There's little that can stir up conflict between siblings more than money.
More often than not, one sibling having more money than the other is simply an elephant in the room that no one wants to address.
In other cases, siblings that have less money than one of their siblings tend to resent it when they cover or pay for everything, feeling they are flaunting their wealth.
Then there are those unfortunate occasions where people expect their wealthier siblings to cover everything, almost literally.rtjk
Redditor prebuttered and their sister were both fairly comfortable financially.
However, the original poster (OP) often found himself footing the bill whenever he went on an outing with his sister.
Leading the OP to consider skipping a fairly important event in his sister's life.
Wondering if he would be wrong for doing so, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**Hole" (AITA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA for skipping my sister's bachelorette party because I always pay for stuff?"
The OP explained why he was seriously considering skipping his sister's bachelorette party:
"I (25 M[ale]) will be serving as my sister's (29 F) best man at her upcoming wedding."
"We've been quite close for a while and I'm really excited to celebrate her, but I very much so don't want to attend the bachelorette weekend, and not for the reasons you would expect."
"My sister is a lesbian, and many of the people in her bridal party are also queer."
"In short, there will be men/non women at this bachelorette party."
"I assumed I wouldn't attend this sort of thing because I guess I figured brothers don't usually go to bachelorette parties, but my sister's friends have been asking me to confirm my attendance, 'as sister is counting on it'."
"Her friends have planned a trip to Nashville with an Airbnb and plans to hit a few bars."
"While that sounds awesome to me, I've recently felt as though my sister abuses the fact that I have some money saved away."
"I went to business school on a financial-aid scholarship and earned a good job in a big city."
"I'm by no means rich, but compared to most people from our hometown, I'd say I'm doing well."
"With that being said, I lead a simple life."
"My lifestyle costs are rent, food, phone, transit pass, insurance, and going out with friends."
"I'm a big saver and put most of my money away into investments."
"My sister also does well and lives somewhere with a much lower cost of living, (85k or so in a small suburban area)."
"I'd note she spends money on experiences more than I do (concerts, trips, fancy food, etc), and is more invested in having nice clothes, appt, car than I, but I'm not one to pocket watch."
"The Nashville trip rubs me the wrong way because I came into town to surprise my sister for her birthday and felt taken advantage of."
"We went out with a bunch of her friends and my sister joked that the night was on me because I am 'rich'."
"Her and her 9 or so friends all drank on my dime, and I genuinely paid like 1.5k after dinner and a late night worth of drinks."
"I regret not standing up for myself, but my sister and all of her friends took this to be so natural."
"Like not even a discussion."
"Her friends laughed when I thought my sister was joking because I'm the rich little brother that lives in the big city."
"I followed up with my sister about this and got lowkey gaslit about not wanting to treat her for her bday."
"To be clear, I would absolutely cover my sisters things on her birthday, but when it's like 10 people I don't even know sipping tequila sodas on my tab I feel used."
"I really love my sister, but I've always felt like she can get what she wants out of me."
"Not even money wise, like she likes to be spoiled and knows I wouldn't say no if she asked me to fetch her a Diet Coke from the Swiss alps."
"Sometimes I feel manipulated, but I'm also aware that I'm one of the people she counts on most in this world."
"I love my sister, but I'm not comfortable footing bills just because I technically probably could."
"AITA for not wanting to go to a bachelorette party because I fear I'll be taken advantage of?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You're The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- INFO - More Information Needed
The Reddit community agreed that the OP would not be the a**hole if they skipped their sister's bachelorette party.
That being said, just about everyone also agreed that the OP needed to stand up for himself a bit more, with many urging him to consider at least talking to his sister before skipping her bachelorette weekend entirely:
"NTA, but you do need to learn to stand up for yourself."
"A good start would be by telling her honestly why you are skipping the bachelorette party."
"That you are worried you’re the one that has to foot the bill and feel like you’re being taken advantage of by being expected to pay for not only her, but also all her friends."
"Also, consider spending some money on yourself once in a while."
"It’s nice to save, but you can’t spend it when you’re dead."- Yocta
"NTA & I disagree with the comments saying to discuss it in advance."
"Because she will lie to get her own way - she will tell you that no one expects you to pay this time."
"Which means you will feel safe going on the trip - and then you’ll find out that they do expect you to pay."
"Just say that you can’t afford it because you spent £1.5k unexpectedly on her birthday."
"That was your available 'bachelorette trip' money but now it’s all gone."
"Stick to that story."
"Make it clear that you would have loved to go but can’t afford it."
"Also - have you rehearsed what you could have said at the birthday dinner to avoid paying?"
"If not, that’s something to figure out."
"If (when!!) she ever does that to you again, what would you say to keep things polite but avoid paying."- amberallday
"NTA - I think it's fine to excuse yourself from the bachelorette party, I'd say."
"But I do think you need to have a heart to heart with your sister and let her know that, while of course you're happy to pay here and there as a gift or to help her out when she's in trouble, it would be appreciated that you be asked in the future instead of volun-told into spending your money on her and her friends."
"It sucks, but sometimes you have to put your foot down when it comes to family, especially the ones that think that just because you have money, that you're everyone's personal ATM."
"If she loves and respects you as real family should, it might be a bit of an embarrassing conversation but one that is taken to heart."
"The problem has come about that you, frankly, don't trust your sister anymore (understandably) and that's the saddest part here."
"Maybe try and explain to her that her actions leave you feeling like your only worth to her is whether or not you can foot the bill for her lifestyle, and that you'd like to try and get your relationship back on track."- silver_thef*ck
"NTA This really sounds like a set up to get you to pay again."
"Make an excuse unrelated to that and don't go."
"The more they pressure you, or bring up that your sister is 'counting on you' the clearer it will be that means 'counting on your wallet'."
"If I you bring up the money issue now, you'll only face a huge storm -- precisely because your sister wants your money now."
"That's why this time it would be easier to just make excuses."
"You will have to bite the bullet in one way or another at some point though."
"I've always felt like she can get what she wants out of me."
"Not even money wise, like she likes to be spoiled and knows I wouldn't say no if she asked me to fetch her a Diet Coke from the Swiss alps."
"Ultimately this is on you."
"You can change this."
"You don't have to make a huge deal out of it or justify yourself to her -- in fact you can be quite calm about it and say that just to let her know, your personal circumstances have changed, so she can't expect you to pay for her and her friends for things like her last birthday."
"From now on she can't just expect or volunteer you to pay."
"She probably won't be happy about it and will try to get you to justify yourself with her arguing against you -- which is why you shouldn't even start down that road."
"Keep calm and say it like it's a done deal. It's personal and you don't want to go into it."
"You're just letting her know."
"All you have to do is be a rock and she can't move you."
"In a while the storm will abate and she will have readjusted her expectations -- but if you cave, you'll have done more than undo everything -- you will have taught her to ignore what you say and just keep pushing until you crack."
"Don't do that to yourself."- kurokomainu
"NTA."
"DO NOT GO!"
"FYI - I used to live in Nashville."
"Don’t spend your time or money going (at least not for this type of event)."
"It’s GROSSLY overpriced (aka REALLY expensive) to drink & bar hop Downtown (Broadway) & in the other areas (Gulch, E. Nashville, etc.) that the Bachelorette Parties go to."
"Even if you were only paying for you & your sister, you could easily rack up a $500 tab in less than 4 hours (depending on where you’re at & how fancy your drinks are)."
"IMO, you need to stop giving in to your sister’s manipulative behavior."
"She’s taking advantage of your bank account, but you are letting her."
"Your sister & her friends probably do enjoy your company, but in this case they also want (& have probably planned) for you to go on this Bachelorette Party adventure to help subsidize (or fully pay) for their partying."
"If you go, be prepared that just the 2 Nights out (your sister & friends drinking) will probably be $3K-$5K (at minimum)."
"This isn’t including the hotel, transportation, breakfast, lunch, &/or other activities."
"It sounds ridiculously inflated, but the prices are obnoxious & the tourist ‘party’ bars/restaurants are the worst."
"If they want you to go along for the Bachelorette Party, then tell them you can only go 1 night in your local area (& you won’t have any credit cards to pay for anything, just $100/your budget $ in cash)."
"I think spending a small fortune for a 3 day destination party is ridiculous, but it’s now a thing (& I would also refuse to go)."-ABL228
It's truly unfair that the OP should be expected to foot the bill any time he visits his sister.
However, seeing as his sister somehow can't see that this is a problem, it's sadly on the OP to make this clear to her.
Sadly, one shouldn't be surprised if the OP's sister might have some different ideas about her bachelorette party upon discovering the OP isn't footing the bill...















Humiliated Redditor Ditches Friend's Birthday After She Publicly Mocks Them In Front Of Everyone
Fake people tend to show their true colors during pivotal moments, like weddings and major celebrations.
But when they want an audience to hurt someone else, it takes total sense that they would be called out in front of everyone, as agreed by members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subreddit.
Redditor HollyyGinger went to their close friend's birthday party, expecting to have a good time and celebrate their loved one's special day.
But when their close friend made several mocking comments about them, and the party laughed along with them, the Original Poster (OP) took that as an indication of the state of their friendship and left the birthday party early.
They asked the sub:
The OP was excited to celebrate their close friend's birthday.
"One of my close friends had a birthday dinner last weekend, and I was genuinely excited to go."
"I helped her organize a few things beforehand, bought her a gift, and even rearranged some plans because I wanted to be there for her."
But the birthday dinner did not go at all how the OP expected.
"During dinner, though, she started making little jokes about me in front of everyone."
"At first, I laughed along because I didn't want to make things awkward on her birthday."
"But she kept going. She joked about dating life, brought up an embarrassing story I had told her privately, and made another comment about how I'm ''way too sensitive' sometimes."
"People were laughing, and I tried to act like it didn't bother me, but honestly, I felt pretty humiliated."
The OP tried to ask their friend to change the direction of the rest of the party.
"I quietly asked her when we were alone if she could stop making me the joke of the evening."
"She rolled her eyes and said I was taking everything too seriously and that everyone knew she was joking."
"I went back to the table for a while because I really didn't want to ruin her birthday."
"But then she made another joke about me, so I decided I'd had enough. I congratulated her again, said goodbye to everyone, and went home without making a scene."
The OP's friend tried to blame them for how the evening turned out.
"The next morning, she texted me, saying she was hurt that I left early and that several people noticed."
"She said that I made her feel like she had done something horrible when she was 'just having fun.' But her having fun was more of a public embarrassment to me."
"Now I feel guilty, because it was her birthday, and maybe I could have just ignored it for another hour or two."
"I wasn't trying to punish her or make the night about me. I just didn't want to sit there smiling while someone I trusted kept embarrassing me after I had specifically asked her to stop."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that she didn't have to stay at a party where she didn't feel welcome.
"She was having fun. You were not having fun."
"You’re not overreacting. You told her it was hurting you, and she kept doing it because hurting you was entertaining for her. She is not a good friend." - Dunquinn-
"I remember when I was really little, a bunch of adults were laughing at me as I cried."
"I cried to my mom, 'Stop laughing at me,' to which she replied, 'We aren’t laughing at you; we're laughing with you,' while giggling."
"My response was something I stand by to this day: 'Then why am I the only one crying?!'"
"It’s only funny if the person who’s being teased is laughing too. You weren’t laughing. It wasn’t funny; it was cruel. NOR." - XSmartypants
"She’s a bully. It wasn’t 'more like 'it was publicly embarrassing. It WAS publicly embarrassing."
"Then she tells you that SHE is embarrassed because YOU left early. That's bulls**t."
"NOR. Drop her." - WTH_JFG
"NOR. They make jokes about someone's privacy to humiliate that person. Anyone who would use info that was shared in confidence to get a laugh is an abuser. You don't do that, especially to a close friend, without the intent to hurt that person." - BungenessKrabb
"Would it have been fun if you did the same? Start telling her darkest secrets?"
"She made you into a punchline for other people’s entertainment."
"You told her to stop, and she didn’t; now she’s the victim?"
"NOR."
"But also, some people need to feel it to believe it. I hope you go to the next gathering with a few stories of your own and don’t let her rewrite the narrative." - beached_not_broken
"I’ve had it happen by my 'best friend' at the time, only it was in a professional setting event. Very personal details only she knew, all spilled for her amusement, embarrassing me in front of colleagues."
"NOR, OP. As you did, I left the gathering earlier than expected. My 'friend' called the next day asking why I left so early. I told her what she had said and done and how humiliated I felt."
"Her 'apology' was that flippant version that shows no remorse, like, 'Well, I’m sorry you feel that way.'"
"Over the subsequent years, she managed to alienate and burn bridges with most of those same people we were gathered with."
"I’m sorry this happened to you, OP. Anyone who thinks you were 'too sensitive' has no empathy and 'friends' like that don’t deserve your time." - Hungry_Tank9182
"NOR. She was being a jerk to you, and she was expecting you to just take it and not say anything or defend yourself."
"Because they think it's sooo funny to mock others, but I bet if the roles were reversed, she would be offended and upset."
"Honestly, you deserve better friends. I'm sorry you had to deal with this."
"I would've left and blocked her." - Cryslove
Others urged the OP to stop thinking about the event and let that friendship go.
"That was the point of her fun! Humiliating you with an audience!"
"Sharing something deeply personal, told in confidence? Immediate dealbreaker."
"She is not (and likely never was) your friend. Friends do not treat friends with such disrespect. Block her, and go no contact. She brings nothing good to your life, and she’s not worthy of your energy and time."
"NOR." - MizPeachyKeen
"It’s called bullying. She is not your friend. Friends don’t humiliate their true friends, or tell them 'they are too sensitive.'"
"That is what bullies do. She keeps you around to put you down and make herself look or feel better."
"Her actions, attitude, and behavior are those of an immature high schooler. She could actually be jealous of you and not want one or all of the following: you to succeed, have more friends, feel better about yourself, look better, etc."
"Please slowly distance yourself, find new hobbies and activities with more mature, well-rounded, healthy people." - Freeling_Fab_U_lous
"How DARE you spoil her fun; didn't you know that part of your gift was letting her make you the butt of her jokes? (sarcastic comment)"
"What an awful person. No one should need to put others down to raise themselves up. She doesn't deserve the title of friend, to be honest. You showed much more grace than I would have managed." - tphatmcgee
"She was using you as her punching bag to make the others attending laugh. Probably thinking you’d just take it. That’s not a good friend. NOR." - Additional-Start9455
"'Someone I trusted kept embarrassing me after I asked them to stop.' NOR."
"First, you shouldn't have had to ask her to stop because a friend wouldn't have started in the first place. One of her 'jokes' was about you being sensitive, so she knew you didn't like it and did it anyway."
"Second, you asked her privately to stop, because you didn't want to embarrass her. Think about that. You didn't want to embarrass her. But she couldn't show you the same consideration, even after being asked to stop."
"That's not how I treat my friends, and I suspect that's not how you treat your friends, either." - calminthedark
"I would have answered her text that she's a s**tty friend and to f**k off. You have class."
"I probably would have made a comment at dinner that I asked her to stop with the insults."
"NOR. You did everything right." - Particular-King218
The subReddit was disappointed on the OP's behalf that a friendship they were so committed to, they were excited to celebrate their friend's birthday and even helped plan the event, came apart at their expense, and on very public terms.
If the friend didn't want to be "embarrassed," maybe she should have thought about how she was embarrassing others first.