I'm feeling really ungrateful here, but I'm also tired of dealing with this year after year. Every year, my mom (who is not a boundary stomper) tries to buy me clothing. And not just a sweater, like 4 new outfits. The problem is that it's always at least one size too big (she likes a loose fit) and it's usually something that I don't like or want (I tend to be a capsule wardrobe person).
So every year, I now have this obligation trip to return a bunch of stuff. I hate shopping, I hate returning things but I also hate wasting money. My mom (I think) likes to show her love through gifts, but she's nearing retirement and doesn't make nearly as much as I do, so I'd prefer her to just keep her money.
I think this year that she probably purchased like $300 in clothes for just me, probably another $200 for my kids, and then bought my SO a speaker system.
I know that the polite thing to do is just say thank you and keep what I want/donate what I don't need. Last year, I didn't get around to returning the clothes and a $150 cashmere sweater ended up in the goodwill bag.
Is there a polite way to end this without hurting feelings? I've hinted around this before, and I do care about my mom's feelings (more than about her wasted money). Should I just let her be happy wasting her money on stuff we don't use?