gift/gesture for girlfriend's roommates
March 24, 2015 1:48 PM   Subscribe

Hivemind! Throw ideas at me! I'm looking to get a small token of "thanks for letting me hanging out in your place for a week" for my long-distance girlfriend's roommates. Ideally <$10. Food items are great.

Everyone is in their 20s and are grad students. I've been visiting for a week. Girlfriend and I are very considerate in the sock-on-the-door department, but I'd like to maintain goodwill nonetheless. I like both roommates; they are very cool people. So far all I can think of is candy, but I want to get other ideas and my brain is not working.
posted by redwaterman to Human Relations (20 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
You can get a perfectly cromulent bottle of cava for $10 :)
posted by ftm at 1:52 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


When they aren't around: Vacuum! Dishes! Dust! Sweep! Clean bathroom!

And then candy will be fine. Or a fair trade chocolate bar plus kumquats. They're in season right now. Yum.
posted by aniola at 1:52 PM on March 24, 2015 [13 favorites]


New dishtowels/handtowels for the kitchen and bathroom.
posted by Juliet Banana at 1:52 PM on March 24, 2015


If they drink buy them alcohol, something a tier nicer than what they buy themselves.
A few very fancy cupcakes from the posh cupcake place.
If you can draw, draw something cute/funny that says thank you for putting up with me and magnet it to their fridge.
Clean your body hair out of the shower before you go and wipe up any pee dribbles around the toilet.

That should do you fine.
The last one is NOT OPTIONAL.
posted by phunniemee at 1:53 PM on March 24, 2015 [6 favorites]


You can get a six-pack of some fairly nice beer for that price or some really excellent beer for $5 more.
posted by oddman at 1:54 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Maybe a "Meal kit"? Either show up with the makings of one dinner y'all can share in together, where you've brought all the food (a pound of really good pasta, a jar of super-fancy canned tomatoes, a wedge of parmaesan, a loaf of bread) and you'll do all the work, and they just chill out and then eat. Check on any food allergy issues with your girlfriend first.

Or wait until you get there and offer to make everyone in the house dinner and let them place their order (you don't have to pack, and you can check on the food quirks while you're there). Make sure that this is something coming from and/or done by you, rather than it looking like your girlfriend is doing most of this.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:54 PM on March 24, 2015


Hit "post" too soon - the "meal in a basket" was a Martha Stewart thing, but I'm liking the "let me make you all dinner" idea, especially for the "we'll ALL of us get a chance to be social" element and so you get a chance to get to know them and they'll get to know you, and so you're not just this vaguely male shape that flits in and out of the hallway now and then.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:56 PM on March 24, 2015


You're a prince among boyfriends of people with room mates.

Is there anything that you and your girlfriend may have helped burn through during your stay? Communal ground coffee, milk, soda, pasta, paper towels, toilet tissue, that sort of thing? If so, topping up would probably be welcome.

Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts/etc. cards are often happy things to receive, and it's easy to add a short note to them.

Box of chocolates, fruit basket? These are classics for a reason.
posted by kythuen at 2:16 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Super nice olive oil and balsamic! Nice staple to have around.
posted by barnone at 2:21 PM on March 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


Is there anything that you and your girlfriend may have helped burn through during your stay? Communal ground coffee, milk, soda, pasta, paper towels, toilet tissue, that sort of thing? If so, topping up would probably be welcome.

Oooh. OOOH.

I like this, but - kind of make a point of getting them a fancier version of whatever - "I figure I'm going to be using some of your soap, so I wanted to replace it - with this bar of super fancy French soap. And I was going to be using some olive oil, so I'm replacing it with this bottle of artisinal stuff specially imported. And to replace the milk I use, here's organic milk from the farm down the street." or whatever. This may require a tiny bit of making a production out of it, but that's kind of the fun.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:28 PM on March 24, 2015 [10 favorites]


Booze is standard in my circle.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 2:44 PM on March 24, 2015


Bottle of wine + chocolate covered espresso beans
posted by saul wright at 3:01 PM on March 24, 2015 [4 favorites]


So is your budget $20 total? How about a box of donuts and a round of coffees, or pay for pizza one night, or a bottle of wine and a tin of fancy cookies, or some really nice bakery bread and a jar of Nutella or fancy savory spread, or a couple of movie tickets (might be a little over budget depending on the options near you), or just flowers?
posted by Yellow Silver Maple at 4:52 PM on March 24, 2015


You seriously can't go wrong with cleaning, and I think all of the little snacky food gestures are really nice too. The only thing I can think of to add is that if they're the kind of people who make coffee or tea at home, a package of the nice stuff will be very much appreciated, cheap, and will last a while.
posted by bile and syntax at 4:59 PM on March 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


A housemate's boyfriend bought the house toilet paper from Costco after he stayed. People brought it up in their wedding speeches to the couple years later because everyone was so touched.
posted by umwhat at 5:22 PM on March 24, 2015 [7 favorites]


A $10 gift card to Starbucks or some place they go to. They don't want candy, and they may not want any of them other specific items suggested here. A $10 gift card is small enough to merely be a gesture, but useful enough to be appreciated. Or combine and get them both one $20 gift card to a pizza place so they can order in one night.
posted by AppleTurnover at 5:24 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Ask them for a honey-do list. Do every chore on their list. They will beg you to come back.
posted by myselfasme at 6:06 PM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Flowers with a thank you note to the roommates when you leave making it clear that the flowers are for roomies- checking in w GF first for pollen allergies.
posted by slateyness at 6:06 PM on March 24, 2015


If you're bringing food or beverages -- consumables -- you might wish to check to make sure the roommates do not have allergies or the like.
posted by city_park at 10:29 PM on March 24, 2015


My vote would be for a nice bottle of wine.
posted by rainbowbrite at 10:21 AM on March 25, 2015


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