Wealthy in-laws try guilt-trip estranged family members to donate $100,000 for the golden granddaughter's "college dorm accessories," get themselves blocked on every platform: ‘The NERVE to do that!’

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jul 17, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

College is expensive. Everyone knows that. We're no strangers to rising student loan rates, impossible tuition fees, and inflating housing costs, so when the college gift basket comes with an enormous bow on top, we can pretty much guarantee that it's also coming with an enormous price tag. However, when your household income greatly exceeds $500k per year, while the measly cost of tuition won't break the bank, there must be some other way to cover the costs of your child's college fees. 

At that point, your middle-class in-laws can pay for your kid's education, right?

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  • Perhaps you could be financially frugal like the freeloading family in this next story, who decided to crowdfund the Golden Granddaughter's dream dorm decor with a $100k registry and heaps of familial guilt. Because there's nothing quite like a middle-class family receiving a gift registry from their super-wealthy in-laws, begging for money they know they already have in exchange for nothing but judgmental comments and ruined family holidays.

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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "You 'owe it to your sister (who's married) and niece'"

    I called my father this morning to see how they were all doing --- before he said good morning, he asked what the F is a dorm shower and why are (my) in-laws asking for money and gifts?
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  • Background: My husband, children (adult teens now), and I went no contact with my husbands entire immediate family and most extended relatives since 2016. That's 9+ years of not talking to, contacting, or
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  • having any type of relationship or interactions. We gave them over 20 years of chances and boundaries and consequences --- that's to say it wasn't a "rash" decision that was made selfishly or thoughtlessly.
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Through the years they send us (in the actual USPS mail because they're blocked everywhere else) requests for gifts. You see, they like to create registries (like you would for a bridal or baby shower) and fill
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  • them with obscenely priced items for simple things like birthdays, Christmas, graduation, anniversaries, and every little l and therefore I deserve an expensive gift event. Onto last week into today
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  • I called my husbands Aunt to catch- up (she's the only one we're still in contact with) and she gave me a heads-up that my in-laws were trying to get her to pay (they used the term donate) over $100,000 (not a typo) for the golden granddaughters dorm
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  • fees because "we're family and we need to stick together and do our part" when the lady who is living a modest life and on social security said absolutely not! they then sent her an invitation (via text) to the dorm
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • shower and husband's aunt said it was beyond ridiculous --- not to mention the request for straight-up cash when she graduated. In the meanwhile --- I'm getting texts and calls from old acquaintances and
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  • childhood friends (we all grew up in the same town and inlaws still live there but we've moved about 4 hrs away) saying that my in-laws are harassing them and trying to get ahold of our information (because we changed our cell numbers and blocked them everywhere we digitally could)
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  • Last week in the mail I received an actual printed invite along with registry information --- not one place, BUT THREE SEPARATE STORES and because we were curious we (my whole family found it comical) took a peek.
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  • The cheapest thing on there was a pack of washclothes in the $60 range, followed by a power strip at $120, and the prices went up from there including items in the $2000 range. They even had commercial type appliances which YOU CAN'T EVEN TAKE/USE IN A DORM ROOM.
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  • So, why are they even on there? Then the phone calls started rolling in (which were sent to voicemail) from phone numbers we aren't familiar with.
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  • MIL ended up leaving a message. (Husband's name) this is your mom. (Niece's name) Is going away for college and we need you to contribute $100,000 for her dorm. We also sent YOU (apparently the rest of us no longer exist) an
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  • invitation to her dorm shower and a picture from her graduation (which had requests for straight-up money without even hosting a party). Don't disappoint us because you "owe it" to your niece and sister. First of all, No to the fuckity NO!
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  • Second, niece's parents make more than half a million a year (they both work for the state, love to brag, and their salaries are posted -- found that out from Aunt). So.... shouldn't they easily be able to afford their child's dorm necessities?
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  • Third, my husband and I have our own two children in university. One going into sophomore year and one going into junior year and we NEVER made any grand announcements much less requests for money. They also chose to stay local in order to save money.
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  • Fourth, are you trying to get money and gifts out of my parents and others elderly relatives? Arent there law's against swindling senior citizens?
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  • My husband dropped everything into the shredder and I erased the voicemail with full intent of remaining and maintaining no contact. In the last two hours, I've gotten 6 calls from numbers I don't know but area codes that are from their area with nobody leaving any messages.
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  • ? Just when you think you're out they try and pull you back into their fuckery. So tired and the NERVE to do that! They didn't even bother asking about their BIOLOGICAL grandchildren that they claim to "love with all their hearts" TLDR: inlaws s k from top to bottom, inside and out and all I want is for them to STOP
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  • Pippet_4. Wow. The sheer audacity. You unfortunately probably need to change your phone numbers again. I'm sorry.
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  • Ruby Tx this is absolutely mad fuckery. $100k? That's not a shower, it's a shakedown.
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family drama dads famiies drama kids brother siblings moms parenting dad story family sibling sister stories parent mom cousins college parents
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