My family called me their “cash cow” as I quietly paid for their vacations year after year

Hey Reddit, I need to get this off my chest. My name’s Ella, and I’m still trying to process what’s about to unfold. You ever feel like you’ve done so much for your family that they just stop seeing you and only see a walking ATM? Well, let me take you back.

For context, I’m in my late 20s with a decent job in tech. It’s not glamorous, but it pays well enough for me to live a relatively stress-free life. But for the last few years, every time my family went on vacation, I somehow became the one footing the entire bill.

It all began innocently enough. A meal here, a birthday gift there. Then, one year, my family decided on a reunion trip to the Bahamas. I thought, Why not? I’ll cover a few expenses, like helping with flights or the house rental. But that was just the starting point. One year turned into five, and suddenly, I was paying for everything, every single year. Flights, accommodations, the works.

And I never even offered. It just… happened. The requests snowballed from my parents to my siblings, and eventually, even my cousins jumped in. The guilt trips were constant. “Ella, we know you have the money. You’re doing so well, and we can’t afford it. You don’t mind, right?”