If you moved into a new house/new neighborhood....

[mala]

And your neighbors put together a welcome basket, what would you want in it?

TP, soap, maybe a few bottles of water, cleaning supplies (though maybe not since they can be really person dependent), paper towels. Anything else? I'm trying to think of any incidentals that might make closing day/move in easier.

[lucybrown]

Consumables. Food, beer, wine, etc. Easy to eat snacks were very appreciated when we were moving.

[mpm]

Jul 12, 2023 16:13:47 GMT -5 mala said:

And your neighbors put together a welcome basket, what would you want in it?

TP, soap, maybe a few bottles of water, cleaning supplies (though maybe not since they can be really person dependent), paper towels. Anything else? I'm trying to think of any incidentals that might make closing day/move in easier.

A bottle of wine or beer. Maybe something from a local bakery if you’re not sure if they’re drinkers. I’d be a little weirded out if someone brought me TP and cleaning supplies; I assume someone moving has already planned for their own essentials.

[bbdoll]

Takeout menus from good local places and maybe a gift card to one of them.

[cricketwife]

When we moved in, one neighbor brought us a bottle of wine and one brought us homemade banana pudding. It was amazing. We don’t drink red wine so we regifted, but was still a nice gesture! I agree with a a food consumable or food giftcard.

[mala]

Jul 12, 2023 16:21:14 GMT -5 mpm said:

Jul 12, 2023 16:13:47 GMT -5 mala said:

And your neighbors put together a welcome basket, what would you want in it?

TP, soap, maybe a few bottles of water, cleaning supplies (though maybe not since they can be really person dependent), paper towels. Anything else? I'm trying to think of any incidentals that might make closing day/move in easier.

A bottle of wine or beer. Maybe something from a local bakery if you’re not sure if they’re drinkers. I’d be a little weirded out if someone brought me TP and cleaning supplies; I assume someone moving has already planned for their own essentials.

Fair point.

[k3am]

We got wine, beer, cookies, and some activities for our kids to keep them out of our hair while we were unpacking and it was perfect.

We tend to do cookies and a bottle of wine.

I'd find TP and cleaning supplies weird to give or receive as well.

[krystee]

We got chocolate chip cookies from one neighbor and champagne from the other, and loved both! But the best was that they included cards with their names and their kids’ names and their phone numbers. It was so helpful to have those and not have to be like, “OMG, what was the husband’s name again?!” I texted the numbers later that evening to say thank you and signed it with our names like an old person so they’d have ours too.

[mpm]

Our boomer neighbor who thinks she’s in charge of the neighborhood (lol) brings new people baked goods from the farmers market, and a folder with a city newspaper and a laminated list of the names and phone numbers of everyone on the street.

[isabel]

Snacks and a gift card for pizza or a local takeout place. When we’ve moved, it wasn’t cleaning supplies or toilet paper we needed, but cold drinks and snacks for unpacking during the day before having a full fridge/pantry, and an easy evening meal with a bottle of wine.

[eb777888]

Wow, you guys are so adult, lol.

[donutsmakemegonuts]

We put a Visa gift card in a card for our neighbors when they moved in and included a note about what good local restaurants we recommended. We didn't know if they were from the area or not but we wanted to be friendly since we share our driveway with them and the guy who moved out was the original owner of the home.

[sofamonkey]

I’d like them to leave me alone. LOL!


But I’d take cookies or a simple “hey”

[cattledogkisses]

Gift card to a local restaurant. We're in the middle of moving right now and feeding ourselves has been the hardest part when everything we own is in cardboard boxes scattered between two houses. We've been doing a lot of takeout, both because we're tired and because half of our cooking stuff is packed.

[sandandsea]

Our neighborhood voluntary HOA brought us a small but nice gift basket with some lemon olive oil and balsamic vinegar along with the neighborhood list of neighbors and phone numbers/email. It was a nice simple welcome.

[Susie]

We moved about 2 years ago.  One of our neighbors gave us a colander with some little kitchen things in it, and another brought over some muffins.  I most appreciated the notes with came with each, with the names, phone nos., and house number of each of the families written down.  The sort of info that's good to have and sometimes awkward to ask.

[maudefindlay]

I prefer an introduction and short chat. I hate getting stuff, I always feel like I should reciprocate in the future.

[noodleoo]

I would have appreciated anything when we moved in. We got nothing! You guys sound nice.

Wait, I take that back. Toilet paper and cleaning supplies is weird. Baked goods and wine sound right.

[fivechickens]

I didn’t know the area we now live in when we moved here 10 years ago. It is less than an hour from our old home so not a while new state situation. I like the idea of menus from people’s favorite restaurants in the area and maybe a gift card to one or two of the places (though I would be happy with just the menus).

[dale]

Our neighbors gave us a large tin of gourmet cookies. We appreciated that because we had people stopping in to see the new place and it was something I could put out quickly.

[BicycleBride]

If you are looking for something you can keep on hand maybe some paper plates, napkins, and utensils along with a restaurant gift card. I agree, cleaning supplies is a bit weird.

[VillainV]

Consumables. For grown-ups: cookies, brownies, banana bread. For kids: same food as above, or for younger kids stuff like sidewalk chalk, bubbles, etc.

[dexteroni]

No cleaning products and no TP. How… personal. lol. I’d stick to food and drink and keep it small. A huge gift or GCs of any substantial amount would make me feel like I had to reciprocate in some way, and that would make me feel weird.

Honestly the best thing would be something I could grab easily for breakfast tomorrow, because no way am I going to be ready to cook that soon. Muffins, scones, banana or zucchini bread. Bagels will be stale by morning, so those are out. And English muffins are dependent on them finding the toaster, so I’d skip those too.

Any desserty items are fine, like someone mentioned cookies. A small to medium flowering plant is fine; it’ll perk up the porch and it won’t add to moving day chaos. If you really want to do a non-consumable gifty item, I’d limit it to one item and keep it small. One of our friends got a set of coasters with images of our new city that we like and use. Or, since it’s summer, maybe a citronella candle they can use on their patio.

You’re very nice neighbors! We’ve bought two houses and no neighbors brought us anything either time.

[mala]

Obviously I was overthinking about food, was not going to go that way because of food/dietary restrictions, but I went too far the wrong way. Food and goodies it is. And paper plates. And names and phone numbers.

[wanderingback]

We don’t use bottled water or paper towels and make our own cleaning supplies, so I don’t think those would be helpful for everyone.

Food/snacks can be personal too, but anything more specific that’s local? But really I think just a warm welcome and sharing your phone number would be nice and appreciated.

[cattledogkisses]

I also don't think that you *need* to give anything either. Our new neighbors said hello and introduced themselves, gave us their numbers, and invited us over for drinks when we get settled in, which was hugely appreciated (and more than we've ever gotten before when moving somewhere new).

[liverandonions]

Those funny cocktail napkins and paper cups are fun and useful
Scissors because you can never find them
And have to open a jillion things

[jinkies]

I don't consider myself unfriendly, but giving or receiving a basket of tp, paper plates and cleaning supplies from a stranger would make me feel weird.

Friendly hello, tell them they chose a great neighborhood, give them your number and tell them to feel free to reach out with any questions about the neighborhood.

[expectantsteelerfan]

When we moved we got a few plants/flowers, a bottle of wine, a few sweet treats, and all came with names/numbers/kids ages (we obv. have kids) and all were appreciated, especially the cards with the names/numbers/ages.

[arielroux]

Our current neighbors didn’t even introduce themselves when we moved in, lol. I would have been happy with a hello! Food or drinks are always appreciated, though…or I guess I should say are always appreciated by ME.