Sharing a flat saves money, but sharing the bills isn't always easy. One person pays the electricity, another the internet, a third does the grocery run… By the end of the month, who owes whom has turned into a puzzle.
Agree on a system up front
When you move in, sit down once and agree on:
- What is shared? Rent, utilities, cleaning supplies, shared groceries. Personal shopping isn't.
- How is it split? Equally, or by room size? Rent can follow room size while utilities are split equally.
- When do you settle up? Once a month, not after every purchase.
Use one shared list
When everyone keeps their own notes, the numbers never match. Open one shared list and invite everyone. Whenever someone pays a shared cost, they enter the others' shares as money owed to them.
Example: the electricity bill is 90 and three of you split it equally. Sam paid it:
| Who | Owes | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Emma | Sam | 30 |
| Max | Sam | 30 |
Settle the net at month end
Over a month everyone pays for something. Instead of paying back each item, look at the net per person: if Emma owes Sam 30 but Sam owes Emma 12 for groceries, the number to settle is 18.
Templates for recurring costs
Rent and internet are the same every month. Set them up once as recurring records and let them appear each month.
When someone moves out
Do a final settle-up with the roommate who's leaving, close their remaining balances with payments and remove them from the list. The history stays in the list, so if a late bill turns up you can look back.
With Sudeb
Open a "Home" list in Sudeb and invite your roommates. Everyone sees the same records, and when a payment is entered every screen updates. The person screen shows the net difference with each roommate (when a shared debt list helps).