Real-life MMD: I've won a £100 vch - must I pay for my friends?

HG58

How would you feel if a friend invited you out for a meal, paid with a voucher and pocketed your cash ... exactly, you'd be well miffed! If you have money problems then sell the voucher, but under no circumstances use this as a ploy to con money out of your friends, that's wrong wrong wrong! You are dictating which restaurant to go to so that you can utilise your voucher, so to be fair, you tell them about the voucher and split anything over £100 3 ways.

Winter_Phoenix

Why on earth don't you talk it through with your two friends, *before* the day when you go out for the meal?

Tell them you have the voucher, tell them you're broke, see what soution the three of you together come up with.

onesixfive

do your friends know about the voucher?
If so - will they expect to be paid for? - if so keep it within the £100 limit
If not - have a great time, splash out, but your contribution is your winning voucher, they split the difference.
BUT
Make sure everyone agrees who pays what BEFORE the evening begins so there are no nasty surprises at the end of the night.
Either way - I think your contribution of the invite & the voucher is more than sufficient. Thereafter its their choice if they wanna go to town.

Florence_1

Agree use the voucher for the 3 of you, but anything over £100 should be split between the two of them. Your contribution was the voucher. Presumably the bill shouldn't go to much over the £100 so they either get a free meal or a cheapish meal.

I have often entered comps for theatre tickets and won pairs of tickets. I have invited friends to go to the theatre and not thought of asking for the cost of the ticket as I really enjoy their good company and like to share my good fortune. Invariably they have always bought me a drink when we have gone for a coffee or one bought me a cheapish meal which I did not expect as a way of thanking me.

If you are desperate for the money just sell the voucher.

Danno78

I've been really skint before and my friends have always helped me out; "treating me" to drinks, meals, etc. I then had the good fortune to win tickets to a few different things and took those same friends with me to repay them for the kindness they'd shown me. Obviously they knew it was something I'd won, not paid for - but they still got to have a good night out for no cost and I felt like I'd repaid them a bit.

You should look at it the same way - your friends, I'm sure, will have been there for you - either treating you to a drink or just offering support and advice - so use your £100 voucher to say thanks to them and just think that then you won't feel so bad next time they offer to shout you lunch.

zace66_2

If they are friends, then I would say, look i've won this £100. Fancy going to a fancy restaurant and i will put this in the pot and you 2 split what ever is left over? is that ok? As you know I have some money worries (they are friends after all and will understand).

Oogies

Are you going purely because you won the voucher? Is eating out something that you and friends do regularly?

Done in the right way I don't see it would be a problem. Generally if expenses are as normal, then me and my mates would treat each other and/or share any vouchers etc. But if it was something we would have each paid for anyway and one of us won a voucher and was really skint we would happily pay her/him what our meal cost and let them settle the bill using their voucher.

I find some of the replies here quite mean spirited...

tgroom57

Or should I just pay the first £100 and then let them split anything above that?

Yes, that. But do explain this to them first - it will be an incentive to keep within your budget.

Also, which no-one seems to have mentioned yet: what about the tip! If you're spending £100 on a meal for the 3 of you, how much is the tip ? Who's to pay that?

I'm assuming you can all reasonably dine for the £100 otherwise you would have invited fewer people.

skintchick

IainHL wrote: »

Meal Out;

Three People;

Over £100?

:eek:

Of course! Meal and wine at a decent restaurant is at least £30 a head.

skintchick

tgroom57 wrote: »

Yes, that. But do explain this to them first - it will be an incentive to keep within your budget.

Also, which no-one seems to have mentioned yet: what about the tip! If you're spending £100 on a meal for the 3 of you, how much is the tip ? Who's to pay that?

I'm assuming you can all reasonably dine for the £100 otherwise you would have invited fewer people.

Ten per cent means a tenner tip. Surely the friends should pay that as a thank you for the £66 worth of free food?