House Share Kitty and Shared Purchases Log

Who this is for

What went into the kitty and what came out. Housemates record their contributions and every shared purchase, whether paid from the kitty or out of their own pocket, so the balance is clear and anyone who has paid more than their share can be squared up.

Housemates, students and lodgers who share cleaning products, loo roll, washing-up liquid and other household basics, and the person who holds the kitty.

What this helps you track

• Every payment into the kitty, by whom and when
• Shared purchases, who bought them and whether the kitty or their own money paid
• The kitty balance at any point
• Each housemate's position, so over- and under-payers can settle

How to use it

1. Write the address, the period and who holds the kitty, and enter how many housemates are sharing.
2. Record each payment into the kitty on the day it is made.
3. Record every shared purchase with who bought it and whether it came from the kitty or their own money, and keep the receipt with the kitty.
4. At the end of the period fill in the settle-up table using the totals and the equal share shown in the summary.
5. Settle up so each net position comes back to zero, then start a new 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 if someone buys something with their own money?

Log it with own money as the source. It does not reduce the kitty, but it counts towards what that housemate has put in, so they are paid back at the settle-up.

Does everyone have to pay the same amount in?

No. The sheet records what each person actually paid. The settle-up table compares that with an equal share of the spending; if your house splits differently, enter the share each person agreed to.

What does the net position mean?

Paid in plus own-money purchases, minus that person's share of the spending. A positive figure means they are owed; a negative figure means they owe the kitty or the others.

How is this different from splitting the bills?

Bills such as energy and broadband are usually split once a month. The kitty covers small, frequent shared shopping. Use a separate bills split calculator for the bills.