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 25-year-old software engineer working in London. I recently relocated from the United States for work and I often get asked by colleagues why I decided to move to the UK, considering tech salaries in the US pay almost double. Truth is, I feel more financially secure here. I’m not sure whether I’ll stay in the UK in the long run but so far I have been enjoying life across the pond!”
Occupation: Software engineer
Industry: Tech
Age: 25
Location: London
Salary: £70,000 + bonus.
Paycheque amount: £4,700 after tax and NI deductions.
Number of housemates: None
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £2,000
Loan payments: None
Savings: £250,000 in retirement and brokerage accounts between the US and the UK.
Pension? I pay 10% per month and my company matches 7%.
Utilities: £40 electricity and gas, £26 water, £106 council tax.
All other monthly payments: £11 renter’s insurance, £20 internet, £0 phone bill (I’m on a family plan). Subscriptions: £5 Patreon.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I received my bachelor’s degree in the United States, which was partially covered by external scholarships and partially by my parents.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My parents set up a bank account, college fund and retirement fund for me before I was 10. Because they were immigrants, they had to learn about the American financial system on their own. As a result, they wanted me to develop good financial habits as early as possible. I’m immensely grateful for them, and I know I would not be where I am financially without their help.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
During university I was living on campus. I spent some time back home during COVID but after graduation I moved into my own flat.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
At 21, after graduating from college, I started paying for my own living expenses. My parents and I are still very close but I would feel bad asking them for financial support.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first paid job was a summer internship in high school. I worked as a social media manager for a nonprofit.
Do you worry about money now?
I worry about retirement, budgeting and taxes, but not my day-to-day expenses.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
No.
11 a.m. — I wake up with a hangover after getting home at 2 a.m. from a friend’s party in Chelsea last night. I drink a cup of ginger tea and take out some laundry I ran the night before. Toast some sourdough and scramble an egg for brunch.
2 p.m. — I send off an email to my editor for an article I’m working on. I won’t make much from this piece but writing is more of a passion than a side gig. I tried freelancing a year ago when I was in between jobs but I found that not knowing when my next paycheque would arrive was extremely stressful. I also recently sold a story to a magazine so I check my bank account to see if the payment has arrived yet. No such luck.
4 p.m. — I was planning to go to Uniqlo today to buy a shirt but it turns out the stores in London all close at 6 p.m. on Sundays. I’ll go tomorrow after work instead.
4:30 p.m. — I’ve been procrastinating going to the gym all day so I pack up my sneakers and head to the Underground. I have the 16-25 railcard loaded on my Oyster card so I get my Underground rides for a third off the regular fare, £1.80.
4:45 p.m. — I arrive at Old Street station and head over to Shoreditch House. I recently got a Soho House membership and it’s my first time at this house so I head upstairs to check out the rooftop view. Then I head down to the fourth-floor gym where I do a round on the treadmill.
5:30 p.m. — Finish with my workout. I check out the sauna but it’s already occupied so I end up taking a shower and heading out. I consider grabbing food at one of the stalls in the Shoreditch Boxpark but I remember that I have food at home. I make a mental shopping list as I head to the Tube, £1.80.
6:30 p.m. — On my walk back, I catch a glance at a Nigerian takeaway. I can’t help myself — I order an oxtail bowl to go, £12.50. Back in my flat, I dig in. The meat melts right off the bone. Five stars.
8 p.m. — I make myself a cup of tea and figure out my taxes. It’s my first year working in London so I’m trying to figure out whether to go with the foreign tax credit (FTC) or the foreign earned income exclusion. The latter is less work but it means I have to deal with a higher tax percentage. Apparently I have 10 years to backfile for the FTC, so I procrastinate on making the decision.
10 p.m. — I have a Mandarin lesson tomorrow morning so I prepare for an early bedtime: skincare, meditation, phone off, lights out.
Total: £16.10
7:30 a.m. — After my fourth alarm, I roll out of bed with 30 minutes to spare. Before class I toast some sourdough bread with butter and fry a piece of sausage. I also make some instant coffee with sweet condensed milk. On my last trip to Cambridge, a friend and I had the most amazing Vietnamese iced coffee and I’ve been obsessed ever since.
9 a.m. — I take Mandarin lessons twice a week through a Shanghai-based programme. The 1:1 classes are pricier than the group classes but I’m able to get the courses expensed through my company. Even though I’m Chinese by ethnicity, my parents didn’t speak Mandarin at home so I never properly learned the language. Fortunately, I feel like my Mandarin has improved since I started the classes.
10 a.m. — I spend some time looking at flights and hotels for an upcoming work trip to Seattle. I’ve been collecting points across different airlines and I had the idea of spending them on a longer stay in the city after the trip. I also have a vacation planned to Japan so I’m trying to see what options are best for maximising my points. I contemplate whether it’s worth paying extra to stay in the city centre.
11 a.m. — I finally start work. My office has a hybrid schedule so I only go into the office three days a week. I spend an hour catching up on emails.
12:30 p.m. — Lunchtime. I boil a pot of water and make curry laksa with some leftover Korean sweet potato noodles. I add in a soft-boiled egg for good measure. I have a bad habit of not scheduling time to eat when I work from home — I usually end up inhaling my meals with my eyes glued to a monitor. I make an effort to switch off my phone and enjoy my lunch in peace.
3 p.m. — I take a break and wash up the dishes from lunch.
5 p.m. — I fry up some kimchi pancakes and put on a cup of sencha along with some rice crackers. Girl dinner. I watch the time as I tune into my last meeting of the day since I’m double-booked. Our team works with Americans so I’m frequently taking evening work calls.
6:30 p.m. — I sign off from work, pull on a jumper and a pair of jeans, and rush to the Underground, £1.80.
7 p.m. — Arrive in Leicester Square just on time. After I saw a girl on TikTok wearing a Uniqlo rayon blouse, I just knew I needed the fit. I end up buying the shirt and successfully resisting the temptation to buy anything else, £29.90.
7:30 p.m. — Since I’m nearby, I head over to Chinatown Bakery, where I grab the last pineapple bun, £4.50. I then go to Xing Long Men to stock up on my favourite congee toppings (fried gluten and pickled lettuce hearts) and a bag of spicy wheat chips, £11.06. I also grab a box of Lipton Hong Kong-style milk tea and stop by Monga for their legendary popcorn chicken, £14.59.
8 p.m. — Back on the Tube, £1.80.
9 p.m. — Home at last! I hop into the shower then get ready for bed.
Total: £63.65
8:30 a.m. — I wake up and make a quick breakfast: toasted sourdough, tomatoes, tea and milk. I pull the trigger and book the hotel in Seattle, £400.
10 a.m. — Today I’m giving a presentation on a project that I’ve been working on at our team all-hands. It goes well and there’s some interest from the other engineers. My tech lead catches me in the hall afterward to give me a rundown on some changes in the roadmap.
12 p.m. — I grab lunch at the office with a coworker who recently started at the company. We chat about his experience moving to London.
1 p.m. — Coding…
3 p.m. — I grab a handful of rice crackers and nuts from the snack kitchen and resume coding.
4 p.m. — I head to the work gym and do a quick cardio circuit followed by lower body weights.
7 p.m. — I consider getting dinner at the office but I end up walking home instead. Some days I can’t make myself stay at the office any longer than I have to. I heat up some butternut squash ravioli and crack open an IPA (I got a free case in a promotion). The IPA ends up being a mistake — I’m more of a lager girl.
10 p.m. — I call my dad and tell him about my upcoming travel plans.
11:50 p.m. — After scrolling through social media, I finally get ready for bed. I do my usual skincare routine, pop a melatonin and pass out.
Total: £400
8:30 a.m. — I wake up on time for my therapy appointment. No time for breakfast so I make a quick cup of my favourite instant kopi (Delizio Caffino Kopi Latte Premium) and get ready for the meeting.
9 a.m. — My therapist and I have been meeting virtually for the last few months. We check in on our usual topics: anxiety, social situations and mindfulness. I tell him about a Sabrina Brier TikTok I saw recently and how I always feel like I need to be in control (it’s related to the video). Our sessions are expensed through work.
10 a.m. — Because I’m completely dependent on caffeine to function, I make a cup of matcha and head off to work.
11 a.m. — I have a meeting with my manager, who tells me about an upcoming re-org. That includes our reporting line so I’ll be changing managers for the third time this year.
12 p.m. — I grab lunch in the office with one of the other teams on our floor. Today they’re serving Greek. One of my teammates is getting married soon so our conversation turns to weddings.
1 p.m. — A couple of representatives from a nonprofit are in the office today to talk about a volunteer trip to build schools in Cape Town. I’ve always had a weird feeling about these kinds of trips — I’ve read critiques about how some nonprofit organisations send unskilled volunteers to build shoddy structures that have to be rebuilt by locals. But part of the programme involves raising funds, which go toward communities in Cape Town, and the project seems like more of a way to keep donors committed to the cause.
2 p.m. — After a quick coffee break, I return to work.
6:30 p.m. — I decide to stick around for dinner. The kitchen staff usually prepare whatever they have left at the end of the day. Today it’s courgette soup, plus a couple of Indian-inspired curries and rice. I scarf down some food then walk back home.
7:30 p.m. — I say hi to my neighbour, walk upstairs and collapse on my couch. I call my friend, who also works in tech, and we chat about going to Spain for Christmas break. She sounds excited!
9 p.m. — Shower and bedtime.
Total: £0
8 a.m. — I wouldn’t ordinarily wake up early on a Thursday but someone from our team in Switzerland scheduled a call. Come to think of it, we totally could have rescheduled for later in the day. I’m kicking myself.
9 a.m. — I make myself a cup of kopi and heat a Chinese sausage. I scarf down breakfast and head off to work.
11 a.m. — At the team meeting we talk about cutting down the number of meetings we have each week.
12:30 p.m. — I grab lunch with my team. All anyone can talk about are their travel plans: Switzerland, Denmark, Morocco. Seattle is not as exotic as Marrakesh and the weather forecast predicts it’ll be raining all week, but I’m happy to be back in the States for a bit.
2 p.m. — After a quick coffee break, it’s back to work. I’m finishing up slides for a presentation I’m giving later.
4 p.m. — I head to the office library for some heads-down work time. I grab some granola to snack on.
6 p.m. — Pack up my things and head to the Tube, £1.80.
7 p.m. — I’m attending a talk at MagCulture, a bookstore dedicated to independent magazines. The speakers are magazine editors from Paris who run a design and photography-focused journal. I don’t entirely understand the oeuvre of design but I appreciate how they talk about their work. I grab the latest issue of the magazine on my way out, £20.
7:45 p.m. — Back on the Tube, £1.80.
8 p.m. — On my walk home from the station, I stop by Oseyo to pick up some groceries. I’ve been craving Japanese food, probably from all the research I’ve been doing for my trip to Japan. I pick up some sausages, bonito flakes, Kewpie mayo and croquettes, £24.93.
9 p.m. — I take a shower, then settle into bed.
Total: £48.53
7 a.m. — Another early morning. At this rate I might as well become a morning person. I spend the hour before my Mandarin class reviewing vocab.
8 a.m. — My instructor and I talk about idioms. I get the words for gallbladder (dǎn) and worried (dān) mixed up. She tells me the former means bravery and I tell her about Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS album.
9 a.m. — I make some porridge for breakfast and start work. I have some software to update so I spend half an hour rebooting my laptop.
12 p.m. — Lunchtime. I thought about going into work today because they’re serving lamb. I end up preparing some soba and a Chinese sausage, along with a cup of milk tea.
1 p.m. — I try to get some work done but my mind is all over the place. I alternate compiling code and packing for Seattle.
5 p.m. — Fridays are no-meeting days and I’m feeling a little stir-crazy after staying home all morning. There’s still some daylight left so I decide to head to Covent Garden to do some shopping, £1.80.
6 p.m. — I head to & Other Stories. I love their new line of jumpers. I wish more stores would carry V-necks — turtlenecks and round necks don’t look flattering when you have wide shoulders like me. I also pick up a T-shirt, £145.
7 p.m. — I’m near the office so I head in for a quick workout: 30 minutes cardio on a stationary bike, then arms.
8 p.m. — I grab a soy Greek yoghurt on my way out, then head back home. I need to finish packing for tomorrow, £1.80.
11:59 p.m. — Finally finished with packing. I take a melatonin and pass out.
Total: £148.60
7:30 a.m. — I set my alarm way too early. I’m scared of waking up late, thanks to a traumatic experience from my teens when I missed a flight. Oh, younger, dumber days. Fortunately I no longer need to pull all-nighters for early-morning flights.
8 a.m. — I make an iced coffee to go. I triple-check that I have my door keys, then rush outside to catch my Uber. I booked the car on my corporate account — since this is a work trip, I get rides to the airport expensed.
10:30 a.m. — After a breezy security line, I check into the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and find a seat as far from the entrance as possible. I order a hot salmon kedgeree and a lemon prebiotic soda. I also pick up a complimentary Vanity Fair and fantasise about red carpets.
11:30 a.m. — Boarding time! I successfully find my window seat. I opt for the welcome champagne and browse through the airline magazines.
1:30 p.m. — Hot towels arrive, which means it’s almost lunchtime. I order the arancini and spinach goat cheese tortellini. It ends up being much better than the chickpea curry I had on my last flight with Virgin Atlantic. I finish off the meal with a rich chocolate mousse.
3 p.m. — I spend the next few hours watching Slumdog Millionaire and Dumb Money, then doze off.
6:30 p.m. — It’s about dinnertime back in London so I order a Beyond Meat burger. The bun is a little dry but the patty is good.
10 p.m. — We arrive in Seattle, where the local time is 3 p.m. Customs is a breeze with Global Entry. I consider taking the light rail but since my company is paying, I opt for an Uber to downtown Seattle.
12 a.m. — I check into my hotel. I’ve got a couple more hours of daylight to explore Seattle but I’m far too jet lagged. I drop off my stuff, take a quick shower and crash.
Total: £0
“This was an unusual week of spending for me, given all of the travel. Since moving to the UK, I have felt inclined to make use of my relative proximity to Europe but my work schedule tends to be unpredictable. It’s been a struggle, balancing work and my personal life, but I’ve been making strides, going to therapy and trying to prioritise my health more. That being said, I could cut back on the caffeine.”
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Money Diary: A Civil Servant On £69,727
Money Diary: Senior Marketing Data Analyst On 40k
Money Diary: A Programme Manager On £40,000
