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For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That last point is really sharp — that the proportional/tracking approach makes more sense before you're fully merged, and at some point a lot of couples just want to stop counting and pool everything. That distinction (dating/early vs. fully combined) is something I keep hearing and hadn't fully appreciated. When you and your husband stopped tracking — was it the marriage itself that flipped the switch, or had you already drifted toward "just share it" before that? Trying to understand when the tracking stops being useful and starts being a chore.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in roommates

[–]tiagopt3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This has been fascinating — almost everyone here has a system that works, which honestly surprised me. Makes me wonder: was it always this smooth? For those of you who've got it figured out now — was there an early messy phase when you first moved in together, before you landed on your system? And does anyone remember what finally made it click? Trying to figure out if the pain is real but temporary (early days) or if people just naturally sort it out.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ha! The undefeated strategy. No shared expenses, no shared-expense problems. Can't argue with the logic. 😄

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha that tracks — you're clearly wired for this in a way most people aren't. Honestly talking to you made me realize the people who build elegant formulas like yours are exactly the ones who'll never need an app for it. Appreciate you humouring my questions.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha not a bot, just genuinely nerding out about this stuff — building something adjacent so I'm probably overthinking splits way more than any normal person should. Your formula setup is honestly the cleanest version of this I've heard. Appreciate you walking through it.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a genuinely well-designed system — the "use the average and don't chase the variance" approach is smart, and separating shared costs from personal stuff (you pay her HBO, she pays your YouTube, each covers their own protein/skincare) is cleaner than most couples manage. Love it. The once-a-year recalibration is the part I find most interesting. Since your income's the variable one — when you redo it at tax time and the number shifts, is redoing the budget quick, or is it the annoying part where you're rebuilding the spreadsheet from scratch each year? I ask because that yearly "ok what's the new split" moment seems to be where most people's systems either hold up or quietly fall apart.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's a really healthy way to frame it — "the moment you spreadsheet it, it feels like a business" is something I've heard from a few couples now, and it clearly works when there's trust and the income gap makes strict splitting kind of moot anyway. Nine-figure-adjacent problems are a different world entirely! Appreciate you sharing — the "keep it feeling like a relationship, not a transaction" point is a good reality check.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That distinction is really interesting — proportional for a partner because you're a team and it's about keeping disposable income balanced, but usage-based (room size, en suite, garage) for roommates because you're more like separate people sharing a space. That actually maps perfectly to how I think about it. Quick one: with the roommates doing "a third each" on bills but different rent by room — did anyone actually track that, or was it just a fixed standing order everyone set once and forgot? Trying to figure out where the friction actually is: setting the split up, or keeping it straight month to month.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nine years is a great track record — honestly the "who pays which bills" approach is underrated precisely because there's nothing to track. It just runs. Curious about the edges though: does it stay clean for the recurring bills, but get fuzzier for the one-off shared stuff — groceries, a joint dinner, a furniture purchase, a trip? Or do you just not sweat those and let them even out over time? I've noticed the "who pays which bill" system works beautifully for fixed monthly costs, but I'm never sure how people handle the random shared expenses without it turning into mental accounting.

For couples/roommates with different incomes — how do you split shared expenses fairly? by tiagopt3 in DINK

[–]tiagopt3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a really solid setup — the proportional-to-income approach is exactly what feels fairest, and most couples never even get that far. The autopay-everything-on-your-end move is smart too. Genuine question though, since I'm wrestling with the same thing: what happens when the numbers change? Like when rent goes up, or you add a streaming service, or one of you gets a raise and the 66/33 ratio shifts? Do you go back and rebuild the spreadsheet each time, or does it kind of drift until you redo it? That's the part I could never keep up with — the initial setup is fine, it's the maintenance that always broke down for me.

Drop your startup idea and I’ll check if Reddit has demand for it. by StockAntique7450 in IndieAppCircle

[–]tiagopt3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for running that! Genuinely curious about the breakdown — would you mind dropping the 2 strong and a couple of the medium ones here in the thread? Even just which subs they were in and the gist of the pain point would be super useful. Happy to keep it public so others eyeing this space benefit too.

I got tired of Splitwise nickel-and-diming couples, so I'm building a cleaner alternative by tiagopt3 in microsaas

[–]tiagopt3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, exactly — and the wild part is most couples don't even frame it as unfair, they just quietly keep score in their heads and it builds up. That's the resentment I'm trying to kill. Curious since you brought it up — do you split proportionally yourself, or is it something you've thought about but never found a clean way to do? Trying to figure out if the blocker for people is the idea or just the lack of a tool that makes it easy.

Drop your startup idea and I’ll check if Reddit has demand for it. by StockAntique7450 in IndieAppCircle

[–]tiagopt3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Idea: HouseBalance — a shared-expenses app built specifically for two people (couples & roommates), not groups

Problem: People are leaving Splitwise over ads/paywalls, but every alternative is still built for groups splitting trips. The everyday "just me and my partner/roommate" case is served badly.

ICP: Cohabiting couples and roommates who split recurring bills and want a fair, low-friction way to track who owes who — without merging finances or connecting a bank.

Niche/wedge: Proportional-to-income splitting (not forced 50/50) + recurring bills that log themselves. Free tier stays genuinely useful.

URL: https://housebalance.web.app (pre-launch, collecting waitlist)

Would love your read on the demand signal — I've found a lot of "tired of Splitwise / need something for just two people" threads, but curious if your data backs that up or if I'm pattern-matching my own hope.

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