On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 22:54:21 +0100, jake >
wrote:

>
>> am I the only one who has no problem dividing a bill properly? If no one
>> is treating me to a dinner, I order whatever I want, and pay for it.
>> There is no way that I would split a bill evenly. Why do you guys do it
>> that way?
>>
>I do it because of group pressure from people who have already entered
>the stadium of semi-drunkenness (when the bill arrives) and who don't
>give nearly as much thought to budgets as I do. Or who may simply never
>have been as poor as I have been and thus have a different understanding
>of money. I feel very uncomfortable bringing the subject up (it 5:1).


I understand Jake, and the discussion came up with us several times on
group trips away, where a large number of us went out to dinner and
the non-drinkers became upset at subsidising the drinkers' bills. They
let their case be known and we divvied up the bill to suit them. It
was never a problem to me until I got sick on one trip, and became one
of the non-drinkers, and virtually a non-eater. I was astonished at my
share of the bill when I'd hardly had anything.

Yes, we do need to be more sensitive in divvying up bills, but I
assume you, like in NZ, divide the bill by the number of people,
regardless of who had what. However, if group bills are only very
occasional, I would bite the bullet and pay for the sake of peace and
harmony.

On one occasion, my bill should have been $7. My share became more
than $20, quite a difference.

Kathy in NZ