'My mum-in law bought me a gift then had the cheek to charge me for it'
A mother-in-law has infuriated the internet after asking her daughter-in-law to chip in for a present she bought her. Gift giving is a great way to make someone feel special but unfortunately, not everyone is good at it. A woman online has revealed that she is in a unique predicament and wants to hear who people think is wrong in the situation.
She was recently given a coffee maker by her husband's mother - but now the mum wants her to cover the extra cost. The anonymous woman didn't ask for the coffee machine, nor did she want one, but she graciously accepted it. She posted to the AITA (Am I the A***hole) thread on Reddit to see whether she was in the wrong.
"AITA for not wanting to pay the extra money my MIL (mother-in-law) put for a gift I didn’t ask for? … Before leaving, she told me I needed to pay her £24. I asked why and she said that she planned on putting £39 in the gift but the cheapest coffee machine she could find was around £63 so I needed to put the £24 she added for the machine," she wrote. The woman who posted the thread said she was confused as to why, after her mother-in-law realised how expensive coffee machines were, she didn’t give up on the idea.
She continued: "She said she didn't care about paying more if it made me happy, I said well clearly you do care otherwise you wouldn’t ask me to pay the extra £24. She said it was just a matter of principle and that if I had manners I'd pay her. She then left. She later texted my husband that she was waiting on the £24 and would take back the coffee machine if I didn't. I told my husband to respond that she could come take it back 'cause I was not gonna give her the £24."
Her husband doesn't want to return the machine as he said he's grown "attached" to it and said his wife should just give his mum the money. She said she wouldn't be happy with that and if he wants to keep the piece of equipment, he should pay his mum the extra money himself. He doesn't agree with her on this, as the gift wasn't originally his. She continued in the post: "He said I was making this harder than it needed to be and was selfish to not pay the extra £24 for the coffee machine his mum got me, especially knowing that he likes it. I have a hard time seeing how I’m wrong so I’m coming here because there might be a chance that I am in the wrong. Should I just give his mum the £24 like she asks and be done with it?"
'I'm spending £20k on a new bathroom - but won't help my brother out with cash'
Commenters were in support of the poster, with many of them saying she wasn't in the wrong but her husband and mother-in-law were. The majority of them offered words of advice and encouragement. "NTA (Not the A***hole). It is not a gift if the recipient has to pay for it unless it was a situation discussed beforehand where the gifter is putting money toward a gift that the recipient wants but doesn’t have money for," one person wrote.
"NTA. And she can come and take back her bloody machine. Also, if your hubs is so attached to it, why does he not give her the £24? I can't wrap my head around the fact people as your MIL and DH (darling husband) exist," another commented. A third added: "Don't let these people gaslight you. Gifts don't come with strings attached." And a fourth suggested: "Pack it up and go leave that machine on your MIL doorstep." A variety of people on the thread said it sounded like this was the husband's plan all along, as it seems like he secretly wanted the coffee machine himself so told his mother.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
