I’ve always been grateful for the support of my mom, who was there for me through thick and thin. She wasn’t wealthy, but when she passed away, she left me her entire savings. It was a modest inheritance, but it meant the world to me.
Instead of wasting the money, I decided to be responsible and put some of it away for our dream house. I also used some of it to pursue my studies and fulfill a long-time dream of becoming a lawyer. What made it even better was that my husband David fully supported my decisions. He contributed most of his salary towards our shared dreams.
However, things took an unexpected turn when it came to David’s parents. They somehow believed that I had become an overnight millionaire, without ever explicitly mentioning it. And they found a clever way to take advantage of the situation.
Our family loves dining out, trying different restaurants and cuisines. Since I received my inheritance, every meal at a restaurant became a game of “wallet roulette.” Guess who always ended up paying? Me. Why? Because my in-laws conveniently “forgot” their wallets at home.
Fed up with being the perpetual dinner sponsor, I decided to turn the tables on them. One evening, as we were leaving for dinner, I noticed my in-laws’ wallets casually left on the table near the door. I seized the opportunity and put them into my bag.
During dinner, when the bill arrived, I pretended to have forgotten my bank card at home. My in-laws, thinking they had won another round, looked to David to cover the bill. But this time, David intervened and revealed that he had put their wallets in my bag before leaving the house. The room fell silent as the reality sank in for my in-laws.
You see, it wasn’t about taking advantage of them. It was about more than that. They knew we were saving up for our dream home, a home they were also moving into because David felt responsible for them. Despite this knowledge, they never made an effort to help us save.
The silence lingered for a while, but eventually, my father-in-law reached out for his wallet and said, “Thanks, Son. I’ve got this one.” He even left a generous tip for the waiter, an attempt to save face.
From that point on, the in-laws began to understand the importance of financial responsibility and started taking turns in paying for meals. It wasn’t a complete transformation, as David and I still covered all other household expenses. However, it was a step in the right direction. My mother-in-law even started cooking without being asked because she knew I was studying after work.
Have your in-laws ever tried to take advantage of you? Share your experiences!
