Split the bill or pay for your own order?

[Lulu Goss]

If I’m with friends we usually just split it, unless one person hasn’t been drinking and the difference is quite a lot then they’d just pay for their own.

I took my team out for lunch at work once, I paid for the all of the food on a company card but alcoholic drinks weren’t covered. All 12 of us had a couple of drinks, but my team still insisted on sitting there with a calculator to work out who owed what down to the penny. They had just had everything else paid for them, I was mortified having to sit there while they squabbled over it in front of the waiter who was stood there with the card machine!

 

[WilmaHun]

I don't drink alcohol and tend to eat very small portions so I would rather always pay for my own. Whenever I have split the bill previously I've always felt like I've just paid for everyone else to have a good time, when they've all had multiple courses and cocktails or multiple alcoholic drinks whilst I've just had a main and a coke.

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

I always just pay for what I have ordered if I am with friends and we get food.

If its drinks we usually do rounds but then it can get a bit expensive so we end up just paying for our own.

My boyfriend and I just take it in turns to be meals/drink rounds.

 

[judgejohndeed]

Definitely depends who I’m with. I don’t mind at all splitting a bill where someone got something a little more expensive or a starter I didn’t have etc, it’s when people order alcohol I won’t be drinking then want to split that gets on my nerves.

 

[LittleMy]

Depends on the circumstances. If we’re all having roughly the same amount of food/drinks then sure no problem let’s split it, but I don’t think it’s fair for one person to end up paying a big chunk of everyone else’s if they’ve not had much themselves and the rest are necking expensive cocktails etc. In that circumstance, I’d expect to only pay for what I’ve ordered and I’d make that clear beforehand (unless I was treating them for a special occasion like a birthday or something).

 

[Lynseyp]

I rarely go out with my work colleagues but on this occasion i did as one of them got sacked and I wanted to know what happened as im such a nosy cow . We arranged to meet at a Cafe for drinks, no food. After an hour there was no gossip to be told so decided to leave and so did everyone else. One person said to the other "oh i'll pay for you" and my colleague said that she will pay for me. I couldn't be arsed with that and working out who owed what so the bill only came to £12 so i paid for it all and left.

 

[DanaScully]

If we've all had similar in terms of drinks and courses I'm always happy to split the bill. If someone has had much less than everyone else I've no issue with them covering their own and a tip.

I must admit I hate the awkward moment the bill arrives when you're in a large group. I love when someone takes charge and says something like, "Is £25 each OK including tip?" but I hate when someone gets their calculator out to work out one person owes £15.38 and another owes £17.82 etc. No thanks.

 

[sdmilne]

Quite an odd thread this. Me and my group of friends have only ever paid for what we ordered while out for a meal. The idea, as has been presented by several here that only paying for what you ordered is "tight" seems utterly bizarre. There's absolutely nothing tight about it!

 

[Sazie1]

I pay for my own most of the time. I’m the one that drinks wine and my friends don’t do that. I don’t think it’s fair that they have to pay for the wine that I’m drinking.

 

[Welshgal]

Very interesting thread!
I think I’ve never split the bill with my friends, we always pay for our own and each tip individually. (Seems to be a German thing, I hardly ever see people split the bill here).

With my bf however, we do sometimes split the bill if it’s towards the end of the month and neither of us want to pay for everything (as one of us usually does).

 

[emm]

I find that when I go out with friends we generally tend to order similar things/or even share things so there isn't a big price difference, also isn't it strange to be with someone who orders a starter and you don't? I would find it really weird to sit with someone who was eating when I wasn't or vice versa. the only exception is if there is someone not drinking alcohol, they obviously wouldn't pay for that

 

[Matricks]

If I am with my wife we will usually split the bill. (Or sometimes I will pay for us both, depending on the occasion). However, if I'm with friends I will always pay for what I ordered.

Too many times in the past I've had situations where I've ordered perhaps £20 worth of food & drinks compared to my friends' £30+. It's not that I consider myself a skinflint but I do begrudge constantly subsidizing others.

 

[rainbowlemon]

Separate! Never paid for friends unless I wanted to.

I always pay for my younger sisters though.

 

[Warpaint]

Never had an issue really. Depending on the pricing we'll just pay for what we ordered or round it up for a tip.

Now eating out with colleagues is a complete nightmare. Calculators will be out, people will be whining, some want to pay by card, some want to pay by cash and the ones who've smashed all the booze conveniently pop out for a cig or have gone to the toilet when the bill arrives.

 

[sdmilne]

Calculating what you owe based on what you ordered isn't really any more difficult than working out what the equal split would be. Another weird one is people that get all arsey about someone wanting to pay their share via card if everyone else is paying with cash. Seriously, what's the problem?

 

[TheScarletgirl]

Depends on who i am with. The only time i refused to split the bill was when i was out in a large group and i paid for drinks at the bar , everyone else hadn't . No way was i going to pay £15 extra for everyone else's drink .

 

[sdmilne]

Depends on who i am with. The only time i refused to split the bill was when i was out in a large group and i paid for drinks at the bar , everyone else hadn't . No way was i going to pay £15 extra for everyone else's drink .

How tight of you.

 

[TheScarletgirl]

How tight of you.

I'm northern £15 is about 5 drinks for us !

 

[Kimbo92]

With friends we split the bill, we usually have had roughly the same to eat and drink, I have one friend who I see occasionally who will just pay for what she has had and will very reluctantly leave a tip. If I am with my husband one or the other of us pays. we have never split the bill, it would seem odd to me but I know that couples do, more so the younger couples.

 

[sdmilne]

With friends we split the bill, we usually have had roughly the same to eat and drink, I have one friend who I see occasionally who will just pay for what she has had and will very reluctantly leave a tip. If I am with my husband one or the other of us pays. we have never split the bill, it would seem odd to me but I know that couples do, more so the younger couples.

It still sounds weird to talk about someone "just" paying for what they had.