The in-laws have mismanaged their money for years.

They both also seem to have a prescription drug problem that nobody wants to address.

The newest thing has been trying to get the kids to go in on gifts for them.

Stock image shows an older woman looking unhappy at a younger man while a younger woman looks stressed sitting next to the older woman.

Trying to climb out of debt? Here are50 ways to bring in extra money this month.

The cost is $50 per month per family, or $600 per year.

Our oldest son is in college, and we are paying upward of $20,000 for his tuition.

We also have out-of-internet health care costs from my sons recent hospitalization while he was away at school.

Dear Penny

We have not yet received a bill for the hospitalization.

How can we get out of these joint gifts now and in the future?

Or about your in-laws poor decisions.

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You and your husband cant afford to keep giving his parents money.

Your first step is to agree on how much if anything youre willing to spend on your husbands parents.

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Your husband should have separate conversations with his siblings and parents.

Mentioning the medical and college bills youre facing is fine.

But he doesnt owe them a full breakdown of your finances.

Providing too much information can backfire by giving the impression that the matter is up for debate.

Its fixed and predictable.

Its a lot more affordable than a vacation or a new kitchen floor.

Or they can scale back the frequency from once a month to every six weeks.

But also give them a heads-up that youre not in a position to contribute to the bigger expenses.

Probably not as good as youd like.

It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.

But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?

Ask one of these companies to help…

Your husband should talk to his parents when they arent asking for money.

He can tell them that money is tight, so you cant afford the continued splurges.

That probably wont stop them from asking.

Nor will it keep them from being miffed when you tell them no.

But at least youll know that you gave them ample warning.

You both can communicate your love for your husbands parents without spending big money.

For example, you could decline a restaurant invite if you know theyll expect you to pay.

Reiterate that you dont have much to spend on extras.

But if they live nearby, you could invite them over for dinner.

Fortunately, your in-laws have asked you to fund their wants, not needs.

Saying no to a family member who needs money for food or rent can be hard.

But its a bit easier when theyre not in a crisis.

Youll both need to be OK with the fact that other people dont always like the boundaries we set.

Maybe your husbands parents will think youre both ungrateful.

Maybe his siblings will say youre cheap.

But they dont get to decide how you should spend your money.

Send your tricky money questions to[email protected].

(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)

You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…