Dining out isn’t cheap. For many it’s a challenge to cover their own meal and a tip, let alone anyone else’s. So, when eating out with friends it’s common to split the bill, whether that means requesting separate checks from the restaurant or sending each other money via Venmo after the fact.
One woman on Reddit felt taken advantage of by her friend who never paid her part when they went out to eat. She ultimately decided to teach her friend a lesson — one that did not go over well.
“Last night, I went to dinner with a close friend and decided to leave my wallet at home,” she wrote in her Reddit post. “She has a habit of ‘forgetting’ hers when we go out, leaving me to foot the bill. I thought this time, if she conveniently forgot again, it might finally push her to take responsibility.”
She added in a comment that she previously spoke to her friend about her inconvenient habit and was promised it would never happen again. So, when it did, she was understandably fed up.
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“When the check came, she patted her pockets, rummaged through her purse, and said, ‘Oh my God! I forgot my wallet! Where the (heck) is it?!'” the woman recalled. “It’s the same song and dance every time.”
This time; however, instead of footing the bill, the woman told her friend that she didn’t have her wallet either.
“She looked at me with the most disgusted expression I have ever seen, but then I could tell she started to panic,” the Redditor recounted. “She was upset with me for ‘putting her on the spot,’ but I was frustrated by her repeated behavior. She told me I was a horrible person for publicly humiliating her.”
Her friend eventually used ApplePay on her phone, leading many commenters to question why she hadn’t done so on other outings. “That’s the million dollar question,” the woman replied to one such comment. “She’s greedy.”
: Man Refuses To Order Food At ‘Casual Dinner’ With A Couple That Always ‘Splits The Bill’
According to a LendingTree survey of nearly 1,600 Americans, consumers are changing their dining and tipping habits, with 67% saying they’re dining out less and 31% tipping less when they do eat out.
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“Dining out is something that we sorely missed in the darkest days of the pandemic, but — ultimately — it’s a luxury,” Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief credit analyst, noted. “That means that when money gets tighter than usual at home, like it has recently with inflation, dining out may be one of the first costs on the chopping block.”
Since many people simply can’t afford to eat out, it’s important to be financially vulnerable and open with friends, especially those who you frequently go out with.
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Maybe you don’t want your friends to know that you’re struggling or that you can’t afford to go out to eat with them. However, the only way that your friends can help you is if you let them know. While they may not be willing to cover your bill, you can always go to a cheaper restaurant or plan something that doesn’t cost a dime.
What you can’t do; however, is assume that your friends will simply pay for your meal. It’s even more offensive to feign forgetting your wallet. At the end of the day, you should be able to have vulnerable and honest conversations with your friends, even about your financial hardships.
“Money is a deeply personal topic,” Investopedia noted. “But by keeping our finances under wraps from friends, we may be missing out on valuable advice, deeper relationships, and new perspectives.”
Unfortunately, it may be too late to save this Redditor’s friendship, as she assured readers “I won’t be dining out with her anymore!”
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
