Mail it to me. I can help you with that.

My address is ......

 

In all honesty though. As difficult as it may seem enjoy their generosity. They maybe insulted if you return it.

 

i have also received a few in the past i simply asked them to pass it on the local vol. ambulance corps or local animal shelter,

 

You could give it to a charity or homeless shelter or someone you know who is going through tough financial times

 

Amazon has a charity for local businesses in your area.
Our local church is on the list here where we live.
You could get your neighbors a 'wine of the month' subscription with the $100 and not tell them.
With all the things available online these days, you could get creative and never say who gave it.
This is the best type of charity. Giving so that your right hand does not know what your left hand is doing.
In my case, every penny I have gotten for snowblowing has gone into keeping the darn snow blowed, so I am thankful for the help.

 

I helped my neighbor out with the recent snow....just doing the neighborly thing.....

They dropped off a thank u card with a Benjamin Amazon Gift Card - which while is appreciate of them noticing, the thank you card is more than enough. While they had card in hand, I was already telling them I needed the exercise anyway. How do I return the GC without making a big fuss of it. I'm not good on giving or receiving stuff...

Boy do I understand that situation. I do up to 26 properties as a snow angel. I really enjoy it in my retirement and am disappointed if someone does their own sidewalk sometimes and beats me to it LOL. Years ago a few neighbours told me I should start a business and they would pay to be my customers, but unless you do it on a much bigger scale the insurance is cost prohibitive. Plus, I just enjoy it. So instead they all started bringing me cookies and pies and cakes. The kicker is I am diabetic so I can't eat it, and my son has a severe nut allergy so we can't even bring the stuff into the house. Sadly it gets tossed or given away. I don't have the heart to tell them.

Most of all (for me at least) I lose the good feeling you get when for helping out if someone tries to pay it back. My ideal day snowblowing is just if no one is up yet and I get it all done without even a thank you. That makes me feel best. I remember when I was working in the downtown core and had to commute from the suburbs—every extra second in bed was a gift. We also have a lot of seniors and single moms in our neighbourhood so I hope it helps them out at a time I'm sure is already busy enough without having to worry about shovelling.

You are a great guy for helping out your neighbours—you can always spend the gift card on parts to maintain your snowblower and then you know you'll be helping even more in secret. Some people don't get this, but you probably do.

Cheers from Calgary.

 

Boy do I understand that situation. I do up to 26 properties as a snow angel. I really enjoy it in my retirement and am disappointed if someone does their own sidewalk sometimes and beats me to it LOL.

Cheers from Calgary.

By chance do you live nearby???? I don't want to wash my snowblower after usage any more this year 😊

 

On the other half of the equation, I'd hate taking in the benji cause in my mind, I will need to do their's a few more times even if I don't want to.

I don't mind doing it if it's there is enough snowfall (me owning the machine and them not) or just tackling the EOD since we live on the right side and the plows push everything from the left and then some and it's heavy EOD. Or if the snow is wet and heavy (which it always is). But it's not like I'm doing theirs each and every time I'm out....I'll do it when I know the conditions ain't good for someone who doesn't own a machine....wet heavy snow is back breaking literally.

I don't do it cause I enjoy blowing snow (lol) - LOL, I am a user on a SBF. I'm just doing it cause I got the machine and I know it's back-breaking....

 

My neighbor is a young couple with young twins. They don't have a blower. Most of the time I don't blow their sidewalk (the husband could use some exercise at his young age). But if we get 6"+ I'll quickly knock out their sidewalk and end of driveway between sidewalk and street. It's time efficient for me and the most burdensome from a shoveling perspective for them. There is no gift exchange. Everything is just like I like it.

 

There is no gift exchange. Everything is just like I like it.

Don't jinx it now
Wish I was in ur shoes. Now that I opened up this envelope and seeing this large sum GC....I really don't know what to do. Insist they take it back and possibly offend them. Keep it and pay if forward....with then the lingering that I received a GC that I now need to -pay back in more neighborly help-. Ugh. either way looks like it's not a right or wrong way out

 

This has happened to me several times and I'm the same way. Just an old boy scout that likes to help. I always go over and thank the people and just say I wasnt expecting anything in return. I also tell them I bought dinner for wife and I to let them know the money was a nice gift.

I usuall y don't help them anymore unless they understand it is free or I'll gift the money to Boy Scouts.

 

Maybe you should just accept their generosity in return for your generosity. Continue what you've been doing for them, but if they should try giving you more, tell them that you never expected anything, they had already done more than enough, you felt guilty in accepting their first gift, and that while you appreciate their gesture, you cannot accept it.

I had an elder neighbor "ambush" me once by leaving a $25.00 gift certificate to a restaurant in an envelope in my mailbox. I couldn't even be there to refuse it. I didn't want to offend her, so I thanked her, but also said (in a semi joking way) that I would have to stop taking care of her driveway if she did it again. She hasn't.

 

Schneetag is right. If you are friendly with the neighbor, you can let them know that you are happy to help, but if they did that again, you wouldn't help them. I don't think they would be offended by you saying that.

I was in a similar situation the other day. I helped a neighbor with a somewhat small section of their driveway and driveway apron in the 18-20 inch storm we had. They responded by dropping off a $25 gift card to Dunkin Donuts in the mailbox. When I saw them the other day I told them that I appreciated it and that they didn't have to do that.

What I usually do for all the neighbors is the sidewalks. It is a straight line, so all I have to do is put it in first and walk behind, easy peasy. If it is a blockbuster storm (12+) I will help with the driveway aprons from all of the plowed snow. I usually wont do driveways because they are tight, and I would not want the machine to scratch or damage a vehicle. I have always helped out neighbors in the larger storms free of charge, especially an older gentleman that lived down the street. For about 15 years I did his whole driveway and sidewalks. Most times he simply thanked me, but sometimes in years where we had large amounts of snowfall, he would give me 5 or 10 dollars, or his wife would make a homemade banana bread.

I know that if someone helps me out with something, I don't feel right unless I do something for them to say thank you. Also, I am usually outside making noise working on other projects / vehicles in the spring, summer, and fall. If they are willing to tolerate me making a little bit of a nuisance, I will gladly continue to snow blow.

 

Just take it and know you did a good deed for someone. Sometimes people are offended when they offer you something and you turn it down, so there's that to consider also. Years ago when I was a tech at the dealer I had a friend that owned a 98 Cobra which a shop screwed up and the bel on his new supercharger would shred and come off. I don't like to work on Ford's much but he was pretty sad looking so I figured out what he needed and they picked up the parts and with in 1.5 hours he was enjoying the car again. He offered me something but I said no that ok. He then said if you were at work what would this cost? I told him it was somewhere around $350 bucks. The next day there was a check in my mailbox for that amount and when I called his wife to have them take it back she told me that she would be devastated for me to return the money. I said why and she told me after putting 25K into the car recently $350 was like paying a $10 bill. He did let me buy him dinner though and when I asked how the steak was he said it was pretty good. I told him it should you're paying for it. LOL. He was a great guy to spar with, all my life I did free stuff for people but not so much anymore, it just seems some expect it. You did a good thing enjoy the reward know you made them happy, that's what it's all about. Sorry for my rambling.

 

In addition to my own I used to do 3 of my neighbors. All north of 80 y/o and all with long hilly driveways on our somewhat large suburban lots. Did at least enough for the cars to get up the driveway and get the mail w/o slipping and breaking a hip. Two were happy and would thank me when we saw each other. Bill bought me a bottle of vodka one year.

The other neighbor would immediately bring over cookies or something and then say you don't have to do it, we are ok, we have plenty of food. OK but the husband was in a wheel chair or bed ridden (never met him) and if an emergency occurred or the oil burner quit it would be a problem. So to me at the very least a couple paths up to the garage was in order.

Every time I did it she would do the same thing even though I said it was ok. Finally year three she wrote a note saying they did not want me to do it since they now hired someone to plow. I felt bad realizing it made her uncomfortable and that I had somehow forced her hand. IDK why, maybe she just didn't want to be "in my debt". To me I just always helped out and didn't expect anything at all.

Point is maybe you should talk to them. Thank them and explain you didn't expect anything and you'll do it when you can as long as they are ok with it. Most likely they are but you never know.

 

Look at it this way Mobil....If, God Forbid, You sucked up a newspaper, and blew out a gear box while doing a good deed, would the gift card be enough to cover repairs??? That can and does happen..... For every person that pays you for what they can afford, or feel the job is worth, there may be a dozen who wouldn't even acknowledge your work. Or worse, complain when you missed a storm, due to the said gear box repair. You've heard the old saying, "Shut Up and Take the Money"!

GLuck Out There. Jay

 

Thx guys for the different POV. I've just never been the type to take -free money- from anyone. If they gifted me a gift out of kindness, like a buddy who I help all the time and occasionally he will gift me with another new -tool- to put into my tool draw, I don't really give it a second thought.

Said neighbor is retired. I'm sure he can afford it. I'm just not the type that easily takes -cash-. Even though its a GC and if it was a smaller monetary amount, I would not have given it much thought. Just the benji is throwing this into a bit of a I kinda owe now, sorta feeling

 

Funny you mention helping others, I've done that many times. One time the other year a neighbor was struggling after a good snow, I blew her walk in no time. Later she came by and told me how much she appreciated the help, she was fighting the flu at the time. Another neighbor has tried to pay me several times, and I've explained I do it because I want to. We came up with a good solution, when it snows I clean in front of her garage and in turn I can park my vehicle there while I blow the area in front of mine. Win-win solution. I've also gotten some cookies before, all good.

 

I would accept the GC, and then thank them like you said. Don't give it back as that could insult them. The $100 could be $5 to them. You never know which of your neighbors are multi-millionaires with more money than they know what to do with. Maybe they figure they have more than they will ever need, and their kids will fight over it anyway. Perhaps in the future, you can jokingly tell them that if they ever try to pay you ever again, you will absolutely refuse to clear their driveway.

Sounds like good people, and you know, most people are good.

 

Another thing is they might not have used $$ to pay for. I have used credit card points to buy gift cards ranging fro 10$ to 200$. I keep them in my desk for gifts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I would say "learn to be gracious". If kindness offends you, how do you think the giver feels about your rejection of their gift? If nothing else, give those Tokens of Thanks to someone less fortunate. I also have a hard time accepting gifts or money but I'm getting better.

 

It is also nice to allow others to be generous. Many times it is an insult and not worth it to try and return things. Obviously these people appreciate you and what you did and it's okay. They also may be greasing the wheels in case they need a hand in the future . If i was the opposite and you charged them or were upset the card was too low there would be a problem. Sometimes things mean more to someone than we think they do.

 

Earlier this year I helped a friend of my dad (guy is in his 70s) who suffered a minor stroke a few years ago and when visiting him found out part of the roof metal on his building had come loose. I offered to go up and fix it and after I did he had a $50.00 bill to pay me. I said "no" and he insisted but I told him that I hoped when I was 70 years old and in a similar situation a 50 year old (like me) would be there to help me out. He was thankful and put the money away.

I also know the $20.00 and tin of butter cookies my elderly neighbor gave me for cleaning their front steps/walkway during the winter years ago was a way not to feel so "useless" in their old age. I will refuse payment twice then accept it as I realize saying no repeatedly makes the other person fell bad being able not to do something in return for my goodwill that they may not be able to pay back other than money.

 

Never say no to cookies 😁 just pray they don't substitute one ingredient for another (inappropriate) ingredient because they didn't have it in their pantry. My wife's aunt used to do that quite regularly. Can be an eye-opener at times

 

Just an additional comment here. I believe in 'pay it forward'. My neighbor summed it up the best: "Who knows what's happening first - family or neighbors?". Several years back, my Dad had passed and my Mom was living alone in a small town several hundred miles away. They were having a big snow and I called her to check what was going on. There was a background sound and when I asked her what it was she said there was a guy blowing the snow off her walks and drive, for the 4th time that day. Not a big deal except she said it was 4 different people and not one of them was the guy she had hired to do her snowblowing.
Neither Mom nor Dad are still with us, but someone helped them out purely based on the goodness of their heart, I happened to meet one of them a year later - a DAV that enjoyed doing what he could do to help others. I always think someone helped her because of some of the people I helped in the past. Unless something happens I plan to keep helping people out, snowblowing or otherwise. Such a small cost with such a big return (warm feelings).

 

If a neighbor gives me something for clearing snow or looking after their house I graciously say thanks and make sure to tell then didnt have to. Its not like they "hired" you to a job. One one side I have a exbiker with a really bad back that I will blow his driveway with my backpack blower. His driveway touches mine so by the time I blow off the spill from mine its just as easy to do his. Hes a really good guy and his "presence" on my street is payment enough!
Last winter I looked after the snow for my neighbor 3 doors down when he went on vacation for 2 months. We didnt set a price but he paid me a fair compensation when he returned. He offered to pay so I accepted. I have absolutely no problem spending my time. But its nice to get something to cover some of the price of fuel/maint/repairs.

 

Totally agree but it took me many years to become comfortable (gracious) enough to accept anything in return. My plow truck is an old diesel that must be plugged in for several hours before it will even try to start and the wear and tear on the plow and lift motor hasn't exactly been cheap. I now accept gratuities from my neighbors if offered.

 

Pray for snow and plow it again! Benji helloooo!

More serious Charity is easier to give than receive. you’re stuck with it.

 

It’s a great feeling to be able to help a neighbor i agree.
and even nice when they acknowledg, even with just a text thank you

i believe there is some good karma coming your way