Appalling Aunt Loses It After Nephew Says There’s No Way In Hell He’s Paying Cousin’s College Fees

Some folks have a way of turning into accountants when they sniff out money. You could be invisible for years, but the second you get a paycheck, suddenly everyone’s dialing your number.

Relatives, especially, tend to develop x-ray vision when it comes to someone else’s wallet. They can skip birthdays and forget phone calls, but the second the word gets out about your new job, they’re calling like telemarketers.

That’s exactly what happened to one Redditor, who learned the hard way that money can trigger some wildly creative requests from relatives, when his aunt asked him to pay for her son’s college.

More info: Reddit

Some relatives can ignore your birthday for years but smell your paycheck faster than a bloodhound at a barbecue

Young man counting cash at a table, illustrating nephew ignoring until job and salary supporting aunt’s son education conflict.

Image credits: rimsha52 / Freepik (not the actual photo)

One young man’s aunt remembered he existed after hearing about his new job, and asked him to pay her son’s college fees

Text image showing a person explaining how their aunt insists their paycheck should fund her son’s education despite previous neglect.

Text about nephew getting a job to pay rent and save for university, highlighting family salary expectations.

Text about customs of gifting first paycheck to parents and family group chat reactions related to nephew’s job and salary.

Text message excerpt showing aunt ignoring nephew until he gets a job, then asking about his salary to fund her son’s education.

Middle-aged woman with crossed arms looking displeased outdoors, representing aunt ignoring nephew until he gets job.

Image credits: kues1 / Freepik (not the actual photo)

The man’s aunt refuses to host him while he goes to school, so his parents are forced to buy an apartment for him

Text explaining aunt's son going to college and demanding nephew with income to pay school fees from his paycheck.

Text showing a nephew discussing his aunt’s larger salary and her refusal to spend it on things that don’t benefit her.

Text excerpt describing aunt refusing nephew to stay, forcing him to work and contribute rent after getting a job and a flat.

Text screenshot showing a message about an aunt insisting her nephew's salary should fund her son's education.

Teen boy playing video games at home, representing nephew before getting a job in family conflict story.

Image credits: prostock-studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)

As soon as he gets a job, the man’s aunt calls him and demands he pay for her son’s college, despite making more money than him

Nephew explains salary covers basic needs and tuition as aunt insists his job funds her son’s education expenses.

Text describing a family dispute about funding education after the nephew gets a job, with an aunt pestering relatives.

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The man refuses to pay anything for his aunt and reminds her she didn’t want to help out when he got into a new school

The OP (original poster) had just landed his first real job after years of surviving on fast-food shifts. And like many people raised with a sense of gratitude, he decided to gift his first paycheck to his parents. It wasn’t a fortune, but it was symbolic, a sweet thank-you gesture. Everyone was thrilled…for about 10 minutes.

Then, mom shared the good news in the family group chat. Rookie mistake. Because her sister, the OP’s aunt, immediately called him. Now, this woman had shown little to no interest in the OP before, but the moment she smelled a paycheck, she jumped.

She acted all curious about the OP’s new gig, before telling him he should pay for her son’s college fees. Yup, in her mind, a teen’s rent money, tuition savings, and grocery budget should apparently be rerouted to fund the cousin’s education, because “family supports family.”

Sure, that’s true, but auntie dearest makes way more money than the OP. But her logic seems to be “why spend my money when I can spend yours?” That’s already eyebrow-raising, but let’s not forget the history here. When the OP got into a new school, his mom asked this same aunt if he could live with her to save up.

But the aunt said no, “no space.” So , the OP’s parents had to scrape together enough for a tiny apartment, and the OP picked up work to help pay rent. But now, suddenly, there’s space in his paycheck for her son’s tuition? Convenient. Apparently, if OP could afford food, then he could afford to “donate.” The entitlement practically jumped through the phone.

A group of young students walking outside a college building, symbolizing nephew’s job and funding education struggles.

Image credits: freepic.diller / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Entitlement is basically when someone struts around like the universe is their personal butler and everyone else’s time, energy, or wallet exists purely for their convenience. Sometimes it’s sneaky, like framing a huge ask as “just a little favor”, and sometimes it’s bold, like demanding money from someone who’s barely keeping their own lights on.

People act entitled maybe because of the way they were raised, maybe it’s old wounds talking, or maybe it just makes their ego feel tall. Either way, it’s a relationship wrecker. The giver ends up drained, while the taker stays blissfully clueless. It’s the same loop on repeat: they ask, you say no, they throw a tantrum.

And boy, did the OP’s aunt throw one, as we find out from his update. At a family dinner with the whole crew present, the cousin was bragging about scraping by with a passing score in school, when the OP casually flexed a near-perfect result that had the room clapping and the cousin fuming.

That’s when Auntie saw her chance and pounced, declaring this was proof the OP should fund her son’s education. But the OP shot back with the line of the night: he was happy to contribute what his aunt had chipped in for his own tuition, which, in case anyone missed it, was a big fat zero. Absolute mic drop moment.

That right there is conditional love in action, which is basically love with an asterisk. It’s the kind that says, “I’ll treat you nicely… but only if you meet my terms.” Just like the OP’s aunt remembered her nephew existed only when he started making money.

Parents, relatives, even partners can fall into this trap, swapping out genuine care for manipulation tactics like guilt trips and silent treatments. It’s the constant “you owe me” energy, the disappearing act when you don’t play along, and the selective praise that magically appears only when you’re useful. But, at the end of the day, real love doesn’t come with invoices.

What do you think of this story? Was the poster a jerk for refusing to pay for his cousin’s college? Share your thoughts and comments below!

Netizens side with the man, saying he should suggest his aunt ask her son to get a job and pay for school himself

Screenshot of a Reddit comment thread discussing a family conflict about salary and education funding.

Screenshot of online discussion about a nephew’s salary being used to fund cousin’s education after getting a job.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment about an aunt ignoring her nephew until he gets a job and funds her son’s education.

Reddit comment discussing aunt ignoring nephew until he gets a job and demands salary for her son’s education fees.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment saying "nta your aunt is insane" in a discussion about family conflicts over salary and education funding.

Text showing a message about an aunt demanding her nephew’s paycheck to fund her son’s college fees despite past neglect.

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Aunt ignoring nephew until he gets a job, then demanding his salary to fund her son's education.

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Nephew ignored by aunt until he gets a job, then aunt demands his salary fund her son’s education conflict.

Text excerpt describing an aunt ignoring her nephew until he gets a job, then demanding his salary for her son's education.

Family gathered at outdoor meal as aunt serves drinks, depicting nephew and salary funding her son’s education tension.

Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Text describing a family conversation about school performance and internal exam results at an IB school.

Text excerpt discussing a cousin’s test scores and reaction, related to the nephew getting a job and salary funding education.

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Text discussing donating same amount as aunt paid for school fees and sharing employer info for cousin's education funding.

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Text excerpt showing a family dispute where an aunt demands her nephew fund her son's education after he gets a job.

A frustrated aunt ignoring her nephew until he gets a job, then demanding his salary to fund her son’s education.

Text message discussing an aunt ignoring nephew until he gets a job and demands his salary fund her son's education.

Text post discussing a cousin who focused on gaming while the author achieved a better score, causing some family tension.

Text message about cousin playing Call of Duty, clarifying details in a casual tone with internet slang.

Text post discussing a situation where an aunt ignores her nephew until he gets a job and demands his salary fund her son's education.

Image credits: Ok_Training_8198

Man expressing frustration to a woman in yellow, illustrating family tension over nephew's job and salary demands.

Image credits: prostock-studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Reddit comment discussing relatives' reactions to aunt ignoring nephew until he gets a job and demands salary support.

Reddit comments discussing a well off aunt ignoring nephew until he gets a job, then demanding his salary for her son’s education.

Screenshot of an online discussion about an aunt ignoring her nephew until he gets a job and funding education demands.

Reddit comment discussing a nephew’s cousin’s reaction to his mother’s embarrassing behavior after he gets a job.

Reddit comment thread discussing exam passing scores while user ignores nephew until he gets a job.

Screenshot of a family Reddit thread discussing an aunt ignoring nephew until he gets a job and funds her son’s education.

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