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.
This week: “I’m a 32-year-old ethical finance strategist living in Bristol. I moved here with my long-term partner, T, in 2024 after spending a year and a half living in Vancouver, Canada (on a working holiday visa) and travelling some of South America. We thought this trip would drain some of our savings as we did not have jobs lined up when we moved, but we actually managed to save well because of the work we managed to get in Canada. Prior to that, I spent 10 years living in London studying/working in government consulting, with a seven month break to travel and live in Australia. T and I have recently put an offer in on a three-bed £450k flat. We love Bristol and would like to settle here, though we expect our mortgage payments to be similar to the rent we are paying now. T works in Mergers and Acquisitions and earns more than me, usually around £100k including bonus, which is important to point out as we share most of our costs. However, he is looking to move jobs this year and is prepared to take a pay cut for the right role.”
Occupation: Corporate strategist
Industry: Ethical Finance (yes, I promise that is a thing!)
Age: 32
Location: Bristol
Salary: £82,000
Paycheque Amount: £3,950 (this is after student loans, pension contributions and holiday sacrifice, see below).
Number of housemates: One, my boyfriend T.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £2,100 for a two-bed rental in Bristol, split equally with T. Our mortgage payments will be fairly similar when we (hopefully) move to our new flat, around £2,000.
Loan payments: £688 student and postgraduate loan automatically taken from my salary each month. The paycheque amount above is after this deduction. I’m just under two years away from paying off my postgraduate loan and I cannot WAIT!
Savings?: Currently, I have £85k spread across different accounts, with around £27k in a Lifetime ISA, £4k in a Stocks an Shares ISA, £22k in a Cash ISA and £32k in a Simple Saver (allowing one withdrawal a month). My partner has around £97k saved, we do see this as a joint pool of savings even though we manage them separately. We will soon use £90k of our total savings towards our 20% flat deposit. I try to save £1.5k a month unless there are big spends like holidays, car insurance etc.
Pension? Yes, I have £43k spread across various pots. I currently contribute 2% (around £136 a month) and my employer contributes 8% (the employer contribution will increase to 10% in June once I have been at the company for a year).
Utilities: My half is £100 electric, £119 council tax, £15 internet. Water is included in our rent.
All other monthly payments: £5 WaterAid, £10 Greenpeace, £6 SMARTY SIM-only plan, £29 ClassPass. Subscriptions: £6 Amazon Prime, £15 Spotify (last two split with T). It’s also worth mentioning that I sacrifice around £150 from my paycheque each month to buy 5x extra holidays each year. For me this is completely worth it!
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, I studied my undergraduate in London and was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship of around £3k per year, alongside the maximum maintenance grant as I was living in a low income single parent household. I also studied for a master’s degree in London and was awarded a £10k scholarship and applied to the new government £10k postgraduate loan and worked for a charity part time to make it work financially. The loan has a high interest rate of 7% (which I did not know at the time) so I do feel the impact on my paycheque each month.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
I had quite a mixed education from my parents. My mum is definitely a saver, she has always encouraged me and my siblings to save a portion of our salary and keep an emergency fund. Meanwhile, my dad is very impulsive with his spending, has been declared bankrupt in the past and is always in some form of debt. I definitely get my saving habits from my mum!
If you have, when did you move out of your parents/guardians house?
I first moved out at age 18, returning during university summers and for around four months before I lived in Australia. I then returned during holidays when I was doing my master’s degree at 23. So I would say I permanently moved out at age 24 following my master’s degree.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I was fully responsible at age 24 when I moved back to London to start a graduate scheme — before this time, as mentioned, I had returned home for short periods between my master’s degree, travel to Australia and other jobs. I did contribute to my mum’s bills, but this was a very low amount compared to living independently. While I think I am financially responsible for myself now, even without T, there are obviously huge benefits of sharing finances with a partner.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was a paper round at age 13, and I got it because I was interested in the idea of earning my own money. My mum was so proud that after four months of doing it she asked me what I wanted most in the world — at that time it was a Sony Ericsson swivel phone (the coolest phone of the mid noughties) so she bought me one to say well done which was very sweet!
Do you worry about money now?
Overall no, I feel like I am in a very fortunate position with my savings and level of income. Generally, I aim to live below my means (because I feel like I have more than enough) while enjoying life. For me this means prioritising spending on hanging out with people I love, new experiences and travel.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
I received £1k inheritance when my grandma sadly passed away in my early twenties. My partner recently received £7k inheritance following his grandad passing.
7 a.m. — Wake up to go for a chilled run around the local harbourside. I’ve found exercising in the morning is the best way for me to make sure I actually do it. It’s finally feeling like spring so the morning runs are way more enjoyable!
7:45 a.m. — Get ready for work then have some nut granola with bananas and blueberries for breakfast with T.
8:30 a.m. — Arrive at work to start the day. I have a dream three minute walk commute at the moment which I’m trying to appreciate before the move! It also means I work from the office almost every day, which works well for me as I don’t enjoy working from home. I like the separation and have good work friends who also come into the office most days.
10:30 a.m. — Get caught in a funny conversation with colleagues about sibling fights when we were kids. One colleague mentioned throwing a brick (yes an actual brick) at his brother and looked very confused when we were all horrified.
12:30 p.m. — Pause for lunch with some colleagues. I have a sandwich with a homemade coronation chickpea mix — I make work lunches almost everyday as it saves a lot of money, feels healthier and often tastier than other options.
6 p.m. — Head home. T kindly makes dinner from a new Grubby vegan meal subscription box (pre-paid) that we are trying. Generally I only do the introductory offer because after that they get SO expensive. Tonight’s meal is Thai red curry with tofu and pak choi — I’m impressed!
7 p.m. — Head to the pub to meet some friends for a catch up on life. T and I haven’t been drinking since dry January and are loving it so far. I have so much more energy and my baseline mood is way better. It’s not forever but its helped me say no to drinking when I just don’t feel like it. A few hours pass by and its lots of fun. T kindly pays for a round of Lucky Saints.
10:45 p.m. — Bedtime!
Total: £0
7:30 a.m. — Wake up and snooze a few times before getting a shower. Have the same breakfast of granola, banana and blueberries with T.
8:30 a.m. — Arrive at work and focus on scoping a new big project focused on refreshing the organisational strategy. It will be a complex piece of work that will take up most of my time the next few months, so it’s important to scope it right.
12 p.m. — Break for lunch with a colleague. She is going through a tough health time at the moment so I try and give her some support. Have the same sandwich and coronation chickpea mix as yesterday (still delicious).
5:15 p.m. — Leave work earlier than usual and walk to a Barre class, one of my favourite types of exercise. This is pre-paid through my ClassPass subscription. I grab some factor 50+ face suncream and mist on the way as I am running low, £24.80. I generally don’t spend much on beauty but for me this is essential!
7:30 p.m. — Head home and grab a vegan Galaxy praline and hazelnut bar as a surprise for T, £3. When I get back I make us a mushroom and walnut gnocchi — Grubby delivers again! T LOVES the chocolate as it tastes just like Guylian… recommend for any vegans out there.
8 p.m. — Watch Adolescence on Netflix with T and we are HOOKED by the first episode. Stephen Graham is so great! I highly recommend. A Schitt’s Creek episode is essential after to de-stress as the episode was TENSE!
10:15 p.m. — Bedtime!
Total: £27.80
6:50 a.m. — Wake up naturally and lay in bed for a good 20 minutes before getting up. Since not drinking, I sleep much more deeply and find I wake up feeling more rested and refreshed. I didn’t even drink much before so I am so surprised about this!
8 a.m. — Another breakfast of granola, banana and blueberries with T.
8:15 a.m. — Arrive at work ready for a day of mostly meetings. I read Essentialism by Greg McKeown recently and it has inspired me to do even more to push back on unnecessary work/meetings.
12 p.m. — Eat a quick coronation chickpea sandwich between meetings.
6:15 p.m. — Leave the office after a busy afternoon and arrive home shortly after to a aubergine and pak choi rice dish with a garlic chilli sauce cooked by T. It is very good!
7 p.m. — Me and T spend some time reading through our mortgage offer which came through this week (wooo) and go back to our broker with our (many) questions. I’m sure we are being annoying but I want to make sure I understand everything. We chose a two-year fixed rate with a 25 year term, and are hoping to overpay where we can to shorten the term. It all feels very exciting!
8 p.m. — Watch another episode of Adolescence and Schitt’s Creek. We relax with some cups of tea and the dark creamy hazelnut crunch Tony’s Chocolonely bar. This is my all-time favourite vegan chocolate!
10 p.m. — Bedtime!
Total: £0
7 a.m. — Overnight the money comes out for next week’s Grubby. I have cancelled it after this as I do find it expensive, but it has been great this week and we’ll definitely do it as a treat every so often. £21.50 for my share.
7:30 a.m. — It’s PAYDAY! Put £1k into my savings and keep some other money aside for our flat survey and valuation which will be done in a couple of weeks (it will be £350 each). Budget to move another £4k from my savings account to my lifetime ISA next week. T will do this too so we can each get another £1k bonus in the new tax year.
8 a.m. — Grab a vegan almond croissant on the way to work as a Friday treat, £3.40. Me and some work friends usually alternate in buying pastries for each other on Fridays which is a cute tradition, but sadly they are both not in today so I’ll be eating it alone!
9 a.m. — A very sweet colleague makes us all jugs of sparkling water with fresh mint, lemon and limes. It very much tastes like a mojito mocktail and I am loving it.
10 a.m. — Spend longer than I should de-briefing on the Severance finale with a colleague. We both LOVED it but are hoping for more answers next season.
12 p.m. — Pop home for lunch of avocado on toast — I am lucky that I can do this now if I am ever disorganised! Grab a loaf of seeded sourdough bread on the way to have over the weekend, £4.
5:30 p.m. — Head for some drinks at a local bar as someone in another team is leaving. Buy a round for a couple of colleagues and spend a couple of hours there, £10.30. I’ve been at the company for less than a year so it’s really fun getting to know people better in these settings.
7:30 p.m. — Head home and grab me and T some pizzas and crust dippers on the way. We have a free voucher so it is a little cheaper than normal, £10 (including tip) for my half. Have a relaxed evening chatting and watching Below Deck (our guilty pleasure) and Gogglebox.
11 p.m. — Bedtime!
Total: £49.20
8:45 a.m. — Wake up after a nice long sleep. I’m heading to Southampton to stay with one of my oldest friends today so I jump straight in the shower. T runs out to grab some breakfast bits, £3.70 for my half.
9:40 a.m. — Do a typical weekend morning routine of playing records, having coffee and eating scrambled tofu and avocado on sourdough. I use the Rainbow Plant Life scrambled tofu recipe and it is honestly the BEST! Have some good chats with T — I love these mornings together!
10:20 a.m. — Head for my first solo motorway drive to Southampton — I only passed my driving test a couple of months ago (very late to the party) and am loving the independence of driving. Pick some petrol up and blast music on the way, £40.97. It is a beautiful day and drive!
12:20 p.m. — Arrive at my friend P’s and have some coffee with her and her husband H. They have two very friendly cats so I spend some time playing with them.
1 p.m. — Me and P head out for a 25km cycle in the New Forest. On the way P kindly picks up some sandwiches and a maple, walnut and banana muffins for us. We stop midway through the cycle for a couple of drinks in a pub garden in Lymington. I pay, £8.95.
7 p.m. — After a quick stop and shower at P’s, we walk to a local Indian restaurant and share tofu tikka, masala dosa, dahl, cauliflower manchurian and a pea curry with rice. P gets a cocktail and I get a mocktail. The food is delicious and we have fun catching up! We split the cost, £32 each including tip.
9 p.m. — Pop into Sainsbury’s and I buy us some sweet treats, £7. We then head back to P’s to watch a film and chill.
11:30 p.m. — Bedtime!
Total: £92.62
9:30 a.m. — Head downstairs and P and H make some coffee and a breakfast of avocado on toast. I spend more time playing with their cats!
11 a.m. — Head out to the South Downs for a short 5km hike in the countryside. It is a beautiful day and there is a 360 view of the countryside at the top of the hill. We stop for a while for a drink and a chat.
1 p.m. — Head back down the hill to a country pub where I grab us a couple of drinks and some gochujang cauliflower, £13.35. We sit in the pub garden in the sun.
1:30 p.m. — I see T has done some shopping for breakfast and lunch bits this week, £12.58 for my half.
2:30 p.m. — Head back to P’s and I pack up my stuff ready to drive back to Bristol. It has been such a fun weekend and we promise to do it more often!
4:30 p.m. — Arrive in Bristol and catch up with T who has cleaned the flat and prepped dinner — I am so grateful! I call my family and unpack.
6 p.m. — T prepares our work lunches and makes a delicious roast bowl with kale, sweet potato, tempeh cubes, roasted tomatoes, sauerkraut, and spring onion. The sauce is a mix of soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil and wholewheat mustard and is sooo good!
7 p.m. — Spend the evening relaxing with T and finishing Adolescence. A great show but very heavy topic!
10:30 p.m. — Bedtime!
Total: £25.93
7:30 a.m. — Wake up slowly and shower/ wash hair.
8:15 a.m. — Today’s breakfast is a shake made up of oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder, peanut butter, banana, frozen blueberries and oat milk. We must have had hundreds of these over the last few years but they are DELICIOUS!
8:30 a.m. — Arrive at work and spend the morning reviewing an upcoming submission to the Executive Board and providing feedback. I also prepare the onboarding for a new team member joining us tomorrow.
1:30 p.m. — Have a slightly later lunch due to getting caught in meetings. The office is quiet today so I head home via the local café to pick up some more bread, £2.20 for my half. I have a coronation chickpea sandwich prepared by T.
6:15 p.m. — Head home after a busy afternoon. Our Grubby box did not arrive today so T picks up a couple of bits on the way home and I cook us a quick breakfast dinner of guacamole and scrambled tofu on toast, £3.25 each.
7:15 p.m. — Tonight me and T are seeing Primal Scream at a local venue (luckily only a five minute walk away!). We head there early to catch the support acts and T grabs us a couple of alcohol free beers, he pays. They have so many iconic songs and it’s a really fun night!
11:15 p.m. — We are exhausted but it was worth it! Have a quick shower then head to bed.
Total: £5.45
Food & Drink: £135.23
Clothes & Beauty: £24.80
Home & Health: £0
Entertainment: £0
Travel: £40.97
Other: £0
Total: £201
Conclusion
“I would say this is a pretty typical week for me. Although the food and drink cost was high, it mainly covered spending time with T and friends and for me that is always money well spent. I think I have a good balance between enjoying life week to week while saving money for bigger spends like holidays and the MANY costs that have and will continue to come up through the flat buying process. Like I said at the start I feel grateful that my salary is good enough for me to be able to have this balance. Overall I really enjoyed the process!”
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