Seriously, my neighbor & her daughter are really starting to annoy me

This is the same neighbor that expected me to take care of her lawn because the last owner was nice enough to do so. Hell I barely take care of my own lawn. I realize she's 80 years old but I'm a single woman who owns a house and a full time job, sometimes I barely have time to breathe.

But the biggest kicker is this - I have pretty regularly since I moved in been nice enough to pull out her garbage/recycle bins when I pull mine out. Yet when I come home - her bins seem to be miraculously pulled back but mine - well they're still out along the curb. And what I'm guessing is when her racist bitch of a daugther is around (the woman is 10 years older than me but quite capable of moving a garbage can) she'll pull the bins back but not bother with mine (the daughter lives there part time - where else does she live? Who knows). Oh and the daughter is a racist - after listening to a tirade of the "N-Word" after someone hit the rearview mirror of her oversized SUV, I figured I don't have enough time in my life to be bothered listening to this women (and yes, there are black people who live in our neighborhood - there are also 20-something year old white yuppies who like to party at the bars right down the street from where I live too. My money is some drunken kid probably hit the windshields).

So seriously, I'm about ready to just not take her garbage out. If you can't be bothered to pull my bins back when you do your own (or when your daughter does it) why must I be responsible the other times.

:grr:

Why are you doing something nice for someone who doesn't do a thing for you, her daughter's racism notwithstanding? The old lady expected you to cut her lawn because someone did it before you moved in? That's absurd.

Sounds like you're supposed to perform for free.

I don't think so.

gives me even less incentive

I wouldn't eat anything that lady prepared.

I'm SERIES!11!!!

stop taking out her garbage cans. You've done your best to be a good neighbor, & she has never reciprocated. Time for tough love. Folks on my street make sure to get the garbage bins out of the road & back to the proper owner & most of them look ready to keel over at any minute. And yes, I return the favor if I come home for lunch & one of theirs is in the middle of the street. If they can do it, so can she or her able-bodied daughter.

dg

She tells everyone that story.

did you take 'em? ;)

dg

whoever takes her trash cans in doesn't take yours in. Maybe that person doesn't know that you provide the service. Tell her that the service is mutual and that if you take the cans out, you expect her daughter to take all of them in. Tell her that if that can't happen, she should find someone else to handle her trash. Smile when you tell her! No good deed goes unpunished, does it?

just be honest. Bringing the cans back in should be easier for the daughter b/c they're empty by then - you do the harder, heavy work, her daughter should do you the favor of the easier half of the chore.

But your neighbor might not know her daughter isn't doing it -- let her know that if her daughter isn't going to reciprocate your efforts, you're going to quit hauling her trash and recycling out. Easy

Being nice to neighbors in the suburbs is overrated. I remember growing up in the suburbs and we were expected to socialize with these people and if you dont they get all pissy. I would tell the old lady her sauce is shit and to move her own trashcans.

:D

The ones upstairs like to stomp around like those giant trees in LOTR.

I would also probably blow my leaves in her yard :rofl:

:evilgrin:

city living

Maybe she figures her mom does it, and doesn't know you're doing a favor that she could/should be returning.

I dunno... I think if you're expecting someone to do something in return, it's not really a favor. I'd be up front and just make it an agreement "I'll take your mom's trash cans out if you bring mine back with hers. Otherwise, I'll just worry about my own trash cans."

I'm going to go against the tide here and tell you this:

By helping her with some small things that she can't handle you are showing yourself to be the kind of person I would want to be around. Your story says far more about YOU then it does about her. I say keep doing what you are doing, if you can, because that is the wonderful kind of person you are. Someone who helps those who can't help themselves, even if the person is not very personable. You are a rare type of person that the world needs more of.

Takes what, an extra 30 seconds to drag your own empty cans in? Who knows, might even be another neighbor bringing her cans in. Don't let their annoying habits get you so annoyed that you make their and your life harder.

And you just have to do something snarky, smear some pine tar on the garbage bin handles next time you put them out.

"I've been taking your Mom's garbage cans out every week along with mine, but I don't know who has been bringing them back in. So please let your Mom know that she has someone else to thank, too."

And/or

"My schedule this summer is going to be pretty tight. I know your Mom would like me to take care of her lawn, but I'm afraid I won't always have the time. Can you take care of it the times when you're over visiting? I'd know how much your Mom appreciates a tidy lawn, and I'd hate to see her go without."

Hopefully those should send a (relatively) polite and non-confrontational message that you are doing the daughter's work here and she needs to take responsibility for those things.

Good luck.

of course you don't take her garbage out.

Me and Dropkid really are the neighbors from hell. We are so loud it is not even funny. Not even just fighting, just very very loud all the time until 8/9pm. And Dropkids soccer with the gallumphing beast in the house gets very noisy too. Of course, the upstairs neighbor gets back at me by making his girlfriend have loud fake orgasms every Sunday/Monday night at 1am, but I don't actually mind, it's gotten to the point where I'm waiting to see if he'll ever figure out they're fake.

get a couple business cards of guys who will do it and pass them along to her, she will have to pay actual money, but lawn care is a bit more than hauling a trash can out one in a while. geez.

And why should you be expected to take care of the woman's lawn because the last owner did? If someone expected me to take care of a lawn when I move into a new home because the former owner did, I'd be like "fuck off".

But that's just because I'm an asshole.

if you don't want to, then don't do it. If you do it, you should be doing it because you think it's the right thing to do (or doing a good deed makes you feel better). It shouldn't be because you are expecting something in return.

If on the other hand you want to work with the neighbor's daughter, to make both of your lives a little easier, talk to her. Suggest you will take the bins out and if she is home she will bring both of them in.

in an assertive, yet non-aggressive manner. Tell her how you feel.

It does work sometimes. ;-)

and everyone who visit and meets her gets to hear about the stolen porch chairs.

She's really a nice person just that daugther is :grr: