Woman’s Revenge As Family Goes on Trip Without Her Backed—’They’re Furious’

One lottery winner shared their reasons for not splitting their prize with family members, and the internet has been sharing their thoughts on the dilemma.

Reddit user u/TooGiftid shared a post titled “AITA [Am I the A*****e] for refusing to give my lottery winnings to my family after they excluded me from a family trip?” and received a slew of responses.

In the post, the 28-year-old woman explains that she comes from a family of five, which is comprised of her parents, her 30-year-old brother and her 25-year-old sister, amongst whom she always felt like the “black sheep.”

“My siblings were the golden children, and while I wasn’t outright ignored, I definitely got the short end of the stick,” she said in the post, which received over 22,000 upvotes and thousands of comments.

She explains that a few months ago, her family planned an overseas trip that she found out about through her sister’s Instagram posts. When she asked her mom why she wasn’t included, she was told that they didn’t think she would want to come and that the budget was tight.

Then, around a month ago, she got lucky and won $2 million on a lottery ticket she bought on a whim. “I decided to use the money wisely: paid off debts, invested, and set aside some for fun,” she said. “I didn’t tell my family right away because I didn’t want them to treat me differently.

“Well, word got out after I bought a new car, and now they’re furious I didn’t offer to ‘share the wealth.’ My mom said it’s selfish to keep all that money to myself when they’re struggling (news to me, given the vacation). My sister hinted that I should pay for her student loans, and my brother outright asked me to buy him a house.”

After these requests, the woman calmly explained that she “wasn’t obligated to share just because we’re related, especially given how they’ve treated me in the past,” giving the recent vacation as an example. However, her dad said that this situation was different as it was “family money.”

“Now they’re all calling me an ungrateful brat and saying I’m ruining the family dynamic,” she wrote.

Research from Motley Fool money reports that Americans spent approximately $97.8 billion on lottery tickets in 2022, with $65.2 billion paid out in prizes.

Reddit users were quick to share their thoughts, with many backing the woman’s decision.

One person, u/Fearless-Fennel4929, commented: “This is not ‘family money’ it’s your money. I’d suggest cutting them off they’ll probably just keep harassing you for money. They’re just here to use you.”

“It’s incredibly painful when people take advantage of loss and turn something so personal into a battleground for material things. The way your family acted was wrong, and it’s a testament to your strength that you’ve forgiven and moved on from that,” said u/Gullible_Relief3618.

“They literally went on a trip without you because they were ‘tight on budget’ but now that you have money, suddenly it’s ‘family money?’ Their audacity is off the charts,” said u/Excellent_Stress3711.

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