It’s hard not to feel unappreciated when your efforts are met with criticism instead of gratitude.

What would you do if a family member asked you to watch their kids and pets for several days, and then accused you of using too much food, even though you paid for most of it yourself? Would you speak up and set the record straight? Or would you quietly sulk with hurt feelings?

In today’s story, one sister finds herself in this exact situation and is unsure what to do. Here’s what happened.

AITAH for feeling hurt after my sister complained about her freezer being empty?

So, my husband, my daughter, and I (28F) have been staying at my sister’s (43F) house for a month. We’re not paying rent, and I appreciate that—I genuinely do.

We’ve tried to contribute however we can—cleaning, taking care of things, helping out, buying food, cooking for all, etc.

Recently, my sister went away for a few days on vacation, and she asked me if we could take care of her children (13 and 9 years old) and her two dogs while she was gone.

They try to do everything they can to help out while they stay there.

We said, “Yes, of course, no problem.”

I even deep-cleaned the house before she came back—not because I had to, but because I thought it would be a nice gesture. And because she said she was thinking of paying someone to do the job, so in my mind, it was like, “Duh, save that money.”

She sent €15 for the kids’ food (to cover the four and a half days she was gone). It obviously wasn’t enough, but I didn’t say anything. I just covered the rest and did what I could to make things easy for her. It’s no big deal.

Now, her sister is upset and making her feel bad.

Now she’s back, and this morning, she complained that the freezer was empty and that next time, she’ll leave food for the kids, but we need to buy our own food. The thing is, during those days, we only used three packs of hamburgers and one bag of croquettes from the freezer. That’s it. And it wasn’t for us only; I used it to prepare meals for the kids as well.

I didn’t respond, but honestly, I felt really hurt. She acted like we used up all her food when we were literally doing her a favor (unpaid) by looking after her house, kids, and pets.

I get that we’re staying here without paying rent, and again, I’m not ungrateful for that. But a babysitter/pet sitter for 4.5 days would’ve cost way more than 3 packs of burgers. I don’t think it’s fair to throw that kind of comment at me when I’ve done my best to help.

AITA?

Eek! It’s easy to see both sides of this, but this woman does have a good point.

Let’s see what advice the fine folks over at Reddit can offer.

This person offers some great advice.

For this reader, she should stock the sister’s freezer.

According to this person, they should move out.

As this reader explains, they need to have a talk.

It’s time to move on.

The sister probably feels they’ve overstayed their welcome, so it’s time for them to stand on their own two feet and get a place to live.

If you liked that post, check this one about a guy who got revenge on his condo by making his own Christmas light rules.