It’s easy to offer help when someone you love is struggling, but much harder to recognize when the help turns into a harmful pattern.

After months of bailing her out, she started to wonder if her cousin was digging herself into a financial hole she’d never be able to get out of.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for refusing to lend my cousin more money after she never paid back the $1k I already gave her?

I (F22) have always been really close with my cousin (F23) since we were kids.

We get along well, but over the past year or so, I feel like she’s been using me as a financial crutch.

Her cousin has began to prove that she isn’t trustworthy when it comes to financial matters.

Since last year, I’ve sent her around $1k.

Every time, she promises to pay me back “ASAP,” but she never does.

I know she’s genuinely going through a rough time and has been for years, so I’ve always tried to be understanding.

But she just can’t ignore the negative feelings that are beginning to arise.

But lately, I’m starting to feel like I’m being emotionally manipulated because she knows I care about her and want to see her doing well.

So when her cousin comes to her with another crisis, she finds herself at a crossroads.

Now she’s being kicked out of her place (for reasons she hasn’t really explained), and she’s asking me to lend her $500 to help her relocate.

The problem is, money is tight for me right now too.

She isn’t sure what to do next.

I’m torn—part of me wants to help her because I love her, but another part feels like I’ve been taken advantage of for too long.

WIBTA if I said no this time because of everything that’s happened in the past?

She still cared deeply for her cousin — she just couldn’t afford to continue carrying both of their burdens.

What did Reddit think?

It’s clear to this commenter that her cousin is only after one thing.

She would be wise to pay very close attention to her cousin’s behavior from this point on.

This commenter thinks it’s best to just cut her losses now.

No one can be an endless well.

She realized that she’s given enough to her cousin who never managed to give anything back.

Love for your family doesn’t always mean saying yes to every request.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.