Cash and receipts: tracking household expenses without a notebook
Your housekeeper buys groceries, the driver fills the car, the gardener picks up a new hose. Each purchase is small and reasonable. Three weeks later nobody remembers who paid for what, the notebook is missing a page, and a simple question turns into an awkward conversation.
The fix is not more control. It is a routine that takes seconds at the moment of purchase and minutes at the end of the week.
1. Record each amount you hand over
Hand over a fixed amount for household expenses — for example, enough for a week of groceries — and record it: who received it, how much, in which currency, on what date. Everyone now knows the starting point.
2. One purchase, one record, same day
- The person who paid records the amount, what it was for and which home it belongs to.
- A photo of the receipt goes with it. A saved photo makes the receipt easier to find if the paper fades or goes missing.
- Same day is the rule. By Friday, Monday's receipt is already a guess.
3. Know what is left
Use the records to calculate the expected balance, including funds received, recorded expenses and money returned. Compare it with the amount actually held and resolve any difference together. When it runs low, top it up and record the new amount.
4. Reconcile weekly
Once a week, look through the records: anything unusual, anything without a receipt, anything that belongs to a different home. Ask about it while everyone still remembers. Ten minutes a week beats an evening at the end of the season.
5. Several homes, several currencies
If you have a flat in London and a villa in Spain, keep each expense in the currency it was paid in and look at the totals in yours. Converting each receipt manually increases the risk of errors.
6. Keep wages separate
Money for household spending is not pay. Keep wages, bonuses and wage advances as their own records, so neither side mixes up “money for the house” with “money for me”. See how to pay a nanny or housekeeper.
This guide is about keeping track of household spending. Tax, payroll and employment rules for household staff depend on your country — check the local rules or ask an adviser.
In Domiq, you record the expense funds you have given to a staff member, and they confirm receipt. Staff add expenses with a receipt photo on their phones, in English, Spanish or Russian. Once synced, you see each expense and the balance each person holds according to the records, in the currency you choose. Expense records and receipt photos are available on the free plan for up to 2 staff and 1 property. Managing more properties requires a suitable paid plan.