To want my SIL to stop asking how much things cost?

[cottonwoolbrain]

Example sent her a photo this morning of DD dressed in denim jacket for Jeans for Genes day. Immediate response "I love the jacket, how muich did it cost" (£5.99 in the PDSA for anyone who cares)

She asks it about everything...

How much is DS's brithday party costing?
How much were DD's pyjamas?
HOw much was your new fridge?
How much were your shoes?

If we've paid for it and she likes it she wants to know how much it is. I normally just give evasive answers but NOW she's started looking themup...

"wow the party entertainer was a bit pricy"

"you could have got that fridge cheaper at Currys"

etc. etc.

FGS... its my money and quite honestly none of her business..... she and db have just had a kitchen extension done, shall I wander in and start questioning the costs of individual items and see how she likes it?

Everything five pounds.

God FIL does this. Showed him my engagement ring years ago. You'd expect him to say it was nice etc. Nope. How much did it cost? Argh.

I never tell him. He still does it though so if you cure your SIL let me know how...

I have had people do this to me. I just say "you can't ask that!" Or "it's not polite to ask".

Just ask her why she wants to know.

Once my FIL asked me how much my mum earns. Dunno I said. He said I wouldn't tell him if I did.

Damn right.

Why does it bother you so?

It would bother me because it's bloody rude, apart from anything else. Constantly asking people about the price of things they've bought is bad manners, like asking how much someone earns. And even more bad manners to then pass judgement on the amount you've spent.

I actually had a colleague who used to do this a lot, and I did eventually start winding her up by just saying ridiculous amounts like £157 for a notebook or 14p for an iPod.

How about saying 'I can't remember, why do you want to know?'

'Can't remember' works for everything. DM has been doing this for as long as I remember and it shuts people up (especially if they're asking something they don't need to know just to be nosey).
If she keeps asking then (for example with the coat) just say ' I don't think they make it in your size SIL'.

My MIL does this too. It's so annoying. She has to comment and ask the price of whatever dd is wearing/has. I can't win. Either it's too expensive and could have got it second hand or if it is second hand then I'm cheap and should have bought it brand new. So exhausting.

My brother does this.

We say do the whole teeth sucking thing and say, "ooh, dear, very very dear. " and then look off into the middle distance.

He's stopped now!

feelinggoldtoday has just reminded me that whenever my Mum was asked how much something cost, she would say 'money and fair words'. Nice little memory, I might revive that.

Going against popular opinion but I'd take it as a compliment. She asks the price of things she likes and that says to me she's wondering if she can get the same style for her money. I can imagine it's a bit annoying but it probably helps her. If i really like something a friend has, after complimenting them and subject to them being a close friend, I ask how much they paid. It's simply to work out whether I could afford to be so stylish myself

Buy her an etiquette book so that she can ask you how much it cost.

How bizarre. You could get in there first. Here’s DD in her new coat, which cost £10. Or even send her a weekly roundup of all your (made up) expenditure. Maybe focus particularly on how much you spend on condoms or DH’s haemorrhoid cream or whatever would embarrass her most. Hopefully she will get the message...

I have a family member like this. They also like to get you to guess how much something cost so they can crow over what a bargain they got. I tend to wildly over or underestimate now, to amuse myself more than anything else.

Price of everything, value of nothing.

We always say 'a thousand pounds ' like that link above ! Makes us chuckle .. dd is nearly 14 so we have been bleeding the joke dry for a while !!🤣🤣

I'm going to go against popular opinion too. Sure she isn't just interested? If she's asking to be difficult or so she can criticise then YANBU, but if she's just is interested perhaps because she's thinking of buying the same then I don't see anything wrong with it. I ask all the time about things done to people's houses/appliances they've bought etc because I am doing my house up. I personally don't think it's impolite to ask. If you don't want to say then just say that but unless you think she has negative/unpleasant motives then I think that just makes you a bit difficult and up yourself personally.

The recent revelation that the new iPhone will cost "A Thousand Pounds!" means that DH and I have been replaying those sketches all the time, to the utter bafflement of people who've never seen them.

From what you've said about her looking prices up, she only wants to know so she can crow about finding it cheaper, or you being ripped off, or similar.

So like others have said, either give ridiculous answers or stare at her and ask her if she means to be so rude?

It would annoy me too, to be fair.

I like the 4.99 answer for everything but it might be worth tackling it head on as others have said and saying 'oh, not this stupid thing again where you ask me the cost and then look up how much cheaper it could have been. It's really tedious now'.

Etiquette book! Awesome idea (£4.99)

The way to deal with this is:

Head tilt.

"Ah, there's always one who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing."

Tinkly laugh.

My stock answer to inappropriate questions like that is " Unfortunately something akin to another night on the streets for me!" That usually stops it.

50p. I always think of the little boy in the advert, when his dad bought a car.

50p.