“Can you believe this?” I muttered, staring at the fancy invitation from Karen. I was sitting on my worn-out couch, holding the elegant card in my hands.

It had shimmering gold letters and fancy script, inviting us to her new housewarming party.

I felt a flutter of excitement at the thought of seeing Karen’s new house and spending time with family.

Karen had always had a flair for the dramatic, but I liked that about her.

The thought of celebrating with everyone sounded lovely, especially because it had been a while since we all got together to have some fun.

I was wrong.

A few days later, my phone buzzed with a new message from Karen. Expecting some party details or perhaps a reminder, I opened it quickly.

What I read next left me speechless.

Karen had bought a 75-inch 4K TV for $4,000 and expected each of us to pitch in $1,000 as her housewarming gift.

“She’s got to be kidding,” I said aloud, feeling my stomach drop. I re-read the message, hoping I had misunderstood. But no, it was clear as day. Karen had actually demanded a thousand dollars from each of us.

I felt a wave of anger mixed with disbelief. How could she think we could afford such an extravagant gift?

I looked around my modest living room, at my old television and the outdated furniture. A thousand dollars was a lot of money for me. It wasn’t just something I could spare on a whim.

“Who does she think we are, millionaires?” I fumed.

I picked up the phone and called my husband. “David, you won’t believe what Karen just asked us to do,” I said as soon as he answered.

David sighed. “Let me guess, another one of her grand ideas?”

“She wants us to give her a thousand dollars each to pay for a TV. A TV, David! Can you believe that?”

David’s laughter bubbled through the phone. “Oh, Meredith, she always was a piece of work. But seriously, a thousand dollars?”

“I know. We don’t even have that kind of money lying around,” I said, frustration creeping into my voice.

“Are you going to talk to her about it?” David asked.

I took a deep breath. “I have to. This is just too much.”

A few days later, David and I arrived at Karen’s new house for the party.

As we walked in, my eyes were immediately drawn to the enormous TV in the living room. It stood there like a monument, with Karen beaming proudly beside it.

“Wow, that’s some TV,” David muttered under his breath.

The house was packed with family and friends, everyone admiring the new place. Karen was in her element, flitting around and showing off every nook and cranny. As the evening progressed, I noticed her dropping not-so-subtle hints about the TV.

“Isn’t it just the best? It’s a 75-inch 4K, cost a pretty penny, but totally worth it,” she said to anyone within earshot.

I could feel my irritation growing.

Finally, after what seemed like the hundredth comment about the TV, Karen cornered me in the kitchen.

“Meredith, about the TV,” she began, looking expectantly.

“Yes, Karen?” I replied, keeping my tone as calm as possible.

“Have you had a chance to bring the money? I need everyone’s contribution to cover the cost,” she said bluntly.

I took a deep breath. “Karen, I have to be honest with you,” I said. “A housewarming gift should be thoughtful and within everyone’s budget. Asking for a thousand dollars is too much.”

Karen’s eyes widened in shock. “But it’s a family gift! Everyone should pitch in!”

“I understand that, but we can’t afford it. A gift should be something that shows we care, not something that breaks the bank,” I explained.

She looked annoyed and tried to argue. “But I already bought it, and it’s only fair that everyone helps pay for it!”

“Karen,” I said firmly, “we’re happy to celebrate your new home, but you need to understand that not everyone has that kind of money to spare. We should all give what we can, not be pressured into spending beyond our means.”

Her face reddened with frustration. “I can’t believe this. I thought you would understand!”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but this is how we feel,” I replied, standing my ground.

Karen glared at me for a moment, then stormed off without another word. I sighed, knowing Karen wouldn’t mend her ways without learning a lesson. And so, David and I came up with a plan.

The next day, I gathered the family at our house.

We all squeezed around the dining room table, ready to discuss our next move.

“Thanks for coming, everyone,” I began, looking around at the familiar faces. “We need to talk about Karen’s demand for the TV money.”

David nodded beside me. “Meredith and I have an idea,” he said.

I took a deep breath and continued, “I know Karen’s request was unreasonable, but we can turn this into a lesson. We’ll give her the $1,000 she wants, but we’ll do it in pennies.”

The room erupted in laughter. “You’re serious?” my cousin Tim asked, grinning.

“Dead serious,” I replied. “We’ll go to the bank, get the pennies, and give her exactly what she asked for.”

David added, “It’s a way to make a point about how unreasonable her request is without being outright confrontational.”

“But that’s not all,” I said, leaning forward. “We’ll also write heartfelt notes about what family means to us and why thoughtful gifts are more valuable. It’ll be a double whammy — funny and meaningful.”

Everyone agreed, excited by the plan. We spent the rest of the day exchanging our money for pennies at the bank. The tellers looked at us like we were crazy, but it was worth it. We carefully prepared the money, making sure each one of us had exactly $1,000.

As we finished up, David looked at me and smiled. “This is going to be interesting.”

I nodded. “I just hope it helps Karen understand what’s really important.”

With everything ready, we packed the pennies and the notes into a large box. We were all set for the big reveal. But that wasn’t all.

On the designated day, we all gathered again, this time at Karen’s house, each of us carrying bags of pennies. We’d informed her that we did agree to contribute in the end, and she was really happy.

“Hey, everyone! I’m so glad you could make it!” Karen greeted us with a big smile at her door.

We exchanged pleasantries, and after a few minutes, Karen couldn’t hold back any longer. “So, about the TV money,” she said, looking around expectantly.

I nodded, trying to keep a straight face. “Yes, Karen, we have it right here.”

With that, David and the rest of the family started handing over the bags of pennies. Karen’s smile faltered as she realized what was happening.

Her face turned red with shock and embarrassment.

“What… what is this?” she stammered, staring at the bags.

“It’s the thousand dollars you asked for,” I said sweetly. “In pennies.”

She looked at me, eyes wide. “You can’t be serious. This is ridiculous!”

“We’re just giving you exactly what you asked for,” I explained calmly.

Karen’s shock quickly turned to anger. “How am I supposed to deal with all these pennies? This is insane!”

I could see the frustration boiling over, but I stayed calm. “Karen, we wanted to show you how unreasonable your demand was. A thousand dollars is a lot of money for us, and asking for it as a housewarming gift wasn’t fair.”

Karen glared at me, her fists clenched. “I can’t believe you did this to me!”

“It’s not about doing something to you,” I said softly. “It’s about helping you understand that gifts should come from the heart, not from a place of expectation or pressure.”

She looked around at the rest of the family, who were nodding in agreement. Karen’s shoulders slumped, and she let out a frustrated sigh. This wasn’t over yet, though. I had one last surprise for her.

I pulled out a small, neatly wrapped package and handed it to her.

“What’s this?” she asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

“Just a little something to commemorate the occasion,” I said, smiling.

Karen unwrapped the package and found a small plaque inside. It read: “In appreciation of Karen’s Housewarming Gift – 75 Inches of Entitlement.”

She stared at it for a moment, her face turning red again.

The family burst into laughter.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Karen said, shaking her head, but I could see the corner of her mouth twitching.

I placed the plaque next to the TV. “We thought it would be a fitting reminder,” I said.

Karen looked at the plaque and then back at me. For a moment, I thought she might blow up again, but instead, she let out a reluctant chuckle. “Alright, alright, I get it. Lesson learned,” she replied.

What would you have done?