Back in 2002, my husband and I both lost our jobs, and got close to loosing our home. When our oldest daughter found out (she was only 16), she freely, and on her own, offered us her savings (she was saving for a car) of $2000. We very reluctantly accepted it, and it saved our home. Since we never quite recovered from the financial set back, we eventually gave her my truck, which she still drives, as it was and is in excellent condition. The truck was worth a whole lot more then just $2000. We told her that it was in lieu of the money, and she was happy with that. Well, now she is married. Two years ago, her grandmother found out that we had borrowed our daughters savings. But our daughter did not tell her that we gave her our truck in exchange. So grandmother wrote our daughter, married by then, that she wanted to pay off the $2000 she had let us borrow. She then began sending our daughter a monthly check, till the amount was paid off. Our daughter told her that she was using it for college, which she actually did not do.

Now, about a year ago, my husband got arrested for a really stupid traffic violation, which was eventually thrown out of court. In order for him not to loose his job, our daughter and son in law put up $280 for bail. (I’m disabled with a very tiny income) To this day, we are barley scraping by.

Over the past year, I gave our daughter several smaller payments towards this, usually when she took me grocery shopping. She promptly spent the money I gave her, and I did not ask for a receipt, as after all she was our daughter.

Fast forward… her bio. mom and step dad told lies about me.. etc. etc. and she has now told my husband that I’m dead to her. Her bio. mom was not part of her entire life, and now finally reappeared since she no longer is getting chased by child support enforcement. She stuck my husband for over $55,000 back child support, not one cent of her share of medical bill for both children. Anyhow…. long story

Now, all of a sudden, our son in law is demanding that we pay him back the $280, which we really just don’t have. I told him that I gave her a bunch of little payments, and it was totally paid back. But our daughter is now saying she didn’t get anything at all and that I’m telling a lie for saying that she got paid back.

So, our daughter got paid twice for a one time $2000 loan, and got a bunch of little payment totaling to over $300, for which we did not think we needed a receipt, for a one time loan of $280

Do you think that we should pay them again, after all that they already got back? We are barely scraping by each month as is.