A joke about being our friend group's treasurer has backfired and now I'm actually the treasurer.
By @danisorta · Friends
I sarcastically suggested a 'solution' for our one friend who never pays anyone back on time. To my horror, everyone loved the idea and now they expect me to manage a communal fund for all our group activities.
The full story
We all have that one friend. In my group, his name might as well be 'I'll get you back later.' He's not a bad guy, just terminally disorganized and always 'forgetting' to hit send on Venmo. It's always small amounts–$20 for pizza, $40 for his share of a bar tab, $15 for movie tickets–but I'm usually the one fronting the cash, and it adds up. Last week, I was complaining that I was still waiting on about $80 from him for various things over the past month. During our weekly group dinner, I'd had a couple drinks and decided to make a point. I said, 'You know what would be easier? If you all just gave me $100 at the start of every month. I'll create a spreadsheet, we can call it The Friend Fund, and I'll just pay for everything out of that. No more chasing anyone down.' I said it with a completely straight face, just dripping with sarcasm. I thought the sheer absurdity of me becoming the group's unpaid financial manager would finally get the point across. It did not. Everyone went silent for a second, and then the guy who owes me money goes, 'Dude, that's actually a brilliant idea.' The others started chiming in. 'Yeah, seriously, I'd be so down for that.' 'It would make booking Airbnbs so much easier!' They genuinely thought my ridiculous, sarcastic proposal was a stroke of genius. Now they're having a serious discussion in the group chat about the 'bylaws' of The Friend Fund and asking me when I want the first 'deposit.' I've tried to explain it was a joke, but now I'm the one who looks like a jerk for 'offering a solution and then taking it back.' Am I really the bad guy for refusing to become the unpaid CFO of our friend group just to prove a point about getting paid back on time?
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