Group Expenses Sheet
When a group of you pay towards something, such as food on holidays or shopping and house expenses, it can get awkward trying to keep track of who owes who what. To get around this, I started using this method of keeping track on a couple of holidays. I've now made this into a spreadsheet for easier use.
A table is drawn up with a column for each person, and a row for each expense. Whoever spent the money puts it down as a positive amount, and the amount is split between whoever used that item and put down as negative. Each row should always total 0, and each column should total 0 when everyone has squared up. When one person has been paying more than other people, their total will be positive. When someone hasn't been paying as much as the rest, their total will be negative. Rather than squaring up regularly, this can be used so the person who is the most negative pays for more stuff. At the end of the holiday, everyone can settle up manually.
Usage
To use the spreadsheet version, download the spreadsheet below. You will get a warning when you open it about macros - they are used to show forms to make entering information easier. Fill in the names of the people involved in the green section. Whenever you want to add something, press the relevant button. For example, if Fred buys the weekly shopping at £20, press "Add Expense". Select Fred as the spender, and tick everyone who will be sharing the food. Enter the amount and description, and it will be added to the sheet. The other scenario is used for lending money, or buying something off another person. In this case, press "Add Payment". Enter the person who the money went from and to, and it will be added.