Being the host of a party means that you take on certain responsibilities. Most of them seem common sense: you tidy up your home, buy some food and drinks, put on some good music, offer everyone dinner or some snacks, and pour some delicious cocktails. Sounds simple… right?
Here’s the thing, though. Common sense isn’t all that common, as redditor u/cheapfriends-ta found out. He spilled the tea on the AITA online community about a bizarre party he went to at his friends’ home where the couple charged everyone cash for the drinks they made at their kitchen counter. Read on for the full story and how the internet reacted. Bored Panda has reached out to u/cheapfriends-ta and we’ll update the article once we hear back from him.
Probably the last thing you'd expect to do when you go to a small party at your friends' place is to have to pay for their homemade drinks
Image credits: Helena Lopes (not the actual photo)
However, that's exactly what one man and his wife had to deal with. He explained what happened in detail
Image credits: Alexy Almond (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
The man later shared an update about his relationship with his friends
Image credits: u/cheapfriends-ta
What the hosts did is, frankly, mind-boggling
Redditor u/cheapfriends-ta asked the AITA subreddit for their verdict on whether he was wrong to leave his friends’ party incredibly quickly after he learned that they were actually charging their intimate gathering of pals for drinks. The OP was confused about why they did this in the first place. One of his working theories is that they were cheap and wanted to take advantage of the people they had over.
No matter how you slice this story, it simply feels weird to consider that someone would invite you over and ask you to pay for homemade drinks. The hosts haven’t hired a bartender. They’re not collecting money for charity. They didn’t ask the guests to bring their own drinks. They’re simply charging for what they pour. It sounds cheap.
In fact, none of us have ever heard of somebody doing this. The closest that we’ve ever come to this is seeing a host ask for people to pitch in when everyone’s ordering pizza. But as an unwritten rule, when you’re invited over, you can expect the hosts to foot the bill for pretty much everything. Then, in turn, they’re invited to someone else’s party where they’re wined and dined. It all balances out in the long run.
Image credits: Sandra Seitamaa (not the actual photo)
Good hosts care about their guests without being overly intrusive or demanding
If your host were to nickel and dime you for every bite and gulp, you wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy yourself. You’d also probably be in no rush to return the next time they throw a get-together.
A good host is someone who is extremely welcoming without being overly intrusive. In short, they genuinely want their guests to have a good time without making them feel awkward, embarrassed or out of place.
According to ‘Parachute,’ some of the things that good party hosts do is focus on having fun. After all, if they’re stressed out, they’re going to affect the mood of all of their party guests, too. Hosts should also avoid forcing games and other activities and instead focus on what feels natural.
Something else to keep in mind is that there’s no party in the entire history of the world that has gone off without a single hitch. Perfection is impossible. So don’t sweat it if some details aren’t everything you dreamed they would be. Instead, focus on having a good time and making sure that your guests are enjoying themselves.
Image credits: Kelsey Chance (not the actual photo)
It's situations like this one that help you separate your real friends from all the fake ones
Parties are also a great opportunity to remember who you care about the most in the world. And that should be reflected in your guest list. Naturally, you want to spend the most time with those friends whom you have a genuine connection with and share hobbies, interests, and values with.
The best way to tell if your friends are genuine or fake/fair weather ‘friends’ is to do a quick audit of how they treat you and what they behave like. Take an honest look at how much they put into their relationship with you versus how much they get out of it.
Someone who treats you with respect and fairness is probably someone you’ll want to keep in your life. Meanwhile, someone who runs away at the first sign of trouble and avoids lending a hand when you need it most probably isn’t worth your time and energy. They might be a casual acquaintance, but you shouldn’t confuse them with a close friend.
It’s difficult to determine whether someone charging their guests for drinks is (un)worthy of friendship from this single event. However, the OP seems to have taken charge of the situation and decided to draw some clear boundaries. He called out the party hosts and later on ended up blocking them.
Many internet users were very supportive of the author of the post. Here's what some of them had to say
