About Mess Ledger, and the basics of a mess
Last updated · 36 questions
Short answers about what Mess Ledger is and how to use it, followed by plain definitions of the words every Bangladeshi mess uses, from meal off to TrxID.
What is Mess Ledger?
Mess Ledger is a free web app that keeps a shared mess’s accounts: daily meals, bazar, rent and bills, deposits, and the month-end settlement of who owes what. It works out the meal rate as total bazar ÷ total meals and shows each member the lines behind their balance. It runs in any browser at messledger.com, in Bangla or English, with no ads and no paid plan.
What is মেস খাতা, and is it the same as Mess Ledger?
মেস খাতা is the Bangla name of Mess Ledger; they are the same app at messledger.com. The name borrows the word for the notebook (khata) that messes have always kept their accounts in. When you use the app in Bangla, which is the default, it calls itself মেস খাতা and shows numbers in Bengali numerals; switch to English and it reads Mess Ledger.
Is Mess Ledger legit and safe to use?
Yes, Mess Ledger is a real, working app that costs ৳0 and does not sell your data. Passwords are stored bcrypt-hashed, the site runs over HTTPS, and one mess cannot see another mess’s data because the database enforces it. Request logs keep no IP addresses and are deleted after 7 days. You can delete your own account from the More page, and support is at support@messledger.com.
Who is Mess Ledger made for?
Mess Ledger is made for the people who live in a shared mess, students and working bachelors, and especially for whoever is the manager that month. Members record their own meals and see their own balance; managers record bazar, bills and deposits and close the month. It is not built for commercial hostel owners who need seat booking, invoicing and staff payroll.
Why is it called Mess Ledger?
The name says what it is: a ledger, an account book, for a mess. In Bangladesh the mess’s accounts have always lived in a khata, a notebook the manager carries, which is why the Bangla name is মেস খাতা. The app keeps that same book, but every member can read it and the arithmetic is done for them.
What can I do on the messledger.com website?
On messledger.com you can sign up and run your mess’s accounts, use a free meal rate calculator without signing up, and browse or post vacant mess seats, rooms and sublets in the mess finder. There are also guides on calculating the meal rate, month-end settlement and running a mess. Everything on the site is free.
Does Mess Ledger work outside Bangladesh?
Yes, Mess Ledger works anywhere a web browser and an internet connection do, but it is built for Bangladesh. Each mess sets its own timezone and month start day and the meal rate works the same in any currency. The defaults, the Bangla interface, and payment methods like bKash, Nagad and Rocket are designed around how messes run in Bangladesh.
Can students in India use Mess Ledger for a mess or shared flat?
Yes, a shared flat or mess in India can use Mess Ledger, since it runs in any browser and the arithmetic of meals and shared costs is the same in any country. The Bangla interface suits messes in Kolkata and West Bengal, and English is there for everyone else. The idea is the same anywhere: record meals and groceries, and it splits the food bill by meals eaten.
Is there a Mess Ledger app for Android?
Mess Ledger is not on the Play Store; it runs in Chrome or any other browser on your Android phone, with nothing to install. Open messledger.com, sign in, and choose “Add to home screen” from the browser menu. It then gets its own icon and opens like an app. It does need an internet connection.
Can I use Mess Ledger on an iPhone?
Yes, Mess Ledger works on an iPhone in Safari or any other browser, with no App Store download. Open messledger.com, tap the Share button, and choose “Add to Home Screen” to get an icon that opens it like an app. Your data lives in your account, so the same mess shows up on your phone and your laptop.
What is a mess management system?
A mess management system is any method a shared mess uses to record meals, groceries, rent and bills, and to work out each member’s share at the end of the month. It can be a paper khata, a spreadsheet, or an app. A good one splits food by meals eaten, splits fixed costs separately, records deposits, and lets every member check the numbers behind their own balance.
What is a meal management system?
A meal management system is the part of running a mess that counts who ate how many meals each day, so the food bill can be split fairly. It records each member’s breakfast, lunch and dinner, meal offs and guest meals, then divides the month’s bazar by total meals to get the meal rate. In Mess Ledger members record their own meals, and a standing meal plan fills the days they do not touch.
What is a bachelor mess?
A bachelor mess is a rented flat or set of rooms where unmarried students or working men (or women) live together and share the rent and one kitchen. Each person pays for a seat or a room, food is bought together, and the food bill is split by how many meals each person ate. It is the most common way young people from outside live in Dhaka and other cities.
What does “meal” mean in a mess?
In a mess, a meal is one counted portion of food a member ate, and it is the unit the food bill is divided by. Lunch and dinner usually count as 1 meal each, and many messes count breakfast as half a meal (0.5). If a member ate 2 meals a day for 30 days, they have 60 meals that month, and they pay 60 × the meal rate.
What does “meal off” mean?
Meal off means telling the manager you will not eat a particular meal, so it is not cooked for you or counted against you. Most messes want it the night before so the bazar and cook can plan. In Mess Ledger you set that meal to 0 yourself, mark a date range as away to zero a trip, and the manager can set a cutoff time after which a day is locked.
What is a mess khata?
A mess khata is the notebook a mess keeps its accounts in: each member’s daily meals, every bazar and its cost, rent and bills, and the money each person has paid. At month end the manager adds it up to find the meal rate and each member’s balance. The weakness is that one person holds it and the others have to take the totals on trust.
What does “bazar” mean in a mess?
Bazar means the grocery shopping for the mess kitchen, and also the money spent on it. Rice, fish, vegetables, oil and spices bought for everyone are bazar, and the month’s total bazar is divided by total meals to get the meal rate. Rent, electricity and the cook’s salary are not bazar; they are fixed costs split separately.
What is a meal chart in a mess?
A meal chart is a grid with members down one side and the days of the month across the top, where each box holds how many meals that person ate that day. Adding up a row gives one member’s meals; adding up all rows gives the mess’s total meals. Some people also use “meal chart” for the weekly menu of what gets cooked each day.
What does a mess manager do?
A mess manager is the member who keeps the accounts and runs the kitchen for a month: counting meals, organising bazar, collecting deposits, paying rent and bills, and doing the month-end settlement. Many messes rotate the job every month. In Mess Ledger whoever creates the mess becomes its manager, and a mess can have several managers.
What is the difference between a mess and a sublet?
A mess is a flat shared by several tenants who run it themselves and split the rent and food, while a sublet is a room you rent inside a family’s flat. In a sublet you pay rent to the family and usually handle your own meals. In a mess you share a kitchen, follow rules the members agree on, and pay your meals × the meal rate.
What is the difference between a mess, a hostel and a PG?
A mess is run by its own members, a hostel is run by an owner or institution, and a PG (paying guest, common in India) is a room in an owner’s house, usually with meals included. In a hostel or PG you pay a fixed charge set by the owner. In a mess nobody profits from the kitchen: the members buy food themselves and split the actual cost by meals eaten.
What is a dining manager?
A dining manager is the student who runs the shared dining in a university hall or a large mess for a set period, often a month. They buy the bazar, track how many meals each boarder takes, collect money, and settle the accounts when their term ends. The job is the same as a mess manager’s, just for more people.
What does “mess member” mean?
A mess member is anyone who lives in the mess and shares its costs: they pay a share of rent and bills and pay for the meals they eat. Members usually take turns at bazar duty and pay a deposit at the start of the month. In Mess Ledger a member records their own meals and sees their own statement, while a manager can record for everyone.
What is a guest meal in a mess?
A guest meal is a meal eaten by a member’s visitor, counted on the member who brought them. If you ate 50 meals and your cousin ate 2 with you, you are charged for 52; at a meal rate of ৳40 that is ৳2,080. In Mess Ledger the host adds the guest’s meals to their own count for that day, so the meal rate stays fair for everyone.
Who is the khala or bua in a mess, and how is she paid?
The khala or bua is the cook a mess hires, usually paid a fixed monthly salary to cook and sometimes clean. Her salary is not bazar, so it does not go into the meal rate; it is a fixed cost shared among members, usually equally. For example, a ৳6,000 salary in an 8-member mess is ৳750 each. In Mess Ledger it is entered as a cook or maid cost and can be set up to repeat every month.
What is a TrxID?
A TrxID is the transaction ID that bKash, Nagad or Rocket gives you for every payment, a short code shown in the app and in the confirmation SMS. Messes ask for it as proof that a deposit was really sent. In Mess Ledger a member can report “I paid” with the TrxID; it stays pending and counts for nothing until a manager checks and approves it.
What is the meal rate in a mess?
The meal rate is what one meal cost the mess this month: total bazar ÷ total meals. If the mess spent ৳12,000 on bazar and everyone together ate 300 meals, the rate is ৳40, and a member with 60 meals owes ৳2,400 for food. Mess Ledger has a free meal rate calculator at messledger.com/meal-rate-calculator that needs no signup.
What problems does a mess management app solve?
A mess app solves the month-end arguments: forgotten meals, missing bazar receipts, deposits nobody remembers, and a khata only the manager can read. Every entry is recorded when it happens and every member can check their own lines. In Mess Ledger receipts can be photographed, bKash deposits carry a TrxID, an activity log shows who changed what, and a closed month is locked.
Is Mess Ledger completely free?
Yes, Mess Ledger is free: ৳0, with no paid plan, no ads, no member limit and no limit on edits. Every month you record is kept as long as the mess exists. The PDF and CSV exports, receipt photos and the mess finder are included at no cost.
Is Mess Ledger available in Bangla?
Yes, Mess Ledger is in Bangla by default, with Bengali numerals, and you can switch to English at any time. You can also choose a light, dark or glass theme and a font.
Does Mess Ledger work without internet?
No, Mess Ledger needs an internet connection; it has no offline mode. That is also what keeps every member’s phone showing the same numbers, since each entry goes straight to the mess’s shared account. Mobile data is enough, and if you are offline for a day you can record the missed meals when you are back, before any meal cutoff locks them.
What is a meal cutoff time in a mess?
A meal cutoff is the deadline after which you can no longer turn a meal on or off for that day, for example 10 PM the night before. It exists so the manager and cook know how much to buy and make. In Mess Ledger a manager can set the cutoff to the evening before, a time on the day, or end of day; after it, only a manager can change that day, and the change is logged.
What is bazar duty in a mess?
Bazar duty is the turn each member takes to do the mess’s grocery shopping, usually for a few days or a week at a time. A rota decides whose turn it is so the work is shared. Mess Ledger has a bazar duty rota with a start date, turn length and order, and it shows today’s shopper and the next fortnight.
What is a deposit or advance in a mess?
A deposit (joma or advance) is the money each member pays into the mess fund at the start of the month to cover bazar and bills before the final total is known. At month end it is set against what they were charged: pay ৳3,000, get charged ৳2,700, and ৳300 comes back. In Mess Ledger deposits are recorded with the method, such as bKash or cash, and the TrxID.
What are seat rent and service charge in a mess?
Seat rent is what you pay for your bed or room in the mess, and service charge is a fixed monthly amount some messes add for the cook, cleaning and utilities. Both are fixed costs, separate from food. A single room often costs more than a seat in a shared room, and some messes count it as two shares when the rent is divided.
How do I find a vacant mess seat on messledger.com?
Go to messledger.com/finder, where vacant mess seats, rooms and sublets are listed for free, and filter by room type, who it is for and maximum rent. There are area pages for places like Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Uttara and Farmgate. Each listing shows the rent and costs, requirements, photos and a phone number to call; browsing needs no account.
Have this done for you every month
Mess Ledger keeps the daily meals and grocery runs, then works this out for everyone at month end.
More questions, by topic
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- Rent and bills in a mess
- Month-end mess settlement questions
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- Being the mess manager: questions and answers
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- Hostel, hall dining and student budget questions
- Finding a mess seat or room
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- Getting started with Mess Ledger
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