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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to expect her to pay

141 replies

Introvertedbuthappy · 06/10/2019 08:57

My MIL has come to stay with us in our flat...for 3 weeks...
We recently moved abroad so a long stay was expected - did not expect 3 weeks in our own space though, but that’s fine - the boys are sharing a bed to accommodate her and she’s got her own room etc.
But...am I being unreasonable to expect her to actually pay for anything while she’s here? She’s expecting us to take her on excursions/to restaurants but we are expected to pay for it all. It really winds me up when she orders a hot and cold drink, plus a main salad and a side of chips “for the table” despite everyone’s meals otherwise coming with chips. It really is beginning to piss me off, especially when earlier I went to get a coffee and she just tacked on to the end of my order and didn’t pay, leaving me to.
She is our guest I suppose, but am I being unreasonable for expecting her to contribute to meals out/pay for her own tickets/coffees? Or should I just put up with it as she’s paid a big air ticket to ‘grace’ us with her presence and accept that the extra £250ish it’s cost so far (one week to go) is just the price for family coming so far to see us?

OP posts:
LovePoppy · 06/10/2019 13:46

Ask her to cook
Or your husband

You are not chef and maid

nokidshere · 06/10/2019 13:48

You can't change her but you can deal with it differently. You and your DH are being ridiculous. Tell her properly that you can't afford it and that you understand if she wants to go out every day to eat but it's not a sustainable position for you.

caringcarer · 06/10/2019 13:48

It sounds annoying but if your dh thinks you can afford it and he wants to treat his Mum I would let him providing he does not expect you to subsidise her to.

Jaxhog · 06/10/2019 13:53

whenever we’ve eaten out with her she’s always insisted we pay our way

This caught my eye. So if you go out with her in her home town, you're expected to pay. But when she stays with you, she expects you to pay then too! I've never had anyone to stay for so long (and it IS a long time), who didn't at least offer to pay their way on meals out and excursions. But insisting that you join her on excursions AND pay for her as well is too much.

It's always tricky when it's close family, but I think she's being unreasonable. At the very least I would expect her to pay her way when on a long visit. My mum would insist. If she won't then don't go.

JavaQ · 06/10/2019 14:03

Avoid passive-aggressiveness. State clearly that it is lovely to have her there (I hope that is the case) but you have a household budget and cannot fund meals out/do not go out as a family more than once a week (whatever it is).

Your MIL is there to see the family/grandchildren and has made an effort (cheaper than you visiting her).

She isn't a mind-reader. You will need to start this conversation and wait to hear her reply. Stick to your financial guns.

My mother would visit for 3-6 months at a time and would not expect to be entertained, and would go shopping, and insist on leaving her "leftover" foreign money (ie not leftover at all!) with me at the end. Everyone has different levels of awareness/sensibility- so have that chat with a smile on your face!

Minai · 06/10/2019 14:18

Yanbu she is taking the piss. When my mum visits (albeit not for as long as we are in the same country) she even insists on paying for food we buy from the shops when she stays. I try to refuse but she finds a way to give me money (and she is a lot less well off than we are)

I’d nip this in the bud now or you will be paying for everything each time she comes to stay for years.

Sceptre86 · 06/10/2019 14:26

I would pay for my mum of taking her out when she comes over to stay with us. However she is very low maintenance and would happily stay in. She would more than likely cook for us and always helps out with the dishes, kids etc. Try doing more indoors or going put for lunch and not dinner if you can help it!

Sceptre86 · 06/10/2019 14:27

*out

GnomeDePlume · 06/10/2019 14:32

The best house guests are the ones who realise that their visit isnt a holiday for the host and act accordingly, fitting in with the household routine, giving the hosts a break from their company for a while, helping out in some way eg babysitting to allow the hosts to go out for an evening.

The worst house guests think that not only is their visit a holiday but that the guests should be grateful for their visit and wait on the guests hand and foot.

DPiL were always pretty good. As soon as they arrived they would be asking what night DH and I would be going out. DM wouldnt offer but would reluctantly babysit if asked.

This also highlighted the difference between them. For DPiL babysitting was a joy. I swear we could get back from a night out to find them tied to a lamp post and they would say it had all been fine and the DCs no problem. DM had always only just sat down (even when we saw her sound asleep on the sofa!).

I love DM very much but she was hard work.

Snog · 06/10/2019 15:01

I would ask her to cook for you whilst you are out at work and she is at home.

I would insist that she pays for her own extras on the shopping.

I wouldn't be going out more than once a week or whatever you can afford. Feeding her vegetarian food at home shouldn't be too expensive though?

If she is constantly asking to be taken out for more meals or on expensive outings just tell her that you can't afford it but if she is proposing to treat you all then that would be lovely.

mankyfourthtoe · 06/10/2019 15:05

Yes you need to have a conversation and buy a few travel cups so stop having brews out and pack picnics until she starts to contribute.

JennyWren · 06/10/2019 15:10

Can I offer a different perspective? As a ‘left behind’ family member, I didn’t choose for my family to all emigrate. I didn’t choose to have to make a decision between letting those relationships drop to Skype at best or spending huge amounts of money and my precious annual leave going to a location that doesn’t in itself appeal to me. I didn’t make that choice but the effect seems to be that I have to suck it up and pay th price.

Agreeing expectations is the key for us in hosting and visiting our overseas family. Both my parents and my sister emigrated. They want to keep up close relationships with us and we with them, so we try to visit them as often as we can afford. But that costs us a lot, and frankly we wouldn’t go to those places if it weren’t to see our family - maybe once, but certainly not repeatedly. So yes, when we visit we do expect to be fed as part of the family. But if we go out we pay our share, and we make sure we treat them to a meal as a thank you. And when we visit my sister it is during school holiday and we offer to take our nieces around with us for the week, at our expense, so they don’t have to go to (and pay for) a holiday child are camp that week.

But the flip side is true - when they go to the expense of visiting us, we feed them, and they share costs if we eat out, etc. Our family experience is that if you choose to move abroad you have to accept that if you want to maintain ‘home’ relationships you have to accept visitors who are in holiday mode, and accept that they are going the extra mile because they love you - they didn’t choose for you to emigrate and they didn’t choose the financial costs that puts on them to reciprocate the wish to maintain the relationship. My family members encourage friends to visit because they want to see them, but they accept that they need space to accommodate them and that the food bill will go up. But when they spend the money and time coming back here, we welcome them with open arms, make space for them and cook veggie/favourite recipes/use ingredients they can’t get where they live now.

If your MIL has a different expectation to you, you can seethe quietly or you can talk about it. Do you go ‘home’ as often as she comes to you? Does she really see her trips to you as holiday, or the expense and effort she has to go to, to see her family? It sounds as though your MIL hasn’t changed, just because you’ve decided to emigrate. She expected you to pay when you lived in the UK. Regardless of what she could afford, she’s just doing what she always has, just in a different location - which you, not she, chose to change. From her mindset, she’s paid out for long-haul plane tickets - that’s her contribution. If your DH isn’t bothered about the relationship, you can let it slide, not be available for visitors, not come back to the UK to visit her. But he does, he’s going to have to bite the bullet and discuss expectations, or you and he will have to accept the status quo.

Zeldasmagicwand · 06/10/2019 15:12

If it’s a long haul flight and she’s in her 70’s she’s not likely to be doing it for many more years and presumably you want your children to have a relationship with her?

It’s only 3 weeks so in your shoes, I’d suck it up for now.

CheeseFace · 06/10/2019 16:38

My sister lives in Aus, last time I visited her (and my intention for my forthcoming trip) was that I paid for my own excursions and paid my own way in restaurants. On top of which I did a big food shop, bought a load of booze (visit was over Christmas), cooked for everyone a couple of times, took everyone out for dinner a couple of times and contributed to housework.

While it was their choice to emigrate and it's a big expense to visit, it is completely unreasonable for me (or your MIL in your case) to expect someone else to fully fund my visit.

EKGEMS · 06/10/2019 17:51

Oh ElizaDee you must be reading a different thread than the rest of us-the OP is reasonable and the MIL isn't at all. 70 is hardly a foot in the grave Three weeks subsidizing a woman who is wealthy is wrong

rookiemere · 06/10/2019 18:50

There's a huge difference between covering someone's costs when they are over to visit you - so I'd expect in this scenario to pay for MILs meals - and the other person totally taking the Mickey - ordering multiple drinks, more food than is needed and buying ridiculously priced wine.

I'd avoid going to the supermarket with her again. If you do and she puts the wine in, lift it out and say " Oh I don't know if you realise this MIL but this wine costs £27 per bottle, how about we find something local that is more affordable ". I'd also avoid meals out - if she mentions eating out again say "I don't know if you noticed MIL but eating out is very expensive here, much more so than in the UK, even a coffee costs £5. It's lovely to have you here but we just can't afford any more meals out."

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