AITA for not telling my (26M) GF (20F) where the alcohol she paid for came from?

Jonathan Hours
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A birthday bash brims with bubbly plans, but a 26-year-old’s sneaky move pours sour notes. His girlfriend, splashing $312 on a swanky hotel for their getaway, offers to cover their celebratory vodka too. But when he texts her about a bottle “he got,” he skips a tiny detail—it was a gift from his best friend. Accepting her $20 Venmo with a shrug, he sparks a firestorm when his friend calls him out for pocketing cash for a freebie. Was this a harmless fib, or a low-down swindle?

This isn’t just about a bottle of booze—it’s a cocktail of trust, honesty, and birthday blunders. Reddit’s ready to roast him, but is their verdict too harsh? Readers, grab a front-row seat to this relationship ruckus and decide: should he have spilled the truth, or was his dodge just a party foul? The drama’s shaken, not stirred.

‘AITA for not telling my (26M) gf (20F) where the alcohol she paid for came from?’

Our birthday boy spilled the tea on Reddit, dishing the details of his vodka venture and the fallout with his friend. Here’s his unfiltered tale of gifts, cash, and a girlfriend left in the dark.

So my birthday is today, and my gf had planned a trip for us. She and I have been together for 3 years. We are going to go stay in a nice hotel and basically chill for a couple days. She does drink, and I do too, so we wanted to buy alcohol for the night. To be fair, she paid $312 for the hotel and she wanted to pay for my dinner and alcohol.

Last night, my best friend and I hung out and she got me 10 fireball nips and 2 bottles of vodka. My two favorite drinks. So I texted my gf that I’d gotten us a bottle of vodka for our trip. I never said I’d bought it specifically, I just said I got it. She insisted that she pay for it, so I asked my friend how much she paid and told my gf ($20). Then my gf Venmo’d me $20.

I told my friend what I was doing and she called me an a**hole. She’s literally mad at me for it and told me to get out. I don’t think I did anything wrong because my gf wanted to pay for it and it’s none of my friend’s business, really. AITA?

Edit: my gf and best friend know each other and get along well. No one is jealous of the other and my gf knows my best friend and I were hanging out.

A birthday should sparkle, but this guy’s sneaky move dimmed the glow. Letting his girlfriend pay $20 for gifted vodka, without mentioning it was free, smells like deceit, as Reddit’s YTA chorus howls. She’d already shelled out for a lavish hotel, so his omission—claiming he “got” the booze—feels like a deliberate sidestep to pocket her cash. His friend’s outrage highlights the betrayal of both her gift and his girlfriend’s trust, turning a celebration sour.

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This taps into trust issues in relationships. A 2023 study in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that 64% of couples cite financial dishonesty, even in small amounts, as a major trust breaker. His “I never said I bought it” excuse is a flimsy shield against the lie by omission.

Relationship expert Dr. Gary Chapman says, “Honesty, even in small matters, builds intimacy; withholding truth erodes it”. His wisdom nails the guy’s misstep—accepting money for a gift negates both generosity and trust. He should’ve disclosed the vodka’s source or refused payment, keeping the celebration pure.

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He needs to confess to his girlfriend, return the $20, and apologize, perhaps treating her to something special. She deserves transparency, and he should thank his friend for the gift properly.

Heres what people had to say to OP:

Reddit dove into this birthday booze brouhaha with zingers hotter than a fireball nip. From cries of theft to side-eyes at the couple’s age gap, here’s a sip of their spicy reactions, served with a twist of humor.

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Steavee − YTA for two reasons: One: you basically stole from her by taking her money for something you didn’t pay for. But the much bigger issue is: Two: Three years... three years. So you were 23 dating a 17 year old? What the f**k dude, that’s borderline predatory behavior. I’ve got $10 that says you’re not just taking advantage of her financially and that you’re also a controlling creep.

TooLateHindsight − YTA. You made your gf pay you for something you didn't actually pay for yourself. The alcohol was gifted to you. Thats scummy.

JackNotName − YTA. What the f**k. You charged your GF for something you got for free?!?!?! That's fucked up. At least give the money to your friend instead of pocketing it, but then you are still an a**hole for negating your friend's gift to you.

saltierthangoldfish − YTA. You stole from your girlfriend. Clearly she believed you had purchased it and wanted to reimburse you. 'But TECHNICALLY I didn't say it!!' is an argument only assholes use to justify their actions.

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You should've either told your girlfriend that the alcohol was a gift from your friend or you should've given the money to the friend who purchased it. I N F O: Wait, did you accept money for something you didn't buy, misleading your girlfriend into thinking you'd purchased it, or did you then proceed to give the money to your friend?.

JigsawMind − YTA Letting someone else pay for something you got for free is skeezy. It's better to just be honest and if she wants to pay for something else, let her.

ChaosAndMischeif − YTA and I strongly this this is fake. She had already paid for so much and you are still greedy. Use that money and buy her something nice for all she did for you.

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[Reddit User] − YTA pretending you took the initiative to get the vodka yourself as a kindness for your girlfriend was bad enough, but how can you even think you're not TA when you just defrauded your girlfriend out of $20 to keep up the lie!? ('Technically I never said specifically that I bought it' is a sorry excuse at best, it was a lie by omission and you know it.) Real great friend and partner you are, mate.

strangephantoms − YTA. Lol you got your 20 year old girlfriend paying you for s**t you got for free. That's sad, my dude. Plus, you're TA to your friend who gifted you the bottle in the first place because now it's a gift from your girlfriend.

[Reddit User] − YTA when your girlfriend said she’d pay for them you should’ve told her you got them as a gift, seems like you’re purposely trying to hide that your friend bought them for you.

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[Reddit User] − YTA. While it may have not been intentional you mislead her into paying for something that was a gift. Also saying I got us the vodka instead of I got given the vodka is strange and almost seems deliberate.
These Reddit shots burn, but do they hit the mark? Is this guy a sneaky sipper, or just a misguided party planner?

This birthday boy’s vodka fib is a fizzy mix of deceit and drama. Pocketing his girlfriend’s $20 for a gifted bottle, he stirred Reddit’s wrath and dimmed his own celebration, leaving trust as shaky as a cheap cocktail. His friend’s call-out begs the question: can he pour honesty back into his relationship? Readers, what would you do if your partner cashed in on a freebie behind your back? Drop your stories and verdicts below—this party’s still buzzing!

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