Me, My Parents, and My Visa Bill

Ever since I started university, my parents have watched every single bill I get. Yes, my parents open my bank statements and my visa bills. They do this with my younger brother as well. They claim they do it because they're afraid we'll miss a payment or make a late payment otherwise, but I know the truth is that they want to know exactly where we spend our money.

My brother spends freely like money is water, and so he gets a lot of heat from my parents for his insane visa bills. He'll even make late payments!

I try to cut down on my spending by eating more cheaply. This concerns my parents a lot. They think that I am starving myself to pay for school, so they always tell me "remember to eat" even though it's ridiculous--how can I forget to eat?

The other thing my parents have done in the past when they've worried I've been cheap on food in order to pay for school is that they'll occassionally pay my visa bill for me. Now, that makes me concerned, because:

1. They don't even have enough money to retire, how can they start paying my visa bills?
2. What kind of financial responsibility will that teach me if I can just rely on my parents to pay off my visa?

So what I end up doing is not watching the payment due date like most people. Instead, what I do is go online to watch the statement issue date like a hawk. About two days or so before the statement is issued for the month, I go in and pay the balance. That way, when the visa statement arrives at my parents' house, they'll open it and see a ridiculously low balance. Hence, they think I'm frugal, and I get them to stop paying my bills.

I'm writing this cause my statement will be issued in another two days. Time to go pay off that balance.