I have been supporting my parents financially over the last few years and while I have no issue sending them a fixed amount each month and more for birthdays that I can budget for, they have grown to rely on me for larger amounts when they needed - from healthcare to property maintenance, we are taking few thousands at a time. My Dad in particular is very comfortable asking and I am starting to resent spending my savings on them. They have no concept of how much I earn and how hard or easy it is for me to get the money, they have no idea if it’s my savings or if I borrow. They ask - I send.
They have £3k in savings but consider them untouchable, it’s emergency fund that they can never get to in an emergency because they lock it into annual contract for the last 10 years. I am at the point where I want my saving to grow for my retirement (age 46) and to help set up adding life (26).
So, how do I say no to the next request? I am feeling guilty that they have less in life than I do and I can’t let them go without. But I would never dream of asking DD like this, whatever my circumstances are.