Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last penny.
If you would like to submit a diary, please use our new form here. If you would rather email us, please send a bit of information about you and your financial situation to [email protected]. We pay £100 for each published diary. Apologies but we’re not able to reply to every email.
This week: “I’m a 39-year-old Innovation Controller working in the food industry. I’m responsible for creating the new product pipeline and managing a team that develops and launches these products. I always loved business and food so this has been a career I have mostly enjoyed across various marketing roles and businesses for the last 20 years. I have found this corporate world much harder to manage since I had my children and this is despite a move back ‘home’ to the East Midlands, which has meant we have the help of both parents to support with childcare. In the last three years, my current role has been extremely stressful and I have found my company has pushed my progression ahead of where I would choose to be and my home life balance has suffered. I also went from working four days to five days and I miss having this extra day to manage my personal life and to be with my children. I’m trying to get this balance back, but I dream of being self-employed as an interim or contractor to be more choosy about when and where I work. This dream has stepped on my saving drive in the hope of making this leap one day soon. I have always been a saver and cautious with money. In recent years, this has accelerated as I have saved every time I have had a pay rise or bonus, which has gone towards my ‘self employment dream’, additional mortgage overpayments or my recent (nearly) new car purchase. My husband and I benefited from buying a flat in the south and selling this to replace for a smaller mortgage on our bigger current detached house in Lincolnshire. This benefit in house prices whilst staying on similar wages has reflected our current low-level mortgage. My husband is more of a spender but has helped me balance a healthier split between saving and spending in recent years (although I am still working on this!).”
Occupation: Innovation & Portfolio Controller
Industry: Food Brand
Age: 39
Location: Lincolnshire
Salary: £77,500 (moving to £81,500 in June).
Paycheque Amount: £4,407.50
Number of housemates: Husband R, and two daughters: J (nine years old) and B (seven years old).
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs (mortgage or rent): We now pay £363.85 for our mortgage. We worked really hard in the last five years to pay off our mortgage and were overpaying by £600 a month as well as putting a lump sum of £50,000 savings down last May before we renewed this deal. We now only have just over £47,000 remaining. Further over repayment has slowed as we have needed to purchase a (nearly) new car but we still overpay by around £275 a month. I would love to pay this off before age 45.
Loan payments: £0, student loans were paid off a few years ago.
Savings?: £77,285.17 split across £64,494.81 in a S&S ISA, £9,500 in Premium Bonds and £3,290.36 in easy access savings accounts. In the last three years, I have had around £30k in pay increases from moving back to five days and progression. I currently save around £1,500 a month. Every time I get a pay rise, I save the difference to manage lifestyle creep, which is why I have bolstered these pots and managed to overpay my mortgage.
Pension? I pay £303.33 which is then matched by my employer to a total of £606.66 a month. I feel my total pension pot is low for my age due to two maternity leaves, COVID furlough and low/part-time wages earlier in my career. This is also why I save so much a month in my S&S ISA as my early pension/corporate escape fund.
Utilities: My half of these come to £109.23 council tax, £4.96 life insurance £18.50 water, £65.15 gas & electric.
All other monthly payments: £10 phone SIM contract, £22.95 car service, £46 for my half of B’s swimming & gymnastics lessons, £40 for J’s tutoring. Subscriptions: My half: £2.99 Netflix, £15.99 internet, £8.64 private dentist, £2.50 Amazon Kids, £10 Spotify.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a business & marketing degree paid for via student loans and my parents paid my tuition fees (this was back in 2003, pre-price hike!). They also gave me £100 a month towards living costs and I had a part-time job in a coffee shop which I worked most weekends. My course had a working placement sandwich year, so I got an annual salary to work in a business for my third year and I then took a much smaller loan for my final year.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My parents were both very frugal and definitely taught me about the benefits of working hard, saving and making a budget stretch. My mum didn’t work so we lived off my dad’s salary and looking back, I can see how this meant that their frugal nature was a necessity, not always a choice. I remember wanting to work from an early age so I could have my own money to buy things I wanted and go out with my friends. I am recently self-taught about investing, as this is something my parents have only just started doing as they have become more financially comfortable in later years.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents/guardians house?18, when I left for university.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I had financial help up until 21 when I left university and haven’t returned home since. I do now live close by to my parents and my in-laws and although they don’t contribute financially, they help massively with childcare.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked in a coffee shop from the age of 14 up until 21 when I finished university. I used to get paid £10 an hour on a Sunday which was way over the usual weekend wage for the time and why I stayed there for so long. Working has always been instilled into me and I am not afraid to work hard for money. I had two jobs in my final year at university so I could keep my car I needed for a university course placement year.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes, I will always worry about money. I have ample savings but still struggle to enjoy my money as I am always thinking of the worst-case scenario. I could probably live my dream now of being self-employed with the savings I have, but I am too scared to take the leap.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
We were lucky to be gifted £10,000 in 2013 from my parents-in-law when we bought our first flat. Both parents gave us £2,000 towards our wedding in 2014 and I have had £4,000 in total from inheritance from my grandparents’ passing, which was put towards home renovation costs.
Day One
5 a.m. — I hear R get up and I roll over, it’s a Bank Holiday so I make the most of a lie in.
7:30 a.m. — Decide to be productive, this will replace my usual Sunday prep so I get dressed and make my to-do list.
8:30 a.m. — Drive into town and post two Vinted sales before heading to Asda for some groceries for meal prep. We have a busy week at work so I often meal prep to take us through the beginning of the week without needing to cook. I buy a whole chicken, sausages, ham, leeks, tomatoes, salads, butter, wraps, cereal bars and sweeteners. I benefit from the Bank Holiday reductions and also get 10p daffodils, 20p Cavolov Nero and half price craft set, which I will use as gifts for my niece and nephew. Pay on the joint account, £12.80 for my share.
10 a.m. — Clean inside of my house windows, (I have been meaning to do this for so long that I can’t put it off any longer!) and put away clean washing.
10:30 a.m. — On a productive roll, so prep J&B pack lunches for tomorrow, followed by prepping veg for dinner.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch of hummus, carrots and toast. The money also hits my account from a Vinted sale.
1 p.m. — Spend the afternoon watching films and Interior Design Masters with J (I have trained her well to get into these types of programmes that we can watch together!). We snack on popcorn and chocolates. R buys a laptop charger and vocabulary cards to help with J’s tutoring homework, £22.86.
6 p.m. — Delicious roast followed by big kitchen clean up — all ready for the chaos of the next week.
8 p.m. — J&B in bed, watch MAFS Australia, then lights out at 10:30 p.m.
Total: £35.66
Day Two
7 a.m. — Wake up and snooze for 30 mins until the alarm goes off. I am at a customer meeting in Leeds today, so get a bit more of a lie-in than I normally would on an office day.
8 a.m. — Switch on work email and I am pleasantly surprised that after a week off to only have 89 emails. Eat a yoghurt, banana and get myself and J&B ready for the day before walking them to school.
9:40 a.m. — Meet two colleagues at the station for a train to Leeds. The tickets paid for on the work credit card so no cost to me. Catch up on the week I missed and it all seems to have been quiet.
12:30 p.m. — Arrive at the meeting. Purchase a meal deal on the way on the company credit card, consisting of a beef and onion chutney sandwich, ready salted crisps and a drink.
1:30 p.m. — Customer presentation went well, we were selling in some new products to launch in the autumn and they liked them. It was a relatively stress-free meeting and it finished early! Make the most of this and catch an earlier train home.
2:30 p.m. — Pop to the bank to pay in some of J&B’s cash from the relatives.
3 p.m. — Work at home until I need to take B to her swimming lesson.
5 p.m. — B’s swimming lesson. I try and enjoy these moments as I am very often pulled at work, so ignore my phone and overheat in the very hot leisure centre for 30 minutes watching her swimming progress.
6:30 p.m. — Make tomorrow’s lunches, eat leftover roast dinner and get ready for tomorrow.
8 p.m. — Get into bed after putting J&B to bed with a headache and chill out whilst watching MAFS Australia, asleep by 10 p.m.
Total: £0
Day Three
5 a.m. — Wake up. I have struggled with my sleep in the last two years and I will happily take a 5 a.m. wake up. I had some really bad periods of this being 1-2 a.m. Scroll on my phone then get up and do some work IT training I am being chased to do and then plan my day. I feel work is the reason I don’t sleep and I would love to leave the corporate world for a more flexible, less demanding job to reduce my stress levels and spend more time with my family. My pay is high and this has accelerated in the last few years so I focus on saving so I can make this leap someday.
8 a.m. — Take my niece to her school on my commute to work. I swap with my sister who drops J&B to their school with my nephew and I’m lucky enough that she lives around the corner so we can do this. My niece tells me about her exams and her school leavers’ assembly. After I listen to my audiobook, Girl A by Abigail Dean for the remaining 40-minute drive.
9 a.m. — Eat breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and granola bought from home and then continually get interrupted by my boss for the next two hours while I try and work.
11:30 a.m. — The company directors are in today and my team are showcasing new products for the lunch. I work from the kitchen so I can support them serving this up. I get fed with the leftovers, so no spend for my lunch today.
5 p.m. — Work with more interruptions until I leave the office at 5 p.m. Listen again to my audiobook on my commute home.
6 p.m. — Asda Online order arrives, £30.03 for my half. J&B have been picked up and fed by the grandparents, so I make a Caesar salad with the leftover roast chicken for me and R. I then work for another two hours to catch up on urgent work I didn’t get to today.
8 p.m. — J&B in bed and book tickets to the summer gymnastics show that B is in. Half cost for me, R, J and his mum and I pay for my mum and dad to attend the second showing as a treat, £75.15 with booking fees.
9 p.m. — MAFS Australia, mint tea and asleep by 10:15 p.m.
Total: £105.18
Day Four
3:30 a.m. — Hear T get up and leave for an early shift.
5:30 a.m. — Managed to snooze until now. Get myself ready and prepare dinner for my mother-in-law to give J&B when she collects them from school tonight.
8 a.m. — Drop J&B at breakfast club and enjoy my audiobook on the way to work.
9 a.m. — My team are running a charity lunch today, so spend the day in and out of the work kitchen helping out. I am fed well on a bacon sandwich, homemade chips, salad and meringue (perks to my role and lovely team!).
11 a.m. — Meetings, meetings and more meetings.
3 p.m. — Take a 20-minute break so I can take a walk with a colleague to show them my new car and move my car to the main carpark so I can get a quick getaway from work later.
5:30 p.m. — I get ‘meeting trapped’ and leave late. Message my mother-in-law to apologise.
6:15 p.m. — Walk with J&B and talk about their days. Celebrate J getting a certificate for her entry in a design competition at school. Enjoy a bit more meringue from the lunch leftovers.
8:15 p.m. — I am nothing but predictable — mint tea and MAFS Australia. R arrives home late and tired at 9:30 p.m. We talk about our days and sleep by 10:30 p.m.
Total: £0
Day Five
6:30 a.m. — Working from home day! Wake up and make J&B’s lunches and prep my breakfast and drink to leave on my desk. Pay £2 for a charity school non-uniform day collection. Get ready for the day.
8 a.m. — Start work a bit early as I need to have an hour out for B’s medical appointment at 9 a.m.
10:30 a.m. — Focus time. I finish early on a Friday so I plan my list of must-dos and work through my lunch break. Get a call from my boss with an additional job of writing a presentation for the MD on some new product designs, so I pull a few slides to get this approved (fingers crossed!).
3 p.m. — Enough work done. Quickly hang out my washing and water my neglected flowers and vegetables I am growing. Then collect J and B from school and head out again to swimming club for an hour.
4:45 p.m. — J&B want sushi (I don’t know who these children think they are!) so as a treat for a good week we head to the sushi counter in Asda for their dinner choice. Buy a few weekend stock-up items too, including peppers, wraps, bread, and burger buns, £12.92 for my half.
6 p.m. — Make me and R pasta with the leftover chicken. Get paid from three Vinted sales of some old summer dresses. I often bulk upload on Vinted and then feel the benefits of cash back into my account throughout the month.
8 p.m. — Chill out for the evening watching TV with R. Get in bed and asleep by 9:45 p.m.
Total: £14.92
Day Six
7 a.m. — Weekend lie-in and feeling rested. Get up and eat breakfast and tidy downstairs. R heads to Sainsbury’s for a few more weekend food supplies of coleslaw, bagels, yoghurts and salad, £6.35 for my half.
8:30 a.m. — B wants a cardigan like J’s new one so I find one on Vinted, £4.21 with postage. I also get a Worry Monster as she struggles with anxiety and this is something they use at school which helps her, £7.97 including postage.
9:30 a.m. — R, J & B go out to Saturday clubs and my sister comes over to colour and cut my hair. Enjoy a good natter and my new hair and pay her £35 for doing it.
1:30 p.m. — First play date for A and her friend arrives. Me & J do her homework while they are playing.
3:30 p.m. — Second playdate and my niece comes around. They play football in the garden so I finish some more cleaning downstairs.
5 p.m. — R makes us all a Mexican feast of fajitas, guacamole and some rice and beans. Enjoy a G&T with R and half watch Saturday night TV with J&B.
7 p.m. — Book swimming for tomorrow morning for me and J. She doesn’t have lessons anymore, so I take her swimming with me sometimes at weekends. £10.90 for us both.
8 p.m. — Family karaoke session with the use of YouTube in the living room. We all join in — Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan, before up to bed at 9:30 p.m. Inspired by this, we buy B a karaoke game for her upcoming birthday, £24.25 for my half from bed.
Total: £88.68
Day Seven
3:10 a.m. — Wake up (ugh!) listen to Keep The Change podcast for an hour and then I do manage to fall back to sleep again.
7 a.m. — Wake up (again) and cuddle with R before J and B jump in bed at 7:30 a.m.
8 a.m. — Quick bagel and get ready with J for swimming. Excited to spend some time with her and do some exercise.
9 a.m. — Great swim. J learnt to swim in a smaller pool, so although she can swim, she is still nervous in deep water so we swim lengths into the deep end and she gets much more used to the pool depth. We also have some fun in the shallower end and get out and dressed at 10 a.m.
10:30 a.m. — Home and decide to have a BBQ later so I raid my freezer and find 2x burgers and some sausages.
12 p.m. — Lunch and help with B’s homework.
1 a.m. — J & B play in the back garden and R goes for a bike ride. I lay down and don’t realise how tired I am, so I end up having a small nap! Get woken by a child wanting some snacks, so chop some fruit before getting on with cleaning the bathroom and loo.
3 p.m. — Join J & B in the garden to water the plants and enjoy the last bit of the afternoon sun.
4 p.m. — Prepare salad, dressings and burger and hot dog toppings for dinner for a speedy last-minute BBQ. It is tasty if I do say so myself.
5 p.m. — Start the Sunday prep routine. J&B hair wash, make lunches, deep clean of kitchen, put the washing away and R does the ironing. Luckily, I am working at home tomorrow so I can do evening meal prep tomorrow night.
7:30 p.m. — J&B in bed, R and I decide to try out the latest season of You. We actually are intrigued so we end up watching two episodes before lights out at 9:45 p.m.
Total: £0
The Breakdown
Conclusion
“I’m surprised at how low my weekly spend is. If I hadn’t bought the summer show tickets and J’s birthday gift, I would have barely spent anything this week! I think when I have a busy week at work, it keeps my spending low as I lack the time to spend beyond the basics like food and anything the children need. My weekend spend is a bit higher but I enjoy being at home with my family after a long week, which often involves doing things which are low cost but ensure we spend quality time together. I have enjoyed reflecting on my spending this week and still want to continue to save for the future, but also enjoy a bit more of my money now. I want to focus more on a plan to leave the corporate world so I am doing more than just talking about making this change. Thanks, Money Diaries!”
If you would like to submit a diary, please use our new form here. If you would rather email us, please send a bit of information about you and your financial situation to [email protected]. We pay £100 for each published diary. Apologies but we’re not able to reply to every email.
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