I'm a 23 y.o.

American living in Geneva,

Switzerland making ~$63,000 working at
the UN
Money Diary

Basic Info
Age: 23
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Industry: IGO
Occupation: Junior/Associate Officer that helps manage programmes (being intentionally
vague)
Marital Status: Single

Section 1- Assets & Debts

Pension Fund: ~$10k (I pay 7.9%, the UN matches with 15.8%)
Savings account balance: ~$62k (current job savings, also savings from a job I had in
college and investing in stocks, I am looking into putting my savings in CDs but for now its
sitting in a high-yield savings account)
Checking account balance: ~$2500
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): none, paid off every month
Student loan debt (for what degree): None, my parents paid for my college

Section 2- Income
Monthly Take Home: $5,835.02 (My base salary is $3,716.08 but because I live in a high
cost area I get an extra $2,118.94 a month added to my salary)
Deductions:
Taxes: UN pays my US income taxes each month
Staff-assessment: $631.75 (internal tax) Pension contribution: $

Section 3- Monthly Expenses

Rent: $900 for a attic bedroom in a local family’s apartment (I have my own bathroom and
tiny kitchen though!)
Utilities/Wi-Fi: Included in rent
Staff Union: $10.15
Savings/Investment contribution: $3000 (the reason this is so high is because I am saving
for law school tuition)
Health Insurance: On my dad’s plan which has international coverage
Cellphone: $50 for my US line, $61 for my Swiss line
Bus Pass: $45.69
French Tutoring: $40 for 2 sessions a week
Therapy: $60 for each session after insurance (varies how many times a month)
Subscriptions: I use my boyfriend’s Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO and my cousin’s
Disney+. I also get the New Yorker, Vogue and other magazines free through a library app
Apple Music: $4.99
Apple 50GB Storage: $0.99
NYT: $12.50
Wallstreet Journal: $4

Day 1: Friday
7:00am – I wake up and sit in bed for an hour doing my usual morning routine- reading my
emails, doing a mini crossword then scrolling on the internet as I dread leaving my warm
covers for the cold floor. Eventually I manage to psyche myself up enough to go brush my
teeth and do my morning skincare routine – cleanser, toner followed by an AHA/BHA, vit
c serum, eye cream then moisturizer and sunscreen. I pick blue skirt suit I think I got from
J.Crew and a men’s white Dior shirt I thrifted a while back and throw my stuff into a Ralph
Lauren tote and head out to catch my bus to the UN headquarters.

9:15am – I make it to my office and open my email immediately as I have been conditioned
to do by being greeted by about 50 emails every morning. I share my office with 2 interns
who aren’t in during the mornings so I can usually call my boyfriend during this time (the
only time that works with our time zone difference) while I work. He has been so distant
from his new stressful job and from our almost-breakup 2 weeks ago. I am so anxious about
our relationship and I get frustrated that he doesn’t answer my texts but I try not to show it.
I spend the next few hours preparing and researching for my work trip to Bucharest this
weekend.

12:30pm – I head over to my manager’s office and we have a short meeting about the trip,
she travels so much she isn’t too excited about it but I am! Afterwards I leave work to go
home and pack before my flight. On the way back I pick up a granola and yoghurt parfait
and half a sandwich at place nearby, I am do a 24 hr fast so I typically eat once a day
around lunchtime, I gained a little weight this year and everyone in europe is so thin and
eats so little its definitely been an adjustment for me. After I catch a bus home. $16.24

1:30pm – I talk to my family while I overpack, they get worried easily and tell me to be
safe and to not trust anyone because the world is full of people ready to kidnap me and
whisk me to a Polish salt mine at a moment’s notice. I have a few hours to kill after and
decide to walk around the Old Town here because this weekend is one of the biggest
festivals of the year – the L’Escalade festival celebrating the defeat of the Duke of Savoy. I
am pretty bummed that I’m going to miss Friday and Saturday’s festivities, so I walk
around and eye all the chocolate..

3:00pm – I get a taxi to the airport (reimbursed by the ever-generous UN). My boyfriend
finally texts me back and is telling me what a hard time he is having at work and I console
him. While waiting to meet up with my manager I buy a Vogue Paris to practice my French
grammar on the flight. $7.30

10:30pm – We land. I text all interested parties I landed and we head to the hotel. We get a
travel allowance from the UN of around $200 each day that is supposed to cover all food
and accommodation so I don’t have to pay anything for the hotel I booked us. We head to
our different rooms and crash after we check in (but not before I do my night time skin
routine). I have an insomnia issue so I am up for a few hours reading “Girl at War” by Sara
Novic.

Day 1 Total: $23.54

Day 2: Saturday
6:00am – I wake up early automatically again and scroll on my phone. After an hour I get
up and take a shower (although I am a night shower kind of person). The water takes
forever to heat up and I brush my teeth in the meantime and stare out the window to check
out Bucharest in the daylight. After showering and doing my skincare routine I wear my
black pantsuit with a light cashmere sweater underneath. I opt for some cute leather booties
I bought a few weeks ago and throw on my parka because temperature-wise Bucharest is in
the 9th circle of hell this morning. I meet my boss downstairs and she grabs breakfast while
I abstain.

9:00am – After making the mistake of walking to the UN office we sit through
presentations and interviews. I hear from my boyfriend for the first time that day and sneak
away during a break to call him in a supply closet because I was worried about him. Instead
he tells me he isn’t in the mood to talk after a week of not being in the mood to talk and I
tell him I’ll give him his space even though I am starting to freak out. I try not to focus on
that after I get to work because this is my first trip with my manager and I want her to be
impressed enough she takes me on other ones.

3pm- We are done our work engagement for today and my manager is tired so we head
back to the hotel before meeting for dinner later that night with some coworkers. My
boyfriend drunk texts me, which is so unlike him because he is only a social drinker and
he’s alone tonight. I call him and convince him to go to bed after he throws up and I read
him to sleep from my book because that always knocks him out. Almost immediately after
my friend texts me about a breakup and I call them to talk them down off the metaphorical
ledge before collapsing on my bed for a 1 hour power nap.

5pm- I head out with my manager to a pretty swank restaurant, on the way we see some
traditional folk dancers and one guy and his kid in a bear costume. I get duck and sweet
potatoes. I mostly feel out of my depth during the conversation, while there is a level of
self-importance to the UN a lot of people here have great life experiences and projects that
make me admire them. I am one of the youngest people in the organization so I always feel
slightly inadequate in the face of the wealth of their experience. Some of them are talking
about heading down to the Christmas market afterwards so I decide to join them. I pay for
dinner out of my travel allowance.

8pm – We walk from Old Town to the Piata Constitutiei where they have a giant christmas
tree and a christmas market, also a concert. There are so many people I get lost from the
group and wander around before buying a christmas ornament depicting a Romanian scene
and some pastries. Eventually I find the group I came with and we talk a bit about work and
the countries we came from. I add my new friends on WhatsApp $21.50
11pm – It’s still really packed and there are a lot of people getting drunk, some local guys
come up to me and other girls in the group and start harassing us so I quickly decide the
night is over and Uber back to my hotel, paid for by my travel allowance. I inhale the
pastries.

1am – Insomnia again, I am texting my boyfriend and he calls me from the beach where he
is getting some sun. I talk to him about my day and he tells me he still feels depressed and I
suggest he sees someone. He is really short with me while we talk and repeatedly gets
annoyed when I try to start conversation but doesn’t let me hang up either. Incredibly
confusing but eventually he drifts off and I hang up and head to bed too.

Day 2 total: $21.50

Day 3: Sunday
6:00 – I wake up and quickly hop in the shower because I have an early flight back to
Geneva. I toss everything in my luggage and decide to say fuck it to the whole business
attire thing and I throw on a black turtleneck and black jeans and my comfy Uggs. I take
my luggage down and checkout and wait for my manager before we Uber to the airport
(reimbursed by the UN). I use some of my travel allowance to get some airport breakfast
that lives up to its reputation. I actually have some of the allowance left over so I get a
beautiful handmade mug with a design traditional to Romania for my younger sister.

8:30am – I take a nap on the flight before waking up and buying the inflight WiFi and text
with my boyfriend making him promise that we can finally talk about what’s happening
with our relationship when I land. Then I spend the rest of my flight doing some work for a
national committee I am on for a NGO I used to volunteer and intern for back in the states.
I also chat with my manager about her personal life and my future career $19.28

12pm – We land and I thank my manager for bringing me along this work trip before we
part ways and I take a taxi back to my place (reimbursed by my work). As soon as I get in I
call my boyfriend and we have a hard conversation. He doesn’t know why he has been
distant to me the last week but he mentions our almost breakup and I end up crying from
the stress this has been causing me. Eventually we agree that I will give him space during
the week to figure out what’s wrong and we end the conversation on a bad note. Afterwards
I cal my best friend back in the states and we talk and she makes me feel better.

5pm – Like I said earlier, this weekend is the L’Escalade Festival in Geneva, I meet up with
my friend group I’ve made working in the UN and we go to dinner in the Paquis district at
a French restaurant and even though I’ve been good most of the week I engorge the steak
and risotto because I am stressed and I have an unhealthy relationship with food. We talk
and drink wine before heading out to Old Town to watch the parade. $32.48

8pm – I huddle in the side street on the parade route and watch a parade of men, women
and children in 15th century period dress and uniform pass by under string lights. Everyone
is in a festive spirit and it lifts my mood and we follow the parade up towards St. Pierre’s
Cathedral. A lot of people are huddled around a huge bonfire there and start singing folk
songs while they hold hands and dance around the fire and its very magical and I feel really
lucky that I get to have these experiences an ocean across from where I am from. We head
to a nearby christmas market after and I buy some chocolate and one of my work friends
buys me a coffee to keep my hands warm $7.10

11pm – I walk home dead tired and somehow find the motivation to sit in my shower for an
hour and then do my weekly hardcore beauty routine – which includes deep conditioning
my hair, a hair mask, face mask and my nightly skincare routine, trimming and painting my
nails, conditioning my eyelashes and eyebrows and shaving whatever needs to be shaved. I
fall asleep.

Day 3 total: $58.86

Day 4: Monday
6:00am – I wake up and do my morning routine. I wear some black slacks and a silk shirt
that ties around the collar and some black heels. I set up my weekly planner page with all
my to do’s for the week while I watch an episode of Sex in the City, mostly because I miss
New York. I talk with my grandma for a bit before I head out to work.

12:30pm – I eat lunch with my coworker A who was the one who rescued me from utter
isolation when I landed in Geneva without knowing anyone, we talk about my trip and I eat
a salad I bought in the cafeteria. I also buy a water bottle because I forgot mine at home
$12.19

5:30pm – I take the bus back home and change out of my work clothes into a oversized
turtle neck knit sweater from H&M and black jeans from true religion and black boots to go
grocery shopping because I have no food at home. I go to a local grocery store called Coop
and do most of my shopping there to meal prep for the week, while lamenting how pricey
everything is in Geneva $56.87

7:30pm – At home unwind from the day by watching Marriage Story on Netflix, and I am
shocked at how incredible and well acted it is. I text my friends telling them all to watch it.
I end the day with day by meal prepping for tomorrow and reading “Girl at War”

Day 4 total: $69.06

Day 5: Tuesday
4:00am – Dreaded insomnia rears its ugly head again. I scroll on my phone for a bit, open
the chess app and play a few blitz games but I can’t focus. I think the not knowing where
my relationship is right now is messing with my head, but I digress. I chill in bed and
respond to some emails I have been putting off and pray that no one judges me for the time
I am responding to them. I start drawing my boyfriend on procreate while I listen to
podcasts (which I usually do on my bus rides only but I needs some background noise).

7:30am – I shower and do my morning routine and wear my black suit again because I have
a limited number of suits and I desperately need to do laundry. I wear a white cashmere
sweater underneath I got from j.crew. I throw everything in a tote I got for subscribing to
the New Yorker and I am out the door.

12:30 – I have lunch with some interns I work with who are closer to my age than most
staff. We talk about their graduate schools and my law school plans. They want to
eventually work for the UN full time, but I am not to sure if I will even though this job has
incredible perks. The bureaucracy can be stifling and the work culture can be wrought with
inflated egos. Most of the hands on work is on site in developing countries, while most of
the work I do is paper pushing and its frustrating. We then check out the Young Activist
Summit that’s happening today. There is so much that happens here in the Palais that there
is always some event, lecture or debate that I want to watch but I don’t have time to do so. I
usually try to catch at least a little bit during work hours though.

5:00 – After a few meetings at work and a lot of field reports I am on a bus back home. I
was planning on stopping by a christmas village with some work friends but I am too tired
and depressed from not hearing from my boyfriend much. I change into sweats and attack
“Girl at War” again until I finish it. I also eat an apple.

8:00pm – I Skype Call my French tutor and amuse him with my “Voulez-vous coucher
avec moi ce soir” lady marmalade rendition. We spend the rest of the time going over
French future tense.

9:00pm – I add “Girl at War to my goodreads account and am pleasantly surprised that I
finished my challenge to read 52 books that year and I am pretty happy about it because at
least I accomplished one thing I wanted to this year. I meal prep a salad for tomorrow.

11:00pm – I get a call from my dad and spend 30 mins being berated for my life choices.
Yes I am in therapy. Afterwards I fall asleep

Day 5 total: $0

Day 6: Wednesday
6:00am – I wake up early and do some more work for that NGO that I volunteer on the
national committee for. Afterwards I do my crossword and scroll on the internet and read
the news. I save a few articles I read interesting to send to various people.

8:00am – I shower and decide to dress more casually today since I only have 1 meeting
today, although most people stick to strict business attire everyday here. I pick a T-shirt
dress which I dress up with some leather boots and a black cardigan. I head out the door for
my bus. I immediately regret not wearing pants because its COLD

12:30pm – While at lunch with A and other work friends we talk about US politics and I
have to try to explain away Trump, but its difficult since I don’t even know how he got to
where he is. I talk about the American impeachment process and most of them are shocked
that impeaching doesn’t mean you can remove them from office.
5:00pm – I come home and realize I forgot to tell a friend back home in NY happy
birthday. I shoot her a text and tell her I ordered a gift for her off amazon and my sister will
get it to her. I quickly order her a desk mug warmer and a cute mug because she has gotten
into brewing tea lately. I find an amazon gift card in my wallet worth $30 so I only have to
pay the rest $8.00

6:30pm – I promised a work friend to meet up with her at one of the christmas villages. We
drink hot chocolate and end up doing a gingerbread house workshop. I pay for the hot
chocolates and she pays for the workshop. We pile our gingerbread house with candy until
it tilts haphazardly. $5.08

8:00pm – We get dinner at a café in Old Town and people watch through the window and
talk about our christmas plans while we split an entrée and eat our gingerbread house with
hot chocolate. She’s from a non-Christian country so this is her first Christmas in Europe
and she’s very excited about everything remotely christmassy and it’s cute so I mentally
note to get her something christmas themed for Christmas.$18.28

10:00pm – I head on home and snuggle up under my covers and watch some Sex in the
City. I get a text from my boyfriend and he sends me some cute heart emojis and I feel
slightly relieved. He tells me we will talk tomorrow. I call my best friend and we talk about
her work and my work and christmas plans. Then I go to sleep after doing my nighttime
skincare routine.

Day 6 total: $31.36

Day 7: Thursday
5:00am – I wake up and my stomach feels awful. I lay in bed holding my stomach for a
while before I call my mom because I hadn’t talked to her in a while and shes in Russia.
We talk about family stuff and she tells me she plans on visiting soon, she’s not sure when.
She’s a doc so I ask her what to do with my stomach and she says to take an ant-acid and
ride it out.

7:00am – I take a shower and promise myself I will do laundry this weekend after glancing
at my empty closet. I end up wearing some wool gray pants I find on my chair and a red
sweater with a Ralph Lauren blazer which doesn’t entirely go but whatever. I tidy up my
room while I got the time. I nibble at some gingerbread I had left over from last night then I
am out the door.

1pm – I talk to my ex-boyfriend on my lunch break since he texted me earlier. We are still
friends even though our relationship ended more than a year ago. He has some issues he’s
dealing with and we both talk each other through it. I then tell him a book idea I had and he
gives me suggestions. I don’t eat anything because I my stomach feels bad.

5:00pm – I go to a special chocolatier shop and buy a gift for the host of a christmas party I
am attending tomorrow. $25.39
6:00pm - I go home and crawl into bed and put on a big comfy fair isle sweater that
belonged to my grandfather and stretchy jeans. I spend a few hours in bed reading the news,
looking up christmas gifts and drawing on my iPad.

8:00pm – I Skype my French tutor and we go over what we talked about on Tuesday but I
feel sick so I cut the lesson short.

9:00pm – I look up gyms to sign up for because for the new year I want to get back into
working out, I then check out “The Intelligent Investor” on an ebook app I get for free
through my library and read the first few pages of that before I feel too sick again and fall
asleep.

Day 7 total: $25.39

Weekly Total: $222.60

Reflection: This was an atypical week for me, there are a lot of holiday events going on so
I go out more and spend more. Also I travelled for work this weekend, although I got a
travel allowance so I didn’t really have to spend much more. After this month I’ll be adding
a gym membership which will also be a larger expense but one that I think is worth it. I
hope to cut down my eating out expense by then and do most of my meal prep at home
since most of my paycheck is going into savings. I also realized how stressed I was this
week because my boyfriend wanted space from me, even though I could have texted him
about it before to get peace of mind.

I am 24, I live in Manhattan, and Make

75,000 + a 15,000 Bonus

Note: I wrote this in the beginning of November, but it was never posted.

Basic Info

Age: 24

Occupation: Marketing Technology Manager

Industry: Tech

Section One: Debts and Assets

401k: $15,600

Investments: $4,539 in a roboadvisor account

High-Yield Saving Account: $48,122

Checking: $1,300

CC: No debt, I pay it off in full every month

Student Loans: $0 - I received a full merit-based scholarship and I worked as an RA for 3

years, which covered housing and dining. I also held internships which paid for everything
else. But, to be transparent, my parents saved enough to pay for my college education in-
full. I made the decision to go to an affordable school with the agreement that I will be
gifted that money either for grad school or as a down-payment sometime in the future.

Section Two: Income

Paycheck Amount (2x per month): 1,777.00 (401k, transportation, and healthcare have
been taken out).

Section Three: Expenses

Rent: $1040 - I live with 2 other people in a 3-bedroom apartment. I’m hoping to move to a
studio within the next few months and pay around 1800 (a splurge – but my roommates are
driving me crazy!).

Phone: Subsidized by my company

Internet: $19.00 for my third

Electricity/water: Varies, but normally around $30 for my third (my landlord pays for heat
and hot water).

Hulu: $7.85

NYT Subscription: $6 – digital and crossword.

BOTM: $16

Lemonade (renter’s insurance): $5

Spotify: On a family plan that my parent’s pay for.

401k (2x per month): I contribute 9% and my company matches 4%. It’s $259 per
paycheck
Healthcare (2x per month): Dental: $6.64, Medical: $74.97, Vision: $3.66 Commuter
Benefit (2x per month): $63.50

Savings: I automatically transfer $400 per month to my savings account. At the end of the
month, I transfer whatever is left-over. I also plan on adding my bonus directly to my
savings.

Day One

11:30am: oh no. I didn’t set an alarm. I normally don’t sleep past 10! I went out last night
and I feel it this morning. I groggily walk to the kitchen, drink around 5 gallons of water
and take some advil. I toast an english muffin and eat some pineapple that I cut up
yesterday. I eat my breakfast while attempting a crossword puzzle. It’s a lot for my brain
right now.

2:30pm: I find myself back in bed watching House Hunters and decide I must stop being a
bed burrito and start being a human. I put on running clothes and head out to the river. It’s a
little overcast and I am secretly hoping it starts raining so I don’t have to run. I’m doing the
couch to 5k program and I’m almost done. I was always the kid in high school who was the
last to finish the mile, so this is really an amazing feeling for me. On the way back, I stop
by a bodega and pick up english muffins, egg whites, and because it’s on sale and I have no
self-control - - two pints of halo top (2 for 6, one pint normally costs at least $7.50!!! – to
be truthful, I was very close to buying 2 more). $11.60

4:30pm: After spending about half an hour cleaning up after my roommates, I decide it’s
time to eat an early dinner (or late lunch?). I probably should have cooked before I cleaned
the kitchen, oh well. I finish up some green beans and sweet potato by mixing it with
cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. It’s about as bad as it sounds. I also prep some
cucumbers and carrots to take with me to work.

6:00pm: I completely forget I have a date tonight with this guy I’ve been messaging
through Hinge. Thankfully Bachelor #1 sends a reminder text and the date is nearby.
Around 8 months ago my boyfriend of a year broke up with me, I moved apartments, and I
got a new job all at the same time. It was a lot of change. My first date after the breakup, I
started crying. Yes. During the date. I decided I needed some time for myself, but I’m
trying to get back into it. I quickly curl my hair, put on a full face of makeup, wear my first-
date outfit (black super high waist skinny jeans, a tight black lowish-cut shirt tucked in, fun
earrings, and heeled black boots).

7:30pm: I get a soda since I drank last night, and the date gets a whiskey sour. He
continually mentions how much money his family has and how he doesn’t want to date
anyone that’s only dating him for the money. He goes in for a kiss at the bar. I pull away.
It’s awkward. He also calls me cutie, which I hate. I may look 12, but I’m a freakin adult.
We talk for another half hour before I say I have an early morning. I insist on splitting the
bill since I know I don’t want to see him again. He texts me that night telling me how great
a time he had. What!? I tell Bachelor #1 it’s not going to work. $10.00
9:30pm: Once I get home, I make a cup of tea, light a candle and finish the book Daisy
Jones and the Six. It has taken me a while to get into as it changes perspective every
paragraph. But now I can’t stop. I don’t realize it’s already 11 by the time I’m done! I don’t
binge watch as much as I binge read. I quickly get ready for bed.

Day Two:

5:30am: Nope

6:30am: Fine. I have a dermatologist appointment this morning and I guess I really must get
up. I throw on some black jeans and a patterned long sleeve shirt from The Loft that makes
it look like I’m trying with absolutely 0 effort. I leave without putting makeup on because
of the appointment, which is strangely liberating. I plan on going straight to work so I grab
a frozen lunch that I prepped last week (roasted zucchini, green beans, onion, tomato,
chicken, and quinoa), my make-up bag, and some of the cut-up veggies. The appointment is
a 25-minute walk away and since it’s not completely freezing yet, I decide against taking
the subway.

7am: This is by far the fanciest doctor’s office I’ve ever been in. It’s in a doorman
residential building and I feel like I’m in a very wealthy person’s apartment instead of an
office. However, I only see the PA for 6 minutes and the doctor isn’t even in the office. On
my out, I take a few mints, a kiwi, a to-go coffee, and a bagel w/cream cheese to try and
make it worth the trip and cost. $50

7:30am: I head back to my apartment instead of the office because the appointment was
much shorter than expected. I take the subway this time. I get back and put on a quick full
face of makeup. I eat the bagel (it’s a good bagel, but not quite a 50-dollar bagel) and the
kiwi while catching up on the news. I’m back out the door by 8:45.

9:15am: I walk into my office with the fire alarms blaring. No one seems concerned, so I’m
not going to be either. Happy Monday.

1pm: I always try and leave my desk for lunch, but unfortunately that’s not happening
today. There’s a hard deadline eod that I’m worried about making. I reheat my frozen food
and have a sad desk lunch. After, I grab a few Hershey Kisses from the snack cabinet and
another cup of coffee.

5pm: Finished! I could have had a lunch break after all. I decide I should get up since I’ve
been sitting all day. I go for a quick walk to a nearby park while listening to Wait Wait,
Don’t Tell Me. There’re a few times I laugh out loud and get a few strange looks from
strangers.

6:30pm: The coworker I’m slightly in love with asks if I’m heading out since we live
nearby and sometimes commute together. Unfortunately, something broke right before his
message and I need to stay and fix it. Twenty minutes later, he shows up at my desk with
sustenance (including some alcohol), oh my heart.
9:30pm: I’m finally home and I head to the store to pick up some food for the next few
days. I buy ground turkey, black beans, arugula, cheddar cheese, canned corn, tomato, and
salsa. I have some frozen trader joe’s rice at home to add too. I’m going to make burrito
bowls tonight. Very easy and it freezes well. I eat about half a serving now as I’m still a
little hungry. $29.41

10:30pm: My laundry arrives and it’s all folded too (even the underwear!). It was around 15
pounds of laundry (including sheets and towels). This is such a luxury, but I think it’s
worth every penny, and to be truthful, I only do my laundry about once a month. I have a
10% off coupon. $30.50

11:00pm: I quickly facetime a group of college friends (it’s earlier for them). I miss them
so much. I don’t have a group of friends in ny, just a few individual friends that all have
separate groups I’m not part of. I decide I would rather go straight to sleep than read
tonight, so I just wash my face, brush my teeth, and go to bed feeling a little down.

Day Three:

7am: I’m up! And I only snoozed for 10 minutes. It’s the small victories in life. I put on the
coffee and do a yoga with Adriane video and then a ballet stretching video before jumping
in the shower. I shamefully go back to bed after my shower for 20 minutes. I’m back up
and quickly get ready. I don’t have time for breakfast, so I grab an apple, a frozen lunch
(it’s the last of the roasted veggies) and my coffee on the way out. If I’m hungry later, I can
grab some breakfasty foods from the office.

8:30: I normally don’t have to be at work until around 9:30ish, but I’m interviewing
candidates for a marketing coordinator role today and the first one starts at 9am. I go over
the resumes and write down some questions to ask each candidate. I also think of answers
to questions I’ll be potentially asked. If I’m prepared, I don’t get as nervous. Interviewing
gives me way more anxiety than being interviewed.

1pm: Interviews done for the day! The other interviewers and I head out for lunch to
debrief. We run into the CEO in the elevator and he tells us to expense the meal. We
quickly leave before he changes his mind. We go to a ramen place nearby, everyone gets
ramen and we also order some sake to share. We expense the meal and go back to the office
a little bit gigglier than normal ($145.00). I put the lunch I brought in the freezer for
another day.

4pm: I find myself at the snack cabinet and grab a yogurt, a string cheese, and a Hershey
kiss. It is a blessing and a curse that my company provides free snacks.

7pm: I leave work and head to a women in tech meetup, which is thankfully very close to
my office. There is a speaker and then a networking session with some snacks and drinks. I
successfully talk to a few people who want to meet up sometime next week and I only leave
half an hour before the end time. I’m extremely introverted so networking is hard for me.
10pm: Because I didn’t really eat dinner and because I made potential friends – tonight
calls for pizza. I take the subway home and grab 2 slices from the place near my apartment.
It’s not great food, but it’s close and it’s pizza. I eat both slices in about 5 minutes and
facetime another college friend that lives out of state. $5.50

11pm: Bedtime! I read for half an hour, I’ve started the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving
a F**K. I drink some chamomile tea and light a candle. Then I brush my teeth, wash my
face, put on some face cream and lights out!

Day Four:

6:30am: I do a quick 10 minute warm up in my room and then go for a run. I decide to go
to the park even though it’s a little dark out. I’m back to my apartment, shower, and do my
normal routine. I have a lot of meetings today and a date tonight, so I spend a bit longer
trying to look professional/attractive.

9am: I get a seat on the subway and continue reading the book I started last night. I also
pre-order a large Americano from dunkin’. I always feel incredibly cool when I walk in
right when my order is ready, and I love the bonus of not having to talk to anyone (an
introvert’s dream!). But I forgot to add donuts to the order for my meeting and now I need
to wait on line and feel exponentially less cool. $18.46

10am: Part of my job is to help our sales team utilize tech better to increase performance.
They aren’t super happy about the changes I’ve been making so I try and check in once a
month to listen to their problems and ideas. There is this one employee who starts speaking
over me discussing how none of this is helping (the numbers tell a different story). But at
least he likes the donuts.

1:30pm: It’s been a long day and it’s only 1:30. Although I’ve been trying to eat at the
lunch table more, I need some time for myself. I head out of the office and walk ten
minutes to a Pret (and yes, I might have passed 2 others Prets on the way but the chances
for coworkers at those are too high). I buy Mac and Cheese (telling myself that since it has
spinach in it, it’s healthy) and a bag of popcorn, read my book and spend a blissful hour
relaxing. $8.50

6:30pm: Most people have cleared out by now, so I go to the bathroom and take off my
blazer and undershirt (hello, cleavage!), and put on more makeup. I also shower my hair in
dry shampoo. A coworker leaves the other bathroom also looking much more glammed up
than she did during the day. We knowingly smile at each other. I eat a protein bar from the
snack cabinet and the celery I brought to hold me over since the date is just drinks. It’s
always hard going straight from work to a date.

7:30pm: Oh, he’s attractive. Definitely more attractive than his pictures. The conversation
is going well too, and it doesn’t feel forced at all. He wants to get another round, but I’m
such a lightweight I hesitate. He suggests leaving and getting frozen yogurt from the place
next door instead. I’m down. He pays for the two drinks.
9:30pm: I pay for my frozen yogurt and inwardly cringe about how much it costs. I could
have gotten 2 slices of pizza for the same price! At 10:30 we both decide it’s time to leave.
We’re taking different trains home, but he walks me to my station and kisses me goodnight.
We made plans for Sunday night. I’m home by 10:45pm and do my normal night routine.
$8.00

Day Five:

6:30am: I do a 40-minute FitnessBlender video before showering and getting ready. I eat
my typical breakfast of English muffins and egg whites but add some arugula this time. I
pack up my coffee and a burrito bowl. I’m ready a bit early and decide to leave instead of
waiting around my apartment. I don’t feel like reading, so I listen to music and zone out on
the ride.

1:00pm: My work crush and I head to the park to eat our lunches. It’s cold, but it’s nice to
get outside. I bring my lunch, it doesn't taste nearly as good cold.

7:30pm: I’m supposed to get dinner with a friend at 7, but I get stuck at work late. We
decide instead on hanging out at her apartment with takeout and wine. I head uptown and
grab the wine ($12.00) while my friend places the order from shake shack. We hang out so
often we’ve stopped paying each other back for every expense. We figure it’ll just end up
even eventually. We hang out and complain about dating for much longer than I had
planned. I uber home with a 50% off coupon ($7.50). $19.50

11:30pm: I’m home and do my normal night routine, substituting reading for embroidering,
before brushing my teeth and going to bed.

Day 6:

6:30am: Definitely feeling the wine. I turn 25 in a month and I guess this is what the mid-
twenties feels like. I begrudgingly get up and do a 10-minute arm workout and a 5-minute
warmup before going on a run. Today is the first day the app tells me to run without
walking. When I finish, I cry. I’m no longer overweight (I lost around 60 pounds 6 years
ago) but I still sometimes feel like I am, and this reminds me of how much progress I’ve
made.

7:30am: I eat egg whites, an English muffin, and some halo-top (nothing like ice cream for
breakfast). I’m ready early again and decide to just head to the office. Hopefully I’ll be able
to finish a few things and not have to work on Sunday.

1:00pm: My frozen vegetable bowl is calling, but so is the halal cart. I go to the closest one
and order chicken and rice. No red sauce. I eat it my desk while chatting with some
members of my team. $6.50
6:00pm: It looks like a group of people who are all around my age are going out to a bar
tonight after work. It hurts not to be included even though I know it’s partially my fault for
not joining in more at lunch.

6:00: I’m meeting up with a coworker from my last job at 7. I’ve done as much as I can do
on a Friday night and call it a day. Since I have some extra time, I decide to walk. But it’s a
bit farther and colder than I thought so I bail halfway through and hop on the subway.

7pm: We go to an Ethiopian place in the east village ($15.00) and I get caught up on all my
old company’s gossip over dinner. This friend doesn’t drink, so after dinner we go to a very
instagrammable dessert place that’s open late. We try the Matcha Waterfall dessert and The
Harvest dessert (it comes in a little pot and you “water” it with cream!) to share ($13.00).
My friend lives on long island and decides to spend the night at my apartment instead of
taking the lirr back. $28.00

11pm: My friend doesn’t have a metrocard, so I swipe for her using my non-monthly card
(2.75). When we leave the subway we pick-up some snacks from the store. We get
popcorn, brownies and because I don’t have any breakfast food left, I pick up bananas,
pancake mix, milk, bacon, syrup and eggs. There are going to be leftovers that I’ll keep, so
I pay ($22.37). $25.12

11:30pm: We eat our snacks while attempting to keep our face masks on and watch
Dumpling. It is such a feel-good movie. I also think I like Dolly Parton’s music? We go to
sleep around 1am.

Day 7:

9am: And we’re up to the lovely sounds of garbage pickup. We cook a breakfast feast
consisting of our late-night purchases. My friend leaves at around 10:30am. I do a 45-
minute FitnessBlender video (skipping the jumping stuff since I live in an apartment) and
finish with a 20-minute Yoga with Adrianne video.

1pm: It’s not completely freezing so I go for a walk to my favorite park by the river and
attempt to read outside. I buy a hot coffee from a nearby bodega because it isn’t quite warm
enough to sit outside. I continue reading the book Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions
and people/dog-watch until I give in and decide I’m freezing and leave. $1.20

2:20pm: I volunteer at an animal shelter once or twice a week. I’m nowhere near
responsible enough or financially stable enough or home enough to get a dog of my own
and this gives me my dog fix without the commitment (sometimes I feel the same way
about men and online dating…). I go to the shelter to walk a few dogs and play with some
others in their kennel. I find out my favorite was adopted, which is always bittersweet.

6pm: Once I get home I shower immediately, I love the doggys but they definitely leave an
odor. I have dinner plans at 9 but I’m hungry now. I eat the leftover pancakes, bacon, and
an apple. After, I start getting ready to go out. I decide on leather pants, knee-high black
boots, and a semi-sheer body-suit with a bralette.

8:45pm: I take an uberpool to the restaurant, with a 50% off coupon ($6.25). The food is
mediocre, but the margaritas are great ($36.00). We walk to my friend’s apartment for part
2 of the evening. 39.25

11:30: We uber to the les ($20.10) and meet a promoter and a few of my friend’s friends
(I’m not a huge fan of the promoter system but clubs and drinks are expensive, and I will
admit, I always feel like a celebrity when I get to cut the line). We each grab a cranberry
vodka from the table and start dancing. A guy walks up to me at the bar, and, well, there’s
nothing like a good club make-out session. Bachelor #3 invites me back to his apartment,
but I don’t feel quite safe doing that. I do give him my number though. 20.10

3:00: We eat some pizza from the place next door and book an uber back to my friend’s
apartment. She pays since I got the uber there. I wash my face, borrow some pajamas, and
I’m in bed by 4. 2.50

Weekly Total

$317.14

Food: 188.04

Entertainment: 0

Transportation: 48.6

Home & Health: 80.5

Misc: 0

Summary: This was a bit of a lower spend week for me. I had a couple prepared lunches
and some leftover food from the previous week for dinners. However, my other costs are
pretty much on par with what I normally spend. I don’t have much of a social life – so I get
to save a lot of money! I did realize that I spend a lot on food, even during an off week, and
I should consider going to grocery stores that are less convenient, but more affordable. I
know that when I move I’ll have to make some changes since my rent will likely be 800+
more a month. But I’m willing to sacrifice pretty much any saving and extra fun stuff to
live alone.

I'm 28 years old, live in the urban

Midwest, and make $55,000/year.
Money Diary

Warning: You guys are going to have a field day with me. TW for brief mention of eating
disorder and mental health discussion. Please read my explanations before grabbing your
pitchforks. I'm not making excuses, just acknowledging reasons.

Basic Info:

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Location: Urban Midwest

Industry: Government

Occupation: Policy Advisor

Section 1 – Debts and Assets

Retirement balance: Approximately $700 in a Roth IRA I’m not currently contributing to,
and roughly $36,000 towards a pension fund offered through my job.

Savings: $1,632 in my emergency fund -- I’m currently working on building this to $3,000
as a small emergency fund before tackling my debt. I’m on track to meet this goal by mid-
January. I also have $260 combined across a few sinking funds, but that will be spent in the
near future on planned purchases (Christmas, haircut, vet bill).

Credit Card Debt: $7,112 split between two credit cards that I’m currently paying a smidge
more than the minimum payment until I meet my savings goal, and then I plan to use the
snowball method to pay them down.

Student Loans: $44,092. The majority of this (~$43,000) is eligible for PSLF, if that’s still
a thing in 5 years. I thought I owed over $50,000 so this was a pleasant surprise when I
checked my balances! I mad dumb choices based on bad financial advice when I was in
college (first person in my family, so no one knew how bad student loans or future job
prospects were). I got zero help from my family, and had a half-ride scholarship for my last
2 years of school… took me 7 years to get through school because of health issues, though.

Other Debt: $14,170 in personal loans. These were taken out to pay down credit card debt. I
did not learn my lesson.

Note: My debt is as bad as it is primarily because of an untreated binge eating

disorder/food addiction and an impulsive shopping addiction. Yes, I really spent that much
money on food, but also a lot of money on shopping – another unhealthy coping
mechanism. It’s really embarrassing and I kind of can’t believe I’m posting this due to that.
Please keep this in mind when you are judging me.

I’m currently in therapy working on these behaviors which is the only reason I’ve begun to
turn it around and why I'm posting this. I feel like it might be helpful for me to
anonymously acknowledge it on the internet instead of keeping it a shameful secret. I’ve
stopped using credit cards, my bills are always paid, now I just need to clean up my own
mess. This is pretty much the first time in my adult life that I’ve had a dime in savings and
having used credit cards so I think I'm on the right track.

Section 2 – Income

Monthly take home after taxes, etc.: $2,900

Section 3 – Monthly Expenses

Rent: $630 (I’m in a tiny studio apartment so this is as cheap as it gets without roommates)

Renters Insurance: $10

Transit Pass: $65 usually, but my SO, Jack, got a free pass from work that I can start using
instead

Internet: $58

Utilities: $50 (electric only)

Cell: $50

Therapy Copays: $30

iTunes/Hulu/Netflix: $31

Student Loans: $240

Credit Cards: $200, variable

Personal Loans: $530

Compost Service: $15 (Thinking of cancelling)

Work Week Lunch subscription: $8

Day 1: Monday, 11/25

6AM - My alarm goes off and I feel like I’ve unlocked a new level of tired. I set my alarm
for 7:30 and decide to just take a Lyft to work and catch another hour or so of shut eye. I’m
the worst.

7:30AM - My alarm goes off and I’m still angry at the world. I get ready for work and walk
to the coffee shop next door and order an extra large iced black eye and an herb and cheese
croissant. - $9.91

9AM - I arrive to work, thanks to my cool Lyft driver. I hate meaningless chit chat on Lyft
rides but I love when the drivers are interesting and there’s good conversation. - $19.19

11AM - Time for a phone interview! I’m up for a promotion at work, but per HR’s rules it
has to be posted publicly and I have to interview for it. I prefer it this way, because it makes
it easier to negotiate a higher raise. The phone interview is exactly as painful and awkward
as I thought it would be and I die on the inside when I have to see my boss and coworkers
who were on the interview panel immediately afterwards. My coworker later confirms I did
well, but I still hate it.

1PM - A coworker invites me out for lunch but I keep the FOMO at bay and eat some green
curry leftovers that I brought from home.

3PM - I don’t even need a snack, I need caffeine. But here we are. A bag of M&M Keebler
Cookies and a can of Monster from the vending machine. Ugh. 1-2 times a year I get
addicted to energy drinks and then have to quit cold turkey. I’m not at the cold turkey stage
yet. - $4.45

5PM - I get a text from a friend, Matt, while leaving work and we make plans to meet up
for happy hour. He just started a new job and I want to hear all about it. I meet him at our
usual spot and “just one cocktail” turns into two, but that’s pretty good for us - we tend to
overindulge. I treat ($40). Two cocktails turn into Taco Bell, naturally ($15), and then I’m
finally home. - $55.00

11PM - I play a video game, although I’m still a bit tipsy. I’m not into video games, but my
SO, Jack, got me into playing Death Stranding and I love it. I even signed up for my very
own PlayStation account (the free one!) to play. When I log on, I see that Jack has sent me
a love note through the messaging function, and it makes me smile. At around 11, I get into
bed but I spend far too long browsing social media on my phone before I finally fall asleep.

Daily Total: $88.55

Day 2: Tuesday, 11/26

7:30AM - I wake up feeling fairly well rested and when I look at the clock, I realize it's
because my alarm either never went off or I slept through it. I hope it’s not the later - my
poor neighbors. I get ready for work and stop for a large black eye iced coffee next door
($5.96) before taking a Lyft to work ($19.75). By the way, I have no fancy morning routine
- I shower, blow dry my hair, use eyebrow gel and a little concealer if I have the time, and
usually rush out the door. - $25.71

9AM - I’m procrastinating on my first work task of the day by checking my bank account,
reconciling my budget spreadsheet, and browsing the MD subreddit (hi guys!) before I
actually do what I’m being paid to do. In hindsight, the work task was not as bad as I
thought it would be.

10:30AM - Bake sale! Right before Thanksgiving, my office holds a bake sale and the
proceeds go to charity. I hit the ATM for some cash ($2.50 fee because I did not plan
ahead), and pick up a beautiful bourbon maple pumpkin pie. I also get some chocolate chip-
sea salt-toffee cookies, cinnamon cardamom pastries, and caramel apple oatmeal bars
($20). I have a cookie and cardamom pastry with the rest of my coffee. - $22.50

11:30AM - I take a scheduled Lyft ($10.81) to my biweekly therapy appointment ($15.00).

I’m so thankful I have good health insurance that covers mental health with a reasonable
copay, and a boss who doesn’t ask questions when I disappear for a long lunch every other
week. This is a pretty exhausting appointment, and I take a Lyft back to work afterwards
($10.93) and heat up the last of my green curry leftovers for lunch. I’m really tempted to
get another cup of coffee or an energy drink, but I decide today is the day I’ll break my
energy drink habit. - $36.74

5PM - I had planned to work later, but my coworker/good friend invites me over to hang
out after work. He’s renovating his place and wants my advice on stuff all the time. What
can I say, I guess I just have good taste. I give him my thoughts on paint colors and then we
watch a few episodes of The Office before we get hungry and head to a nearby sports pub. I
get a beer and beef stroganoff - I’ve never had it before (shocking, as it seems to be popular
here in the Midwest) but it’s the perfect comfort food. - $26.21

9PM - Amazingly, I still muster the energy to clean my bathroom after getting home - my
most dreaded chore. Then I pick out my outfit for tomorrow, give my cat some pets and tell
her what a good girl she is (she really isn’t, if we’re being fair), and then I play some Death
Stranding before getting into bed by 11.

Daily Total: $111.16

Day 3: Wednesday, 11/27

6:30AM - I feel so well rested! Probably because I went to bed at a reasonable hour last
night and didn’t load myself up with concerning amounts of caffeine! I normally get to bed
around 10 or 10:30 so the caffeine has clearly been messing up my schedule.
8AM - Coffee, pastry ($9.91), Lyft ($18.23), and I surprise my coworkers by coming in
early. The office is a ghost town and today is going to be a slow day. - $28.14

10AM - I get a surprise text from a woman I used to work with who makes The Best Sweet
Potato Pie™, saying she’s downstairs in the building lobby with a surprise pie for me!
She’s the best person. I share some with a few coworkers and it’s better than I remember.

1PM - I didn’t bring a lunch so I order from Panera - a green goddess chicken salad and a
cinnamon scone for later. I need to lay off the sweets after this week - I’m out of control. -
$18.58

4:30PM - I pack up for the night and realize I have nothing to cover one of my pies with.
Crap. I find a Target shopping bag to tie over it and try to balance it carefully. As soon as I
step outside, the wind blows one of the pies out of my hands. I’m tired and cranky and I
don’t want to juggle this on the bus so I take a Lyft home. ($18.34) - $18.34

7:30PM - Jack drops the girls off with me while he goes to the gym. (We lovingly refer to
his two dogs as “the girls”.) He brings back Qdoba for dinner - I have a chicken burrito. We
watch an episode of The X-Files while we eat and Jack finishes off the last of the pie for
dessert. We both end up falling asleep and wake up just to finish getting ready for bed
around 9:30. Another early night.

Daily Total: $65.06

Day 4: Thursday, 11/28

10AM - Happy Thanksgiving! I wake up incredibly well rested. Earlier this morning, Jack
went home so he could feed the girls breakfast. He forgot to bring their food with last night.
I lay in bed browsing social media on my phone and enjoying the lazy morning.

12PM - I get ready for my day and Jack swings by to pick me up. I buy us coffee to get our
day started ($11). We pick up the turkey dinner I ordered at the grocery store, as well as a
box of sage stuffing, a pound of asparagus, and a small Christmas gift bag that I need to
wrap a Christmas ornament I bought for a friend. ($6.99) It’s just Jack, my parents and I for
Thanksgiving and my mom is ill and doesn’t eat a lot, so instead of bothering with cooking
from scratch, we order a box with all the ingredients that just need to be cooked or
reheated. I love it because it means less dishes to do and more time I can spend with my
parents. I also pick up a bus pass for next week - maybe I’ll actually use it this time?
($15.75) - $33.74

3PM - I’m really happy to see my mom up and dressed and having a good day. She seems
to be in a better mood than the last time I saw her about a week ago. We watch game shows
with her for a while, eat dinner, and say our goodbyes after dessert. I think we’re all ready
for a nap.
4PM - We head back to Jack’s apartment - glorious nap time!

7PM - After our nap, Jack, the girls and I go to Matt’s house for our second Thanksgiving. I
seriously do not need to eat any more, but I have a little bit of some sides and a glass of
wine. Matt’s roommate’s (who is also my close friend) dog is obsessed with me so I spend
most of the evening cuddling her - I’ve been named her godmother, but whenever I refer to
her as my god-dogter, my friends say I’m not funny. I take some homemade chocolate cake
and apple pie home for later. (Update from the future: The apple pie was the best I’ve ever
had.)

9PM - Home and the pants are off! I feel like I’ll never want to eat again, but that is
obviously a lie. I stash some leftovers in the fridge, hang out with my cat, make sure my
agenda is set up for the rest of this week and next week (I’m a total planner person), and
then play some Death Stranding before passing out.

Daily Total: $33.74

Day 5: Friday, 11/29

7:30AM - I spend a leisurely morning in bed before I throw on some casual clothes and
make my way into the office. I stop for a coffee and a biscuit for breakfast ($6.28) and am
so happy to see that my all-time favorite seasonal coffee blend is stocked at the coffee shop
I frequent. The beans are roasted with a gingerbread-cinnamon flavor so it’s nice and
Christmas-y feeling without being too sweet. The bus isn’t operating normally due to it
being Black Friday, so I take a Lyft to work yet again ($16.30). Side note: it annoys me that
so many people take off work for Black Friday and all the transport schedules and store
schedules are limited as if it’s a holiday or weekend, yet there’s no holiday pay for it. The
Walmarts of the world would never let that happen, but it should be a thing. - $22.58

10AM - I was going to avoid Black Friday shopping, but two shops I buy supplies for my
agenda from are having sales and I’ve been waiting to buy some items for my 2020 agenda.
I place an order from 8Lotus for 2020 monthly inserts and gratitude journal inserts
($30.63), and an order of page flags, pen refills for one of my favorite pens, and a handful
of another pen I really love from Cloth & Paper. ($25.08) Very little excites me more than
office supplies. - $55.71

12PM - Lunch time. I didn’t bring anything for lunch and my body is craving something
healthier and green after all the food from yesterday. I order the green goddess chicken
cobb salad with an apple and a sparkling water from Panera for delivery. - $19.32

3PM - Work is so slow! I decide to get some life admin stuff taken care of, so I purchase
travel insurance for a trip to Greece in a few months ($58). I also reserve my spot for a
cooking class and a wine tasting while I’m in Athens, and I score a $5 discount on each
reservation through the Honey app - first time it’s given me a discount of more than $0.01 -
but I won’t be charged until the day before the reservation. - $58.00

5PM - I head home and am hangry when I walk in the door so I heat up some totally not
nutritious leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes for dinner. I play Death Stranding until
Jack and the girls arrive. The girls hang out with me while Jack goes to the gym.

9:30PM - Jack is sick and I’m tired, so we both go to bed early after cuddling and watching
a few episodes of The X-Files.

Daily Total: $155.61

Day 6: Saturday, 11/30

7AM - My alarm goes off and I grumpily snuggle next to Jack, hitting snooze for far too
long. When I finally wake up and check my phone, I see a text from my good friend Kevin
saying he’s on his way to pick me up. Crap. I quickly shower, thank the stars for dry
shampoo, and am out the door just as he arrives. Today, I’m helping him pick out his first
real Christmas tree for his first Christmas in his new house. Growing up, my family always
had artificial trees (and so do I, now), so I’m living my Christmas dreams through Kevin.

8AM - We’re the first ones at the farm and I quickly realize why all the workers are
wearing boots. It’s a muddy, rainy, windy day but Kevin finds his tree quickly and I give
my approval. The patriarch of the family that owns the farm chats with me a bit while we
wait for it to get loaded into Kevin’s car - he’s super sweet and looks like Santa Claus, and
I can tell he really loves his trees. He’s like… the Lorax if the Lorax wore flannel and loved
Christmas. Sometimes, nice conversations with strangers just feels magical and fuzzy
inside. I stop into the gift shop on site before we leave and find a vintage-looking USAF
airplane ornament and buy it for my dad. We bond over our love for aircraft. - $9.48

11AM - The tree is resting in its stand, and we’ve killed a bottle of wine and are halfway
through Home Alone. We’re both hungry so Kevin and I head to the grocery store to grab
some ingredients for lunch. He wants to showcase his culinary skills and I’m not
complaining. We find a $10 bill on the ground outside the store, which basically pays for
lunch. I grab some much needed coffee and a ham croissant from Starbucks (I’m wine-
drunk-hangry, okay?!) - $8

3PM - Lunch was fantastic - roasted veggies, sausages and mashed potatoes - but now
we’re in the process of putting the lights on the tree and decide we need more lights. We
make a quick run to Walmart, where I buy a small package of battery-powered mistletoe
lights that will be perfect for my cubicle at work. I love going all out decorating my desk
for holidays. Then it’s back to Kevin’s place, an attempt at a fire in the fireplace is made,
Die Hard is playing and we’re going through more wine. I cannot express to you how much
this is my ideal Christmas experience. - $8.43
6PM - Kevin is hungry so we pick a tavern nearby we’ve both been wanting to try. I get an
Old Fashioned and a prime rib sandwich with French onion soup. I’m so full, and we both
agree to a nap when we get back to Kevin’s house. I take the couch, and it’s actually pretty
comfortable. - 26.85

8:30PM - I wake up and order a Lyft home. My Lyft driver ends up being my favorite! She
is a grandma who decorates her minivan with fairy lights and seasonal decor. She’s
adorable and unforgettable - she gave me a ride last summer and I remembered her as soon
as I saw her license plate and face pop up on my app. We have a lovely chat on the way
home. - $26.99

12PM - I spend the rest of my evening watching Queer Eye and playing Death Stranding.

Daily Total: $79.75

Day 7: Sunday, 12/1

9AM - I naturally wake up a little after 9 and it feels wonderful. I snuggle in bed with my
cat for a bit while browsing on my phone. When I get up, I make coffee in my French press
and do the few dishes that are in my sink. Seems like a good start to the day.

10:30A - Jack shows up a little earlier than I anticipated, so we take a nap together and it’s
glorious. One of my favorite things in the world is a mid-morning/post-coffee nap. I’m a
huge proponent of naps in general. I’m a very tired person.

12:30P - Jack and I have plans to check out a vegan pop-up holiday market. Neither of us
are vegan, though Jack eats a primarily plant-based diet, but we enjoy events like this since
it’s a fun opportunity to try innovative dishes. We browse the craft stands and I get to pet a
chicken from a farm bird sanctuary - so cool! I buy a vegan Mexican hot-chocolate brownie
($3) and a mini cookie dough and chocolate silk pie ($7), and I get a “lobster” mac n
“cheese” dish from one of the food vendors ($7). I don’t know what the “lobster” is made
of but the taste and texture is spot on. - $17

3PM - We return to my apartment and watch an episode of The X-Files while eating our
respective desserts - I pick the brownie and microwave a cup of leftover coffee and Jack
eats the mini pie he bought. Afterwards, Jack heads back home to give me my space. I have
a studio apartment which is impossible to clean he and the girls are over, so he’s getting
used to me respectfully kicking him out. I love and adore Jack, and I require ample alone
time to function properly.

9PM - I spend the rest of the evening snacking on leftover sweet potato casserole, playing
Death Stranding, and meal prepping roasted sweet potato fries and pinto bean burgers for
my lunches this week.
12PM - Whoops. I got carried away listening to my audiobook, Talking to Strangers
(which I highly recommend!). I can’t believe it’s so late! I quickly get ready for bed and fall
asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

Daily Total: $17.00

Weekly Total: $550.87

Breakdown:

· Food + Drink: $245.46

· Home + Health: $23.43

· Transport: $156.29

· Other: $125.69

Thoughts/Reflection: I'd say this is more typical than not, but the holiday and season
definitely has an impact on my spending this week. I made a few atypical/seasonal
purchases, and used Lyft a lot more than I normally do. This is still a huge improvement
over how I used to live and taking incremental steps towards my goal has been working for
me as opposed to drastically changing everything overnight. (Like, seriously, I used to
spend $800-1,000 most weeks, all on credit cards. Ugh.)

However, I do think I come across as a messier person than I usually am. I have always
struggled with depression, but it gets worse around this time of year. This week was/is still
very much in my “adjustment period” where I get off track and then work towards getting
back on track when it comes to my sleep, diet, meal prep, etc. Now that Thanksgiving is
over, I'm working at getting back to my version of normalcy this week.

I'm a 27 year old specialized RN, making

37/hr (150k/year pre-tax combined) living
in GTA of Ontario, Canada

Day early as I am out of town suddenly tomorrow! All numbers are in CAD.
27 years old, make 37/hr (150k/year pre-tax combined with fiancé), live in GTA and work
as a specialized RN

* We decided while we were house searching to share all finances as we are very similar
and my parents have always done this and rarely have ever fought about money. We have
separate small personal savings which is typically used for personal non-essentials or
gifts*

BASIC INFO

Age: 27

Location: Greater Toronto Area (East), Ontario, Canada

Occupation: Specialized Registered Nurse

Industry: Healthcare

Marital Status: Engaged, Wedding May 2020

ASSETS & DEBT

Retirement Balance: 18k through work pension, 20k for fiancé (B) work pension. We also
both have RRSP at 750 each which we recently started.

Equity if you’re a homeowner: 75k

Joint Savings Balance: 7k in emergency fund and 5k in other joint savings/currently

wedding fund

Personal Savings: 600 (only use this for gifts or personal things, currently saving for S/O
weddings band – not sure how much he has in his. Once that is bought, I plan to squirrel
away money to ‘pay myself’ when we go on our honeymoon)

Joint Chequing: 5k

Personal Tax Free Savings Account (invested): 3k (each)

Student Loans: N/A à I worked full time during University to pay for school and he was
able to pay his off before we combined finances

Credit Card debt: N/A paid full each month – we do have about 4 cards between us that we
put everything on in order to get the benefits from them such as travel points

INCOME
Main Job Take Home: 4200 per month (I am not full time/permanent so I take home more
than I would to make up for lack of vacation/benefits--full time contract indefinately)

S/O Take Home: 3800 per month

Side Gigs: 100-500 per month – we both serve when asked by close friend’s company and
S/O also referees soccer a couple times a week as he works shift work and has lots of off
time

MONTHLY

Mortgage/Property Tax: 2736 (paying max)

Retirement Contribution: 100 each

Savings Contribution: 400 each into Tax Free + unregulated amount into savings when we
feel comfortable to do so (about 1000-1800 every month or two depending on expenses)

Car Payment: 500/month for mine, S/O paid off – recently upgraded to large SUV
anticipating a growth in our family over the next 5 years or so. We also have 2 large (90+
pound dogs who were sick of 2 Honda Civics!)

Auto/Life/Home insurance: 235

Donations: 50-100 monthly as it comes by

Wifi: 35

Electric: 55

Cell phone: 120 for both

Netflix/Disney: use parents account

Health insurance: n/a, Canada, S/O work covers most

Dogs: 30

Since we track everything on a mega excel sheet, I am adding what we BOTH spend in a
week as it is easily trackable and more realistic

Day 1 - Wednesday

5:30am: My fiancé, B, works shift work and only sometimes works days but when he does;
this is his wake up time. Snuggle in bed with dogs before peeling myself up, change into
black slacks and a beige turtleneck. Brush my teeth, splash my face with water and decide it
is a no makeup day so just add a touch of moisturizer. Mosey downstairs to make tea for B
to take to work while he walks the dogs.

5:50am: B helps me get the dogs into our new SUV. It pretty high for the dogs and they are
not used to being in the trunk and so, it is such an ordeal. The golden retriever, F,
immediately hops the back seats and sits in the back seat with a dopey grin while our
Bernese Mountain Dog, A, tries to figure out how she can clear it without getting stuck.
Kiss B goodbye while he heads to work and I head to my parent’s house. They live 15
minutes away, right beside my workplace, so on the odd day where B works days, my
parents LOVE having the dogs over. They recently lost our family dog so constantly bug
me to bring them over

6:00: Arrive at my parents and put a pot of coffee on. F and A sprint into the kitchen,
knowing my mom left a couple treats there for them. I make myself and my dad each a
cinnamon raisin bagel and pour coffee while he works his way downstairs. We talk over
coffee for an hour before I head off to work. My mom leaves for work at 4:30am, so I
won’t see her until later

7:30: Make it to work, put my head down and catch up on emails/incidents

Noon: Eat my desk lunch of a slice of multigrain bread with egg salad on top with a pear La
Croix followed by a cherry yogurt

3:30pm: Freedom. Call my mom to see if she needs anything and head to their house.

4:00pm: Get bombarded with puppy love from A and F, take them on a quick walk and
have a cup of tea with my mom. B is heading to a Nike sale after work so won’t be here
until 7:30pm.

5:30pm: Feed dogs and head to the gym with my sister who lives at my parents with her
boyfriend. She is 6 years younger than me but we are finally started to get along. Yay
maturity! We do a shoulder circuit and head back.

7:00pm: Mom made Irish stew (where her and my dad are from, both with very strong
accents), so we gobble that up. B gets there shortly and also eats. We watch survivor and
head home to shower

9:30pm: Cuddle with B, A and F in bed, watch some bad YouTube and light out by 10pm

$0 for me; $48 – B got gas

Day 2 – Thursday

5:30am: Same wake up call. This time B walks dogs and drops that at my parents. I make
his tea for him and make sure he has enough work snacks. Kiss goodbye and I head to the
gym – lugging more than enough bags with me
6:00am: Meet my sister for a leg workout followed by quick abs. Ab workouts destroy me
so I know I will be hurting tomorrow. Body shower at gym and then blow dry the sweat out
of my hair followed by dry shampoo and tie it up in a high pony. Toss on some beige plaid
pants and a black turtleneck, again. B states he doesn’t see my neck from October to
February every year because I just love my turtlenecks! Add a touch of BB cream and
mascara before I head out

7:00am: Stop at Starbucks for an egg white, spinach, feta wrap and black Americano ($9)

7:30am: At work, working and trying to clear as many people as possible before Friday. A
part of my job is having to ensure people meet certain criteria to work within the hospitals

Noon: Lunch time! Leftovers of a cup of spaghetti with shrimp, chorizo, sundried tomatoes,
spinach in a garlicky sauce. I devour this.

3:30pm: Pick up the dogs, thank my mom and head home. Stop to top up on gas as it is
pretty low ($25)

4:30pm: Vacuum around the house and throw on a bad Netflix original Christmas movie.
Feed fur babies and ‘wrestle’ with them – they always win. I don’t often like taking them
on walks alone because they know I’m not as strong as B so will attempt to over power me
to go exactly where they want to – the forest.

6:00pm: Start making dinner. Greens with onion, corn, avocado and lime dressing with
blacked tilapia and a piece of garlic bread. What is a meal without carbs? Not a meal I want
to eat, truly.

7:00pm: Enjoy dinner with B while watching an episode of Bobs Burgers.

9:00pm: Catch myself drifting to sleep so I head upstairs to take off my makeup, clean with
Fresh Soy Cleanser, Origins Toner and Fresh rose moisturizer. Brush my teeth and water
floss. My teeth are so close together as I have all the wisdom in the world with 4 extra
teeth, so this has been a lifesaver for that and the wire from post-braces.

9:30pm: Sexy time and cuddle with B before snoozing

$34 – me; $0 – B

Day 3 – Friday

6:30am: Extra hour sleep is always perfect. Roll out of bed as to not wake B because he is
evening shift tonight. Throw on jeans (FRIDAY) and a grey knit sweater. B is awake when
I come out of the bathroom and kills me with kisses. He gets up to feed dogs and move cars
around.
7:30am: At work making myself a coffee and tossing a bagel into the toaster. A co-worker
brought them yesterday so I have been looking forward to this! A little cream cheese and
tomato and eat that while browsing black Friday deals. Decide to grab a couple gifts for B,
including a new phone case and SAXX boxers which he has been talking about for months.
($98)

9:30am: My mom is texting me as it’s her birthday today and wants me to go out for dinner
with them tonight. I have been overstimulated all week with people so really wanted a night
alone. She guilt-trips me into coming over with B for ‘dads curry’ and cards which really
means we will all drink too many gins and laugh until it’s far too late. I promise I don’t
usually see my family this much in a week but ‘tis the season I guess!

Noon: My co-worker sticks her head in my office asking what I brought for lunch. I
explained that that bagel was the plan but was now long gone. I should just eat my banana
and wait until dinner but I take the walk to the café with her. The fries are making me drool
so I grab fries and a salad with coleslaw plus a sparkling water ($10)

1:00pm: Terrible idea. My stomach is so full and greasy feeling; I have no desire to
continue working for the day.

3:30pm: DONE! Yes, the weekend! Head to the gym to meet my sister for some back and
bicep work before heading to my parents. B texts me saying he is packing me an overnight
bag to stay at my parents tonight with the dogs so he can sleep for a few hours
uninterrupted when he gets home at 6am tomorrow morning. He is also bringing my moms
birthday gift and the dogs with their food

4:30pm: Get to my parents and kiss B hello who is already there. We give my mom her
gifts and she is over the moon. My parents are the only family in Canada, they got married
when they were 19 and flew to Canada that same year for a better life. If anyone knows
Ireland history, my mom is Catholic and my dad is Protestant so growing up in Northern
Ireland was a struggle and them getting married was very looked down upon. We are all we
have here and my mom lost both her parents earlier this year so I think this all means a lot
to her right now

6:00pm: B leaves for work after ‘dads curry’ and my family and I continue the evening
playing some cards, pool, darts and having a good time

9:30pm: I am pooped from social interaction so head to the spare bedroom to play some
games on the computer and cuddle with A and F who have had WAY too many treats from
my mom. Lights out by 11:30pm

$108 – me ; $4 – B got a tea on the way to work

Day 4 – Saturday
7:30am: A and F are crying like crazy outside of my parent’s bedroom. Before B and I
bought a house, A lived here with me for 3 years. Every morning my mom would wake up
at 4 to go to work, give A a treat, feed her breakfast and play with her. Even now, 2 years
later, she expects the same. I hop out of bed at the same time my mom walks out of her
room over the moon with all the doggo attention she is getting

8:15am: after a cup of coffee, my sister and I head to the gym for some cardio.

9:30am: Take the dogs out for a walk. I am dying to get home and put on a load of laundry
and shower but I know as soon as we walk in the door dogs will be all over B so I am
trying to keep it off for as long as possible

10:30am: Head home. Dogs sprint into our bedroom jumping all over B. I kiss B good
morning and grab his laundry and mine to put in after scooting the dogs out of the room but
B is up anyways. I turn the kettle on for him as I start laundry. B drinks his tea and heads to
the gym while I take this time to watch Greys from last week

Noon: B is home and decides to clean the bathrooms before we shower. Water conservation
y’all. Que some adult time.

2pm: B and I decide to go to walk dogs and pick up some groceries today. We usually
would on Sunday but we have a busy day tomorrow with family. We grab some La Croix
on sale, tomatoes, chickpeas, peppers, canned tomatoes, eggs, yogurt, bread, potatoes,
tortillas, avocados ($22)

2:30pm: watch a movie and snuggle with B. It’s his last shift tonight before 4 days off so
we can finally spend some more time together and have a date night on Monday or
Tuesday!

4:30pm: Made dinner of tofu pad thai. Tofu hack: if you freeze the tofu first, let it thaw and
squeeze the heck out of it to get rid of water, it has a spongey-like texture and will break
apart pretty weird. Pop it into the oven at 400 and it is SO crispy delicious.

5:30pm: walk A and F once more around the block with B, hand in hand discussing the
upcoming holidays. With B’s shift work, he will be working Christmas Eve and New Years
day evening this year but that leaves us with Christmas day and New Years Eve! Yay! My
dad and mom both work in hospitality in resorts/hotels so growing up, we always had
strange holiday schedules. My brother now also works as a kitchen manager and my sister
and I still serve here and there so we are used to it. B’s family however is a family of
teachers so they get pretty upset when he has to work on days they have tradition which can
be a bit hard on B.

6:00pm: B leaves for work and I head out to catch a drink and a movie with by best
friend/maid of honour, S. Her and her bf of 8 years bought a house 5 minutes from us
which makes our friendship even easier.
6:30pm: We grab a glass of wine and discuss the bachelorette plan for February and I pester
about when they are finally going to get married, as she really wants to, then we head to see
a movie. I pay ($42)

10:30pm: Movie done, I drop S home and head home to A and F who have gotten into the
garbage again! F is so food motivated to he scrounges through the garbage while A is on
look out and they share the findings. I put them on ‘time out’ while their tails wag like
crazy, no regrets I’m sure.

11:00pm: Scroll through my phone in bed and fall asleep with F in bed as A sleeps by the
front door waiting for B to get home

$64 total

Day 5 – Sunday

06:30am: Wake up to B crawling in bed, small smooch and I’m back asleep

08:00am: Up and downstairs to feed the dogs. Tossed on a pair of black leggings and an
aggressively yellow, large sweater. I boil the kettle and throw on my parka, hat, gloves and
blundstones to walk to dogs. It is FREEZING up here!

9:00am: Have a cup of coffee and curl up on the couch with dogs – remember that we are
meeting B’s parents for breakfast so tip-toe my way into our bedroom to change and put
some makeup on. Garnier BB cream, benefit brows and some L’Oreal carbon black
mascara while straightening my hair

9:45am: B is up and showering. I grab the dog’s food for tonight and tomorrow morning, a
bottle of wine, frozen apps that we picked up last week and leftover cookies. Toss my gym
bag together for 2 days, just in case I make it. It’s the first Sunday of December and since
we can’t have regular holidays with my family, we make up other weird ones. This is pure
coincidence that all my family things are in one weekend. Can you tell I am getting a little
overwhelmed yet? Once you live alone, you develop a threshold for how much ‘family
time’ you can handle. As much as my parents are my favourite people, this is hitting an all
time high!

10:30am: Assemble the squad into the big car and blast the heat so A and F can have their
heads out the windows the whole time. Once at B’s parents, we drop off dogs and head out
to breakfast.

11:00am: Small diner in the area with super cheap breakfast! Order a black coffee and
some poached eggs with toast to smother with marmalade and beans to smother with HP –
shout out to my British friends who cover everything in marmalade and/or HP. We pay
($60)
Noon: Head back to B’s parents to walk A and F and their pup. F somehow managed to
jump on the counter an eat an entire loaf of bread and 8 tortillas… A comes running up to
us whining and wagging her tail (her way of ‘telling on F’ and letting us know she had no
part) F is 4 years old and we can’t seem to break this dumpster diving/food scrounging
habit even though we walk them 3+ times a day and they get fed enough. We make some
tea and play a 7 Wonders which I NEVER win because I can’t decide on a strategy.

3:00pm: Head to my parent’s house with A and F for our annual Christmas tree decorating,
Baileys making, gin drinking, and salad bowl playing tradition. Forgot that we brought
some frozen apps that have been thawing in the car for the last few hours... good thing we
live in Canada where they aren’t cooked at this point

3:15pm: My sister and I slip out to do some quick cardio at the gym

4:15pm: Toss a bunch of apps in the oven while the boys, B and my sister’s bf and my
brother drag the Christmas stuff up from the basement. My dad has decided to retire from
doing that since B and I got engaged.

4:30pm: Let the Bailey’s making begin. We try to do this before to many drinks as it
involves egg tossing. One cannot make and enjoy bailey’s without tossing the eggs across
the kitchen.

5:00pm: Throw up the tree and delegate putting the beads on the tree to B and my brother,
as they are the most OCD out of everyone. We also tell my dad to go away for 10 minutes,
as be loves to comment on the spacing of the beads and it will eventually drive everyone
crazy. We follow this by eating apps around the kitchen island with some wine. My brother
walks away for a minute to stretch. He is 3 years younger than I am but has undiagnosed
chronic pain that is worse some days than others. Sometimes he can hardly chop a carrot at
work while other times he is helping with the tree. It has been 2 years now so we are hoping
it will finally have a diagnosis soon. It’s really hard to see him like that

6:00pm: Tree decorating has commenced followed by a game of salad bowl – it’s like
charades on crack. We then head downstairs to play pool, eat Irish quality street chocolates
(my mom grabbed it last time she was back last month – british chocolate is FAR superior
to ours) and fight about what songs to play when at our wedding next year

9:30pm: Head to the spare room with B and the dogs, slightly tipsy. Pop an advil and chug
water so I don’t suffer at work tomorrow morning and internally weep that B and the dogs
will be off together all day.

$60 total

Day 6 – Monday

Midnight: Hear F running up and downstairs whining so I go see what’s up. He clearly has
to go outside – boy ate so much
2:00am: F is tapping downstairs again and I wonder why I am such a light sleeper as B is
out cold beside me. I let him out and he is so sulky but I mean, he did eat 600 carbs today.
Try to fall back to sleep but look at some Cyber Monday sales

3:00am: F is tapping again but this time I wake up B who jumps up immediately and goes
to see F

5:45am: Wake up to go to the gym but realize is snowed WAY too much last night and
decide it is not worth it so I get up to make a coffee. B also wakes up around 6:30am and
goes to clean our car off as well as my brothers and dads in the driveway – angel.

7:00am: Head to work a bit earlier than usual to make sure I have enough time in this deep
snow so I make a coffee and browse reddit

Noon: I grabbed a Mr. Noodles cup from our snack area at work and some carrots for lunch

3:15pm: Head out early because I cannot wait to just be in my own home

4:00pm: Welcomed by A and F who apparently had a lovely day hiking in the snow with B.
B has vacuumed and started dinner so tells me to go get on some comfy pants and pop on a
movie

5:30pm: We put on the new Netflix movie and eat crispy potato tacos on corn tortillas with
homemade pickled jalapenos and onions. B puts on the kettle and rubs my feet while we
watch. This is what heaven is like, I’m sure. It makes me laugh thinking about our
relationship and how crazy great he is. We went to the same high school eons ago but he
was ‘super cool’ on the football team and I was with my group of friends playing cards
every day, studying like a maniac and doing way too many afterschool sports to be cool
too. We knew of each other but I was quite the nerd and he was, well, not. The group of
girls he hung around with, unbeknownst to him, bullied me like crazy (prank calling,
shoving, and name calling). We actually connected on Bumble 3 years ago, after going to
separate universities, made a date the same day we matched and the rest is history! My lil
hometown hunni.

7:30pm: Movie is over and dogs are a bit restless, so we take them for a quick walk and to
pee as it is snowing and looking magical outside. When we get back, we bring the laptop to
bed, throw on a Disney movie while we chat and cuddle until we are both asleep by 10

$0; $54 – B on gifts

Day 7 – Tuesday

6:00am: Alarm goes off and I invite A and F into bed for a few snuggles. B was already
laying awake on his phone
6:15am: I slump out of bed and into the shower which B joins me for. Brush my teeth,
simple makeup and brush through my hair. I toss on a pair of black slacks, black sleeveless
shirt and a long gray cardigan. BB cream, mascara and brows – toss my hair up again. B is
downstairs making me a tea to take to work while I grab leftovers last night to make a
potato taco salad?

7:30am: At work. One of the nurses is off suddenly so the workload right now is a bit
ridiculous this week

1:00pm: Lost track of time so I eat my potato taco salad while finishing up some forms

3:30pm: DONE! Feeling a bit hyper with working so aggressively all day and probably not
drinking any water now that I think of it.

4:00pm: Get home to get changed for the gym. B has made cold peanut rice noodle slaw
that I taste and almost don’t want to go to the gym because I want dinner right this second.
B grabs his bag, rips the noodles out of my hands and scoots me out the door with him. We
discuss what movie we should go see tonight and I buy it on the app which we have a credit
for. Yay for free movies. Get to the gym for some weights and a bit of cardio as I hardly
moved all day at work

5:15pm: Get home, walk doggos and feed them, have some of the noodles for dinner.

6:00pm: Head upstairs to take change into comfy leggings and a warm sweater for the
movie

6:30pm: At the movies and decide we are going to splurge and get popcorn ($9) and find
our seats. Previews are our favourite part of any movie and we decide which ones we will
have to see in theatres and which ones look ridiculous.

9:15pm: Movies all done and it was actually so good! We chat on the drive home about the
movie. We pass a newer brewery that opened up recently and B asks if we want to stop for
a drink. Absolutely! We head in and B orders a stout and I order a sour even though sour
season is probably nearly finished at this point ($14). We sit for an hour discussing
honeymoon plans and guest lists for the wedding before heading home

10:45pm: Remove my makeup and snuggle in bed with the dogs before I am out before my
head even hits the pillow.

$23 - me; $18 – B printed off a few engagement photos

Total: 413

Transportation: 73
Food & Drink: 170

Christmas: 152

Household: 18

Reflection:

This is a pretty typical week for us, even with buying Christmas gifts. Between paying my
college dues, birthdays, courses, etc. we typically end up paying 100-150 a week on one
thing or another. Often, it would be for more groceries but we ended up at our parents for
meals more than usual this week.

I’m 23, make around $700, and I am a

Final Year Undergrad and Social Media
Intern in Singapore

Details

Occupation: Full-time undergrad 

Industry: Marketing and advertising

Age: 23

Location: Singapore

Gender Identity: Woman

Assets

Government-mandated savings (general) aka CPF: nil (https://blog.seedly.sg/about-central-

provident-fund-cpf/#what-is-cpf link for more info)

Savings (Parents’ contributions): $15,000

Emergency/ Long term savings: $3,350

  Debts

Credit Card: nil

Student Loan Balance: $16,000 (taken out for study abroad, my parents plan to pay $12,000
from an education savings account they set up since I was young)

Tuition: $4,100 per semester (my parents pay for it with their credit card)

Invisalign Treatment: $800 (I paid nearly $6,000 of the $8,000 bill in installments with
part-time work, parents paid the initial $2,000)  

Income

Main Income: $550 (internship)

Side Gigs: $300-700 (doing private tutoring - this month is low as it’s school holidays)

Allowance: $250 ( allowance from parents because they want me to save as much of my
income as I can + they will stop giving me allowance when I get a full time job)

Monthly Expenses

Rent: nil (living at home)

Cell Phones: nil ($75 on parents’ plan - I plan on switching to a cheaper plan when I start
full-time and have to pay it myself)

Transit: around $55 ($45 monthly concession for trains)

Gym: nil (free gym at condo complex)

Health Insurance: nil (parents handle it)

Life Insurance: nil (parents handle it)

Subscriptions

Spotify: $4.50 (on family plan with friends)

Day one - 1/12 (Sunday)

8:05 am- I wake up early even though it's a Sunday since my room has a full wall with floor
to ceiling windows and I get a lot of natural light. Normally, I get out of bed immediately
but since it's a weekend, I settle in bed and use reddit. 
9:15 am- I finally get out of bed- brush teeth, toilet, a glass of water. I settle in front of the
TV to catch up on my YouTube. My mum is preparing her breakfast and my dad has gone
on to work (he's tutoring at a training centre in his industry as a side gig and I've been
telling him to leave it because the money is really bad like $150 for a full 9-5 day but he
doesn't want to listen. He wants to work there once I work full time, so I guess he wants to
keep the connection).

9:40 am- My 17 year old brother emerges from his room and we gobble on the sweets and
candy he brought back from his school trip to China. Breakfast of champions. I have been
loosely intermittent fasting the past two weeks but have left my weekend IF-free since I'm
starting out. I also brew some Chinese tea he brought back, itself surprisingly spicy which
is weird. My mum loves it while my brother hates it.

10:20 am- I continue watching YouTube and I binge watch some Bon Appetit, Epicurious
(just discovered the 4 levels videos), Sierra Schultzzie (a body positive yt-er that I've just
discovered). I also snack on more of those souvenir/snacks my brother has left on the coffee
table

3 pm- I suddenly realise it's late and I've done nothing but watch TV the whole day. I was
planning on going to the back to open a new account, edit some travel vlogs for my youtube
channel (I have no sort of audience there and haven't been active for a year but it's fun and I
want to get back to it), and prop lift my dying pothos (it had mold which I removed the
weekend before but it's recovering). But alas, I decide today is a bust and continue
watching youtube. 

5 pm- I finally run out of things to watch and tidy my room and the house. I sweep every
room, put my things back in their places in my room, store away the snacks on the coffee
table, and put away my laundry. 

6 pm- my mum is finally done in the kitchen (I think she was there the whole day). My dad
is also back from work. I prepare my packed lunch for the next day while my parents
prepare for dinner. For my packed lunch, I prepare a lettuce and spinach salad mix with
some sauteed cauliflower and long beans situation and top off with a few prawns my mum
cooked. I add cherry tomatoes and pink guava and pack it in the fridge. 

7:30 pm- I join my family for dinner that they've already started on and quickly gobble
down the salad my mum made. I catch up with my family and we discuss our upcoming
week.

9 pm- I retreat into my room and start winding down for bed. I wash my face, do my skin
care routine (I'm in the midst of adding retinol to my routine), take my vitamins (including
my melatonin) and a shot of apple cider vinegar (to lose some belly fat, it worked for me in
the past but I feel off it for a while). I also pack my bag and prepare my outfit for the next
day. 

10:35 pm- I feel like it's a little too early to jump into bed so I decide to journal for half an
hour.
11:30 pm-  When I end journalingjournaling, I realise it's already 11:27 pm and I quickly
turn off the lights and go to bed. I don't regret it though because I fall asleep quickly since
my mind is pretty clear and tired after venting everything on paper. 

Daily Total: $0

Day 2- 2/12 (Monday)

7 am- I wake up and immediately hear to the toilet. I take out my Invisalign trays, brush my
teeth, and pop them back in. I also put on contacts and my workout clothes (already in the
toilet) and head to the gym at my condo complex. 

7:28 am- No one else is in, I’m happy. I do a 5 mins dynamic stretching, 30 mins of goblet
squats, bicep curls to overhead press, glute bridges and russian twists with low-weight
dumbbells, 10 mins of a mat exercises like leg raises, fire hydrants and planks, 10 mins of
cycling (on a semi-HITT mode) and 5 mins stretching to cool down. I just started out 2
weeks ago so I’m trying everything to find what I like. 

8:40 am- I get into the shower and get ready for work. I also message my supervisor to
confirm when we’re meeting at a studio to pick up some things. He doesn’t reply and I’m
thinking he’s gonna bail on me. I continue putting on makeup and tidy up a little after.

9:30 am- I head out a little earlier than usual because I’m going to a studio to pick up the
things we used for a shoot the week before so I can return them to the client. I have to
change trains twice but it’s good because I get a seat. I have a monthly train concession
pass so I don’t take note of my fare. 

10:30 am: I reach the studio on our agreed time, my boss has yet to reply so I guess I’m on
my own. I pack the things and manage to consolidate it all into 1 luggage and 2 ikea bags
that are more than half my body height (I’m 147cm / 4’9 so I guess that’s not saying much
but still). I get a message from my supervisor that he was busy with family matters and
asking if I still need help. I decline since I’m almost done and he didn’t even have to help in
the first place. I book a Grab (South East Asia’s version of Uber) and the driver cancels on
me when I ask him to come in further because I can’t move. I book another and struggle
with the 3 bags. -$9

11:40 am- I alight at the mall and and am frustrated at how stupid I look lugging 3 bags to
the client’s store and stop every 3 seconds because they’re so heavy. I drop off all the items
and the store manager gets angry at me because I didn’t pack them properly and it’s a
messy process in returning and accounting for everything. I apologise profusely and want to
cry by the end of it. 

12:30 pm- My boss calls and I think they can pick up on my mood seeing as how my voice
breaks when I talk to them but I just need a moment to get over it. I take the train back to
the studio with the empty luggage and try to pick up my mood by listening to Kanye’s
Jesus Is King and visiting reddit meme pages.
1:10 pm- I reach the studio and quickly pack up the other things to bring them to the office.
One of my students message me to cancel our tuition lesson tonight because her grandfather
passed away. I feel for her as I have been through it before.

1:25 pm- I book another Grab and the driver helps me with the bags. My mood picks up a
little. -$10

1:55 pm- I reach the office and a colleague helps me with the bags but I think they can tell
I'm pretty worn down. I settle down and have my packed lunch which turned out to be
really good. I was worried the spinach would wilt being in my bag half the day but it’s still
fresh and cold. 

2:40 pm- I write some copies for a client’s IG and chill for the remainder of the time. 

4:20 pm- My office starts a meeting and my supervisor asks me to join them. I’m grateful
for the opportunity and listen in. I help update the Facebook shop catalogue for a client,
which should be easy but takes forever because the client’s website sucks. I don’t know
how they’re in business. 

6:10 pm- I finish up and call it a day. Take the train back (no seats). 

7:05 pm- I reach home and lock myself in my room so my parents don’t pick up on my bad
mood. I watch some Youtube videos about John McCain’s Health Care vote, Obama’s
speeches, and Jon Stewart’s old videos that make me cry and I’m glad for the cathartic
experience. 

9:55 pm- I wash up and prepare my packed lunch and bag.

11pm- I go to bed. I’m exhausted. 

Daily Total: $19

Day 3- 3/12 (Tuesday)

7:20 am- I wake up sore and seriously contemplate skipping the gym so I snooze for 30
more mins, which is very unusual for me because I use a sleep clock alarm which wakes me
up naturally.

7:55 am- I finally get out of bed and do my morning routine before gym. 

8:10 am: I reach the gym 10 mins later than I planned and I really don’t want to workout
but I do a half-assed version of the one I did yesterday (I skip the mat workout and
cycling)  and yeet out at 8:45 am. 
8:50 am- I realise I bruised on my shoulders from carrying the bags the day before. The
bruises are bright red even against my tan skin and I pray they heal quickly. I continue on
with my shower and morning routine. 

10 am- I leave for work 10 mins late just because.

10:50 am- I reach fairly early and no one else is in the office yet. I prepare green tea from
the pantry and sip on it while I reply to all my messages on my phone and make some plans
with some friends. 

11:20 am- There are only 3 of us in the office today and one of my colleagues ask me to sit
with them instead of at the corner which is where I sit where everyone is in. I’m so glad and
thankful that they’re friendly and chill unlike my previous internship place. I don’t tell
them I have no work and instead chill on reddit. 

1 pm- I’m bored and feel guilty so I ask for work but they have nothing for me so I try to
find something productive to do. I suddenly recall I’ve been meaning to find another
budgeting app since my free nYNAB is expiring this month. I research a little on reddit and
settle on Aspire Google Sheets as my new budgeting tool. 

1:45 pm- I decide to break my fast 15 mins early and grab my lunch while I watch some
tutorials on how to set up the Aspire budget. I spend the rest of my afternoon doing that. 

4 pm- I finally get some work. It’s some copy and I finish it pretty quickly so I’m left free
again. 

4:20 pm- I chat with my colleagues for a while and appreciate how they’ve been sweet
about trying to get to know me and I vow to ask them more about themselves to get to
know them as well. I don’t have much issues making friends but I do find that at the
workplace, I tend to be a little shy and too professional sometimes. I continue on setting up
my budget google sheets and transferring all the info over. 

6:05 pm- The others start leaving and I also quickly pack up. I walk to the train station with
them making small talks but I feel awkward so I say bye to them at the station and pray we
don’t run into one another since we’re going the same direction. I don’t but I also don’t get
a seat. Oh well. I also sign up to write a Money Diaries. I’m nervous and I almost back out
twice but I submit anyway. 

7 pm- I reach home, pick up the mail on the way, and catch up with my family in front of
the TV. I also waste some time on my phone. 

7:40 pm- I clean up and prepare for the next day but I don’t pack a meal because I’m not
going to work the next day. I also talk to my parents some more and I ask my parents for all
my insurance and saving account papers so I can better calculate for my Aspire budget.
They’re packed in storage under the bed so my mum says she’ll get it for me on Saturday. 
9:35 pm- I have an impromptu Skype call with some friends I went on Spring Break to
Mexico and Cuba with in the Summer during my study abroad in DC, USA last semester.
We’re thinking of going on a sudden trip to the Middle East in January. I really want to go
but I’m a little apprehensive about the budget and not getting a good deal on the flights. We
end up settling on around USD 1k as the budget and shortlist Greece (although I’ve already
been, I guess I don’t mind) and Oman. 

10:50 pm- I end the call and feel happy with our plans. A part of me is still torn about going
on a trip to a place I’ve already been to and with spending some of my NYC savings on
another trip but I feel like I should do as many trips as I can now before I start work full
time and become restricted by paid leaves and whatnot. I can always earn back that money
and save for NYC when I get a full time job. 

11 pm- I go to bed but spend an hour on my phone reading Wattpad and FanFiction.net
stories before I fall asleep. 

Daily Total: $0

Day 4- 4/12 (Wednesday)

6:10 am- I wake up early so I can take the shuttle bus to school. I do my morning routine
(w/o the gym) and ask my Dad if he can drop me off at the bus stop. He agrees. Score! I
just saved myself a 15 mins walk/ around $1 for the train. 

6:45 am- I finish putting on my makeup, pack some eggs my mum cooked, some cherry
tomatoes and snacks and head out the door. 

7 am- The shuttle bus arrives and I show my uni card and hop on. It’s free but most
importantly, it only takes 45-50 mins compared to when I take public transport and have to
change trains 3 times and take a bus to go to school, which takes nearly 2 hours. I would
usually nap on the ride but I see that I got approved for Money Diaries and start writing my
past two days. I’m surprised by how much I remember. 

7:50 am- I reach school and head over to my favourite place in the whole campus- a
sheltered balcony area with an outlet and great wind. I will miss this most when I graduate
next May. I continue writing my Money Diary and worry that it’s already too long. 

9:45 am- I finish my diary and browse on reddit for almost an hour (!!) 

10:55 am- I finally start on my lecture notes for my finals the next day. It’s a relatively low-
workload module so I’m not too worried and the prof is lowkey a misogynist and I know I
won’t do well either way so I’m just looking to get a B. 

11:35 am- I break my fast early with some cherry tomatoes and egg that I bought from
home. I finish off with some Milo biscuits (amazing but too sweet) and watch Youtube.
1:30 pm- I go over to another building to help my friend, B, with a video shoot for a project
about slow fashion. It’s an IG video and I take part in a sewing challenge and drink a weird
concoction of carrot juice, green tea, chilli sauce, banana milk and fried onion flakes in a
questionnaire challenge. Instant regret, it tastes like vomit. 

2:45 pm- The shoot ends and I go to another seating area in the campus to watch Youtube
while I wait for the shuttle bus back at 5pm. I have given up on studying for finals- I think
it’s the fact that I’m in my final year. 

4:30 pm- I go to queue for the bus and end up waiting until 5:30pm because the bus is late
which has never happened before. I am tired and frustrated because the guy in charge didn’t
explain to us why it’s late or what we should do. 

6:45 pm- I finally reach home and vent/talk to my mum about our day and watch youtube
and snack on candies and sweets. I know it’s unhealthy but I decided to skip dinner since
I’m full from that. 

9 pm: I start getting ready for bed and shower. 

10 pm: I get distracted by my phone and end up sleeping an hour later.

Daily Total: $0

Day 5- 5/12 (Thursday)

6 am- I wake up and do my morning routine (brush teeth, wash face, makeup and outfit). I
dash out at 6:45 am but I don’t have enough time to walk to the bus stop so I take the train
instead. I top up $10 on my card because I have insufficient funds. -$10

7 am- take the shuttle bus, I read up on my notes on the way. I reach 45 mins later.

7:45 am- I chill and catch up on the k-pop MAMA news. I get distracted so I rush to the
exam venue at 8:45am.

8:55 am- I reach the exam venue in the nick of time. I begin the paper and realise an hour
into the exam it is open-booked. I obviously didn’t realise but I still manage to finish it. I’m
a mess.

11 am- i finish the paper 30 mins early and waste time on my phone while I wait for my
parents to fetch me. 

12 pm- My parents pick me up (they both took leave) and my brother is on school holidays
so we spend the day together. We go to the mall and mum treats us to lunch and bubble tea
for all of us. 

5 pm: come home and crash, I nap till 8 pm.

8 pm: I have dinner and pack up for the next day. 

10 pm: I have another Skype call with my friends about our January travel plans, we settle
on Oman but worry that our $800 usd budget might be too low for a week. 

12 am: Finally the call ends, and I go to bed.

Daily Total: $10

Day 6- 6/12 (Friday)

8:30 pm- I wake up and do the same routine from Monday and Tuesday. I slept in because I
had a bad sleep so I skip my gym routine for a 10 mins HITT workout on Youtube. Then, I
continue with the rest of my routine as per usual. 

11 am- I reach work and finish some copy. 

1:15 pm- I meet a buyer for a face mask that I put up for sale on Carousell (an app like
depop). +$3

2 pm- I break my fast and have the same lunch as Tuesday. 

2:30 pm- I continue with my work and rush so I can finish by 6pm since I have dinner
plans.

6:15 pm- I finish and walk 30 mins to meet my friends for dinner. I would have taken the
train but I wanted to save money and walk off my jittery energy from a Thai Milk Tea my
boss treated me to in the afternoon. 

7 pm- I meet my friends W and T and we have soba bowls at the mall as we catch up. -$8

7:30 pm- We go to the museum W is interning at for an exhibition. He got us tickets for
free so I don’t mind but if I had to pay for it, I would have been disappointed. 

9 pm- We go for deserts but I skip since I’m on IF and also because I want to save money. I
also lend my friend money because she’s low on cash. -$10

10:30 pm- I start heading back because I have to wake up early the next day. 

11:30 am- I reach home and quickly go to bed after getting unready. 

Daily Total: $15

Day 7- 7/12 (Saturday)

6 am- I wake up and do my makeup quickly so I can head out my 6:45am. I bring along my
passport because my friends and I are going thrifting in Malaysia haha. There’s a serious
lack of thrifting in Singapore but going to Malaysia is easy enough so it’s not uncommon to
go thrifting there.

7:30 am- I meet my friend R and her other friend for the first time, Q, and we hit off well so
it’s not too bad. Q also hands me around 300 ringgit as I transferred her $100 to change
currency into earlier this week. The immigration to Malaysia is packed and we finally reach
after 4 hours, at 11:30am. -$100

11:30 am- We walk to a cafe and grab lunch there. I share a poke bowl, chicken confit and
fried squid with R. It’s around $14 in sgd which is amazing because the same meal would
probably cost around $20-30 plus in Singapore.

2 pm- We take a grab to the thrift store and I buy 2 shirts and 2 jackets there for around $7
sgd total. We leave at 3 because we want to avoid the jam back home so I didn’t get to look
through properly. I also pay Q for the two Grab trips, around $5 sgd. 

3:15 pm- We take a grab back to the immigration area but before we go back to Singapore,
I go to the pharmacy to buy some birth control pills (I take Diane-35 for my acne and it was
the main reason I went to Malaysia since they cost half the price as in Singapore and I
always stock up whenever I’m in Malaysia.) I buy 4 boxes for around $60 sgd. I also buy 4
hair clips for a secret Santa Exchange at work (the budget is minimum $25 which is pretty
expensive for me so I just get some fancy looking hair pins I know my Santee will like and
hope they don’t follow the budget too strictly) which cost around $15 sgd.  

 6:30 pm- I finally reach home, which is not too bad since we didn’t encounter a jam on the
way back. I’m exhausted, so I take a nap.

9:30 pm- I am woken by my dad since I skipped out on dinner. I quickly eat my dinner and
try to go back to sleep but I can’t so I spend until 12:30 am on my laptop and fall asleep.   
Daily Total: $100

Transportation: $10 + train concession Food + Drinks: $8 Activities: $100 Others/Misc.

(work, lending): $26  Total spending: $144   Diary Reflection This week was a pretty
normal week for me (other than the day trip and stocking up on my pills). Also, I usually go
out more in a week but this was a slow week for me. I’m also trying to save money to move
and get my finances in order because I want to stop replying on my parents when I
graduate. This was my first time Money Diary and I do YNAB so this wasn’t very
shocking, just a new experience. 
Diary: I'm a 31 yr old making $89K in
Brooklyn

Basic Info:

Age: 31

Location: Brooklyn

Industry: Nonprofit

Occupation: Writer

Marital Status: Single

Assets and Debts:

403b: $94,907. I’ve been contributing since I started working 8 years ago, and my
employer’s contributions are generous. More on that below.

Savings: $10,600

Checking: $2,191

Investment Portfolio: ~$165,000 (I was gifted stock in one company by my grandmother as

a child. About ten years ago, I sold it and invested the proceeds in a portfolio to better
diversify. To be clear, I did not earn this money.)

Debts: Zero. When I was a kid, a close family friend died and he left my parents money to
pay for my (and my sister’s) undergraduate education. I’ve never gone to graduate school,
I’ve never had any credit card debt, I don’t own a car, and I don’t have a mortgage. I do use
credit cards, but pay them off in full monthly.

Income:

Full time job: $89,000 gross salary. My employer did a complete overhaul of their
compensation system earlier this year and I ended up getting 19% raise, so this is a
relatively new salary for me. Still adjusting to it.

Paycheck amount: $2,153, twice per month, for a total of $4,306 monthly.
Freelance writing: $200-300 per month, on average. 30% goes into savings for taxes. I do
this mostly for “fun money,” and as a resume builder.

Monthly Expenses:

Rent: $1,457 for a studio apartment

Electric Bill: $35 on average

Gas Bill (cooking gas): $20 on average

Internet: $80

Cell phone: $48

Gym: $50 (It's really $100 but work pays for half)

Netflix: $11

Spotify: $10

New York Times: $7.50

ACLU contribution: $15

Contribution to savings: Varies each month depending on what else is happening with my
spending. Sometimes it’s just $50 if it’s a high-spend month, sometimes it’s $500.

Expenses Deducted from Paycheck:

403(b): $822 (11%). Work contributes an additional 11%, for a total of $1,644 going into
retirement per month. 10% of that is a flat contribution, and 1% of that is a match. I am
very lucky!

Medical, Dental, Life Insurance: $148

Transit (Monthly unlimited metrocard): $128

Other:

I pay yearly for renters insurance ($137), Amazon Prime ($119), and various magazine
subscriptions including The New Yorker. I also make year-end charitable donations to
several nonprofits close to my heart.

11/29- Black Friday

7am: Up with the sun in my childhood bedroom- I’m at my parents house in MA for
Thanksgiving. I do my usual morning physical therapy: foam rolling, strengthening
exercises, stretches. I’m rehabbing a running injury in my foot, so I’ve got a whole daily
routine.

8:30am: Short hike with my parents and a cousin on some local trails. My parents live in a
rural area so there are lots of dirt roads and trails to choose from.

10am: Various chores around the house, including a long overdue cleanout of my bedroom
closet! I take a long walk down “going out tops from 2007-2009” memory lane and end up
with a small bag of trash and a bigger bag of clothes for the thrift store.

12pm: I do a little online shopping for a few Christmas gifts on Amazon ($99) and pay the
gas bill ($18) for my apartment.

3pm: Mom and I head to a nearby farmstand, which is hosting a pop-up beer garden by a
local brewery ($11 for my IPA and her porter, my treat), and then go to see It’s a Beautiful
Day in the Neighborhood ($22 for a senior ticket and an adult ticket with a small popcorn,
my treat). The movie was really sweet and quite emotional- two thumbs up.

6pm: We hit the grocery store on the way home for a few supplies (mom pays) and make
dinner at home using Thanksgiving leftovers.

7pm: We light a fire in the fireplace and watch two episodes of The Crown, which I’ve
already seen, but they haven’t. I provide commentary and answer a lot of “who is that?”
questions.

Total: $150

11/30

7am: Up and the usual PT.

8:30am: I go on a 40 minute run. I’m doing time-based workouts instead of distance or

speed-based workouts while I rehab my foot. On the run, I encounter about 25 bagels
scattered across the road. Weird!

10:30am: Various outdoor chores around the property with the parents, including selecting
and cutting down a Christmas tree from our woods to put up on the porch with lights (we
do both an outside tree and inside tree, #extra) and putting up lights above the garage.

12pm: I have a video chat date with one of my best friends who is currently undergoing
treatment for breast cancer. She lives abroad in her husband’s home country, so I grab
whatever chance I can get for some quality face time with her. She’s doing well and is in
remarkably high spirits considering she just had surgery 5 days ago and has lost all her hair.
At one point her adorable one year-old daughter grabs the phone and takes me for a walk
around their apartment.

2pm: Errands around town with mom, including dropping off yesterday’s closet cleanout at
the thrift store and scouting some shops downtown for Christmas gift ideas. It’s 35 degrees
but I decide that we should get ice cream cones while we stroll ($11, my treat). Pumpkin
for me, strawberry for her. This is how you know we’re from MA.

5pm: Quick change out of my outdoor workwear into something more classy, throw on
some makeup, then head over to a neighbor’s house for a cocktail party. Something I love
about the community I grew up in is that it’s very intergenerational—lots of mixing
between older folks and younger folks. (Reading that sentence back, it sounds like I grew
up in some sort of commune/cult- but no, just a regular town.) I have an Old Fashioned and
some amazing crab puffs, among other things.

8pm: We’re back home in front of the fire and watching more episodes of The Crown.

Total: $11

12/1

8am: PT, breakfast, and another hike with the parents, followed by a lot of lazy Sunday
newspaper reading.

12pm: I pack up my stuff and we all head to Boston for lunch with my sister. She just got
back from a two week trip in Asia, so she missed Thanksgiving. We have a great time
hearing about her adventures at a local pub and watching some football games. I get a
delicious huevos rancheros dish and a beer, and my parents pay.

4pm: I buy holiday-colored peanut M&Ms before getting on Amtrak back to NY, my
preferred travel snack ($4). It’s snowing a bit, which puts me in a festive mood. I finish my
book (Calypso, by David Sedaris) and listen to a few podcasts on the train. I bought this
ticket months ago, using credit card points.

8:30pm: Arrive back in NY and take the subway to my apartment. I eat some random
leftovers in the fridge that are on the verge of going bad, then I crash.

Total: $4

12/2

6:30am: Up with the alarm. Spend the pre-work hours doing PT and home stuff like
cleaning, organizing, making a grocery list.

8:45am: Head to work on the subway. It’s weirdly empty for a Monday.
9:30am: Work mode, engage. I spend the morning sorting through the inbox and planning
out my week after five days off. I wrapped up a huge project right before Thanksgiving so
I’m now in the initial planning stages of my next set of deliverables. Thankfully I have no
meetings today, so I can ease back into things gently.

11:30am: Order a dark green holiday party dress from Tuckernuck ($158). It might be a
total bust, but it looks intriguing- I love a stand collar. And they have free returns if I hate
it.

11:45am: I get a call from my physical therapist’s office to talk about my next round of
insurance authorizations. Their proactiveness about stuff like this is one of the many
reasons why I ADORE my PT. I really feel like they’re on my team.

12:45pm: Walk two blocks to Trader Joes for some groceries and a salad for lunch, which
was terrible. When will I learn that their salads are just not good. ($31)

2pm: It has been snowing increasingly hard all day and my boss emails to encourage
everyone to finish their days from home to avoid evening commuting nightmares. Unlike a
lot of my coworkers who live north of the city, my commute is pretty short and easy. But
I’m not one to say no to a suggestion like that, so I pack up and head out.

2:15pm: I pick up a new pair of running shoes on the way to the train, which is an errand
I’ve been putting off for no good reason. I know my size/preferred style so I don’t even
need to try them on. ($148).

3pm: I’m back home and set up shop on the couch with my laptop for a few hours of work.

6pm: Close up shop and make some ravioli with broccoli and leftover homemade marinara
for dinner.

7pm: Make myself a Manhattan, put on some Christmas music, and work on my Christmas
cards. I don’t have kids or a partner, but I still like to send holiday cards to all my friends
(just a card, no photo). I’m a big letter writer so I like to take the time to write everyone a
personal note.

9:30pm: In bed with the latest New Yorker. (The magazine. Not a person.)

Total: $337

12/3

6:30am: Up and the usual PT routine.

7am: I layer up and head out the door for a 35 minute run in the park. The roads in the park
are still pretty icy so I take it slow and mostly stick to the trail portions, which have better
footing.
8:45am: After a shower, breakfast of an egg on toast with arugula and goat cheese, and a
little makeup, I’m out the door to the train.

9:30am: Work work work.

12pm: I head to my PT appointment. They’ve decorated the office with a shitload of real
greenery for the holidays and it smells amazing. D, my PT, does a lot of intense manual
work on my lower leg and foot while we chat about our Thanksgivings, then he runs me
through some new exercises. ($30 copay)

1pm: Hustle back to the office for my weekly team meeting.

2pm: Dinner leftovers for lunch at my desk while I tend to the inbox. My job tends to be
pretty episodic—I had a lot of late nights/weekend work in November while I worked on
that huge project, so I’m enjoying the most leisurely pace of December so far.

3:30pm: Book a long-overdue haircut for Sunday ($45 deposit online).

5:30pm: Head home and swing by a holiday market on the way to the train to scout for
more Christmas gifts, but nothing appeals.

6:30pm: Light some candles, open a beer and finish up the Christmas cards while listening
to the Kacey Musgraves Christmas special.

7:30pm: Make a loaded salad with arugula, oil-packed tuna, a bunch of pickled veggies and
eat it on toast. Watch random nonsense I’ve already seen on Netflix, including the first
season of Outlander. Damn, that Jamie is hot.

10pm? I don’t remember. Bedtime!

Total: $75

12/4

6:30am: Up, PT routine, and pack up my gym bag, including dinner leftovers for lunch.

7:15am: Head into Manhattan for a TRX class at the gym. The teacher for this class is
incredible and it’s always such an effective workout- probably my favorite way to strength
train.

9am: Quick gym shower and swing by Pret for a egg wrap for breakfast. ($5)

9:30am: Arrive at my desk to see that my boss has left me a little present—an ice wrap
thingy for icing injuries. He is also a runner and we discuss our running injuries a lot. Hah.
I spend most of the morning reviewing a new colleague's work and giving feedback.
Because I’ve been here for 8 years, I have a lot of institutional knowledge, so I am tasked
with most of my team’s new hire training and support. My officemate is WFH, so it’s nice
and quiet.

12pm: Order 3 more yards of fabric for my current quilt project (a wedding quilt for one of
my friends) because I underestimated on the initial order ($22). I told him to sit tight
because it’s going to take a while for me to make a queen-size one. I had three weddings
this fall, so my quilting to-do list is quite long.

1-4pm: Meetings.

5:30pm: Head home and stop by the Container Store for a few holiday gift wrapping
supplies ($21).

6:30pm: Home to make a whiskey cocktail and work on this diary! Man, tracking your life
like this is a lot of work.

7:30pm: Make arugula pesto pasta, which was delicious, but I definitely overdid it on the
raw garlic in the pesto. Gonna still be tasting that tomorrow.

8pm: I change the polish on my toenails to a seasonally appropriate gold while watching
the newest episode of Riverdale, my favorite trash TV show.

9:30pm: Lights out.

Total: $48

12/5

5:30am: Up and PT time. I am making my triumphant return to my weekly running group

this morning after more than a month away to work on healing my foot. I’m excited to see
everyone again.

6:10am: Out the door and slow jog about 1.3 miles to the meeting spot. Today’s workout is
a 35 minute tempo run (tempo= maintaining an effort level of 7 on a 1-10 scale throughout)
with 30-second pace pickups every 3 minutes. It’s a tough workout, but I survive—and
most importantly, so does my foot. I catch the bus home.

7:45am: Home. On the way back, I walk past a large puddle of blood on the sidewalk
surrounded by police tape, which is chill.

8:45am: After a warm shower and egg toast with arugula (almost finished with this massive
bag…), I head to work and drop off my frozen food scraps at the composting collection site
en route to the subway.

9:30am: At the desk. I’m in this weird holding period where I’m waiting on a bunch of
people to do their parts on some shared projects so I can move forward with my part. So I
spend most of the morning choosing a wish list to fulfill from the USPS Operation Santa
website. It’s a great program run by the postal service in which you can help kids who
might not otherwise get many Christmas gifts. Some parents also write on behalf of their
kids, and I end up choosing a letter written by a mother on behalf of her infant twins. I can’t
wait to buy them some cute and warm winter gear.

12:00pm: Bed Bath and Beyond for some toiletries, olive oil, handwarmers for a friend who
is always cold, and a frozen Amy’s enchilada bowl for lunch, which was surprisingly good,
especially after I augmented it with some leftover broccoli ($33).

3:00pm: I get a surprise visit from a colleague from another office. The nice part about
working at organization HQ is that folks are always passing through.

5:30pm: Head home.

6:30pm: Decide I’m feeling tacos for dinner, so I make some homemade tortillas and chop
up a bunch of veggies.

7:30pm: Watch The Report on Amazon, which was great, though I had to skip through
some of the torture scenes. Adam Driver is a fantastic actor.

10pm: Lights out.

Total: $33

Weekly Total: $658

Thoughts/notes: I didn’t make a point to include food unless I paid for it out of pocket or it
was particularly delicious/notable. (Not interested in tracking my food intake that closely.)
This also had much more family time than usual because of the Thanksgiving timing of this
diary, and a lot less socializing with friends. Most of my friends have babies or demanding
jobs, so we tend to see each other more on the weekends than weekdays anyway. All in all,
it was a pretty quiet week to be doing this diary. Hope this wasn't too boring!

I'm a 26 year old who works in publishing

in NYC and makes approx. $40K/year
Money Diary

Hello, this is my first MD ever but I’ve been writing them in my head for a long time
(complete with references to sexy times with my SO, humblebragging about my egg white
and quinoa breakfasts, and skipping my $100 spin classes--jk I don’t do any of that) so I
figured I might as well get roasted for my finances for real.

Basic Info:

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Location: New York City

Industry: Publishing

Occupation: Assistant

Section 1 - Debts and Assets

Retirement balance: $3841.31 (My work set up automatic contributions to an SEP-IRA. I

have no idea what the fuck I am doing here and I need to ask. I didn’t go to fucking school
for math.)

Savings: $2,120.14 (Regular savings account; I’m going to open a HYSA for 2020 when I
get my Christmas bonus)

Credit Card Debt: $9,924.55, combined total across 2 credit cards (What makes me sad is
that I paid off both of credit cards in full this time last year but I had an expensive year
[moving out, going on family vacation twice, and buying Broadway tickets for the
holidays] and now spend more of my income on rent, so it’s harder to pay it off as quickly.)

Student Loan Balance: $0 (I had a scholarship that covered room and board and we used
credit cards to cover the rest. My mother is undocumented and at the time I was in college,
my sister was a DACA recipient so I didn’t have anyone to co-sign a loan. The college
expenses were part of the credit card balance I paid off in 2018.)

Other debt: $0

Section 2 - Income

Monthly take home after taxes, etc: $2,500 (I am an assistant who works in publishing;
would rather not get specific in exactly which area. But if you have questions about the
industry, I can answer what I know in the comments or via PMs.)

Section 3 - Monthly Expenses

Rent: $1,600 (I am subletting a 1-bedroom apartment in upper upper Manhattan. When it

ends, I hope to join the lease. My boyfriend Pierre* and I are getting serious and while
we’re not ready to live together, we did want more privacy to test the waters. Also, I love
living alone.)

Health insurance: $0 (Covered by work)

MTA: $127/month for a monthly pass

Internet: $59.99/month (introductory rate for the first year)

Utilities: Between $60-90 per month, varies (I pay for gas and electric, water is paid by
landlord)

Subscriptions:

 Hulu/Disney+: $12.99/month (I share the password with my sister Lily* and ex-
roommates and don’t charge them)
 Amazon Prime: $0 (Lily shares her password w/ me)
 AMC Pass: $23.95/month
 Renters insurance: $14.67/month
 Phone: $0 (Still on the family plan and they don’t charge me)
 Gym membership: $43.95/year
 Netflix: $15.99/month (I share the password with Lily and her friend, who gave me
$100 at the beginning of the year to cover her share for 2 years)
 Other: $0.99/month donation to the Texas Monthly Observer, $10/month donation
to The Guardian, $30/month to ex-roommates in exchange for the cable/HBO
password (It’s cheaper than me getting my own cable), $25/year for Barnes &
Noble membership (I just signed up for this since I run a book club and members
get discounts on purchases)

*=Fake name. I hate the "My friends A, B, C," thing.

Day 1: 11/25

8:00am - Wake up and hit the snooze. I was up until 12:30 am baking keto chocolate
zucchini bread that would just not bake all the way through.

8:15am - Finally get out of bed and start my morning routine. Skincare: Rhoto Hada Labo
Gokyujyun foaming facial wash, Dr. Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner, followed by Herbivore
Prism Glow Potion, Cetaphil Pro Oily Skin with SPF 30. No make up. Cocoa butter lotion
for the body.

With a non-stick frying pan, I fry up turkey bologna and scrambled eggs. I also eat a soggy
banana that’s on the verge of turning completely black. I pack a lunch (tomato soup) and
head out the door. I was hoping to get to work early, which will happen, but not as early as
I would have liked. I was out of the office on Friday attending a local conference so I need
to catch up on things.
9:30am - On the train to work and I text with Lily to discuss my mom's recent decision to
move to Mexico. She lives in a pro-Trump state and as an undocumented person, it’s
becoming increasingly difficult for her to fly under the radar. She’s fearful of being
detained by ICE and so she’s going back on her own terms. I tell Lily that I feel like Trump
won. He succeeded in building a culture of fear and intimidation. Lily tells me that with or
without Trump in office, it is likely that Mom would have had to return to Mexico while we
applied for her residency anyway (Lily is now married to a US citizen and has a green
card). This doesn’t make me feel better and I want to cry.

9:46am - Arrive at the office 15 minutes early and get a head start on answering emails.
Lily once asked me what I do all day and honestly, it’s a bunch of emailing. Emailing
publishers to ask about status updates about deals, emailing clients to let them know about
said status updates, emailing to chase after information I need on behalf of publishers or
clients, responding to submissions, etc. Just emails, emails, emails.

1:21pm - Lily texts me a screenshot from an article about cheap living costs in Cancun. She
jokes, “Why aren’t we moving with Mom too?” I text back that when Mom moves to
Mexico, we should go with her to look at potential properties for her to buy so she isn’t
renting indefinitely. I feel like crying again. I type up my expense report from the
conference to distract myself. I don’t have a company card so I get reimbursed for using my
personal card when I travel. The conference paid for my hotel and train so I just get
reimbursed for my meals.

1:35pm - Lily texts me that we should set up a savings account that we can contribute to for
Mom’s living expenses in Mexico. I admire my sister’s practicality in all of this, but I am
not emotionally equipped to deal with this stuff when I am at work!!!!!!!!!!

1:54pm - I heat up my tomato soup while my boss writes my reimbursement check. I take
my lunch to eat outside and I buy a bag of salt and vinegar chips from Pret a Manger to go
with my soup ($1.69). After I eat, I go check out the holiday shops at Bryant Park and treat
myself to a “giant s’more” ($8.17). The s’more is the size of my hand which makes me feel
slightly better about the expense. I text Pierre about how sad I feel and go back to the
office. I take the stairs instead of the elevator so I burn off some of the empty calories I just
consumed. - $9.86

3:48pm - Pierre texts me his sympathies and sends me a Baby Yoda meme to cheer me up.
Goddamn, I love him so much. And Pierre’s great too.

6:06pm - Finally done with work! I’m halfway to the train station when I realize I forgot
my gym bag at work. I double back and while on the train, I eat a pre-workout snack of
string mozzarella cheese and a baggie of roasted peanuts that I packed from home.

7:15pm - I do a 1 hour workout on the treadmill--30 mins of interval running and then 30
min incline workout, plus a cool down--but I feel sluggish and slow. Must be the s’more.
Or maybe I’m still thinking about my mom.
8:40pm- Back at home! I shower and then eat some of the zucchini bread and a Greek
yogurt for dinner. Too tired to cook a real meal. I call my mom and we talk more about
moving plans. She plans to buy a home in a touristy area and rent part of it out. When I go
home for Christmas, we’ll have to start cleaning the house out. Luckily, Lily lives near our
Mom and will be able to store important family mementos.

Our plans sound cheerful but the way we talk reminds me of that same dejected feeling we
had in 2016 when she came to visit me, post-Trump election. “Paciencia, fey, y fuerza,” is
what we agreed to carry through the next four years. But it feels like we’ve run out.

While I’m on gloomy matters, I pay my bills. $1600 for rent, $65.03 for the electric bill,
and $150 payment for each credit card. I deposit my reimbursement check and a $10 check
I received from the Pew Research Center. I’ve recently been selected to be part of the Pew
Research surveys and this is this first survey that I have been paid for, but I don’t know
how often I will receive them. - $1,965.03, +$40.

I spend the rest of my evening setting up this Money Diary and watching 90 Day Fiance:
The Other Way. The Jenny/Sumit drama is insane.

11:41pm - Finally got my MD set up and turn in. Nighttime skin routine: Vitamin C serum
on neck and face; Estee Lauder Night Repair Creme on my eyes. I don't think it's really
working but I want to finish the bottle before I try a new eye cream.

Day 2: 11/26

8:00am - Wake up and hit the snooze. Not as tired as yesterday but still want to stay in bed.
Pierre texts me to wish him luck on his annual review. I text him back and then get
distracted checking Reddit on my phone.

8:30am - Whoops. How did a half hour go by so quickly? I get out of bed, do my skincare
routine, get dressed, etc. I eat a bowl of Special K for breakfast and pack my lunch (turkey
bologna sandwich on a plain bagel, Ruffle chips, mozzarella cheese stick, 3 clementines,
and a half-empty Coke zero that I bought over the weekend). I am an elementary school
child.

9:10am - Catch the train and listen to Slate’s Dear Prudence podcast. In this episode, a LW
complains about her friend, who whipped out her Macbook to finish writing a term paper in
the middle of the LW’s wedding ceremony. The LW claims you can hear the click-clacking
of typing in the wedding video and the friend even took a Skype call in the middle of the
ceremony to chat with a study buddy (which you can also hear in the wedding video!). I am
horrified.

9:42am - Arrive at the office and I’m the first one here. Half of our office, including my
boss, took vacation days to get a head start on the holiday. This means I can listen to
podcasts while I work since no one will really need me throughout the day.
I check my personal email before I look at work stuff and find an email from my bank,
announcing that there was a “recent merchant data breach” and while my account wasn’t
compromised, they’re going to send a new credit card which means I will have to update
the information for my recurring payments. Great.

Okay, back to work. I grab a fun-size Snickers bar from the communal candy bowl for a
mid-morning snack and get to work.

12:22pm - Ugh, Special K was not that filling. I drink hot water to help my stomach feel
full but I am so hungry. I decided to eat my lunch at my desk even though it’s earlier than I
usually eat.

6:45pm - Finally leave work! I stayed late to check my mom into her flight but check-in is
based in her time zone, not mine so I could have left earlier. Grr. I text Lily and she
promises to check Mom in.

8pm - Pierre and I get home at the same time! We make dinner together: spaghetti with
truffle oil along with sauteed onions and kale, plus Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs. I pull out
mini bottles of prosecco that I bought for Lily’s visit that went unused. While we cook, I
pour out my feelings to Pierre.

I know that we are in a very privileged position: Lily and I can support my mother to have a
very comfortable life in Mexico. We can afford to fly out to see her 3, maybe even 4 times
a year. My mom will be able to stop living in fear. But there’s just something wrong about
us not being in the same country.

Pierre knows a little of what I’m feeling because his mother is back in France and he misses
her terribly, especially since she's been sick. (Nothing serious, but he feels bad that he can't
be there for her.)

After dinner, we watch The Mandalorian. God, I would die for Baby Yoda. Pierre just got
into Dragula so we watch an episode but I hate the format. It just feels so disorganized,
especially compared to Rupaul’s Drag Race. Pierre gets squicked out by an elimination
challenge featuring needles so we watch Call the Midwife so he can calm down. Poor guy.

Day 3: 11/27

12 am - Finally, we turn off Call the Midwife. I clean up the kitchen while Pierre gets
dressed for his overnight shift. (He’s a security guard.) We kiss goodbye and he promises
everything is set for him to come to Thanksgiving.

12:40 am - I stay up to finish the Call the Midwife episode and then go to bed. I call my
mom even though it’s late because I just want to hear her voice. We talk through the airport
pick up plans and say good night. I have the day off so I can stay up late.
10 am - Wake up and lay in bed. I text Pierre to ask for good thoughts. I’m super anxious
about my mom flying even though she uses her Mexican passport and hasn’t had issues
before. After a half hour, I get up to go to the gym and burn off some of my nervous
energy. I only eat a mandarin for breakfast.

11:30 am - At the gym. Since I didn’t have a good breakfast, I do a low-intensity incline
work out.

12:30 pm - Back at home. I shower and eat the keto zucchini bread for my brunch. I know I
should eat more but I’m too anxious. I go to the train station, buy 2 weekly metro cards.
One is for my mom and the other is a refill for me. Normally I would get the monthly but
since I’m going home for the holidays in 2 weeks, it makes more sense to buy weekly
passes. - $67.00

1:45 pm - First stop on my errands: Michael’s. I buy supplies to convert an arrowhead

earring into necklace for Lily. I use a 40% off coupon so my total is $5.55

1:59pm - I buy two rotisserie chickens at Whole Foods for Thanksgiving. I’m not fucking
with turkey with my tiny ass oven. - $16.69

2:38pm - Buy a half dozen plain bagels at Zabar’s for breakfast. - $5.60

3:00pm - I walk to the train station and pass the Macy’s parade balloons being inflated. So
cool! Maybe next year I’ll come down to get a better look, but for now I need to get home.

3:35pm - At the farmer’s market near my train stop, I buy 3 lbs of grapes and a stalk of
celery. I don't know how long this market is going to stick around but I hope it stays all
year round. It's where I can get super cheap produce. I stop at the local grocery store and
pick up sparkling cider. - $12.42

4:00pm - Finally home! I put away my groceries, prep the Thanksgiving sides, and clean up
while I wait for my mom’s flight to land. I finish 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days and
then pick up where I left off on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way. I love the 90DF franchise
but they’re releasing so many seasons at once that I can’t keep up.

6:08pm - My mom calls that she’s about to board her flight. Hurray! I can finally relax and
eat leftover spaghetti before I go to meet her at the airport.

10:33pm - Take public transport to LaGuardia. I find my mom, who made friends with her
seat partner on the flight and they exchange numbers so they can get in touch. We pick up
her suitcase and I lead her to the rideshare pick up area. We pass a lost-looking couple in
their 60s who are trying to figure out where to call an Uber so my mom adopts them. She
helps the wife with her suitcase and tells them that I’ll show them where to go. They chatter
about Thanksgiving plans on the way. I don’t know how, but my mom always makes
friends wherever she goes. When we get to the pick up area, a parking lot attendant helps
the couple call an Uber while I call a Lyft for us. - $41.00, including tip.
11:46pm - Finally home! I give my mom a quick tour of my apartment. She says it’s nice
but I need to clean better. Moms. I’m ready for bed, but she asks me to put on her
telenovela so she can unwind. I set her up (she’s watching Apocalipse, btw) and leave her
on the couch while I go to bed.

Day 4: 11/28

8:30am - I wake up but my mom isn’t in bed with me. Evidently, she fell asleep on the
couch. She’s an early bird so she has NBC playing, ready for the parade to start. We
shower, get dressed, etc.

9:14am - Pierre arrives, having come straight from his overnight shift. He is,
understandably, exhausted. He takes a nap in my room while my mom and I watch the
parade and prep everything to warm up in the oven. We FaceTime with Lily, who is
spending Thanksgiving with her neighbors.

12:28pm - Food is ready just as Pierre’s sister, Colette*, arrives. I'm serving rotisserie
chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, and cornbread dressing. I
wake up Pierre and I put on the Fleetwood Mac radio station on Spotify to listen to as we
eat. It’s a nice time just eating our fill and talking. Pierre and I are discussing marriage and
it’s nice to imagine that this will be what holidays will be like when our families combine.
My mom says she likes Pierre but she seems lukewarm. Lily tells me that's exactly how she
was like with her husband and now adores him as a son in law. I hope we'll have other
opportunities for her to get to know Pierre.

3:00pm - We are done eating and put away the leftovers. I give some to Colette to take with
her while Pierre gets ready to go back to work. Yep, he has to work again. I think Pierre’s
job takes advantage of his eager to please nature and I tell him so, but he says he can handle
it. Plus, he gets holiday pay. Colette also leaves and my mom and I take a short food coma
nap.

4:48pm - We bundle up and head out to see the window displays at Saks Fifth Avenue and
Macy’s. My mom is annoyed that so many shops are open. She complains that back home,
Thanksgiving plans revolve around the football games and here, everything revolves
around shopping. Still, we go into Macy’s to look for my birthday gift and take advantage
of their “pre-Black Friday” sale. We find a BCBG genuine leather jacket for 50% off. The
sales clerk says it’s the last one and it just so happens to fit me perfectly. My mom uses her
Macy’s card to pay for it. I thank her for the birthday gift.

7:50pm - We stop to buy Palmolive dish soap at CVS. I’m running low at soap at home and
my mom says my Trader Joe’s branded soap is not up to the task of handling Thanksgiving
dishes. - $2.49

8:59pm - I take my mom to The View, the revolving restaurant within the Times Square
Marriott. I get a margarita and she gets a non-alcoholic Apple Pie. We talk more about her
upcoming move and I tell my mom my complicated feelings about it. She tells me that this
is a good thing and Trump isn’t winning here. “I raised two daughters who are both great
successes and now I’m going to retire and live my life. We won, not him,” she says. -
$56.98

10:00pm - Back home! I shower and go to bed. My mom stays up to watch her telenovela.

Day 5: 11/29

10:00 am - Wake up and get ready to go. Mom fell asleep on the couch again. At this rate, I
might as well just make her a bed out there. She insists that she’s fine. Anyway, today is all
about my mom. I take her shoe shopping at a mom and pop store on the Upper East Side
store that carries SAS shoes, her favorite brand. My mom is very picky and only finds one
pair that she likes in her size. And it's on sale! - $20.00

12:49pm - I take my mom to El Museo del Barrio. El Museo is in partnership with The City
Museum of New York next door so once we’re done with El Museo, we go next door and
don’t have to pay a second admission fee. - $18.00

2:40pm - I take my mom to Grand Central Station to admire the main hall and we eat lunch
in the food court. I order ramen and chicken dumplings for the both of us. - $33.57

3:30pm - I take my mom to oo35mm, my favorite beauty supply shop in Chinatown. I buy
a bottle of facial wash for myself and convince my mom let me buy her an anti-wrinkle
cream, a hair mask, and a pair of sheet masks for us. My mom is skeptical (she’s an Estée
Lauder and Clinique gal) but I swear to her that the sales clerks know what they’re talking
about in their recommendations. She does admit that my skin has cleared up a lot this past
year so she agrees to let me buy the products for her. - $60.92

5:40pm - We walk to Little Italy and have a light dinner at a touristy restaurant that has a
really good Napoleon. Maybe there still is good Italian food in Little Italy. - $35.06

8:00pm - We go see Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, the Broadway musical based on lives of The
Temptations. (I bought tickets last week on Today Tix). My mom likes the show but while
I agree that the singing and dancing is spectacular, the acting was bland. Also, no one said
“Ain’t nobody coming to see you, Otis!” so that was disappointing.

11:00pm - Back at home and we gotta go to bed because we’re going to Philadelphia in the
morning!

Day 6: 11/30

7:00 am - Wake up! This time, I waited until I heard my mom snoring on the couch and
then gently roused her to get a night’s rest on an actual bed. We eat a light breakfast and
head to Penn station.

11:30am - Arrive in Philly! I bought Amtrak tickets a week ago to return at 10pm but my
mom thinks that’s too late so she asks me to change them for an earlier time. - $44.00
11:46 am - We leave the station by walking and head towards City Hall and Dilworth Park.
I need caffeine so we stop at Starbucks. - $4.67

12:00pm - The holiday shops at Dilworth Park and Love Park are amazing! I find an artist
who has this adorable cat print that would be the perfect Christmas present for Colette. I
find the artist's Etsy page and see that she's going to be at the holiday markets in NYC. I
vow to check out her booth there too even though my mom tells me to stop spending my
money. Well, Mom, tell the lady to stop making cute stuff! - $36.47

1:30pm - We are both hungry so we go to Reading Terminal Market and get lunch. Mom
orders a Philly cheesesteak and I get a tortellini pasta salad and kale juice. - $25.34

2:30pm - We take the PHLASH bus to do a loop around the sights. We see the Cathedral
Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, go up the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum,
and then head to Old City to see the Betsy Ross House. Mom pays admission for the Betsy
Ross House and I pay for our PHLASH fare. - $10.00

6:00pm - We are both tired and are ready to head home but still have a couple of hours at
the station until our train. We still have leftovers from lunch so we finish those off and my
mom buys herself a coffee and donut from Dunkin’. (She won't let me pay for it.) She lets
me have a bite of the donut. While we wait, I pull up the Hulu documentary Tiny
Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie on my phone for the both of us to watch.

10:30pm - Finally back home! Shower, get ready for bed, wait until I hear my mom fall
asleep watching TV and then wake her up to come to bed.

Day 7: 12/1

9:30 am - Wake up! It’s my mom’s last day in NYC. I ask her what she wants to do. She
says that she wants to do my laundry and scrub my bathtub. Moms.

We get dressed and eat a light breakfast. Then we attend Sunday service at my church. The
sermon topic uses the recent climate change disasters as a jumping off point to discuss how
climate change detrimentally affects the poor and marginalized and what our Christian duty
is to help each other and the planet. My mom likes my church’s liberal, social justice
oriented focus. She tells me that I should be a more active member and I am trying, but
socializing with new people doesn’t come as easily to me as it does to her. Still, when one
of the deacons asks me to read a passage from the Bible next week, I agree. Also, I donate
$10 to the offering plate. - $10.00

2:00pm - After church, I take my mom to the Staten Island ferry so she can see the Statue
of Liberty. My mom is impressed that we can get such a good view for free. Pierre texts me
that he can meet us when he gets off at work at 4pm so I suggest we have an early dinner at
my place before my mom goes to the airport.
2:34pm - After we get back to Manhattan, we take a bus to visit a church that was featured
in The Devil’s Advocate (the 1997 movie with Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino) but the doors
are locked. They must have locked up after morning mass. I feel bad because my mom
loves old churches and she was really hoping to see what the interior looked like. The rain
is starting to come down so I check my mom’s flight and see it’s been pushed back to
10pm.

3:00pm - On the way home, we stop by Trader Joe’s and pick up fixings to help transform
the Thanksgiving leftovers into a new meal. We get milk, sandwich bread, almonds, grape
tomatoes, mandarin oranges, green grapes, and cereal bars. The plan is to make grilled
cheese sandwiches and kale chicken salad. - $25.73

5:00pm - We’re back at home but Pierre has bad news. Towards the end of his shift, he
noticed something suspicious on the CCTV and when they went to investigate, they found
someone died in the building. He’s still stuck at work answering questions from the NYPD
and his company and doesn’t know when he’ll get out. He sends his regards to my mom
and tells her “Bon voyage!” Mom and I make dinner for ourselves and when I check her
flight again, it’s back to its original departure time of 8pm. Shit! We rush to get everything
ready and then I call the Lyft. In the car, I check the flight again and it’s been pushed back
to 10pm. What the hell? - $30.86, including tip.

6:30pm - Mom and I are at the airport and are super confused. The boards still say her
flight leaves at 8pm but my flight tracker says it’s been pushed. My mom doesn’t want to
miss it so she decides to go ahead and go through security. We say goodbye and I wait until
she passes through before taking public transport home.

8:30pm - Finally back home! I’m super exhausted and clean up a little. My mom calls and
reports that her flight got moved to 9pm. The winter storm is coming in so I think flights
are trying to figure out who is going to get out tonight and who’s not. I tell my mom to call
me if her flight ends up being cancelled so I can send a car to pick her up. If you really
care, my mom’s flight ended up leaving at 11:30pm and she landed back home around
2:30am. I called her a Lyft and stayed up tracking it until she called me to report she was in
the house. - $23.10, my mom tipped in cash.

Breakdown

Food/drink: $227.62

Entertainment: $18.00

Transport: $215.96

Other: $2100.46

Total: $2562.04
Reflections

This wasn’t a typical week since it was Thanksgiving and I was hosting my mom, but my
Day 1 is a typical spending day. I think I would have spent more if I had a different travel
partner than my mother. She is extremely frugal and kept turning down stuff for us to do or
buy even though I insisted it was my treat. In my defense, it’s my mom and I want to treat
her. However, she did teach me good spending habits and it’s what gave me the push to
find deals like the El Museo/City Museum partnership, the PHLASH fare, and ideas for
things that we could experience for free or at a low-cost. I think I would say that I am better
at spending money wisely but I want to get better at saving and building investments.

Okay, go ahead and roast me for still being on the family phone plan.

I’m 31 years old, I live in rural New

England, and my husband & I make less
than $80k/year
Money Diary

Note: This is my first Money Diary. I'm not a high earner, I have debt, and occasionally my
husband and I do terrible things like order takeout, so please don't tear me to shreds. :D I'm
in the U.S. and last week was Thanksgiving, so I chose to write my Money Diary the week
before to get a slightly more normal, accurate picture of my spending habits and activities.

Basic info

Age: 31

Location: rural New England (I can be more specific if needed, but I am slightly paranoid
about being identified)

Industry: Pharmaceutical Science

Occupation: again, I don't want to be too specific, but I work in clinical supply

Section 1: Assets & Debts

Savings account balance: $400. My husband was unexpectedly laid off last year, and our
savings took a hit. It was never a huge amount of money to begin with, only ~$2,000 or
less. One of our 2020 goals is to rebuild our savings account.
Checking account balance: Depends on what bills have been paid, what needs to be paid,
and if we both got paid that week. Sometimes it's as low as $400, sometimes it's over
$2,000.

Credit card debt: $10,205.28. This is painful to write. 90% of this is from paying out of
pocket for healthcare related expenses while we had no health insurance. This includes:
glasses (both of us wear glasses 24/7), husband had some dental work done, and I spent a
stupid amount of money on chiropractor and physical therapist visits because of severe
lower back pain that I couldn’t live with anymore. I’m pain free now so I guess it was
worth it, but I still feel horribly guilty about spending so much money on it. The other 10%
is from car repairs/maintenance and any other necessities that came up while we were short
on cash.

Retirement balance: Neither of us are contributing to a 401k or other type of retirement

fund right now because neither of the companies we work for offer the option to do so.
When my husband, D, was laid off, we used the small amounts that we had in our accounts
to make ends meet while he looked for a new job.

Student loan debt: $16,548.48. This includes my BS, which I just finished this past
summer, plus a small amount from when I was in college in my early 20s (I ended up
withdrawing because of a family tragedy and not going back to finish until fall 2017). My
husband didn’t go to college, so he has no student loan debt.

Section 2: Income

My salary: $28/hour, $58,240 annual (gross). I’ve been at my job for just over a year.
Before this job, I made less than $40k annually.

My paycheck amount: $822 (weekly). $59.85 per week is deducted from my paycheck for
health insurance and vision insurance for me and my husband, and disability insurance for
me.

Husband's paycheck amount: Between $500-$700 (biweekly). It varies depending on how

many hours he works. He works 30-40 hours per week with time and a half if he works on
Sunday.

Side gig: D and one of his friends detail cars, but the work is sporadic, and it's only during
warm weather months. Over this past summer they had jobs that paid $80 and jobs that paid
$200, so it varies quite a bit.

Section 3: Monthly Expenses

Rent: $1,240. Our apartment is one large bedroom and two very small "bedrooms". One is
used as an office space and the other is used for storage.

Electric: included in rent

Garbage/recycling: included in rent

Renters insurance: $179 (annually)

Heating oil: Varies depending on how cold it gets, how much hot water we use, and the
price of oil. During the summer we barely use any oil, but during cold weather months it’s
$300-$400 every 6-8 weeks (this is an average/estimate.)

My car payment: $317

My car insurance: $84

Husband's car payment: $350

Husband's car insurance: $74

Gym: $43

Cell phones: $145

Hulu: $6.99

Netflix: We use my mother in law's account, and we share our Hulu account with her. This
is the only assistance we receive from parents.

Spotify: $15 for three months

Internet: $75

Amazon Prime: Our internet provider ran a promo and we scored a free year of Prime this
year :)

Credit cards: Varies, but I try to pay at least $300 per month

Day 1 - Thursday, Nov. 21

1:19am: We’re startled awake by a car swerving to hit a deer, slipping on black ice, and
hitting the wall in front of the house next door to us. Police, fire trucks, and an ambulance
show up. There’s lots of bright lights and commotion. We live on a road that people tend to
drive way too fast on, so things like this happen once in awhile. There’s no way I’ll be able
to fall back to sleep anytime soon with all this going on directly outside our bedroom
window. D and I hang out with our cats and wait for the excitement to die down so we can
get back to sleep.
6:20am: My alarm goes off. I feel dead. I didn’t get back to sleep until sometime after 4am.
I make the executive decision to work from home today. I send my manager an email
letting him know and try to get a few more minutes of sleep before I start work.

7:58am: Time to wake up and start the day. D gets up, gets ready, and goes to work. I open
my work laptop, settle into my usual spot on the couch, and check my work email. There’s
a suspiciously low number of emails this morning. I can’t complain because of how
exhausted I feel, but I know that this probably means we’re going to be swamped before the
holiday next week.

9:15am: After taking care of a few work tasks, I change into running clothes and head
outside. It’s 35°F and sunny, which is great running weather compared to what we’ve had
lately. I signed up for RunBet last week and if I don’t run today I won’t get my $40 back,
so I have no choice but to get out there no matter what. I’m trying hard to get back into
distance running after a few years away from the sport, but my motivation has been
lacking. I signed up for RunBet because I knew the fear of losing money would get me out
the door. When I get back from my run(/walk), I take a quick shower, make an iced coffee,
and get back to work. My cats curl up on the couch next to me.

11:34am: I take a few minutes break from work to eat a slice of leftover pizza.

1pm: One of the conveniences of working from home (besides staying in my pajamas all
day) - I can get other stuff done at the same time. I catch up on laundry, and load and run
the dishwasher. I put on old episodes of Dawson’s Creek on Hulu for background. I was a
little young for the show when it was on air, but I think I appreciate the angst and
melodrama more in my 30s than I would’ve at age 11.

2:39pm: I take another brief break from work and email and read an article posted on
r/MoneyDiariesACTIVE. It makes me feel sad but less alone. 99% of the time I feel like
everyone I know is more successful and more financially stable than I am.

4:43pm: D is home and I’m finished working for the day. We chat about our days and chill
out for awhile before making dinner. We bought the new Pokemon game for our Nintendo
Switch last week so we renew our Nintendo subscription. $21.39 for a year

7:13pm: To cancel out my pizza lunch, we make salads for dinner. I make mine with
chicken and D has his with tuna. After dinner we play Pokemon for awhile. Usually we like
very different games so it’s fun to play something together for a change.

8pm: I do my very brief PM skincare routine (wash face with micellar gel cleanser and
apply The Ordinary antioxidant serum). I have several other products in my rotation but I
don’t like layering so I only use one product per night. I have quite a few products from
The Ordinary because their prices are so low and I have an irrational and superficial fear of
aging. It’s not my best quality.
9pm: I read for awhile. It’s going to be an early night because I’m so short on sleep. I’m
trying to spend less time on my phone and laptop before bed to give my eyes a break from
screens. I’m currently reading The Heart’s Invisible Furies, which I’m borrowing from the
local library. I never buy books - I read too fast to justify spending money on them, and
owning a bunch of books would mean I had a bunch of books to move whenever we do
decide to move.

9:40pm: I do my before bed chores- clean litter boxes, make a sandwich for D to take to
work tomorrow, take my two prescriptions (birth control pill and wellbutrin), pick out
clothes for tomorrow, and brush my teeth. I also drink a large glass of water. I read for a
little while longer then pass out.

Daily total - $21.39

Day 2 - Friday, Nov. 22

6:30am: My alarm goes off. D hears it before I do and nudges me awake. I scroll through
instagram (the only social media I have) for a few minutes, then drag myself out of bed to
run.

7:30am: I’m back from my run and get ready for work. I shower, brush my teeth, and get
dressed. I picked a long sleeved shirt to wear today but it’s a bizarrely warm 52°F so I grab
a short sleeved blouse instead. I make coffee, pack up my crap, do my usual minimalist
makeup routine (mascara, eyeliner, sunscreen, and “glow enhancer”), and I’m out the door
for the 30 minute drive to work.

8:35am: Once I’m settled in at my desk I check my bank account to make sure my direct
deposit came through. I’m a long term contractor at my job and my agency, for lack of a
better word, sucks. They’ve messed up my pay before so I check every week to make sure I
catch it right away if it happens again. I also get a Venmo notification that my sister sent
me her share of our cell phone bill. I transfer the money to our checking account.

11am: I take a break from work to go downstairs to the snack bar. I grab an overpriced
sugar free Red Bull, a small bag of popcorn, and a single serving box of cereal to have at
home later. I know it’s not cost effective but I love cereal and I will without question eat an
entire box in one day if left unsupervised. I snack on the popcorn now. $5.96

11:36am: D texts me to tell me that he ordered an SD card off Amazon for his mom. $12.16

1:10pm: I browse overpriced but beautiful running clothes that I can’t afford. I invested in
good cold weather running clothes last winter, but I can’t help but look once in awhile. I’m
praying that we don’t have a horrible winter so I don’t have to spend 5 months on the
treadmill.

3:12pm: Work is busy because of the holiday next week. I end up not eating a real lunch
and just having some snacks I have stashed in my desk. I’m happy, though, because my
manager said I could take Wednesday off, which means 5 whole days off in a row. It’s been
about 6 months since I took any time off, because I’m a long term contractor I get very
little PTO. When I came on board they didn’t want to give me any at all, but with help from
my manager and his boss I was able to get a few days per year. It’s better than none!

4:45pm: I stop for gas on my way home from work. $15.05

6pm: We decide to order from a local Thai restaurant for dinner. One of my weaknesses is
that I HATE cooking, so ordering takeout is more appealing to me 99% of the time. I also
ate a very strict diet while I was growing up because my stepfather’s greatest fear was that I
would get fat, so we ate the same meal for dinner every night - plain grilled chicken,
broccoli, and brown rice. Obviously it’s not an excuse but it is an explanation for why I still
like junk food so much at age 31. Anyway, it’s Friday and it’s been a long week. We order
green curry, fried rice, and shrimp. After dinner we relax and play video games. The perfect
Friday night. $31.16

8:30pm: My mom texts me to ask if I want to go with her to a local garden center
tomorrow. I almost say no because I’m too antisocial for my own good, but when I realize
it’s been almost a month since I saw my mom I agree to go with her.

10:30pm: I play my Switch in bed for awhile because I’m a giant child. I fall asleep around
11pm.

Daily total: $64.33

Day 3 - Saturday, Nov. 23

7:04am: I wake up to pee. I’m still tired so I go back to bed and hope that I can fall back to
sleep. Usually I can’t but every once in awhile I get lucky. Both of my cats hop into bed
with us.

7:45am: D snoozes away but I guess I’m up for the day. I make an iced coffee and put on
Dawson’s Creek. It’s great and awful at the same time. I also play more Pokémon. I need to
go run this morning at some point but decide to wait till it warms up a bit.

11am: I head outside to run. It’s cold but sunny. I get a side stitch towards the end, which
means I need to slow my ass down. My legs and lungs are not on the same page. When I
get home I shower and take an extra few minutes to shave my legs. I notice that I badly
need a pedicure but I’m not sure I feel like spending $40.

12:15pm: D and I spend some time cleaning the apartment together. He’s more of a neat
freak than I am, but we both feel better when it’s clean. We wash the bedding, pick up
some clutter, vacuum, clean the counters, and D cleans his desk.

1:30pm: I meet up with my mom at a local garden center for their Christmas open house.
They have lots of cool plants and stuff, but they’re a little overpriced for me ($30 for an
Christmas ornament?). I don’t buy anything. Mom buys two ornaments to give as gifts.
There’s supposed to be complimentary cookies and cider, but when we get there there’s
none left. Bummer. We chat about our Thanksgiving plans and menu, and I make a list of
what I need to get from the store. I’m making mac and cheese this year, but the star of the
show will be my mom’s French meat pie. It sounds gross but it’s SO good.

3:30pm: Mom and I go to Crazy Burger for a late lunch / early dinner? I’m starving
because I skipped breakfast. I’ve never been to Crazy Burger before but it’s surprisingly
delicious. Money is tight for both us so we split the bill down the middle since we ordered
the same thing anyway. We both order cheeseburgers, fries, and sodas. It feels very
decadent. I don’t eat real meals enough. I’m short and old and if I ate three meals a day I
wouldn’t fit in my pants in a week. $23.57 including tip

4:46pm: I stop and get a sandwich for D on my way home. He’s hungry and I don’t think
I’ll be hungry for dinner anytime soon. $8.67

6:57pm: I guess I spoke too soon. I’m hungry and want something to snack on, but we have
nothing in the house and I’m too lazy to change out of pajama pants and go to the store. I
find some peanut butter crackers to munch on.

10:42pm: It’s been another quiet, boring, lovely night of games and reading. I’m extremely
introverted, if that wasn’t already obvious, and I require very little social interaction.
Knowing that I have time off next week, I don’t feel obligated to make the most of every
second of my weekend. I put on a movie (Juno) and plop down in bed for the night.

Daily total: $32.24

Day 4 - Sunday, Nov. 24

8:30am: I slept in! I make iced coffee and read for awhile. It’s pouring rain and my cats
come to cuddle with me on the couch. It’s pretty perfect. I put on Dawson’s Creek again for
background and feel nostalgic over late 90s-early 2000s fashion. Super low rise jeans and
perfectly straightened hair anyone?

10:39am: D is up (he went to bed after me). We talk about the upcoming week. He got in a
car accident at the beginning of the month, his car isn’t ready yet because of backordered
parts (internet cookies to whoever can guess what kind of car it is), and we have to return
the rental tomorrow. Sharing a car is a bummer. I guess we’re spoiled for having two cars.
He wasn’t at fault for the accident and his insurance deductible is low, which is good
because we haven’t had to spend money on this accident yet, but I know he’s stressed out
and misses his car, and I’ll have to leave work early and/or go in late unless he can find a
ride from someone else.

11:30am: Our friends ask us if we want to make dinner with them tonight. It’s our little
Sunday night tradition that’s developed over the last year.
12pm: My mom texts me asking if I need a hat or gloves. I say yes and thank her. Then I
browse ThredUp for hoodies. I own two and they are both gross and stained and I don’t like
wearing them in public. I bookmark a couple, if I’m still thinking about them and they’re
still available later this week I’ll grab one.

12:30pm: I have some pasta for lunch. We’re very low on groceries but I’ve been extremely
lazy this weekend. One of us will have to go to the store tomorrow or we’ll end up ordering
takeout again. I’m planning to go to Walmart on Tuesday night so I can buy my
Thanksgiving cooking supplies and avoid the crazy Wednesday crowd.

1:45pm: The rain has finally stopped enough for me to run outside. I’ve successfully
avoided the treadmill for another day.

3:05pm: Back from my run. I shower and eat on some crackers to hold me over till dinner.

6pm: We go to our friends house for dinner. D bought supplies from a local market and
made a meat sauce and we eat it with pasta and a crusty loaf of Italian bread. Dinner is fun
but loud because our friends have small kids. D and I have decided not to have children for
several reasons, one being that we can’t financially afford to give a kid a decent life. $19.92

9:10pm: I top off my gas tank on my way home. $15.21

9:37pm: Home for the night. My Sunday blues aren’t nearly as bad knowing that I only
have to work two days this week. I procrastinate doing my before bed routine and don’t go
to bed until 11pm, which is late for me. I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to go to bed
earlier because I feel so dead in the morning, but I’m already in mini vacation mode and
don’t feel like giving myself a a bedtime.

Daily total: $35.15

Day 5 - Monday, Nov. 25

6:15am: Alarm goes off. LOL nope. I reset it and stay in bed for another 40 minutes.

6:55am: I’m up for real. I really need to start running on Mondays. I feel like a lazy pile of
crap. I decide to weigh myself and it’s not pretty. While I’m in the shower I think about
how I need to stick to a strength training routine and again debate canceling my gym
membership. I do the rest of my usual getting ready routine and head out to work.

8:10am: I use a gift card to grab a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks on my way to work.

11:35am: Work is super busy. I come up for air for a few minutes to make a grocery list
and try to find a mac and cheese recipe for Thanksgiving.

4pm: I leave work for the day and stop at the store to get groceries. It’s a more expensive
trip than usual between Thanksgiving and needing some other stuff like laundry detergent
which hikes the bill up a bit. I also bought a week’s worth of lunches for D, several nights
worth of dinner, coffee, snacks, cleaning supplies, orange juice, iced tea, and a bunch of
other stuff (this is not an exhaustive list.) The only thing I couldn’t get was champagne
because my state doesn’t sell alcohol in grocery stores. $114.53

5pm: D lets me know that he and a friend went to lunch today and he paid because his
friend paid the last time they went. $25.97

6:30pm: I make chicken teriyaki for dinner, and D and I catch up on our days and talk
about our time frame for tomorrow morning. I have to drop him off at work because he had
to return his rental today, but I’m facilitating a meeting at 8:30am so I absolutely cannot be
late for work, if anything I’d like to be early. We also confirm our plans for Thanksgiving.
After dinner we play games for awhile and just hang out and relax.

10:11pm: I’m trying to get to bed earlier but still not succeeding. I wash my face and apply
The Ordinary’s rose hip seed oil. Then I plop in bed and read until I’m tired enough to
sleep.

Daily total: $140.50

Day 6 - Tuesday, Nov. 26

6:40am: Alarm goes off, followed by the usual morning routine.

8am: I get to work and check my email before my meeting, and I’m surprised to see an
email from my contract agency. It’s good news - they’re giving me 10 days of PTO (instead
of the 5 days I currently get). They also sent me next year’s holiday schedule. I can’t
believe it’s almost 2020.

11:18am: Busy morning! After my meeting I dive back into my email and work tasks.
Eventually I take a break and eat some sad instant mac and cheese.

12:20pm: My mom texts me about our Thanksgiving plans. I’m mildly annoyed because I
told her that I will not be spending my holidays driving all over creation to make half hour
appearances at a bunch of different places. I’ve been doing holidays like this for years and
it’s miserable, it is not relaxing, and I feel like I’m only doing it so people aren’t mad at me
for not showing up. This year I decided no more, I am going to one place and staying there
and if anyone is offended, I’m sorry, but I deserve to enjoy my holidays too. Mom wants to
go visit a bunch of other people after we eat and I said no thanks. As it is, D and I only have
one car right now so we’ll be splitting up for the day.

2:30pm: I leave work early to pick D up from work. He works at a pet store and bought
some new treats for our cats with his employee discount. When we get home I work for a
couple more hours before calling it quits. No more work until Monday! $8.80
6:15pm: D and I make dinner together (chicken and rice), and watch an episode of Bob’s
Burgers. After dinner I play Pokémon and browse Reddit. I put on Dawson’s Creek for
something to sort of watch in the background of whatever else I’m looking at. I’m in season
2 now and good lord, Dawson and his nerdy wet blanket personality is annoying. I am
100% team Pacey.

Daily total: $8.80

Day 7 - Wednesday, Nov. 27

7:35am: Day off! I wake up with D, throw on yoga pants and a hoodie, and drive him to
work. After I drop him off, I head to the store to grab a few things that I forgot/we ran out
of. I also get stuff to make chicken soup because D hasn’t been feeling well and I found an
instant pot recipe to try out. After I get home, I realize I forgot noodles for the soup so I
have to go back to the store. Ugh. I also stop at the liquor store for a bottle of Prosecco.
$73.83

11:50am: I go out for a quick run. I get another stomach cramp; apparently the cereal I ate
before I ran was a mistake. I know I can’t eat before running but for some reason I never
learn.

2pm: I pick D up from work. We go home, I make chicken soup and he takes a nap.

7:27pm: I make my Thanksgiving mac and cheese. While it cooks I browse ThredUp for
jeans. I have a TON of jeans but I put on 10-15 lbs ~2 years ago when I left a toxic job and
everyone wanted to celebrate by feeding me. I’m determined to fit back in my pants but I
also might need a few pairs to hold me over until I do. I don’t end up buying anything.

11:02pm: Another quiet night at home. I play games, read, and fall asleep.

Daily total: $73.83

Breakdown

Food/drink: $312.41

Entertainment: $21.39

Transport: $30.26

Other: $12.16

Total: $376.22

Thoughts/reflections: As suspected, we spend a lot of money on food, but it’s not usually
this much. At some point I’ll do another diary that isn’t near a holiday. Also, I’m extremely
boring. This is probably one of the least entertaining Money Diaries ever. Thanks for
reading if you made it this far. :)

I'm 24 and make $85K in Denver, CO as

an analyst

A note before you read: In early 2020, I’ll be moving to be with my boyfriend (we're
currently long-distance). We’re not sure where we’ll be yet (either CO or WA), but I knew
when I moved to Denver earlier this year it might not be permanent. I figured it'd be fun to
see how my financial picture will change once we move in together to compare the
difference, so I’ll write another diary in a few months. There are a few things I’d like to do
but haven’t yet done because of moving (therapy, finding a gig teaching yoga, volunteer);
I'm in a limbo period because of this.

Section One: Assets and Debt 

Retirement Balance (and how you got there): ~$63,500 split between a Roth IRA, Roth
401K, and brokerage account

Equity if you're a homeowner: NA, looking to buy in the next few years though

Savings account balance: ~$26,000

Checking account balance: ~$2,000 in one that I use to pay rent/utilities/venmo charges,
~$1,700 in another I use to pay off CCs

Credit card debt: $0, pay in full

Student loan debt: NA, went to 4 yr university covered by family/financial aid [bingo
point for anyone following along!]

Section Two: Income

Main Job Monthly Take Home: ~$5,000. This is after taxes and $169.44 per paycheck in
benefits ($9/dental, $108/HSA, $45/medical)

In January, when I'm eligible, I will start contributing 6% of salary to 401K to receive full
match from my employer.
I'm bonus eligible in my job and can receive anywhere from 0-15% of a bonus next
summer. I don't know what to expect so I'm not counting on anything. Whatever I receive
will be put toward house savings and maybe travel.

Section Three: Expenses

Rent: $1,000

Savings contribution: My current breakdown of saving for the rest of the year is as below.
I have certain goals for each category, and once I reach the goal, I’ll re-route that money
elsewhere.

2020 Roth IRA - $1,625.00

Gift Giving - $50.00

Emergency Fund - $75.00

Travel Savings - $250.00

Auto Insurance - $110.00

Unexpected Expenses - $50.00

Hair - $50.00

Car Savings - $100.00

House Savings - $700.00

Other People's Weddings - $50.00

Technology - $15.00

TOTAL $3,075.00

A few notes: I plan to drop the full $6,500 in my Roth on Jan 1, then I’ll reduce that to
$542/month so I can do the same thing in 2021.

I paid lump sum for my auto insurance in June and am saving monthly for when I have to
do it again. Hoping to get a lower rate this go around.

I don’t plan to have a wedding, hence the lack of line item, but I would like to attend all of
my friend’s weddings, who all live across the country.
Some months I move money around - when I have my hair fund fully covered, I move that
money allocation elsewhere.

Debt payments: None; own car

Donations: Ad-hoc; plan to find somewhere to donate time once I move

Utilities: $60-100, includes the whole shebang

Cellphone: $0, family plan

Subscriptions:

$56 for Headspace (annual fee)

$0 for AAA (recurring birthday gift)

$15 for Costco (split with mom)

$0 for Amazon Prime, Netflix, Spotify, Apple + (family accounts)

$0 for Hulu - roommate has it so I’m watching all the Hulu shows before I move

Gym membership: $35 - I receive a well-being subsidy through work so this is actually
$17.50 a month.

Car payment / insurance: Noted above

Regular therapy: Noted above

S U N D A Y [DAY 1]

5:50 AM: Wake up. Realize I don’t need to be up. Roll over.

7:00 AM: Up for real. Amble downstairs and make a pot of coffee. The noise of the coffee
machine is a long-time favorite of mine. Settle in on the couch with my laptop and begin to
write. I began writing a little over a year ago and strive to write every day. Some days I
write lots of words, some days I gawk around in confusion. All part of the process.

8:45 AM: Getting antsy. I normal work out in the morning, but I have plans to blade with a
friend this afternoon. Instead, I go to Trader Joe’s and pick up groceries: broccoli pizza
crust, sweet potatoes, onion, kale mix, spinach, tofu, turkey, chili hot sauce, coconut
aminos, chickpeas, pinto beans, cheddar cheese, broccoli, cauliflower. $64.85
10:00 AM: I eat leftover cauliflower pizza I made last night. I spend the rest of the morning
doing laundry, cleaning, finishing my book (Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird - great for aspiring
writers), cooking, and chatting with my boyfriend.

1:00 PM: My friend and I are supposed to meet at Sloan’s, but she isn’t responding to my
texts/calls. I return two library books (Bird by Bird, the Alchemist) and head to the lake on
my own. I text another friend, who says she’ll bring her dog and we can walk around. It’s
60 degrees and sunny, which is pretty great for November.

1:30 PM: I decided to do a quick loop on my roller blades while waiting for my friend. I get
halfway around and skate over a pile of wet leaves….and totally wipeout. Imagine sliding
into first base, but while wearing rollerblades on pavement. Manage not to cry and hobble
into the conveniently next to me bathroom to rinse the gravel out of my thigh and shin.
There is a huge scrape the size of my hand on the back of my thigh where the top layer of
skin has rubbed off (TMI?). I call my friend, explain the situation, and she rescues me and
drives me back to my car. I place my shirt underneath my leg on the drive home then call
my mom to figure out how I should clean it. I shower, clean my wounds, drink leftover
smoothie, and decide to go back to the lake to walk the remainder of the loop with my
friend and her pup. Sitting down doesn’t seem ideal, anyway. I get back to the park, slap
some antibiotic ointment on my lovely mark, and cruise (slowly) around.

3:00 PM: I make eggs with veggies and watch Money Heist on Netflix as I eat. Finish
laundry and putz around.

4:00 PM: Head to Starbucks, where I order a tall decaf pike place while I write for the hour
(pre-loaded). At 5:15, I head to a yin yoga class with a friend. I contemplated canceling, but
I decide to see how it feels and adjust as needed (purchased membership via Groupon).

5:30 PM: Class went okay for the most part. Shower again and my scrape stings, youch.
Make pumpkin oatmeal for dinner (oats, egg whites, almond milk, pumpkin, almond butter,
pumpkin pie spice).

7:00 PM: Start my next book: The Most Fun We Ever Had, then turn in early (around 9).
Night skin routine for the people in the back: Acure cream cleanser, Cerave moisturizer,
Retin-A every other night, Acure rose hip oil or Herbivore blue tansy oil the other night. I
use a pumpkin enzyme cleanser 1x/week from Peter Thomas Roth, the PTR hydration mask
as needed, and the Herbivore blue tansy mask when I breakout. My skin is forever dry since
moving to CO, but intensive moisturizer and my humidifier has helped. Sleep in a very odd
position to avoid irritating my leg.

Daily total: $64.85

M O N D A Y [day 2]

6:15 AM: I tossed and turned in my sleep to avoid having the blankets touch my cuts. Not
fun. Wake up, make a cup of green tea, and start writing.
8:00 AM: Drink coffee. Morning routine (make bed, journal, skincare - rose cleanser bar
from Osmia, toner, glycolic acid, Cerave moisturizer, Acure eye cream, Cerave sun screen)
I liberally apply AmLactin to my arms, which are covered in KP and have been since I was
a kid. And, the less exciting sinus routine: nasal spray, humidifier re-loaded, sinus spray as
needed, neti pot as needed.

8:30 AM: It’s a good thing my conference calls don’t show my full body. I’m stuck
wearing shorts as I let my cuts dry out a bit, despite the fact that it’s 15 degrees and
snowing. Also, I have a standing desk, which is coming in clutch because sitting hurts.

10:00 AM Make eggs, broccoli, spinach, and defrost a homemade everything bagel I made
in my air fryer last week (surprisingly amazing!) Briefly chat with my boyfriend. Back to
work.

1:30 PM: Time for lunch. Make pumpkin oatmeal again. Fully on the fall train over here,
choo choo.

4:00 PM: Head to a mat-based weight-training workout class. Signed up using pre-
packaged classes I have. Probably not the best idea given the state of my leg, but working
out is a mental health necessity for me. It doesn’t feel too bad on my leg, but I pass on the
squats.

5:15 PM I rush home and then to Starbucks to meet up with someone via FB marketplace in
an attempt to sell my bean boots. No luck.

6:00 PM: Shower and cook a weird but delicious dinner: tuna with yogurt and shredded
cheese, then sautéed cauliflower rice with coconut aminos and cheddar. Odd, but I’m
digging it. I signed up for an aerial yoga class tomorrow night but move it to next week so
my leg can heal.

7:00 PM: Have some peanut butter m&ms and pumpkin bread with peanut butter. Now
seems like a good time to disclose my unwavering love of nut butter. Make my third cup of
tea for the day, peppermint this time, and read my book for a bit. My roommate is watching
television downstairs, where there isn’t a ton of privacy, so I use my giant computer
monitor and start HP 5. I read all of the books last year (only 15 years late to the game, but
it’s fine) and now I’m watching the movies. Harry is way older in 5 vs. 4, and also way
more attractive…? Not mad.

8:30 PM: Stop partway through the movie and read again before bed. I generally dislike
doing things in bed other than sex, reading, and sleeping.

Daily total: $0

T U E S D A Y [day 3]
6:00 AM: Head to the gym and cruise on the elliptical. Still rocking shorts, and yes, it's still
cold out. Read TMFWEH.

7:15 AM: Writing time, followed by morning routine.

11:00 AM: Decide to bandage up my leg after talking to my mom. Dig out the ole' First Aid
Kit and find gauze and tape. The tape isn't very sticky, so I have to use a lot of it and tape at
different angles. My bandage looks like a five-year old did it, but it works. Eggs for
breakfast again. I write a note to mail to my boyfriend on a silly card. I'm meeting a friend
to co-work for the afternoon, so I drop off my note and some health insurance forms at the
post office on the way to the coffee shop.

11:30 AM: Order a decaf cappuccino. My friend and I post up in a corner and chat/work for
a few hours. Eventually, I eat lunch of greek yogurt, almond milk, powdered peanut butter,
and pumpkin spice pumpkin seeds. $4.25

3:00 PM: Head home to finish out the workday. Stop at Target and buy gauze and normal
tape. $4.62

5:30 PM: It was a strange work day. Someone on my team was let go unexpectedly and it
rattled my afternoon.

6:00: PM: Same dinner as last night. I have the house to myself so I finish watching HP5
and eat more pumpkin bread.

7:45 PM: Read, wind down, etc. Bed by 9.

Daily total: $8.87

W E D N E S D A Y [day 4]

6:00 AM: Wake up and slept through the night thanks to bandaging up my giant scrape
with gauze. Make green tea and write. Decline a call from boyfriend while writing; nothing
interrupts my me time.

7:10 AM: Make coffee, morning routine.

7:30 AM: Emergency team call. Most of my team calls are early in the morning because
my team is all over the world. 7:30 isn't that early, so I don’t mind.

8:30 AM: Head to the gym. My job has great flexibility, especially on days I start/end
earlier. I focus on arms because my leg is still in bad shape.

9:15 AM: Getting work messages, so head home. Stop at King Sooper’s for curry powder,
almond milk, and canned coconut milk $10.34
11:00 AM: At some point I make a smoothie and slowly sip it as I work. I take a break to
order part of my brother’s birthday gift, a pair of Oofoos recovery sandals (gamechanger
for my hiker friends out there). I’ll split the cost with my boyfriend and owe him money for
part of the gift he ordered, so I end up paying about ~$25.

1:00 PM: Make tofu curry (meat free version of Pamela Salzman’s chicken and veggie
curry, one of my go-to fall and winter recipes) while I wait for work feedback. Set it to
simmer while I have some meetings. Throw in all the vegetables.

2:00 PM: Also roasted a spaghetti squash, so I eat some of that with sauce, cheese, and 2
slices of turkey. Call my mom and chat.

5:30 PM: Heat up a slice of pumpkin bread and eat it with peanut butter. Have a bit of the
curry I made, too. Finish season 3 of Money Heist and read Maybe You Should Talk to
Someone (MYSTTS)

7:00 PM: Book club! We meet at a coffee-wine-alcohol shop but it’s crowded, so we find a
random bar down the street to hang at. It’s very…grunge, and we are definitely out of
place, but it works. Plus, there is a dog who greets everyone who walks in and asks for pets,
so I’m sold. We decided last week to read MYSTTS and meet even if we haven’t finished.
Everyone loves the book so far, which I’m please with as I suggested it.

9:30 PM: My roommate’s boyfriend is here when I get home (roomie is on her way back
from night class), and asks if I went running. Ha, no. I show him my cut and tell him shorts
are all I can wear right now (These sweatpants are all that fit me right now!) and joke that I
know I look like a weather confused idiot (beanie + long sleeve + vest + shorts + sneakers.
Fashion, people).

10:00 PM: Read and journal for a few minutes. Heat up my fuzzy, bead-filled hot pad for
sore muscles and put it on my feet in bed. My feet are always freezing (hands too, thanks
Raynaud’s) even with socks on, so I stick this bad boy on ‘em and fall asleep.

Daily total: $35.34

T H U R S D A Y [day 5]

5:57 AM: Awake 3 minutes before my alarm! Boo-yah.

6:30 AM: Meet a friend at Rise Nation to try out a class (first class free). Surprisingly, my
leg feels okay during it, but perhaps it’s because it is a repetitive movement that doesn’t
require torquing my leg in any way. I thought the class was good, but I wasn’t gaga over it.
I’d try it again, though, especially since they have new student specials. Drink TJs mint
green tea on the drive home.

7:30 AM: Showered, moisturized, and caffeinated, I sit down to write.

8:15 AM: Log on to work. Busy day - I break around 11 AM for eggs/veggies/cauli
gnocchi via la air fryer (10/10). Text with a friend and we sign up for AKT on Sunday
(dance-based workout class). First class is free!

12:00 PM: Run out for Starbucks nitro cold brew (pre-loaded on card).

3:15 PM: Talk to my boyfriend for a few minutes while lying on the floor. Nibble on
brussels sprouts, cheese/crackers, and yogurt throughout afternoon. Drink a can of seltzer
along the way as well.

5:00 PM: My boyfriend was supposed to hear if he is getting team-matched for a company
in Colorado today, but I haven't heard from him by now. I distract myself by: eating,
talking to my 2 old housemates from college for an hour, facetiming my parents, and
watching the first episode of a Million Little Things season 2. I waver between wanting to
make sure he's okay, worried about his well-being, while also wanting to know what the
news is, while not bombarding him with messages if things didn't go well (it's his first
choice - and mine, because CO rocks). Eventually, we connect around 8pm MT. He made it
through, which is awesome, but I react poorly because of how worried I was. My last
serious BF struggled with depression and when he dropped off the Earth for several hours,
esp. after something bad happened, I was always nervous he was going to hurt himself, so
some of the residual feelings of that crept into my emotions.

Daily total: $0

T H U R S D A Y [day 6]

6:15 AM: Awake. Write for a bit but don’t have great focus. End up texting with my
boyfriend to try and explain why I was feeling anxious and frustrated last night. End up
feeling a lot better after we talk. Log on early to work and also message with Citi bank to
confirm that I’ll be getting a $500 bonus for meeting the qualifications when opening an
account with them. Also message with Costco and learn that my boots I ordered a few
weeks ago were lost in transit. They re-order me a new pair. I order flowers to be delivered
to my bf tomorrow morning as a congratulations for making it through; he's been
interviewing at the same 2 companies for 5+ months now while working full-time and I
know it's taxing on him. I'm proud of him and want him to know it. I find a good deal on
Bouqs and order a bouqet. $53.65

10:00 AM: Make a smoothie. Hit a good stopping point and drive to Starbucks and order a
small nitro cold brew while I work (pre-loaded). I normally wouldn’t get Starbucks this
much in a week, but at 11:00 I meet with a guy who buys my bean boots for his girlfriend.
Make $55 in cash, which will help offset the new pair of winter boots I bought.

12:00 PM: Go to a Lagree/reformer class. It’s first class free and I know it won’t bother my
leg. Start shaking two seconds into class, continuing shaking all the way home, through a
video call, and into the shower. Signs of a good class.
1:30 PM: Eggs, gnocchi, you know the drill.

4:30 PM: Go to Plato’s closet to sell some clothes. Call my dad and catch up with him on
the way. They don’t take anything, citing “wear” when some of the clothes HAVE TAGS
on them. I am livid. I go to Nordstrom Rack and sit in the parking lot while catching up
with my boyfriend. He now has a few verbal offers on the table and I’m excited for the
interview process to final close with him and for us to start thinking about what’s next! Try
on a lot of clothes and leave with nothing. Talk to my mom on the 30 min ride home as I sit
in traffic.

6:15 PM: Home. Eat leftovers (veggies, curry, turkey) and chocolate. Chat on the phone
with a friend from yoga teacher training and catch up for an hour.

7:30 PM: Watch A Million Little Things, eat peanut butter, and drink tea.

9:00 PM: Read in bed, then lights off around 9:45.

Daily total: $53.65

S A T U R D A Y [day 7]

7:45 AM: Wake up to my alarm amazed that I slept 10 hours. I would have kept sleeping if
not for the alarm, so I’m glad I set it. Go downstairs, drink a bottle of water, make coffee,
and write for an hour. Keep my bandage on my leg and wear shorts to the gym.

9:20 AM: Head to the gym, where I do ten minutes on the stair master and thirty on the
elliptical while reading MYSTTS.

10:10 AM: At home, I drink coffee with 2 scoops of collagen and eat a leftover brownie
with almond butter. Shower and get ready for the day as I contemplate what to buy people
for Christmas. Write and read reddit for a bit.

11:30 AM: Decide to make myself a nice brunch. I roast sweet potatoes and brussels
sprouts, caramelize an onion, cook some pinto beans, and sautéed greens from TJs. I fry an
egg and add it on top along with some shredded cheese. This combo is definitely happening
for breakfast again tomorrow.

12:20 PM: Pick up my friend and head to a holiday festival I read about on one of those
“things to do this weekend” articles. Spoiler: it's awful. First, we accidentally walk into the
monster truck show. After realizing we're in the wrong pavilion, we find the right spot. We
pay for parking and tickets to get in, and it's super kitschy, with low-quality things. Lots of
dips for purchase that are apparently very popular. There's even a booth that sells a serving
dish made only for canned cranberry sauce. We sample some roasted nuts and get the hell
out of dodge. $19.50
2:00 PM: We decide to go to the mall, something I do about once a year. We head to
Cherry Creek and wander around. I find a pair of Levi denim shorts on super sale from
Urban Outfitters , which is exciting because I desperately need a more flattering pair of
cutoff shorts. $22.74 + $1.5 for parking

4:00 PM: We grab burgers for dinner at a place I've been wanting to try. I get one with goat
cheese, guac, caramelized onions, and tomatoes with a side of sweet potato tots. Everything
tastes great and I'd go back again, just not when it's football Saturday and the place is
overrun by drunk Kansas State fans. $18 with tip

6:30 PM: Home, in sweatpants, and chilling for the rest of the night. Watch Netflix then
move to my bed and read my book; lights out before 10.

Daily total: $61.74

SUMMARY

Food + Drink: $97.44

Fun / Entertainment: $19.50

Home + Health: $4.62

Clothes + Beauty: $22.74

Transport: $1.5

Other (gifts): $78.65

TOTAL: $224.45

Lastly, reflect on your diary! How do you feel about your spending? Was this a normal
week for you?

This was pretty normal (I documented my diary a few weeks back to capture a normal-ish
week). There were a few more gifts than usual and I didn't get gas, but less those things I'd
say this looks right. I feel good about my spending because nothing comes as a surprise. I
made a budget tool in Excel and use it to monitor every transaction; I'm one of those weird
people that enjoys budgeting. Occasionally, I ignore my budget - for example, this month I
spent too much on gifts, but I'm okay with that. I try not to live and die by my budget
because then I get anxiety if I overspend, even with it's good reason. I'm trying to double
down on savings so I can purchase a house in the next 1-2 yrs too, but sometimes I'm a bit
hard on myself and feel guilt for spending money. My money mindset continues to evolve
as I learn more about personal finance and empower myself!
31 y/o Supply Chain Consultant making
$106500 in the Chicago suburbs
Money Diary

Section 1 Assets and Debts:

401K and IRA Balances: $101K

Personal Investments/Savings Accounts: $14K

Joint investments/House improvement funds with my boyfriend, M (technically I own

40%): $59K

Home Equity with M: $137K (technically I own 40%)

Checking Account Balance: $3400

Credit Cards: Pay in full every month

Student Loans: Paid off in full in 2017

Car: Paid off in full in February 2018

Section 2 Income:

$86,500 base annual salary plus annual bonus of $20,000. Monthly take home after taxes,
retirement contribution and benefits: $4450 before bonus.

Section 3 Monthly Expenses (I split almost everything with M down the middle, below are
my portions only):

Mortgage + Escrow (Includes property tax and homeowners insurance): $1380 for my 40%
portion.

Car Insurance: $40

Utilities: average $140 for water, trash, internet, gas and electricity.

Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO: $20

Peloton: $57
Groceries/Eating Out: Average $750

Puppy stuff (daycare, walker, grooming, insurance, meds/vaccines, food, overnight camp):
average $275

Housekeeper: $120

Lawn Care (Apr-Nov): $50

Cell phone: -$30 (I get $50 a month from work for my cell and pay my parents $20 a month
for my phone’s addition onto their family plan.)

401K Contribution: 12% of each paycheck, including bonus paychecks. My company puts
in an additional 4%.

Savings contribution: I put $800 into our joint savings every month plus my entire tax
return. If I have money left over I will contribute to my personal savings, I am guessing I
put about $2500 this year but hoping to increase that next year to $6-8000

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance: $215/Mo taken directly out of my paycheck.

Day 1 Monday:

6:30 am: Wake up in my hotel room. I am in Montana on a short business trip (2 nights) to
wrap up a consulting engagement I am managing. I’m working at a hospital and get to wear
scrubs to work, so I throw on my clothes and wash my face real quick... no need to spend
more than 5 minutes getting ready this morning! I grab a coffee cup and fill it with dry
Froot Loops from the free breakfast bar to eat in my car while driving to work. I get a $10
per diem for breakfast which I spent $0 of.

1:00 pm: This project consisted of me designing this hospital’s main supply storage area.
The final stage of the project is a “white glove” installation where we physically assemble
the new storage devices and fill the room with supplies. I have a team of 4 that have been
here for 8 days doing the assembly work, so now that I am here we are double checking
everything and fixing any issues I find. The morning goes by SO FAST and I am reminded
by my team that we need to eat lunch at some point, so we take a break to go to Subway
inside the hospital. I get a $15 per diem for lunch of which I used $7.48 for an iced tea, 6”
turkey sub and sour cream and onion chips. My hair and clothes have now absorbed all of
the Subway smells and it’s back to work!

5:30 pm: I walk through the facility with the client and they sign off on our work- we’re
done! Turns out we don’t have to come in tomorrow morning and can fly home early. The
United App doesn’t have any earlier same-day-confirmed options for me which is a
bummer since my flight isn’t until 1:15 pm.
6:00 pm: My team and I head out for dinner at a local cidery since it’s our last night on the
project. We share a bunch of apps, including poutine which these 4 Californian’s had
NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE!? I pick up the tab on my company card ($0)

9:30 pm: I talk with M on the phone for a few minutes before heading to bed. I have
checked the United App multiple times this evening and still no earlier flights available. I
am asleep by 10!

Total: -$17.52 back in per diem + $13 for dog walker (split with M)

Day 2 Tuesday:

6:30 am: Wake up without my alarm and immediately check the United App and there are
still no earlier flights. I give up hope on getting home early and check in for my 1:15 Flight.
I am currently #1 on the upgrade list for my flight to Denver which NEVER happens since
I only have Silver status.

7:15 am: Head downstairs to get breakfast from the buffet. I have Froot Loops again but
this time with milk and a spoon instead of shoving them into my face while driving. (-$10
with my per diem)

7:30 am: I go into the workout room and get on the treadmill. I have a Peloton subscription
and do a walk/run interval class for 45 minutes on my iPad. I am a cyclist (both spinning
and road), and haven’t run in probably 10 years. I am slow but hold all the intervals for the
set amount of time and am now convinced that I can run a half marathon! HA! I follow up
with a 10 minute arm strength class and head upstairs to shower and wash my hair.

10:00 am: I am packed and head out of the hotel. I have a couple hours to kill so I head to a
local coffee shop and get a latte and homemade pop tart. I work on expense reports and
browse the internet until I have to head to the airport. ($9.50 with tip)

1:00 pm: Upgrade confirmed! I drink a couple 312s on the flight while watching “Plus
One” with the in-flight app. Between this movie and “The Boys”, Jack Quaid is my official
2019 celeb crush. We land in Denver and I have about 20 minutes left in the movie, but I’ll
finish it on my flight to Chicago.

2:45 pm: I wait in line for 10 minutes to get an 8 piece nugget and diet lemonade from
Chick-Fil-A during my layover. We don’t have many Chick-Fil-A’s in the Chicago-area
and I am an ex-Atlantan, so I usually find myself going out of my way to eat it at airports
even if it’s in a different terminal. ($7.72, but I get $15 per diem for lunch)

4:00 pm: The movies available on this flight are different than the movies on my first flight
and I can’t finish Plus One! I watch The Wedding Singer instead and enjoy my
complimentary stroopwafel and club soda.
7:00 pm: I fly all the time but still get chills flying over Chicago at night, my window seat
gives me the perfect view of downtown as we approach O’Hare. I was only gone for 2
nights but I’m SO excited to be home and see M and puppy!

8:30 pm: Lyft drops me off at home (paid with company card, so $0) and I am greeted with
hugs and kisses from the fam! I make some frozen Trader Joe’s mini chicken tacos and eat
them with guac that I had made on the previous Friday. It’s a little brown but honestly
tastes fine. (-$20 from dinner per diem)

8:45 pm: M and I watch a Bon Appetit you tube video and we head upstairs to go to bed.

Total: -$28.22 back in per diem + $120 for housekeeper that comes every other Tuesday
and $33 for doggy day care, both of these will be split with M.

Day 3 Wednesday:

6:20 am: Alarm goes off and I get up and get ready for work. My morning routine at home
is about 15 minutes and consists of brushing teeth, washing face, putting on SPF, going
over my hair with a straightener and maybe a couple sprays of dry shampoo, and throwing
on some boybrow and mascara. I am responsible for morning puppy duties and M is
responsible for the evening. It is 20 degrees outside so I only take her out for a couple
minutes and hope that she goes potty during our short walk- she does! I start the coffee pot
and make an egg and cheese English muffin. We’re almost out of coffee beans so I order 2
boxes from La Colombe which should arrive in a few days ($34.34). Out the door and at
work by 8.

12:00 pm: Meet up with my friend for lunch. We always go to a Jewish deli ½ way between
our offices. I get a huge bowl of matzo ball soup and a black and white cookie. I save ½ the
soup for lunch tomorrow and the cookie is coming home with me to split with M for
dessert. ($20.62 with tip)

5:30 pm: I pickup M on my way home from work because it’s cold and he doesn’t feel like
riding his bike. We get home and heat up leftover chicken stroganoff and make a salad for
dinner. We watch Bon Appetit videos on YouTube for about an hour before we clean up
and I head upstairs to do a spin class on the Peloton. I shower and get in bed by 9:45ish.

Total: $54.96 + $13 for dog walker. Coffee and Dog Walker split with M.

Day 4 Thursday:

6:20 am: Alarm goes off and I get ready for work. Same morning routine as yesterday with
the addition of starting a load of laundry and dropping M off at work on my way in. Get to
work at 8.

5:00 pm: Leave work and feel like I did absolutely nothing today. Now that the Montana
project is over I am “on the bench” waiting for my next fulltime assignment which likely
won’t happen until early 2020. I should enjoy the free time but it’s hard to sit at my desk
for 8 hours with what feels like nothing productive to do other than small random tasks my
boss throws at me. I swing by Lou Malnati’s and pickup a pizza and salad for dinner and
head over to my parent’s house. ($39.69)

5:45 pm: Arrive at my parent’s house. My mom was diagnosed with cancer a couple weeks
ago and she had her first chemo session this morning. I generally see my parents once every
couple weeks but it has been a lot more frequent since the diagnosis. My office is halfway
between my house and theirs so stopping by on a weeknight is no big deal. She feels really
good after today’s session and we’re all in good spirits, positive, etc… but I am really
nervous about the coming months and how the chemo will affect her both physically and
mentally.

8:30 pm: Fill up my car with gas on the way home ($35.41) and am greeted by puppy when
I walk in the front door! I turnover the laundry, make a gin and soda, and chill on the couch
with the fam for an hour before going upstairs to get ready for bed.

10:00 pm: Last weekend when I was at my parent’s house they called me out on my ratty
old Birkenstock clogs that I am pretty sure I have had since high school. The heels are so
worn away they are basically non-existent and according to my parents, “unsafe”. They
asked me tonight if I ordered a new pair yet and I said I would get around to it soon, so here
I am ordering new shoes instead of trying to go to sleep. I get a pair of clogs to replace the
current pair, and a pair of sandals for an upcoming trip to the Virgin Islands that I’ll
probably end up returning because I already own 3 other pairs of Birkenstock sandals
(they’re just so comfortable!). ($292.19)

Total: $367.29 + $13 for mid-day dog walker (split with M)

Day 5 Friday:

5:30 am: Puppy wakes me up by scooching as close as she possibly can into my lower
back. It’s not worth going back to bed for 50 minutes so I lay awake and browse Instagram
and Reddit until my alarm goes off at 6:20.

7:10 am: M and I are both ready to go a few minutes earlier than normal, so we decide to
get breakfast tacos from a place down the street before heading into work ($17.95 for 4
tacos including tip). We agree that next time we should each only get 1 taco since we’re so
full, but we both know that isn’t realistic. I drop him off afterwards and arrive at the office
a couple minutes late.

12 pm: I go to Potbelly with some coworkers for lunch and get a turkey sandwich with
extra giardiniera and a bottle of green tea ($9.01). Debating leaving work early today since
I worked 12 hours this past Sunday and as discussed earlier, I just don’t have much to work
on right now. Unfortunately, my company is weird about flex hours and working from
home, and it is generally looked down upon to leave before 4:30p on a Friday. I think I’ll
stay until about 3 though because fuck it.
3:10 pm: OUTTA HERE! I pick up M from work on the way home. We stop at the house
to drop off our laptops and walk puppy, then we head out to a brewery a couple blocks
from us that just expanded their taproom from about 20 seats to 80. I can’t tell you how
many times we have walked over and turned around because there was nowhere to sit, so
this is very exciting! Still waiting for them to let dogs inside though…

6:00 pm: After a couple of beers ($22.80) and rounds of poker, we order a Detroit-style
pizza from a restaurant a couple blocks away. We walk over to pick it up ($27.50- this one
is entirely on me since I lost at poker!) and head home to eat, have a couple more beers, and
watch Bojack Horseman on Netflix.

10:30 pm: I’m a little buzzed and very tired. I chug a glass of water and head upstairs to go
to sleep.

Total: $77.26 (Tacos and Beers are split with M)

Day 5 Saturday:

6:30 am: Wake up without alarm and hangout in bed for 30 minutes before changing into
my workout clothes and taking puppy for a walk. I head downstairs to brew coffee in our
Chemex and wait for M to wake up.

8:45 am: M is awake and we walk over to our local bakery to get a couple breakfast pastries
and a loaf of bread ($21.68). This is our favorite bakery, but they are moving to the north
side of town in the spring to be in a bigger space with better parking and I’m sure to get
more business from the neighboring fancy-schmancy ‘burbs. I would love to stop
patronizing this business in protest for leaving my neighborhood, but everything they make
is literally TO DIE FOR.

11:00 am: After hanging out on the couch all morning I head out to run grocery errands.
We decide to have a charcuterie plate for dinner tonight with the bread we bought from the
bakery, and to make meatballs and marinara sauce for dinner tomorrow night. We always
cook a huge meal on Sunday with enough leftovers to last 2 or 3 more nights. I end up
stopping at 4 stores:

a) Liquor store to buy a few 4-packs of cider and beer, plus a cheap bottle of merlot to
make mulled wine ($56.99)

b) Local butcher for 2lb ground beef, sliced deli turkey and a fancy salami ($35.24 + $.50
parking!)

c) Trader Joe’s for our frozen food staples (mini chicken tacos, light mac and cheese,
margherita pizza, chicken shumai), cheese for the charcuterie plate, canned San Marzano
tomatoes for the marinara sauce, a couple cans of draft latte, and some pepitas for a recipe I
came across for hot honey glazed sweet potatoes ($89.87)
d) Jewel, our regular grocery store for produce, fresh squeezed OJ, Kleenex, Tide and 12
cases of sparkling water because Polar was on sale 3 for $10! ($91.13)

I generally stock up on booze, Trader Joe’s frozen food and sparkling water once every 4-6
weeks, so this is a huge shopping trip for us!

1:15 pm: I come home and make sandwiches for M and I with our fancy bakery bread and
the turkey and cheese I just bought. We watch episodes of Good Mythical Morning on
YouTube until I head upstairs to do a Peloton yoga class.

6:00 pm: I make mulled wine on the stove and prepare the charcuterie plate. We slowly
nibble for the next hour and watch the new holiday episodes of The Great British Baking
Show. M asks if I’m ok with the fact that we did absolutely nothing today other than eat
and chill on the couch and the answer is YES. I have been gone the last 2 weekends and am
gone next weekend as well… I needed a day to just hangout in my leggings and not do
anything.

9:45 pm: I’m tired and decide to call it an early night. M stays downstairs to play his new
Pokémon video game until 2 in the morning.

Total: $295.41 (split with M)

Day 7 Sunday:

6:30 am: Wake up without my alarm and get out of bed. I can’t find our dog and accidently
wake up M while trying to rescue her from the weird blanket crevice she found herself in
last night. I grab her and leave the bedroom, hoping M is able to get back to sleep. Puppy
and I walk around the block and once inside I brew a French press and eat a bowl of
pineapple and raspberries.

7:15 am: My former colleague has been trying to recruit me to work for him and said I need
to “zhuzh” up resume a bit to impress his boss, so I pull out my laptop and start editing.
This position would be a promotion to management, have zero travel, and a salary increase
of about $20K. It’s honestly a no-brainer that I apply for this position, but I can’t help but
feel guilty about it. I get along great with my boss, and leaving to go work for this old
colleague of ours feels like a shitty thing to do. At the end of the day though, I plan on
starting a family in the next couple years and I NEED a job without travel in order for that
to happen, and my current company cannot offer me that.

9:00 am: M is awake and I make us scrambled eggs with cheddar and English muffins. Our
dog LOVES eggs more than anything else so I give her some scraps in her bowl, yet she
still doesn’t stop barking for more until M and I have finished our plates and rinse them off
in the sink! We have created a monster.

9:45 am: I go upstairs to do some Peloton strength classes on my iPad. Our bike is broken
and we are waiting on a replacement part, otherwise I would have done a spin class today. I
get in the shower and wash my hair, followed by 45 minutes of hair drying and
straightening. I try to only wash my hair once every 5 or 6 days because it takes so long to
straighten from wet.

12:30 pm: I head out to meet a friend for a late brunch (I guess just lunch?) in the city. We
meet at this cute place near her apartment that is owned by a local farm and it’s half market,
half restaurant. While waiting to be seated we walk around the market and decide what
we’re going to buy on our way out. Once we get seated we order unlimited mimosas, an
order of apple cider beignets to split, and we each order the same entrée of avocado
benedict. ($50.98 with tip)

3:30 pm: After stuffing our faces and drinking our money’s worth of mimosas, we buy our
market goodies. I get a couple cans of natural wine spritzer, delicata squash, homemade
mushroom tamales, red popcorn kernels and a bottle of hot sauce. ($54.16). I drop my
friend off at her apartment and head home.

4:30 pm: I get home and give puppy a quick pre-dinner walk, then start making the
meatballs (M had already started the marinara sauce). I also pop a spaghetti squash in the
oven as a pasta substitute, and M gets upset with me for using the “good knife” to open the
squash.

6:30 pm: I call my parent’s house while the meatballs are in the oven to see how my mom
is feeling since her doctor said that Sunday may be a hard day after her first chemo session.
She feels better than expected which is great! We make lunch plans for Wednesday this
week.

7:00 pm: Dinner is served! I open up one of the natty wine spritzers I bought today and split
it with M- delightful! I eat my entire plate and feel like dying I ate so much (I definitely
contribute this to my huge brunch only a couple hours earlier!) I curl up in a ball on the
couch and wait for the feeling of fullness to pass while M plays Pokémon. My legs are also
starting to feel sore from this morning’s workout- ugh. All I want is to lay down in peace
but puppy keeps barking at me to play fetch with her. I’m just NOT IN THE MOOD,
GIRL.

9:00 pm: Sunday scaries are starting to hit me… hard. I am really dreading another boring
week at work. I know random things will pop up for me to work on or help out with, but
not 40-hours worth! I head upstairs to get ready for bed and am asleep by 10.

Total: $104.14 (market items split with M)

I’m 29 and make $100,000 as an Analyst in

the DC area
Money Diary

I live with my Significant Other (SO) and we split most of our major bills (rent, utilities,
groceries). We do not officially combine finances but my SO brings in around $110,000.

Part 1: Assets and Debt

401k: $38,796.05. I contribute 7% per paycheck right now and my employer contributes a
percentage as well (it’s a wonky formula). Between my 7% and my employer’s
contribution, I put away about $500 a paycheck towards my 401k.

Pension/ “Retirement Contribution”: $11,000. I pay into a pension (I have no choice) but I
can take this with me as a lump sum when I leave or wait until I’m at retirement age and get
monthly benefits.

Roth: $1100. Accidentally opened this instead of increasing my 401k by 1%. Not sure what
to do with this random money.

Checking Account Balance: $400. I keep this very low and move most of my “extra”
money into savings accounts.

Savings Account Balance: $30,000. This amount includes my emergency fund but I’m not
sure what to do with this lump sum of money that’s not accruing much interest. I’m
thinking of opening a Roth IRA and maxing that out yearly. Happy to take any other
suggestions. It’s literally just sitting in a savings account.

Credit Card Debt: $2000. I have 0% APR right now on my CC so instead of using my
savings, I pay as much off as I can per paycheck. I’ll be paid off by December and back to
$0.

Student Loan Debt: $16,5000 left for a STEM degree. My job pays a lump sum yearly
towards my student loans so I have not yet had to make any substantial payments. I’ve
probably spent about 1k total on student loans since I’ve graduated. I don’t make regular
payments because the lump sum covers payments for an entire year and some change.

Part 2: Income

Monthly Net Take Home: $4545

Deductions (before I receive my net pay)

Dental Insurance (Monthly): $38.60 Health Insurance (Monthly): $179

401k (Monthly): $532

Taxes + Stuff I Have to Pay (State Tax, Federal Tax, SS, Medicare, Pension): $2309

Bonus: I usually get about $2k in bonuses a year.

Part Three: Monthly Expenses

Rent: $1633 (my ½ of the rent)

Electric: $50 (my ½)

Water: $30 (my ½)

Internet and Cable: $96 (my ½)

Cellphone: $107 (ew, I feel like I’m really overpaying for mediocre service)

Transportation: $100. Work covers most of my transportation and I don’t have a car. I use
uber/lyft only when needed but it’s not that often.

Savings: $700. I have this automatically moved the same day as my paychecks. I try to
never touch my savings unless necessary.

Annual Expenses:

Renters Insurance: $38 a year (my ½)

Costco Membership: $30 (my ½)

Amazon Prime: I haven’t had to pay for this yet so I’m hoping my SO doesn’t notice but
let’s throw in $60.

Injectables (LOL): $1,000. I spend about 1k a year on what I consider maintenance.

Day 1: 6:00: I wake up, put on a podcast, do my morning skin care routine, make a cup of
coffee and get ready for the day. I hate all my work clothes and can’t wait for Black
Friday/Cyber Monday to stock up on some new options. I’m out of the house by 7 AM.
8:00 AM: I’m not at my usual work location due to an all-day meeting so I treat myself to a
coffee since I can’t make coffee at work ($2.32). I meal prepped for the week and brought a
sausage, veggie and cheddar egg cup for breakfast. 1:00 PM: I bring my own lunch which
is leftovers from brunch on Sunday and sit with my work bff. I snack more than usual
during this meeting and force myself to log all the calories into MyFitnessPal (MFP)
because I’m trying to be more cognizant of what I’m consuming. 5:00: I didn’t get my nails
done this week and end up biting them down (ugh). I’ve been influenced by an influencer
and pick up some press on nails from CVS. Before you judge me because I judged myself
too, they looked great on the influencer and they swear by them… so I hope mine turn out
the same. ($9.85) 5:30: I make a ham and cheese quesadilla before I do a 45 min Peloton
ride in our apartment gym. 8:30: I make us baked salmon with veggies for dinner. My bf
reminds me to never buy those veggies again and I agree because they’re so bland and
boring. We catch up about our day and I wind down by watching 20/20 and am asleep by
10:30.

Total for the Day: $12.17

Day 2: 6:00 AM: I wake up and do my morning routine. I leave the house a little earlier
than usual so that’s a win. 9:00 AM: I bring K-cups to work to avoid buying coffee. I used
to buy coffee all the time and it’s such a waste of money when you really think about it. My
boyfriend used to be the same and now we save SBUX for special days like weekends. I
book a train ticket to visit a friend this weekend ($30). 2 egg cups for breakfast. 12:00 PM:
When I’m in the office, I try to walk during lunch to get some steps in. I walk to CVS to
pick up stamps ($11) and a neighboring grocery store for a few items ($11). I walk a total
of 2 miles so go me. My bf packed my lunch today which is brown rice and marinated
chicken thighs. 6:00: I mail my dad a check to help him out when I can ($100). I decide to
not work out because I’m inherently lazy and doing a class tomorrow morning. I still
haven’t put on my press on nails so I’m starting to think that a waste of money. 8:00: I
make a cup of pasta with Rao’s and parmesan for dinner and am a happy piglet. 9:00 PM: I
play scrabble against my boyfriend because we’re very competitive and this is fun to us. I
wind down and head to bed around 10:00.

Total for the Day: $153.00

Day 3: 7:30: I’m working from home today and take a morning Pilates class. The instructor
is a little rude (DOESN’T SHE KNOW WHO I AM? JK) but I’m trying to be more
understanding instead of combative.The class doesn’t cost anything because I’m testing out
a free trial of classpass to see if it’s worth my doll-hairs. 9:00: I log on and start working.
My friend and I decide to take an Orange Theory Fitness (OTF) class when I visit so I sign
up but am on the waitlist. I’m not an OTF member so I pay out of pocket ($28). If I don’t
get off the waitlist, I’ll use the class a different day. 12:00: I have a busy day and find
myself mindless snacking all day. I can’t even list all the snacks because they’re so random
and there are so many of them. I recognize I have minimal self-control when I work from
home. 5:00 PM: I text my boyfriend if we should just have junk food for dinner instead of
cooking and he gets excited because I’m usually all “IS IT ORGANIC? EW LOOK AT
THE INGREDIENTS!” so this is music to his ears. 8:00 PM: We have a feast of pigs in a
blanket, individual deep dish pizza and pumpkin pie. My stomach is going to kill me
tomorrow but IDGAF. 9:00 PM: I literally lay down at 9PM. I am beat today and trying to
catch up on sleep.

Total for the Day: $28.00

Day 4: 5:45 AM: I wake up and get ready for work. Like clockwork, my stomach kills but
it’s the price I’ll pay for indulging in processed food. I take a morning shower and my skin
is looking great after I did a chemical peel last week. Shout out to MUAC at home 15%
TCA peel for making my dry winter skin look radiant. 8:20: I make plans with my
boyfriend’s mom to get lunch together tomorrow. I eat a handful of blueberries. 12:00: Lots
of meetings and I knock out some deliverables. I walk a little over a mile during lunch. 2:00
PM: I’m finally hungry after yesterday’s feast and eat some plain quinoa with marinated
chicken thighs (again). I can eat the same thing everyday for forever if I tell myself “you’re
saving money by not buying lunch”. I’ve been searching everywhere for 2 missing tops and
checked with my dry cleaners twice with no luck. They call today to say they found them
(YEAH… THEY BETTER HAVE FOUND THEM). 5:00 PM: I head to my mom’s house
to pick up her mail and water her plants since she’s travelling with my step dad. 6:00: I
head to our gym and do a light workout. I have minimal energy because I’m fighting a
sinus infection but I’m trying to make fitness a habit. My dad’s side of the family struggles
with obesity and I want to take preventative measures by getting enough movement in. 7:30
PM: My bf is in charge of making steaks for dinner and I’m in charge of the sides. We open
up some wine and eat the last of the pigs in a blanket while we’re prepping. We whip up a
small batch of fresh mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus with onion, roasted carrots and a
chimichurri sauce to go with the steaks. By the time we sit down to eat, I’m full off the
wine and pigs and a blanket. 10:30: We watch some Ray Donovan and eat some pie before
we both doze off.

Total: $0

Day 5: 7:00 AM: I’m working from home today. I make coffee and we lounge around
before the day starts. 8:00: Time to log on and crank. I have about 12 events from now until
NYE that I want cute outfits for and I really hate buying clothes/ can’t justify it. I don’t
even wear the clothes I have because I hate it all. I decide to renew my Rent the Runway
unlimited since they’re running a promotion right now ($126.14). 2:30 PM: I meet my bf’s
mom for lunch at Seasons 52. She always pays for everything, so I slip the server my CC
when she’s not around to cover our lunch ($46.69). After lunch, we get lattes and she treats
me. I genuinely have a blast with her and I’m grateful to get along with her so well. 6:00:
When I get back, my bf is hungry. I’m not hungry at all but I know I will be later/I have no
self control. We get a bunch of different things to eat including custom bowls from this
South American place, District Donuts and some BBQ. I pay for the bowls and he pays for
the rest. The bowl is awful and I don’t eat any of it so that was a total waste of money
($22.55). In my defense, I try it again a few hours later and it’s still terrible. We play some
scrabble and keep watching Ray Donovan.

Total for the Day: $195.38

Day 6: 11:00: I metro to Union Station and take a train to visit my friend from high school
for one night. I stop at SBUX and get a venti coffee and sous vide bites. I still have money
in my SBUX account plus points that are about to expire so it doesn’t cost any additional
money. 12:30: I uber to my friends place instead of walking because it’s so cold ($3.93).
5:00: We catch up and walk around for hours. We walk a total of 8 miles and we are beat
by the time we get back. We stop at a small grocery store and pick up some snacks to eat
with wine ($2.85) 6:00: We decide to cancel our dinner reservation to stay in, catch up and
recharge. We order Peruvian Chicken ($18) and watch shows. This sounds lame but to us
it’s perfect.

Total for the Day: $24.78

Day 7: 7:00 AM: My friend and I wake up, have some coffee and head to OTF. 9:00 AM:
OMG I always forget how hard OTF is but it feels good and such a great way to start my
Sunday. 11:00: I head to the train station to head back home. All the food options are awful
so I skip it and eat when I get home. 1:00: I uber from Union Station to home ($8.79). I
don’t feel like dealing with the metro today since I take it almost everyday to work. I
facetime with a friend that’s moved away and we catch up for 30 minutes. I get to see her in
a few weeks and can’t wait. 5:00: We’re having my boyfriends dad and brother over for
dinner. I tidy up our place, make a small charcuterie board and open a bottle of wine. My bf
picks up some kabobs for dinner. His dad pays for the kabobs and brings a fruit tart over.
8:00: My skin looks awful so I use my facial steamer (thanks amazon) and do an extended
skin care routine. I get into bed and start watching a new show on Hulu. I’m knocked out
by 10.

Total for the Day: $8.79

Totals: Food + Drink: $121.41 Fun / Entertainment: $0.00 Home + Health: $28.00 Clothes
+ Beauty: $135.99 Transportation: $42.72 Other: $111.00

Total: $439.12

Reflection: This is a high spend week for me because I sent my dad some extra money and
paid for RTR. I spend so much on unnecessary food and meals and I want to be better about
that. I also need to adventure more and do things after work but I’m always so tired.

I'm 27 and make $65,000 as a Customer

Success Manager in the Bay Area

Section One:

 Retirement Balance - $5500 (this is from my 401k at my old job, my current job
doesn't offer a 401k option)
 Savings account balance - $22,750 in a HYSA (I use Marcus by Goldman Sachs)
 Checking account balance - $5,900
 Credit card debt - $0 (I charge most of my purchases for points and pay it off in full
every month)
 Student loan debt - $0 (I graduated with about $15k in loans and paid them off a
few years after graduation. Most of my tuition was covered by my parents, plus I
had a small merit scholarship)

Section Two: Income

  Main Job Monthly Take Home: $3,950
 Monthly pre-tax deductions - $8/dental, $150/medical, $180/transit

Section Three: Expenses

 Rent - $1300/mo (Half of a 2-bedroom I split with my roommate)

 Renters insurance - $61/year
 Utilities - $100/mo (my half)
 Wifi - $43/mo (my half)
 Cellphone - $0 (On family plan)
 Subscriptions - Netflix ($12.99), Hulu ($11.99), Spotify ($9.99)
 Car payment - $0 (Got my car as a gift from parents, it's super old though)
 Car insurance - $310.78/six months (shoutout to Geico, I love them!)

Note - not counting my daily train fares in the total since this is taken of out of my
paycheck pre-tax

Monday - $5.83

 Wake up at 6 am and mess around on my computer until 7:30. I need to wake up

long before I actually get up. Leave around 8 am to catch the train to work. I have
pre-tax money taken out of my paychecks to pay the train fares ($5.55)
 Get off the train and can't decide what I want for breakfast. I remember there's a
Jamba Juice near my office and decide to get an acai bowl. See that acai bowls are
$8.99 and nix that idea real quick. Get oatmeal with brown sugar and bananas
instead ($4.04). Head to the office and settle in. I eat my oatmeal and get free coffee
from the office kitchen.
 My office caters in lunch several days a week, which is a big perk/money saver.
Today is Chinese. I normally crave something sweet in the afternoon and am sick of
office snacks, so I head to Subway around 2:30 to grab two chocolate chip cookies
($1.79). The lady tries to upsell me, but I resist. I usually grab snacks throughout the
day from the office kitchen. Today's haul included a popsicle, a luna bar and a
cupcake.
 I head out at 6 and catch the train home ($5.55). I check the mail when I get home
for the first time in forever and learn they've stopped our mail because our box
became too full. Whoops. I don't think we've checked the mail in at least six weeks.
I'll have to go pick everything up at the post office on Saturday. Like usual, I decide
I'm too lazy to make dinner. My combination of eating a lot during the day +
laziness means I only eat dinner maybe 1-2 nights/week.

Tuesday - $8.57

 I wake up at 2:45 (I'm a self-diagnosed insomniac but thankfully I can function on

very little sleep). The days where this happens, I'll usually spend 3-5 hours doing
random things on my computer like applying to jobs, watching YouTube videos,
reading Reddit, etc. Somehow the time always flies by and I'm always shocked
 when it's actually time to get up. Today, I apply for a job that seems interesting (I'm
casually looking for a new role), read Money Diaries comments, and watch
YouTube covers. I hop in the shower at 7 and make a bagel with lox for breakfast
while watching 90 Day Fiance. Hop on the train at 8:45 ($5.55)
 Get to work and drink office coffee. No lunch today, so I go to Chipotle and get two
chicken tacos and chips ($8.57). On these days where I have to fend for myself, I
normally go to the fancy salad place where I pay like $16 for a huge salad I only
ever end up eating half of. It's such a waste, so I'm trying to cut down on this.
 After lunch, I speak to a woman from a community resource center that offers free
support groups. She has a group I'm interested in that's starting next week, so I sign
up. I don't know if it will actually help me, but it's free, so I figure I might as well
try it out.
 My boss lets us crack open beers in our afternoon meeting (perks of casual startup
life), so I have one of those around 2:30. Drinking is a fairly common occurrence at
my office. I also eat a slice of cake when we celebrate a co-workers birthday. I am
probably going to regret this later.
 I'm working on a small project I'm determined to finish today, so I stay a little later
than usual and don't head out until 7. When I get home, I see a hottie neighbor
walking his dog, so I quickly summon my roommates dog for a walk so maybe we
can run into him. I'm a creep like that I guess. It works, but instead of a casual meet
cute, he just looks at my weird and keeps walking when we pass each other. Of
course I could say hello, but I'm a chicken. Sigh. He's probably coupled up anyway.
At least we run into another dog who is super cute and wants to play with mine.
 When we get back, I all of a sudden get super sharp stomach pains and hunch over
for the next 45 minutes. I feel like I'm gonna throw up, but can't. I really need to eat
better. Eventually I fall asleep.

Wednesday - $0

 Wake up and still not feeling too hot. I can't take a sick day though cause I just got
back from vacation last week. Make oatmeal at home and eat a banana for breakfast,
then leave and catch the train ($5.55).
 Make a cup of tea at work. Other snacks throughout the day include peanut butter
crackers, a popsicle, and Doritos. Catered Indian food for lunch.
 Bounce promptly at 6 p.m. and catch the train home ($5.55). Catch up with my
roommate for awhile when I get home. I eat cereal and strawberries for dinner while
watching 90 Day Fiance. I think I am finally done with this show for good. It's just
so bad.

Thursday - $18.60-

 Wake up at 4 am, do random shit on my computer for 4 hours, take the train to work
($5.55), order a Starbucks breakfast sandwich on the app ($5.15) and pick it up on
my way to the office. Run into a coworker at Starbucks and wait with them for their
order, get to the office about 20 minutes late. Whoops. Thankfully my boss is in a
meeting.
  My office bff is back from vacation, so my days will be filled with usual
gossiping/bitching about work again. Pour free office coffee (we're out of half and
half, ugh). Get an upsetting email from a client that frustrates me for the rest of the
day. I have a million things to do and really wasn't expecting to see this right now,
so now I'm not happy at all that I have to deal with this.
 I buy miso ramen for lunch. The place I go to completely changed the ramen and
pretty much cut the serving in half for the same price. Not cool. ($11.50).
 Mid afternoon I need a break so I buy hot chocolate from the coffee shop around the
corner with a coworker. It's a happy hour so I get half off. ($1.95)
 Power through work the rest of the afternoon. I'm still behind but call it a night at
6:15 when I head home ($5.55). Call my parents, take the dog for a walk, and see an
email from my new therapist that I need to sign the consent forms before we have
our first appointment in a few days. I totally forgot, so I take care of that. She will
be charging $110 per session. I'm still shocked at how expensive therapy is (and
from what I gather, $110 is pretty reasonable for the Bay Area). This will be my
first time and my insurance doesn't cover it, so I'll have to pay out of pocket.
Thankfully my mom has agreed to cover the cost of the first few sessions at least. I
don't plan on doing therapy long term due to the high cost, just for 1-2 months to
deal with a specific issue I really need help with.
 I interviewed for a part-time weekend job last week and still haven't heard anything
so I send a follow up email asking if they can give me an answer. I've done multiple
interviews and really just want a yes or a no at this point. It probably isn't super
realistic to take on another job on top of my full-time, but I'd really like to be
making more $. Shit's expensive in the Bay.

Friday $22.05

 Wake up at 2 am. But at least it's Friday AND payday! I transfer $1500 to my
Marcus account. I don't really follow any particular savings strategy (my thinking is
it's all one pot of money in the end), but after starting my Marcus account last
month, I'd like to keep as much money in there as possible to get that interest. I
think $1500 per month is good, and the rest can cover my bills. Whatever is left
over can just stay in my regular checking account.
 Fall back asleep and finally wake up again at 7:30 am. Text a bit with my mom and
an an old friend, then see in a flights promo email that there are $370 flights in the
spring to Shanghai. Debate buying a ticket because I'd like to start exploring Asia.
But after looking at the dates and how long I'd want to go for, I decide against it. I'd
like to be in a new job in the spring and don't want to have any planned vacations
that could be a hindrance until I figure out that situation. I've also already taken two
international trips this year, so I should probably cool it. Shanghai will have to wait.
 Hop in the shower at 8:10 and I'm out the door by 8:30 to catch the train ($5.55).
Grab a banana and an oatmeal to take with me. When I get to work, I toast an
English muffin from the office pantry, then put peanut butter on it and cut up my
banana to put on top. This is one of my favorite easy breakfasts! Pour a glass of
office coffee and add milk. About an hour later I also make my oatmeal that I
brought from home and have more coffee for breakfast round 2.
  Spend the morning doing the usual work shit, also eat a Cliff bar. Catered lunch
today is Mexican. Go for a walk outside with a few coworkers after lunch.
 By mid afternoon, I'm freaking out. I have a deadline that I don't think I'm going to
hit as I have other things that should get done first. I basically get a "tough luck"
from my boss, so I switch gears and focus on that instead to meet the deadline. I
often really disagree with how this company prioritizes things.
 Eat a bowl of cereal from office pantry in the late afternoon and have a piece of
cake around 4 to celebrate a coworkers birthday. I only eat half of it and toss the
rest.
 The office is starting to get very loud by 5 with people chilling and having
drinks/shots. I'm still in work mode and am getting annoyed. I'm more just jealous
and bitter that I'm still not finished while other people are. I eventually finish and hit
the deadline around 6 and my mood improves. Chill at the office for a bit then
decide to go a bar nearby with some coworkers for drinks to kick off the weekend. I
order an overpriced margarita and tip a dollar ($14.44). Decide to just stick to one
drink. We chill at the bar for a few hours and eventually head out in search of food.
I get a quesadilla ($7.61) and am not impressed. I take two bites and just munch on
other people's food. By the time we call it quits, it's 10:45 p.m. I walk to the train
and eventually get home an hour later. ($5.55). We see a guy clipping his nails on
the train on the way home. Gross.

Saturday - $35.50

 Wake up around 8:30 and take the dog for a walk and feed him breakfast since my
roommate is at her boyfriends. I realize that a subscription I purchased 6 months
ago to a test prep website for the GRE is expiring. I haven't used it all because I
decided to push back the GRE to Spring 2020 and haven't started studying. I contact
the company to see if I can get an extension on my subscription. I figure they'll say
no, but to my surprise they agree to renew my subscription for another 6 months for
free. Score!
 10 am - Make coffee and a bagel with lox plus a side of strawberries for breakfast
while I catch up with my roommate. I'm going to therapy today for the first time and
I'm nervous.
 Read Man Repeller and then browse the latest NY Times wedding announcements
(I do this every weekend). I'm single as a pringle, but for some reason I like to
torture myself by reading about happy couples in love. Hop in the shower and then
head out the door and drive to my therapy appointment. I try to think of what I want
to say during the appointment on the way.
 Spend an hour with my new therapist. I don't know how I feel about it. She's very
nice, but I'm a little underwhelmed. I'm looking for some hardcore direction and I'm
not getting much. When she asks me if I want to schedule another appointment, I
say I'll think about it. I'm just not sure it's worth my mom paying $110/hr for me to
only feel slightly better. That's a lot of money!
 Head to the post office after my appointment. I put the post office right up there
with the DMV -- always crowded, no parking, long lines and everyone's grumpy.
 The lot is full so I street park and pay $0.50 at the meter. I call my mom and she
tells me to try therapy one more time.
 Head home and watch a murder show on Netflix while eating taquitos and chocolate
covered bananas. So healthy.
 I decide I'm stressed and want a massage so I go to my usual spot. It's one of those
cheap sketchy places where you get massaged in a big open room with other people.
My lady is not giving me enough pressure, but it's still kinda relaxing. I pay $35
($25 for the hour + a $10 tip) and head home.
 Watch more of the murder show on Netflix and make ramen for dinner.

Sunday $43.88

 Wake up late and apply to jobs. Make eggs on a bagel and coffee for breakfast plus
some strawberries. Continue Netflix murder show, unload the dishwasher, etc.
 Shower and then go meet my friend B. for a late lunch around 3. I get a wine flight
of 3 wines plus a panini. The panini is fine, but I only like one of the wines. One of
them is really not my cup of tea at all, I had one sip and that's it. I can usually drink
most wines, but this one just so bad! Instead of asking if there was a problem with
the wine (which my full glass would indicate), my waitress just completely ignores
us besides bringing the check. She's so rude, clearly just wants us gone as fast as
possible. I almost say something to the manager. This place is too nice to have such
bad service. I decide against causing a scene and just pay the check and leave
($39.13 - $34.13 + $5 tip), tipping her badly and mentally noting to never come
back here again.
 Walk around some shops with B. We go to Forever21 cause their jackets are on sale
and I realize why I never shop at Forever21 anymore (besides the bad quality). I feel
like I'm back in middle school. I think the time has finally come where I'm too old
for this store. Also drop into Uniqlo (their stuff never fits me but B. buys
something) and Urban Outfitters (baby hipsters everywhere), but don't get anything.
We then go to the bakery and get brownies for dessert before parting ways. ($4.75).
 Call my parents on the way home and have an emotionally exhausting conversation
about my therapy and everything related. They tell me to go back again but I really
didn't vibe with her well enough. They say they will look for someone with more
experience for my specific issue and I say I will too. My mom keeps telling me not
to worry about the cost for now, but I am so money minded that I can't help it. The
first thing my brain does with everything I do is ask is this worth the cost? I hate
wasting money on things I don't like/enjoy, hence the bad wine pissing me off so
much.
 Eat my brownie and watch more murder Netflix.
 Do random shit on my computer, eat carrots and watch a ballet movie on Hulu, then
go to bed.

Totals:

 Food + Drink: $99.38

 Clothes + Beauty: $35
  Transport: $0.50
 Total: $134.43

Reflection This was probably a high spend week for me. I usually get a massage every 6
weeks or so and don't go out for $40 lunches very often. But overall, I think I'm a pretty
low spender, at least on day to day social stuff. I'm usually just paying for food and my
train fares, plus other random stuff here and there. I don't make a lot of money for the Bay
Area and most things here are pretty expensive, plus I don't have a hoppin' social life so I
save money that way as sad as it is lol (having few friends means lack of people to do
money spending things with!)

Thanks for reading! (if you actually made it this far)

I am 21 years old making $15/hour as a

student in New York State

Section One: Assets and Debt

 Savings account balance:

o $2000 in regular savings
o ~$10,000 in a vanguard investment account (will be using for grad school
next year)
o just opened HYSA for 3 sinking funds- future car, grad school, and travel
($200 in each)
 Checking account balance: $800
 Credit card debt: $0- I pay it off each month
 Student loan debt: none, thanks to scholarships and my parents

Section Two: Income

Main Job Monthly Take Home:

I just got hired for a new job where I will make $15/hour for 15 hours/week so that will be
about $900 a month before taxes. I haven't gotten a paycheck yet so I don't know what the
exact number will be. Usually I work a lot during school breaks to save up and avoid
having a job during the semester, but I recently dropped quite a bit of money on grad school
applications so I'm trying to make up for that.

Side Gig Monthly Take Home

I babysit a few times a month for $15/hour and usually earn about $200-300 in cash.

Section Three: Expenses

Monthly

 Rent: $1000 for a 3bed/1bath split with my two roommates (covered by my parents)
 Electric: $20-50 depending on the season
 Wifi: $16.66
 Cellphone: on my parents' plan
 Gym membership: $150 (I recognize that this is pretty high, but it forces me to go
more because going more often lowers the price per class which is very motivating.
I pay for this myself and I spend less on clothes and other things to make up for it.)
 Spotify Student + Hulu: $4.99
 Extra iCloud storage: $2.99
 Savings contribution: hasn't been consistent recently but I'm planning to save at
least half of each paycheck from my new job
 Donations: no consistent monetary donations but I volunteer at local elementary
schools (typically 2-4 hours per week)

Annual

 Bus pass (unlimited, student rate): $200

Day 1: Thursday

7:45 am – Reluctantly get out of bed and make oatmeal with apples, peanut butter, and
chocolate chips for breakfast. Brush my teeth, wash my face, moisturize, and throw on
some concealer. I have never been very into makeup and I honestly don’t think I have the
skills to do much more.

8:20 am – Walk about 20 minutes to my only class of the day.

10 am – Take the bus to the lab I work at. Sadly, this isn’t a paid job although I spend about
10-15 hours a week there, but I get course credit. I do PCR assays for a bunch of DNA
samples and discuss the schedule for some upcoming experiments with my boss.

12 pm – I didn’t pack a lunch this morning, so I head down to the vet school cafe and get a
peppermint mocha and scone ($7.54). Get to work on some data analysis and read a paper
for lab meeting.

3:30 pm – Head to lab meeting and spend an hour dissecting the paper my labmate chose.
The lab is pretty small, so the meeting is very casual, but it takes us longer than expected to
get through the paper.
4:45 pm – Take the bus back to the central part of campus for a training session. I volunteer
as an advisor for first-year students in my major, and the whole group of 50 or so advisors
has a big meeting/training once a month. I end up getting there a little late, but thankfully
my roommate D, who is also an advisor, made a plate of food for me and they were running
behind, so I didn’t miss anything.

6:15 pm – D and I walk home. I’m still hungry since I didn’t really have lunch, so I make
an egg on toast and eat it while getting some homework done.

11 pm – Take a shower, brush my teeth, wash my face, and go to bed.

Daily Total: $7.54

Day 2: Friday

8 am – Get up and get ready. I make coffee and start washing blueberries but accidentally
leave them soaking in a bowl of water and forget about them. I take the bus to the vet
school for an event that relates to what I want to go to grad school for. Once I get there, I
grab an apple and bagel for breakfast.

12 pm – We break for lunch and I have a salad, chips, and a brownie from the buffet. Then
the event starts again for a few more hours of presentations.

2 pm – Head up to lab to run a few experiments.

5 pm – I take the bus home and stop at the on-campus grocery store on the way. I only end
up buying bread because they are out of other things I want ($2.49). This grocery store is
great because it’s subsidized by my school so there’s fresh produce and other food for
cheap prices. The downside is that most of it’s picked over by the end of the week, so I
usually go on the first day it’s open. When I get home, I chop up and freeze some produce
that I don’t think I’ll use before it goes bad.

6 pm – I walk to my sister’s house to have dinner and watch first part of movie with sister
and aunt, who is in town for work. My aunt pays for dinner. At some point in the evening D
picks up eggs for me when she goes to the regular grocery store and I Venmo her ($4).

10 pm – Walk home and wait for my boyfriend R to come pick me up. At his apartment, we
drink wine to celebrate the post-grad job offer he got earlier in the week and watch the
Netflix show Atypical.

1 am – Finally go to sleep.

Daily Total: $6.49

Day 3: Saturday
11 am – Wake up slowly because I haven’t had the chance to sleep in the late for such a
long time.

12 pm – R and I drive back toward my apartment to get lunch with my aunt and sister. My
aunt pays.

2 pm – D and my other roommate G are leaving for Panera as I get home. I decide to go
with them even though I already had lunch, and I just buy a cookie ($2.49). We also pick
up coffee from Dunkin on our way home. G pays and I Venmo her back ($3).

4 pm – I work on homework and throw in a few loads of laundry because my hamper was
overflowing. I don’t have enough quarters so I borrow some from G and will pay her back
in quarters after I go to the bank next week ($7).

6 pm – Back to my sister’s house to eat dinner and finish the movie we started yesterday.
We order Thai food and my aunt pays.

11 pm – I head back home and fall asleep pretty quickly.

Daily Total: $12.49

Day 4: Sunday

7 am – I haven’t been working out enough recently, so I force myself to get up early to
head to a class at my gym. Since there aren’t many buses on Sunday mornings, I walk the
30 minutes down the hill to the gym and thankfully it’s not too cold.

9:00 am – Walk home (up the hill this time oof), shower and eat a real breakfast

11 am – Finally stop procrastinating and start getting work done.

2 pm – Take a break from homework to fold the laundry I did yesterday and tidy up my
room. I also heat up some leftovers for lunch before getting back to work for a few hours.

6 pm – Heat up some more leftovers for dinner and then more work.

8 pm – Meal prep quinoa, bell peppers, and feta for lunches this week- one of my favorite
things to make a big batch of because it only comes out to $2/serving (I bought the
ingredients last week). I also make a batch of banana chocolate chip muffins with bananas
that got too brown.

9:30 pm – I Facetime my mom and youngest sister for a bit and putter around on my
computer before heading to bed around midnight.

Daily Total: $0
Day 5: Monday

6:30 – My alarm goes off to go to the gym but that’s not happening this morning.

8 am – Get up for real, eat two banana muffins for breakfast, and get some homework done
before class

9:30 am – Take the bus to class

2:30 pm – On my way home from class, I stop by the campus store to buy a book I need for
my night class ($19.95) and get $20 of quarters (I don’t count this as an expense until I use
them because I technically could use them for something other than laundry). I make eggs
on toast for a late lunch when I get home.

4:00 pm – Walk to a gym class.

6:00 pm – I get home from the gym and eat the quinoa dish I prepped for lunch before
heading to my night class.

9:00 pm – I succumb to the desire to have ice cream and buy a ridiculously priced pint of
Ben & Jerry’s at 7-11 on my way home ($6.49). I work on a paper while eating ice cream,
take the trash out with my roommates, and head to bed around 11.

Daily Total: $26.44

Day 6: Tuesday

8 am – Get up, get ready quickly, and leave for class.

10 am – After my first class, I pick up lesson materials from my club’s storage closet for
later and take the bus to lab to do some mouse care/treatments

12 pm – I take the bus back to central campus for my student advisor office hours. My
roommate D usually has the same shift as me, but she is stressed about grad school apps
and missing this week, so I get a surprising amount of work done for once. I also heat up
my quinoa dish for lunch.

1:30 pm – Meet the other volunteers and take the bus to a nearby school. We bring STEM
lessons to elementary schools to increase STEM awareness and provide hands-on
activities/lab components that might not otherwise be present due to budget cuts. I’ve been
involved since my first semester of college and it’s so nice to get away from the stress of
school and remind myself why I enjoy science.

3:30 pm – Take the bus back home, drop off stuff I don’t need, eat an apple with peanut
butter, and walk to my babysitting job.
7 pm – The mom gets back and she pays me $50 cash before giving me a ride home since
it’s dark and rainy out. I make a hodgepodge two-part dinner of bread with olive oil and
balsamic vinegar and then oatmeal with berries.

8 pm – R picks me up and we do homework for a few hours, watch some random YouTube
videos, and get ready for bed around midnight.

Daily Total: $0

Day 7: Wednesday

7:00 am – We force ourselves out of bed and quickly get ready for the gym.

8:45 am – R drops me off at home and I shower, make breakfast, etc.

9:30 am – Leave my apartment to take the bus to class. When I get to the building I’m still
really hungry so I get a peppermint mocha and scone again ($7.54). We have a guest
speaker for class today who does really fascinating work so the class flies by.

11:30 – Settle in to do some work before I take the bus back to central campus for my next
class.

2:30 – Out of class and I head to the library where I heat up my quinoa dish for lunch.

5:30 pm – I have a club meeting but it only lasts ~15 minutes so I just go back to the
library. I’m feeling droopy so I buy a different seasonal drink from the library cafe- this
time a caramel brulée latte ($5.28). It’s way too sweet (a surprising opinion because I have
a huge sweet tooth) so I immediately regret this purchase but finish it anyway so it doesn’t
go to waste.

7:30 pm – I go to my night class, then head home and get more work done.

11 pm – My roommates and I notice a weird water noise and it turns out there is water
leaking from the apartment above us. It starts out as a trickle but pretty soon becomes a
full-on gush. Chaos ensues as we try to get in touch with our landlord and upstairs
neighbors. The water eventually stops and there doesn’t seem to be any huge issues, so we
all go to bed. Our landlord takes care of the repairs the next morning.

Daily Total: $12.82

Overall Total: $65.78

Food + Drink: $38.83

Fun / Entertainment: $0

Home + Health: $7

Clothes + Beauty: $0

Transport: $0

Other: $19.95

This was a pretty typical week for me in terms of overall spending, maybe a little on the
higher side. I usually don’t have a relative in town and get so many free meals, but I also
don’t eat out very much on a regular basis. Most weeks include a bigger grocery shop
(~$20-30) rather than a book purchase. I’ve been trying to cut back on buying coffee and
snacks on campus, but it’s a hard habit to break.

A week in London on £28,000

Edit omg I forgot my age. Am 27.

Second edit omg also forgot my job. I work in development for a small charity.

Income

Salary (gross): £28,000. My partner makes a bit more than me but we don’t share finances.

Paycheck (monthly): £1,764 (after taxes and pension contribution)

Monthly Expenses

Rent: £450 (I live with my partner and three other housemates.)

Bills: £120 (this is a fixed amount every month and covers all utilities, internet, and
communal expenses like fairy liquid and a cleaner once a month)

Debt: None. No student loans or credit cards, luckily, and definitely no mortgage (lol).

Transportation: £124 (I pay £31/week for a Citymapper pass card - otherwise my transport
costs would be £5-7 a day just for my commute…)

Phone: £15
Medical: £49 (for contact lenses, birth control and an NHS prescription)

Classpass: £65

NOWTV: £7.99 (my partner covers Amazon Prime and housemate covers Netflix)

Apple Music: £9.99

YNAB: £6.49

iCloud Storage: £0.79

Donations: £16 (£8/$10 each to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders every month.) (I'm
an American citizen so am allowed to make campaign contributions.)

Savings

Retirement: I contribute 5% to my pension every month and my employer contributes 3%.

Also have a 401k from when I worked in the US. No idea how much is in either to be
honest.

Savings Account: about £1000 right now. My savings were decimated by visa costs last
year (£1,900 - and I get to pay that again to extend my visa in two years, then £2,200 to
apply for permanent residence, and another £1,300 if I decide to apply for UK citizenship.
Total scam). Usually put about £100-200 in here per month. Could put away more but life’s
too short and am probably going to die young in the climate apocalypse so what is the point
really.

Diary

Day 1 (Sunday)

9:00 - Wake up and stay in bed until I absolutely have to get up. Immediately berate myself
for making plans for a Sunday morning. Idiot.

10:30 - Head into town. My mother is passing through London for her work this weekend,
so I’m meeting her for a coffee before she catches her train. She tells me she’s just paid off
her mortgage (!!) and I’m super proud of her. My parents are both very financially
responsible and I am… not. I’d assume I was adopted but unfortunately I look exactly like
both of them.

12:30 - Back to my neighborhood for a hot yoga class. Normally I would book these on
ClassPass, but today’s class is being taught by a trainee teacher so it’s free. I rent a yoga
towel. £2.50
14:00 - Stop by the shop on my way back from yoga to pick up groceries: prawns, lemon
juice, a lemon, oranges, apples, rice, milk, blackcurrant squash, green tea, mozzarella,
parsley and asparagus. £22.49

15:00 - Get home, shower, and do some work. I don’t usually work on the weekends, but I
have a 9:00am Monday deadline which basically guarantees it. Work has been incredibly
busy lately - which is normal for this time of year - but also increasingly stressful and
frustrating, which is not normal.

19:00 - Finish work and make dinner. I’m trying a new recipe today: prawns and asparagus
cooked in a citrus sauce over rice. It’s bad. Like really bad. And a total waste of money
because prawns are expensive. D., my partner, grimaces through it, bless his heart. We
watch the new season of Bojack Horseman for a while before crawling into bed around
11pm.

Total: £24.99

Day 2 (Monday)

6:30 - up and out the door by 7am so I can go to barre class, which I booked on ClassPass.
It’s a studio near my work and full of impossibly fit and cheerful people who are probably
all retired ballerinas. Hoping if I do enough barre I’ll look like a retired ballerina too.

9:15 - finish class, shower and get dressed, and then it’s a short walk to work. I buy lunch
on the way (Co-op meal deal). Get to work around 10. £3.50

14:30 - Work has been a literal avalanche of shit this morning, so I don’t get a chance to eat
lunch until half 2. Wolf down my meal deal, which is a sweet chili chicken wrap, Sun
Chips and cherry Coke Zero.

18:00 - Head home on the overground. My commute takes about 40-50 minutes each way
but it’s a nice way to decompress. I spend the time playing Duolingo. I’m learning Welsh
right now. No idea why.

19:30 - D. gets home and starts making dinner. In an effort to cut down on eating out we’ve
started taking turns cooking on weeknights. He makes salmon, broccoli and rice.

21:00 - Get in bed and browse Depop for a little while. See the Ted Baker I’ve been
wanting for the last year (you know, the wrap one everyone has). I do need a new winter
coat, and this one is a good price and in good condition, so… fuck it. Feel YOLO but also
guilty about capitalism. Fall asleep and dream about the warm embrace of a 90/10
wool/cashmere blend. £100

Total: £103.50

Day 3 (Tuesday)
7:30 - Wake up, lie in bed paralysed with existential dread for about half an hour, get up,
shower, get dressed and hop on a bus to Trafalgar Square. I’m going to our trustee meeting
today, which is one of our trustees’ posh offices.

12:00 - The trustees were in good spirits this morning and very complimentary, which is
good. One of them wants us to arrange a Christmas drinks with the board and the staff team
in our office. She suggests mulling wine. (Not sure she fully understands what the office
facilities of a broke charity are like.) Go to the office and pick up lunch on the way. Tesco
meal deal, obviously. Hoisin duck wrap, fruit salad and sparkling water. Am full of
positivity because the trustee meeting went well, which quickly dissipates when I get to the
office and see that all my coworkers are grumpy and snappy. £3

17:30 - Leave work and pick up groceries on the way home. I buy tinned tomatoes, mince,
elbow macaroni, bell peppers, grated cheddar, and two bottles of red wine because I need a
quarter of a bottle for cooking and that only leaves me three quarters to drink, which is
obviously not enough. £23.71

19:00 - Start cooking while I wait for D. to get home. I’m making American goulash (no
relation to Hungarian goulash), which is just a pot full of macaroni, ground beef, tomato
and cheese. Break into the first bottle of wine while I cook. My housemate B. comes home
and I offer for her to join us for dinner, which she accepts. She has also brought home a
bottle of red wine, so we break into that one after finishing mine.

19:30 - D. gets home. I’ve been texting him about my shit work day so he arrives with yet
another bottle of red wine in tow. The three of us eat dinner and talk for a few hours. I don’t
see B. that often so it’s nice to catch up.

22:30 - Might have overshot the wine a tiny bit. Pass out in bed and have a good sleep.

Total: £26.71

Day 4 (Wednesday)

7:00 - Definitely overshot the wine. Wake up, etc etc etc, and walk the 5 mins to my hot
yoga class. Rent a yoga towel. Really should buy one but not sure I’m ready to be
responsible for yoga towel ownership. £2.50

9:00 - Head back home, shower and change into sweats. It’s my work from home day,
which is one of the few perks of my job. Well, sort of. A couple of months ago I started
staying home every Wednesday and no one questioned it, so now it’s official, I think. Have
some coffee and then it’s time to get to work. Actually it’s time to read a couple of true
crime articles. Then it’s time to get to work.

14:00 - Have a quick lunch of leftover goulash. See that Jia Tolentino’s new book is on sale
for £0.99 (the Kindle version). Have been wanting to read it but waiting for the paperback
to come out, but this is even better, so buy it and download it to my iPad. £0.99
17:00 - Stop working a bit early today because I can. No one knows or would care but I still
feel like a rebel. Take that, The Man. Feel a general sort of stress and sadness about life, so
eat a bowl of pasta and pesto to try and fill the emotional void. Doesn’t work.

19:00 - D. comes home and makes a Thai red curry for dinner. Realise that these are the
first real vegetables I’ve had in two days, oops. Vent to D. about my work frustrations and
feeling undervalued. Wonder if I’m being unreasonable, because actually I have a higher
salary than a lot of people, and I don’t really need any more money, and would just use it to
buy more dumb stuff and I don’t need more stuff, and capitalism is a scam and money is a
social construct anyway so what is even the point.

21:00 - We watch a couple of Bojack Horseman episodes because that’s the kind of mood
I’m in, but the new season seems weirdly positive so far and I’m not here for this
redemption arc.

23:00 - Try to sleep but stay up until 2am worrying about the British election, the American
election and the oceans.

Total: £3.49

Day 5 (Thursday)

7:30 - Wake up, feel depressed, consider calling in sick, decide against it, shower, get
dressed, get on the tube, learn Welsh on Duolingo. Dw i’n duweis ar ieithoedd a diwylliant!

13:00 - Go for my daily meal deal at Tesco. Today it’s a tuna and sweetcorn pasta, fruit
salad and Ribena. Also pick up a Dairy Milk and crisps because I already feel like I need to
eat my feelings. Feel guilty about climate change. Spend the rest of the afternoon trying not
to make pointed remarks at my annoying coworkers. £5.39

16:00 - One coworker (not an annoying one) and I were planning to go to a Drag Race UK
viewing party tonight, but we’re both exhausted so decide against it. Kind of a relief to be
honest.

18:00 - Make a rum and coke in my water bottle for the tube ride home, then leave the
office. It’s cheap communal rum left over from an office happy hour last week and it’s
awful.

19:00 - Get home and find the neighbor’s cat hanging around outside our front door, so let
him in and snuggle with him for a while. D. is at a work reception tonight so I’m cooking
for myself. Cat thinks I’m cooking for him and meows to be let out again when he realises
I’m not. Feel v used. Eat leftover red Thai curry for dinner and read Trick Mirror.

22:00 - Fall asleep catching up on my favourite reality TV shows - Drag Race UK and
Below Deck.
Total: £5.39

Day 6 (Friday)

7:30 - Wake up and drag myself out of bed to go to spin class. Ugh. Consider cancelling but
can’t bear to part with the £15 late cancel fee.

9:15 - Class is finished and I feel invincible, like some sort of fitness goddess. Shower and
get dressed, then walk 20 minutes to work.

13:00 - The morning has been insanely busy but at least it passes quickly. Have a catch up
with my boss, and we agree that something needs to change in the organisation.
Unfortunately that something means more work and responsibilities for me--the kind that
would justify a pay rise in any other organisation. Feel slightly resentful and take a walk for
some fresh air. Then go to Sains and get my usual: a hoisin duck wrap, sugar-free Red Bull
and crisps. £3

19:00 - Get home and break into the wine from earlier in the week. My new coat has
arrived in the post - hurrah! But it’s slightly too snug around the shoulders, boo. Try it on in
front of B. and she is very diplomatic by saying ‘well, I wouldn’t wear a coat that tight, but
if you want to…’ But her face tells me everything I need to know. Resolve to re-sell it next
week. Might even make a profit.

20:00 - Two friends come over to have a few drinks before we head to a party. D. makes
his star party fuel food, which is chicken stir fry over rice, and I eat too much obviously.
Have a few gin and tonics, then go by the corner shop to pick up more booze. Notice they
have a bottle of Veuve Clicquot for £37.99 but I’m not quiiiiite drunk enough to feel like
that’s reasonable, so we get more gin instead. My friend pays so I give her some cash and
D. pays for the Uber. £11

22:30 - Arrive at house party. The host has made espresso martini on tap. It’s super strong
and kind of horrible so obviously I have a pintful. Anyway, you can guess how the rest of
the night goes.

Total: £14

Day 7 (Saturday)

7:00 - Realise it’s time to go home, and also that I am the most sober one out of my group
(??) so I collect everyone’s things and make sure they put their shoes on, then call an uber
home. Chat to my friends and D. for a while and then go to bed around 9:00. £7.34

15:00 - Wake up. Feel awful. Everything hurts. Somehow get up and make it to the kitchen.
My body is crying out for a salad so I have some Doritos and salsa, which is the closest
thing I can find. Crawl back into bed and browse reddit for literally the entire rest of the
afternoon. Resolve never to drink alcohol again (at least until next weekend).
20:00 - D. and I order our ritual hangover Deliveroo (cheeseburgers, chicken wings and
chips, obviously) and try to feel human again. (D. pays.) Spend the night watching Bojack
and then the Prince Andrew interview on Newsnight, who is horrifying, and go to sleep
feeling a bit more disillusioned than usual.

Daily total: £7.34

Breakdown

Food/Drink: £69.09

Entertainment: £0.99

Clothes/Beauty: £100

Travel: £7.34

Other: £5

Total: £182.42

Reflection: This was actually a fairly low spend week for me (apart from the coat) as I
usually go to the pub or out to eat at least once a week. Maybe this whole tracking my
budget thing is working? Also, my work isn’t usually this shit. I actually mostly love my
job and get along with my coworkers, and I didn’t realise quite how negative this diary was
until I reread it to add up the totals. I am casually looking though, just to see if something
better is out there.

I'm 27 years old, I earn £33,300 ($43K), I

live in London and work in the public
sector
Money Diary

This is my first ever MD, I’m a classic over sharer and I’ve tried to be very thorough, so
this might be a long one. Also I’ve called my partner B for boyfriend because I was getting
stressed about being identified? I suspect I worry about things unnecessarily. I’ve also gone
through and tried to include my expenses in USD as well but just rounded to the nearest $.
The exchange rate at the time of writing was 0.78p to 1$.
Section One: Assets and Debt

Retirement Balance (and how you got there)

I have a workplace pension through Aegon with my employer, and I pay 6% before tax
monthly. My employer then adds 12% making 18% total. This is a pretty good pension for
the UK, and one of the reasons why people stay at this company for so long. I’ve got no
idea how much is in it total and I’ve tried to find out for this MD with no luck so far!

Savings account balance

Currently £64 ($84). Normally I transfer £400 ($515) in here on payday and then dip into it
through the month. I do leave more in there but I paid £344 on payday for my holiday last
month, and also the first month’s rent for my new flat (more on that later) so it is now so
empty.

Checking account balance

£99 ($128).

Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it)

£7143.35. ($9170) This is part consumer debt and part rental deposit that built up when I
moved to my current city and was appalling at budgeting. I used to have a more highly paid
job and live in a lower COL. Then I burnt out at my job and went through a career
redirection, where I am generally much happier. I pay more than the minimums each month
and they’re on 2x 0% balance transfer cards. I’m trying.

Student loan debt (for what degree)

£38890 + £10K. ($64000 total) The first number is for my undergraduate degree which was
5 years of tuition and maintenance loans. I’m currently paying that back. The second is for
the part-time Masters I am doing so I won’t start paying that back until the April after I
graduate (April 2022). Student loans are much less stressful in the UK in that they are taken
off my pay check at source (like a tax) and I pay £95 a month. I barely pay the interest
despite it only being 1.5% but they just sit there really and then they will get written off
after (I think) 26 years.

IF YOU COMBINE FINANCES WITH A S/O PLEASE INCLUDE ALL OF THEIR

ASSETS / DEBT AS WELL

My boyfriend and I have a joint monzo and we transfer £100 each at the beginning of each
pay month for all our joint food, date nights (unless we’re treating each other) and days out
together etc. We also use this for holiday spending. This is our only j/a at the moment, but
we are moving in together in February and when we do I might come back and do another
MD. Currently there’s £7.70 on this.
Section Two: Income

Main Job Monthly Take Home:

£1977.60. ($2557) This is minus my income tax, national insurance contribution, student
loan and pension contribution via my employer’s salary sacrifice scheme.

Side Gig Monthly Take Home

£0 at the moment. I am negotiating doing some locum work on a rota in my old profession
which should give me approx. £100/month after taxes and student loan contributions.
Trying to weigh up if this is worth it because boy do I need the money but also I know my
mental health will suffer. Currently thinking I can just suck it up for 3-4 hours a month but
haven’t been able to commit yet.

Any Other Monthly Income Here

£200 ($257) from my mum. I make the car payments (see below) on my car which my
mum basically has sole use of now because it’s at home, not with me in London and she
doesn’t have another car. We also have a family dog which I am able to get cheaper
insurance for, so that’s in my name. We share these expenses, and the split is currently
70:30 my mum:me. I feel really guilty about this because Mummy is retired and a widow
since my dad passed away last year, so as soon as I get a better paying job I will try and
cover more of this.

Section Three: Expenses

Rent / Mortgage / HOA fees (please specify how you split it if living with a partner):

£758/month ($973) for a room in a three bed shared house. I live with two flatmates and it’s
been great but my boyfriend and I want our own space now and have signed on a flat for
February. My new rent will be £850 including bills into our joint account and B will pay
the rest, which will come to about £1000 for him. He makes more than double my salary
plus bonus so we might adjust that down, I’m not sure yet.

Savings contribution

£400/month ($513) goes into a savings account which is then usually withdrawn at various
points. I usually end up with about £50-100 left which builds up over a few months and
then promptly gets spent on the endless cycle of weddings and hen weekends, gifts,
Christmas and then holidays. Also drained this recently for the first month’s rent on the
new flat.

Debt payments
£50 ($64) to one CC with a balance of about £2100, £75 ($96) to the other with the rest of
the balance as above. These are both 0% with long repayment periods but I will not manage
to pay them off in that time so will have to bounce the debt around at some point. I do pay
more than the minimum.

Donations (please specify if monthly or annual).

I volunteer at my old school doing various careers events throughout the year. I also donate
£5 for Children in Need, £10 for Red Nose Day and then other random small bits here and
there. I’m also part of a careers networking and mentoring group and give my time monthly
organising events and also speaking at those.

Electric + gas

Quarterly payment split between my housemates and me. The last payment was £88 ($112)
each and I paid it earlier this month.

Wifi and Council tax

£38.83 ($50) a month each. Not sure of the split for these because my housemate pays it
and we pay her back.

Cellphone

£38.95 ($50) and it is beyond annoying but I’m on a contract and so I’m stuck with it.

Netflix and Spotify

£10 ($13). I chuck B a tenner a month for these as we have a shared family plan with his
family as well.

Professional memberships

£13.67 ($18) monthly. Sort of optional but it’s the representative body for my profession so
I feel obliged to be a member.

Pet expenses

£38.50 ($49) insurance, with a discount. Shared with Mum as above.

Car payment / insurance

£175 ($225) on the car finance. £48.50 ($62) a month insurance. Tax is free because it’s
new ish and low emission ish. Either my mum or I will put petrol in it depending on if I
happen to need to fill it up if I’m at home.
Paid hobbies

Choir membership £100/term ($128). This works out at £25 a month but it’s paid termly.
Always an expensive month when this one comes out but I love it so much.

Travel

I have an Oyster and a 26-30 railcard linked to it, so travel varies depending on how much I
use. Approx. £80-100 (~$120) a month on TfL. I get off at a Zone 2 station and walk in to
work approx. 20 minutes because it’s cheaper, but I’m still bitter about this because when I
lived closer to work I could walk all the way for free. When we move in February I will
happily be able to walk again.

Also £18.95 ($25) return (with 1/3 off due to my railcard) off-peak trains home to visit my
mum at least once a month, usually more. I count these in here because I try and remember
to budget for them, as opposed to random trains to visit friends etc.

Day one

7am – nope. We snooze.

7.15am – we snooze again.

7.30am – OK this time we at least don’t turn the alarm off. Cuddle my boyfriend B and
listen to the news until 7.42am and then we jump in the shower. I live with roomates x2 but
one has already left for the airport and one has gone to work. I used to be such an early riser
in a past life but we do tend to get up about this time now.

8.10am – My skincare routine consists of nivea moisturiser in the mornings. Both ready and
we leave for work. It takes 15 minutes just to get onto the tube platform this morning and
reminds me how much I dislike living in the bit of London I’m in at the moment. We
actually only do this about twice a week when we stay at my flat, but it’s twice a week too
many. I kiss my boyfriend goodbye halfway through the tube journey and we go our
separate ways to work.

9.15am – arrive at work and grab my porridge sachet, water bottle and mug and head
upstairs to the kitchen. We get free coffee most of the time at work, unless there are
meetings on that floor which happens about 1 week per month. I also buy porridge, raisins
and golden syrup in bulk every 1-2 months and have it for breakfast at my desk every day.
It is cheap but I do actually really enjoy it. I get the milk from the work fridge.

9.23am – merrily eating my porridge and scanning the news when my colleague rings me
about a meeting at 9.30am which I had completely forgotten about. Luckily it’s a project
which I’m in charge of and very knowledgeable about, so we get through it fine and get
some really useful advice.
11.50am – emails, reading the papers for a meeting this afternoon. I take a break to chase
up someone about a job I was provisionally offered last week. It’s a long process from
provisional to firm offer (can’t really go into details of why) and this is frustrating because
the advertised salary range would be a minimum of £5K more, which would be about
£200/month (~$250). I’m also applying to a training programme in my field which would
be another 5 years of study/work but comes with huge career development and so I do a
little more of that application too.

12.25pm – realise I forgot to put any make up on this meeting because of the meeting
palaver so I pop to the loo and do it. I wear Bare Minerals powder, L’oreal liquid eyeliner
and Mac waterproof mascara daily and a Bobbi Brown nude lipstick if I’m feeling fancy.

12.45pm – lunch time! I have a loaf of bread, some cheese and some salami I bought
yesterday (about £4) for the week so I make myself a sandwich. I also sold a dress on eBay
for £9.50 yesterday so I print the label and pop it in the post.

2pm – a bit more work before a meeting, during which I write this MD because it’s a bit
slow. I’ve been at my company for nearly 3 years (with no promotion or performance
related pay rise in sight…) so I’m finding it less and less stimulating. Fortunately I got
offered a new job last week so yay! Haven’t been able to give my notice in yet because of
the way the process works, so that’s less yay.

3.30pm – The meeting continues. I log on to my university portal during a section where
I’m not needed to see whether any of my seminars have been active. I’m studying for my
MSc part-time online which I love, although it can be hard to juggle around a full time job.
I get bored easily though and it helps keep me stimulated.

5.15pm – back at my desk and eat an apple whilst I knuckle down to some proper studying.
I’m quite lucky in that I can study at my desk but I tend to do it once other people have
started to leave and I make it clear my actual work day is done. Speak to B about a job offer
he has received. We’re both job hunting at the same time which has been exciting and
stressful!

6.45pm – done for the day and head out to meet an old friend for dinner. Get the bus (£1.50
($1.90) prepaid on my oyster) because I’m running late but it’s cheaper than the tube.

10.30pm – had a really delightful evening catching up on our lives and eating delicious
Lebanese food. Annoyingly it was meant to be £16 for two courses but our bill comes to
£73 with wine even though we shared a side and a pudding. I’m too tired to think about
how this has worked out though and suspect it’s probably because we ate less than two
courses or something. Anyway, we split it so my share comes to £36.57 ($47).

10.45pm – get home to B’s flat (Oyster £1) and we catch up on our evenings and snuggle.
He’s going to accept the job and I am so pleased for him. It’s a really good opportunity and
a decent pay rise and is very well deserved. We cuddle and chat some more and then clean
teeth and bed. I have an app called Rain Rain which if I were an INflUeNcEr I would get
paid a fortune to shill because I go on about it all the time. It plays different sorts of
rain/forest rain/camping rain/ocean sounds etc etc. on a fade out timer and you can make up
mixes of different sounds. It’s the most soothing and we fall asleep to it every single night.

Total: £36.57 ($47)

Day two

6.50am – B has a dawn simulator alarm thing with the radio so we lie in bed half asleep and
listening to the news on Radio 4 until 7.30am. We jump in the shower, I moisturise my face
and we’re off.

8am – I’m cross because I need to top up my oyster, but the machine at the tube station
doesn’t take my visa debit card. What kind of machine doesn’t accept a debit card?? I start
huffing about transferring money to my monzo and then using that, but we’re in a rush so B
just does it for me and puts £20 on it. I sit on the tube feeling equal parts annoyed at the
machine and miserable at myself about yet more money woes. I’m very grateful to B and
tell him I’ll pay him back next week on payday.

8.45am – speak to Mummy on the way to work. I call her everyday on my way in to work.
It’s just the two of us since my dad died last year and we’re really close. She tells me the
cat was an angel at the vet which is surprising because he’s usually a big stresspot.

9am – porridge, make-up, emails. Quickly apply for a freelance content creating company
someone has recommended on a professional Facebook group I’m in. The test was easy so
hopefully I will hear back soon and pick up some extra work through that.

10.30am – another long meeting. I’ve got a small presentation to do in this one and these
still make me quite nervous. Any tips on how to stop the nerves would be great!

12.15pm – still in the meeting and no sign of my bit coming any time soon. My stomach is
rumbling.

12.32pm – OK I need a wee so I sneak out during a break in the agenda and grab a biscuit
on my way back in. I also got an email about a paid market research opportunity so I
submit my details and cross my fingers. Its £40 ($51) for 90 minutes of my time so I hope I
get it.

1.25pm – finally get my bit of the meeting done with no difficult questions and we break
for lunch. I feel accomplished and relieved that there was no grilling today. Happily this
meeting comes with a free lunch so I eat four little sandwiches and some crisps and save an
apple for later.

1.45pm – back at my desk and I email the vacancy organiser about the 5 year training
programme I’m applying to because I’m confused about some aspects of the application
and I really want this, so I need to get it 100% right.
3pm – take a quick break from work to check my personal email and eat the apple, and find
that my application for work shadowing for the training programme has been accepted! I
rattle off an email to the person they’ve matched me with to get a date organised ASAP.
I’ve still got some annual leave left for the year so I’m going to take a day to do this.

5pm – I shoot a text to my choir whatsapp group telling them I’m not going to make it
tonight. It’s on at 6-9pm, and I was almost tempted to go just because I’m doing this MD
this week but I’m behind on studying for a deadline on Sunday and I’ve also got no time
for the rest of the week because I’m going to a conference. I am sad because I was looking
forward to it but studying has to come first this week.

7.30pm – done with studying and head home to B’s (Oyster £1 as it’s off-peak), and he’s
already been to the shop and bought fishcakes and salad for dinner. Normally we split these
on the joint account but there isn’t anything left on it this month so B has paid.

9.30pm – Bedtime! My routine consists of brushing my teeth. I don’t even take my make
up off most nights because unless I’ve also put the bare minerals liquid tinted moisturiser
(which is amazing) on I tend to find there’s nothing left to take off by this point in the
evening. We watch a bit of a Simon Reeve documentary series we’ve been enjoying, cuddle
and fall asleep about 10.30pm.

Total £0

Day three

7.30am – up we get and in the shower first try this time, because I’m heading to a
conference. Normal routine (or lack thereof).

8am – on the tube (Oyster £3.30 but will be expensed) and today we commute most of the
way together because my conference is close to his work. We get excited about living
together again and talk about how we can fully get invested in it now everything is signed
and paid.

9am – head to Starbucks near the venue for a coffee (white Americano) and a bottle of
fizzy water (£3.75 ($4.86)). I will get this expensed but I have brought my own breakfast
and lunch today from what was left in the fridge at work. This is because our expenses
system is so slow (as in, more than 6 weeks) and it’s too close to Christmas for me to be
able to afford having £40 floating around in the ether.

11am – I’m half working half attending this conference so I go and sit in the lounge to
catch up on some work. I’ve already bumped into three friends and been talked into taking
part in a careers workshop. Although I don’t feel like I’m very successful because of my
salary and debt, on the surface I can provide very useful advice and support for other
people in my profession who are looking to make a similar career change. I have to remind
myself sometimes that it can’t all be measured in finances, but since this is a MD generally
I feel pretty low about my position most of the time.
12pm – However, I have just caught up with a friend I did some freelance work for back in
the summer. She hasn’t paid me yet and I’ve invoiced her a couple of times but felt
awkward pressing it further. She’s just told me she will pay the £150 this week! I won’t
count it until it’s in my bank account but exciting anyway.

12.15pm – B calls me to tell me he might have to go to New York right before Christmas
and he wants me to go with him as my Christmas present. The flights are apparently £300
return and we could have a long weekend plus I could catch up with my dearest friend
whilst he is at work. I have enough annual leave but I’m not sure whether this is a sensible
use of our finances and I struggle with spontaneous fun like this as it feels so irresponsible.
What to do what to do!

1pm – catch up with some of my closest friends from uni who are also attending the
conference for lunch. We’ve also bumped into loads of other people we know (it’s a small
world) so it’s been a really fun lunch.

3pm – some of the stands have started handing out prosecco so I help myself to a glass. My
day has consisted of attending some lectures, working and networking. It’s great but
exhausting!

5.30pm – the end of the conference for the day but I’m attending an after event about…
personal finance. It’s a very useful hour and has convinced me I need some specific
financial advice. For example, I don’t have any income protection insurance or a private
pension, but I’m unsure if I should prioritise that or building up savings. I take a business
card and head off to meet B.

8pm – home to B’s (Oyster £1.85 since it’s now off-peak but will be expensed) and I am
exhausted. I’ve also got a massive headache so B cooks fajitas from things we already had
in the flat. He’s so good to me. I guess this would have come to about £5 when we bought
the stuff a couple of weeks ago.

10pm – watch a bit more of the documentary series we’ve been following, cuddle and an
early (ish) night.

Daily total £3.75 (expensed)

Day four

7am – up and in the shower. B’s flatmate is working from home today so we have a catch
up about our weekend plans whilst I make my sandwiches with the remains of the food I
bought on Monday and then head out.

9.30am – make it to the conference (Oyster £3.30 expensed) for day 2 and I’m straight into
a lecture so no time for coffee. They do have free pastries so I take a chocolate croissant.
11am – my colleague tells me one of the stands is doing proper ground coffee for free so I
go and get some and am annoyed I bought the Starbucks yesterday. I take an hour to head
round the exhibition for freebies and pick up a new bamboo coffee cup, a smoothie and a
lot of pens, as well as a power bank for my phone. These conferences often have a lot of
junk freebies but I feel I’ve done well this time! There’s also much less plastic waste at this
conference compared to last year which is great to see.

2.30pm – I get a notification I have sold a bauble on eBay for £10! I message the seller to
say I will pop it in the post on Monday.

5pm – the whole day was similar to yesterday so I’ve spared you the details. We head to the
pub but I’m meeting B at 6 and with limited funds I don’t get a drink. Instead I stand and
chat to some people in my network and meet a couple of interesting new people. At 5.45pm
we get kicked out of the pub because of my friend’s dog, and she gets upset about having to
go home. As I’m heading off anyway I volunteer to look after her dog for the night…

6.15pm – I got the dog! She’s adorable and so well behaved on the tube (Oyster £3.30
expensed).

7.30pm – I’ve left the dog outside Sainsbury’s with B and buy some breaded cod, lettuce,
tomato, orange pepper and garlic bread for dinner. I also get rolls and bacon for bacon
butties tomorrow breakfast. £8.86 ($11.49). Get home and cook the dinner whilst catching
up with my housemate and one of her friends and playing with the dog.

9pm – having a delightful evening with some wine we had in the house, watching a
Christmas film (Let it snow, it was pretty good) on Netflix and cuddling with B and the
dog. By the way, we decided against the trip to New York as B will be handing in his
notice around that time anyway. Probably for the best.

Daily total £8.86 ($11.49)

Day five

6.45am – honestly why are we wide awake at the weekend when we can’t get up during the
week?! Answers on a postcard. We chat and cuddle some more and cuddle the dog and it’s
a delightful morning.

9.30am – eventually we get up, shower and take the dog for a walk. I take my new reusable
cup to a coffee shop en route because I’ve run out of coffee beans. They do a 25p discount
and also have a 20% off discount for some public sector workers which I can’t use right
now but will be able to in my new job, so I make a note to go there in future. £2.35 for an
Americano with hot milk. ($3.05)

11am – the local butcher has ribs for tasting and they are delicious. We also get some
pheasant and sausages, and then some veg from Sainsbury’s for our lunches for the week.
This is slightly extravagant but B and I both really love game and eating things in season.
He will pay me back for his half of this at some point. £17.10 ($22.17)

2.30pm – lunches are cooked. We roasted the pheasants with the sweet potatoes and
carrots, and then cooked the sausages and broccoli as well and portioned it all up into 10
lunches and now we’re feeling very accomplished. I also did some washing and tidied my
room, and finished some of the ongoing processes for my new job. B also made us bacon
sandwiches whilst I struggled through one of the tasks for it. It’s frustrating me greatly but
all I can do now is wait.

3.30pm – ended up having fifteen minutes to get ready so I went for black jeans and a silky
green top with my favourite jumper and heeled boots. I really need a wardrobe update but
these things require cash. We packed up the dog’s belongings and hopped on the tube
(Oyster £1.85) to central to return her and get a present for tonight. She’s so good on public
transport, and my friend was very grateful. I feel like she did us a favour and I told her
we’d look after her dog anytime.

4pm - In John Lewis we go up to the furniture section to try out the mattress we picked out
last week. We narrowed it down to two last time which took about two hours. Trying
mattresses is so weird! It’s amazing how different they all feel. The one we’ve chosen is
£599 which makes me feel somewhat ill but that is apparently on the cheap end, and we
don’t want to scrimp too much since we envisage sleeping on it for many years. We will
wait to see if there are any Black Friday deals (unlikely) or January sales (more likely)
before buying it though since we don’t need it until mid-Feb. We bought a fondue set for
B’s friend’s birthday and I chose the card and got it gift wrapped in the shop (£38. B paid
as it’s his friend). I also did my make up in the loo because I ran out of time earlier. Same
as usual except I put on the Bare Minerals tinted moisturiser as extra coverage and also a
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow stick thing and some lip liner and lipstick in sandwich pink.

5pm – the 30th is wine tasting and dinner for 12. Wine tasting was very boozy and the best
fun and then we went to the restaurant for 8pm. We’d pre-ordered and I went for 2 courses
for £28 instead of 3, so I had pheasant again and then crumble. Very seasonal and delicious
with more tasty wine. The birthday boy pays for the wine tasting for everyone and then
covers the dinner and will let us know how much we owe him for that later. It was such a
great birthday party!

12am – got the tube home (yay for the night tube on Friday and Saturday nights! Oyster
£1.85). Felt smug that we didn’t succumb to an uber, but also slightly worried about
tomorrow’s hangover. I drink two pints of water and we snuggle and talk about what a
brilliantly cosy and fun weekend we’re having so far. We actually haven’t had a weekend
in London for ages and it’s nice. Rain rain on, sleep time.

Daily total £19.45 ($25.22)

Day six
8.30am – alarm goes off and oof, not feeling it. We snooze it for a bit and try to go back to
sleep but it’s that post-alcohol crappy sleep. The house is also cold because the timer is
broken on the heating, which does not help. Eventually we get up at 9.30am because my
mum rings asking us what time we will be there and we feel guilty.

10am – showered and ready to go. I actually feel great now! I didn’t wash my hair this
morning because I couldn’t be bothered and I know I will regret this later. I should have
said earlier but I wash my hair every day. I know it’s bad for your hair but I have really
thick but fine hair and it gets greasy unbelievably quickly in the wispy bits around my ears,
so washing it daily makes me feel professional and clean. Anyway, I grab a couple of
jumpers Mum asked me to bring home which have holes in them and we had to the tube via
the coffee shop. I take my coffee cup and buy coffee for me and a sausage roll to share
(£4.60 ($6)) and then we hop on the tube (Oyster £1.85 again - love these off-peak fares).

11.34am – I bought an off-peak return using my 26-30 railcard which saves 1/3, so £19.95
($25.87) instead of £29ish. Annoyingly the day return was £1 cheaper but I didn’t notice
until B did his. I know it’s only £1 but I am unreasonably irritated by this. It’s a beautiful
sunny and frosty day though so I feel better soon.

12.15pm – Mum picks us up from the station. My home house is in the countryside about a
half hour drive from the station in a beautiful little village and I love it. It’s actually
commutable (ish) to London and plenty of people in my village do. I looked into how much
this could save recently when I was despairing about my rent and after paying for the train
and contributing to groceries for my mum’s house I wouldn’t save anything. Also with only
one car Mum would have to drive me backwards and forwards, so that’s clearly out.
Instead, I go home as much as possible to spend time with Mum and see my dog and cat,
and get some fresh air. We spend the afternoon reading the papers, talking about furniture
for the flat and playing with the dog.

2pm – our neighbour calls and asks if we’d like to measure up the sofa bed she has offered
us. Her husband sadly passed away shortly after my dad, and her children are both in their
40s with their own families so no one has any need of the sofa bed. We love it, it’s perfect
for our new flat and we try to offer her some money but she won’t have it. We arrange
some movers to come and take it from her house to Mum’s for now because it is far too
heavy for us and up some twisty cottage stairs. They will come on Wednesday for £70. B
pays for now and I will pay my half back on Wednesday (and yes, I’m keeping a tally of all
of these IOUs). On googling the exchange rate from where they bought the sofa bed we
discover our neighbour has given us a ££££ piece of furniture so now I feel a bit sick. We
have a long discussion with my mum about what to give her to say thank you, and decide
on some bulbs for her garden and a thank you note and photo when it’s safely installed in
our flat.

3.30pm – B and I take the dog for a quick walk around the village before dinner. I adore her
so much. We got her as a puppy when I was in my old job and she is such a source of joy
for my mum at the moment, plus she’s a very happy dog. I pick up some chocolate ice
cream from the village Co-op on the way past for pudding (£3.50 ($4.54)). Mum also
darned two of my holey jumpers whilst we were out, and they’re good as new! What an
angel.

5pm – time for dinner. My mum is an amazing cook and does very large portions. Today
we’re having…pheasant! I’m in no way sick of it and this is probably one of my top five
recipes of hers, with a creamy apple sauce, fondant potatoes and buttery cabbage. Pudding
is a blackberry and apple cake with the ice cream from earlier. Someone roll me home.

7pm – time to head for the train back. I’m sad but we’re coming back next weekend so it’s
not too bad.

9pm – home via the tube but I needed to top up my oyster. This machine took debit so I put
£10 ($13) on it. Crossing my fingers this will last until payday this week. (Oyster £1.85
again). At my flat the smoke alarm was beeping all night so it needs a new battery (£3.99
($5)). Eventually we get into bed with a glass of the wine from Friday. The birthday friend
texts to let us know what we owe for dinner. With service and wine mine comes to £38
($49)…ouch. He says he is fine to wait until my payday in 2 days thank goodness. I also
transfer the bills for this month to my housemate (£38.83 ($50). I persuade B that he really
wants to watch Legally Blonde and he loves it. What a gem. Cuddle and sleep by 11pm.

Daily total £118.87 ($154)

Day seven

7am – honestly I feel like I am dead I’m so groggy this morning. We finally get up at 8am.
I actually miss the days where I had to be in work by 7.30am because at least it got me out
of bed.

8.45am – grab my lunch from the fridge, pack the tape measure for tonight and we head to
the tube to work (Oyster £1.70). Say goodbye to B en route as usual and arrive at 9.30am.
Same breakfast routine as before.

10.30am – oh my goodness it’s the annual bake off and I’d completely forgotten. How
joyous! I donate £1 and help myself to an orange butterfly cake which was absolutely
delicious. I also vote for it to win best cake, but I can only eat half so I save the rest for
after lunch.

12.52am – busy working away and get a notification that I sold a book on eBay for £1.19. I
know this is a tiny amount but I’m happy either way. I’m new to selling on eBay so three
things in a week is very unusual but it all helps! I will run out of stuff eventually though.

1.40pm – I suffer through the expenses system and submit my claim for £15.50 for last
week’s travel and Starbucks. I’ve got another £11 sitting there waiting to be approved and
paid back too, from about 3 weeks ago. I hope they hurry up and do it soon.
1.55pm – lunch time! The food we cooked at the weekend is delicious. I fill in my
application form for working at the polling station for the upcoming General Election. This
pays about £150 but it’s more that I actually love getting swept up in election fever and I’m
really excited to be a part of it. Crossing my fingers I get accepted! Also do a bit of
studying.

3.30pm – today is very busy but I take a quick break to print out 2x eBay labels and I’ll
post them off tomorrow because I’m on a study day for my MSc. (£6.18 but the buyers pay
for postage so I will get this back).

4.45pm – B calls to say he is leaving work to make our appointment at 6. I’m still really
swamped at work but I head out at 5 and think about having to do it later.

5pm – walk the commute to the new flat to go and take some measurements for furniture.
The new commute is honestly delightful and I can’t wait. Especially in the dark, all the
bridges across the river are lit up and I can see into some cosy houses and imagine them
with Christmas trees in the windows in a few weeks’ time.

6pm – we meet the agent at the flat. I’m a bit nervous in case we don’t like it anymore but
it’s better and more beautiful than I remember and I thank my lucky stars we got it again.
Bring on February!

7.30pm – B buys the ingredients for dinner in Sainsbury’s. We’ve gone for a cheesy
chorizo pasta bake because it’s cold and I feel cosy. At home I make the béchamel sauce,
fry the chorizo with some leftover mushrooms, grate some cheese into the sauce and put it
all in the dish with the pasta, then shove it in the oven. I also field some emails and
reorganise some work for later in the week, and then finally sit down with B and eat dinner.
My housemate and her friend are in too so we have a chat whilst we all eat about our days.
There’s enough leftovers for dinner after climbing tomorrow night too which is perfect
because we will be back late.

9pm – glass of the wine from Friday and bed with B – I persuade him that today is the day
he’s finally going to watch Dirty Dancing (“I carried a watermelon…!”) and he loves it! He
asked a lot of questions about the abortion storyline (spoilers, sorry, but hoping everyone
has actually seen this film because it’s great) and we have a chat about abortion and
women’s rights. In the UK we are very lucky this is safe, legal and funded, and I don’t
think B really appreciated before this film that others are not so lucky. We go to sleep about
10.45pm to rain rain as usual.

Daily total £1

Weekly total £188.50 ($244). I will get £15.50 back on expenses.

Food + Drink £111.98 ($144)

Fun/entertainment £0
Home + health £42.82 ($55)

Clothes + Beauty £0

Transport - £59.40 but £11.75 will be returned on expenses so £47.65 ($62)

Note – I know my totals don’t add up but I think it’s because some of the travel is Oyster
and some rail, and also some top ups vs what was on there already.

I get paid on tomorrow so this is right at the end of the month for me. It’s an extra squeeze
this month because I paid half my holiday last month from this pay check so I have
struggled more than usual, but even so I’m fed up and I think that comes through. Also
friend didn’t get round to paying me the £150 I’m owed and I know really need to nag her
about that - I just hate doing it so much.

I attach a lot of self-worth to salary so I am fairly unhappy about my career trajectory most
of the time, even though to an outside perspective in my profession it looks like I’m doing
very well for my age. I also struggle not to get upset with myself when B picks up the tab
for groceries because I am not used to that. Basically I’m looking forward to getting my
raise in my new job, saving on public transport by being able to walk to work from the new
flat and building up some savings. I might volunteer another MD in six months to see how
things (hopefully?) have changed.

I make $71,000 and spent $2,721.57 on a 9

day solo trip to Japan
Travel Diary
Bio

 Age: 25
 Hometown: Chicago, IL
 Occupation: UX Designer
 PTO Days: 18

Assets, Debt, Income

I break this all down in much more detail in my full money diary, found here, so I’m not
going to repeat it now.
A summary for those who don’t want to click: I have no student loans, no credit card debt,
put 20% of my paycheck towards retirement, and make $71,000 a year

Travel Expenses

Flights

I flew standard economy on Air Canada from O’Hare to Narita, with a layover in
Vancouver both directions. My roundtrip total inclusive of taxes/fees/etc was: $879.54

Accomodations

I decided to stay mostly in hostels, both to save money and hopefully make some friends! I
had originally booked one night in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) as a treat but had to
cancel this last minute due to a typhoon hitting pretty hard the week before I arrived. I
ended up bouncing around a lot between cities (intentional) and within cities (less
intentional) because I originally planned to add an additional day in Tokyo, but switched
this to Kyoto day-of.

 Tokyo hostel #1: 3 nights - $114.22

 Tokyo hostel #2:1 night, cancelled day of, did not get refund - $34.45
 Kyoto hostel #1: 1 night- $17.41
 Kyoto hostel #2: 2 nights - $58.64
 Osaka hostel: 1 night - $20.16
 Tokyo hostel #3: 1 night - $27.39

Total: 272.27

Pre Trip Purchases

I’m listing these here but won’t include them in the final roundup, because these are all
things I needed already and will definitely use again.

 New hard-side carry-on (the wheels on my my 6 year old Walmart one were going):
$55
 Packing cubes: $12.99
 Portable power bank: $55.10

A general note: Japan is a cash-only society. When doing my own budgeting I rely really
heavily on credit card records and Personal Capital because my brain is bad, so not having
digital or physical receipts for a lot of these transactions means some of them are estimates.
Anything where I don’t have the exact amount is indicated with a ~ and any rounding done
is always within 100yen / $1 usd, but I wanted to be transparent that my records aren’t cent-
perfect. (Anything without a ~ is one where I did record the exact amount.)

Friday 10/18

 I came down with a pretty bad cold in the days right before I left, so I treat myself to
a Lyft to the airport instead of taking the bus to the blue line: $28.96
 At the airport, I buy a USB to USB-C cord because I didn’t realize the power bank I
bought didn’t come with one. The Hudson News price is literally quadruple what
I’d pay on Amazon, but that’s the idiot tax. I also buy a Cherry Coke Zero: $36.90

Daily total: $65.86

Saturday 10/19

 I land in Narita around 4pm local time, at what feels like 2am body time. It’s rough.
I buy a SIM card with 14 days of pre-paid unlimited data, and install it myself. All
prices from now on are in yen and converted to USD: $51.32
 I buy a ticket for the express train into the city: $29.78
 I also buy a green tea from a vending machine: $1.28
 I ALSO pick up a refillable Suica card (contactless refillable train pass). I put $9.17
on it, but don’t use it yet; I’ll note train fares as I use them.
 After I check in at my hostel in Shibuya, I go to a ramen place down the street and
get an extremely delicious bowl of tsukumen ramen. $9.16

Daily total: $91.54

Sunday 10/20

 Wake up in the middle of the night because jet-lag is a bitch. Wait until it’s almost a
decent hour, then go to 7-11 to withdraw some cash and get food. I buy a mandarin
orange yogurt, some prepackaged pancakes with syrup, and a bottled iced coffee for
around: ~$3.66
 I intentionally didn’t bring a lot of my toiletries because I knew I wanted to buy
some in Japan, so I go to Don Quijote to pick some up. I buy BB cream, mascara, an
eyeshadow single, makeup remover/face wash, sunscreen, a solid perfume stick, and
nail polish: ~$54.97
  I go to yoyogi park and walk through and it’s absolutely beautiful and serene.
Orange tea from vending machine: $1.19
 After the park, I go to Meiji Shrine, which is also beautiful and serene. After this, I
go to Harajuku and walk around the main shopping streets, which are crazy and
overwhelming. I stop and get pork katsu curry for lunch: $9.89
 After this, I take the train to Shimokitazawa: $2.51
 In Shimokitazawa, I get a latte called “the Dirty” from Bear Pond Espresso and it is
literally the best coffee anything I have ever had in my entire life. $5.31
 I wander around thrift shopping for a while. I love browsing the racks and seeing
how different the styles are, but I’m 5’7 and a US 8/10 which means literally
nothing here comes close to fitting. I do manage to find a cool oversized denim
jacket though, which has been on my list to find for AGES now: $22.07
 I am now extremely tired so I buy a flat white from a different coffee shop. It’s
good, but nowhere near as good as the other drink I had: $4.21
 I take the train back to my hostel, where I lay down and rest for around an hour, but
I don’t let myself fall asleep just yet $1.65
 Then I’m going to Seirinkan, a pizza place that’s supposed to be absolutely
legendary…and it is. I get a Margherita pizza that is absolutely some of the best
pizza I have ever had. I’m very sad I can’t finish it but it’s an entire pizza and I am
only one woman. I also get an Aperol spritz. $20.81
 I take the train one stop to a cool bar I found online: $1.26
 The bar is called Bar Martha and it’s a super cool vibe; they have a huge sound
system and someone playing classic rock songs on vinyl. I get two absolutely
fantastic Moscow mules made with fresh ginger and listen to some Beatles deep
cuts: $22.92
 I walk back to the hostel and pass out the instant my head hits the pillow.

Daily total: $150.45

Monday 10/21

 Jet lag strikes again. I get an iced latte from a coffee stand on the way to the train
station: $4.49
 Take the train to the Tsukiji Outer Fish Market (even with jet lag, I was NOT up to
the 3am tuna auction): ~$1.83
 I get easily overwhelmed/anxious in heavy crowds, so at the fish market I do an
initial pass through and then end up on a side street, where it’s a little easier to
breathe. I get a pan au chocolat: $1.83
 Now that my blood sugar is up a little, I’m ready. Once more unto the breach and I
get octopus on a stick (FANTASTIC): $4.12
 Eel on a stick: $1.83
 The best iced matcha latte I’ve ever had: $4.58
  Done with the fish market, I walk over to Hamarikyu Gardens. They’re absolutely
beautiful even in the off-season between summer and fall, where the flowers are
dead but the trees are green. Admission: $2.75
 After the gardens, I walk across the river to TeamLab Planets (this walk takes like
45 minutes and is much more industrial than it looked on google maps oops). I pre-
bought my ticket online, so I only had to wait in line for less than ten minutes. The
exhibition experience was SO cool, especially the room where I was in water up to
my knees and could interact with the koi holograms. $29.54
 I take the train back to Ginza vs walking this time. No contest. $3.56
 To feed my caffeine addiction, I go to this classic/historic Japanese style coffee
house and get a tiny brewed cup of some fancy single-origin dark roast. It was
delicious but it was not worth the: $8.25
 I have some time to kill before my dinner reservation so I stop at Uniqlo. I can
technically fit into the L/XL but they don’t quite hang right, and I know the
Japanese style for loose, calf-length skirts isn’t going to play super well back home
so I don’t buy anything.
 My dinner reservation is at a place I found in an Eater article for a full sushi
omakase experience. Most of the sushi is incredibly delicious, but some of it is
really not my thing and I have no clue what I’m actually eating because it’s in
Japanese. I also learned later via google that my absolute favorite bite of the
evening turned out to be ………..fish sperm. Great. $60.50
 I then go to this amazing bar called Bar Orchard. You pick a seasonal fruit out of a
pile they have, and then they turn it into a custom cocktail for you, and serve it in
really creative ways. I get a sour pear gin cocktail that’s served in a little bathtub,
complete with edible sea salt bubbles and rubber duck, and then later I get a
pomegranate rum cocktail in a little ziplock bag printed like a mason jam jar. I made
some friends and their drinks included: a plum old fashioned where they set a pine
cone on fire, something served in a tiny plastic trash can, something involving
absinthe they drank out of a watering can. VERY gimmicky, very fun, very
delicious. $47.67
 I take the train back to my hostel. After I get off at the station, I’m pausing to make
sure I’m going the right way and a guy comes up to me and offers to buy me a drink
in exchange for practicing his English. OBVIOUSLY my internal common sense
radar is saying not to do this, but every single person I talked to said this happens a
lot in Japan and is not creepy or weird, and I’m pretty drunk already, so I agree. He
was already being kind of persistent and following me down the street so like an
IDIOT I thought maybe if I had one drink this would get rid of him. This was
obviously a mistake; I end up having to invent a boyfriend (his name is Alex he’s a
vet student we’re very happy etc) and walk twenty minutes out of my way before he
left me alone and I finally felt safe enough to actually go to my real hostel location.
Trust your instincts, guys (although yeah this one was………I don’t know what I
was thinking). $1.82 for the train; the rest cost only my dignity.

Daily Total: $172.77

Tuesday 10/22

 I finally (FINALLY) sleep later than 3am. 9:30 baby!!!!! Despite being much better
rested, I’m feeling kind of anxious and gross and overwhelmed by Tokyo, so I make
the last-minute decision I mentioned earlier to go to Kyoto a day early. The hostel I
already booked is full, but one relatively nearby is cheap and free so I make the
reservation (price noted above) and check out.
 I get the fluffy Instagram pancakes from Flipper. I thought they would be overrated
but they are truly soooooo good. I also get a coffee. $13.75
 I take the train to the main Shinkansen connection: $1.72
 Once there, I get a Shinkansen ticket to Kyoto: $129.79
 Vending machine green tea: 1.47
 Once I arrive in Kyoto, I buy a vending machine lemon soda: $1.28
 Then I walk over to my hostel and check in. The walk is beautiful and really
peaceful as I cross the river, and I’m immediately super glad that I came to Kyoto
early instead of sticking it out in Tokyo. Once at my hostel, I’m charged an
additional tax on top of what I prepaid online. $1.83
 Get on the train to Gion, the historic geisha district, and wander around a bunch. It’s
beautiful after dark, with the old buildings lit up and the stream and everything. I
see what I think might actually be a real geisha; there’s also a crowd of tourists
literally running behind her with cameras which I think is very rude. $1.47
 After walking around for a few hours, I’m hungry; I stop at a cute place and get an
order of gyoza and a glass of plum wine. $9.62
 I now walk across the river towards Nishiki market. I get fried chicken from a stand
the people I met at the bar last night recommended and it is literally the best friend
chicken I have ever had in my entire life. $2.75
 I stop at Daiso, which is essentially a dollar store, and get some cute stickers,
greeting cards, a pack of those spiral hair ties, band aids because I’m getting some
blisters/hot spots, and some random snacks/candy. $7.06
 I go back to the chicken stand. Yes, it’s really that good. The guy recognizes me and
gives me extra chicken this time; I am simultaneously delighted and ashamed. 2.75
 I stop at a cool looking bar on my way back. It’s also rock and roll themed (not sure
why this is such a thing here!) I get two drinks: one is some lychee liqueur and
grapefruit juice and is AMAZING, and one is beer and orange soda and is terrible.
The bartender is super nice and takes requests and I get him to play Rumours by
Fleetwood Mac in its entirety. Iconic. We have a really fun conversation via Google
translate; it’s one of the highlights of the trip. $12.83
 Train back to hostel: $1.47

Daily total: $187.79

Wednesday 10/23
  Jet lag returns. I stop at Family Mart for breakfast and get a chocolate chip melon
bun, a hot bottled coffee because apparently they have those here, and also blister
band-aids. ~$6.87
 I take the train to Nijo Castle: ~$3.67
 I also leave my suitcase in a locker at the train station: $3.67
 Nijo castle is absolutely beautiful, both inside and the gardens, and ends up being
my favorite place I visited the whole trip. It’s amazing and worth every penny of the
admission**: $9.62**
 One of my favorite parts of the castle was the silk painted tapestries on the walls of
pine trees, tigers, eagles, flowers, and more. From the gift shop I buy what they call
“towels” but look more like screen printed fabric with those designs that I plan to
hang up at home: $13.20
 Vending machine green tea: $1.47
 Train to Southern Higashiyama district: $2.02
 I do a traditional Japanese tea ceremony! It’s super cool to learn about the history of
the ceremony, and also to learn how to properly make matcha. Also it is delicious. I
pre-booked this online for: $28.71
 I walk around a little and then get tempura udon for lunch: $11.46
 I walk around a little more and then stop for matcha ice cream: $3.21
 I walk around a bunch and go to various temples along the philosophers path, but
don’t end up paying the admission to go inside any of them / others are free. I regret
this a little but weirdly you kind of get burned out on temples (I know.)
 Vending machine peach flavored black tea (this becomes my new fav): $1.47
 More philosophers path! This is so cool and beautiful and it’s kind of a grey day
right before sunset and I’m listening to Lana Del Rey and the mood is fantastic but
also my feet hurt so when I reach the northern end, I take the bus back to the train
station where I left my suitcase: $2.02
 And then another train back to my hostel: $1.47
 I end up eating dinner at the restaurant at my hostel just because I’m too tired to
look for something or walk around. I get fish and chips and a local craft beer:
$13.75
 I planned on going to bed super early, but I end up striking up a conversation with
some other people at the restaurant/bar. They end up being from California and are
all super nice and fun and we get along really well! I tell them about the bar I went
to last night and they’re intrigued, so we walk over. I get a random drink of
something Japanese I’ve never heard before that tastes very … botanical. $6.42
 My new bffs all got more than one drink each so they decide we should go do
karaoke in one of those places with private rooms. I agree. It’s very very very fun.
We get sake there because there’s a 1 drink/person minimum and that’s the cheapest
thing on the menu. Someone with better Japanese pays and tells me my share is
$4.58.

Daily total: $113.61

Thursday 10/24

 Wake up super early again and it’s pouring rain. I realize later this was literally a
typhoon lol it just didn’t hit Kyoto especially hard. I go to 7-11 to buy breakfast and
get an egg sandwich, a hot bottled coffee, and also an umbrella. ~$11.00
 Take the train to Fushimi Inari: $2.02
 Luckily I got here really early and also it’s raining so the gate path, which I’ve
heard gets really crowded, is quite empty and I can wander around and take pictures
and pet some stray cats. It is so beautiful and calming and I love it. I intended to go
all the way up the mountain, but I took a wrong turn at some point and ended up
accidentally exiting the shrine area entirely via a service road that spits me out in a
neighborhood a full train stop away from where I started. Lol oops.
 I take the train to Nara for the rest of my day, a little earlier than intended but oh
well. ~$7.33
 Arrive in Nara and almost immediately see roaming friendly deer. Get some pets in.
Excellent. Then I go to a free garden (beautiful) and then a paid garden (even more
beautiful!!!! I have become obsessed with gardens). It’s still pouring rain but it’s so
beautiful and lush and green $8.25
 I do get quite cold and wet eventually though so I go into a tea house inside the
garden and get a cup of matcha and a red bean sweet $7.79
 I then walk up to a huge old temple with a huuuuuuuuuge buddha inside and huge
huge guardian statues outside. Admission: $5.50
 I buy mushroom soba for lunch: $7.56
 More temples, free. Vending machine peach tea: $1.47
 Mooooore walking around, more temples, more petting of the deer. At some point
some really adorable Japanese schoolchildren come up to me and interview me as
an assignment for their English class and it. is. so. cute. I eventually spend ages
walking around outside in the rain because I wanted to go to this sake distillery for a
tasting and I thought it opened at 5. It closes at 5. Kill me.
 I’m so annoyed by this and also so wet and my feet hurt so much that I just get on a
train back to Kyoto ~$7.33
 I get back and I’m too tired to figure out dinner so I just get a bunch of 7-11 snacks
and drinks and hang out in the hostel lounge reading. I become a huge fan of the
~$1.50 a can 9% abv apple flavored shochu drinks. $7.48

Daily total: $65.73

Friday 10/25

 I buy breakfast from my hostel. I get a latte and a chocolate croissant. $7.33
 Then I get the bus to Kyoto Station: $2.02
 Locker for my suitcase: $4.58
 Train to Arashiyama: $2.38
  I walk around the bamboo forest a bunch. It’s very beautiful but pretty crowded and
still pouring rain and it’s not a good combo. I was planning on doing another temple
and the monkey park here as well but I’m super not feeling it so I take the train back
to central Kyoto $2.38
 I go to this cool tea shop and do a tasting ($10.08) and then buy a bunch of tea for
myself, as well as for gifts for my mom ($50.42): $60.50
 I walk back through the market and end up ducking into a cute boutique where I get
3 pairs of handmade earrings; one for myself, two as gifts for my roommate. $23.37
 I was going to go to the chicken stand again and get more (YES I have a problem)
but it was closed. Grab a doner kebab wrap for lunch instead. $4.58
 There’s a direct route to Osaka from the train line I’m currently closest to, but my
luggage is still back at the Kyoto Station so I take the bus there: $2.02
 Train to Osaka: $4.58
 Check into my hostel, lie down and relax a little, and then head over to Dotonbori
market to get dinner. There’s a ton of places that look good but are full, or don’t
have English menus, or something else, but I eventually end up at a yakiniku place.
I get wagyu beef (that I grill myself!) and a beer. $41.25
 I walk over to another cool bar recommended online, another one that does custom
drinks based on what you request flavor wise. This one is super hidden speakeasy
style and I almost don’t find it, which is a fun adventure all on its own. I have two
drinks. $24.75
 I stop and get 7-11 chips and a chocolate bar on my way back to the hostel. $2.75

Daily Total: $182.49

Saturday 10/26

 Train to Osaka castle: ~$4.58

 7-11 breakfast of pan au chocolat and bottled hot coffee: $3.21
 Luggage locker: $3.67
 I walk around Osaka castle and take a ton of pictures of the outside and the moats
and explore some of the grounds. It’s super beautiful and cool and ENORMOUS.
I’d heard the inside isn’t worth the price of admission so I head back to the train
station. On the way, I see a takoyaki stand and get some, since it’s an Osaka
specialty. (I kind of hate it, but I’m glad I gave it a try.) $4.58
 Snacks for train (potato straw thingies, canned drink bc Japan doesn’t have open
container laws) $2.24
 Take shinkansen back to Tokyo. I get a window seat and am able to see Mount Fuji
outside the window as we go past which is VERY VERY COOL. Also legal day
drinking on public transportation really does elevate the experience. $134.93
 Get back to Tokyo Station and go to Ramen street, which is located below the
station. Get a very good bowl of some sort of shrimp ramen: $8.62
 Take train to my final hostel and check in. $1.82
  This hostel is in Asakusa which is kind of near the kitchen supply district and I
wanna get some SOUVENIRS/gifts so I head back out right away before the shops
close.
 I get an all-purpose stainless steel chefs knife. I was originally shopping for my
brother but I pick this knife up one time and immediately realize I want it for myself
so I …. buy it for myself. $99.00
 At a different knife shop, I see a carbon steel meat/vegetable knife that I think will
be good for my brother. It’s not as nice as the one I bought myself, but it looks
cooler and more authentically Japanese $64.17
 I go to Uniqlo because I literally am out of shirts. I get a mockneck sweater so I
have something clean to wear tomorrow and a zip-up teddy fleece because I’ve been
missing out on this trend. $28.13
 I go to Don Quijote for more souvenirs. I get Pokemon face masks for my friend,
and a ton of candy including 4 flavors of kit-kats for everyone, including myself.
$30.30
 I stop at Lawson and get the chicken nuggets that are supposed to be amazing.
They’re pretty good but they still taste like chicken nuggets from a convenience
store tbh. 2.60
 Walk around Sensoji temple at night; it’s beautiful all lit up.
 Stop at a bar that looks cute and get a Negroni. $12.83
 Get some snacks before I head back to my hostel since I didn’t really eat dinner:
$3.88

Daily Total: $404.56 (yikes!)

Sunday 10/27

 Go to a coffee shop that’s supposed to be really amazing and buy my dad some
really nice coffee that’s roasted there. I also get myself a cortado because I need
caffeine to live and I’m still waking up at 5am. $22.00
 Go to Don Quijote and get my dad a mini bottle of some pretty bad whiskey (he’s
more of a coffee drinker than a whiskey drinker; it’s more about the novelty of the
label): $4.95
 Go to this cool store that makes super detailed plastic replicas of food and buy my
friend a magnet with a replica of sea urchin sushi: $15.86
 Take the train a few stops to Ueno Park: $1.72
 Luggage locker: $6.42
 Go to Ichiran and get a bowl of customized ramen. There’s a bit of a wait but it’s
worth it: $10.08
 Go to the convenience store and buy a white grape flavored Strong Zero: $1.42
 Walk around Ueno Park and the pond; it’s a really beautiful day. Find a bench and
sit and drink my strong zero and watch the people on the swan/paddle boats and just
really enjoy my last hour or so here.
 Time to go :( back to station, buy ticket on Skyliner back to Narita Airport: $23.19
  After I make it back through security etc etc, I have about an hour to kill so I try to
use up the very last of my yen. Buy another lemon soda, another peach tea, and
some random snacks. I’m left with less than $1 on my refillable transit card and
about 35 cents in cash, which I feel v smug about. $5.87

Daily Total: 91.51

Sunday 10/27 AGAIN

 I crossed the international date line so I actually landed before I took off!
 Chickpea kale salad: $12.34
 Tim Hortons latte and timbits: $4.75
 Chips and Coke Zero: $4.54
 When I arrive back in Chicago, I intend to take the blue line back home, especially
since I haven’t been able to switch the SIM cards back out and my phone isn’t
working. However the blue line is totally and mysteriously fucked so I get on
O’Hare wifi and order a Lyft share home. $29.56

Daily Total: $51.19

Total: $2721.57

Food & Drink: $506.07

Transportation: $1321.87

Accommodation: $272.27

Entertainment: $84.37

Souvenirs: $429.50

Other: $107.49

Reflection

I spent a LOTTTT on this trip but ultimately I do think it was all worth it! I haven't done a
ton of traveling before this and I saved up for ages to go; both consciously for a few months
since I started planning and before that just keeping "international travel" as a vague future
goal to motivate me to live below my means and try not to splash out too much. I didn't
gain any credit card debt from this trip whatsoever. The things I would change in the future
are 1) looking harder for cheap flights 2) I don't currently get any miles/points/whatever
from a travel card, I do cash back only, and I know some people save a ton doing that kind
of churning.