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Aug 2022
1:33pm, 19 Aug 2022
46,139 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
This may not be the best place to revive this little tale, but I can’t resist it!
Three people have dined at a restaurant and received a total bill for $30. They agree to split the amount equally and pay $10 each.
The waiter hands the bill and the $30 to the manager, who realizes there's been a mistake and the correct charge should be only $25. He gives the waiter five $1 bills to return to the customers, with the restaurant's apologies.
However, the waiter is dishonest. He pockets $2, and gives back only $3 to the customers. So, each of the three customers has paid $9 and the waiter has $2 making a total of $29. But the original bill was for $30.
Where has the missing dollar gone?
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Aug 2022
1:33pm, 19 Aug 2022
138,487 posts
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GregP
With all love and respect, Dio, bite me.
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Aug 2022
1:37pm, 19 Aug 2022
46,140 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
Here’s the answer.
There is no missing dollar (of course!). Adding $27 and $2 (to get $29) is a bogus operation. They paid $27, $2 went to the dishonest waiter, and $25 went to the restaurant. You have to subtract $27 minus $2 to get $25. There never was a $29; it's a phony calculation designed to confuse the unwary.
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Aug 2022
1:43pm, 19 Aug 2022
138,493 posts
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GregP
So I have an account with RiverBank in which I hold my "Aardvark" fund and by "Bison" fund.
So do I have two columns or three? One for each and one for the total?
And does my column heading say "Aardvark" or "Aardvark in RiverBank account 13243"?
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Aug 2022
2:08pm, 19 Aug 2022
46,141 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
One for each and one for the total?
This, otherwise you won't be able to check easily that the total tallies with what your RiverBank bank statement says.
And does my column heading say "Aardvark" or "Aardvark in RiverBank account 13243"?
Aardvark seems fine. You could head up the total column as "RiverBank account 13243". (And I would probably embolden the total column in a spreadsheet to make it clear it's a total column and not one to put numbers into myself.)
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Aug 2022
2:09pm, 19 Aug 2022
138,503 posts
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GregP
Happy with that - thanks.
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Aug 2022
2:10pm, 19 Aug 2022
72,189 posts
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Diogenes
I think you are deliberately overcomplicating this, either out of boredom, or for attention. I suggest you grab an old envelope and a cheap biro and use the latter to update the former.
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Aug 2022
2:12pm, 19 Aug 2022
138,505 posts
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GregP
It's all born of not knowing how to show that I've got less money than it looks like I have because of an interest free loan.
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Aug 2022
2:52pm, 19 Aug 2022
65,083 posts
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GlennR
I think your Aardvark and Bison funds are what we call memorandum accounts. It's the bank account that sits in your ledger, as do your accounts of what you owe.
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Aug 2022
2:53pm, 19 Aug 2022
5,305 posts
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K5 Gus
Can you not just think of the interest free loan payment as another regular monthly payment - the same as your Electricity, Council Tax, Mobile, Broadband, etc, etc ?
How do you currently show that you really have less money than it looks like you have, due to these other payments ?
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Accounting Question
Oct 2017
