Need outside opinion... in laws
My husband & I have been married about 10 years, he has always been the only one of his siblings to consistently help his parents with things around the house. Their home is over 100 years old and sits on several acres so there are always a lot of things that need done/fixed. His dad’s health has unfortunately declined significantly in the last year and the amount of help they need has increased exponentially. Also unfortunately, even though they cannot care for their home independently physically or financially, there has been no mention of moving to something that would be more manageable.
Earlier this year, my husband & I loaned my in-laws almost $20,000. I’m generally not in the business of loaning family money, but it was a choice we made because they needed the help & it was something we could do, also it would keep them from putting themselves in a very precarious financial position which would potentially create more of a need later on & we know those needs will primarily if not fully fall on our shoulders as his parents continue to age.
So here is the part I’m feeling conflicted about... recently my MIL brought up a handful of tools my FIL can no longer use & suggested my husband “buy” the tools off them (she suggested we could just take it off the loan) “since you (my husband) use them the most anyway” but here’s the thing... he uses them the most AT THEIR HOUSE to fix their stuff! And yes, he does occasionally borrow them to use at our house too. They are also 30+ years old and she’s talking about how much they bought them for like that’s their current value. I have no desire to haggle a decent price with my in-laws & we weren’t planning on dropping a couple grand on tools my husband uses (for our personal use) less than once a year. I feel like they realized we have a little money set aside and now are kind of taking advantage? But the reason we have money set aside is because we don’t just buy things (like tools) all the time. They are their tools & so if she sold them today, I would have no issue with that! It just feels cringey that they want us to buy them. I’m very inclined to just say no & if the need arises we can either buy something new that’s in good condition or haggle a fair price for something used with a stranger. My husband on the other hand feels like we should just buy them since he has used them in the past.
I really have no clue if I’m just being bitter or making something out of nothing or if they are trying to take advantage when we’ve already been exceedingly generous.
Also just if you’re wondering, I’m a SAHM & my husband earns about the median income for our area, so we are by no means “rich” we have just always been diligent to live beneath our means.
Let’s Glow
Glow is here for you on your path to pregnancy
Glow helps you navigate your fertility journey with smart tools, personalized insights, and guidance from medical experts who understand what matters most.
25+ million
Users
4.8 stars
200k+ app ratings
20+
Medical advisors