traceym

I was so excited a friend from the UK was coming to stay for 16 days, I ordered the usual delivery of tea bags and Cadbury's............ It started to go downhill when she unpacked my 'stash,' 140 tea bags and a 50p bar of Cadburys

She's had a fantastic time, didn't want to go home, neither would I if I'd seen every tourist site for free, been fed or taken out for meals every night, got drunk every night and only paid for 1 bottle of wine and 4 cans of Bud!

She cant wait to come back next year, I bet she cant! Trouble is she's going to have to find me first, and I aim to make that very difficult!

Maybe my superficial American friends arent so bad after all

Englishtart

Been there done that! empathise completely, it's no fun when your hospitality gets taken for granted!

A cousin of mine came to stay with us, she brought her Mom (my aunt, who I hadn't invited) and her new hubby, that I had never met. They treated our home like a hotel, leaving after eating huge breakfasts, coming home for Dinner, then going out again and coming back drunk most nights! We were never asked to go with them, hubby said never again!

She is on FB and keeps sending me messages since we moved, about how she would love to visit the East Coast No Frickin way!!!

SarahG

Now that is just not on! If I did not get at least 3 BIG bars of Dairy Milk or Galaxy I would be driving them to the nearest Motel and telling them to enjoy their stay!

Weeze

How rude!! I can't believe they didn't offer to pay for things. Guess I've got all this to come when we move in Sept. As for the stash of food, bloody hell. Not impressive.

traceym

Well I guess as she's only been gone 18 hours I will calm down but right now I'm so angry, and do you know maybe just a thank you card would have been nice, ah well we live and learn!

Englishtart my thoughts were no friends again unless they hire a car and come with a friend, guess you've made me think that one wont work either!

Luckily my best friend came in February and I'm still working my way through the suitcase full of stash she got me (now thats a proper friend.)

Mummy in the foothills

Wow how rude.
Makes me kind of glad I don't visitors only Mum who I'll pay for any day

Octang Frye

Not even a thank you card? That's dreadful. Manners are so important. My son has good manners, and people frequently compliment him and me on them.
I still get the occasional, "can you get me some juice?"
Me: Excuse me?
"Please may I have some juice?"
He holds doors open for people, and shakes hands etc.

Of course, my son is 27, but that's by the by.

I would be pepticulated to have such assholic "friends". I presume you tried dropping a few hints. And then those didn't work? I would have said, look, can you tidy up? This isn't an hotel. Also, cook something lame so they don't want to stay home. They'll same, let's go out. And then you say, I can't afford to go out all the time. Problem solved.

White-ishRose

this sounds sooo familiar to me too! OH's cousin with family arrived, never even cleared a single plate off the table each meal, never invited us to accompany them on any of their long days out and generally just treated us like a hotel. I say never again, we are living in France now, and I presume they will want to come and 'do' America when we move out there. No chance!

as Granny used to say - God gave us our relatives thank God we can choose our friends...

Burn1911

This is terrible, especially the "1" single bar of chocolate!!!

Thankfully we have always been treated so well by our "guests" they always are so grateful for a place to stay that they spoil us rotten!

I believe in Karma, so what goes around comes around and she will be rewarded for her selfishness!!

Leslie

Ugh. I really don't mind providing the food/groceries for guests. To me that seems naturally what a good host would do (although I can't imagine staying with somebody for 16 days and not buying any groceries whatsoever) but all of the booze too? The first night is on the house. After that they'd better get their ass to the liquor store, specially if they're planning to get shit faced every night. Oh hell no.

Gingerert

I love playing host, but it does irritate me when we get taken advantage of. For example, a friend who lives south of us wanted to see a concert in Chicago over the weekend, so she called us late Thursday night and asked if she and a friend could stay on Friday and Saturday. This weekend was Father's Day, so we'd planned some activities for my OH and had no intention of cleaning the house and washing bedding at the last minute so a friend could see a concert.

We apologised and said she couldn't stay Friday night, but she could come over after the concert and stay Saturday. They arrived at 2am, slept for seven hours, and left at 9am to see other friends for breakfast. I was asleep when they arrived, and in the bedroom calling my Dad in the UK when they left, so I didn't see them at all! To me, that's just RUDE. One day's notice and then you don't even acknowledge the host? Get a sodding hotel room, you cheap cow.

Tracey - you have my sympathies. You deserve a truckload of Cadbury's for all that.

Ash UK/US

I agree it ain't cheap! Let them buy their own.

TracyTN

This is why I stick by the old adage - house guests are like fish - they begin to stink after a few days. LOL

I'll have to remember this in August when my MIL will be here for two weeks. Oh and in Sept again when hubby's best friend will be here for two weeks. Aaaah!

Ash UK/US

I love having my sister/nephew here but then again she brings me a stash of goodies and argues with us buying meals etc.

It works out good because she likes to shop so she fills her bags with goodies for me and then has empty bags to take stuff home.

Leslie

It really depends on the guest doesn't it? I have one sister that I kill myself for when she's visiting yet she treats me like shit and trashes my home (but even she has enough sense to chip in on the food and drinks). The other sisters are wonderful about everything and it seems like they never stay long enough.

Friends are different too. Mistreat me and you're not my friend any longer. Problem solved.