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Neighbor gave me a very generous gift, one I probably wouldn't buy for them. Should I accept?

Asked by perg (2624points) September 29th, 2010

I have lived next door to a younger couple for a good long time and we get along very well. Since I moved in, they’ve had two kids and, though I’m older and childless, we hang out regularly. We occasionally do favors for each other, though they have generally done more for me (husband has an industrial mower and occasionally vrooms over my small yard, wife has watched my dog for a weekend). I generally give them small gifts to thank them when I feel the scales are a little off-center.

They just bought me an expensive present ($130) for a milestone birthday I celebrated this week. It’s computer hardware and the husband works in tech, so I’d been seeking advice; he went ahead and bought the item. I don’t know if the wife knows – it’s not that he has ulterior motives, but he tends to act impulsively. I accepted it with thanks but am tempted to ask the wife if she would like to return it or maybe just give it back to them myself and say it’s too much. Downside is it might hurt their/his feelings and sour the relationship.

If I had more dough to throw around, I’d happily buy them a similarly priced item (if they were OK with it) for a similar milestone. I don’t have that kind of money. I have no idea what their financial picture is like, though I suspect, overall, it’s better than mine.

What would you do?

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