To charge my guests for their dinner

[OhDeeeeeryMe]

Name change as some of you may recognise me..

My husband lost his job recently and money has been tight. Today I invited my friends for dinner and they texted at the last minute to say that their babysitter could not make it and they would be coming with their SIX children in tow...

So anyway, would I be unreasonable to charge them £2 per guest for their dinner? I think this is reasonable?

Can you not text and ask them to bring a contribution instead? Dessert, wine... Whatever?

Hahahaaaaaaaaaa, really? Cheeky fuckers. What are you, a wizard?

Why invite them at all?

Jesus, SIX kids?

I'd just text back that you look forward to seeing them another day, TBH.

why not just say you haven't got room/supplies for their children so you'll have to cancel.

You can't charge guests but you can refuse to have 6 extra guests forced upon you.

If you can't afford it don't do it.

Six children!

Tell them that as you have not catered for the children, they are welcome to come, but they will have to bring food for them? Or say that you haven't got enough food in for everyone and ask them to reschedule?

Oh fgs, egg and chips times 6 should not break you. Explain that you've cooked for adults and can they nip by the shop on the way and grab oven chips + magnums. Or are they expecting cordon bleu for their offspring?

I definitely wouldn't charge them. But I would say there's no way you can cater for an extra 6 people so you'd better reschedule for when they can get a sitter organised.

They are very, very cheeky.

Tell them if they are bringing their DC, they need to bring food for them to as you hadn't planned to feed 6 extra people. It's not even a matter of cost. Who has enough food in the average fridge to feed 6 extra people at the drop of a hat?

And it is unbelievably rude of them to text you to tell you they're bringing their six children. I would be very pissed off in your shoes.

I'd reschedule too. That is so cheeky.

just text them and say sorry, you haven't got enough food in for the kids too and they should bring something with them, or else rearrange for another day.

An old friend of mine kept saying I should go and visit so we could catch up, and I could stay with her in her pub/hotel in the Yorkshire Dales. So we spent a lovely weekend together, then as I was leaving she presented me with a bill for my room, saying 'I've knocked 10% off for you!' .

You can't charge guests. It's just not on. But I agree with the others that it's fine to ask them to bring something for the kids to eat.

YWBVU to charge for dinner, but not unreasonable in the slightest to say (lie!) that you don't have anything in to feed an extra SIX bloody children, and ask them to bring food or accept toast.

I agree that at the very least they need to bring their own food for the children. Will you even have space for them all to sit and eat reasonably comfortably??

rhubarb

I'd just say perhaps they could bring a load of pizzas and oven chips and shove the kids in front of the telly.

Apart from that it wouldn't bother me unduly.

Who the hell expects someone to be able to feed six extra people on a day when the supermarkets are shut?

If you invited them today i would think getting a babysitter wouldn't have been easy at short notice.

Rhubarbgarden- that's unbelievable! I imagine she's now an ex-friend.

I agree with Tinselrella that it's a bit of a liberty to inform you that this is what will be happening, rather than explaining the situation and suggesting it or offering to reschedule! I also think it would be better to ask them to bring food for their kids (they must have been planning to feed them something anyway, surely?) as you haven't enough for everyone, than to ask for £12.

Corner shop is open at the end of our road.

I'd think most towns have somewhere open.

Rhubarb, did you pay?!

OP you would be unreasonable to charge but not unreasonable to say you haven't prepared for the kids and can't feed them. Tell them to bring some sandwiches or something for them!