Spinoff - Do you take your own "leftovers" home?

[AndreaDM]

Of course most people take their tupperware/crockpot/whatever home with them after a party or potluck, but do you take things like beverages or snacks with you if you've taken them to someone's house? Say you're invited to a superbowl party and are told just to bring what you want to drink, you take a 6 pack, drink 4, do you leave the rest or gather them up to take home? I have never done this unless the host insisted saying they wouldn't drink/eat the item. I figure they're hosting, probably provided some food, my half bag of chips or 2 bottles of beer can stay there. I have been around people who make sure to take every scrap with them, saw a woman take home a 2 liter bottle of soda that had less than a 4th left in it. Why??

 

[cabanafrau]

Not really. There's usually not much left anyway and what little might still be left is probably pawed over or kinda meh from sitting around through a party anyway. Beverages, not unless it's a picnic at a park or something and we're bringing home the cooler of beverages we brought. Pop or wine brought to someone else's house, no. Occasionally my husband has brewed beer for parties and he will bring home his keg when we leave.

 

[RUDisney]

It depends on where I am. Everywhere other than my MIL's house, I will leave everything. At MIL's we usually take everything home because she will dispose of it without it being used. We will at least use it. If it's something we know that she will eat/drink, we will leave it, but typically, she only wants some of it and not all, so we take it home. (The portion she doesn't want.)

Oh, and I take things to her house in gladware or aluminum foil pans. She doesn't return Tupperware or pyrex. So, if we are leaving something, it's in a throw away container or in something we don't care if we get back.

This is what 25 years of marriage has taught me. lol

 

[DisneyHardin]

If I take something like chips and the bag doesn’t even get opened, I’ll take them. If they got opened, I’ll most likely leave them unless the host insists I take it.

 

[Disneylover99]

No. I don’t take any food or drink home. I leave everything behind.

If I do bring Tupperware or Corning Ware, I’ll take that, but usually I’ll offer up the leftovers to the host or scrape the leftovers into the garbage/compost before I take my containers.

 

[wenrob]

My DD and I were just talking about this yesterday. My DH won over my dad on his first visit by bringing beer and leaving it when we left. Unless the host insists I take it, I leave it with them.

 

[loves to dive]

I leave everything behind, even if the host says take it home.

 

[AndreaDM]

Forgot to mention in my OP that I would take whatever I brought if we were at a park or any public space, but at someone's home? Nope, I'm leaving it, opened or not. We have hosted parties where later our fridge is a total smorgasbord of random beverages lol, we usually eventually drink most of them.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I always use a disposable container so I can leave the whole kit & kaboodle.

 

[iivye]

If it's family I take whatever is left home. If I am going to a potluck at a non-family house I bring it on a disposable tray so I don't have to bring anything home.

 

[mjkacmom]

I bring food in throw away containers, and I’ve never witnessed anyone bringing their drinks home, one of the benefits of hosting a party is the beer salad for your extra refrigerator. Going to a big Saint Patrick’s day party next weekend, the hosts will provide beer, wine, water, soda, and whiskey, we will still bring wine/beer (and never just a six pack). DH ended up ubering home last year (not a good day drinker).

 

[mumto3girls]

Depends. Generally for close family that we celebrate holidays with we have a routine and we each host 1-2 holidays each year. We eat mostly the same foods for the major ones with the host providing the main dish and a side or two and everyone else filling in with sides, desserts etc. At the end everyone takes whatever leftovers they want including the host. If I brought a crockpot full of mashed potatoes and a cookie tray I’ll invite everyone to take what they want and then tell the host not to worry about my dishes I’ll just take the leftover leftovers home in the dish I brought it in and wash it then. In the last few years my mom has been cooking less and less and we will really try to make sure my parents take enough food home for a few meals. Same for MIL.


On the other hand, during hockey playoffs, weather permitting, we show the games on a projector in the driveway. Mostly neighbors come but also some friends and family. Almost everyone brings their own drinks and a snack to share. Our team has been fairly successful so often times this goes on for a month or 2 with games every other day or 2 with occasional longer breaks when a series ends fast. Well, all those “snacks to share” were being left at my house by my very polite neighbors. After one too many mornings of coming out to see one DD or another eating leftover cheese doodles with a side of cupcake for breakfast, we started insisting that people take home what they brought—nicely of course.

 

[soccerdad72]

Not unless asked to, no.

 

[Hikergirl]

Not usually but there are times where I'm forced too.
A couple times a year we have a huge family gathering and my SIL hosts. She makes us take any leftovers (of what we brought) home because there is usually way too much for her to eat and/or store.

 

[dish rag]

No never. That just looks awful. But I know people who do and yes it’s talked about behind their backs.

 

[starry_solo]

No.

 

[pattyw]

I agree with you. I leave the rest of what I have brought to a party. I try to put food in disposable containers- from Dollar Tree- if possible. I only take the leftovers when the host insists and will not be able to enjoy the food.

 

[karensi]

I once hosted a Super Bowl party and one of the guests brought a tin of cookies that went untouched. After the party, when she was leaving, she asked if she could take the cookies back with her, saying that her grandchildren liked them. Of course I said fine, but never again invited her to another get together.
I thought it was tacky at the least.
I understand, if you're at a relative's home or a close friend then maybe it's different but we were casual friends at best.

 

[disykat]

If it's potluck, I do not leave anything behind without permission - but I always ask the host if I can leave it for them to enjoy.

Generally if it's potluck, we're close friends, so we tend to divide stuff up that is left over amongst whomever wants some. That way nothing ends up unused and thrown out. Quite often our single young adult children are dying to have leftovers! As we're cleaning up we just ask who wants some of what and divvy it out in baggies or whatever.

To me, the best thing about potluck as a host is not to have to deal with the stuff left behind. Even unopened soda and alcohol. We don't drink it so it sits in our garage until the next party, then people show up with more. Even chips etc. - why leave them for me to throw away if you could enjoy them? Definitely ask before you leave stuff, IMO.

If it's a party and you brought something as a hostess gift, that's a different story.

 

[Floridaman999]

I always just ask myself, "what would the neighbors think?", then I hang my head in shame and load up the trunk.