The Original Post
so i (26f) had my friend (27m) watch my place and my cat for the weekend. i told him he could “help himself to whatever” in the kitchen which i thought was just like… common sense for snacks and stuff?
i get back and realize he opened this $120 bottle of vintage barolo i was saving for my promotion. he literally drank the whole thing alone while watching netflix. when i asked him about it he got all weird and said i “gave him permission” bc the wine was in the kitchen. like okay but who drinks a hundred dollar bottle of wine without asking first???
i sent him a venmo for $80 (gave him a discount lol) and now hes calling me tacky and told our group chat im a bad host. i feel like there’s literally an unwritten rule of guest logic where u dont touch the most expensive thing in the house. if i tell u to help yourself to my garage it doesnt mean u can just drive off in my car??
idk am i the asshole here? he’s making me feel like im being extra but i feel like he totally took advantage of me… idk it’s also just $120
What Reddit Said
Reddit overwhelmingly sided against OP in this house sitting wine drama. Most users pointed out that expensive and cheap wine bottles look identical to non-wine enthusiasts. Moreover, her blanket permission to “help himself to whatever” was simply too vague.
However, some commenters acknowledged the friend should have used better judgment. In fact, many agreed there’s an unwritten rule about not consuming the most expensive items. Therefore, while OP wasn’t entirely wrong to feel upset, her approach was the real problem.
The Verdict
The clear consensus: OP is the Asshole (YTA). When a friend drank expensive wine house sitting, the blame fell squarely on unclear communication rather than malicious intent. This is a classic case of friendship drama where assumptions led to conflict. Reddit’s advice was simple: be more specific next time when someone’s doing you a favor.
Original post from r/AmItheAsshole (3,901 upvotes, 2,939 comments)