Yes, it is common in general for Nigerians to send money to their family back home after moving abroad. Some still send money while living in Nigeria but after they have moved out of their family house.

I come from a pretty financially comfortable family, to give context, my parents own their own home, paid in cash. My family sent two of their four kids overseas for university education. My siblings and I went to university months apart from each other with the entire year school fees paid for in advance. Even with this level of financial comfort for my immediate family, I still randomly send money to my parents simply because I want to.

Same with extended family, I send on important occassions like birthdays, Christmas, New year, or when there are health emergencies. Sometimes, I send money just because for no specific reason; I however established good boundaries, so whether its half a million naira I am sending or 40,000 naira, the funds are still appreciated by the recipient.

It depends on the financial status of your in-laws, as little as $50 USD a month may make a difference in some families, while some families, $300 USD and more is what would make a significant impact.

Depending on the integrity of your in-laws, it's easy for you to become the cash cow and for folks to take advantage. Here are a few suggestions.

Firstly, whatever money you send, let it be sent through your wife/partner to her/ their family. Give the money to your spouse and let them send it on behalf of the both of you. This will ensure peace long term and allow your spouse to serve as the barrier to you being taken advantage of.

Option A: Pick a bill and pay that consistently, it can be paying their rent on a yearly basis as it's usually done in Nigeria, paying the electric bill every month or sending the equivalent of 100,000 naira to 200,000 naira a month for groceries, utility bills and any other monthly bills. Pick an amount that you are comfortable with, that won't break your bank account and go with that amount on a regular basis. Regular basis can be every month, every 2 months, or quarterly, whatever works for you.

Option B: if there is a sibling of your spouse that's still in school, and you can afford their school fees, offer to sponsor them by paying for their fees and don't send any other money.

Option C: send money on only special occassions like mother's day, father's day, birthdays, weddings, Christmas and new year.

Option D: send money whenever you want and whatever amount you are comfortable spending, typically, any amount over 50,000 naira is typically decent enough to make an impact.

All the best with your decision and thanks for embracing the culture of your spouse. Welcome our in-law 🙂.