When you bought your first house

[Danestress]

Did your in-laws give you a present you liked, and what was it? Assuming it wasn't cash.

 

My DS and his wife are moving into a new house in a couple of weeks. I really would like to give them a present, but I don't really know what to give them and I suspect she doesn't really share my tastes. I could give them a gift certificate for The Container Store, which they mentioned liking, but my son is a good gift giver and I hate to cop out on this. Ideas?

[justamouse]

That is SO hard. I dunno?

[Anne]

How about a picture frame, maybe with a picture of the two of them, or your favorite picture from their wedding, AND a gift certificate?

 

Is there a family heirloom of some sort that could be passed down that you know your son would really like?

 

Or, if you think they need a particular object, go and buy it, and then make it extremely clear to your d-i-l that you won't have any heartburn if she wants to exchange it for a different color/style/item, etc. Offer to go with her and take her out to lunch if she wants to return/exchange it. Make it fun!

 

Anne

[4kidlets4me]

How about something like this with their name on it.

[VeritasMama]

How about some nice wine and some beautiful wine glasses? If they don't drink, how about a nice desert and some desert dishes?

 

I would say that a gift certificate to the container store would be a great house warming gift, as there is always so much organizing going on in a new house. You could personalize it by combining the gift card with a more personal bauble or gift to accompany it.

[DawnM]

My parents bought us a deep freeze when we moved here.

[TechWife]

Housewarming gifts are not a practice in our family, but we ourselves often give Lowes and/or Home Depot gift certificates to newlyweds who have their own houses. Another option would be a local nursery.

[LucyStoner]

My MIL gave us a cash gift earmarked for lawn furniture and a gift certificate to an art gallery.

[elegantlion]

I think a gift card for a new home is very thoughtful. I always have a million ideas running through my head when we move. The ability to buy something that fits my taste is a big bonus. I don't see it as a cop out, I see it as a way of letting them express themselves. Once she has decorated in her taste, you'll have a better idea of her style and can forego the gift card in later gift givings.

[Catwoman]

Ordinarily, I would just give them money, but if you prefer to buy a gift, why not just come right out and ask your ds what he and his wife need or want?

[Caroline]

My MIL had an artist paint a small picture of our house. When we bought our second house, she did it again. The pictures are 5x7. We really live them.

[violamama]

Buy them something kind of spendy from the store they specified, and include the gift receipt. It's not a cop-out and it can be a gift card in disguise.

OR

My MIL got us a really snazzy little pot of succulents for our housewarming, PLUS a gift card. Succulents are great because they are so versatile and classy: indoor/outdoor, planted or potted. Very little care required.

 

It was like this:

http://products.proflowers.com/flowers/deluxe-succulent-garden-30008396

[JumpyTheFrog]

Do they need yard tools (shovels, rakes, etc) or a lawn mower? What about snow shovels or a snow blower? Think of the stuff they'll need now that they didn't need when renting. I also like a previous poster's suggestion of a chest freezer.

 

Or if either of them likes to garden, maybe some berry plants, fruit trees, flowering trees, etc.

[AMJ]

Housewarming gifts are not a practice in our family, but we ourselves often give Lowes and/or Home Depot gift certificates to newlyweds who have their own houses. Another option would be a local nursery.

 

First house generally means first yard, too, so I'm in full agreement here. Gift certificates for Lowes, Home Depot, Container Store (especially since they said they liked it), and/or a local nursery are all great gifts. And as a previous poster also said, include it in something small and personal if you want the unwrapping experience. There are LOTS of things one ends up needing that just couldn't be predicted beforehand.

 

When we bought our first house it needed repainting inside, which we wanted to get done before we moved in. DH's parents (who were putting us up until we could close and get moved) came over and helped us get the entire place painted (washable latex paint everywhere, thankyouverymuch!) in record time. Best housewarming gift ever!

 

One traditional token is to give the occupants of a new home a loaf of good bread (that they may never know hunger), a parcel of salt (that their lives always have flavor), and a bottle of wine (I forget the blessing that goes with that one).

 

When my BIL and his family bought a new house I worked near a Chinese art store, and so I bought them a special home blessing item. The sentiment is essentially "May you always have enough, plus a little bit more."

[LucyStoner]

If they have a yard, a hose and gardening stuff are often things new homeowners need to buy.

[Liz CA]

Did your in-laws give you a present you liked, and what was it? Assuming it wasn't cash.

 

My DS and his wife are moving into a new house in a couple of weeks. I really would like to give them a present, but I don't really know what to give them and I suspect she doesn't really share my tastes. I could give them a gift certificate for The Container Store, which they mentioned liking, but my son is a good gift giver and I hate to cop out on this. Ideas?

 

 

3, 6 or 12 months of weekly /biweekly/ monthly housecleaning.

Indoor / Outdoor plant(s)

Gift Certificate to Pier 1 or anywhere she liked to shop

Wall plaque along the lines of "Bless this House..."

Patio accessories - rabbits, turtles, garden gnomes, sun "face" for the fence of garden wall...

If they like to grow things, a gift certificate for a seed catalog or store

Gift Certificate for a gallery or framing store...or if you know what theme, get the painting.

[Incognito]

ILs gave us a nice "our new home" ornament with the year on it. It was a fun surprise and it still makes me smile.

[Dory]

We got a freezer from my parents and siblings combined and a washing machine from the other side. Both my dh's family and mine are big on everyone working together to get something bigger that's needed rather than the extra's.

[Desert Rat]

I'm more traditional.

My mom gave me a basket with:

 

Bread so we would never be hungry,

Salt so we would have spice in our life,

Honey so our life here would be sweet,

And a candle so our home would be warm, light and comforting.

 

She put it in a nice basket with a few other things.

 

This is also what I give to friends when they purchase a new home. I add a bottle of wine.

[Alte Veste Academy]

My in-laws bought us a refrigerator. My parents bought us a giant freezer. DH's grandparents gave us money, but it was specifically for us to pick out trees to plant because our house was new construction. My favorite present? Definitely the trees!

[Mandylubug]

My ILs gave us a Patio set! They let us pick it out. They told us what they would like to provide and gave us a budget and took us shopping. It was fun.

[Dahliarw]

I'm a practical person. If it's their first home (and it's a house with a yard) a lawn mower or other "big ticket" item is always welcome. Think of it this way, you buy that, then they have the money they didn't spend on that to do with what they want. The other nice thing, if there is a porch or deck, is a nice outdoor grill/bbq. Of course, these both may be more then you're thinking of spending!

[skeeterbug]

My parents bought us a chest freezer. Nice, but I wish they'd talked to us about which one we'd like. They got us a huge one, like theirs, and it was way bigger than what we needed. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, it just didn't suit us, but we did appreciate having the extra freezer space. DH's parents got us an outdoor grill, made sure to check which one we wanted. That was a lovely gift, something we wouldn't have gotten right away otherwise.

 

A Home Depot or Lowe's giftcard would be much appreciated, I'm sure. There's always work to be done in a new house.

[dakarimom5]

My Mil came over and measured every window. She came back with curtains for every single window. That was something i had not thought of.

[Kelly1730]

Depending on how much $$ you want to spend, I second the grill suggestion. Also, the yard care stuff is a great idea. My son and dil bought their first house last summer and the poor kid had nothing to do yard work with. In fact, he still has our wheelbarrow!

[mmeblue]

Like others have said, I don't know what your price range is, but my ILs gave us a garage door opener when we moved into our house. I know my parents had some curtains made for us, but I don't remember if that was a housewarming gift or not! But when they did the curtains, I picked out the fabrics and styles that I wanted, and a friend of my mom's sewed them for me.

[Kim in Appalachia]

My parents bought us a lawn mower. We had that thing for over 15 years. It was a great gift. If you can afford it, a gift that would be hard for them to get for themselves (because they are probably short on cash) is the best.

[mamatohaleybug]

Nobody gave us a gift. If I were buying one for a child, I'd choose something practical.

[Danestress]

I'm more traditional.

My mom gave me a basket with:

 

Bread so we would never be hungry,

Salt so we would have spice in our life,

Honey so our life here would be sweet,

And a candle so our home would be warm, light and comforting.

 

She put it in a nice basket with a few other things.

 

This is also what I give to friends when they purchase a new home. I add a bottle of wine.

 

 

Love it! This is what i am going to do - along with a gift certificate.

[J-rap]

My parents bought us a porch swing, since our home has a big, screen-in front porch. My MIL bought us a dishwasher eventually, which was wonderful! It's an older house and didn't have one. We're still in our first house!

[K&Rs Mom]

My parents & ILs went in together on a really good snowblower. After 14 years, it's still going strong, though we buy cheap lawnmowers and are on #4 already. Every time I use it I think of them and how long it's been.

[Danestress]

My parents & ILs went in together on a really good snowblower. After 14 years, it's still going strong, though we buy cheap lawnmowers and are on #4 already. Every time I use it I think of them and how long it's been.

 

 

I love it that your in-laws and parents did that together - so you could blow away the snow, lol.

[Tita Gidge]

My MIL asked us to choose a bed. The one I wanted was pricier than I felt comfortable asking her to pay for, so I felt incredibly rude asking ... and yet I didn't want to settle for a less-than bed for the sake of niceties. Her people have a superstition about new couples requiring new beds, which complicated matters, so she was ridiculously insistent. We ended up splitting the cost of the order. She tried to cover all of it, and was financially able to, but I just couldn't ask that of them. The poor customer service guys ... trying to decide which crazy, stubborn lady to cater to, the MIL trying to charge the entire order or the DIL insisting he split the cost of the order! (He split it. I was a repeat customer so I ultimately won out LOL)

 

It was a great gift idea, even if it was rooted in superstition. We loved that bed!

 

I hate gift cards and I hate cash gifts. The one exception I can think of is for housewarming gifts that aren't for my immediate female family (whose tastes I know or who feel comfortable telling me exactly what they want). Throughout the early years of my marriage, my MIL gave us cash gifts at holidays so we could purchase wants (since most of our funds went to needs) and/or practicalities (like the lawn mower mentioned upthread, or a washer/dryer). So thoughtful of her.

[KungFuPanda]

Home Depo gift card? They'll probably want to do stuff to their new home and will lack the finances.

[texasmama]

What is your budget? Could you give them a piece of furniture they want/need?

[Danestress]

 

I hate gift cards and I hate cash gifts. The one exception I can think of is for housewarming gifts that aren't for my immediate female family (whose tastes I know or who feel comfortable telling me exactly what they want). Throughout the early years of my marriage, my MIL gave us cash gifts at holidays so we could purchase wants (since most of our funds went to needs) and/or practicalities (like the lawn mower mentioned upthread, or a washer/dryer). So thoughtful of her.

 

Right. I am not a fan of gift cards and cash, either. But my DIL makes me feel .... inadequate in picking out presents. I don't have a good feel for what she likes and we are in the early stages of getting to know her. Probably seeing how she fixes up and decorates this house will help me figure out what she likes. In the mean time, I just want to be a good MIL and try to let her have what she wants instead of what I think she should want. But at the same time, I want to give something thoughtful. I like the idea of a traditional basket with bread, salt and wine, and then using the rest of the money to say, "get what you want." My mother and MIL are both strictly cash gift people at this point, and while it seems a little impersonal, I do end up going over and showing then what I bought, and they like that.

[Susan in TN]

Did your in-laws give you a present you liked, and what was it? Assuming it wasn't cash.

 

My DS and his wife are moving into a new house in a couple of weeks. I really would like to give them a present, but I don't really know what to give them and I suspect she doesn't really share my tastes. I could give them a gift certificate for The Container Store, which they mentioned liking, but my son is a good gift giver and I hate to cop out on this. Ideas?

 

I don't mind gift cards at all. Maybe it's just my personality, but sometimes I just need some time in a place to know what I really want, kwim?

 

My parents' gifts has been wall painting. They are the BEST!

[lynn]

My fil gave dh a ryobi with several attachments and asked me what I wanted for my new house, I told him a clock that chimes. I love that clock and dh still uses his ryobi.

[Desert Rat]

 

 

Love it! This is what i am going to do - along with a gift certificate.

 

 

Glad you like the idea!

 

Right. I am not a fan of gift cards and cash, either. But my DIL makes me feel .... inadequate in picking out presents. I don't have a good feel for what she likes and we are in the early stages of getting to know her. Probably seeing how she fixes up and decorates this house will help me figure out what she likes. In the mean time, I just want to be a good MIL and try to let her have what she wants instead of what I think she should want. But at the same time, I want to give something thoughtful. I like the idea of a traditional basket with bread, salt and wine, and then using the rest of the money to say, "get what you want." My mother and MIL are both strictly cash gift people at this point, and while it seems a little impersonal, I do end up going over and showing then what I bought, and they like that.

 

You are a great MIL! I think it's wise to not come on too strong so early in your relationship.

 

One of my favorite pictures I have is of my husband's grandparents posing with a loaf of Wonder Bread. They both have happiest smiles on their faces, mid laugh. It was obviously a joke on the bread tradition. It has a prominent place in our home and makes me smile every time I see it.

[MFA323]

Can you help them with something? My in-laws bought paint and helped DH repaint some rooms. You could also just ask. Someone else asked us what we wanted and gave us a few ideas, which gave us an idea of our price range (way higher than we expected). She got us the porch furniture that we had been wanting but not quite willing to splurge on.

[Pippen]

Dishwasher

[skimerinkydo]

My brother came over and built shelves in the under-the stairs space and my father brought his roto-tiller and tilled the area for the garden we wanted to put in. He also brought the driplines/dripsystem for it. (we actually paid for the drip stuff but he was able to obtain the agricultural grade stuff because that is what he did for a living).

 

I felt an outpouring of love from their service because they lived over three hours away.

[Moxie]

What about a stamp with their names and new address?

[NoseInABook]

My in-laws bought us a fridge and washer/dryer set. Nothing fancy, definitely at the low end of the price range but they were all things that were necessary and that are still in good shape almost 6 years later.

[magic]

We got a small chest freezer and still use it to this day- 15+ years later. It has been with us thru several moves and it has been such a blessing to us.

[She Reads a Lot]

My in laws bought us a really nice set of Henckel (sp?) knives that we still have 14 years later. It was both practical and extravagant, since we never would have had the budget for such a nice set.

 

We loved it!

Christina

[Excelsior! Academy]

My stepmom got us a set of drinking glasses and offered to stock our refrigerator. :)

[sparrow]

My family bought us a washer/dryer for our first house, in different city. We sold that house, 11 years later, in a sale that included my lovely Speed Queen set. We sold the house to move near my family and take over their business. They bought us a washer/dryer again. Kenmore, this time ;)

[Garga]

"Just send money. How about tens and twenties." Sally, writing to Santa Claus in Charlie Brown's Christmas.

 

Money, gift cert would be most appreciated by moi.

 

 

[duckens]

I have not read the other entries.

 

This is not the only thing I would give, but I would add this to whatever classy item you select:

 

The Home Owner's Journal

 

and a copy of some sort of seasonal home maintenance.

 

Here is an example:

 

Year-Round House Care

 

Disclaimer: The example for seasonal home maintenance is reviewed on Amazon as "dated." Somewhere we have a book similar to it that lists maintenance items by season, and basic instructions on how to do things. I remember it listing things like draining your hot water heater once a year. Surely you can find something more updated than the book I listed.