Between the rising cost of living and rent, it’s pretty normal for young people to live with their parents while they figure out their own lives and build some savings. Some parents might charge symbolic rent or ask to help with covering some of the utilities. For those who live by themselves, these prices might seem comically low.

A mom asked the internet if she was being unreasonable to ask her daughter to pay just 15£ more a month to cover the bills. Despite having more disposable income and living with her mother, the daughter thought this request was ridiculous and threw a tantrum.
More info: Mumsnet

Bills aren’t fun for anyone, but living with one’s parents is a common way to save money

Image credits: valeriygoncharukphoto

So a mom was surprised when her daughter was infuriated when she was asked to pay 15£ to help with utilities

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska

Image credits: namenamename12

At first glance, OP’s daughter seems selfish and is angry at a good deal

Image credits: Austin Guevara (not the actual photo)

Cost of living increases have touched most families and the UK, where this story is set, happens to be no different. The same can be said for rent and mortgages. A recent survey found that roughly a third of Britons now struggle to make rent or mortgage payments and about 40% saw the cost of accommodation rise over the last six months. Most would jump and probably do even more at the chance of basically rent-free living as accommodation tends to be one of the largest expenses all of us face every month. Another significant rising cost is food and beverages, which also saw price increases across the UK last year. OP mentions getting a grocery store discount from her daughter’s previous job which no doubt was lovely when it was in effect.
With gas and electricity getting significantly more expensive in the UK since early 2022, the mom asking for a literally minuscule increase in “rent” from her daughter seems more than fair. Electricity prices alone rose 66% over the last year, with gas prices also steadily climbing. While OP does not provide the details, it seems unlikely that her bills only rose by 15£. So her daughter is not only getting a good deal, she is getting one that, contrary to economic norms, appears protected against the cost of inflation and price increases.

But many young people lack financial literacy and often are not fully aware of the economic situation around them

Image credits: Jack Sparrow (not the actual photo)

n her daughter’s defense, she doesn’t seem to understand just how good she has it. If a person hasn’t dealt with the reality of rent increases and bigger and bigger bills, they may not be equipped to evaluate their current situation. After all, most of us as young adults or even teens might remember that initial rage when we realized how much of our income “disappears” as tax. Young adults in general tend to have poor financial literacy and often do not understand how to evaluate certain costs properly. A study of the spending habits of US young adults found that most if given a credit card, would go over their limits. Most also would not consider investing as an alternative to spending, though this may be changing with the rise of cryptocurrency and day trading.

Younger people tend to also not fully grasp time and its impacts. Firstly, by definition, they are young so they do not have as wide a frame of reference to compare to. Secondly, see larger periods like months or years as “longer” than they might be. Since they tend to not have much experience with money in general, they attach irrational emotions to certain amounts. For example, when asked if they would prefer 100$ now or 130$ in three years, most US students opted for the former. But when offered 10 ‘000$ now or 13’ 000$ in three years, they generally preferred the larger sum. Similarly, most were unsure if being 20’000$ dollars in debt by 22 was a good or bad thing and offered a neutral response. So OP’s daughter is perhaps not selfish or greedy but simply is not fully aware of the economic situation.

Someone raised the question of why the daughter should be paying at all

But people were quick to give them an eye-opening answer

Other commenters sided with the mom and challenged the daughter to find a better deal elsewhere

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