My friend invited me to this fancy steakhouse. I told her beforehand that I can’t spend $200 on food, so I would go light. At the restaurant, she ordered a giant steak with 3 sides. Me? a salad. Only. When the waiter came for the bill, she told him, “Oh, we’ll just split it.” I just nodded … But what she didn’t know was that I had secretly planned ahead. I had called the restaurant earlier that day and asked if I could pay only for my meal in advance. They happily agreed and prepared a separate check for me. So when the time came, I simply smiled and waited as the waiter placed two bills on the table — one for her meal, and one showing my salad was already paid for.
My friend looked surprised at first, then embarrassed. “You could’ve just told me,” she whispered. I gently reminded her that I had — I had clearly explained my budget before we came. I didn’t want to argue or ruin the evening, so I kept my tone warm and calm. Instead of getting upset, I decided to view it as an opportunity to set a healthy boundary without hurting the friendship. We talked for a moment, and she admitted she hadn’t really listened when I explained my situation earlier.