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.

In our family, we'd split by how many people there were, we don't Penny pinch from each other. Or, more likely. One of us would just get it and someone else would get it next time.

If my parents were A they'd pay all the bill. If my pils were A they'd pay the whole bill. If I'm A I'd pay the whole bill. Its just what we do in our family.

C pays for their and dc meal. The other 2 split or pay their own.

C

@SplitTheMeal

Added context, A is the parent of B and C and Ds grandparent. Retired but has a good income.

B and C both work and have a good income but C is a single parent to D.

If that was my family there is no doubt whatsoever that A would pay for everyone's meals and drinks.

Otherwise I would say split it equally between 3 adults. If everyone has a "good income" why would they even care spending a few more pounds than they might have consumed?

I think it depends on your general attitude towards these things, it's usually really split on here. Some people don't like paying for other people's food, which is fine. Some people for ease just split the bill equally each time, also fine depending on how you feel about that kind of thing.

I personally find splitting the bill equally easier, but that's because I go out to eat with the same groups of people and I know things even out eventually. So B for me

I don't think there's any right or wrong.

When I use to go out for lunch with my friend and her 2 dcs and my ds we would split. Kids meals are £6-8 and so I'd pay £3/4 extra but better than her paying £8 more than me.

Me and a friend went out yesterday and meals fairly equal cost and drinks the same. Puddings then fairly equal except my pud came up cheaper as she had a main meal and together they came as a deal.

So we split it 🤣

In your scenario as the person who would be C I'd offer to pay mine and ds but I wouldn't argue if they wanted to pay towards ds meal. However I wouldn't want to pay more than I had to subsidise others!

Just split the total into 3. Anything else would be ridiculously complicated. Unless one person is feeling generous and they offer to pay it all.

Sorry subsidise others alcoholic or expensive or extra drinks.

you forgot optikn D: persom a insists on paying but tells you to order the cheapest meal

Fuck me.

It reminds me of dinner with my inlaws

I'd nip to the toilet and pay the entire £54 at the same time just to save the energy wasted debating it.

I think option C, although tbf it was my family A would pay for everyone unless it was prearranged otherwise eg for A's birthday or special occasion.

Jeez, at £54 I’d pay for the whole thing and not even question who had what starter and who had an alcoholic drink.
But if it came to it, it would be a 3 way split with a good tip.
If I’m going out to eat, I’m enjoying it and not quibbling over a few extra quid spent on someone else’s pint.
If I couldn’t afford to eat out, I wouldn’t go.

Life is so much easier if everyone just pays for what they had. I don't get this weird British fear of paying for the food you and your children consumed:

And I'm a bit at all these people saying "Gooood, I'd just pay the whole £54!". Do they realise that not everybody can afford to pay £54 for a £12 meal?

I'd split equally tbh, the difference is negligible.

If not that, the C pays for them self and child child and everyone else pays for their own order.

This sounds so straining, time consuming and a waste of life... if all of you have financial struggles then better that each person pays for what it asked so that all can better control their spending. As that does not seem to be the case, spending more or less £5 pounds is meaningless, who cares? In my family the grandparent would want to pay for everyone, if someone else has not already volunteered to pay before.

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop I do realise that, but the question is actually “how would you split this meal?” And my answer is that for £54 for 4 people to eat, in my personal circumstances I’d not be looking to split it, I’d just pay the whole thing.

I think most of us, if they good enough friends or family that we are out for a meal with people? Wouldn't bother at paying an extra fiver or so towards the bill.

But if I know a renowned pisstaker, or someone who a happy to penny pinch when it's on their terms, I'd be far less inclined to be generous

With my family and friends we'd all argue, each insisting it was their turn to pay, until I'd settle it by whipping out DH's bank card and letting him pay (even though he wasn't there). He'll later grumble about it until he realises I've brought him a takeaway dessert, then he's happy.

B life is too short to split bills any which way

I can see where c is coming from

B just split it ! Unless someone is literally counting pennies.

At this stage in my life, fuck it would either pay total or Chuck twenty quid in.

In my twenties, I’d pay for my meal only. I remember the dread at going out for meals with friends who either came from money or earned loads -lying that I’d actually eaten late in the afternoon so wasn’t hungry and picking a starter and water only for some knobhead to go “let’s split the bill!”. Aye, great mate, I have £5.63 in my bank account. £50 would be a months worth of food!

B or C depending on everyone’s financial position. I am someone who usually orders a cheap meal (because I tend to order vegetarian) and only drinks water so usually has the lowest cost meal, but couldn’t care less if I pay more.

C