Tell Me About It
Dear Carolyn: My mother turns 90 this month. She said she wanted a party to celebrate the milestone. My three siblings are fine with carrying out her plan by helping with the invitations, finding a caterer, music, etc. Im planning a surprise presentation for her to honor her artistry. We never discussed who would pay for all this but we all mentioned in passing, who will pay for all this?
My mother just announced she wanted to divide the cost between us four children. As much as I love my mother, I got a little miffed (OK … a lot miffed) that I was being volun-told Im paying for a quarter of the party. We all expected we would help cover the costs but not to this extent. I can barely afford the only vacations Ive got planned this year, a total of two weekends! She can afford it: She just got a rather large inheritance and after years of saving and struggling shes now financially secure. Please help! Daughter No. 3
Answer: Confer with the other siblings, decide what you can pay toward the party, make that total your budget, then scale down your plans accordingly.
