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'

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.

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.

via Shelby
03

via Krissy
04

via momknows3
05
She was teasing her.

via Victoria Ellen
06

via ernievernie
07

via cinnagirl666
08
She had some influence here.

via josephamesdacey
09

via KW
10

via evelynhamid451
11
There were alternative methods of payment.

via caricoats
12

via morganj0000
13

via Karen_is_awkward
14
She had a logic behind it.

via Sara Hannah
15

via saige
16

via Cheyenne Ware951
17
This public complaint could have consequences.

via MrsBatman
18

via doobie

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

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'

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

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

She wasn't being all that nice.

She was teasing her.

She had some influence here.

There were alternative methods of payment.

She had a logic behind it.

This public complaint could have consequences.

Tags

Handpicked for You

{{title}}

Handpicked for You

{{title}}