TIFU by buying myself a fancy jacket and instantly starting a rumor at work

After a really rough few years financially, I finally caught a bit of a break. Not life-changing money, but enough to give me breathing room for the first time in forever. I cleared out some lingering credit card debt, replaced my dying phone, and let myself splurge just once: I bought a leather jacket I’ve wanted for years. Total impulse buy, but I figured hey - I've been responsible, why not?

I wore it to work the next day. Didn’t say anything. Just walked in like normal, feeling a little better than usual. Big mistake.

One of my coworkers goes, “Damn, new money?” and everyone laughs, but I think nothing of it. Then another coworker jokes about me “striking it rich.” Later that day, someone asks if I “got a new side hustle” or “secret inheritance.” It starts spreading-jokingly at first-that I must’ve come into some serious cash. By the end of the week, someone asked if I was doing crypto or if I “sold a kidney.”

I tried to play it down and said, “Nah, just treated myself after getting ahead a little.” But now I’ve got people whispering about promotions I didn’t get, speculating that I must be making way more than them, or worse-hiding something shady. I even had a manager pull me aside and say I “seemed to be enjoying a lifestyle shift” and that it’s “important to keep appearances consistent.”

I never thought one jacket would lead to this. TIFU by underestimating how people react when you stop looking broke at work.

TL;DR: I bought a nice jacket after finally getting ahead financially. Now my coworkers think I’m either rich, shady, or hiding a secret job. One outfit caused office-wide conspiracy theories.