sall:UncleLim:Sometimes it is just the parents' doing.My family gets rubbish packaged as gifts all the time. Especially from relatives who know that we are very \"simple\" (dressed simply, simple car, simple tastes etc). Our children received gifts that (1)are obviously recycled (2)have been used (3)damaged and some even (4)have parts or pieces missing. The irony is that these are the very same people who reward themselves and their own children with the very best in life: horse riding lessons, expensive watch collection, skiing holidays and cameras costing 5-figure sums.Like parents, like children. My mil used to give me rotten fruits that had been left on the altar for weeks. Some apples were already mouldy and the oranges stank. Imagine my fury when I saw those. Then once, I overheard her daughter talking about giving some very rusty canned food to the cleaner. Then when fil passed away, she wanted to give the sweeper the food offerings on the table. Some people may feel that at least mil took the trouble to pack those rotten fruits for me and the daughter also took the trouble to pack the food unsuitable for comsumption to give the cleaner. I feel that it is the meanest thing to do - to give broken stuff and food not fit for consumption to others.I don't mind taking used things if they are suitable. One of my friends :oops: before she gives will always ask me if I don't mind taking over her children old books etc. I'm very happy to receive them. I also recycle them by giving them to friends whose children are younger than DS3. When it come to things like food stuff, we have to be careful. My SIL always did the same thing as your MIL. There was once that I mentioned that the oranges were rotten when my MIL asked me to bring some home. My SIL remarked that I was ungrateful - xian san xian si - even when getting free stuff. She acted generous in front of my MIL but actually giving things that she herself would not consume. My other SILs also received rotten stuff from this SIL. What we did was just take and bring home to throw away. :rant: