My Crazy Mom and the $50
Allowance
My mom only gave me a $50 monthly
allowance for college.
And on top of that, I was supposed to save
whatever was left over to give to my little
brother.
I didn’t get angry, I got resourceful. And with
my online side hustle, I was pulling in over
$1,000 a month. But after three months, I
single–handedly drove my mom completely
nuts.
- 1.
The day I left for my freshman year, my mom
divided up our monthly allowances.
I got $50.
My brother, Josh, got $500.
Luckily, I’d worked my butt off all summer and
had enough saved to pay for my tuition. But that left me with practically nothing for new clothes and all the other stuff I needed for my
dorm room.
“Mom,” I pleaded, “Fifty bucks a month?
That’s not gonna cut it. Can’t you bump it up
a little?”
My mom just shrugged. “Honey, you gotta learn to budget. I’ve already figured
everything out.”
She whipped out a pen and paper and
meticulously planned out my entire
50 budget.
CC
50budget.”
CC
3 a day for food, $15 a month for snacks. If
you really need to, skip the snacks. They
aren’t even healthy for you anyway.”
Now, you’re probably wondering, “What about
the other $2?”
<
My mom said with a totally straight face,
“Whatever is left over, you can share with
your brother, be a good sister.”
That was it. I snapped.
With my extrovert, social butterfly energy
maxed out, I went full–on crazy.
On my first day of school, I posted a video in our family group chat of me walking barefoot
across the campus quad.
Aunts, uncles, and random cousins flooded
the chat: “Ashley, honey, where are your
shoes? Does it hurt to walk like that?”
I choked back fake sobs and used the voice-
to–text feature, “I gotta save money for the
family, you know. I need to help put aside
money so Josh can get hitched one day.” Cue the drama. “That’s just ridiculous!” said
one of my cousins.
- 2.
<
Josh and I are twins, born only ten minutes
apart. But because I’m the older sister, I was
always expected to give way to my brother.
Our family wasn’t hurting for cash. My dad is
an engineer, and makes pretty good money.
My mom is a stay–at–home mom.
But I never thought of our family as well–off.
Because my mom was always saying, “Girls
need to be thrifty and well–behaved.”
But for Josh, it was always, “Boys need to be
invested in, they need opportunities.”
Honestly, if she treated both of us equally, I
wouldn’t mind going without so much.
But the thing is, my mom’s not just biased.
Deep down, I think she never wanted me.
- 3.
“We thought twins meant two boys. Then,
BAM, the first one out was a girl.”
“Girls will just try to take our power away as
く
women.”
These are things that I heard with my own
ears, after I was old enough to understand
them. And it was my own mom saying these
things.
The messed–up thing was that my dad always
liked me more.
If my mom held something back, my dad
would always make sure I got it somehow.
But every time my mom found out, she would go ballistic.
She’d scream, “I knew it! I’m always the one
in the wrong! Ashley is your precious
princess!”
Once, on my 16th birthday, my dad gave me a
gift because my mom didn’t.
She lost it and held a knife to her wrist,
threatening to divorce him.
I was so scared that I almost peed my pants. I
was terrified that our family would be torn
L
apart because of me. So, from that point on, I
learned to play along.
And until I graduated high school, things were
pretty quiet.
But then the allowance thing happened, and
that crossed the line.
Years of frustration finally exploded when I
turned 18 and went to college. And the thing
that set it all off was a $15 pair of sneakers.
- 4.
The day before move–in day, my mom took
Josh to the mall.
When they came back, Josh was sporting a
fresh pair of expensive designer sneakers.
New shoes before traveling is supposed to
mean “safe travels.”
My heart sank as I glanced at my three–year-
old, basic canvas shoes.
I might not need name–brand shoes, but a
<
pair that wasn’t falling apart would be nice.
I figured my mom wouldn’t be that petty.
So, I pointed to my old shoes and asked,
“Mom, mine are looking kind of worn out, can
I maybe get…”
