Internet Backs Wife Furious Over $660 Monthly Payout to Mother-in-Law

The internet has sided with a woman who was furious to learn that her mother-in-law has over £100,000 ($110,573) in savings while her husband is giving his mom £600 ($663) a month.

In a post on Mumsnet, user Sunflowerseverywhere shared the story that has received hundreds of replies.

She explained: "When I met my husband, he told me that he was sending £600 a month to his mum to help her financially survive. She is a widow with—at that time—a small kid, not working and struggling to make ends meet. Her lifestyle reflects this description. I said it was ok with me."

But many years later, the husband and wife are a family of four and her husband is still sending the monthly money to his mother.

What she discovered next left her floored.

"Today I found out that my mother-in-law has more than £100k in savings. I was shocked," wrote the poster.

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"I reacted badly to this news," she said: "I felt like a joke. I told him I felt absolutely disrespected and lied to. The amount we are giving her is not substantially changing our lifestyle, but, just to give an example, I would love to hire a cleaner since we had kids but we cannot afford it."

She said her husband did not understand her reaction. "[He] told me he was saddened and disappointed by my 'greedy' reaction."

The woman turned to the internet for advice, asking Mumsnet: "Am I being unreasonable to feel absolutely furious?"

Catherine Morgan, a multi-award-winning financial advisor, certified financial coach, financial abuse specialist and founder of advice site themoneypanel.co.uk, told Newsweek: "Every family has disagreements with money. This is because each of us has our own relationship with money, based on what we were taught and experienced growing up.

"Often individuals in couples have deep-rooted money shame. This displays itself in the form of money secrecy, money silence, and money judgment. Money shame is often what prevents couples from talking openly about money. These shames can be rooted in traumatic experiences of the past, often one that relates to parents or caregivers," explained Morgan.

Replies on the viral post overwhelmingly sided with the woman, telling her that they understood why she was upset.

"I would be absolutely furious too. £600 is a lot and could make such a difference to family life, meanwhile, your mother-in-law is hoarding it," said one Mumsnet user, while another wrote: "I would divorce my husband in these circumstances."

"If she was really struggling and you could afford it, fair enough. But you shouldn't have to suffer yourself if she has that much money in the bank," said another reply. "I would suggest you split it—you get a cleaner, and she gets a smaller amount every month."

At the heart of these issues, though, Morgan, who also hosts the podcast In Her Financial Shoes, said it's important for everyone to be having open and healthy conversations about money.

"Appreciate that you each have your own individual relationship with money and that nobody is right or wrong," she said. "Rather our decisions are based on what we perceive to be true based on what makes us feel safe. For some people, this is about having a bigger safety net or planning ahead more than being impulsive with money."

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the case.