Keeping up with the Jones’

My brother and sister in laws are shallow people.  They are constantly trying to keep up or out do things my wife and I do.  When we first got married my wife and I bought a house.  Even though they already had been married and had a house they ended up buying a new one that was bigger and grander than what we bought.  Then after we started having kids we bought my wife a brand new minivan.  They, weeks later, bought a bigger and better minivan, I bought a new scanner for the race, he had to buy a better one the same day.  I buy a Playstation and days later he bought an Xbox.  I bought a brand new pickup truck and weeks later he has a new one.  I bought a new grill and they end up with one that can cook a whole cow.  It is crazy and it never ends.  I end up thinking about stupid expensive stuff I could buy just to see what they would end up with. 

My wife is to the point where she is tired of it too.  It is frustrating to us both.  We are not competive people in that way.  If they get something we do not immeadiately go out and get one like it too. 

My birthday is coming up.  It is in a couple of weeks.  My wife bought me a great present and was so excited about it.  She told them what she had bought me and immeadiately they (he) told her that he was going to get the same thing.  This really upset her.  Upset her to the point where she ended up giving me my present early just so that it would not look like we copied of of them. 

My wife wants me to call and brag about the gift.  She wants me to rub it in and really pour it on heavy.  I am not sure I want to stoop to that level.  It is not me.  It makes me angry that they more or less forced her to presenting the g