Husband spends his wife's grandma's $5K inheritance on his $4.2K in credit card debt, leaving little for his wife to pay her $2.1K in credit card debt: 'He says it’s for the good of the family.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Nov 11, 2025 8:00 AM EST

Inheritance should not be spent by someone for whom it wasn't intended.

Many people feel entitled to their family members' money. We all know someone who thinks that they deserve thousands of dollars from their grandparents upon their passing, even though they made no effort to have a relationship with them when they were alive. The best way to approach potentially receiving an inheritance is with a neutral attitude. If you don't get an inheritance, that's okay because it was never your money to begin with, so you didn't lose out on anything. If you do get an inheritance, that's cool too, but at the end of the day, you'd rather have that person still be alive than have their money. It makes you want to use their money in a way that honors them, rather than wasting it on something of little value.

Even a small inheritance can make a substantial, positive impact on someone's life. If you're in $10K worth of debt and you suddenly get $2K out of the blue, that will make a massive dent in your debt and could motivate you to continue paying it off. 

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  • Man in suit using smartphone and credit card
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The husband in this story has clearly never heard of the debt snowball, nor has he heard of basic decency. He thought it would be entirely acceptable to use his wife's grandmother's inheritance to pay off his own debt, rather than tackling all of her debt and some of his debt. Some might argue that it wasn't his money to use, and I agree.

  • Am I wrong for being mad my husband took my inheritance money

    I got $5k from my grandmas inheritance and I was planning on paying off my CC ($2,100) with it, giving $1k of it to my husband to pay some on his CC (which is at $4,200).
    via u/StupidWifeofMN
  • I would save the rest for whatever I needed to spend it on. My husband decided that was the wrong way to use it and he needs to pay off his CC first so he can buy all his other things he "needs" to buy.
    via u/StupidWifeofMN
  • Person walking while carrying a camera and paper bags
    via Erik Mclean

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • (Basically racking his card back up to $2k after he pays off his CC). I wouldn't see a dime to help my bills at all.
    via u/StupidWifeofMN
  • A woman sitting at a table with her hands on her face
    via Ahmet Kurt (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • He says it's for the good of the family but I have a different idea of how that should go to help us.
    via u/StupidWifeofMN
  • I am pissed. He doesn't think I should be. AITAH for being mad at him for not letting me have any of the funds?
    via u/StupidWifeofMN
  • NTA The_Bad_Agent Why does he have access to those funds at all? Don't hand over anything. And since he's playing that way, he deserves NOTHING
    via u/The_Bad_Agent
  • icnoevil People will treat you as a doormat, only to the extent you allow them to do so.
    via u/icnoevil
  • Tough-Industry-2730 Why does he even have a say in how you spend your separate money?
    via u/Tough-Industry-2730
  • Secure_Engineer7151 YTA for doing this to yourself.
    via u/Secure_Engineer7151
  • JustMe518 "letting" you? He doesn't "let" you do shit. That is YOUR inheritance. Don't give him access to ANY of it until he gets off his high horse and loses the entitlement.
    via u/JustMe518
  • JackieGaytona69 How are these questions even real? Husband wants to take MY money, am I a bad person? You don't need us.
    via u/JackieGaytona69
  • NYC-WhWmn-ov50 NTA, and not necessarily out of luck. Inheritance by law in most states is NOT a shared income. Check the laws where you are and if this is true for you, inform hubs that he can pay you back asap or you will consider your legal options. The money literally wasnt his to use.
    via u/NYC-WhWmn-ov50
  • Wtf? gooossfraabaahh Inheritance money is personal property in most places, not marital property. Ultimately, legally, it is your decision on what to do with the finances. Your inheritance? Then you get to pay off your debt. Giving him $1000 for his (especially when he seems like a spender by the comment about "needing" stuff) is generous enough. He should be saying thank you. One ofnyou should have a good credit score lol Oh, watch out paying your whole balance BTW, maybe even get a financial a
    via u/gooossfraabaahh
  • LopatoG Your husband stole your money.... Time for divorce. And I'm a husband...
    via u/LopatoG

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toxic relationships inheritance spending money money problems wife reddit story relationships no money husband reddit thread Reddit grandmother money toxic relationship
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