'The $10 hack that ended our group holiday money drama for good.'

If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE.

It was the end of the girls' trip, and Kim Brindell was sitting around the breakfast table, doing everyone's least favourite holiday task: working out who owed what.

Kim and five of her best friends had just spent a few blissful days in Tasmania together, drinking wine, eating incredible food and soaking up each other's company.

But now, between bites of smashed avocado and sips of coffee, came the dreaded financial roundup.

The women leaned over their phones as they tried to untangle who had paid for dinner, who had covered the Uber and whether the rounds of drinks evened out.

"One of the girls just joked, it would be good if we had a shared account," Kim told Mamamia.

"We laughed but then realised it would be iconic."

By the time they'd finished breakfast, they'd set one up.

Watch Kim talk about her shared bank account. Post continues below.

The rules were simple: everyone would set up a direct debit to contribute a set amount each week to the group bank account. The money would cover flights and accommodation, with any leftovers funding holiday meals and experiences.

"One of our friends was on mat leave, so the key to it was accessibility," Kim explained.

With some women between jobs and others juggling life with kids, they settled on $10 a week — a figure that felt manageable for everyone.

"It was so simple, a no-brainer because the price point was so accessible," Kim said.

"$10 a week is two coffees. That's the key to making it successful."

Kim says a joint bank account takes the stress out of planning a trip. Image: Supplied.

Over that same breakfast, the women brainstormed domestic destinations they'd never visited.

The strategy for keeping costs low was simple: prowl for flight sales and book accommodation well in advance.

"One of us is really savvy with flight sales and alerts and one of the destinations we'd written down that a few of us hadn't been to was Adelaide," she said.

"A few months later, something insane like $40 flights came up. She suggested the dates, and she has all our names and dates of birth and emails in her notes so she can book the flights."

Before they knew it, they were Adelaide-bound.

The key to success? Plan ahead and don't sweat the small stuff. Image: Supplied.

On the last day in Adelaide, the pattern repeated itself. The group found themselves planning trip number three.

This time, flight sales led them to Noosa.

Kim recently returned from Noosa and said the joint account has transformed their holidays.

"Sitting down and not having to think 'How much is this?', 'How much money is in my personal account?' is great," Kim said.

"It removes such a barrier to going on holidays with your friends.

"We've done three years in a row of trips, and we were a group of friends who've been friends for 15 years and had never gone on a trip before."

The friends have gone from zero holidays in 15 years to three over the last three years. Image: Supplied.

Kim's advice for anyone considering a similar arrangement? Always put friendship first and don't sweat the small stuff.

"Don't micromanage things too closely," she said.

The group has figured out a system: if someone's not drinking, they'd only use the shared account for food and buy their own alcohol. Nobody orders the most expensive thing on the menu.

"We have so much respect for each other that no one's going to order the lobster," Kim said.

"The fact we've been friends for so long, we trust each other so much, it's made it easier. We've never fought about it.

"If you get too caught up in the details, you end up in the same spot you would've been in if you were micromanaging the bills and splitting finances individually, which defeats the purpose entirely."

Feature image: Supplied.