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Social quandary: 'My neighbour snoops in my garbage!'

Their elderly neighbour then crossed the line when she was spied peeking in their mailbox. What would you do?
Woman Looking Through Her Hedge Getty Images

Have you found yourself in an awkward situation? Has someone irked you and you’re not sure how best to proceed? If so, you’re not alone! Every week, we’ll be featuring a reader-submitted quandary so that you can help weigh in and give your input. What would you do in their situation? If you’d like to submit your own quandary, click here.

Quandary:

My elderly neighbour is proving to be rather nosy. On the weekend I spied her going through my recycling bin. She was actually leaning over my fence with her head inside it. When she heard my front door open she jumped back and scurried off. That wasn’t the first time I’ve seen her peeking in our bins. A few weeks ago my husband saw her on our porch looking in our mailbox! She is a nice woman and I don’t want to make things uncomfortable between us or embarrass her, but I would really like her to stop doing this. How can I address the situation in the kindest way possible? Or should I just consider it harmless and forget about it?

Please comment below and help this reader with your feedback.

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Read our previous social quandaries here.

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Chatelaine celebrates, inspires, informs and empowers. We know that Canadian women contain multitudes, and we cover all of the issues—big and small—that matter to them, from climate change to caregiving, Canadian fashion and what to cook now.

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