How would you split this meal costs?

[SplitTheMeal]

3 adults, 1 child. All related.

A (60s) orders main no starters or puddings. Cost £12.

B (late 20s) orders a starter, and a main and pinched a bit of Ds pudding. Starter was £6, Main £12 so total without the bit of Ds pudding was £18.

C (early 30s) orders a starter and a pudding. Starter was £6, pudding was £5. Total was £11.

D (under 7, Cs DC) has a childrens main and a childrens pudding. Main and pudding were on a deal for £8.

Everyone got one drink free with their meal apart from B who paid a bit more to have an alcoholic drink which added a £. C and D had an extra drink each which where £2 each.

Total meal cost was around £54. I’ve rounded meals up to nearest £.

So how would you split it?

A says adults pay for their own meals and drinks, all put in £3ish for Ds meal and drinks. So A pays £15, B pays £22 and C pays £16.

B says we split it between 3 adults and all pay £18.

C says we split it as per own meals; so A pays £12, B £19, and C £23 (as they pay for Ds meal).

We did resolve this and I am one of the adults. But not saying which or who we went with. I am curious to see how you'd split the meal.

C, but in my family A would usually pay or B and C would split and pay for A.

I have more dc than my siblings so conscious that if we split between the adults they would be subbing me. When out with friends I get pissed off with the equal splitting thing, purely because of alcohol. Friends will often get a couple of bottles of wine to share which I don't drink and I feel like a twat saying "oh, but I only had water" even though they are mostly better off. Usually some kind soul will point out that I would be subbing them drinking (and driving them home). It's hella annoying when you think "I won't have a dessert because I can't really afford it" only to have someone blithely suggesting you pay towards others.

If I was C I'd pay for mine and my child's.

In your scenario the whole cost gets split between the 3 adults so B although I doubt I’d bother to go at all . In our family one person pays , probably whoever gets hold of the bill first .

Either C or I'd pay for it all. I don't think anyone should be forced to pay for more than they've eaten though.

B or one of us pays for everyone - I don't have friends or family that are tight.

In my family, I am A, I would pick up the bill.
In your case I would split the bill between the adults, option B.

Please God. Life is too short for this sort of nonsense.

For me, I would have said B or C depending on who is involved.

In my family, A would have paid for everything (ive tried many many times to pay at least some of it, but have given up now)

B in my family but with friends I would expect C

I'd probably just pay the whole thing or put in £20 each & leave the change

Unless it’s been agreed beforehand to split equally. I would go C

Oh so penny pinching. How miserable. split it per household or ideally someone would just go ‘I’ll get this!’.

I'd split it between the adults.

I would split it 3 ways, 20 each, the rest on the tip.

But if I were C I would want to pay for my childs meal, so I understand that.

C

But B and C are both normal.

Reading between the lines, do you think B was being a CF? TBF, I would probably have suggested splitting the bill equally if I were B without doing the maths and realising that meant I was only paying for what I ate when my intention would have been to help C out.

I’d just pay the bill. If not that, I’d do £27 between the two adult ‘children’ so paying for the parent and the child.

I would always do B unless there was a massive difference, say if one person had steak and cocktails and the other had salad and water. Sitting there calculating the costs makes me cringe.

@chesirecat99

C

But B and C are both normal.

Reading between the lines, do you think B was being a CF? TBF, I would probably have suggested splitting the bill equally if I were B without doing the maths and realising that meant I was only paying for what I ate when my intention would have been to help C out.

My sibling can be a bit like this sometimes yes but generally great with money and helps me out if I need it. I don't ask a lot but say my ex pays maintenance late I borrow it until the maintenance gets paid so I can pay my bills on time.

B 3 adults £20 each. 3@ £18 =£54. 3 @ £2 tip £6.Total £60.

I'm an A and I'd pay for that. Next time B would prob pay

B

who ever i go out with bill is always split

id never go out with people who insist on splitting bill its embarrassing

I'm the 60s person on just state pension so I'd be blowed if I'm paying for anyone else's meal choices. The parent pays for the child.

I normally split the bill equally for convenience (I'm a vegetarian so often have the cheapest meal in a group) but If someone ever suggests paying own meals and drinks, I never argue with that. They might be on a budget or be teetotal in a group that's downed 4 bottles of wine.

Parent would pay if it was an occasion, so if it was mine or siblings birthday they'd pay for our meal plus their own and possibly even cover the others too, but if it's just a general meal and catchup we either all pay our own share or split 3 ways.

I'd have assumed - if no-one had said "my treat" when the idea was first mooted - that we all paid for our own consumption (and obviously parents are responsible for their dependent offspring).

But then, I've never understood the "split the bill exactly" crowd anyway.