When my husband Ben complained about my home cooking and asked for “fancier meals” to impress his family, I decided to give him exactly what he wanted ust not the way he expected. It all started when Ben volunteered me to watch his sister’s two kids for two weeks without asking me. On top of that, his mom, Carol, moved in “to help,” which really meant lounging in the recliner and offering unsolicited advice while I ran the entire household. I was exhausted cooking, cleaning, parenting, and barely sleeping.

By day three, Ben had the nerve to critique my dinner. “Maybe you could spice things up with fancier meals,” he said, as if spaghetti wasn’t good enough. That’s when I snapped but quietly, strategically. The next day, I took him grocery shopping and filled the cart with gourmet ingredients: filet mignon, truffle oil, imported cheese, you name it. His eyes bugged out at the total. “You can’t ask for steak on a ramen budget,” I reminded him.