Buying your mates a round at the pub a thing of the past?

As budgets are squeezed, more Aussies are ditching round buying at the pub, instead choosing to split the bill or simply pay for their own drinks on a night out.

The premise of shouting your mates a drink has long been commonplace in the country and the recent uptake in people instead deciding to look after their own bill has divided opinion.

Is it being tight or just being smart with your finances?

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9Honey columnist, Shelly Horton, agreed with the latter, telling Today Extra she prefers to pay for her own drinks anyway.

"I actually find it quite awkward because I might be buying an expensive cocktail and I've got friends who've given up drinking completely and are just on water," she said.

"And someone else might be having a beer, so I feel like it's actually more equal to just get your own."

Presenter and journalist, John Mangos, offered another good point on why buying your mates drinks might actually be considered offensive - particularly if you consider your mate's cultural background.

"I've got a very strong opinion on this because I have Greek heritage and in Greece they think that shouting if there's, say, three of us I buy around, you buy around, they think that's insulting," he said.

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"It's insulting because you've bought me a drink and by me buying you one, I've rejected the one that you bought me, so their system is if there's the three of us, one of us shouts for all of us all one night, this is how they culturally see it, like, 'I'm so happy to be with you, I want to buy the drinks tonight'.

"And then another night it'll be the other friend's turn and when you think it through, that actually makes sense."

What are your thoughts on buying a round at the pub? Let us know