'I slid a $10 towards the check [and] said goodbye': Frugal dude gets back at his lavish freeloading friends who 'always split the bill', forcing them to pay for their $200 meal themselves

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jul 30, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

Revenge is a dish best served at full price.

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  • Having friends with lavish tastes can take a hefty chunk out of any frugal person's wallet. With every social function at the latest hype restaurant and appetizers and cocktails on constant rotation to your table, a friendly catch-up can quickly turn into the most expensive night of your life. But for some, these lavish habits are crowdfunded by their friend's group, especially if they're the leeching lavish folks who insist on splitting the bill. 

    Why is it always the one ordering the most expensive thing on the menu who insists on splitting the bill evenly? How convenient…

    Well, the guy in this next story was over it. After years of enduring a pair of leeching friends in the group, he stopped attending their dinners. Even when he ordered the house salad and a glass of water, he'd somehow always walk away with a $150 bill at the end of the night, simply because this couple would always order the wagyu beef, bacon-wrapped scallops, exotic charcuterie plates, and bottomless cocktails. Finally, he formulated a plan that would teach those two (and the rest of the group) a lesson in equality. 

    Keep scrolling to read how this frugal guy got his money's worth with one final act of rebellion, forcing the group to rethink splitting the bill ever again. After this, here's another tale of friendly betrayals, where a homeowner discovers that her new roommate was secretly planning an overhaul remodel behind her back. 

  • 01
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  • 02
    AITA for not ordering any food so I wouldn't have to split the bill? Not the I(27M) have been apart of a small friend group, around 8 people total, basically since college.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 03
    For some background, 2 people from the group, Susan and Greg, are just absolute leeches. Going out for lunch? Expect them to order the most expensive on the menu then feed you some sob story about their finances and then dumb half the bill on you.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 04
    Last weekend, Dan, one of the people from the group, told me about a casual dinner. I told him how if Susan or Greg were there I wouldn't be able to come. He tells me that they would be there but I should just put my opinions aside and come just once.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 05
    This is kind of where I might be an AH. I agreed with him and told him I would be there. I show up and we all get to talking. Everyone began putting in their orders, most of them spent about $40. There were
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 06
    only about 6 people there. When it gets to Susan and Greg, they both order expensive dishes, around $200. When it was my turn to order, everyone looked at me, but I just pick up the menu and point to the $4 Miller Lite and sent the waiter away. Dan
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 07
    asked why I hadn't ordered anything and all I said was that I lost my appetite. The other 2 friends got up as well to cancel their orders and just have drinks.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 08
    After the main courses came out, I saw Susan and Greg picking at their food. The waiter then brings over the check. Greg then grabs the waiter and asks him to split the check 6 ways. I stand up
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 09
    and correct him saying the check was to be split 3 ways. Greg looks at me confused and asks why since we "always" split the bill. I reminded him that 3 of us had not eaten any food so we would just be paying for our
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 10
    drinks. So basically at the end of the night, Dan, who probably only ate around $50 worth of food, was stuck with a $146.98 check at the end. (Yes, I remember the exact number.) I swear I saw his jaw drop when he picked that receipt up.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 11
    I slid a $10 towards the check, said goodbye everyone, and walked out. The next morning, I found my phone full of texts from Greg and Susan telling me I was an
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 12
    AH for not ordering any food and forcing them to pay more than they had accounted for. I honestly laughed because the steaks alone were more than what they had paid but to each their own right?
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 13
    I also got a lot of messages from Dan saying that I could have just not came instead of pulling that stunt and getting him stuck with an outrageous bill.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 14
    Edit: At this restaurant, the bar is separate so drinks are on a separate bill if that makes sense. And if anyone is concerned about leaving a tip, I live in Australia.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 15
    Edit 2: Hey guys just wanted to clarify some things: 1. 90% of restaurants where I live they don't do separate checks and might separate the bill for you if you're lucky. BTW. This post is in AUD, so if you want the amounts in USD, you have to convert it.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 16
    2. Dan could have easily asked Greg and Susan to transfer him the money if he wanted but he's always been about helping them through their "financial hardship" even though they're just using
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 17
    him and keeps dragging me into it. I admit what I did was immature but I'm tired of being forced to play along. It's his money and if he wants to spend it on them, that's fine, but I'm not paying for them.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 18
    3. Also Dan's a really good friend of mine, albeit blind AF. I was just trying to get him to see what kind of people he was "helping". I will admit it was a tad bit petty.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 19
    SamSpayedPI Craptain [190] ΝΤΑ Is it not possible to ask the waiter for separate checks-i.e., everyone gets their own check for what they ordered-ahead of time? While some people think this is a little tacky, it's not anywhere near as tacky as ordering a meal that costs five times as much as anyone else's, and expecting them to cover it.
    via SamSpayedPI
  • 20
    Additional-Wasabi357 OP It's not very common in Australia, its just usually common courtesy to just order within what everyone else is ordering so you can split the check at the end. Most restaurants refuse as well but I get your point.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 21
    Apart-Ad-6518 Craptain [198] "... just usually common courtesy to just order within what everyone else is ordering" These 2 people are repeatedly openly leeching off the rest of you.
    via Apart-Ad-6518
  • 22
    The solution here seems to be to stop inviting them out. Or being friends with them. They've left common courtesy" so far behind it's a forgotten concept & elevated taking the p**s to an entirely new level.
    via Apart-Ad-6518
  • 23
    Pale_Needleworker924 Enthusiast [7] Even if you were actually not hungry, I would still say NTA. They clearly premeditated this whole event and expected others to take the financial fall for their lifestyle. Hope Dan opens his eyes, but right now, they seem superglued shut. Good for you though.
    via Pale_Needleworker924
  • 24
    Additional-Wasabi357 OP Yeah they do this all the time, I guess I was feeling a little cheeky that night. Dan's a bit stubborn but I wouldn't be surprised if he still thinks I was in the wrong and not them.
    via Additional-Wasabi357
  • 25
    rockthrowing Dans an idiot. He should have just paid for his meal and let the other two figure it out. Dan has only himself to blame here.
    via rockthrowing
  • 26
    Auntie-Mam69. Certified Proctologist [28] NTA. I thought what you did was brilliant. You started by saying you would not attend if the leeches were there, your friend Dan wanted you to come anyway, so you did, but on your own terms.
    via Auntie-Mam69
  • 27
    The moment you ordered only a beer, that was a signal that every adult at the restaurant should have recognized-especially because the bar bill is separate from the food- that you were not eating, two others were not eating, thus obviously not splitting a bill for dinner. I bet Dan will not be so quick to include Susan and Greg again.
    via Auntie-Mam69
  • 28
    ElectricHurricane321 NTA OP should just go out with the other two that just ordered drinks in the future. They clearly share OP's feelings on the matter and wouldn't be leeches.
    via ElectricHurricane321
  • 29
    Professor Mcloving NTA. Your approach was clever and fair. Susan and Greg's entitlement is the real issue here. Dan should have been more considerate of your feelings and the group's dynamic. Hopefully, this teaches them to be more responsible.
    via Professor Mcloving
  • 30
    Loisalene Partassipant [1] Wait, Dan knows how these people are, talked you into coming even though you didn't want to, and then got mad when he got stuck with the big tab? Is Dan an idiot? You are NTA
    via Loisalene
  • 31
    moreKEYTAR. Partassipant [2] INFO: Why hasn't anyone tried telling Greg and Susan that they repeatedly order expensive meals and make everyone pay for it? Why not confront the freeloaders? How many times has this happened?
    via moreKEYTAR
  • 32
    Anxious_Fruit_8608 This. That's exactly what I was thinking. I don't consider you a "friend" if I can't have open and honest communication with you. It sounds like everyone at that table felt the same way, yet no one had the
    via Anxious_Fruit_8608
  • 33
    courage to speak up. Without a doubt, everyone in my friend group would have looked at Susan and Greg and said, "We love you two but not today, sweethearts, and never again if you want to keep hanging with us."
    via Anxious_Fruit_8608
  • 34
    theothermeisnothere. Partassipant [1] NTA. I had a co-worker like that. If the company was picking up the tab or if he knew it was a "split the bill" meal, he took full advantage plus ensured he could take a doggie bag of at least half his food home. Once, he only ate the
    via theothermeisnothere
  • 35
    appetizers they ordered at a company lunch and took his whole meal home. I can't stand people like that. I did, however, have a friend group for a while where we took turns picking up the entire tab. No
    via theothermeisnothere
  • 36
    one took advantage of the situation and if one person had significantly more than the others, that person chipped in. We even discussed who was picking up the tab before we sat down so it was clear. That was a good group.
    via theothermeisnothere
  • 37
    This Greg and Susan are not friends. Never were. You used the word "leeches" accurately. And, Dan? Dan is an enabler. He pushed you into going while knowing how Greg and Susan would act and how you felt about it. Dan is not a friend either.
    via theothermeisnothere
  • 38
    There are times in our lives when we have to leave 'friends' behind. It's not always easy but it needs to happen. I know I've had a hard time with that in my life. NTA.
    via theothermeisnothere

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