Thinking about buying a hydroponic garden, one user asked Claude Cowork to go through his grocery order history across several platforms and add up what he spent on vegetables, to see whether it would pay for itself. He said it worked like a charm.
I'm thinking of buying [GADGET OR SETUP, E.G. AN INDOOR HERB GARDEN] for [PRICE], plus about [RUNNING COSTS] a month. Here's my grocery order history for the last [MONTHS] (attached). Add up what I spent on [ITEMS IT COULD REPLACE], estimate how much of that I could realistically grow myself, and tell me how many months it would take to pay for itself. Be honest if it won't.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Download or screenshot your online grocery orders from the last few months.
- Give them to Claude with the prompt and the price of the thing you’re considering.
- Check the totals against a couple of receipts before you decide.
More money use cases
Log your spending by just telling Claude what you bought
A student who'd never stuck with budgeting apps had Claude build a full budget spreadsheet, then set up a Claude Project with the template and instructions. Now they type things like 'bought matcha, spent this on the commute' from their phone and Claude categorises each item, asks when unsure, and returns the updated sheet.
You're helping me track my spending in the attached spreadsheet. Each time I tell you what I've spent or earned, add a row to the Transactions sheet with the date, amount and the right category from [YOUR CATEGORIES]. If you're not sure of a category, ask me first. Today is [DATE]: [WHAT YOU SPENT].
Find out why your electricity bill jumped with Claude
Puzzled by unusually high electricity bills, a Hacker News user downloaded their 15-minute usage data from the supplier, told Claude what appliances the household had and when they're used, and had it build a simple dashboard. They say it helped pin down the problem and showed ways to cut the bills further.
I've attached my electricity usage data from [SUPPLIER] for [PERIOD]. At home we have [APPLIANCES, E.G. WASHER-DRYER, ELECTRIC CAR, HEAT PUMP], usually used [WHEN]. We're on [TARIFF]. Look for patterns: when usage spikes, what's on overnight, and what's changed recently. Tell me the most likely causes and the three changes that would save the most.
Challenge your property tax assessment with ChatGPT’s help
A Maryland homeowner fed his assessment worksheet and the local comparable-sales list into ChatGPT, which picked out where his valuation looked high and drafted the text for a written appeal. The first appeal cut his assessment by $25,000, a modest saving of about $362 a year, and he has since appealed again.
I want to appeal my [PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT / COUNCIL TAX BAND]. Here are the details from my assessment: [PASTE KEY FIGURES OR DOCUMENT TEXT], and here are recent sales or bands of similar homes nearby: [PASTE COMPARABLES]. Tell me which points look strongest and weakest for an appeal, what evidence I'd still need, and draft a short, polite written appeal I can adapt. Don't overstate anything.
Reference: X @adocomplete