When family members rely on you, it can be hard to say no, especially when they’re not pulling their weight.

In one such case, one person is struggling with resentment after years of paying a freeloading stepmother’s phone bill.

They begin to wonder when it’s finally time to cut the cord.

Read on for the full story.

AITAH? I’ve been paying my step mothers phone bill…

About 4-5 years ago, my stepsister put my stepmother on my phone bill.

They were told it would be a short term thing, but it turned into a much longer affair.

She reassured me that someone else would pay it, but no one ever did, so I ended up stuck with the bill.

I’ve been paying roughly $100/month for her phone.

There’s really no good reason why they’re paying for their stepmother.

My stepmother has never worked a day in her life, doesn’t clean, doesn’t cook, and has never contributed to anything.

I hate the fact that I’m paying for a freeloader’s cell phone.

Every time she says something to me, I want to look her in the eyes and tell her to get a job.

She’s not on disability and claims to work with my father, but I’ve seen her go to work with him and she just sits on her butt the whole time.

Having this unnecessary bill is really putting them back.

My money situation is pretty good during the summer, but during the winter, I have to cut my expenses to almost nothing.

Anytime I mention how tight money is, she gets worried that her cell phone will be turned off — like, what the heck!?

Now they wonder what they should do next.

I’ve been thinking about putting her phone on a separate branch and telling her to handle it herself.

AITA?

Fronting the bill may have started out as generosity, but it’s morphed into a real burden.

What did Reddit have to say?

The best way to handle this is quickly, decisively, and non-apologetically.

It’s so wrong to have to front so much money to someone who refuses to look out for themselves.

This commenter brainstorms excuses they might be able to make to get their stepmother off their back.

By the time these family obligations had piled up, the real price was the price of resentment.

It’s amazing it lasted that long before boiling over.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.