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 33-year-old teacher living in Wales. I wrote a Money Diary 18 months ago when I had just purchased my house and had been on one or two dates with R. I now live with him and rent my house out. We live with his/our friend and our two dogs. I currently don’t pay anything towards housing or utilities with R, which I know puts me in a really lucky situation. I now drive almost an hour to work, which costs me about £250 a month in petrol. R’s utility costs haven’t gone up since I moved in (yet?). This means we are waiting to see if the bills do go up, but so far my presence doesn’t seem to be adding much to the running costs of things! We have agreed to this arrangement for now. If our friend were to move out, we would need to reassess and split things between the two of us. At the moment, his rent covers the costs of the utilities and R is mortgage free, so me living there isn’t costing him anything extra. I rent my house out through an agency, so they take a percentage of the rent in return for handling everything which works well so far! Everything is still quite new so we are seeing how it all goes. I haven’t managed to rebuild my savings since buying the house and I also had to spend several thousands of pounds on making the house legal for renting, so my current money goal is to get some savings back together. I’m very keen on money management, and enjoy looking for ways to be savvy. I’m also currently in the process of leaving teaching and moving into the charity sector.”
Occupation: Teacher
Industry: Education
Age: 33
Location: Wales
Salary: £43,000
Paycheque Amount: £2,620.36 salary + £598 rent payment (if any maintenance work needs to be done on the house, this amount will be lower to reflect paying for this. For example, this month I only received £310 because of the jobs that had been done.)
Number of housemates: Two humans (R and P) and two dogs.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £678.77 mortgage for my house (not the house I’m living in!).
Loan payments: £225 repayment on credit card. This has £1,300 on it and will be paid off in the next few months.
Savings?: £0
Utilities: £0
Pension?: Yes, I pay 8.6% which is £327.78. I think the employer contribution is also quite good, but I don’t know what it is.
All other monthly payments: £8 SIM-only phone, £31.05 car insurance, £56.13 landlord insurance, £37.91 life insurance and critical health cover, £15.67 teacher union membership, £15.75 car tax. Subscriptions: £24.10 To Be Magnetic membership, £97 dog food delivery (R and I pay half each).
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, my BA was paid for with a student loan and maintenance grant. I was awarded a scholarship for my MA and a bursary for my PGCE. My family were not in a position to help with any costs of going to uni, so I always had jobs — sometimes multiple jobs — throughout my studies to fund living costs.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
As I wrote about in my previous diary, my family had some serious money drama as I was growing up, but my mum did everything she could to hide it from me and my siblings! There was always talk of there not being enough money, but I didn’t know it was as serious as it was until I became an adult. I don’t remember any kind of “education” at home or school about finances other than that borrowing money was bad. I now understand this is because my parents were in serious debt from poorly managed borrowing. It has taken a lot of learning and convincing for me to feel okay using a credit card (I’ve even found a 0% interest card).
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out for uni but then back and forth a few times between university courses/rentals/relationships ending!
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
Initially I would say when I went to uni, although I have been supported by my mum several times when she has kindly let me live with her and refused rent. I’m not sure whether I would call myself financially independent or not with my current living situation. I pay for and handle all of my own finances and everything to do with my own house/car/day to day spending, but the house I actually live in is completely handled by R?
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked in retail jobs throughout my teenage years, beginning with going to work with my dad to clean. I wanted money to pay for the bus into town and to buy clothes and CDs.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes, all the time, especially with my current career move. Leaving a very stable and steady income feels risky and I’ve had to do quite a lot of work around taking this leap! I have worked really hard on overcoming a scarcity mindset when it comes to money. Having grown up in a family always concerned that there wouldn’t be enough, I took this on for a long time and I am finally trying to accept that I earn well and own a house and have a financially stable partner! I would never want to rely on someone else entirely in terms of finances, but knowing that the people who love you are in a position to help you if something were to happen is really reassuring. This isn’t something I grew up with and it takes some getting used to. I worry about the future in terms of having children, and have been reading a lot about maternity pay policies lately as more and more of my friends have babies.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
£3,000 from my mum towards my house deposit. This is my future inheritance and the same was given to my siblings when my mum downsized after divorcing my dad.
6:15 a.m. — Wake up and leave R sleeping. Head downstairs, empty the dishwasher, feed the dogs. Make a breakfast of a fried egg, dry sourdough, spinach and a big cup of tea.
6:45 a.m. — Shower, skincare, get dressed and make a second tea for the drive to work.
8:35 a.m. — Lessons!
12:35 p.m. — Lunch time. Eat the salad I brought with me from home. I have cover arranged for my last two lessons of the day because I have interview with an educational charity. It’s an online interview so my plan was to go home to “attend”. However, in a bid to save money P has arranged an internet provider swap (a week ago) that still isn’t working. So, I drive to my mum’s house to use her internet. They are away on holiday, so I stop on the way to buy milk so I can have a cup of tea before the interview, £1.23.
3 p.m. — Interview done. Sweating all over. Absolutely no idea how it went. Will find out if I made it to the second round of interviews by the end of the week.
4 p.m. — Head home and read my library book (new hack for saving money! I used to buy a LOT of books). Put some jacket potatoes in the oven for my lunches for the next couple of days.
6 p.m. — R arrives home from work having picked up the dogs from doggy daycare en route. I feed the dogs and make peanut-y noodles with lots of vegetables for the humans. Decaf tea and a few squares of chocolate for pudding.
7 p.m. — Skincare and PJs on. More reading of my book (Boy Parts by Eliza Clark) with more decaf tea.
8 p.m. — Chat with R and decide to book tennis courts on Friday after work, £5 each.
9 p.m. — Head up to bed and read until 10 p.m. before lights out.
Total: £6.23
6 a.m. — Wake up and get ready quickly, drink a berry and peanut butter smoothie I prepped yesterday and a cup of tea.
6:30 a.m. — Drive to Pilates class. I already booked my classes for the week and paid at the time.
8 a.m. — Finish class, quickly change and head straight into an 8.20 a.m. meeting before form time and lessons.
10:55 a.m. — Today we are interviewing for my replacement teacher. I observe the lesson and give my feedback.
12:35 p.m. — Lunch! Eat my jacket potato, beans and cheese with some salad. Another cup of tea and finish my book.
4:15 p.m. — Finish after school meeting and drive to my brother’s house for a catch up.
6 p.m. — Arrive home to R making breakfast for dinner (fave).
8 p.m. — I spend some time clearing out my wardrobe. R kindly delivers a decaf tea. Skincare done, PJs on.
10 p.m. — Quickly stir up some overnight oats for tomorrow’s breakfast while R takes the dogs out and then bedtime!
Total: £0
6:15 a.m. — Wake up, leave R sleeping and head downstairs and do the usual dishwasher emptying and dog feeding. Eat my oats topped with banana and peanut butter.
6:45 a.m. — Back upstairs, skincare routine and get dressed.
7 a.m. — Post some bits on Vinted that I sorted in my clear out last night. End up leaving for school later than I should as I get carried away with this! Decide to “bump” one of my items, £1.
8:15 a.m. — Arrive at school and have lessons all morning. I also receive an email to say I didn’t get through to the next round of interviews for the job I went for. Lovely email though, with some helpful feedback for other positions I am applying for.
12:35 a.m. — Lunchtime. Eat my jacket potato and read Money Diaries on my phone in the staffroom.
3:15 p.m. — Finish lessons and leave school. Go to the library to return my books and swap for a new one (Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano) and order a few more that I have my eye on (Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange and The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and Pamela Anderson’s autobiography which is meant to be great). I also go to the charity shop to donate some other bits from my clear out.
4:15 p.m. — Arrive home and make a cup of tea. Consider what I can make for my lunch tomorrow as we have ran out of most lunch-type things. Spend some more time sorting wardrobe bits.
6 p.m. — Make salmon, rice and pak choi with sesame seeds, chill sauce and soy sauce for dinner. I also make a smoothie for tomorrow morning, defrost some sourdough and boil some eggs to make a sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch. Feed the dogs.
7 p.m. — Full skincare (six steps currently) and pyjamas. R manages something with his hotspot and the TV and we watch The Idea of You on Prime. Great noughties romcom vibe.
10 p.m. — Bed.
Total: £1
5:45 a.m. — Early wake up for yoga this morning (already paid for). Do my skincare and throw my yoga clothes on. Feed one of the dogs, the other refuses to rise at this hour. Have my smoothie and tea and jump in the car.
8 a.m. — Finish yoga and head to work via Tesco where I fill up the car ahead of a long drive this weekend, £45 (it wasn’t completely empty). I also buy a single serve prosecco bottle and card as a little congratulations for a colleague who has had some good news. These are on an offer, so I end up buying four. I don’t like to drink much but it is a lovely treat to have in the fridge for when the fancy might take me, £7.50.
8:15 a.m. — Get changed and make a cup of tea when I arrive at work. Consider eating my egg sandwich now but manage not to.
3 p.m. — School day passes in a blur of lessons and prep.
4:15 p.m. — Arrive home and unpack my school bits and get changed. I have sold the item I “bumped” on Vinted so I package it up ready to send tomorrow morning. Feed the dogs early as we might be out past their usual dinner time.
4:45 p.m. — Walk to the tennis courts for our 5 p.m. booking. Play a hilariously bad game of tennis.
6 p.m. — Go for a glass of wine on the way home, T pays.
7 p.m. — Get home and put a pizza in the oven and make a salad to go with it. Get a notification that another of my Vinted items have sold. Package read to send.
10 p.m. — Bedtime.
Total: £52.50
7 a.m. — Wake up and head down to make cups of tea, play with the dogs and feed them. Bring tea back up to bed and chat with R/read my book.
7:45 a.m. — Eat some Weetabix and a banana.
9:30 a.m. — Shower, skincare and get dressed. Drive over to my mum’s house with R, stop on the way to post my Vinted parcel. Catch up about their holiday and drink another coffee.
11:30 a.m. — While at my mum’s she tells us about a great secondhand house clearance place nearby. We are looking for pots for the garden so we head over there and find a few pots, a lovely watering can and a plant. Haggle to £25, £12.50 for my half.
12:30 p.m. — Head home and decide to go to a nearby café for lunch. I get a tuna salad sandwich and R gets quiche of the day, which turns out to be tiny. I pay, £20.95.
2 p.m. — R and I do our own thing for a few hours, I potter in the garden. Not sure what he does!
5 p.m. — R heads over to help his parents and my brother drops off his son to be babysat for a few hours.
7 p.m. — R returns with a curry. We get one portion of chicken bhuna, one rice and one naan and split the lot. R pays.
9 p.m. — My brother collects the baby and stays for a chat. When they leave, we head to bed.
Total: £33.45
6 a.m. — Wake up, shower and get ready. Eat some Weetabix, a lemon and ginger juice and a cup of tea.
6:45 a.m. — Load car, kiss R and the dogs goodbye and set off to drive to Manchester to visit friends.
12 p.m. — Arrive and catch up with everyone.
2 p.m. — Head out to our favourite food spot and order most of the lunch menu to share between us! Have a small glass of wine, £28 for my share.
3 p.m. — There’s a beer festival on so we stay for another drink outside. I get a medium-sized glass of wine for £10 and my jaw hits the floor.
4:30 p.m. — Lots of tea and biscuits and baby cuddles back at my friends house. People start heading off in dribs and drabs until it is just me and my friend, her husband and baby.
6 p.m. — Veggie shepherd’s pie for dinner!
9 p.m. — Early to bed, read and phone R for a catch up on his day.
Total: £38
7 a.m. — Wake up and lie in bed for a little while scrolling Vinted. Find a dress and shorts from the same seller than I really like, £6 for both.
9 a.m. — Eat some porridge and head for a walk around the park.
11 a.m. — Wander around the shops and buy a few pots for my plants, £15. I also treat my friend to tea and cake from the garden centre/café, £10.
1 p.m. — We head back and have some lunch, my friend makes a lovely salad with homemade bread.
3 p.m. — Say my goodbyes and start the journey back. Stop halfway and get a veggie wrap from McDonald’s with a cup of tea and some fries, £5.19.
8 p.m. — Arrive home a bit wrung out from a tiring journey. Catch up with R and the dogs and head to bed!
Total: £36.59
Food & Drink: £82.87
Clothes & Beauty: £6
Home & Health: £32.50
Entertainment: £5.00
Travel: £45
Other: £1
Total: £167.37
Conclusion
“Compared to my last diary, this week has been a much more accurate picture of my spending, as I had just moved last time! In the week my spending is minimal as we tend to food shop and plan things out quite well, meaning there are less little top up spends for things. The trip to Manchester was more spendy that I would usually be on a regular weekend I guess, but with me being off on break I do tend to eat out/do more things that cost money. Overall, I feel quite pleased with the results of the diary and feel quite on top of things!”
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