How to Track Shared Expenses and Money People Owe You

When you pay for something shared — dinner for two, a group trip, a bill you’ll be reimbursed for — only your share should count against your budget. In Brim, you handle this with two simple tools: log only your portion of a split, and use a tag to track money you’re owed so you can clear it when it comes back. There’s no full Splitwise-style split feature yet, but these approaches keep your left-to-spend number accurate today.

How do I log a shared expense so it doesn’t inflate my spending?

If you pay €40 for a dinner you’re splitting in half, you don’t want the full €40 hitting your food budget — only your €20 does. Two ways to handle it:

1. Divide before you save. Use the built-in calculator when entering the amount: type 40 ÷ 2 and save €20. Quick and exact, even when the split isn’t 50/50.
2. Automate it with a Shortcut. You can build an iOS Shortcut that takes the full amount, divides it, and logs your share into Brim — handy if you split things often.

Either way, your budget only ever sees what you actually spent.

How do I track money someone owes me?

When you cover the whole bill and expect to be paid back, the full amount leaves your account — but it’s not really an expense, it’s a loan. Use a tag for it:

1. Log the transaction and add a tag like owed or reimburse-me.
2. Later, filter your transactions by that tag to see everything you’re still waiting on.
3. When you get paid back, delete the transaction (or log the repayment) so it stops counting.

This keeps “money I’m owed” visible without needing a separate debt feature — and it’s exactly the workflow Brim is designed around: a few flexible tags instead of lots of special-purpose screens.

Why doesn’t Brim have a dedicated “debts” or “split” section?

Because every extra screen is a tax on simplicity. The goal is an app that stays calm and fast — powerful through a few flexible tools (tags, accounts, transfers) rather than a menu for every scenario. Tags cover lending and reimbursements; the calculator and Shortcuts cover splits. A richer shared-expense flow is on the radar, but not at the cost of the app feeling heavy.

What about money I owe other people?

The mirror of the same trick: log what you owe and tag it (e.g. i-owe), so you can see your outstanding debts in one filtered view and clear them as you pay them off.

Frequently asked questions

Can two people share one budget in the app? Not yet — Brim is single-user today, with shared/family budgeting being a frequently requested feature for the future. For now, the split-and-tag approach handles most couples’ day-to-day shared spending.

Will the tag method mess up my category totals? No — tags sit alongside categories. A reimbursable dinner can be tagged owed and still live in your Food category; filtering by the tag just lets you find it again.

What’s the fastest way to split on the spot? Open a new transaction (a double-tap is quickest), type the full amount, divide by the number of people with the calculator, and save your share.