Money Moral Dilemmas | The archive

MSE_Laura_F

Every week, we feature a Money Moral Dilemma in the Money Tips email. Got a Money Moral Dilemma of your own? Suggest an MMD. Here are the dilemmas of the last few years:

-🔹- 2025 -🔹-

• Should I stop lending money to my daughter?
• Should I stop sending birthday cards and money to my brother's ungrateful kids?
• Should my mum help with our childcare costs while she's on holiday?
• Should I stop paying for my irresponsible friend when we go out?
• Should we leave more to our younger children in our wills?
• Should we offer to pay towards my in-laws' flights from Australia?
• Should I ask my friend to pay customs duty on the gift they sent from abroad?
• Should we keep our teenage son in the dark about his Child Trust Fund?
• I booked a trip with a friend but her fiancé won't let her come - what do I do?
• Should I refuse to pay for the ongoing costs on our deceased father's house?
• A fire at my house damaged my neighbour's place - should I pay for the repairs?
• Am I short-changing myself by letting my stepmother live in my house for free?
• Should our four-year-old child pay for her own extracurricular activities?
• Should I pay half the Stamp Duty on the house I'm buying with my boyfriend?

MSE_Laura_F

-🔹- 2024 -🔹-

• Our child won a Premium Bonds prize - should they share it with their sibling?
• Should we give my in-laws the flight cancellation compensation we claimed?
• Should my daughter claim Universal Credit?
• Should I pay Mum back after she replaced my gift to my aunt without asking me?
• Should we sign our child up to a free book scheme when we can afford books?
• Should we ask our daughter and her boyfriend to start paying us rent?
• Should I claim compensation from the woman whose dog knocked me off my bicycle?
• Should I borrow to help my husband pay off his debt?
• Should I give my child money for a property as I gave the others wedding money?
• Should I pay more towards our household costs?
• Would I be stealing my brother's inheritance by caring for our mum?
• Should I ask my friend to pay for charging his electric vehicle at our house?
  
• My daughter delivered a wedding cake an hour late - should she fully refund?
  
• Should my friends gift my only child more money since they each have two kids?
  
• Should I refund my friend for the personal training sessions she cancelled?
  
• I loaned my friend £1,000 and she isn't paying it back - what should I do?
  
• Should I split my job referral bonus with the friend I referred?
  
• Should we buy a second-hand gift for our young relative?
  
• Should I keep the perks from my grandma's bank account?
• I resold a dress I bought in a charity shop - should I share my profits with them?
  
• Should us bridesmaids have to pay for the bride to attend her own hen parties?
  
• Should I keep the delay compensation I got for the train ticket I expensed?
  
• Should we still give our son £1,000 instead of a puppy?
  
• Should I go back to the supermarket that didn't charge me and offer to pay?
  
• Should I get my fence fixed and bill my neighbour after he messed it up?
  
• Should I keep the money I won playing a charity lottery?
  
• Should my husband's friends help pay his parking fine?
  
• Should I ask my ex-fiancée if I can have the engagement ring I gave her back?
  
• Friends cancelled our reunion at short notice - should they pay for my hotel?
  
• Is it wrong to buy cheap clearance food when we could afford to pay full price?
• How much should I pay towards the holiday home I've rented with two couples?
  
• Should I share my 'free' £50 voucher with my partner?
  
• Should I help pay my boyfriend's travel costs if we move further from his work?
  
• Should my son ask for another pay rise on top of his recent one?
  
• Should we cease contact with our daughter's ex-husband who owes us money?
  
• Should my husband stop lending money to his parents?
• Should I pay to have the bike my ex-husband got our son serviced?
  
• Should I tell the previous owner of my home he's due a council tax refund?
  
• My daughter's selling clothes I got her - should she have offered them to me?
  
• Should my partner pay towards furnishing and decorating my new house?
  
• How should my wife deal with sharing meal costs at her new job?
  
• Should I tell my friends I get tax relief from our combined charity donations?
  
• Should I complain about a prize that's worth less than was advertised?
  
• My son wants me to give him £40,000 even though he doesn't need it - should I?
  
• Can we uninvite people to our postponed wedding to save money?
  
• Should my son share the insurance payout from his mother's hospital stay with her?
  
• I'm helping my partner avoid the high income Child Benefit charge - should she be paying it?
  
• Should I accept an expensive birthday present from my boyfriend who owes me money?
  
• Is it OK if I choose to sell something to a woman rather than a man?
  
• Should I have bought my wife a second Christmas present, as her first one was free?
  
• Should I tell my daughter she needn't have me over next Christmas if it's too expensive?
  
• Should I give my old neighbour some money for the council tax refund he got us?
  
• Should my eldest child split their Child Trust Fund savings with my youngest?

MSE_Stace

-🔹- 2023 -🔹-

❓❓Wondering which were The top 10 Money Moral Dilemmas of 2023? Find out in MSE Kelvin's blog.

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• Should I pay my colleagues £500 for looking after their house and cats?
  
• Should we give our children from other relationships gifts of the same value?
  
• Should I pay more towards my partner's bills than my own?
  
• Should I refuse to pay the service charge when eating out?
  
• Should we leave our golf club and rejoin later to get cheaper membership?
  
• Should I pay my colleague for the ticket I thought she'd given me for for free?
  

• Should I ask for money if people charge their electric cars when they visit?
  
• Should I get a Disabled Person's Railcard when my condition doesn't affect me?
  
• Can I keep some of the cash from selling my daughter's christening present?
  
• Should I pay more towards a holiday with my boyfriend who earns less than me?
  
• I'm a rail worker – should I report my friend for dodging fares?
  
• Should I give my cheating ex his half of a council tax refund?
  
• Should I challenge my daughter's school over pricier uniform with logos?
  
• My son's friend borrowed his bike and it got stolen - should his parents pay?
  
• Should we return to the restaurant to pay after being evacuated from it?
  
• Should I pay for the window and gutter cleaning I wasn't told about? 
  
• Should we pay for my eldest stepdaughter to go on holiday with us? 
  
• Is it fair I pay to repair a leaking water pipe that only supplies our neighbours?
• Should we use the builder who messed us around on the quote?
  
• Should my partner contribute more to household bills as he works from home full-time? 
  
• Should I pay more for our holiday because it's one my partner won't like?
  
• Should I buy my family gifts when I go on holiday as they do for me?
  
• Should we change our wills following our daughter's death?
  
• Should my husband pay back the Child Benefit we're losing following his pay rise? 
  
• Is it unreasonable to ask my friends to pay me for taking them to the pub? 
  
• Is it OK to use a surplus food app to buy cheap food even though I'm not struggling
  
• Should I keep the refund I was sent in error for my damaged barbecue?
• Should my friends who can't make our whole holiday still pay the full amount?
  
• Should I claim on my friend's car insurance for the accident I was injured in?
  
• Should I ask my friend to help pay to clear the drain I think she blocked?
  
• Should I give some of the money I got in my stepfather's will to my mother?
  
• Should I report my colleague for not telling payroll he's been overpaid?
  
• Should I pay for a full funeral just because one of my children wants me to?
  
• Should I save up child benefit to give to my children when they're older?
  
• Should I return the duplicate order I received after bad delivery service?
  
• Should I tell HR that I'm now able to approve my own work expenses?
  
• Is it wrong to invest my children's savings in a property for them?
  
• Should I share the cash I get selling the hand-me-downs my friend gave me?
  
• I bought a second-hand TV - should I use previous owner's streaming services?
• Should I tell my relative about my lottery win from a ticket she got me?
• Should we ask the bride & groom to help with the cost of attending the wedding?
• Is it wrong I don't want to adopt the cat I feed and have to pay vet bills?
• Is it OK to sell items from pound shops online for a profit? 
  
• Should my partner pay more towards bills as they earn more?
• Should we report neighbours who are in the 'wrong' council tax band?
• Should I keep the rewards for a broadband package I couldn't sign up to?
• What should I do with the money overpaid for the Christmas party I organised?
• Should I take legal action against my daughter?
• Should I use the birthday present I got my friend?
• Should we keep splitting restaurant bills with friends that have kids?
• Should I pay less after friends gave me a worse room at our New Year's getaway?

MSE_Stace

-🔹- 2022 -🔹-

• Should I replace my flatmate's fancy bowl - even though she told me not to? 
• Should I send Christmas cards to my partner's family who don't send them to us?
• Is it OK to get my friend something for Christmas that's on sale?
  
• Should I still put up my Christmas lights display given the energy crisis?
  
• Should I ask my friend to pay me exactly what she owes for tickets?
  
• Should our friend cover the deposit we lost after he pulled out of our house share?
  
• Should our son pay us for the fuel we use when we babysit our grandchildren?
  
• Our friends' wedding is smaller than ours, so should I get them a smaller gift?
  

• Is it fair for my parents to penalise me for not having children?
  
• Should we walk away from the window fitter who won't fit our windows?
  
• Should I ask my friend for money after he sold the car we gave him?
  
• Our neighbour is selling clothes we've given them - should we say something?
  
• Should my friend pay his ex back for the phone she got him as a gift?
  
• Should I tell my lodger he's using too much water and energy or increase his rent?
  
• Should I return the 100+ stamps that Royal Mail sent to me by mistake?
  
• What should I do with the lottery ticket I found in a charity shop coat?
  
• A building firm hasn't invoiced me for shoddy work - should I chase it up?
  
• Should I use my work perk towards household food shopping, or keep it for myself?
  
• Is it wrong to make money from clothing I'm morally opposed to wearing?
• Our son got a £20,000 payout for an accident - should we focus on saving for our other kids?
• Should someone who earns a decent wage use food banks? 
  
• How much should my partner pay towards our holiday?
  
• Should we keep evenly splitting restaurant bills even though we don't drink?
  
• Can I keep using my NHS discount card even though I've left the service?
  
• Do I need to keep chasing someone I owe £1,000 to?
  
• Should we pass on any of the £400 energy bill grant to our tenant?
  
• Should I give my brother a better power tool after I broke his?
  
• Should we leave our friend out of rounds at the pub?
  
• Should I get my brother a cheaper cupboard and use the money saved to pay for fuel?
  
• I'm crashing on a mate's sofa - can I tell him to stop eating my food? 
  
• Should we pay for charging our electric car at other people's homes?
  
• Should I sell a dress back to the seller for the same price I paid?
  
• Should we pay less for our holiday because our friend got cashback for booking it?
  
• Should I ask for my daughter's school-leavers' celebrations to be cheaper?
  
• Should I leave different amounts to my grandchildren in my will?
  
• Should I ask my dad's wife to pay me for my house plant?
  
• Is it wrong to buy and sell on a lamp that may be worth more than the owner thinks?
  
• Should I keep the voucher I got for my holiday booking?
  
• I bought a friend gig tickets as a gift - should they have invited me?
  
• I put in a much bigger deposit - but should we split the property equally?
  
• Should my friend split the speeding fine I got?
  
• Should I ask the bride-to-be for my money back?
  
• Is it OK to claim free food to feed my guinea pigs?
  
• Should I charge my boyfriend rent, even though I don't have a mortgage?
  
• Should I stretch my budget to have an expensive holiday lunch with my friend?
  
• Should we pay for my fiancee's family's accommodation at our wedding?
  
• Should I ask my gran for a new birthday cheque?
  
• Should I let my son buy yet another toy with his birthday money?
  
• Should my mates pay me back for Glastonbury tent booking?
  
• Should I offer to pay part of my friend's parking fine?
  

The Money Moral Dilemma has been going on for many years, but - for now - this archive only goes back as far as 2022.

Got a Money Moral Dilemma of your own? Suggest an MMD.