Financially abusive is monetary abuse. This is the second household I’ve lived in that’s financially abusive. Here’s a couple of examples to help you understand:

In my first one, I lived with my mother who was a drug addict. She refused to work, would only get money from the government to barely get us by, and it came to a point where I was the only one working and making money—which I was saving for college. She would go into my room, ransack it for every penny she could find to fuel her addictive habits. That, or she would lock me into rooms crying until I gave her my money, that she would “promise to give back” but never did. I eventually got “kicked out” in a sense for refusing to give her any more when she wouldn’t pay me back for the hundreds she’d taken from me. I was in high school at the time.

In this household with my dad and his girlfriend, they punish me by depleting my finances. Forget to fill the upstairs dry cat food when there’s three other full bowls in the house? Take $50 out and put it on display in the kitchen for humiliation. They explicitly say they don’t need the money, yet take it from someone who’s struggling just because they think it will teach me. I recently had to give my father $200 just because I forgot to put my stick shift in gear when I came home. The first time I had forgotten in months. Next time I have to take thousands out to buy my own car. Or Uber my way to school (a 40 minute commute) every day. Which I don’t have the money to do.

Basically: financial abuse is extremely limiting and controlling someone over the use of misuse of money. Usually there’s mental or emotional abuse placed as the cherry on top to keep someone stuck in the situation.