Another meal bill splitting thread...

[frenchfancy17]

Went out for a family meal today. I had a meal and dessert which came to £12.
I asked my mum to give my share of the money to person who paid the bill on their card for convenience as I had to dash for the School run and then I'd pay her back.

Get a text off my mum asking me if I'd known we were paying a bit towards my grandparents meal too (it was my grand birthday.) I text her back saying I didn't know this and how much was it then?

She texts back saying £20.
There was 10 of us at the meal including grandparents. 4 others had alcohol and expensive meals compared to mine... My auntie decided that we could just split the bill (8 of us.)

My mum said she said this at the table AFTER the meal. I didn't hear it!

She's being a CF isn't she?
My mum's also annoyed at it being decided for us!

Stitched up @Pearlsaringer? For £2.31?

Honestly, the OP should go to the courts or something. She could lose her home over this

OP really doesn’t want to talk about that tip...

How many times do posters get berated on MN for failing to realise that there are many people who are less well off than themselves? Yet someone whose finances are clearly squeezed and has presumably budgeted carefully in order to celebrate with their family is told they're being tight, it's only £8 etc. Not everyone can afford to pay an extra 2/3rds of what their own meal cost, have a little empathy FFS. Or should those who are less well off never be entitled to attend a family meal?

Cause you're often tight as a badger's bum @rebeccaslicker? That's been my experience.

As for a tip, it's nice (I personally always leave one unless the service is actively bad) but not compulsory.

It's £2.30 @TempusEejit. It's a bus fare. Unless the OP is on the dole (ooh there's retro!), most of us should be able to bear that without too much hardship.

I'll send the OP the £2.30 if it stops her falling out with her entire family

TempusEejit sure but if you’re on a tight budget and out on a family meal out then you mention it when paying or in advance. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. And sure you budget what you can afford but according to OP it doesn’t include a tip.

Poor you, cap'n. It's certainly not my experience!

I guess for me the answer is I don't really like alcohol with food. It makes me sleepy. So I'm either going to enjoy a nice meal, or I'm going to enjoy getting utterly bolloxed!

Also are you saying the rest of the group should cover the tip?

£20 doesn’t sound too much to me.

Middle tips are not compulsory, if OP budgets according to not leaving one then that's her own choice to make. And personally I wouldn't have thought to declare explicitly that I was on a tight budget, anyway having tap water only is a giveaway surely?

No the tip is not compulsory, but it’s pretty shitty not to leave one.

Says who? Plenty of people don't (I do, but I can afford it).

I dunno. Sounded like OP was driving.

I know Rebecca, that has struck me too. We are more fun than we sound!!

Most drivers I know have soft drinks or bottled water. Tap water only and I assume they're either being tight or on a budget. As OP said that finances are tight, it puts her in the latter category.

Btw regarding tips I always give the Just Eat delivery person a tip and they're always surprised, a couple of times they've walked away before I've even had the chance to hand it over! So I guess lots of people don't.

Or someone who cares about the environment.

Talking about take aways isn’t relevant... you might as well talk about taxis or hairdressers that you don’t do in a group of 8.

Says general etiquette and the normal restaurant policy of service charging for large groups?

As this is a large group, it is in fact the OP who is expecting to be subsidised their share of the service charge when leaving £12.

I would never be so tight over 8 quid.

Not when it's family/grandparents.

Just cough up.

Oh and yeah YABU. @frenchfancy17

I'll be honest I hadn't thought about a tip factored into it so my bad.

We've been out many many times and have NEVER split the bill like that.

I didn't hear anyone mention splitting equally and certainly no one asked me.
I didn't do a runner before the bill was paid. Family member INSISTED on paying on their card and "we'll sort it out later."

Everyone was aware that I wouldn't be around later hence me asking my mum to pay my £13 (what a tight wad I am!) and me giving her it back when I saw her at the Weekend. I had the cash on me and could have given it there and then but service was slow(!!) So the meal lasted 2 hours Again an error on my part so my bad!! The previous week after visiting my Gran(see not a bad granddaughter!I even took some washing of hers to wash and iron!!) I got stuck in traffic and had a mad dash to get to school on time so was worried! Everyone was getting in cars at same time but going back to grans.

So I am tight, cheeky and will take my Grandparents to court for that blasted £2.80 :)

I will also offer to pay everyone's bill so no more cheeky fuckery going on

This wouldn't bother me but it certainly should have been discussed beforehand.

It's a family meal, for a special occasion and you're £2.31 out of pocket (going by the figures above) because of splitting the bill? This is a world away from the group of mates getting pissed while you sip a glass of water and nibble on a bread roll then splitting the bill.

No, this is definitely not something I'd raise as an issue. Would anyone? Really, in these circumstances?

We've been out many many times and have NEVER split the bill like that. Shockingly more drip feed...

And you are paying your mum at the weekend? So you haven’t paid yet anyway?

Well done for seeing the light op.