When dining with friends or family - whether at a restaurant or in the comfort of your own home - many will face an awkward predicament when it comes to paying the bill.
While a common option is for people to pay for their drink and food that they consumed individually, others believe it's fairer for diners to equally split the final bill.
However, one woman was astonished as her "rude" pals left her out of pocket by forcing her to pay for more than her fair share of the meal.
Taking to popular forum site Mumsnet, the anonymous user claims she was asked to split the bill "three ways" despite the fact that there were five diners.
She explained: "Five of us had dinner last night - two couples and myself (I'm a single parent).
"At the end when the bill arrived, one of the couples declared that the bill would be split three ways.
"I'm not sure how it made sense that a bill for a party of five was split three ways but was too embarrassed to say anything.
"As a result, I'm £20 out of pocket. Am I being unreasonable to think that the bill should not have been split three ways?
"Also, should I just stay quiet about the £20 and never go out with them again? What is the correct bill-splitting etiquette in this situation?"
Clarifying the situation further, the woman admitted that she was "too shy and embarrassed" to make a suggestion about the meal's cost.
Since sharing the thread online, the woman's post has raked in over 200 comments - where people were admittedly torn over the woman's decision.
One person wrote: "I would have suggested 2/5, 2/5, 1/5. How rude of them."
A second agreed: "That's very unfair. It should have been split into give and each person should pay a share."
On the other hand, one Mumsnet user showed no sympathy about the ordeal, as they penned: "Well your embarrassment cost you 20 then. You should have spoken up - that's being an adult. It's not an argument - just a reminder."
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