This Heroic Woman Brought Her 'Forgetful' Sister-In-Law's Wallet To Dinner

It’s 2022. Venmo, Cashapp, and instant bank transfers exist. And yet, some people love to use to the “Oh, I forgot my wallet” line when it comes to avoiding paying their share of a bill. A woman recently took to Reddit’s AITA to ask if she was in the wrong for grabbing her sister-in-law’s wallet before they headed out to an expensive restaurant that the SIL picked out.

“My (f28) SIL “Amy” (f26) always comes to visit from out of town. She stays with us instead of a hotel, and always wants to go to expensive restaurants. She always conveniently forgets her wallet, or comes up with some excuses as to why she can’t pay her share. She has implied that since I make much more money than her, I should be the one to pay (no, not my husband should pay, but me specifically),” the OP explained.

“I do make a fair amount of money, but not so much that I can treat someone every time they come into town. Nonetheless, in the past, I have just paid the bill and asked her to pay me back. She never has.”

So when Amy tried to pull the same B.S., OP came up with a plan.

“She had made a reservation at an extremely expensive restaurant last night, and before we left, I made it clear that I wouldn’t be paying her bill.” So far, so good. Setting boundaries is good. But OP made sure her plan was failsafe.

“As we were leaving, her and my husband went to the car. I pretended I forgot something and went back inside. I found her wallet sitting right on top of her suitcase. I put it in my purse and we went to the restaurant.”

“When we were done eating, I asked for separate bills. She said no, we need one bill, because she ‘forgot’ her wallet again. I reached in my purse and said, ‘this wallet?’’? BAM.

The poster admitted she copped the move from an episode of Two and a Half Men, but those who commented on the thread were impressed.

“She was extremely furious. She said that I should not have touched or grabbed her wallet,” the OP added. She asked if she was the a-hole for grabbing the wallet in the first place, but fellow Redditors firmly put her in the “not the a-hole” category, noting that not only was the move hilarious, but a great way to call out her SIL clearly taking advantage of her.

“NTA - I would have done the same. She’s only furious because you called her on her crap and beat her at her own game. If she genuinely forgot her wallet she would be thanking you for having the forethought to remember it for her so since she’s so ‘forgetful,’” commented one.

“Definitely not an a-hole, but you might be a legend,” added another.

Other Redditors wondered why the OP’s husband, aka the brother of the forgetful one, hasn’t stepped in to say anything to his sister about this manipulative behavior.

“Was wondering why her husband hasn't put a stop to it yet. It's so disrespectful to be passive aggressive about her income and try to manipulate OP into covering her bill. Is the husband just socially unaware or is he just glad that he's not the target of SIL's toxicity? Either way he needs to grow a backbone,” noted one.

The OP did note that her husband’s family has “bullied and manipulated him like this his whole life. He’s gotten so used to it that he doesn’t see the bigger issue. Old habits die hard. Trying to help him stand up for himself, but it’s an uphill battle.” Even wading through all of those old patterns, many feel that it is still up to the husband to not let that seep into OP’s life and overall wellness. And, even if OP sets boundaries: “As long as the husband enables the family’s behavior, i.e., letting them come stay and mooch regardless of his wife’s opinion, there isn’t much OP can do to fix things,” added another.

Many advised the OP to not allow the SIL to stay with her and her husband (for free) until she pays for the past meals she said she would “pay back.”

Ultimately, everyone agreed on two things: No one should have to put up with this manipulative tactic from anyone, and that the OP’s sneaky wallet reveal was absolutely legendary.