Split cleaning supplies and toilet paper with roommates

Which supplies do roommates split?

Split the things that run out and that everyone uses: toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, trash bags, sponges and all-purpose cleaner. Supplies for the kitchen, the shared bathroom and the living room are split. A private bathroom’s supplies stay with the person who uses it. What expenses roommates should split gives a default for twelve kinds of cost, and this page takes only the supplies.

Which system works best?

There are three. All of them cost each person the same over time, so the choice is about who has to remember. The numbers below use four roommates and four months of baskets that total $208, which is $52 a month on average.

• A monthly house kitty. Everyone pays the same amount on the same day, and one person buys. A $52 basket among four is $13 each. If one person is away all month and is left out, three share it. $52.00 ÷ 3 does not divide evenly, so the shares are $17.34, $17.33 and $17.33, and the remainder cent is shared out so the total stays exactly $52.00.
• A rotating buyer. Each month a different person buys. It is fair only if a log shows who bought what. Say the four baskets cost $41, $58, $47 and $62, which is $208, so the fair share is $52 each. The $41 buyer owes $11 and the $47 buyer owes $5. The $58 buyer is owed $6 and the $62 buyer is owed $10. Without a log, each person remembers buying more than they did.
• Every receipt, split equally. Whoever buys something logs the receipt and splits it among everyone. Three receipts in a month of $14.60, $9.85 and $11.30 total $35.75, which is about $8.94 each for four people.

System	Who buys	Needs a log	Each person after 4 months
House kitty	One person, from the pot	No, the top-up is the record	$52
Rotating buyer	Whoever’s turn it is	Yes	$52 after settling up
Every receipt	Whoever notices a low supply	Yes	$52

A bulk buy changes the timing and nothing else. A $48 pack that lasts 3 months is $12 each for four people if you pay once, or $4 each a month if you treat it as $16 a month.

What do you do about a roommate who never buys toilet paper?

Stop relying on buying, and rely on paying. A kitty takes the shopping out of it, because the roommate pays $13 on the same day as everyone else, whether or not they remembered to go to the store.

1. Check that it is a pattern. Count the last few times. “I have bought it the last four times” is a fact, and it keeps the talk calm.
2. Raise it with a number and an offer. Try: “I have bought the toilet paper the last four times. Can we each put $13 a month into a supplies pot, and I will buy and post the receipts?” If they prefer turns, add: “Or we buy in turns, and I will keep a list of who bought what.”
3. Choose the system together and put the day each month in a message everyone answers.
4. Treat a missed payment like any other shared bill. If it still does not come, what to do when a roommate stops paying covers the next steps.

How do you track supplies in EvenOut?

Use your “Household” group, the type labelled “Rent and bills”.

1. Add the expense. Tap “Add expense”, type the amount, write “Supplies” under “What was this for?” and pick the category “Home” or “General”. EvenOut guesses the category from the description, with no AI involved.
2. Keep the split on “Split equally”. For a roommate who is away, tap their name to leave them out. They show as “Not in” and the others’ shares recalculate, so $52 among three is $17.34, $17.33 and $17.33.
3. Make the kitty repeat. Behind “Photo, repeat, pending or note”, set “Repeat” to “Monthly”. The sheet reads “Next one” with the date and “EvenOut adds it for you”. The expense you save is the first top-up. Each later one is added as a normal expense with the same payer and split, around 9:00 in your time zone. Setting up a repeat needs a connection.
4. Enter several receipts in a row with “Save & add another”.
5. Send a nudge when someone is late. Tap “remind” on the row where they owe you, then share a message or send an email through EvenOut. Only one reminder per person goes out in a day, and it is not a push notification.

For the grocery side of the same household, see how to split groceries with roommates. The roommate expense tracker template is a printable log for the rotating buyer system, and how to split household bills covers the rest of the monthly costs.

What should you agree first?

Pick one system and one amount, and write the payment day in a message everyone answers. A kitty of $13 each on the 1st is a one-line agreement. If the pot runs short or builds up, change the amount at the next lease renewal.