The culture around paying each other back has gotten out of hand. Mobile payment apps, while convenient and necessary for many daily processes, have introduced a transactional dimension to friendships that I wish we could erase. If I pay the $2 meter parking while we go to dinner, there is no need to Venmo me $1. My roommate and I choose a night each week and switch off cooking dinner for each other. If, every week, we looked at the grocery receipt and deciphered exactly how to split the cost evenly, it would diminish the camaraderie and joy we get out of the dinners. My mom doesn’t look for how much I owe her every time she cooks me dinner at home, so why would I do that for my loved ones at school?
No, you should not be expected to cover a friend’s $20 meal if they forgot their wallet or pay for $80 concert tickets. However, paying small balances for a friend is a chance to show love and care that apps like Venmo have stripped from us. Next time, pay for the appetizers without Venmo requesting afterwards. Friendship is not about being even or paying each other back; it is giving and expecting nothing in return.