No favor feels too big when it’s for someone we love, whether it costs us time, skill, or both. But at what point do repeated favors become unspoken expectations? Where does one draw the line between «helping out» and being taken for granted? And when it comes to family, especially our in-laws, is that boundary-breaking finish line crossed even faster, or does it all depend on the weight of their requests?

This hairdresser was happy to trim and tidy her sister-in-law’s hair for free. They’d never discussed finances, so she didn’t know whether the free services were expected out of a financial need or simply because they were «family.» Either way, she wanted to keep the peace and make her husband happy, so she kept trimming and snipping away…until those simple favors turned into full color treatments and professional cuts worth nearly $300 at her salon. Suddenly, she wasn’t just offering her time and skill, but she was losing out on real monthly income.