'I’m not making her financial decisions, I’m just letting her pet do it': 24-year-old woman trains her roommate's parrot to loudly remind her to budget her money every time she online shops

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Jul 1, 2025 4:00 AM EDT

Parrots are all fun and games, until they start telling you how to live your life…and budget your finances. 

Sometimes, some of our friends need a little push in the right direction when it comes to being more responsible, but we don't want to come across judgmental or controlling…So what better solution than to give that job to someone else, or even something else?

We know not everyone has direct access to a mimicking parrot, but if you can get your hands on one, we do think it could result in a lot more everlasting friendships. When one woman notices her roomie's irresponsible spending habits, she takes it upon herself to teach her roomie's pet parrot to shout, 'budget your money!' every time she opens her laptop to shop online or hears shopping bags crinkling. 

Now, some might call this approach manipulative, whilst others might see it for what it is: utterly genius 

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  • If the truth comes out, do you think this friendship will stand the test of time? Is this roommate simply looking out for her friend in need? 

    At the end of the day, friendships are about being there for one another, even if you aren't always using the most conventional methods to do so… the intentions are genuine. So we're leaving it up to this secret duo to see if they can effectively help out their friend go from ‘irresponsible spender’ to ‘money-conscious mogul.' 

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    "My friend thinks I'm a genius, but my brother says I'm being manipulative and violating her trust"
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    AITA for secretly teaching my roommate’s parrot to say “budget your money” every time she makes an online purchase?

    I (24F) live with my roommate Sarah (25F) and her African Grey parrot, Mango. Sarah works in marketing and makes decent
    via Narrow-Salamander964
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    money, but she's constantly complaining about being broke while ordering stuff online literally every day. Packages arrive
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    constantly - clothes, skincare, random gadgets from TikTok. Then she'll stress about making rent. Here's the thing: Mango sits
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    in the living room where Sarah does all her online shopping on her laptop. The bird is scary smart and picks up phrases really easily.
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    So about two months ago, I started training him when Sarah wasn't home. I'd sit near his cage with my laptop open and say
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    "budget your money" repeatedly while giving him treats. I also said it whenever I handled delivery boxes or crinkled packaging near
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    him. It worked. Now whenever Sarah opens her laptop or a package arrives, Mango squawks "BUDGET YOUR MONEY! BUDGET YOUR MONEY!" really loudly. The
    via Narrow-Salamander964
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    bird associated laptops and delivery sounds with the phrase. Sarah thinks Mango learned it from her finance podcast, but
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    she's getting increasingly frustrated. Last week she said the bird is "judging her" and making her feel guilty. She's actually
    via Narrow-Salamander964
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    started shopping less because Mango won't stop saying it, and she made rent early this month. I felt guilty and was going to confess, but then Sarah's mom
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    Cheezburger Image 10523480064
    via prostock-studio

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    visited and said "Thank god that bird has some sense, maybe you'll finally start saving." Sarah was mortified. My friend thinks I'm a
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    genius, but my brother says I'm being manipulative and violating her trust. I mean, I'm not making her financial decisions, I'm just...
    via Narrow-Salamander964
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    letting her pet do it? AITA for turning my roommate's parrot into a financial advisor without telling her?
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    Upstairs_Landscape70 No, this is absolute gold. Funny, dedicated and effective to boot NTA
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    aculady It could be worse; my husband's African Grey learned to imitate the smoke alarm whenever our roommate started cooking.
    via aculady
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    dragonetta123 Post of the day, as it made me chuckle. Yep, it's manipulative.
    via dragonetta123
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    Moose-Live Her overspending affects you if she struggles to make rent. So, I think some type of intervention was justified c This is a bit devious, but it's effective,
    via Moose-Live
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    and also extremely funny & you've probably done her a favour in the long run. Curbing an overspending habit isn't easy without external stimulus C NTA.
    via Moose-Live
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    ElacheeZ NTA. Solid roommate if you ask me, I would be pretty chill about it as I also have spending problem.
    via ElacheeZ
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    mantodea364 This is so hilarious. NTA, Mango is responsible for his actions 9 9
    via mantodea364
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    tucsonheart NTA but be prepared to take in the parrot if it ends up getting rehomed.
    via tucsonheart

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hilarious pets parrots funny stories shopping askreddit Super-Lols online shopping save roommates funny money funny animals animals parrot the pet collective
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