How to split groceries for a group trip

For a cabin or lodge stay, make a shared shopping list before someone pays for the groceries. Agree which meals you are cooking together and which purchases are personal. Being on the same trip does not mean everyone shares every item in the basket.

Agree what the shared shop covers

Shared breakfasts can go to the people having breakfast together. A personal snack belongs to its buyer. Drinks only some people want should be split among those people. Decide these boundaries before the shop rather than asking the person at the checkout to guess.

Split the receipt, not just the total

One supermarket receipt can contain food for everyone and items for only part of the project. Assign each item to the people concerned. A shared item can be divided among several people without spreading the whole receipt evenly.

If someone joins later or misses a meal, discuss which purchases they are sharing. The agreement is yours to make; the app records the resulting allocation rather than deciding participation for you.

Keep top-up shops with the original purchase

Add later shared purchases to the same trip project and record who paid for each. Check that a top-up shop is not also included in another person's recorded expense. Keeping the receipts helps when someone wants to understand a particular share.

This page focuses on groceries. For accommodation, transport and activities across the stay, use the cabin-trip or travel-expense guide.

Record the costs in SplitSlip

Create a project for the trip or shared purchases and add the people involved. Friends without the app can be added as guests.
Add each expense and who paid. Add it by hand for free, or scan the receipt. Optional AI scanning reads the receipt into line items. Check the items and amounts before assigning them.
Split shared costs evenly where that is your agreement, or assign items to the people concerned. One item can be shared between several people.
Check the recorded costs and each person's share. SplitSlip shows who owes whom.
Share the guest link. Guests can view a shared link without an account, in the browser. It is view-only. To join the project and edit, they install SplitSlip and sign in.
Settle up outside the app, for example by bank transfer or your usual payment app.

What is free?

Core features and manual entry are free. Scanning is optional: 50 free AI scans, then in-app purchases. You can add receipts by hand for free without buying more scans.

Questions and answers

How do I separate personal items on a shared receipt?

Assign each personal item to the person concerned and divide shared groceries among the people who shared them.

What if different people pay for the shopping?

Add each purchase and who paid to the same project. Check the allocations and see who owes whom before paying outside the app.

Do guests need an account to see their share?

No. Guests can view a shared link without an account. The link is view-only. To join the project and edit, they install SplitSlip and sign in.

Does SplitSlip send the money?

No. SplitSlip shows who owes whom. You pay each other outside the app.

Do I have to scan receipts?

No. Core features and manual entry are free. Optional scanning includes 50 free AI scans, then in-app purchases.

Try it for your next shared purchase

Add an expense by hand for free, or scan the receipt, then share the guest link. Pay each other outside the app.

Related guides

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