracelet - not sure myself, jewellery can be quite personal.

Sounds a bit bonkers and old fashioned, but looking back my Granny used to love getting scented drawer liners/ scented bags for popping in with undies/ a room spray that I used to choke on due to over liberal usage

Would a little hamper of housey goodies be an idea? Feel free to say it's naff, old fashioned and sexist, but the age I would have been at the time of this gifting would've put her at the same age as my Granny.

Hotel Chocolat do awesome boxes that are designed to be posted (they fit through the letter box). And you can get good cash back through Quidco

Gift doesn't need to be postable, it needs to be able to be bought online so that it can just be delivered straight to her....

Love the perspex bird feeder idea! I'm taking that!

Subscription to Private Eye or Which?
Cinema vouchers and a bag of popcorn.
Graze subscription - get snacks delivered.
Mobile manicurist.
Solar rainbow maker - fits to the window again.

job for husband!

Goat from Oxfam.