Mom faces criticism for disparaging 17-year-old daughter's budgeting hack: 'Can't spend money when you don't have the item to spend it'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Sep 14, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

It might not have been the most responsible, but it works.

A decent chunk of parenting, especially for those with older kids, is taking stock of the life decisions that they make with little parental influence. It is living proof of how their upbringing has influenced the path that they go down, and/or a reflection of their personality that no amount of conscientious parenting was ever going to change, depending on how a parent looks at it. Also, most young people are pretty dumb in a lot of ways, no matter what. It is something that moms and dads have to be somewhat sympathetic to.

The thing to be conscious of is that kids are still learning. Of course, there will come a time when they have to grow up, and that doesn't mean that they are totally free from responsibility or consequences. However, it is important to give them some grace and not be the kind of parent who they are afraid to share their failures with. In the grand scheme of things, most parents would prefer an imperfect child who keeps in regular contact with them to a successful one who cuts them off because of their past behavior.

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  • 01

    She’s taking on new financial clients as we speak, let me know if you’d like a consultation

    via thats_inappropriate

  • A daughter shared with her mom that she had managed to drastically cut down her spending, expecting her mom to be impressed. The reason why was that she had lost her debit card and was therefore unable to spend any money on herself.

    The mom decided to share the story with the internet, poking fun about how her teenage daughter's incompetence had managed to benefit her in the long run. While plenty of people agreed that this was an effective if slightly impractical way to save money, others questioned her willingness to criticize her child in a public forum.

  • 02

    She wasn't being all that nice.

    Shelby Do you like her? At all?
    via Shelby
  • 03
    Krissy You HATE her
    via Krissy
  • 04
    momknows3 It's your delivery I think. You think you're being funny but it comes across as mean and sarcastic.
    via momknows3
  • 05

    She was teasing her.

    Victoria Ellen A girl's first bu y is their mom
    via Victoria Ellen
  • 06
    ernievernie Why are you like this
    via ernievernie
  • 07
    cinnagirl666 I'm so confused, is it not normal for parents to take care of their children's needs in Western countries?
    via cinnagirl666
  • 08

    She had some influence here.

    josephamesdacey its always bonkers to me when parents complain about the children they raised
    via josephamesdacey
  • 09
    KW You think it's funny but this is all I see of you is your berate her publicly
    via KW
  • 10
    evelynhamid451 Grown a woman...l purposely didn't replace a lost card for months for the sole purpose of saving some money for a big purchase. 100% recommended
    via evelynhamid451
  • 11

    There were alternative methods of payment.

    caricoats Does she not have Apple wallet? 00
    via caricoats
  • 12
    morganj0000 the condescending tone even when you're not speaking to her is INSANE
    via morganj0000
  • 13
    Karen_is_awkward Whatever works.
    via Karen_is_awkward
  • 14

    She had a logic behind it.

    Sara Hannah girl math at its finest
    via Sara Hannah
  • 15
    saige I'd be so upset if my mom talked about me like this online. I really hope they have a better relationship in person than the sarcastic one she kind of creates online, because that would get so exhausting,
    via saige
  • 16
    Cheyenne Ware951 I could never post myself talking down about my teenager for doing teenager things.
    via Cheyenne Ware951
  • 17

    This public complaint could have consequences.

    MrsBatman "i dont know why she went no contact"
    via MrsBatman
  • 18
    doobie no no she's got a point. can't spend money when you don't have the item to spend it
    via doobie

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teenagers debit card budgeting Parenting Fail
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