5 Low-Key Genius Ways To Split Costs With Your Besties

Let me scream it from the rooftops: Talking about money doesn’t have to be awkward. Setting clear expectations around spending — before anyone’s debating who owes what for mozzarella sticks — is one of the easiest ways to avoid drama. In theory, if everyone’s on the same page, there can’t be any surprise fights… right?

Of course, theory doesn’t always match real life. Whether you’re living with roommates, traveling with a group, or constantly splitting dinner with your besties, it takes some finesse to get the money stuff right.

Luckily, young people have discovered some genuinely brilliant hacks. Below, five people share how they handle splitting costs in ways that save time, cut stress, and keep the good vibes going.

“We subtract the alcohol from my portion. It’s only fair.”

Ordering rounds of $18 espresso martinis is fun — unless you’re not drinking. All that alcohol adds up fast.

“Since I don’t drink, I have friends just remove the alcohol from my portion of the bill,” says Alexa, 30. If her pals are grabbing lower-priced items like ice cream or coffee, they just pay separately, or someone will cover the entire tab, and then another friend buys a round of something right after.

Sometimes, paying for small things separately can be easier than keeping track of every tiny cost.

“Splitwise saves us from Venmo drama (and math).”

If your Venmo history looks more chaotic than your camera roll, you’re not alone. For Lauren, 29, the solution was ditching it altogether.

“My friends and I swear by Splitwise,” she says. “It’s the easiest way to keep track of who owes what without Venmo math or the whole 'wait, didn’t I get this last time?' thing. We just throw what we paid for in the app, and it tracks it.” Since she regularly goes out with the same group of friends, they check their Splitwise balance and settle up at the end of each month.

Bonus: “It also cuts out sending money back and forth, which is a major plus.”

“We created a 3-year payment plan.”

Roommate income gaps can make rent-splitting tricky. For one 24-year-old reader, Jamie*, the solution was long-term planning. “Setting goals upfront ensures there’s no confusion later on, and no hard feelings,” she says.

“I make more than my BFF/roommate, Sarah*, so I took on the initial move-in/deposit/broker fees and additional rent expense for a two-bedroom,” Jamie says.

Since they planned to live together for a few years, they came up with a year-by-year rent plan:

• Year 1: Jamie pays $1865 / Sarah pays $1500.
• Year 2: Jamie pays $1800 / Sarah pays $1650.
• Year 3: Jamie pays $1733 / Sarah pays $1733.

*Names changed for privacy.

“Outsource bill-splitting to AI.”

Some friends are skipping the awkward “who had what?” convo completely, thanks to an app that scans the bill and does the math for you.

​​Kaili, 25, says her friends put her on an app called Tab, which allows you to take a picture of the bill with one person’s phone that is then passed around. From there, everyone clicks on what they ordered. “You can even split a meal or appetizer x amount of ways,” says Kaili. “At the end, it tells everyone the tip and tax they should contribute based on what they got.” Tab connects to each user’s Venmo account and adds and removes money according to who paid the bill and what each person owed.

“Apple Pay is way faster than Venmo.”

Venmo delays got you down? Kaili says she’s all about Apple Cash now.

“I’ve just started getting into sending people Apple Cash when I want to cover their coffee or sweet treat,” says Kaili. “It’s more instant than Venmoing someone,” where they might have to wait a few days to see the cash in their account.