A Friendsgiving sign-up sheet that stops three people bringing pie

Here's an example, made up to show the flow. Say you're hosting 12 friends on Saturday, November 21, 2026, the weekend before Thanksgiving. You take the turkey. Everything else goes on a list, and you post the link in the group chat.

Twelve guests at one pound of turkey each (the USDA and university extension rule) means a 12 pound bird, or 18 pounds if you want leftovers. So the list opens with that one line already claimed by you, and everything else open.

Over the next hour, Theo takes 2 of the 4 wine bottles and Ana takes 1. Rui and Sam split the 8 folding chairs, 4 each. Mina takes the stuffing and adds a note, "Gluten free". Priya takes one of the 3 pies and Marcus takes another. Then Jo and Sam both tap the last pie. Jo gets there first, the pie closes, and Sam sees it is taken and picks rolls instead.

Here is the finished list for the example.

Give pie a number. A list that says "dessert" invites three desserts. A list that says "pie, 3" lets three people each take one and then closes the line.

The same trick works for anything your group buys in units: wine bottles, bags of ice, bread, folding chairs. Each person picks how many they take, and the page shows who has what. Nobody can claim more than what is left.

This is the part a group text cannot do. In a text thread, the second claim gets buried under other messages, and a third pie can slip through.

Start with the event name. The page has no separate date field, so if guests need the date, put it in the name, like "Friendsgiving, Nov 21". Then list the items, each with a number.

Here is the short version of what to list.

No. Guests open the link, tap an item and type their name. That is the whole sign-up. There is no app to install and no password to remember.

You, the organizer, enter your name and email so the tool can send you a guest link and an admin link. You do not create a password or an account.

That matters most for the friend who ignores every app invite. If the link works from a text message, that friend can use it.

Post the link with one clear instruction: "Tap what you are bringing and type your name." People act on a single sentence, and they ignore a paragraph.

Say when you want the list full, for example the Sunday before the dinner. A date gives the slow responders a reason to move, and it gives you a day to chase the empty slots by message.

Pin the link in the group chat so it does not scroll away. The page is the source of truth, so when a friend asks "what is still open?", answer with the link, not a typed-out list.

Yes, if your friends are the type to bring something you did not think of. The organizer can allow guests to add their own items, and that is how the odd, good dish (a regional side, a family recipe) gets onto the list.

The trade-off is control. A list that grows by itself can drift toward ten desserts. If that worries you, fill the savory slots first, set quantities on the sweet ones, and allow guest items only once the core is covered. You can remove any item from your admin link.

A group text has no memory. Messages scroll away, people claim dishes out loud and then change their minds, and you end up keeping the list in your head.

A shared spreadsheet fixes the memory but not the doubling. Two friends can type "pie" in two different rows at the same moment, and nothing stops them. If you want to use one anyway, the Google Sheets guide shows how and where it breaks.

A dedicated sign-up page is built around the one rule that matters: an item that is full is closed.

It depends on headcount. The who brings what by group size page has a full list for 6, 10, 15, 20 and 30 guests, with the turkey amount worked out from the USDA number.

For the food-safety side, including how long a dish can sit on the table, see how much food for a potluck.

Junto's potluck page does not send reminders, so nudge your friends yourself the day before. It does not collect payment, so split a big grocery bill another way. It has no structured dietary field (only the free-text note), no printable sheet, no RSVP, and no recurring sign-ups.

You can edit details, change quantities and remove items or sign-ups from your admin link. You can also let guests add their own items, which is handy when someone wants to bring something you did not think of.

If you need reminders or payments, a heavier tool is the honest choice. The comparison of potluck sign-up tools says which one and why.