It’s honestly crazy to think how some people have the nerve to unabashedly try to mooch off their family. Especially when it’s estranged relatives, you would hesitate, right? Wrong, because some people just refuse to put their dignity above their greedy habits.
The original poster’s (OP) cousin shamelessly demands that she pay for her share of their Italy trip after she excluded the poster and her family from her wedding, which led to them losing contact. Of course, drama ensued after her absurd demand, but the things OP uncovered in this fiasco completely shocked her!
More info: Reddit
Family can be weird, especially estranged relatives who shamelessly try to mooch off you
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The poster and her cousin (Millie) often go traveling, and when they planned a trip to Italy, another cousin (Kerry) wanted to join
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
Image credits: creativeart / Freepik (not the actual photo)
While the poster was close to Kerry before, they went no-contact when Kerry didn't invite her whole family to her wedding and gave lame excuses for it
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
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When Kerry reached out to the poster to talk about the trip, she demanded that she pay for her, as she also pays for Millie
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
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Well, the poster laughed, flat out refused, and clarified that she only pays for some things for Millie, not the whole trip
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After the poster's refusal, she updated us that she spoke with Kerry's husband (Carter) and uncovered some surprising secrets
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Apparently, Kerry's mom (Barb) splurged her wedding money and lied, saying that the poster's father had refused to help them with the money
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
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That's why Kerry had refused to invite them, and Carter also explained how Kerry had quit her job, and said that he was glad the poster had refused to pay for her
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
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Hearing the truth, the poster and Millie canceled this trip and decided to go on another one later, as Carter mentioned how down Millie was because of the drama
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
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Later, she updated that Barb had called and said they should take Kerry along, and she would pay for the whole trip
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However, the poster's mom instantly shut her down in a savage manner as she didn't want her child indebted to someone like her
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
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Carter also told the poster that he is suffering due to Kerry's spending, as he was working overtime just to cover her costs after she quit her job
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
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Now, Carter and Kerry are planning to get therapy, and he has also given her 6 months to sort things out and get a job
Image credits: Mysterious_Froyo42
After all the drama, the poster got her "trippy" ending as she has now planned a trip to Singapore to visit her friends
In today’s story, we jump into the life of Reddit user Mysterious_Froyo42, who got smacked right into unnecessary family drama stirred up by her cousin (Kerry). The thing is, OP and her other cousin (Millie) are quite close, and they often go on trips together. This time, they booked one to Italy, but Millie suddenly asked whether Kerry could join them.
While OP was once close with Kerry, they were estranged as she didn’t invite the poster and her family to her wedding, and her mom (Barb) kept giving lame excuses for this. Of course, the poster was hesitant to go on a trip with her, but Kerry texted and said that her in-laws had controlled the wedding list, which made the poster feel guilty about not wanting her on the trip.
However, Kerry slowly revealed her true colors and asked OP to pay for her trip as she had quit her job, and it could be “the wedding gift she never gave.” Of course, our lady refused and even laughed in her face, but Kerry argued that she paid for Millie. Well, she clarified that she only pays for some things, and in any case, Kerry is not Millie.
Unfortunately, this just created more drama as their extended family expected OP to let bygones be bygones, but she refused to budge. In fact, she also got a call from Kerry’s husband (Carter), whom Kerry had asked to convince OP to pay for her. The audacity, right? However, this call was quite enlightening as OP found out why her family was left out of the wedding.
Turns out, Barb had splurged all of Kerry’s wedding money and then lied, saying that OP’s well-off father had refused to lend them some, which resulted in them being excluded. While this actually blew OP’s mind, more theatrics followed as Barb called and asked whether the poster would still go on the trip if she paid for everyone.
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Netizens were quite intrigued by Kerry and Barb and their absurd demands, but they applauded the poster and her mom for handling things right
This is where things took a really cool turn as OP’s mom stepped in and roasted Barb, as she didn’t want her daughter indebted to someone like her. To understand more about the shopaholic Kerry and her entitled behavior, Bored Panda interviewed Eden Lobo, a counselor and psychology professor.
She explained, “Entitlement often stems from internalized family roles, unresolved emotional dynamics, social comparison, and beliefs about fairness or responsibility. When financial disparity is layered onto family history, the emotional complexity makes the entitlement feel ‘justified’ to the person experiencing it.”
Our expert also stressed the importance of annual family vacations—like OP has with Millie—which help in strengthening bonds and creating memories. However, she expressed that when this is threatened, the people involved might feel a sense of loss, while the bonds might also lose their strength.
While the family drama ruined Millie and OP’s trip, Prof. Lobo emphasized that the poster’s decision to go on a solo trip after all the drama sounds like a healthy option, as she didn’t let Kerry and Barb violate her boundaries. She also agreed that Kerry and Carter did need therapy, considering how she was literally straining him with her expenses.
Many netizens said that it might not really help the two, looking at how entitled Kerry is, and some even felt bad for Carter. Many applauded OP for standing her ground and not letting her cousin mooch off of her, and quite a few were impressed by her mom, who coolly shut down Barb.
Well, folks, that’s it from our end, and now we want to hear your thoughts. What would you have done in OP’s shoes? Let us know in the comments!