Splitting the bill with extravagant friends

purpleshoes_2

You could sit in someone's home with a bottle of wine and a takeaway, it doesn't always have to be about going out and breaking the bank every time.

For my 40th I went to an Indian restaurant, that was with workmates and with family to the local Scottish restaurant mentioned before, both nights out wouldn't have come to 100 quid for my share, nowhere near it.

Shouldn't always have to be about the money you spend.

Worry_Wart

Maybe you should organise some of the nights, OP, and have it your way for a change? Generally whoever organises it dictates it, or that's how it works in my group of friends. She might be pleasantly surprised by the lower budget night out you put together.

We have a mixture of budgets and personalities in my group of friends, so quite often we book somewhere a bit less formal where you pay for your own food on ordering. Then you can have as many drinks, courses as you like and just pay for your own. A lot of good pubs and informal restaurants around the NW seem to have that option. It also allows a little for flexibility in arrival times too, as we settle in for three hours or so after work, but people leave and arrive at different times depending on when they've finished.

Feral_Moon

maman wrote: »

I'm fascinated as to where people go for an evening for £20? Amongst my friends, we almost always spilt the bill except for one friend who's teetotal. She always puts in a sum to cover everything she's had and a tip and then the rest of us spilt the bill.

Same here! I think £20 might just about cover a main course in a bistro/restaurant as long as it wasn't anything too extravagant but certainly wouldn't cover the cost of a starter/drinks/coffee etc.

In fact I'm struggling to even think of any chain restaurants (Ask, Giraffe, F&B etc) where you could have a two course meal & drink for as little as £20 a head.


Mind you, the real :money: saving way of eating out is to use Tesco Vouchers so you only need to pay for drinks. That way you can choose whatever you like from then menu without worrying about cost :rotfl:

If I'm going out for lunch with a friend or OH I'll take £60 vouchers to cover cost of food then drinks/coffee/tips will come to around £20. Bargain!

AmyTurtle

My friends would never ridicule my financial situation - some are much better off than me, some aren't, but when we meet we always do something mutually affordable. OH has friends like this and I don't go to most of their meals/parties anymore because I don't really drink and resent paying £70 for a £15 meal so they can all get sh*tfaced on £12 cocktails. That and the fact that once we were all out for his friend's bday and they wouldn't let OH into a flash bar in London because of his shoes and they thought it acceptable to go in anyway leaving us to get a train home from London having travelled all the way there at their invitation, rather than just have a drink somewhere else. My friends were horrified and all said they would rather drink in Wetherspoons with me than a flash bar without me!

AmyTurtle

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Same here! I think £20 might just about cover a main course in a bistro/restaurant as long as it wasn't anything too extravagant but certainly wouldn't cover the cost of a starter/drinks/coffee etc.

In fact I'm struggling to even think of any chain restaurants (Ask, Giraffe, F&B etc) where you could have a two course meal & drink for as little as £20 a head.

My friends and I often go to a Harvester where it works out at less than £20 each inc drinks. We go to nicer places too but they all just love the Harvester!

purpleshoes_2

In Tony macs they do a special where you can order any main course for 4.95, in there you could have a starter, main, dessert and glass of wine for 20 quid or just over.

Lots of restaurants do pre theatre menus, in Glasgow the going rate for a pre theatre is around 13 quid and you'll get two courses for that.

A local family run Chinese restaurant does a 3 course set menu every evening for 8 quid, they also do a two course lunch for a fiver and a local family run pub do a lunch, just one course but it's 6.99 for two people.

It very much depends on where you are in the country as to how much you'll pay.

Feral_Moon

AmyTurtle wrote: »

My friends and I often go to a Harvester where it works out at less than £20 each inc drinks. We go to nicer places too but they all just love the Harvester!

Like someone else said further up the thread, I really hate going out and paying for food that I can cook far better myself at home and for much less money. Hence why I use vouchers when visiting chain restaurants for casual meals out. I certainly would never eat anywhere that buys in frozen Baker Bros ready meals and simply reheats them!

If we're going out for a celebration then I want quality with a choice of items on the menu that I wouldn't ordinarily cook myself. For that I don't mind paying decent money.

If I was the OP I'd just tell the friend that I don't want to spend silly money on an ordinary night out therefore would prefer to cover my own costs but don't mind splashing out a bit extra for a special birthday celebration.

I wonder whether the OP is also making assumptions about how her friend will react. She hasn't actually called her "tight" nor compared eating in Strada with that of eating from a dustbin. That was the OPs interpretation. Maybe her friend feels the same way I do that spending money on mediocre food is a waste when she could be spending it on champagne instead

purpleshoes_2

The restaurant in my home town that does local Scottish produce, my mum and I went for Sunday lunch a few weeks ago, I had three courses, she had two, she had a glass of wine and I had a soft drink, we paid 23 pounds. If you go in the evening it's slightly more expensive, but still a great bargain.

There are lots of restaurants up here that do really good offers, not just in my home town but the larger cities as well.

200 pounds up here would get a meal out and drinks for 10 people in many places.

When I think that I paid just over 200 quid for a weeks all inclusive holiday last year, I'd much rather eat out cheaply and save my money for bigger purchases.

getmore4less

£200 I have been on 2night cruises(proper ones not the ferry trips) for that.

Next time just refuse to split(tell them in advance if you want) and chuck in what you consumed + a tip if feeling generous.

If it causes a problem then you know where you stand.

AmyTurtle

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Like someone else said further up the thread, I really hate going out and paying for food that I can cook far better myself at home and for much less money. Hence why I use vouchers when visiting chain restaurants for casual meals out. I certainly would never eat anywhere that buys in frozen Baker Bros ready meals and simply reheats them!

If we're going out for a celebration then I want quality with a choice of items on the menu that I wouldn't ordinarily cook myself. For that I don't mind paying decent money.

If I was the OP I'd just tell the friend that I don't want to spend silly money on an ordinary night out therefore would prefer to cover my own costs but don't mind splashing out a bit extra for a special birthday celebration.

I wonder whether the OP is also making assumptions about how her friend will react. She hasn't actually called her "tight" nor compared eating in Strada with that of eating from a dustbin. That was the OPs interpretation. Maybe her friend feels the same way I do that spending money on mediocre food is a waste when she could be spending it on champagne instead

Don't get me wrong, I like good food too, in fact I used to be a chef and have eaten many lovely meals that cost in the hundreds. However, most of my best friends have toddlers, and if we are going out for a 5pm tea with the kids it suits everyone, and the dads love it because they sell steaks, ribs, just big slabs of MEAT really! I personally won't eat steak at anywhere cheaper than Cote/Cau as I'd rather just have scampi & chips than eat a cheap steak, but as friends we all make allowances for each other's preferences.