How to manage shared expenses with friends without the hassle

Who hasn’t been in this situation? The night was great, but two weeks later someone is still waiting to be paid back, nobody knows exactly how much they owe, and the subject becomes awkward to bring up.

Managing shared expenses with friends doesn’t have to be complicated — as long as you use the right method from the start.

Why it always becomes a mess without organisation

Most groups manage expenses through messages: "How much did you pay for the restaurant?", "You still haven’t paid me back for the tickets"… The result: impossible-to-find WhatsApp threads, accidental omissions and sometimes tension.

The problem isn’t bad intentions — it’s the lack of one central place to keep track of everything.

Method 1: collect the money in advance

For planned events (weekends, birthdays, trips), collecting the money in advance is by far the cleanest method. Everyone pays their share before the event, one person handles the payments, and everyone starts off square.

How to do it:

1. Estimate the total budget for the event.
2. Divide it by the number of participants.
3. Create a fund on Togezer directly within the event.
4. Everyone contributes at their own pace — you can see in real time who has paid.
5. The organiser uses the fund to cover expenses as they arise.

Benefit: no reimbursements to sort out afterwards.

Method 2: split the costs afterwards

If different people have paid for different expenses, you need to work out who owes what to whom.

Togezer automatically calculates balances between friends over the last 90 days and simplifies debts — instead of 12 crossed payments, you may only need 3 or 4.

Golden rule: settle things that evening or the next day, not 3 weeks later.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Letting one person pay for everything without keeping track.
• Mixing expenses from several different events.
• Forgetting small costs (parking, tips, coffee) that add up.
• Not making it clear whether a meal is "the organiser’s treat" or should be shared.

Recommended tool

Togezer builds expense management directly into event organisation. No need for a separate app — everything is in one place.

Download Togezer for free