A woman has been left gobsmacked after being billed £195 to hang out with her sister for the weekend – despite being invited down and driving six hours door-to-door
A woman has been left scratching her head after being charged £195 to hang out with her sister for the weekend. She explained how she drove six hours with her partner and children to spend some time with her sister and her family – but never expected to be charged for the privilege.
Taking to Reddit, she said: “All weekend long she was talking about inflation and how much it costs to feed a family. When we were giving our goodbye hugs she asked if we didn’t mind pitching into the costs of the weekend. I asked her how much she thinks is fair and she said $250 (£195).”
Not wanting to cause a fuss, she handed her cash and said her goodbyes before getting in her car to drive back home. She added: “I have a habit of keeping cash on me every time I travel. Been doing that for years. My sister actually has a large family of six kids who each eat more than anyone in my family.
“I gave her the money because I don’t feel $250 is worth fighting about but I understand those who’d have put their foot down. I actually did a grocery run before arriving at her house so we wouldn’t be snacking on her food. We also bought the drinks and bread and some other stuff that we all ate together. I never wanted to be a burden on her.”
Wanting to know whether this is ‘normal’, she asked Reddit users: “Has anything similar ever happened to you?” In response, one user said: “When I have friends who have to pay tolls and gas, etc to come to my house I expect nothing in return other than their company.
“They always bring something like a bottle of booze or snacks but I’d never expect anything. Plus their time is valuable, too. They spent the time traveling to visit with me rather than resting or doing something close to home. That’s invaluable to me.”
Another user added: “My poor grandma just wanted all of her daughters together for Thanksgiving. We lived in Jersey, one aunt in Florida and we held Tday at my aunt’s in Virginia as it was kind of central. Found out many years later my crappy aunt in Virginia would make my grandma buy and bring all the food down.
“She spent all weekend cooking all the food she brought, and my aunt made her pay $1000 for us all to stay in a more than accommodating sized house, and then made my grandma pay for a cleaning service to come in after we left. I was floored when I found out.”
A third user said: “If I invite, I cover the costs. If we as a family plan a gathering, we split the costs. She invited you. She should never have asked you for the money but now you know what kind of person she is. You handled it correctly but don’t accept invitations again.”
