What I was trying to do: I am a college student living with four roommates. When we first moved in, things got complicated fast. We were buying big items like a couch, a tv, and a dining table, along with weekly groceries from Walmart and Target. Managing the money was a total mess. We were constantly having arguments and misunderstandings about who paid for what and who owed whom. I wanted a way to make our finances better so we could stay friends without the stress.
What I built or set up: I built a custom excel spreadsheet that handles all our household money. Whenever someone buys something, they log the item, the date, and the price. The good part is the checkbox system, you just check the boxes for the roommates who participated in that expense. The sheet then automatically calculates the cost per person and updates a balances summary. I used color coding so it is very easy to see, green means you are owed money, and red means you need to pay someone back. I even added a reference tab with everyone’s Zelle ids and our shared Walmart+ login so we never have to hunt for information.
Why it mattered to me: It mattered because it completely changed the energy in our apartment. Before the spreadsheet, money talks were awkward and tense. Now, everything is simple and automatic. If there is ever a question, the data is right there for everyone to see. We went from having weekly arguments to being fully settled up with zero confusion. It’s a small tool, but it solved a huge human problem for us.
