*This is a work of non-fiction sourced from social media discussion boards and verified experts/specialists.*
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In a recent Reddit post, a woman named Sarah recounts a situation that unfolded between her and her best friend Vanessa when they went out to celebrate Vanessa's recent job promotion.
The author explains that throughout their friendship, she and Vanessa have always split the check evenly, regardless of what each person ordered. She details further:
“We've agreed to split the bill for a long time, plus it saves time and doesn't complicate things for us and the servers, and it didn't matter how much one of us ordered. Vanessa was the one who suggested it and I was like, "Okay, sure". I'm not really a big eater so whenever we would go out, I would only order about 15-35% of the entire price for both. Vanessa, on the other hand, always has a huge appetite and would order 65-85%. The percentages depend on the occasion, appetites, and the price of the food.”
Sarah's decision to adjust the payment arrangement came after her older sister Bianca pointed out that she was paying more than her fair share. She continues:
“Recently, Vanessa got a huge promotion at her job, for which she has been working her butt off, and she wanted to celebrate, so she suggested that we go out to this fine dining restaurant nearby. But before Vanessa and I ordered our food, I told her that I want to only pay for the food that I will order. She said, "Okay". When she saw that I was actually paying for my own food, she was like, "Wait, you were being serious before?". Um... Yes, I was being serious, and she said, "Oh, I wouldn't have ordered so much if I knew you were being serious". The total bill was around $560 and I only ordered around $145 worth of food.”
According to Yahoo Finance, if you no longer want to split the bill when eating out, it’s best to approach the situation honestly with your friends, explaining your reasons and offering alternative solutions such as taking turns to pay for the meal. The Louisiana Federal Credit Union suggests having a direct conversation with your friends about your preference of not splitting the bill anymore, emphasizing the importance of expressing your feelings while remaining respectful and open to a compromise.
Vanessa called Sarah a [terrible friend] and paid for her own food before leaving without waiting:
“I told her that I'm just sick and tired of paying half when I only order a small percentage. Like, I'm paying at least $50-$100 more than I should every time. She became a bit mad and said, "And you just decided to be terrible and pull this stunt on the day when I got promoted?? Fine then, I will pay for my food" and she did, and just left right after without even waiting for me, which was not cool because she had picked me up at my place and driven us here. I had to call an Uber and pay $36 for the ride home.
In the wake of the incident, their mutual friends aren't supportive of the author, as she concludes with:
This morning, my phone is full of messages from my other friends saying that I was horrible for demanding this on the day of her big promotion and for being a cheapskate. I just don't want to overpay so much. It's fine if it's $10-$20 more than what I ordered, but over $50?? That amount can go towards necessities and bills.”
What do you think?
Was the author justified to finally put her foot down and refuse to split the dinner bill, especially since she only eats a fraction of the food on the bill?
Or was the author wrong to pull this stunt on her friend on the day she got promoted, and she should have sucked it up and just split the bill?
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