My husband and I make a budget for how much we spend of gifts for others for birthdays, Christmas, etc.

He thinks that we should spend the same amount on his mom’s gift as we do on my mom’s gift, but he also thinks we should buy his mom’s meal when we go out to eat at her request every year. I don’t think that’s really fair since we end up spending much more on his mom than mine in the long run, as she’s not shy about her ordering since she figures someone else will pick up the tab. He has 2 other brothers who could pay for the meal also, or heck maybe his parents could pay since it’s their idea to go out every time. We don’t live in the same town as my mom, so we don’t usually get to take her out for her birthday, and we are on a pretty tight budget.

Do you think the gifts should cost the same if we’re paying for his mom’s meal also?