... My mom 'shops' in my stock pile...

[Frugal Lisa]

Omg... I hate it when my mom comes over... She always goes through my stock pile and decides what I need and what I have too many of... If she decides I have too many of an item she will take them , does anyone else have a person that does that??

She also makes more than my husband and I, she has no kids to support ( my brother and I are both adults) and her mortgage payments are smaller than mine... LEAVE MY FOOD ALONE!!!! Arg!!!!!

[Shwa Girl]

Hmmm.
I kinda take this as a compliment to you.
She is impressed with her daughter's ability to save.

Ask her not to do that or meet her out of your house - mall, restaurant, grocery store, theatre, nice outing when the weather is better (picnic in the park - from your stockpile of course).

Just my 2 cents.

[Shwa Girl]

OP, I am guilty of shopping in my Amerifriend's closet, when we go to visit. They get the best deals on clothes etc from US stores -- we never get these. I pay her, of course.

I also invite them over and give stockpile of Canadian stuff they can't get in the US.

Win.
Win.

[Minou]

Get a lock for the room you keep your stockpile in. When she asks to go in, just say, "Oh, no, Mom -- it's such an awful mess in there -- I don't want anyone seeing it!"

[francine1985]

set a price for each item and each time she "shops" from your stuff demand the money.

[Minou]

And next time you're at her house, maybe it would be fun to bug the daylights out of her and see what she says when you decide what she has in "surplus". "Oh, Mom... you don't need all your china anymore... you don't have a family at home! Why don't I take it home with me?"

[couponingtosurvive]

Arg is right! There is sharing, but this is taking & deciding what you should have??? Yikes... you really have to tell her no. So bizarre that you are in this sticky situation at all!!!

[MTLcouponer]

And next time you're at her house, maybe it would be fun to bug the daylights out of her and see what she says when you decide what she has in "surplus". "Oh, Mom... you don't need all your china anymore... you don't have a family at home! Why don't I take it home with me?"

Very passive-agressive and I wholeheartedly agree! Give her a taste of her own medicine!

[Frugal Lisa]

Thanks!! I will try and talk to her again about it. It's not that she does it that bugs me, it's that she doesn't ask me first...

[Frugal Lisa]

Hmmm.
I kinda take this as a compliment to you.
She is impressed with her daughter's ability to save.

To be honest, I never really thought of it like that. But I'm not saving squat if she is taking some of it. Like let's say I pay $3 for 3 boxes of cereal and she takes one than I have paid $3 for two. Price on each goes up. I have even offered to take her shopping and show her how to shop like me and she has never taken me up on it.

[anisa]

start hiding your stuff!

i like the idea of helping yourself to some family heirlooms. she doesn't need them anymore, she might as well pass them on while she can take pleasure in seeing you enjoy them right?

[saskatoonlady2004]

I would start a new stockpile room, that you don't tell her about. Start by gradually moving items that she thinks are "surplus" items first and I am thinking she won't take from virtually depleted piles. So when she asks why you don't have more, you can tell her it's hard to save when everyone is helping themselves to my stockpile. Do not let on you have the second space.

[GracieAnne]

Get a lock for the room you keep your stockpile in. When she asks to go in, just say, "Oh, no, Mom -- it's such an awful mess in there -- I don't want anyone seeing it!"

This is the best suggestion in my opinion, it isn't passive aggressive, it won't hurt things between you two and it'll keep her out of your stockpile.

[dreamcatcher1962]

Why not get her in on the couponing too.

I tease my mom because she wants to get the same deals I'm getting. Heaven forbid, I get a deal and she miss out on it, lol.

So I set her up with her own binder, help her get coupons for the things she needs, let her know when the things she wants are at great prices and when to stock up. I often go shopping with her to help her out at the cash as I think she finds the pm'ing etc a little overwhelming sometimes (she's 75).

This way she has her own stock pile which she is quite proud of. However if she does ever run out of anything she usually calls me first to see if I have any extra to keep her going until she can stock up again.

[sarah_cio]

Wow that would be frustrating!! I don't have anyone like that and I probably would be angry/frustrated if that happened.