Spend Analytics
Track all food spending with cost-per-nutrient analysis, store comparisons, and budget intelligence that no other app can provide.
What is Spend Analytics?
Spend Analytics automatically tracks every pound you spend on food—groceries, restaurants, meal delivery—and calculates the nutritional value you receive per pound spent. This feature is powered by receipt scanning, which captures prices at the exact moment pantry items are added with full nutritional profiles.
The Unique Insight Nobody Else Can Give You
Cost per gram of protein. Cost per 1,000 calories. Cost per micronutrient.
Calculating cost-per-nutrient requires verified nutrition data and verified price data simultaneously. Eatomate has both because receipt scanning captures prices at the exact moment pantry items are added with full nutritional profiles. Other nutrition apps have nutrition but no prices. Banking apps have prices but no nutrition. Only Eatomate has both.
Key Features
Weekly Spend Dashboard
See your total food spending at a glance with week-over-week changes:
- Hero Stat: "£127.40 this week, up £12.30 from last week"
- 8-Week Trend: Sparkline showing spend fluctuations over time
- Rolling Averages: Month-to-date and 12-week average for context
- Cost Efficiency Cards: Cost per gram of protein, fat, and carbs with borough percentile rankings
Cost-Per-Nutrient Analysis
See exactly what you pay per gram of protein, fat, and carbs. Borough percentile rankings show how your efficiency compares to neighbors:
Example: "Your protein costs £0.09/gram. You're in the top 87% for protein efficiency in Camden."
Sortable Category Breakdown
View spending broken down by food taxonomy (protein sources, vegetables, dairy, grains). Switch between 5 sort modes:
- Total Spend: See which categories get the most budget
- Cost Per Protein: £ per gram of protein reveals protein efficiency
- Cost Per Fat: £ per gram of fat
- Cost Per Carbs: £ per gram of carbohydrates
- Cost Per Calorie: £ per 1,000 kcal reveals energy efficiency
The "aha" moment:
When you change sort from "Total spend" to "Cost per gram protein", the bars re-order and re-scale. Categories that were tiny bars (low spend) become the longest bars (high cost per gram = worst efficiency). Spices go from £8.90 total spend to £2.40/g protein (longest bar = least efficient). Protein sources go from £42.30 total spend to £0.09/g protein (shortest bar = most efficient).
Store Comparison Intelligence
Shop at multiple stores? Eatomate tracks which store gives you the best nutrition per pound. No manual comparison needed. This feature will show which stores deliver the best cost-per-nutrient based on your actual shopping patterns.
How It Works
Step 1: Receipt Scan Captures Price + Item
When you scan a grocery receipt for pantry tracking, the OCR engine extracts item names and prices. "TESCO MLK ORG 2L £2.50" → item matched to pantry, price recorded automatically. You're scanning the receipt to populate your pantry. Price data is captured as a side effect. Zero additional user effort.
Step 2: Nutrition Data Linked to Price
Every pantry item has verified nutritional data—macros, micronutrients, verified portion weights. The receipt links price to this exact nutrition profile. Now you know: £2.50 bought you 68g protein, 16g fat, 96g carbs.
Result: cost per gram of protein = £2.50 / 68g = £0.037/g. This calculation is impossible without both datasets simultaneously.
Step 3: Aggregation Across All Receipts
Every receipt you scan adds to the dataset. Week 1: one receipt, rough estimates. Week 12: 12 receipts, clear spending patterns. Cost-per-nutrient trends emerge. Store comparisons become statistically significant.
Borough percentile rankings require 5+ users in your area. Once that threshold is crossed, you see: "You're in the top 87% for protein efficiency in Camden"—gamification without being cringe.
Real User Benefits
Discover Budget Leaks
Most people have no idea where their grocery money goes. Eatomate tracks every pound automatically—weekly shops, convenience stores, meal deals, coffee shop snacks.
Optimize Protein Sources
See which protein sources give you the best value. Eggs: £0.06/g. Chicken breast: £0.08/g. Protein bars: £0.18/g. Make data-driven swaps without sacrificing nutrition.
Compare Stores With Data
Shop at multiple stores? The system automatically tracks cost-per-nutrient across all of them. See which store is actually cheaper for your specific shopping patterns.
Budget Cutting Without Nutrition Loss
When you need to cut spending, sort categories by cost-per-nutrient instead of total spend. Identify which purchases deliver poor nutrition per pound—cut those first.
Accessing Spend Analytics
Spend Analytics is accessible from the main navigation in your app. Navigate to the Spend tab to view your dashboard, cost efficiency metrics, and category breakdowns. All data updates automatically as you scan receipts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to do anything extra to track spending?
No. Spend tracking happens automatically when you scan receipts for pantry tracking. There's zero additional effort required. Price data is captured as a side effect of the receipt scan you're already doing.
Does this work for restaurant meals and delivery?
Yes! Any food purchase with a receipt can be tracked. Scan your restaurant receipts, meal delivery receipts, or takeaway receipts. The system will calculate cost-per-nutrient for all food spending, not just groceries.
What are borough percentile rankings?
Borough percentile rankings show how your cost-per-nutrient efficiency compares to other Eatomate users in your area (borough/postcode district). This requires at least 5 users in your area for privacy. For example: "You're in the top 87% for protein efficiency in Camden" means you're more efficient than 87% of Camden users at getting protein per pound spent.
How accurate is the cost-per-nutrient calculation?
Very accurate. The calculation uses verified nutrition data from your pantry items (which have full nutritional profiles including macros and 27 micronutrients) and exact prices from OCR receipt scanning. The accuracy depends on correct receipt scanning and pantry item matching, which Eatomate handles automatically with 99%+ accuracy after a few weeks of usage due to network effects.
Can I export my spending data?
Yes. You can export your spending data anytime from the settings page. Your data is always yours, and you maintain full control. Exports include weekly/monthly summaries, cost-per-nutrient breakdowns, and category-level spending.
Is my spending data private?
Absolutely. Your receipts, pantry, and spending data are private to you. We never sell your personal data. Borough-level aggregates (5+ users minimum) may be used for percentile rankings, but your specific purchases are never exposed. All receipt images and spending data are encrypted at rest. Full GDPR compliance.
Start Tracking Food Spend Today
See exactly where your money goes, optimize your nutrition per pound, and make smarter shopping decisions—all from receipt scanning you're already doing for pantry tracking.