Takeaway and Eating-Out Spend Tracker

Who this is for

Every takeaway and meal out, in one month. Each order gets a line with the outlet, the type, how many it fed, the cost and any delivery or service fee. The summary shows the month's total, how it compares with the limit you set yourself and the average order.

Households who suspect the takeaway habit costs more than they think, people cutting back after a busy spell, and anyone who wants the impulse orders on paper.

What this helps you track

• Every takeaway, delivery, cafe and restaurant spend in the month
• How much went on delivery and service fees
• The cost per person of each order
• Which orders were planned and which were on impulse
• The month's total against your own limit

How to use it

1. Write the household, the month and your own monthly limit at the top — a figure you choose, not one from us.
2. Add a line every time you order or eat out: the date, the outlet, the type and how many people it fed.
3. Enter the cost of the food and, separately, any delivery or service fee, from the receipt or the app.
4. Set planned or impulse honestly; it is the column that shows where the easy savings are.
5. The line totals, cost per person and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add across and down.
6. At the end of the month compare the total with your limit and start a fresh sheet.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What limit should I set?

Whatever suits your budget. The sheet does not suggest one; enter your own figure in the monthly limit field and the summary shows how far over or under you are.

Why split the fee from the cost?

Because delivery and service charges add up without being noticed. Keeping them in their own column shows what collecting, or eating in, would have saved.

Do work lunches count?

If you want them to. There is a type for them so they can be counted with the rest or picked out and looked at separately.

How is cost per person worked out?

The cost plus the fee, divided by the number of people the order fed. Leave the people column blank and the per-person figure stays empty rather than guessing.