Chapter 1
Mom and Dad transfer my living expenses to my sister Quinn every month, letting her “manage” my budget.[]
”
At first, it was $800 a month–barely enough for a college student, but whatever. Then Quinn stumbled across some TikTok video about “dumpster diving for gourmet meals at farmer’s markets, and BOOM–she slashed my allowance to $300![]
Her reasoning?
“Those markets literally give away free produce at closing time. Three hundred is more than enough for you to live on.“[]
So there I was, literally surviving on plain ramen noodles, when I decided to scroll through Instagram. And what do I see? My dear sister Quinn’s latest post.
She’s posing with a $30,000 Hermès bag, casually mentioning in her caption how she only uses organic cotton tampons that cost three dollars EACH. Three. Dollars. Per. Tampon.[]
But wait–it gets better. Her next story was a whole–ass humble–brag thread:
“I only give my little sister $300 a month for living expenses. Gotta teach her how hard it is to earn money, you know? Girls need to learn financial discipline the hard way–otherwise they’ll never appreciate the value of a dollar. Tough love builds character!“]
Tliterally choked on my sad excuse for dinner reading that bullshit.[]
But when I suggested maybe SHE should try living that “character–building” lifestyle she loved so much-
Why did she lose her absolute shit over it?
—0
[Quinn, what the hell is this supposed to mean?]]
I stared at the Tiktok she’d forwarded me: [How I Score Free Gourmet Meals at Farmer’s Markets – $0 Food Budget Challenge!]]]
I was literally sitting there like… what?!]
[Starting this month, your allowance is getting cut to $300.]]
My hands were shaking as I read that text. Like, actually trembling.[]
[Quinn, three hundred is literally impossible. The cheapest salad in the dining hall is two bucks, and that’s if I only eat twice a day… Plus I have to pay utilities this week…”
[What’s your point? That it’s not enough?] Her reply came back lightning fast, and each word felt like ice in my veins. [Did you even watch the video? Market vendors give away perfectly good food for FREE, and you can get meat every single day. How is $300 not enough?]]
I was basically begging at this point, trying to negotiate.[]
[But the closest farmer’s market is like six miles away…]]
She sent back a voice message that was so sharp it could cut glass.]
[But nothing. You have a car, don’t you? Chloe, I pay for your food, your clothes, your entire education–I’m not running a charity here. Three hundred is MORE than enough. If other people can dumpster dive, why can’t you? What makes you so special?]
The venom in her voice just kept coming, but I couldn’t even process it anymore.[]
I locked my phone because I knew–this conversation was over. Her decision was final.[]
Ever since high school, Mom and Dad have been too “busy” to handle my expenses directly, so they just dump everything on Quinn’s lap. She’s been my financial gatekeeper for years.
She controls my shared family payment app, which means she sees EVERY. SINGLE, PURCHASE. I have zero privacy.[]
Any time I spend even a dollar over her arbitrary limits, she calls me up just to tear me apart.[]
Like this one time, I spent thirty bucks on a bulk pack of tampons–because, you know, periods don’t stop for poverty. The purchase notification pinged her phone immediately.[]
She called me within minutes: “Chloe, who the fuck do you think you are, buying premium tampons like you’re made of gold?“[]
My Sister Cut My Food Money to $300 White Spending $30K on Bags?! Time tur Malin Her INTERNET FAMOUSY
100
Chapter 1
Then she docked me a hundred dollars that month. A HUNDRED. I literally survived on bagels for weeks.[]
I’m talking buying day old bagels in bulk every morning, then rationing them throughout the day. By the end of that month, I couldn’t even look at a bagel without wanting to puke.[]
I tried going to my parents about this shit. Multiple times. But somehow Quinn always spins it like I’m this spoiled brat who can’t manage money.]]
So Mom and Dad just see me as some lying spendthrift. Whatever Quinn decides, goes. No questions asked.]
Ding.]
My phone buzzes with a payment notification.[]
[Dear Customer: Last month’s usage was $10. Your account balance is –$5. Please add funds immediately.]]]
Great. My phone’s about to get cut off.[]
With shaking fingers, I added twenty bucks to my account–money I literally couldn’t afford to spend.[]
This phone plan took me HOURS to research. It’s the absolute cheapest option available: $10 a month for unlimited data. I specifically chose the bottom–tier plan hoping Quinn wouldn’t give me shit about it.[]
But when she found out I’d gotten my own phone plan?]
She went ballistic: “Your campus has WiFi everywhere! Why are you wasting money on data when you could just leech off the school network like a normal person? You’re such a fucking financial disaster…“[]
This is my life. Doesn’t matter if I spend five dollars or fifty–if Quinn’s not happy, I get a screaming phone call.[]
She doesn’t give a damn where I am or who might overhear. She’ll just start shrieking at me in public, which is why I basically have no friends. []
I can’t risk anyone seeing me get verbally destroyed like that.[]
But maybe… maybe I should try calling Mom and Dad one more time?]
I mean, cutting my budget from $800 to $300 is pretty extreme, even for Quinn.[]
A tiny spark of hope flickered in my chest.
Maybe this time they’d actually listen to me. Maybe this time they’d have
my back.
