My friend sent me a bill for dinner. I’m considering paying to keep the peace
A NO-SHOW at a dinner party sparked a heated argument when a woman was asked to reimburse the cost of the home-cooked meal.
She had been single for “many years” before starting a relationship with her cash-strapped boyfriend.
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The woman said they had only been together for “a few months” when her boyfriend lost his job.
She described their relationship as “strained” since the company he worked for closed down.
“Because of this, most of our dates have been at his house (he can’t come to my house because I share a flat),” she wrote Mothernet.
“I’ve been buying him little things here and there (not expensive, just some food) to help him get by.
“Last week he asked me to come back to his apartment.
“This time I told him ‘no’ because I was tired of traveling all the way to him and if he could come meet me near where I am and we could go somewhere (nothing expensive).
“He said ‘okay,’ but I didn’t sound enthusiastic.”
When the day arrived, her boyfriend failed to contact her, which she said was because he was concerned about travel costs.
She chose not to confront him, but was later bombarded with phone calls during a work event.
“He asked me where I was and that I had promised to go to him and that he had brought me food,” she said.
“I told him there was nothing confirmed that it was me I was expecting to hear, but I let it slide.
“He then accused me of cheating and lying about where I was.”
She was shocked when he sent her a screenshot of a voucher for food totaling £20 hours later.
“I called him back and asked what this was for and he said he wanted me to pay him back for the food he bought,” she said.
“I told him, ‘No way,’ especially since I bought him things here and there and didn’t ask him to pay me back.
“He then got upset and said he expected me to pay him back anyway, accused me of cheating and got a bit angry on the phone.”
She admitted she was considering paying him back “just to keep the peace” and suggested there may have been “miscommunication on both sides.”
“I’m curious to hear someone’s opinion,” she said, asking for their opinion.
An overwhelming number of comments on the post urged the woman to break up with her boyfriend because he demanded the money.
“If you definitely said ‘no’ and he went ahead and bought food, that’s his problem,” one person said.
‘And what exactly did he buy for €20 that is so special that it doesn’t fit in the fridge and that he can eat it himself in the coming days?
“I would walk away from this.”
How do most couples divide their finances while dating?
According to IFAfinancial data company Clear Score has surveyed thousands of British couples to find out how they manage their money.
The majority of participants said they split costs 50/50, while only two in five couples split their bills based on income.
Despite money being the main cause of arguments, one in six people had hidden debts for their partner and one in four had hidden purchases.
More than a quarter of couples surveyed described their relationship as ‘financially unequal’.
Others argued that the cheating accusation was a “red flag” that justified ghosting him.
“People say you’re dumping him because this isn’t a mature relationship,” one person said.
“To make things easier, you told him you wouldn’t visit him, but that he was welcome to visit you. No fixed plans are made.
“He ignores this. He calls you obsessively while you’re away.
‘He’s making false accusations against you. He starts a fight over a paltry amount of money. He got angry because of a miscommunication.
“This could be an attempt to control or manipulate you because you didn’t want to go to his. Or it could just be that he’s an immature prick.
“Anyway, he’s not relationship material. He is a red flag that could be seen as a controlling jerk.”
“Never contact this man again,” wrote another.
“If he acts like this in a new relationship, I can’t imagine how he’ll feel once he gets a little more comfortable.
“Jealousy is such a terrible color.”
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