Have you ever been invited to a friend’s birthday dinner, only to find out at the end of the celebration that you are expected to pick up a share of the tab? That was the experience of Tonya Bowman. The 39 year old was invited to a pricey sushi restaurant, ordered an inexpensive meal (unlike the seven other “guests”), and was shocked to find out that she was expected to share the $3,450 bill as a gift for the birthday girl. Bowman put down fifty dollars and then said she needed to go to the restroom, but she bypassed the restroom and walked right out the door. Read more here. There are more stories of people being ambushed by the birthday girl/guy wanting thinking everyone is going to pick up the tab. Shouldn’t the ground rules be laid out before the dinner? Would you expect to be notified of the payment arrangements before hand? Or is it an understood rule that when you go out with someone on their birthday you will help pick up the tab? A few readers have suggested that when the spending begins to spin out of control at parties like this, you need to step up and explain that you are not involved in the wild spending (lots of alcohol or extravagant desserts) then express that you will pay for your portion of the meal.