Mess Meal Calculator: Meal Rate and Balances

How a mess meal account works

1. Meal rate = total bazar cost for the month ÷ everyone’s total meals
2. A member’s cost = their meals × meal rate + their share of fixed costs (cook, gas, internet, split equally)
3. Balance = deposit − cost. Positive means they get money back; negative means they owe.

A deposit is everything a member paid into the mess, including bazar they did themselves. All the balances add up to total deposits − total costs: the cash left with the manager, or the shortfall.

Example: a mess of 4

The month’s bazar cost ৳7,200 and everyone ate 180 meals in total, so the meal rate is 7,200 ÷ 180 = ৳40. The cook and gas come to ৳2,000 of fixed costs, ৳500 each.

Rahim’s cost: 60 × ৳40 = ৳2,400, plus ৳500 = ৳2,900; he deposited ৳3,000, so he gets ৳100 back. Deposits total ৳9,000 and costs ৳9,200, so the mess is ৳200 short: Jamal’s ৳500 minus the ৳300 owed to Rahim and Karim.

A few rules that prevent arguments

• Write down meals every day, in a notebook or the mess group; counting from memory at month end goes wrong.
• Add a guest’s meals to the member who brought them. Half meals can be counted as 0.5.
• Keep receipts for bazar members did themselves, and count it both in the bazar total and in their deposit.
• Agree at the start of the month how fixed costs are split (equally, or by meals).
• At month end, copy the result text and share it in the mess group. For percentages, use the Percentage Calculator; for the mess’s electricity bill, the Electricity Bill Calculator.

How to use the calculator

1. Enter this month’s total bazar cost.
2. Enter fixed costs to split equally, or leave the box blank.
3. Enter each member’s name (optional), meals and deposit; select Add member if you need more rows.
4. Select Calculate meals to see the meal rate, each member’s cost and balance, and the cash with the manager.

Everything is worked out on your phone; names and amounts are never sent anywhere.