To be angry at sisters Eras tour present??

[Grealish]

I have two tween DDs who are Taylor obsessed atm. Was gutted when I didn’t get a code to get them tickets.

Well yesterday my sister came round, and told me she had a surprise for the girls. Three eras tour tickets for me and the girls!! The girls (and me) were so excited, youngest ran off to show her aunt what outfit she was going to wear, and oldest kept announcing that it was the best day of her life.

and then my sister said: “it’s a good thing your DH has the weekend off too, he can drive you to the airport!”. Well I felt like bingo in that one episode of bluey. Airport? I’m not going to the airport?

Turns out the tickets are in London. This Sunday. We live in Ireland. My sister bought the tickets, but now I’ll have to book flights and hotel. I have work on Monday so I’ll have to try book that off. We have a family holiday coming up as well as my best friends hen party so really do not have the money for flights and a hotel, if I can even find a hotel this late notice.

I just wish she’d come to me first before telling the girls, as now I’m either going to have to crush their dreams or somehow find a few hundred quid to get us all to London.

AIBU to be so angry at my sister (even tho I think she thought she was doing a nice thing.) and to think that a present should not put the recipient out of pocket…. Sorry I actually don’t even know what I’m expecting people to say back I’m just in need of a good rant.

It's not ungrateful when or have to potentially spend hundreds on travel and accommodation!

I can't get my head around the fact that you can't understand why the op is concerned about needing to organise a day off work with limited notice [I wouldn't even be allowed that day off regardless of if I wanted to go or not!], and then to find potentially hundreds of points to organise travel to another country and hotel, all at late notice so increased prices and limited availability.

How - and why - is it so difficult for some posters to understand that not everyone is in the position to just drop everything and rustle up quite a lot of money in less than a week's time?!

However insurmountable the obstacles are, I have a feeling you will find a solution OP. And, trust me, you will remember this concert forever. ( Speaking as someone who was not that fussed but omg).

Tickets don’t start at £400 - mine were less than £100 each. We bought an album over 18 months ago to ensure we had codes and therefore reasonably priced presale tickets. We booked the hotel the day she announced the dates and then bought the tickets and train. All in cost £500 for two tickets and 3 nights in London in August. Have no idea where these crazy prices rumours have come from - that was greedy US touts.

Could you sell your ticket to help cover the costs? Still fly over with them and drop them at the door and collect them after? Depending on their age of course. You could recoup a good few hundred for one ticket that could ease the financial pressure.

It sounds as if your sister just didn’t think and got excited about it.

Flights are good value and rail and sail also good but you have to get from is it Holyhead to London so…

For whilst you’re over here look out for Pizza Express deals if you do eat out, sign up to Greggs app and you get a free eg pasty or bake and hot drink.

Good you decided to go, but man she could have given you some time to prepare… very thoughtless and more about her.

How would she have felt if you said sorry we already have plans, or I just don’t have the money. Insane

Don't be angry, it was a very kind idea, but wasn't thought through very well.

Can you stay with any friends/relatives in London? Or ask around if anyone you know has a contact who could put you up for a small payment (or maybe treat them to a meal out if they won't accept payment - it would be cheaper than a hotel). Booking.com has 2 nights for £368 in Kensington, which is a safe area.

It was a lovely idea , so chat to her about your concerns and do thank her, rather than feeling angry. Maybe she can come up with an accommodation solution & air fare plan, as these will be pricey being last minute. (oh, don't use Lastminute.com - had a disaster with them and Ryan air). Maybe she'll then agree that it was done with the best intention, although not thought through in the excitement of the moment and your girls will obviously be disappointed if it doesn't go ahead. There may be another occasion in the summer. But if you do go, have a wonderful time.

EDIT - just seen that you've decided to go, good on you! It's fun to be spontaneous. Take some sandwiches, fill up empty water bottles at the airport after you've gone through security to save money. Take hand luggage only. Use travel cards. There are lots of ways to keep the cost down.

You're confusing ungrateful with being given a gift that involves you in considerable travel hassle and money that you don't really have to spare

I don’t understand the people who don’t understand that while this is amazing it’s also an arse-ache to organise with no notice.

I'm glad you're going. I really think it will be a concert your girls will always remember

But I do still get why you'd be annoyed with your sister!! I ran it by my sister before buying my niece a certain barbie.

Those people saying she is "ungrateful" obviously have endless money and no commitments. If if were me, I would be working at 9am on Monday Morning. if I couldn't get back for it - my choice would be pull a sickie and risk disciplinary action which might result in me losing my job, if they found out I wasn't sick, or don't go. You really think choosing having a long-term way of feeding your kids, makes you ungrateful?!!

I would be making my sister, in my presence, tell the DDs why they can't go.

Oh my god can’t believe I left this post with loads of lovely people giving me fab advice and then came back to being called ungrateful and that I should go read all the upset mums on other threads???

I would absolutely be over the moon if I had been given notice? I’m having to plan a trip to a different country TWO days before, with two children? Trying to get work off has been a nightmare, trying to sort a way to get my younger DS to childcare on Monday morning has been a nightmare. My DH has had to rearrange his weekend so that he’ll be home with DS. I have had to round up the money for travel & spending money while we’re there, and am going to have to deal with being fairly skint for the rest of the month.

I am so excited for my girls and delighted that they’re going to get to see their favourite singer, but if a last minute trip for three to a different country doesn’t inconvenience you then I am bloody jealous.

well done for sorting it out OP. It was an incredibly frustrating present. And am amazed at all the women who could organise a weekend away on 2 days notice, with enough money, time off work, and childcare for monday morning - and be grateful for having to do so. they must live very different lives to the rest of us.

I hope you have a fabulous time - some day this will be a funny story.

Don't justify yourself @Grealish

Of COURSE you are pretty happy and grateful, as many would be with Taylor Swift tickets, but when a gift costs more to act on that it cost the buyer, it's not much of a gift really is it?! You're gonna end up spending more than what the tickets are worth.

Edited. I read your post properly and have seen you are going! Enjoy yourself!

I feel your pain OP, my lovely mum bought our daughter a full sized harp. Daughter loved it. We then spent thousands on lessons.
What time is your ferry coming into Holyhead? If you need help with train logistics, I can help.

Is your sister paying?

If so I guess you’re spending the money you were happy to spend when you were gutted not to get tickets on the travel instead?

Read the thread

Glad to RTFT and see that you are going. You (and your kids) will have a great time. We saw Taylor Swift recently and she puts on a great show. A month/ ten years from now all you'll remember is how great it was rather than what a 4-day PITA it was to arrange transport, etc.

As someone who trawled the internet and looked in loads of European cities and eventually spent the price of a family holiday for my DD to go, I think you are entirely ungrateful.

I see now you’ve decided to go but are still saying you’re annoyed with your sister??

I hope she’s not on mumsnet. Bet she would be crushed.

OP, you have every right to be pissed off.
She never consulted you, just landed a present that will cost you time, effort and money in front of your children.
I would be very pissed off.
Not thankful at all.
Fantastic that you have made it work but I would be asking her to not do it again.
4 days notice is ridiculous.
Is she a bit dim?
She sounds it.

If it’s that stressful and inconvenient why don’t you swap them for Dublin or sell them?

The first reply nails it, as is often the case. I was looking for the poll to vote YANBU. I'd be furious with my (imaginary) sister if I were put in the same position your sister has done with you, apart from the work aspect, which would be most difficult for many people, there's the expectation that you can just "bung it on a credit card" and pay it off later - family finances don't necessarily work like that.
That being said, I hope you have a lovely trip @Grealish and can enjoy it now the stress of organising it is over!

I’m not sure how genuine about 50% of posts on this site are!