Getting your first paycheck and immediately owing most of it to other people is a humbling introduction to adult finances, but this teenager was navigating it more responsibly than most others her age.

She’d borrowed money from a friend and her own mom over the past few months for concerts and other expenses, and the moment she started earning she wanted to clear those debts before spending a single dollar on anything else.

But when her mom suddenly started pressuring her to spend money on expensive gifts for relatives, she felt pulled in a thousand different directions.

So when her mom called her greedy for paying off her debts first, she began to wonder why she was being punished for being responsible.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA? Mom wants me to spend a lot of my paycheck on gifts

So I (19F) got my first summer job recently.

I’m working a good amount and making a decent amount for a part-time job.

But money is still a big stressor in her life.

The issue is I owe my friend about $300 from recently and my mom about $400 over the past few months, mostly from concert tickets and other leisure expenses.

Being the responsible person she is, she dedicates a lot of energy to paying it back.

I’m the type of person who really likes to just get that out of the way, so my first one and a half to two paychecks are going toward paying off my friend and my mom.

That basically means I won’t have much money for myself in June except a small amount.

Lately she’s found herself pulled in other directions.

My mom wants me to spend another $50 to $100 on gifts for my relatives for no reason other than “treating them with my first paycheck.”

My dad’s birthday is also coming up soon, so I need to save for that.

So she decides to be honest with her mom — and it didn’t go well.

I told her I don’t know if I’ll be treating everyone else to gifts right now since I just want to get all the money I owe people out of the way first.

We got into an argument over it this morning.

Her mom doesn’t think near as highly about her saving habits.

She told me I have no regard for other people, am greedy, and only care about myself.

I don’t know if I’m being greedy but I want to know if I am, lol.

I feel like I’m obligated to treat everyone with my paycheck now and it has me stressing a bit.

AITA?

Her paycheck, her decision.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man whose celebratory post-grad school vacation is being ruined by his family’s insistence he’s being lazy.

What did Reddit have to say?

“Greedy” isn’t the word this user would use at all.

This teen should feel proud, not guilted.

She should hold onto this responsible mindset, no matter what anyone else says.

Paying off a debt should come before buying a gift.

This teen had a plan for her first paycheck — and it was a good plan.

Everyone wishes they had unlimited money to buy whatever they want with, but that isn’t the reality 99.9% of people live in. Learning that lesson before you even hit your 20s is something to be praised, not punished.

Ultimately, her mother is setting her daughter up for failure when she frames responsible financial thinking as a character flaw. She really needs to knock it off.

The only greedy person in this story is the mother pushing her own daughter to be irresponsible.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a stepmom who says stepson isn’t doing enough, despite the fact that he’s working 12-hour shifts to pay for his own college.