S/O Beggars, Moochers and Scammers

[Elfmama]

"you shouldn't charge so much for this, afterall, it's something you like to do".

Said in variations to both my quilts and my glass work.

I got this as a variation from my own DH!  Seems that if there is a hobby that you like to do, it takes no physical effort at all.  Because you know, scoring and breaking a clean line of glass, or leaning over a table holding down a ruler with one hand and snugging a rotary cutter against it with the other hand while simultaneously pressing down and forward to make the cut -- THOSE don't take any effort at ALL, right? 

[CrazyDaffodilLady]

Kids are the most demanding irresponsible moochers ever. 

I make dream catchers and offered some I happened to have to a friend’s grandchildren.  The grandson wanted me to make him one in different colors, with feathers (I hate feathers).  Granddaughter #1 lost hers and wanted another, in certain colors with certain features.  Granddaughter #2's got chewed up by the dog, and she wanted a designer replacement. 

Now I’m told their cousin wants one. 

Each child wants theirs to have every embellishment any of the others got, plus more. 

And the colors they want make me cringe.  For example, camouflage and neon orange.

At least they say "thank you". 

[Elfmama]

I can't find the post now, but I remember one made some years ago where the poster was crocheting a toy (as a gift?) and a random child demanded that the OP give it to her.  When she said no, Random Child's mother demanded that the OP hand it over, because she could always make another one.  When the OP continued to refuse, they tried to steal it.  IIRC, they also tried to convince an authority figure to intervene on their behalf.

[Minmom3]

My SIL did that to her brother one Christmas Day.  We were all in our 30's, and MIL had given BIL #4 a large Kermit The Frog.  SIL (child #5) and her family were there, and her son DEMANDED Kermit, and screamed when denied it.  SIL got up in her brother's face, demanding that he let her son hold Kermit, and was furiously angry when he refused.  He knew, as did the rest of us, that nephew would never have returned it (the kid was 2, after all...) and SIL would not have made him, and BIL loved the Kermit and intended to keep it.  Kermit was carefully guarded until BIL took him home at the end of his visit.  MIL, who rarely told SIL no, was not brought in, and did not intervene on nephew's behalf, most likely because Kermit was not cheap, and nephew would have destroyed him, and Kermit was a gift for somebody ELSE!     Yet one more episode in the the ongoing series starring SIL , "I Want What I Want, and I Want It Right NOW!"

[bloo]

I hear you guys. In our free time, DH likes to build computers, and I make bean-to-bar chocolate. We don't do it because it saves any money; reality is quite the opposite! Lots of people don't understand that, and think we're turning this stuff out in mass every day, so why shouldn't we make some for them?

If only my house really was a chocolate factory...

I hear you!

DH is an avid hunter and fisherman. He catches and cleans anywhere from 125-175 lbs of filets each year (small whitefish - so it's A LOT of fish and A LOT of work) and then I finish the cleaning and packing for the freezer (no small job for me and the kids). It takes many trips out to one of three lakes he goes to, often times coming back empty-handed. He enjoys fishing, we enjoy eating the fish and hosting at least one large fishfry a year, but we do NOT save money when one factors in the cost of his motor, insurance, gas, bait, equipment and license.

You'd be surprised at the number of people that have invited us to dinner at their house with the request, "We'll make the sides, you just bring the fish." To one of them that had repeated that request, my husband responded with, "Okay, buy some steaks and it'll be surf-n-turf," to which the gentleman looked like ! Then the guy said, "but you've got all that fish!" like DH just walks into a wading pool in our backyard with a net and they all magically clean themselves and jump into our freezer.

Now, mind you, we frequently show hospitality and we usually serve fish (unless we know a guest dislikes it) and we've sometimes chosen to give a couple pounds here and there as gifts but at our discretion.

One should never presume to receive a gift from someone's hobby!

[KB]

bloo, if you are invited again, I would go along and bring fish - uncleaned, ungutted, completely whole (eyes and all) fresh from the pond! After all, they never said you had to bring the fish ready to cook! Let them discover just how much work it is...

[bloo]

bloo, if you are invited again, I would go along and bring fish - uncleaned, ungutted, completely whole (eyes and all) fresh from the pond! After all, they never said you had to bring the fish ready to cook! Let them discover just how much work it is...

 


Just one more time and I think I will....

[LadyClaire]

I've had a lot of "will you make me.." or "will you teach me to..." requests from people. Oh, and the people who want me to fix their broken jewelry but don't want to pay me for the repair.

I've only had three people offer me money to repair their broken jewelry. That's out of the dozens of requests I've had over the years.

The "will you teach me how.." people also irritate the snot out of me. I finally relented and offered to teach a co-worker how to crochet and loaned her a crochet hook and a ball of yarn until she got her own. It's been over a year and I never got the hook back. I reminded her about it and she said "Oh. Yeah. I think I lost it. I'll buy you a new one" and never did.

Then there are the people who want to learn how to make soldered jewelry, using my supplies, and don't offer any money. Sure, I'll just give you a sheet of sterling silver that's worth $50 for you to "practice" with, and you can use my tools and my solder and my torch fuel..no problem. I've told a lot of people I don't teach metalsmithing. Which I don't. I don't have the patience to teach other people how to do it, and I don't feel like taking on the liability of handing someone a torch and telling them to have at it. A lot of people think you use a soldering iron to solder jewelry..you don't. It's a full-blown open flamed torch. The one I have can get a big nasty flame if you're not careful.

[CrazyDaffodilLady]

My crochet teacher occasionally offers a free beginner’s class that holds 10 people.  One time she got a call from a very pushy mother who wanted to enroll herself, her friend, and their three daughters (taking half the available spots).  Teacher said the classes were for adults, but that she would consider offering a children’s class.  Pushy Mom hounded the teacher until she gave in: the girls were dying to learn to crochet, it would be such a wonderful mommy/daughter bonding experience, etc.

First class, it was obvious the girls didn’t want to be there.  They were obnoxious and disruptive and walked out of the class half way through.  Neither moms nor daughters showed up for the second class.   

[LadyJaneinMD]

I think we can start an entire separate thread just for crafting/hobby stories and the people who think we can do them for everyone, for free.

I had a roommate once who knew just enough about sewing to be dangerous.  Problem is, I am really good at sewing, and she loved that.   She came home from a trip once, and told me all about this very large lady she met on the plane who was too poor to afford a winter coat, and she thought I could make one for her, as a surprise.  Polar fleece, of course (I love the stuff).  She didn't know the lady's name, how to contact her, or even what size she was, except that 'she's really big!', like that's a size.   I showed my roommate a very simple online pattern that would fit anyone, and told her, 'You figure out how much polar fleece you need, and I'll help you make it'.   Yeah, that never happened.

Another friend, who I do sew for occassionally, had a chair cushion that needed to be recovered.  She gave me a couple of cushion covers that I could use for the fabric, with the idea that I could dissassemble them and make a cool patchwork cover for the chair.  I gave her my spare seam ripper and told her to take the cushion covers apart first, then give me the pieces.  I wasn't going to spend hours taking them apart and sewing them together for what would essentially be a free project.   Once again, that never happened, and now she realizes just how much time goes into these 'little projects' that she asks me to do for her.

[Isilleke]

I always seem to attract the cigarette moochers. At least, that's what I suspect they are when I tell them I don't smoke and they get really upset and start berating me.

I get that I smell of smoke (in a household of 3, I'm the only who doesn't smoke and they smoke everywhere - even in the bathroom - ) but still, getting mad because I don't have a cigarette for you?

Or the ones who demand you drive everywhere with them but are offended when you ask them for gasmoney.

[cwm]

Strangers ask me for cigarettes. I don't smoke. I don't live in a house where people smoke. Even if I did, they're random strange people on the street who aren't close enough to smell me. They just assume that everyone has a smoke for them.

One of my sister's exes told me the best way to deal with them, though. Don't tell them you don't smoke. Don't tell them no. Just say you're out right now. And keep walking. People trying to bum cigarettes on the street are more persistent than panhandlers, IMO.

[nutraxfornerves]

Mom tries to take her daughter's important examination

French authorities bidding to crack down on school test cheats obviously didn’t count on a 52-year-old woman "in elaborate make up" turning up to take an important high school English exam in Paris this week in place of her 19-year-old daughter

Original story in French

[ladyknight1]

Wow. Terrible, but kind of clever.

[RegionMom]

Would like to see the photos on that one!!