Do you have potatoes in the stew - or our you going to serve it over leftover stuffing? then no rice.

But , either way it will be good

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Showered. Brunched on some AWESOME leftovers. Can you believe the Turkey was still moist even after fridgeration and microwaving. YUM! Now catching up on 4 days of tivo and e-mails.

OK, advice from the hive mind needed. So my little trip to FLA. I took care of all travel stuff for me and Mom. Her Share came out to about $675. She gave me $300 cash when we got back. She just mailed me a check for $500. Clearly over. I need to pay off the visa, so check is good, but the overage is disturbing me. Sad as it is, I make more than she does. So, I don't want to cash it. If I send her a check, I know she won't cash it. I get the feeling she'll say something like "I was budgeting $1,000 and you came under, so it's OK". Advice?

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Can she afford it, Omnis? If so, I'd vote mention it to her "hey mom you sent a little more than needed, do you want me to send you the remainder or should I just take you to a nice dinner next time I see you?" kinda thing, and figure she'll say "nice dinner".

If she can't afford it but is too proud to say so, that requires more delicacy than I usually have. :)

I too am having leftovers right now. Mine are not incredibly moist, but that is what cranberry sauce is for!

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If she can't afford it but is too proud to say so, that requires more delicacy than I usually have. :)

If this is the case, would she fuss over you giving her a generous present, say a gift card in the amount of the overage to a store like Target where she could stock up on whatever necessities or little luxuries she might want, in addition to your regular prezzies, with the holidays coming up and all?

Another suggestion might be to do one of those "buy a heifer for a needy third world family" deals in her name.

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Can she afford it, Omnis?

Therein lies the rub. She's living close to the bone money wise. Dunno what her finances are exactly, but with the holiday season, I know she'll overspend there too. She's got this thing that feels gifts = love.

If she can't afford it but is too proud to say so, that requires more delicacy than I usually have. :)

Ya, that's what I need the help for too. Want to avoid a shouting match. Never a good thing. Especially at holiday time.

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WindSparrow, all good ideas, but I'd rather she had needed money to pay rent and put food on the table and such.

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Perhaps it would help her feel less suspicious if you got her a number of different kinds of gift certificates - say several for some her favorite restaurants, a gift card to Target, a gift card to a gas station, a spa day, a grocery store, or cab/bus fare, etc. - spread it around, make it more difficult to track just how much it is. If she is not the type to be shy about returning items, go and buy some pricey items that are totally inappropriate for her, and be sure to include the gift receipts for easy returns (she will have less idea of how much you spent until she gets to the store to return them, and by then you can be long gone).

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WindSparrow, all good ideas, but I'd rather she had needed money to pay rent and put food on the table and such.

One of the reasons I suggested Target (and of course, KMart, Walmart, and heck, even places like Walgreens), is that... well... there have been times in my life when a twenty-dollar gift card meant I didn't have to choose between having deodorant and shampoo or food and fuel that month. I don't think I admitted to my benefactors that I was using those cards for unromantic necessities, fibbing a bit on thank you notes.

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My Hungarian Thanksgiving dinner. [link] [link] [link]

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If you send her a giftcard - she can use it to buy gifts. Buta giftcertificate to the local "luxury" grocery store ( if there is one ) would be good too.

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