If you’re looking to avoid awkward conversations about who’ll pay the bill, or just have a best friend who’s a scrooge, it’s time to learn about how the sharing economy is saving friendships.
We are probably all guilty at one time or another of letting a minor dispute over who owes who money, or who cooked dinner last, dampen a friendship. But we don’t need to be!
The sharing economy is breaking through into pretty much every conceivable aspect of our lives where we need a more convenient, cheaper, and user-friendly experience.
Here’s some of my favourite tools that could also make life a little easier on you and your friends.
Let a payment splitting app sort out the dinner bill
Guess what – you don’t need to keep a running tab on the fridge anymore of brunches, coffees, and groceries that your friend owes you.
Just get all your friends onto a bill splitting app and it can assign payments, automatically send reminders about money owed, and complete payment – without any need to swap bank details!
Take your pick from apps such as Splitwise, Finch, Suncorp’s Billsplitter, and Cashper.
Save the environment and your wallet with ride sharing services
Don’t have your own car to get from A to B? Struggling to organise a lift for a night out?
Take advantage of ride-sharing services that save you money, can be easily tracked online, and reduce your carbon footprint.
Uber has gone gangbusters since it launched in Australia, and why wouldn’t it, when it has a bill splitting option within the app?
Be aware that you must split the fare before your trip ends and that each rider will be charged what Uber calls “a small transaction fee” for the convenience.
Or if you prefer to do the driving yourself, take advantage of car sharing services like Car Next Door or GoGet.
You can hire a car when you need to, instead of paying for rego, insurance, and fuel on a car of your own.
You can then work out ahead of time who’s riding with you and how you’ll split the cost.
Share food in the comfort of your own home
Sometimes dinner delegation can be a touchy subject if one of your friends has had a particularly long day, so avoid that drama and order in.
There are so many delivery services now that offer pretty much every type of food you could possibly be craving – even ice cream. Make your order with UberEATS, Deliveroo, Foodora, or endless others.
Most food ordering services don’t seem to have easy bill splitting options yet, but you can always add your food delivery expenses straight into your bill splitter app. Problem solved!
It’s true that sharing is caring and it may be the solution to longer lasting friendships.
