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 Brit who moved to France in 2017. I dreamt of living in France since I was about 16 and was drawing up half-arsed plans when the Brexit vote happened, so I realised I’d better get on with it. I arrived in Paris with very few plans, with the vague feeling I could move back to the UK if it didn’t work out and I have been here ever since! Despite its bureaucracy and the people who judge you for not having a perfect accent, I love France and have applied for nationality. I currently work as a translator and writer for a media company. I met my partner L in 2022, then he moved in with me in 2023. He is on a work-study programme and earns less than me, so I contribute more to our daily household spending. I’ve been interested in personal finance since I was a teen and followed a weekly budget since I was at uni. However, moving to France in my mid-20s meant I had to learn a whole new tax, savings and investment system from scratch. It’s only been in the past couple of years that I’ve actually started to get my head around savings and investment accounts in France and I still have moments I feel very lost. I put money in savings at the beginning of the money following the Bento Budget method (the idea that every cent you earn has a specific purpose) and have dedicated fun money that I can’t feel guilty about spending. Saying all that, I still often feel a bit broke the week before payday!”
Occupation: Translator/writer
Industry: Media
Age: 33
Location Paris, France
Salary €40,000 + profit-sharing bonus which varies year to year, lowest was €1,600, highest was €5,000 + €180 every month in luncheon vouchers.
Paycheque Amount: €2,406.91
Number of housemates: One, my partner (L)
Pronouns: she/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: €611.92 for a one-bed place. I’ve got an outstanding mortgage of €142,389.68. My mortgage is divided into two parts, €60,000 came from the French government and is interest-free as a help-to-buy loan. The other part, €82,389.68 is a traditional bank mortgage with an interest rate of 1.55%. I signed the terms of my mortgage in mid-2020 when interest rates were incredibly low. I’m very lucky as mortgage rates in France are set for the term of the mortgage so this won’t increase!
L does not contribute to the mortgage, as the flat is completely in my name — I bought it before we moved in together. Instead, he puts aside €250 a month which then goes on things for the flat, treats for us, or towards bigger saving goals. It works for us!
Loan payments: My student loans have been paid off (see below), but I pay my parents back €175 per month as they lent me €55,000 to buy my flat. I still owe them €49,500. I pay them back every month the interest at 3% and then an extra €50. This is actually higher than my bank interest rate, but that was what the average UK mortgage interest rate was at the time, and they’ve given me so much already that I did not want them to be out of pocket.
Savings?: €230,000 flat value (estimated, using France’s version of Zoopla), €421.51 holiday fund, €7,772.27 personal emergency fund, €294 personal buffer, €10,040.82
personal investment accounts, €1,400 joint holiday savings, €554 joint investments (for longer-term projects like kids).
Pension? In France the sums you and your employer pay are fairly high, around 10% each, I think. Last year, I started putting €50 per month into an additional retirement savings account. In time I’d like to increase this.
Utilities: Water is covered in my building management fee which last year was €331.44 for my half, €30.16 for my half electricity and gas, €8 my half of the internet, €80 my share of flat insurance.
All other monthly payments: €30.50 charity donations, €24 top-up private health insurance, €10.20 mortgage insurance, €6.99 phone, €0.99 Apple storage, €88.80 transport pass, €12.90 beauty salon subscription, €35 Class Pass, €30 bi-monthly Russian language lessons, €4.10 Spotify share.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a four-year language degree with a year abroad and then a one-year Master’s degree in the UK. I was in the penultimate year of the lower £3,500 or so fees. My parents and older family members had saved money for me from the day I was born, so I was very lucky that the tuition part of both my undergrad and Master’s was paid for. When one of my grandmothers died, my parents inherited a significant amount of money and paid off my maintenance loan, which I’m very grateful for. I’ve since done further training for work, which my company paid for.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
I grew up in a very middle-class household where I never wanted for anything. My parents see money as a tool, not as something worth sacrificing happiness and family for. They worked in education and would tell my sibling and I that they had a second-hand car because they wanted us to have a good education, that going on a caravan holiday meant we could have a longer one etc. As I got older, Mum taught me about keeping a budget and Dad explained about debt, how it wasn’t always bad and that credit cards are a great tool as long as you pay them off at the end of every month.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents/guardians house?
I first moved out of my parents’ house when I went to uni. However, I fell ill with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME in my last year of undergrad and while I got through my Master’s I had to move back in with them afterwards as I was too exhausted to hold down a job and be financially independent. I basically slept for a year, doing a bit of freelance work and paying my parents 10% of what I earned. I was lucky, I recovered from ME, and I was able to move out permanently when I was 25 when I moved to France.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself?
I became fully financially independent when I got a full-time, permanent contract when I was 26. As I live with a partner, he covers some aspects of my financial life. However, if the worst were to happen and I were solely responsible again, I would be fine financially.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I started babysitting for family friends when I was 14. I then started working for Next during the sales when I was 16 (still have a few Next sale red T-shirts somewhere!). I got around £6 an hour and it felt like riches.
Do you worry about money now?
I get outbreaks of financial anxiety when I spend a large amount, even for something I’ve saved for and know will improve my life. I worry about whether I’m saving enough for retirement or having kids, which I really want in the next few years. However, on a day-to-day basis, I don’t tend to. If I spend a bit too much one day, I know to cut down the next few.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
Yes, I received £5,000 when each of my grandmothers died. I used the first £5,000 to move to France and the second on admin for French nationality and on the kitchen for the flat I now live in. I was ridiculously lucky not to have university debt, the support from my parents when I moved to France and their support in buying a flat. I really want to be able to do the same for my children one day.
8:30 a.m. — Monday morning and time to get up. Not feeling massively motivated this week after my boss refused my summer holiday plans last week but there we go. Make a coffee and add collagen powder (the science is out, but I saw the small wrinkles no one else can see disappear so I’m going to keep using it).
9 a.m. — Log on to work and get started.
11:30 a.m. — I completely forgot about breakfast so take five minutes to heat up Thai food leftovers from Saturday night and call it brunch. Eat at my WFH desk as I have plans for my lunch hour.
2:30 p.m. — Walk to the Post Office to pick up some boots I bought in the sales with a gift card I got for Christmas. I’m doing the Five Challenge this year, so only five new clothes purchases and only five second-hand/thrifted purchases. I love the boots so I’m more than happy for them to be purchase number one. When I get home, I prep soup for dinner this evening.
6 p.m. — Workday over! I put some random videos on YouTube and hula hoop for 30 minutes. I bought the hula hoop during lockdown as a way to exercise (I tried running and hated it) and love it. I try and do it once a week. Then grab a quick shower.
7 p.m. — Head out to my weekly Greek class. I love languages and love learning new ones. This class was advertised in my town’s local newspaper and cost me €170 for 1.5 hours every week for the entire school year – bargain! I love my classes as we’re all beginners, all learning Greek for fun and end up laughing constantly during the class. I leave feeling really happy as always.
8:30 p.m. — Get home and say hi to L, who left while I was still asleep this morning. He finished the soup while I was out, so we have dinner and then snuggle on the couch watching TV. We’re currently watching HPI, a French cop show. The U.S. TV channel ABC has recently done an English remake, High Potential. The trailers I’ve seen look good, but I think the French original is better.
8:30 p.m. — Time to head to bed. I’m in the office tomorrow, so I prep a proper breakfast (fruit, yogurt and oats) and take a portion of the tomato pasta L made over the weekend. We try to batch cook a bit on weekends to give us meals for the week.
11:30 p.m. — I’ve got a work meeting in London on Thursday and I’m starting to feel anxious about seeing my boss in person (we usually work in different offices and communicate online). So, melatonin and magnesium it is.
Total: €0
7:30 a.m. — Time to get up. L has already left again. I make my coffee and collagen then do my morning skincare routine (cleanser, essence, vitamin C serum, moisturiser and suncream) and makeup.
8 a.m. — Head to work. My commute takes about an hour and for once public transport is working. Last week I was an hour late because someone was ill at a station and apparently this meant all the trains had to stop.
10 a.m. — Eat my packed breakfast at my desk.
1 p.m. — Lunchtime! I head to a nearby supermarket to get some cheese for my pasta and to get some fresh air. The first supermarket doesn’t really have what I want, so I got to a second… and it still doesn’t have what I want. But I’m hungry, time is ticking so I grab some soft goat’s cheese and head back to the office, €2.30.
1:30 p.m. — I chat to my colleagues in the kitchen then check my personal email… and get some of the best news I’ve had in weeks. I’ve been called for my nationality interview! I applied almost two years ago, and I am so excited I squeal, immediately tell the colleagues around me and text friends, family and of course L, who is as excited as I am.
6 p.m. — Work done. I call my Mum as I walk to a nearby Starbucks to grab a hot chocolate (I’m lactose intolerant and French cafes don’t really do non-dairy milk so if I want anything apart from black tea or coffee it’s Starbucks or Pret), €3.95. I hang around while I wait for the board games group L and I are both part of. We actually met at this group three years ago!
6:30 p.m. — L pops to a vegan patisserie to grab a croissant for my colleague in London who asked me for one and something for us to share now. I send him the money as a treat for us, €10.40.
7:30 p.m. — We head to our board games group, meet up with friends and have a great evening playing The Quacks of Quedlinburg and The Hare and The Tortoise. During the evening, we get a bottle of San Pellegrino, fries, mini taquitos and onion rings to share. My share comes out to €12.88.
9 p.m. — I need to pack for my work trip so we pay up and head home.
10 p.m. — We get home, L makes me some Sleepytime tea and I pack for my London work trip. I do my nighttime skincare routine (makeup remover, cleanser, essence, serum and rosehip oil) and we head to bed.
Total: €29.53
7:30 a.m. — I’m heading into the office before getting the Eurostar to London today so do the usual routine of coffee, skincare and makeup. L kissed me goodbye before he left this morning, I’ll miss him this evening.
8 a.m. — Head out with my rucksack, packed breakfast and packed lunch (more pasta).
12 p.m. — I’m starving so break for lunch earlier than usual. Pop to the supermarket, intending just to get a drink for the train (the Eurostar is very expensive) and end up grabbing an avocado rice ball to go with my pasta because there’s not much of it and I’m hungry, €5.09.
1:50 p.m. — Pack up the laptop and head to grab the Eurostar. The Metro is working great, and security doesn’t take long so I log back on within 30 minutes. Travelling for work during work hours is something my boss isn’t that keen on — she seems to think I have nothing better to do in my personal time than travel for work. I’ve been pointing out this is unreasonable but it’s an uphill battle.
3 p.m. — On the Eurostar. End up playing telephone tennis with colleagues as my boss is making a big deal out of something very small and making it worse in the process. At some point on the journey, I realise I’m hungry so grab a snack at the onboard bar, €3.09 for a packet of crisps — ouch!
4:30 p.m. — Arrive in London and head to my hotel in East London. I’ll expense the TFL charge and the commission my French bank charges.
5 p.m. — Get to my hotel, settle in and unpack. It has a very cool-looking steampunk kettle.
5:30 p.m. — I pop to Tesco to grab mango chutney for L and me (hard to get in France) and a bar of Fruit & Nut for my friend T who loves it. I spot a vegan Kit Kat and can’t resist. I put this on the joint account, so my share is €5.16.
6:30 p.m. — I met up with an old uni friend, B, for dinner. We find a hipster-looking pizza place (I don’t think I’m cool enough for East London…) and we get two pizzas to share, a glass of wine each and dessert with two spoons. One of the pizzas has kimchi on it and apparently, it’s the UK’s favourite pizza. It’s an interesting combo… but I’m not entirely convinced it’s right. I’ve recently managed to convince my boss I should be able to expense my evening meals when I’m in London for work (apparently expensing lunch tomorrow is going a step too far) so I expense my meal and B gets the wine.
7:30 p.m. — The wine at the pizza place isn’t cheap so B finds a nearby pub for us to continue putting the world to rights. I get the first round of (large) glasses of wine €22.81.
10 p.m. — We both remember we have work tomorrow and head back to the hotel or home respectively. I have the warm fuzzy feeling of spending time with old friends.
Total: €36.15
7:20 a.m. — Time to get up. Pack my stuff then check out and head for the hotel breakfast. I’m impressed with the buffet; there’s a good range of cold and hot stuff including baba ghanoush!
8 a.m. — Head to the nearest underground and the office. I’ll expense the TFL charge.
8:30 a.m. — Arrive in the office, log on and give my colleague the patisserie she was craving. She’s delighted and tries to pay me back, but I refuse.
10 a.m. — Have a long talk with my boss and she sort of apologises for yesterday’s issue but also makes it my fault. She also makes it very clear that she will not budge on summer holidays for a very arbitrary reason, and I give in. Remind myself I need to find a new job.
11 a.m. — Have the team meeting we are in London for. It goes on for a very long time and I’m absolutely starving at the end of it.
12:30 p.m. — Finally lunch time! I heat up last night’s pizza (I know, I’m a savage) and have some avocado sushi that my colleague can’t finish.
4 p.m. — Pack up my things to leave for the Eurostar. My boss is getting the same train as me and has been very keen to ensure we have seats next to each other. I have been dreading this journey for a while.
5 p.m. — Go through security and stop via the Pret to get food. A mushroom risotto pot, a packet of salt and vinegar crisps and a tin of elderflower and grape fizzy drink, expensed.
5:30 p.m. — Train leaves. I’ve been wondering how to get any conversations with my boss on safe ground (i.e. not work) but luckily, she’s happy to talk about her kids, a little about L and then we both go on phones and ignore the other person for the rest of the ride. In the end, I wouldn’t want to repeat the journey, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be.
9:30 p.m. — Arrive back in Paris and L is there to meet me! I’m so happy to see him and say goodbye to my boss. She’s working from the office tomorrow but I’m working from home.
10:30 p.m. — Arrive home and have a drink while catching up with L. He’s more accepting of the holiday changes than I am, but I think he wasn’t expecting my boss to give in. He’s picked up a Vinted parcel for me of earrings that I bought last week — I can’t wait to try them on!
11:30 p.m. — In bed and read a bit of a library ebook Unruly by David Mitchell before falling asleep. It’s a humorous recounting of English history and I’m enjoying it.
Total: €0
8:30 a.m. — Working from home this morning so I get a lie-in. Coffee and collagen as usual. Unpack from London and book flights for our holiday to Crete this summer. I take the money from our joint holiday fund, €288.
9 a.m. — Log on to work and get started.
10 a.m. — L calls to say he’s heading back home. He’s doing a work-study programme, so is at work one month, university the next and is paid for both. He’s currently at university and was meant to have a lecture this morning, but for some reason, the IT system at his university isn’t working so the students have been sent home and told to follow the lecture online this afternoon.
11 a.m. — L arrives home, and we chat a bit while I pause to eat breakfast of a bread roll and clementine. We talk about the hotels and campsites we want to stay at this summer.
1 p.m. — Lunchtime. We eat the last of the butternut squash risotto I made last weekend before L goes into the bedroom and uses the other desk to follow his lecture. I book and pay for one of the hotels we want to stay at, again, the money comes from the joint holiday fund, €69.45.
6 p.m. — It’s officially the weekend! Very happy to log off after what has felt like an incredibly long week. I do a couple of dance workout videos on YouTube (MadFit and Pamela Reif if you’re interested). I then grab a quick shower. Meanwhile, L pops to the supermarket and gets batteries, garlic and pork for lunch with our cashback gift card we bought last month.
7 p.m. — We grab some cider and then head over to our friend C’s house for DnD. We’ve been playing a campaign with him, D and K for about six months and having the best time. We end up in hysterics every single time and tonight is no different. I have some cider then move on to prosecco K bought. D bought pizza as it’s her turn to cover dinner.
11:30 p.m. — We played late tonight! L and I head home, walking part of the way with K and chatting about the game as always.
12 a.m. — Finally home and to bed.
Total: €357.45
9 a.m. — It’s the weekend so we have a small lie-in. Even better, I get a notification saying I’ve been paid! I move money around to my various savings accounts and the joint account. L brings me coffee in bed as he does every weekend then we get up and have pancakes from the freezer that were made ages ago.
12 p.m. — I pack my gym kit then head out to meet a friend P for lunch. L heads out to play games with C and K and buys prosecco on the way. He puts it on the joint account as I drank a bunch of C’s prosecco last night. My share is €3.73.
1 p.m. — Meet up with P for pho and have a good chat about work and families. Her father is ill and mine has had worrying test results, so it feels good to talk through the worry and stress that causes. I pay for this using my luncheon vouchers, so it feels like nothing #girlmaths.
3 p.m. — Head back to P’s place as she lives nearby and hang out with her and another friend drinking tea and eating chocolate for a while. We talk about reducing phone time.
5 p.m. — I head off to my barre class which is part of my Class Pass subscription. I started barre last spring and I love it. The studio I go to is very fancy, with gorgeous showers and shampoo and conditioner. They even provide towels! It is the only time my life even comes close to resembling Emily in Paris as that show is anything but realistic and is a favourite hate watch in the Western immigrant community. To clarify, I do not consider myself an expat, I’m an immigrant. I came to France looking for a better life, I just happened to come from another Western country.
7 p.m. — I grab the Metro to go over to my friend T’s place for pre-dinner drinks. I give her the Fruit & Nut from the UK and try to say hello to her cat… but he’s asleep and is not interested in being disturbed!
8:30 p.m. — We head out for sushi. I get a bento box with sushi, sashimi, gyoza and yakitori with soup, rice and salad and we share a half litre of wine. I pay €10 with luncheon vouchers, so I only spent €11.50.
11 p.m. — We walk towards the station and meet up with L and K on their way home. Say bye to P and get the train with L and K. We then say bye to K at our stop and walk home.
11:30 p.m. — I’m freezing when we get home so L makes me Sleepytime tea before we head to bed.
Total: €15.23
9:30 a.m. — Another lie-in and once again L makes me coffee. We then get up, get dressed and head to the local market. We buy two types of cheese, one soft and one hard, from the cheese stand. Our local cheese stand has over 200 types of cheese and this makes me so happy to live in France. We then buy peppers, clementines and avocados from the fruit and veg stall and finally go to the bakery for a baguette. As is tradition, we get breakfast at the bakery, a doughnut for me and pain au chocolat for L and two coffees. In all, my share is €17.52.
11:30 a.m. — We head home and spend a good chunk of the day either video gaming or working on admin stuff. In my case, this is CV updating and flash cards for my nationality test. I also clean the bathroom at some point while L hoovers and does laundry.
6 p.m. —We make and eat dinner, today it’s roast pork and veggies. There’s enough left for a couple of meals during the week.
8 p.m. — We snuggle on the couch and watch a couple of episodes of HPI.
11 p.m. — Head to bed. I can feel the Sunday scaries hitting so take magnesium and melatonin to see them off.
Total: €17.52
Food & Drink: €98.43
Clothes & Beauty: €0
Home & Health: €0
Entertainment: €0
Travel: €372.45
Other: €0
Total: €455.88
Conclusion
“It was very interesting to monitor my money this week. Obviously, it was not a typical week as I bought flights and booked a hotel, which I paid for using money from the joint holiday savings account. It was actually a Money Diary which inspired me to set up a dedicated holidays account, so it feels like I’ve come full circle! However, I think the social aspect was fairly typical, as I go out with friends three to four times a week. It was also good to monitor how much we spend from our joint account; I monitor my personal spending closely but not our joint spending so much and I was happy to see it was very reasonable. Doing this Money Diary has made me very glad I fought for expenses for my trips to London, as it would have made this week a lot more expensive. If I can encourage anyone reading this to do anything, it’s making sure your company is not taking advantage by not paying your expenses or expecting you to do work-related things during your personal time!”
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