Our friend expected us to pay for a $3,000 birthday dinner—one we didn’t plan—because we hadn’t contributed to his girlfriend’s designer Gucci bag. My husband and I had a better idea: let entitlement meet its expiration date.

I’m Daisy, and I used to believe my husband’s friend group was something special—tight-knit, fun, full of love. But when simple dinners turned into designer gift obligations, it felt more like pressure than celebration. We chipped in for overpriced experiences and handbags, all while trying to save for our daughter and new business.

So for my husband’s birthday, we changed things up. No gifts, just good company. Everyone seemed to enjoy it—until John’s next message came asking us to help pay for a luxury dinner we didn’t even attend. When we refused, he called us “rude and greedy.” That was the last straw.

We sent a message to the group, stepping back from extravagant gifts—and guess what? Others were relieved. We helped shift the focus back to real friendship. John and Christina didn’t like it and eventually got removed from the chat. We didn’t lose friends—we lost freeloaders. Best investment we never made.