Not exactly a matter of life and death but...quick question I would appreciate some advice on. My mother-in-law is a shopaholic and always buys something for me or for the house whenever she calls. I know its so nice and kind of her, the problem is she buys exactly the opposite things to my taste, every time.
At first I accepted the presents graciously and then, well, often put them in a cupboard, but then it just got ridiculous - such a waste of money on things that (i) I don't need and (ii) I don't like.
At the heart of it - she doesn't like my taste and wants to change it to hers. For example she not-so-secretly disapproves of the ethnic food I often cook and drops hints about how it makes my OH's skin bad or how it smells. When he visits home she sends him home with a load of "proper" food like roasts and potatoes - which of course is great, and I cook them and enjoy them, but the underlying message is that she doesn't like what I cook.
She arrives with curtains, rugs, cushions, bedcovers, all of which I have already. I explain that I don't need them and she needn't keep buying things, but she says "oh but these are SO much smarter" or "purple is a dead persons colour, you'll want these for if you have any guests". I have so much polyester cream and gold in my cupboards I could go into business selling it!
Is there a point at which I can refuse these gifts? It'll be a long life, and require a whole lot of storage space, if I keep accepting!