Sydney was excited to start her new job and eager to fit in with her colleagues. Every Friday, the team had a tradition of going out to a nice restaurant for lunch and splitting the bill evenly. Sydney liked being part of the group but soon realized there was a problem: she earned much less than the others.

While Sydney stuck to simple, vegetarian meals like salads, some coworkers ordered expensive meat dishes, sometimes costing over $60. Because the bill was always split evenly, Sydney ended up paying far more than what she actually ate. This was tough for her since her salary barely covered rent and bills.