Sister in Law complaining about her kids' life although they are better off than mine

[Zedania73]

My Sister in Law, her DH and 2 DC are a middle class family. They live in a nice house on a nice road, have nice cars, go on holidays at least once a year (during school holidays when it costs thousands of pounds) and generally spend money on things we - myself, DH and 2 DC - could never afford.

We have a terraced house in a deprived area, my car, which I am going to give up once DS goes to Uni, has bumps and bruises, and we can't afford holidays, at least not during school holidays and that's the only time we would be able to go due to DC's education. Eating out etc. only on special occasions.

I don't envy my SIL's lifestyle, they work hard and deserve it. My DH and me couldn't establish ourselves in better paying careers due to several personal issues, but we have what we need and I am happy with my family. DC are getting a good education so hopefully will be better off in the future.

Only thing that grates me is that SIL sometimes says how disadvantaged her kids are because they didn't get free school meals and the perks that come with it (funding for school trips, easier access to local universities etc.) Btw my kids never had free school meals either although we are on a low income, as my husband has always worked. When SIL says her kids are "struggling" and "suffering" I feel like I might as well jump off the next bridge with my kids. If her kids suffer, what must mine be going through, never mind children who live in actual poverty? SIL has friends that are even posher than her, maybe that influences her outlook on life.

I haven't said anything yet because I literally can't say boo to a goose, so I am just venting here. Thanks for reading.

Same with my SiL, she did inherit a lot of money (couple of million after tax) when her kids were babies. Next step was a lovely house in Hampshire, private school, Caribbean holidays, tennis and sailing lessons galore, skiing at Easter, tutoring and Oxford Uni. Kids didn’t have to take any student loans and they have both received a considerable sum for house deposits as it is important for the to mix and live with the right sort. Always comparing her family to the wealthier Winchester parents.

Meanwhile the rest of us lived in the real world 😂

Now she has nothing to talk about.

I would just avoid spending time with them. How often do you have to see them?

Don’t invite them round.

WTF is wrong with people? Id thank the lord everyday that Im doing well enough that I don’t need to depend on free school meals, food banks etc. I did as a child and I certainly never felt ‘lucky’!

I also totally get working your backside off in a stressful job and still scrimping at times to afford luxuries that the same salary would have stretched to years ago. Not defending her AT ALL but is this what she means maybe?

I can't stand the self pity posts.I know someone similar. Not necessarily about finances etc she doesn't work but she has better finances than some. She's constantly posting on social media that she's a single mother and is apparently a better parent to her kids than everyone else. She's one of these that seems to look for validation via her socials. For example she can post a random camping holiday with photos of her tent set up and people will comment that it looks great have a lovely time and she responds with something like yeah not doing bad considering I'm a single mom doing it all on my own then come the comments of oh you're doing brilliant etc. she literally looks for validation. She's not the first and certainly not the last single parent on the planet. Pisses me off honestly

“Oh no that must be awful for you all… remind me when you are next on holiday”?

I remember a similar conversation with my SIL when her DD was in 6th form. How unfair it was that some of her friends got the EMA payment, and she couldn’t possibly afford to give her the £30 a week or whatever it was. Never mind that the threshold for eligibility for EMA was about a quarter of their household income, or that her DD had a car/phone contract all paid for by them, so they were effectively giving her at least that much a week.