How do I politely ask my inlaws to ask before they add extra dinner guests?

Question

Yesterday my husband celebrated his birthday by inviting his brothers and a friend over for dinner and x-box. I was ready with enchiladas at 5. They called at 5:45 to say they would be here at 6:15 (this was all okay because I had a very hectic day, otherwise I would have thought that over an hour late was rude)

They called a few minutes before they came to tell us they were bringing a friend along! (It was actually the brothers friends friend and they were leaving early)

Fortunately, I had made a couple extra enchiladas, but I find this so rude- had I made hamburgers or anything else like that an uninvited, unexpected guest causes problems!

This is not the first time this has happened. I have noticed that college students think "the more the merrier" but I find it frustrating!

Ps- We had never met this guy before, and it would have been fine to invite him, but I just think it would be nice to ask a few hours ahead of time so I have time to purchase (if need be) extra ingredients.

So, how can I nicely hint that I dont want surprize dinner guests?

Answer 1

Forget about hinting.  Tell them straight out that you need warning when they're bringing extra people to your house for a meal.  You can say it with a smile on your face, but unless you're blunt with them, they probably won't take you seriously.

Answer 2

Totally agree with the poster before me - don't hint, just tell them that it was lucky you had enough food prepared, and to save embarrassment in the future, please don't bring anyone unless they arrange it with you in plenty of time, or if they do, please bring a salad or bread rolls or something to help feed the extra person!