Stupid Guest Tricks

Amphigorey wrote:If your friend offered, I don't think you'd be abusing his friendship to take the discounts. Besides, people enjoy doing favors for people they like - think of how good it makes you feel to send him the Tastycakes. You aren't exploiting him if you let him do you a favor that he offered!

This made me feel better (and is the same advice my hubby gave me this weekend)! I just don't want him to think I'm taking advantage.... As for me, I'm a sucker....I admit it. If it's an easy tax return (just a W2, mortgage and maybe some donations), I'll usually whip it up for free (and I'll e-file it as well - that's free, too). But it amazed me how many family members (including my father, who has a VERY complex tax return) asked me to do theirs for free the year I started at the CPA firm.

Ah, well.... :)

ktulu wrote:I'm a computer guy, aka family/friends/strangers tech support. The annoyance factor depends on who is asking (not annoyed to you have no business looking at, let alone using, a computer). I also used to own a pickup...

I'm tech support for my parents and in-laws, but the free meals, haircuts, trips, and other general grandparent-type activities more than make up for it.

It can be fun and challenging, though. My DFIL is tech-challenged and knows it, to the point where he is reluctant to try much of anything to fix a problem himself; consequently, the tech stuff I do for him is generally pretty quick and easy. My dad, on the other hand, is just as tech-challenged but doesn't realize it, so I usually have to spend more time fixing both the initial problem and his repair efforts.

Main Streeter wrote:Kman, oooops. Busted! Guilty.

Yeah,us too
Maybe Ktulu can deduct from taxes for helping us "Charity Cases" ;)

That's why I generally keep my mouth shut that I'm a CM. I usually just tell people that I either train monkeys or breed genetically altered shrimp.

ktulu wrote:I'm a computer guy, aka family/friends/strangers tech support. The annoyance factor depends on who is asking (not annoyed to you have no business looking at, let alone using, a computer). I also used to own a pickup...

Oh, don't I know that computer tech support... Unfortunately, it's always to my family who live about 600 miles away. And when the person on the other end of the line is having trouble explaining what the problem is in the first place....Ugh.
Or, they'll have a problem that's very broad, and could be any one of a number of things ("I can't get on the Internet"). But because it's over the phone, it would take MUCH longer.
Luckily they have a local computer tech place they bring things to.

(At least they all have relatively new computers. I can't tell you the frustration years ago when they were using old clunkers of computers and they didn't want to accept "you can't do that with your computer" as an answer)


As for the home-as-a-hotel thing, I have informed my family that my living room is NOT a hotel. That having people stay overnight in the living room for more than a single night is too much to ask my roommate to put up with, and that until such time that I live in a place with a proper guest bedroom, visits will have to include a hotel reservation.

-Rob