# Roommate grocery list template with shared staples

Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/templates/roommate-grocery-list-template
Updated: 2026-10-06

A roommate grocery list has two parts. Part 1 lists the shared staples with the item, size, who buys this round, price and last bought date. Part 2 lists each person's own items, which are never split. At month end, each person's net is what they paid minus an equal share. On $64.00 of staples among 4 people, the share is $16.00.

Key points:
- Part 1 holds shared staples: item, size, who buys this round, price and last bought. Part 2 holds personal items, and those are never split.
- A rule of thumb for shared: if most people in the house use it most weeks, it goes on Part 1. Everything else goes on Part 2.
- On $64.00 of staples among 4 roommates, each share is $16.00. If A paid $40.00 and B paid $24.00, A is owed $24.00, B is owed $8.00, and C and D each owe $16.00.
- In EvenOut, log a staples run as Groceries, leave it on Split equally, and tap a roommate who skipped the trip to mark them Not in.

## How to use this template

Print one sheet a month and stick it on the fridge, or copy the tables into a spreadsheet. Part 1 is the shared shopping list. Part 2 is where each person writes what is theirs alone. The tally at the end turns the prices into who owes whom.

1. **Decide what counts as shared.** A workable rule of thumb: if most people in the house use it most weeks, it is shared. Milk, eggs and cooking oil usually pass. A protein powder only one person uses does not, so it goes on Part 2.
2. **Fill in Part 1 together.** Write the size you buy next to each item, such as "1 gallon" or "12 eggs", so nobody comes home with a different pack.
3. **Name a buyer for each round.** Give the next round to whoever has paid the least this month.
4. **Write the price and the date on shopping day.** "Last bought" tells the next shopper what is probably still in the cupboard.
5. **Keep Part 2 out of the tally.** Personal items are never split. Ring them up separately at the till when you can.
6. **Run the tally on a fixed day,** such as the 1st.

A starter list of staples, offered as a suggestion only: milk, eggs, bread, butter, cooking oil, rice, pasta, coffee, salt and pepper. Cut and add until it matches how your house eats.

## The template

### Part 1: shared staples

| Item | Size | Who buys this round | Price | Last bought |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |

### Part 2: personal items (never split)

| Roommate | Personal items | Shelf or label |
|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |

### Month-end tally

| Roommate | Paid for shared items | Fair share | Net (paid minus share) |
|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |

## A worked tally for four roommates

Say A, B, C and D log these shared staples in October. The figures are an example of the arithmetic, not a guide to what groceries cost. A bought $40.00 across two runs, B bought $24.00 in one, and C and D bought none. The total is $64.00.

1. **Fair share.** $64.00 divided by 4 is $16.00 each.
2. **Net.** What each person paid, minus $16.00.

| Roommate | Paid | Fair share | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | $40.00 | $16.00 | Owed $24.00 |
| B | $24.00 | $16.00 | Owed $8.00 |
| C | $0.00 | $16.00 | Owes $16.00 |
| D | $0.00 | $16.00 | Owes $16.00 |

The two people who are owed total $32.00 ($24.00 plus $8.00), and the two who owe total $32.00. If those totals differ, a price or a name is wrong. Three payments settle it: C pays A $16.00, D pays A $8.00, and D pays B $8.00. Then A has received $24.00 and B $8.00. Next month, C and D buy first.

## What to agree on

### What goes on Part 1

Keep Part 1 short. A roommate who never touches an item should not be asked to pay for it, so anything one or two people use belongs on Part 2. The [guide to splitting groceries with roommates](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-split-groceries-with-roommates) compares five systems if a list and a tally are more than your house wants. Soap, sponges and toilet paper come off a different shelf, so give them their own tally, as in [splitting cleaning supplies and toilet paper](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/split-cleaning-supplies-and-toilet-paper-with-roommates).

### Who shops, and who fronts the money

The buyer pays at the till and writes the price on Part 1 the same day. A price remembered at month end tends to be a guess. If one person ends up buying most rounds, settle early instead of waiting for month end. A receipt that mixes shared and personal items can be checked in the [grocery bill split calculator](https://www.evenoutapp.com/tools/grocery-bill-split-calculator).

### The same list in EvenOut

The sheet works the same way in an EvenOut group. Make a "Household" group, add the roommates and enter each staples run as an expense. Type "Groceries" in "What was this for?" and EvenOut guesses the Groceries category from the description. Leave the split on "Split equally". If a roommate skipped the trip, tap their name on the equal split to mark them "Not in", and their share is dropped. Two receipts from one trip go in with "Save & add another".

For a mixed basket, choose "By item": one line for the shared goods with everyone picked, and one line for each person's own items with only them picked. The lines must add up to the receipt total. As expenses go in, EvenOut shows you your balance with each roommate, so the month-end sums are already done. It records payments and does not move money, so roommates still pay each other the way they normally do. Rent, internet and electric do not belong on a grocery list. Put them on a [household bills spreadsheet](https://www.evenoutapp.com/templates/household-bills-tracker), and use the [roommate expense tracker](https://www.evenoutapp.com/templates/roommate-expense-tracker-template) when you want one ledger for everything the house buys.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do you rotate who buys the staples?

Write the buyer's name in the 'Who buys this round' column and give the next round to whoever has paid the least so far this month. In the worked example C and D paid nothing, so one of them buys next. A rotation keeps the paid column close to even, so fewer payments are needed at month end.

### What if one roommate is away for the month?

Leave them out of the staples they did not use. If D is away, $64.00 of staples among the other 3 comes to $21.33, $21.33 and $21.34, which adds up to $64.00 exactly. Agree beforehand how long an absence has to be before someone drops out, such as a full week.

### What do you do with one receipt that has shared and personal items?

Ring the personal items up as their own purchase at the till, and enter only the shared receipt. If that is not possible, take the personal items off first. A $92.00 receipt with $12.00 of A's items leaves $80.00 of shared items, which is $20.00 each among 4 people, and A pays $12.00 more for their own.