My rich friends SHAMED me for refusing to pay £120 on a birthday dinner with them – am I the bad guy?

A SINGLE mother has shared how her friends shamed her for refusing to split a hefty bill at the restaurant when she ordered less than everybody.

The cash-strapped woman revealed that her rich acquaintances expected her to pay for the dinner they invited her to.

2

2

Aryan Strauss posted a cautionary tale, advising her followers to never eat in a group without discussing the budget beforehand.

In a viral TikTok post, the woman explained that her successful model friend invited her to a birthday dinner where she didn't know anybody else.

Some attendees appeared to be well-off - with one woman showing off her expensive new breast implants.

Despite her precarious financial situation, the savvy mum prepared enough cash for herself and the birthday girl and purchased a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for the Brazilian-style steakhouse.

She and her friend then ordered a £20 main each - but Strauss subsequently complained about her meal and had it taken off the bill.

She said: "I ordered a piece of fillet Mignon that was so fatty, it was gross.

"My friend called over the manager while I was rinsing my mouth off in the bathroom."

"I order water and I order no dessert," the TikToker continued, estimating that the waiter would charge her only £20 for her friend's portion of the dinner.

Strauss noted that some of the other guests departed the dinner early, but she figured they would have worked out the payment arrangements with the birthday girl.

But when the final bill arrived, the struggling mother was shocked to see that the group demanded that she pay a whooping £120 to cover others who had dined and dashed.

She refused to concede to the ridiculous demand and agreed to pay £40 despite ordering just £20 worth of food.

She embarrassingly only had eight pounds in cash, which she intended to leave as a tip, and £38 in her account.

"I have no money, I'm a single mum," she said in a video.

Strauss claims she was compelled to write a cheque to her buddy, who was "definitely irritated" about the situation, because she didn't have £40 in her bank to cover her part.

"Never sit down to dinner with anybody, friend or otherwise, unless you’ve already talked about how it’s getting split, and what your budget is if you’re all going to split the bill evenly," she warned her followers.

After being made to feel like the bag guy in the situation, the single mother complained that her friend had done this to her in the past whilst knowing of her financial situation.

Hundreds of viewers sided with the TikToker, saying they would also refuse to pay for someone else.

"Anybody who gets mad because one person paid for their own meal just wanted a discount," one user wrote.

Another one added: "I'm not cheap but it really bugs me when people order extra extra extra bottles of wine, dessert and then they want to split the bill."

"I feel if you're the one inviting you're the one paying," commented one person.

Another one chimed in, saying: "In group settings, I always make it very clear that if I'm not sleeping with you or if I didn't change your diapers I will not be covering your bill."

But some people criticised the single mother for going out without money.

"If you don't have money, don't go. Don't put yourself in bad situations, " one person wrote.

Another commented: "If you can't afford it, don't do it. That was one thing my mother taught me don't go anywhere without any money."

"When it's someone's birthday, all friends (not birthday person) is supposed to split the bill equally. Or pay for own + split the amount of bday person, " third person added.

One viewer said: "If I can't pay for the whole dinner, then I'm not going."