Yep, I just read that she did laundry and helped make a lasagna. Sounds like it's going very well! But....was your BIL the one charging such exhorbitant rent? Was he just milking her for all she was worth?
And yes, it was nutso. I lived with them for 3 years, and I told my husband if we didn't have our own place within 6 months, I was done and we needed to move back to the states so we could afford a place. The cost of living was so expensive here that even with his degree in Engineering, we couldn't get a mortgage for anything more than a one bedroom apartment in the worst part of the city. He got us on a list for housing in the town where we live now. It's close enough that he can still commute easily, but the housing is way cheaper than in the city where we were living, and this list worked on a lottery basis rather than how long you had been on the list. So our number was drawn for this house and we had the option of either buying or renting, and they had a deal for starters like us that it was reduced in price if we agreed to sell it back to them if we ever wanted to move. We took it because otherwise we had to stay with his parents, and I was not willing to do that. I wanted freedom and I wanted to be able to start our family.
No, I was talking about the rent she/we were paying for her apartment after she moved to Austin from my BILs place in Houston about a year ago. She didn’t want to be in his home or Houston anymore. But, she didn’t want to impose on us in our home, and also still wanted her own place. No matter how you slice it, it was still way less expensive than a retirement community. And, now we are saving the 1K/month.
Anyway, as far as I know there was no actual rental amount he was charging her (why anyone would do that to a parent who lovingly raised them, I have no clue), but, he insisted she contribute financially in ways of his choosing, and she did a lot of stuff around the house, too. It was kinda’ like he had this attitude of “What’s she gonna’ do with all that money?!” And “Hey mom, since you’re up, can ya’ make me a sandwich?” He’s not a terrible guy, he’s just kinda’ a bit of a worm too much of the time, and she’s been very happy bein’ outta’ his place.
Plus, he remarried about a year ago. She’s a respiratory therapist, so makes a good living…coincidence…? I think not…!!!
After we were married (OK, and before, too
), we lived in an apartment, but, we too, wanted to wait to start a family until after we bought a home.
We bought in Feb. of ‘89, and Megan was born in Jul. of ‘91.
The experience you had living with your in-laws was less than ideal, to put it mildly, but, sometimes ya’ just hafta’ put up with certain carp, knowing (hoping
) that the end goal will have been worth it.
.
