Latest news with #costsharing
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Non-Drinker Declines Party Invite After Host Insists They Have to Split the Alcohol Bill ‘Equally'
A man left a party planning group chat after being told he must split alcohol costs equally, despite being a non-drinker He offered to calculate his portion without alcohol and still contribute generously to the event, but was told "everyone pays equally' The drama sparked a viral debate about fairness in friendshipsA man turned to Reddit for support after a disagreement with friends over splitting party costs spiraled into a larger discussion about how non-drinkers are treated in social settings. The conflict began when his friend invited him and his girlfriend to a surprise party via a WhatsApp group. In the invite, the friend stated that 'everyone is going to split the costs equally, so even people who don't drink, please don't annoy me as I don't want to be bothered with any calculations.' The poster noted that he and his girlfriend are the only ones in the group who don't drink alcohol, and he felt uneasy about paying for something they won't consume. 'I don't think it fair for both of us to pay for the alcohol (which is usually a significant chunk of the total),' he wrote in his post. He explained that his "friends like playing drinking games that require a large amount of beer. Generally the cost of the alcohol is a significant chunk of the total cost (e.g. 30-60%).' The situation is even more complicated because his girlfriend, a student with no income, was also expected to pay equally. "I wouldn't mind much paying a bit extra as I'm doing well financially, but it doesn't sit right with me that she would have to do the same, even more so because she usually drinks/eat very little," he wrote. Wanting to offer a solution, the poster replied, 'Since I don't drink, I volunteer to make any required calculations,' hoping to ease the organizer's worries about complicated math. But the host quickly shut him down, responding, 'No, you don't get it, this is a party and everyone splits evenly, it's not about the calculations. It's nothing personal. End of the question.' Feeling dismissed, the man decided to gracefully bow out, replying, 'No worries, I'll pass,' before exiting the group chat. The situation escalated when the host removed the poster's girlfriend from the group before she had a chance to respond, which he "felt was uncalled for." Later, another friend reached out to him privately, suggesting he may have overreacted. 'Man, I have to say that your reaction was excessive, we are adults and we can spare a few extra dollars each,' the friend told him, but the poster remained unconvinced. 'I don't get it – if I was organizing I would never force people to pay for something they don't consume,' he wrote, comparing the situation to 'inviting a vegan friend to a barbecue and forcing them to split the cost of the meat.' He clarified that he's not trying to avoid contributing to the party, stating, 'Even if I don't chip-in for the alcohol, I would obviously chip-in for all the other costs (food, snacks, soft drinks, decoration, etc.).' He even offered to pay extra for the guest of honor, noting that he would "be more than willing to cover the alcohol costs for the person being celebrated.' While some commenters suggested there may be a "deeper problem," the poster insisted that he has "not been cheap with my friends in the past." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. He also clarified that he only left the temporary WhatsApp group for the party, not the main group with all their friends. Despite the tension, he still wants to celebrate the birthday person and reached out to the organizer privately to make sure they knew he wanted 'to contribute to their gift (or food/drink quota, if that's meant as the gift).' The pal confirmed there will be a separate fund for the gift, and the poster plans to contribute despite not attending the party. Now, he's wondering if his reaction to the request was justifiable. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Two toxic WhatsApp words destroyed my holiday with friends. Now I'm desperate for payback over our pricey trip: VICKY REYNAL has the answer
Dear Vicky, I've booked a hotel with two friends for the bank holiday thinking the cost would split three ways. But my two friends have fallen out and now one of them is not coming. 'L' left the group chat in anger and her last words were 'I'm out'. L has written to me separately to say she has nothing against me, but didn't mention what will happen with her share of the trip. We each booked our own travel, but shouldn't she still pay for her share of the Airbnb
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Korea presidential candidate Kim says open to discussing US troop cost
By Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo said on Monday he was willing to discuss sharing more of the cost of stationing the U.S. military in the country, which U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded over the years. Trump has indicated he wants to make the cost of basing tens of thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea and in Japan a part of negotiations over import tariffs his government has announced against a host of countries, including Asian allies. South Korea and the United States last agreed to a five-year plan in October to increase by 8.3% to 1.52 trillion won ($1.09 billion) South Korea's share of the cost of maintaining the U.S. military. Some 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea. South Korea began shouldering the costs of U.S. deployments, used to fund local labour expenditure, the construction of military installations and other logistics support, in the early 1990s. "People are nervous if President Trump says let's raise (South Korea's) share of the U.S. military in South Korea, and I believe we can raise it to a certain degree," Kim told a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce Korea. It should be more of South Korea's concern to ensure the U.S. military presence is well maintained in South Korea, he said. Kim is the candidate for the conservative People Power Party for the June 3 snap presidential election called after Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over a failed martial law attempt. South Korean officials have said the cost sharing plan is not up for review and should not be part of the ongoing discussions to address what Trump said was an unfair imbalance in trade and imposed reciprocal duties on Korean exports. ($1 = 1,397.6300 won)
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
South Korea presidential candidate Kim says open to discussing US troop cost
SEOUL, May 19 (Reuters) - South Korea's conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo said on Monday he was willing to discuss sharing more of the cost of stationing the U.S. military in the country, which U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded over the years. Trump has indicated he wants to make the cost of basing tens of thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea and in Japan a part of negotiations over import tariffs his government has announced against a host of countries, including Asian allies. South Korea and the United States last agreed to a five-year plan in October to increase by 8.3% to 1.52 trillion won ($1.09 billion) South Korea's share of the cost of maintaining the U.S. military. Some 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea. South Korea began shouldering the costs of U.S. deployments, used to fund local labour expenditure, the construction of military installations and other logistics support, in the early 1990s. "People are nervous if President Trump says let's raise (South Korea's) share of the U.S. military in South Korea, and I believe we can raise it to a certain degree," Kim told a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce Korea. It should be more of South Korea's concern to ensure the U.S. military presence is well maintained in South Korea, he said. Kim is the candidate for the conservative People Power Party for the June 3 snap presidential election called after Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over a failed martial law attempt. South Korean officials have said the cost sharing plan is not up for review and should not be part of the ongoing discussions to address what Trump said was an unfair imbalance in trade and imposed reciprocal duties on Korean exports. ($1 = 1,397.6300 won)
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
FEMA chief says agency will raise state burden for disasters to 50%
May 15 (Reuters) - David Richardson, the new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said on Thursday that states would in the future bear half the costs for responding to natural disasters, up from 25% under current cost-sharing levels. Richardson, who took the helm at FEMA one week ago in an abrupt change of leadership, said he believed the agency would likely cut its financial outlay to half of what a state needs to respond to a disaster as part of future reforms. He also vowed to narrow the agency's operations to only what is spelled out in law and to push more of the cost burden for disaster response down to the states, in line with the wishes of the Trump administration. "FEMA 2 will look different than FEMA 1. There will be much more emphasis on the states to do response and recovery, to some degree preparedness as well," Richardson told a staff town hall. A FEMA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for more details on Richardson's comments. It was the second time Richardson met with staff after replacing acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton last week. Hamilton was ousted abruptly after telling a congressional hearing he did not support eliminating the agency. Hamilton's comments to Congress went against the views of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump, who have both called for the agency to undergo drastic reforms and potentially be abolished. In his initial address to staff last week, Richardson said he would "run right over" any staff who resisted his efforts to reform the agency. Richardson, a former Marine artillery officer and combat veteran, fleshed out his vision for the first time on Thursday with potential percentages. He said he had advised staff to alert governors to the possibility of an increased cost-share in disaster response. "I said, 'Hey, when you talk to the governor, give them a heads up that 50/50 might be coming. It's 75/25 right now, but 50/50's coming,'" Richardson said. "So part of it is letting people know as we transition, okay, that if it doesn't happen this year, it will very, very likely happen next year." Richardson also said there would be instances in which states needed more help financially and that FEMA would provide it. Richardson has taken the helm at FEMA at a time when it has been shedding staff while preparing for what leading forecasters predict will be a busier-than-average Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on June 1. Democratic lawmakers have also voiced concerns about staffing at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is scrambling to reassign 155 workers to its weather service, including to key forecasting positions in hurricane-prone states, according to a document reviewed by Democratic staff on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. A NOAA spokesperson said in a statement that "service level standards for its weather forecast offices" had been updated to "manage impacts due to shifting personnel resources."
