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.
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This week: “I’m a 30-year-old marketing manager living in London and working in the tech industry. I’ve lived here for 12 years, after coming down for university. I’m originally from Yorkshire and like to go home a lot to see friends and family. I’m currently single and live with my friend, S. I love living with her and we have so much fun together. I’m a pretty social person and enjoy a balance of feeling busy and needing my time to myself. Money wise, I got myself into a bit of a silly position with credit cards in my twenties which I’m still trying to pay off, but I like to think I can do that sensibly and still have a life. I currently have about £7k on a credit card, down from a total of £14k around three years ago, so I feel like I’m doing a good job at paying that off. Work is kind of strange for me at the moment as it is for a lot of people working in tech. We’re being hit with rounds of redundancies, which is causing a lot of stress where I would usually say my job is fairly chilled.”
Occupation: Marketing manager
Industry: Travel technology
Age: 30
Location: London
Salary: £77,000 (+ £8.5k travel allowance which gets added to my salary)
Paycheque Amount: £4,095.03
Number of housemates: One, my friend S.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £1,250
Loan payments: £407 taken out for student loan, although I haven’t checked that in a while and that seems insanely high! I also pay £800 a month to pay off my credit card.
Savings: £11,612 in a Help to Buy ISA and £2,437.66 in a Stocks and Shares ISA which I contribute £200 a month to each. I also have about £800 in a company stocks and shares plan, which I contribute to each month via salary sacrifice — I use this for holidays, weddings, hen-dos etc.
Pension?: I salary sacrifice 6% and my company matches this, I’m also in the process of amalgamating all my previous pensions with PensionBee. I would highly recommend this and it is a female-founded company. I have around £30k in there from a previous job.
Utilities: All bills included in my rent.
All other monthly payments: £18 phone bill, £80 gym membership but I can claim some of this back through work — they give us a wellness allowance of £700 a year. Subscriptions: £25 The Times subscription, £5.99 Netflix, £8.99 Amazon Prime, £11.99 Spotify Premium and £7 for the New Yorker.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I went to uni in London, I had student loans and maintenance grants to cover costs. I qualified for grants due to my household income but still had a weekend job in retail for the three years to cover the fun stuff.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
Money wasn’t really spoken about, but I know we didn’t have a lot of it. My mum was a teacher and my dad was a builder who was mostly out of work post-2008. I remember a couple of scary occasions where bailiffs were threatened. It wasn’t all bleak, there was still the occasional family holiday and my parents sacrificed a lot to put me and my brother into as many sports teams as they could. It has also taught me to be able to do a thrifty food shop! I do wish we’d had a bit more education on money literacy. I feel like my upbringing should have made me more of a cautious spender but I think turning 18 and having access to money through student loans and then the offer of a credit card got the better of me.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents/guardians house?
I moved out for uni when I was 18, and only really went back for holidays after that.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
When I moved out at 18, I was responsible for myself.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I got a pot-washer job in the local pub at 14, which paid £4 an hour. I managed to convince one of the waitresses to switch jobs with me so I could earn more through tips. The pub owners didn’t even notice, I mostly spent the money in Topshop (RIP) or hanging out with friends on the weekend.
Do you worry about money now?
I do. I’m annoyed at myself for getting into a bit of a mess with credit cards when I did. But I’m really proud of how much I’ve paid off so far and I earn a good salary and feel proud of that too. If you had told 18-year-old me how much I currently earn she wouldn’t believe you! This year feels more of a struggle just because I’m really hitting peak wedding season and they really add up when you’re single with no one to split the cost with. But I’m never going to be 30 and single in a city with my friends again, so I like to think I make the most of it.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
I received £7,000 when my grandma passed away in 2018 — I put half into my Help to Buy ISA and spent half travelling Central America.
Day One
7 a.m. — Wake-up and I’m hungover. It was only a Wednesday night dinner but it turned out to be an early birthday surprise from a friend so it was actually a wine-tasting evening (they were not tasting pours!).
8 a.m. — Drag myself out of bed after some TikTok time. I create social media content for the company I work for so I like to pretend it’s industry research. Make coffee, and then fancy breakfast of crispy potatoes, fried egg, avo and some pickled red cabbage and start to feel more human.
9:30 a.m. — I’m working from home today, so it is a nice and easy shuffle to my desk. Work is kind of a weird vibe at the minute as they just did a big round of redundancies. I’m safe, which is great for now, but it still feels a bit icky.
11 a.m. — A friend who lives around the corner messages about a mid-morning walk — the sun is shining and I can’t say no. I meet up with her and her very cute dog, who hates me which makes me really sad but I’ve been trying to win his affection over with treats. We do a 30-minute loop of the park and I decide a proper coffee and some banana bread is needed, £7.30.
1 p.m. — Do a few more hours of work and then decide it’s too nice outside so I head out on a run. I do 7km Tempo run with Runna — I’m training for a half marathon soon.
1:45 p.m. — Run was not great — I was definitely too hungover for that.
2 p.m. — Have a speedy shower and then heat up some red pepper and tomato soup I made at the start of the week. Crack on with emails before afternoon meetings kick off.
6 p.m. — I can’t say it was an overly strenuous work day, but still very pleased it’s over! Heat up some fish pie I pulled out the freezer and settle in for some TV — loving High Potential on Disney at the minute.
9 p.m. — One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to get my sleep hygiene up to scratch, which means I try to go to bed at 9 p.m. Tidy my space, do not disturb on, do skincare and then read my book until I fall asleep.
Total: £7.30
Day Two
7:30 a.m. — Wake up, do the NYT puzzles and have coffee in bed. Check my online banking and £9.95 has come out for Estrid — reminds me that I need to cancel it, no one shaves that much.
8:45 a.m. — Out of bed, throw some gym clothes on and head to a strength class. I do a strength class once a week and I love it. My hips have been hurting a bit from the running, so I take it easy but still worth it.
10 a.m. — Back from the gym, showered and ready to work. A fish delivery arrives, which I ordered a few weeks ago. I started ordering from an online sustainable option a few years ago and now I can’t go back. I split the smoked salmon to freeze some and eat some now, then freeze the rest to use over the month.
12 p.m. — Finish work for the morning. Work isn’t too busy but with a reduced team I’m having to make a lot of decisions I don’t feel qualified for which is taking a bit of a toll. Walk to a local bakery who do sandwiches on a Friday and get a roast chicken sandwich about the size of my head. I stop at the corner shop on the way home for two Coke Zeroes and a packet of crisps. Perch on our front stoop and share with my housemate S, so £6.14 for my share of lunch.
2 p.m. — Work is just not working today — make a tea and procrastinate by making a packing list for a weekend away to Galway I have next week. I’m determined to get everything into the little under-seat bag and not have to pay any extra!
3:30 p.m. — Meet a friend in the park for a quick lap and a coffee, £3.30 for a decaf cortado. We walk to my local high street so I can collect a T-shirt from the dry cleaners. I get men’s tee’s and have them shortened to give me a perfect boxy tee. I’d pre-paid for the alternation, so nothing to pay now.
5:30 p.m. — Work is done for the day! I cannot wait for a crispy cold pint! Quickly get ready and wear my newly shortened tee and head to the pub to meet some friends, £6.30 for a pint that hits the spot.
8:30 p.m. — We head to a Mexican restaurant which is such a fun vibe, £30 for my share of margs and tostadas.
10:30 p.m. — The margs have kicked in and we fancy a little boogie so we head to a bar we’ve been wanting to try. We get there and feel like we’ve interrupted a freshers event — are we old?! Embarrassingly dance for a bit and my friend kindly buys me another beer.
11:30 p.m. — We can’t take that place anymore so find a late-night pub for one final drink. I get a round, £9.75.
12:30 a.m. — Home time, share an Uber with a friend who lives close by, £11.20 for my share. Sleep — definitely not a sleep routine kind of night!
Total: £76.64
Day Three
7 a.m. — Wake up feeling a little fragile but nothing a big coffee won’t fix. There was supposed to be an 11km run planned this morning but my hip is still not right so I’m not sure that’s happening. See that TFL has come out for yesterday, £9.85.
10:15 a.m. — Make myself a breakfast bagel and head out to the hairdressers. I can walk there as it’s only down the road.
12 p.m. — Finish at the hairdressers, £57 for a cut and blow dry. Chat to my colourist about my next booking whilst I’m there. I’m thinking it’s time to consider hiding some of these pesky greys.
12:15 p.m. — Walk home via the farmer’s market in the park, get some sourdough and veggies which comes to £9.70. At home I make a snack plate for lunch with the farmers market goodies and some of the smoked salmon.
2 p.m. — Head out to a friend’s birthday. He’s picked an outdoor space where we can sit in the sun but also watch the rugby. I get a pint, £6.90. A friend kindly gets me the next one.
5 p.m. — Go onto a pub nearby as it starts to cool down and we’re getting hungry. I get another pint for myself and my friend and a chicken burger, £35.50.
8 p.m. — Decide to call it a night. The thought of a tea at home is too tempting. Stop by the shops for a little sweet treat, £1.20 for a Maltesers bunny and an M&M bunny.
10 p.m. — Head to bed after a few episodes of Drive To Survive, read my book for a while before lights out.
Total: £120.15
Day Four
8 a.m. — Leisurely wake-up, NYT puzzles and some reading in bed.
10 a.m. — Grab some avo on toast and head to the lido to meet a friend. I love living in a city, but it is crazy that I’m on the tube for an hour to get there.
11:15 a.m. — Arrive at the Lido, £8 for a swim. Totally underestimated how cold it would still be. I manage two lengths and then have to get out and let myself thaw.
12 p.m. — Head to a nearby bakery for a coffee and a bun, I get orange blossom, almond and raisin and it’s maybe the best bun of my life, £7.45. We sit in the park to eat them in the sunshine. She’s going on a big trip to Costa Rica in a few weeks so tells me all about it and it makes me itch for a holiday.
1:45 p.m. — Back on the Tube home, I stop by the shops to do my weekly food shop. I pick two recipes a week and just follow that as it seems to help my food waste. This week it’s tahini chicken chilli and herby hake fillets with new potatoes and veggies — I hit Lidl and Sainsbury’s, £25.20 total.
3 p.m. — Home and stick on the rugby with a little snack plate with the same bits from yesterday.
5 p.m. — I was due to have a Hinge date this evening but it doesn’t look like it’s materialising. Honestly what is the point in Hinge? Always underwhelming.
6 p.m. — Cook the tahini chicken chilli, what was supposed to be a quick 20-minute recipe somehow manages to take an hour, but so worth it. It is delicious and it’s made me about four portions which I portion up and put into the freezer. Watch some Drive To Survive and finish the evening with a hot chocolate.
8 p.m. — Said Hinge date crawls out of the woodwork with a very lame apology — snooze you lose, bud.
9:30 p.m. — Sleep routine, ready for Monday!
Total: £40.65
Day Five
7:30 a.m. — Wake-up, do NYT puzzles and have a herbal tea in bed. Check a few work messages and emails. TFL has come out for yesterday, £6.20.
8:30 a.m. — Get ready for the gym. My hip is still giving me grief so I decide to do an extra strength class this week. Talk to the trainer at the gym and turns out they do some strength sessions especially for runners, so I book onto that for next week.
10:10 a.m. — Home, showered and crack on with some emails and urgent work bits.
10:30 a.m. — Make breakfast of rye bread, avocado and the final bit of my smoked salmon. Prep breakfasts for the next two days in the office and pull black bean soup and a pita out the freezer for lunch, as well as my hake fillets for dinner.
11:30 a.m. — Check my personal emails for a minute and see I have a refund from Student Finance coming in, £110 thank you very much! I saw a girl talk about it on TikTok and thought I would give it a go, really pleased it worked. Will put that into my weddings and hens pot when it comes in. I have three weddings and two hen-do’s this summer and they are really starting to add up!
1:30 p.m. — Lunch time, heat up the black bean soup and make a sort of makeshift quesadilla with the wholemeal pita and some cheddar. Realise the sourdough I bought over the weekend is looking pretty solid, slice up the remaining and whack it in the freezer to avoid wasting it.
3 p.m. — Afternoon break. Have an apple, tea and find some biscuits in the back of the cupboard. A colleague is turning 50 next month so I contribute £10 to her birthday fund.
6 p.m. — Finish work for the day, change and then do an online yoga class. I started doing them in lockdown but kept them up because it works out so much cheaper than going to an in-person class.
7:30 p.m. — Prep herb-crusted hake fillet for dinner, with roasted new potatoes, broccoli and a tarragon mayo — so good!
9:30 p.m. — Finish the night watching the next episode of White Lotus, sleep routine, lights out.
Total: £16.20
Day Six
6:30 a.m. — Wake up, TFL has come out for yesterday, £4.10. I set my alarm early to go for a run before work but ended up hitting snooze. I’m terrible at a pre-work workout, but don’t beat myself up about it too much. Probably better to rest the hip anyway right?!
7 a.m. — Actually get up, coffee, hair wash day and get ready. I pre-plan outfits for office days so I don’t have to think about it too much and pack my breakfast and lunch.
8:45 a.m. — Commute into work, stop by Boots on my way and pick up an eye cream I’ve run out of, £14.
9:30 a.m. — Arrive at the office. Spend the morning getting slightly stressed trying to figure out a campaign we don’t have enough resources to complete. These are grown-up decisions I don’t feel grown-up enough for.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch! Brought my soup in, so head to M&S to get a bread roll, butter and a pack of apples, £6.75.
6:30 p.m. — The afternoon ends up being a whirlwind of tasks and a lot of people expecting answers from me. It all gets a bit much and I have a small cry in the loo. Because corporate baddies have feelings too. Brush it off and slam the laptop shut.
7 p.m. — Work drinks. We put these in for the people left after the redundancies. It is really nice to chat to the team as it’s been a really hard few weeks, but it’s bonded us. Have a lime and soda and two alcohol free pale ales, £15.80.
10 p.m. — Head back on the tube with some colleagues that live my direction.
11 p.m. — Air fry the other hake fillet for a late dinner, a strange choice as a post-pub dinner but it’s tasty and would otherwise go to waste.
11:20 p.m. — Quickest nighttime routine ever and lights out!
Total: £40.65
Day Seven
7:30 p.m. — It’s my birthday! 31 today! Wake up to a living room full of balloons and my housemate S has made an orange, pistachio and coconut cake — have a slice for breakfast with a coffee. TFL has come out for previous day, £5.40.
8:30 a.m. — Iron my T-shirt because it’s a special day and 31-year-olds don’t wear wrinkly Ganni tees. Commute into work.
9:30 a.m. — Arrive at work to a lovely card and a voucher to a Pilates studio near me. My team all contributed — so cute! I also get some cinnamon buns from Buns From Home.
12:30 p.m. — Finish a morning of emails and final asset approvals — the campaign is going live this afternoon and I’m responsible for a lot of the work. It’s a lot, but I’m pushing through.
12:45 p.m. — Walk to the local food market, and get a lamb and couscous salad from my favourite stall as a treat, £8.
4:30 p.m. — Have a little hide (and maybe a cry) in the office as I’m feeling quite anxious. The campaign went live but that seems to have opened more questions than it’s answered — really ready to have a boss again!
6 p.m. — Finish work for the day! Our company sponsor a big London football team, so as a thank you for the campaign, we’re in the executive box tonight! Walk from the office with the team to make the most of the free drinks and food.
10 p.m. — My colleagues told the club it was my birthday so I got a surprise visit from the mascot and some very embarrassing photos. Don’t think they’ll make it onto IG.
10:30 p.m. — Share an Uber home with a colleague who kindly pays as she can expense it.
11:15 p.m. — Home and bed!
Total: £13.40
The Breakdown
Conclusion
“I think this week was pretty typical for me in terms of spending. I feel like work must have seemed chaotic to read about but we’re going through a big transition so usually it would be a lot more consistent. I knew food/drink would be highest as that’s how I like to socialise. But I’m still pretty surprised by that total as it didn’t feel crazy whilst spending it. I think it will make me more aware of those smaller spends adding up! In terms of clothes and beauty, this feels standard. If it’s not a haircut, then it’s probably something else maybe every couple of weeks. And in terms of clothes I tend to not buy often but then spend on something more expensive as an investment, so probably only happens every two or three months. Moving forward I think I’m going to try continue track my spending, it’s really given me some insight I didn’t think it would. And I really enjoyed it to be honest!”
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