Family support can start off as a safety net but quickly turn into financial sinkhole.

So when one financially stable sister kept covering her younger brother’s “temporary” money problems, she realized his emergencies were becoming her expenses.

What began as kindness slowly turned into a pattern she could no longer afford to fund.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for finally telling my brother no more loans?

I’m 28F, my brother is 25M. We live in the same city.

I work at a bank, have a stable job, and I save responsibly.

Her brother’s financial outlook, however, is quite different.

He does food delivery on his bike but is constantly broke.

It began two years ago with small requests: $20 for gas, $30 for a phone bill, $50 toward rent.

She always grew up with the belief that family helps family. But lately, her support has gotten harder to sustain.

I helped every time because he’s my younger brother and family supports each other.

The amounts kept growing, and the asks became frequent. Now it’s $200–$500 every month or two.

Her brother hasn’t been trustworthy at all when it comes to repaying these large sums.

He always promises to repay on his next paycheck, but he rarely does.

Sometimes he pays back a little, then asks for more right away.

The last time he asked for $400 to fix his bike for work.

Later he confessed he spent most of it on other things, and the bike is still broken.

Last week he asked for $250 because his landlord was pressuring him.

So when she finally started standing her ground, her brother turned the rest of the family against her.

I finally said no.

I told him I can’t continue, he’s not repaying, it’s hurting my own savings and bills, and he needs to handle it himself or ask someone else.

He got angry, called me selfish, said I make more money so I should help, and that real family doesn’t abandon each other.

He told our mom, who called me upset, saying he’s struggling, I have a good job, and why am I being so hard on him.

Now extended family is starting to pile on to the guilt trip.

Some cousins agree I’ve done more than enough. Others say family should always help no matter what and I’m being cold.

I feel a bit guilty because I don’t want him in real trouble, but I’m exhausted. My savings are half what they were, and I get anxious every time he messages me.

AITA?

Helping her brother is really starting to take a toll on her.

What does Reddit think?

Why doesn’t her family just reach into their own pockets?

At a certain point, helping just becomes enabling.

Mom could reach into her own wallet at any time instead of guilt tripping her own daughter.

This commenter went through a very similar situation.

If her brother is going to continue to treat her like an ATM, she has every right to finally decline.

Family and money rarely mix well.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.