I (F23) been dating my boyfriend (M29) for about 8 months. We usually split the bill for dinner. There will be times we will take turns paying for entire thing (usually something smaller like coffee, fast casual restaurants etc, i paid for his bday meal, etc). I think it would be nice if he took care of the bill more often. I don’t know how much he makes but since he is older and is in civil engineering/consulting field I’d think he earns more than me (I’m in Finance).

I started thinking about this more because he Venmo requested me $20 for a pasta dinner I assumed (incorrectly) he would just pay for.

I have a lot more thoughts on this situation but I’m curious what is normal in your relationships.

EDIT: So this happened last week and I did bring up my feelings on the Venmo request the day after I got it (i did pay my $23 share 😂). He said he thinks it’s more “equal” & “pragmatic” to split it. Yes the word pragmatic pissed me tf off. I don’t think it should ever be a word to describe a romantic relationship. FWIW, I don’t need him to provide for me monterarily in the form of food. If I wasn’t going out with him that day I would be getting dinner with my friends and spending the same amount or more. It’s not about the money - it’s just the idea of treating your partner is a nice gesture obv.

EDIT 2: Hi wow this post has blown up! Thank you to everyone who has commented and shared their experiences. My boyfriend is truly great in so many ways and I of course will talk about my feelings on the situation more in depth and with all of your comments in mind. I wanted to have more of an idea of what works in other peoples relationships and use it to frame how I want mine to look like moving forward. I appreciate you ladies looking out for me and for each other - yall are really the best! ❤️❤️