January 31, 2026 at 5:20 am

Student Used Her Parents’ Money To Buy Second-Hand Books For Studying, But After Realizing Several Were Too Advanced, Her Father Made A Comment That Left Her Feeling Guilty About Wasting Money

by Heather Hall

Woman sitting at a desk trying to read books that are just out of her comprehension level

Pexels/Reddit

Spending money that you didn’t earn can really mess with your head sometimes.

So, what would you do if you spent a small portion of the money your parents gave you on books, but later learned they were too difficult for you to read?

Would you see it as a simple mistake? Or would the guilt make you question if you should’ve spent the money at all?

In the following story, one student finds herself in this situation and can’t decide how to feel.

Here’s what’s going on.

AITA for using my parents’ money on my reading hobby, because half the books are too hard for me?

My family belongs to the working class, and our circumstances are fairly ordinary by local standards. As a student with no income, my parents have to pay a significant monthly expense due to my mental health condition.

Since I usually handle hospital visits and payments alone, I ask my parents for money when I run out of funds to cover essential costs, leaving a little aside afterwards. Consequently, I don’t have a fixed allowance.

Recently, I used that money to purchase nearly fifteen second-hand English books for my studies and personal interest, costing approximately fifteen dollars. However, having failed to do my research beforehand, I found nearly half of them beyond my current comprehension level.

Her father was not happy about the purchase.

Upon discovering this, my father remarked in a gentle yet deeply ashamed tone that I shouldn’t be so lavish with money and should be more economical. He said I shouldn’t waste money on such things and would rather I spent it on food and drink.

On one hand, I felt it was reasonable to spend money on things I wanted to do. On the other, I felt deeply guilty, knowing I had no income of my own and was wasting my parents’ money. Yet my parents had also said that they earned their money to spend it, to give the family a better life.

This left me feeling terribly conflicted. When spending money, I often felt like a complete *******, wasting my parents’ hard work and earnings.

AITA?

Wow! Some parents wish their kids would buy books!

Let’s see what the people over at Reddit have to say about this situation.

This reader thinks she should find a way to earn extra money.

Books 3 Student Used Her Parents Money To Buy Second Hand Books For Studying, But After Realizing Several Were Too Advanced, Her Father Made A Comment That Left Her Feeling Guilty About Wasting Money

According to this reader, her English will improve with the books.

Books 2 Student Used Her Parents Money To Buy Second Hand Books For Studying, But After Realizing Several Were Too Advanced, Her Father Made A Comment That Left Her Feeling Guilty About Wasting Money

Yet another person who doesn’t think it was bad.

Books 1 Student Used Her Parents Money To Buy Second Hand Books For Studying, But After Realizing Several Were Too Advanced, Her Father Made A Comment That Left Her Feeling Guilty About Wasting Money

This is a good question.

Books Student Used Her Parents Money To Buy Second Hand Books For Studying, But After Realizing Several Were Too Advanced, Her Father Made A Comment That Left Her Feeling Guilty About Wasting Money

Books are never a waste, but next time, maybe she should buy half books and half food.

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.

Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.