How to Tip Without a Calculator

Ever been at a restaurant or had a pizza guy waiting at the door but you simply cannot figure out the tip? You don't need to be a math whiz, and there is a very simple way to make sure you always get the tip correct.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Round up. I am a generous tipper, probably from working as pizza delivery guy for so long back in high school and college, but I say, always round up the dollar amount. So if the bill is $21.73, round it up to $22.00. It just makes things a whole lot easier and ensures that you will be tipping a little bit extra.
2. The number system. I can’t tell you what 12 x 12 is but I can tell you what to tip for a $34.22 bill at a restaurant without a calculator. It is simple. Let’s use the example of a $34.22 bill. Round it up to $35. Now with a nice round number, figure out ten percent. That is easy, you just move the decimal place over, so $35 becomes $3.50.
3. Now figure out what percentage you want to tip. I always tip 20 percent but that is me. Let’s do the usual 15 percent for the example. With the 10 percent already figured out ($3.50), cut that in half. That is easy enough, it's $1.75. Now you have the 5 percent.
4. Add the 10 percent ($3.50) to the 5 percent ($1.75) and you get 15 percent, of course. For our example, the tip for that $34.22 bill would be $5.25 plus the change that rounded it up. So, add $.73 to $5.25 and you get about 6 bucks. Always just round things up when in doubt and remember, the numbers don't have to be exact. No one is going to be checking your math, so just leave $40.00 and your golden.
5. Remember to always make the numbers as simple as possible. It’s even easier if you aren’t using cash and if you want to do 20 percent, which I recommend, instead of cutting that 10 percent in half, just double it. So for our example, $3.50 plus $3.50 is $7.00 ,plus the rounded up change. Easy enough.

Tips & Warnings

• Always tip excessively!