Chapter 1 Mom and Dad transfer my living expenses to my sister Quinn every month , letting her " manage " my budget . [ ] " At first , it was $ 800 a month - barely enough for a college student , but whatever . Then Quinn stumbled across some TikTok video about " dumpster diving for gourmet meals at farmer's markets , and BOOM - she slashed my allowance to $ 300 ! [ ] Her reasoning ? " Those markets literally give away free produce at closing time . Three hundred is more than enough for you to live on . " [ ] So there I was , literally surviving on plain ramen noodles , when I decided to scroll through Instagram . And what do I see ? My dear sister Quinn's latest post . She's posing with a $ 30,000 Hermès bag , casually mentioning in her caption how she only uses organic cotton tampons that cost three dollars EACH . Three . Dollars . Per . Tampon . [ ] But wait - it gets better . Her next story was a whole - ass humble - brag thread : " I only give my little sister $ 300 a month for living expenses . Gotta teach her how hard it is to earn money , you know ? Girls need to learn financial discipline the hard way - otherwise they'll never appreciate the value of a dollar . Tough love builds character ! " ] Tliterally choked on my sad excuse for dinner reading that bullshit . [ ] But when I suggested maybe SHE should try living that " character - building " lifestyle she loved so much- Why did she lose her absolute shit over it ? - 0 [ Quinn , what the hell is this supposed to mean ? ] ] I stared at the Tiktok she'd forwarded me : [ How I Score Free Gourmet Meals at Farmer's Markets - $ 0 Food Budget Challenge ! ] ] ] I was literally sitting there like ... what ?! ] [ Starting this month , your allowance is getting cut to $ 300 . ] ] My hands were shaking as I read that text . Like , actually trembling . [ ] [Quinn , three hundred is literally impossible . The cheapest salad in the dining hall is two bucks , and that's if I only eat twice a day ... Plus I have to pay utilities this week ... " [ What's your point ? That it's not enough? ] Her reply came back lightning fast , and each word felt like ice in my veins . [ Did you even watch the video ? Market vendors give away perfectly good food for FREE, and you can get meat every single day . How is $ 300 not enough ? ] ] I was basically begging at this point , trying to negotiate . [ ] [ But the closest farmer's market is like six miles away ... ] ] She sent back a voice message that was so sharp it could cut glass . ] [ But nothing . You have a car , don't you ? Chloe , I pay for your food , your clothes , your entire education - I'm not running a charity here . Three hundred is MORE than enough . If other people can dumpster dive , why can't you ? What makes you so special ? ] The venom in her voice just kept coming , but I couldn't even process it anymore . [] I locked my phone because I knew - this conversation was over . Her decision was final . [ ] Ever since high school , Mom and Dad have been too " busy " to handle my expenses directly , so they just dump everything on Quinn's lap . She's been my financial gatekeeper for years . She controls my shared family payment app , which means she sees EVERY . SINGLE , PURCHASE . I have zero privacy . [ ] Any time I spend even a dollar over her arbitrary limits , she calls me up just to tear me apart . [ ] Like this one time , I spent thirty bucks on a bulk pack of tampons - because , you know , periods don't stop for poverty . The purchase notification pinged her phone immediately . [ ] She called me within minutes : " Chloe , who the fuck do you think you are , buying premium tampons like you're made of gold ? " [ ] My Sister Cut My Food Money to $ 300 White Spending $ 30K on Bags ?! Time tur Malin Her INTERNET FAMOUSY 100 Chapter 1 Then she docked me a hundred dollars that month . A HUNDRED . I literally survived on bagels for weeks . [ ] I'm talking buying day old bagels in bulk every morning , then rationing them throughout the day . By the end of that month , I couldn't even look at a bagel without wanting to puke . [ ] I tried going to my parents about this shit . Multiple times . But somehow Quinn always spins it like I'm this spoiled brat who can't manage money . ]] So Mom and Dad just see me as some lying spendthrift . Whatever Quinn decides , goes . No questions asked . ] Ding . ] My phone buzzes with a payment notification . [] [ Dear Customer : Last month's usage was $ 10 . Your account balance is - $ 5 . Please add funds immediately . ] ] ] Great . My phone's about to get cut off . [] With shaking fingers , I added twenty bucks to my account - money I literally couldn't afford to spend . [ ] This phone plan took me HOURS to research . It's the absolute cheapest option available : $ 10 a month for unlimited data . I specifically chose the bottom - tier plan hoping Quinn wouldn't give me shit about it . [] But when she found out I'd gotten my own phone plan ? ] She went ballistic : " Your campus has WiFi everywhere ! Why are you wasting money on data when you could just leech off the school network like a normal person ? You're such a fucking financial disaster ... " [ ] This is my life . Doesn't matter if I spend five dollars or fifty - if Quinn's not happy , I get a screaming phone call . [ ] She doesn't give a damn where I am or who might overhear . She'll just start shrieking at me in public , which is why I basically have no friends . [ ] I can't risk anyone seeing me get verbally destroyed like that . [ ] But maybe ... maybe I should try calling Mom and Dad one more time ? ] I mean , cutting my budget from $ 800 to $ 300 is pretty extreme , even for Quinn . [ ] A tiny spark of hope flickered in my chest . Maybe this time they'd actually listen to me . Maybe this time they'd have my back .