Unemployed Wife Buys Sneakers for Breadwinner Husband and He Blames Her for Ruining Christmas

A stay-at-home mom’s Christmas day turns into a nightmare after her husband unwraps her heartfelt gift and openly criticizes her in front of his family, saying she’d “RUINED” his Christmas.

In a recent Reddit post now voted over 15K times, one woman shared how a thoughtful Christmas present she gave her husband landed her in deep trouble and lengthy accusations at home.

Redditor Fresh-Ad9433, 29 wasn’t new to finance management at home. But due to medical issues, she had to quit her job and be a full-time homemaker while her husband, 33, was the sole breadwinner. With limited finances and a controlled budget for festive expenditure, the woman knew what to gift her husband.

A couple's holiday backfires over a Christmas gift | Photo: Shutterstock

The Original Poster (OP) didn’t have the liberty to spend the money however she wanted. Every dime her husband gave her was used only on the house and children. That’s it, and not a penny more.

OP often borrowed money to get personal items if there was a shortage. While the family economized on a stringent budget, a Christmas gift upturned the woman’s life.

She received $600 from her husband as his Christmas gift. She was excited but felt pressured to match his present. The very thought of getting him something expensive or equal to this amount freaked her out.

OP's husband gifted her $600 for Christmas | Photo: Pexels

OP didn’t give up, though, and decided to buy the best gift for her husband. She peeked at his wishlist and stumbled upon a $180 pair of sneakers of his favorite color. She thought this was it.

Meanwhile, the man’s parents tried to get involved, much to OP’s frustration.

The woman shopped for the footwear, feeling pleased she’d gotten something affordable yet useful. She kept the surprise to herself until they went to his parents' house to celebrate the feast.

The woman bought her husband an affordable gift for Christmas | Photo: Pexels

On Christmas Day, the family gathered to unwrap their presents. OP was excited to see her husband open his gift, but she experienced the most significant blow of her life in mere seconds.

Her husband looked extremely upset on seeing the sneakers. When she asked him why, he yelled at her, accusing her of wasting money by getting him the cheapest item on his wishlist.

He lashed out at her, saying the $600 he gave would’ve been sufficient to get him a new gaming console, which topped his wishlist.

OP's husband was furious after unwrapping his gift | Photo: Pexels

OP was startled and looked around dewy-eyed. The man had dramatically yelled at her in front of his parents. OP was embarrassed and wished she’d disappear into thin air.

She apologized and told him she had other stuff to get and the money wasn’t sufficient. However, her husband again placed her reasoning on the wrong track.

He picked an argument and condemned OP, saying she was financially irresponsible. The woman disagreed and stood her ground that she wasn’t irresponsible and couldn’t work due to medical issues. Meanwhile, the man’s parents tried to get involved, much to OP’s frustration.

The woman was embarrassed | Photo: Pexels

OP told her husband he could afford the gaming console so he should have bought it himself, but the guy dismissed it, saying he’d be judged for getting something expensive for himself.

He went on and on about how OP ruined his Christmas then stopped talking to her until they reached home. Then he broached the subject again and reiterated how “disappointed” he was. He demanded an apology and was visibly upset with OP.

The woman was shattered and turned to the Reddit community, asking if she was the one wrong. To her surprise, commenters quickly backed her up and said a lot about this dramatic situation.

OP's husband lashed out at her saying she ruined his Christmas | Photo: Pexels

“This is literally financial abuse. You deserve money to spend on yourself. It doesn’t matter if you don’t take a salary,” user kokihi_55 wrote.

Redditor Exact-Glove-5026 lashed out at OP’s husband, saying how a gift given is not something to be reimbursed. The person said:

“I’m also the breadwinner for my family, and if I gave my s/o money as a gift, that would be her money. If she didn’t spend a penny on me, I wouldn’t be upset because it was HER money.”

“Also, if $180 sneakers is wasteful spending, then a $600 game console is definitely not what I would consider a cheap (not wasteful) gift,” the Redditor added.

People online advised that gifts aren't tokens of reimbursement to claim in return | Photo: Unsplash

“I agree completely, and I thought this is what he wanted like he told me to pamper myself and spend the money however I want,” OP responded.

She later added that though her husband had a broken old console, he didn’t get a new one as he had “more important things” to focus on.

“I get why he was disappointed…I bought gifts for family members, so I’m not sure if I was right to do that knowing money is tight,” she concluded.

OP bought gifts for her family members too & was unsure if it was right considering her financial situation | Photo: Unsplash

Questions to Ponder:

If you were OP, what would you have done with the $600?

OP tried her best to buy everyone gifts using the money her husband gave her and made sure she got something on his wishlist too. Considering her financial limitations, if you were OP, how would you have used the $600?

Do you think OP’s husband intentionally gave her the $600 so that she would gift him the console?

Some people believed OP's husband simply gave her the $600 so she would buy him the console as a gift since he didn't want to buy it himself. How would you react if your spouse/family member demanded a gift matching the amount he gifts you?

If you enjoyed reading this story, you might want to take a look at this one about how a mother gets a DNA test kit as a Christmas gift and refuses to use it.

All images are for illustration purposes only. Please share your story with us. Maybe it’ll change someone’s life. If you’d like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.

Share