Start a household

A household is up to 6 people on one Family plan, sharing a meal plan, a grocery list and the recipes they choose. Naming it takes a minute.

Start a household#

You need the Family plan, and you only do this once. Invited to someone else’s household instead? See what an invited person sees.

1. 1

   Open Household

   On a computer, click your name at the top right, then Household. On a phone, tap More, the last of the five buttons in the bottom bar, then Household.

   

   

   You'll see: The page is called Your household, with a card that says Name your household.

2. 2

   Type a name in the box on the card

   The box shows a grey example name until you type. Use something your family will recognise, such as The Rivera Kitchen. If you leave it empty, the household is called My Family. You can change it later.

   

   You'll see: The name shows at the top of the Household page, the Plan page and the Grocery list.

3. 3

   Press Create household

   Next, invite the people you cook with.

   

   You'll see: A Household created message pops up. The page now shows your household with you as the only person in it: 1 of 6 seats used.

What a household is#

• The person who pays for the Family plan is the owner. The household holds up to 6 people, counting the owner, and an invitation nobody has answered yet holds a seat too.
• Being in it unlocks Pro for each person. The people you invite do not buy a plan of their own.
• You share the household meal plan, the household grocery list, and each recipe you choose to share. See Share recipes, plans and lists.
• You can also decide next week’s dinners together, and see each person’s allergens and first few dislikes. See Vote on next week’s dinners and Set your diet and allergies.

On a Free or Pro account, the Household page offers the Family plan instead. See the Family plan opens the plans page; see Start a free trial or upgrade. The card promises one meal plan, one grocery list, and the recipes you choose to share.

Seats and who’s in#

The Seats card shows a row of 6 circles. A green tick is a person who has joined. A clock is an invitation waiting for an answer. An empty circle is a free seat.

Under Who’s in, each person has a coloured ring, a role (Owner or Member) and how many meals they put on the shared plan this week. (you) marks your own row. The same colours show up on the Plan page, so you can see who planned what.

Under a person’s name you may see small tags. A red tag is an allergy, a yellow tag is a diet, and a grey tag such as no pea is a food they dislike. They come from that person’s own Settings. You see everyone’s tags, but you can change only your own. See Set your diet and allergies.

Recipes you share#

Once you have shared a recipe, a card called Recipes you share lists each one with a Stop sharing button. It lists only your own shares. Everyone else manages theirs. See Can I stop sharing a recipe? for what each press does.

Dinner, decided together#

Above the seats, the card Dinner, decided together starts a vote on next week’s dinners. Vote on next week opens a round, and while one is open the button reads Go vote. Once the plan for next week is built, the card says Next week’s dinners are planned. See Vote on next week’s dinners for the whole round.

Rename the household#

1. 1

   Click the household name at the top of the page

   Only the owner can do this. Type the new name, then press Enter or click anywhere else to save. Press Escape to keep the old name.

   

   You'll see: The name turns into a box with a ring around it.

Who can do what#

Leave, hand over or close#

Leave a household (members)#

1. 1

   Open Household and press Leave this household

   The button sits at the bottom of the card. Owners do not have it.

   

   You'll see: The button is replaced by a question: Leave The Rivera Kitchen? You’ll lose the shared meal plan and grocery list, and every recipe you shared stops being shared.

2. 2

   Press Leave

   Cancel keeps you in. Once you have left, the Pro features that came with the household end unless you have a plan of your own.

   

   You'll see: A bar says You left the household. with an Undo button for a short while. After that you are out.

Why the owner has no Leave button#

An owner has no Leave this household button. After a hand-over, the person who pays sees You can’t leave — you’re paying for this household instead, with the line You can’t leave while it’s active, and cancelling it ends the household for everyone. Cancelling the plan is the only way out for them. Manage billing in Settings takes you to your plan; see Change or cancel your plan.

On the owner’s side, the person who pays has no Remove button. Their row says Pays for the plan. Whoever pays cannot be removed.

Hand over ownership#

1. 1

   Press Transfer next to the person

   Transfer only shows up for the owner, and only when someone else is in the household.

   

   You'll see: Their row turns into a question: Make Alex Rivera the owner? They’ll be able to invite, remove and rename — you’ll become a regular member.

2. 2

   Press Make owner

   Handing over ownership does not move the subscription. The subscription stays with whoever pays.

   

   You'll see: A message says Alex Rivera now owns this household (with the person’s own name), and the roles in Who’s in swap.

Delete the household#

The option shows up for the owner only when nobody else is in the household. With people in it, remove them first, or hand it over.

1. 1

   Press Delete this household

   The card under the invite box says You’re the only one here. Not ready for a household? You can remove it.

   

   You'll see: The card turns into a question: Delete this household? Everyone loses shared access — this can’t be undone.

2. 2

   Press Delete household

   Cancel keeps it. Deleting cannot be undone.

   

   You'll see: A message says Household deleted and the page goes back to Name your household.

Common questions#

Do the people I invite need their own plan?#

No. They need a RecipeClip account, which is free. While they are in your household they get the Pro features.

Can I be in two households?#

No. You can be in one household at a time. Someone who already belongs to one has to leave it before they can accept another invitation.

What happens if the Family plan ends?#

The household closes when the paying subscription ends, whether it was cancelled or moved down to Pro. Everyone in it loses the shared plan, the shared list and the Pro features that came with it. If you may want to cancel, tell the people in your household first.

Can I stop sharing a recipe?#

Yes. Use Stop sharing on the card Recipes you share, above. See the answer on Share recipes, plans and lists.

I am on the Family plan but I only see a naming box.#

The plan is active and the household is not created yet. Follow Start a household above.