A couple of weeks ago, I finally upgraded my phone. My old one was on its last legs - screen cracked, battery dying by noon, and basically running like it was from another era. I’d been holding off for months, but I ended up coming into a bit of extra money (nothing huge, just a surprise bonus situation), so I figured I’d go for it and treat myself.

Shortly after I posted a photo of it on my story, a friend messaged me asking if I could lend her about $400 to help with rent. She said she was short this month and didn’t want to risk late fees or problems with her landlord. I sympathized, but I told her I couldn’t swing that amount right now. I explained that I had just made a big purchase and that the extra money wasn’t something I could rely on - it was a one-off and mostly gone now.

She responded pretty bluntly, saying it “must be nice to have money for luxuries while your friends are struggling.” Now she’s been avoiding me, and another mutual friend let it slip that she’s upset I “chose a new phone over helping someone in need.”

I feel bad, but I also don’t think it’s fair to expect someone to give up their plans or savings just because they happened to have a decent month. I work hard, I’m careful with my spending, and I hadn’t treated myself in a long time. Does that really make me selfish?

So yeah - AITA for saying no, even if it looked like I had the money?