Nothing made relatives act bolder than money they didn’t earn.

So when one college graduate had some college fund money left over, her aunt, uncle, and cousin insisted she should give it away because her cousin “needed it more” after flunking out.

Suddenly, “helping family” looked a lot like paying for someone else’s bad choices.

You’ll want to keep reading for this one.

AITA for refusing to give my younger cousin my college fund because she “needs it more”?

I (24F) graduated college two years ago, thanks in large part to a college fund that my parents had been saving for me since I was little.

I feel incredibly fortunate for that, and I worked hard to make the most of it by getting good grades and finishing on time.

Her cousin had quite a different college experience.

My younger cousin (20F), on the other hand, dropped out of college last year after failing a few courses.

Now she’s planning to go back, but the issue is that she used up a good chunk of her own college fund during her first attempt.

Here’s where the real trouble comes in.

Recently, my aunt and uncle (her parents) came to me and asked if I’d be willing to give my cousin what’s left of my college fund to help her go back.

I had some money left over because I got a scholarship during my last year, so there’s still a decent amount sitting in that account.

I told them that I wasn’t comfortable doing that.

She had very different ideas on what she wanted to do with this money.

I’ve been saving that leftover money for grad school or maybe to put towards a house one day, and I don’t feel like it’s my responsibility to give it up just because she didn’t finish school the first time.

Now, my cousin and her parents are upset with me.

They lay hard on the guilt trips.

My cousin says she “needs it more” and that I’m being selfish for not helping her out when I had my entire education paid for.

My aunt and uncle think I should give her the money because “it’s just sitting there,” and they don’t want her to take out loans.

She feels bad, but she also feels validated in keeping the money.

I get that student loans are tough, but I worked hard for my degree and saved that money for my future.

I don’t think I should be guilted into giving it up.

AITA for refusing to give my cousin the rest of my college fund?

If her cousin wanted to go to college so bad, maybe she should have tried a little harder the first time!

What did Reddit think?

This user urges this graduate to ensure her money is safe and sound.

Her aunt and uncle are just as much to blame here as her cousin.

Part of becoming an adult means facing your choices.

Surely her aunt and uncle would think differently if it was their money at stake.

The different between this graduate and her cousin was that one was responsible, and one simply wasn’t.

In this economy, you don’t owe anyone your leftovers — even family.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.