“This year myself and my friendship group all turn 40. We started a savings pot a few years ago where we put £30 a month into a pot and we will have a £1,500 plus budget when we finally go.”
Three quarters of the group now want to use all of the money for accommodation. The others want the £1,500 to cover everything – flights, food, drinks, activities. They’re all in very different financial situations, she says, with very different attitudes to money. “I’m very sensible, where the others have a f**k it mentality, either climbing into debt or just can afford it because they earn enough.” She can afford more, but doesn’t want to spend it.
“How do I approach this with the group without looking like I’m frugal?”
You already agreed what this money was for
She said it herself at the end of her dilemma: “The point of saving for the holiday was so that we could all come, have a great time and not worry about the cost.”
That was the deal when everyone started paying £30 a month for the trip, so that nobody arrives with a knot in their stomach about splitting the bill. Reminding the group of that is absolutely fine, she’d be holding them to what they all signed up for.
What should come out of the pot?
A group holiday budget works best when the pot covers the things everyone uses identically. Flights, accommodation, transfers, and any excursion the whole group agreed on from the start. Anything above that – the tasting menu, bottle service, a spa afternoon – is optional and paid for by whoever wants it.
It’s also worth mentioning to the group that travel has gotten dramatically more expensive. Holly’s been trying to book for next May and reckons the same trip is £500 to £800 more than it was last year, and everyone she’s spoken to says the same. So £1,500 set as a target a few years ago won’t buy what they thought it would. They either need to adjust the trip or top up the pot, and either is fine as long as it’s decided before anything’s booked.
Take the emotion out of it
Deciding a group holiday budget in a WhatsApp chat can be challenging. When we went to New York on a girls trip, we built a shared spreadsheet instead. Everyone drops in their priorities and what they’d want to spend on each part of the trip, anonymously if that helps, and then you vote. Democracy rules!
You’re allowed to sit things out
If the group books dinner with a £300 minimum spend and it’s not for you, go and get a burger and meet them after. There’s a girl on TikTok who told her friends before an Ibiza trip that she wasn’t coming to the Ocean Beach day because she doesn’t drink, spent it on the beach instead and joined them that evening. Of course, nobody minded, because she set clear expectations early on.
You’ve got free will so use it.
Say it before you go, not at the table
The worst time to raise any of this is when the bill comes and the third bottle of wine is already open. Agree what’s in the pot, agree what’s extra, agree how you’re splitting food and drinks – all of it before you fly.
Then find yourself an ally – someone who’ll say “she’s only had one drink, take her off the split” so that you never have to.
And if it stops working, you don’t have to go
Nobody should wreck their budget, or their peace, to avoid being the awkward one. If the trip drifts so far from the original plan that it stops feeling affordable, saying no is allowed, especially while nothing’s booked.
And sort the rules now: what happens to someone’s contribution if they pull out? Agree it now, not two weeks before travel when the money’s gone on flights.
What would you do with the £1,500?
All in on a gorgeous villa, or spread across flights, food and drinks so there’s nothing left to pay for once you land? Tell us in the Financielle app community, or send us your own dilemma at thevault@financielle.com – we read every one.
The content produced by Financielle is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.