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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“I’m a 33-year-old occupational therapist, living about 30 minutes from Edinburgh. I live with my husband, W, and our two children, N and O. We have a relatively comfortable life, although nothing extravagant. We’re really lucky that we don’t pay for formal childcare as W and I have always worked compressed hours over four days so we do a day of childcare each and then have help from grandparents. Over the past few years we’ve done a lot of work on our house and got married so we don’t have a significant amount of savings, something that does cause me a bit of anxiety. W has just gone back to do a master’s degree through his work, which is amazing but will result in a temporary drop in his income. We haven’t yet seen the impact of this as this is his first month but he’s a qualified personal trainer and has started his business up again after a few years off so hopefully this will go some way towards making up the shortfall. I’ve always said I want to retire by the time I’m 60 which sometimes feels completely unrealistic but hopefully over the next few years we can start making some mortgage overpayments and move towards making that more of a reality, while still being able to spend money on family experiences and home and garden improvements.”
Occupation: Occupational Therapist
Industry: Local Authority
Age: 33
Location: Edinburgh
Salary: £44,257
Paycheque Amount: Approx. £2,638 (it varies slightly every month as I claim mileage).
Number of housemates: Three — husband W, four-year-old N and two-year-old, O.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £328.02 for my half. I transfer £900 in to our joint account every payday and this covers my half of the mortgage, household bills and food shopping. W pays in slightly less as he earns less (previously around £30,000 but we’re not sure exactly how much it’ll be now that he’s studying two days per week).
Loan payments: We have a couple of 0% finance agreements — kitchen (£86.15) and wedding rings (£56). I pay the kitchen and W pays for the rings. I also have a car on PCP which is £199.47. I’m paying back my student loan too but consider that more of a tax as it comes straight off my salary. I have a 0% balance transfer credit card with around £2,600 on it, which I’ve built up throughout two maternity leaves. I’ve always been careful to ensure that I transfer it to another 0% balance transfer but haven’t prioritised paying more than the minimum payment as we had been saving for work in the house and our wedding. Now that those are out of the way, I’ve been paying an extra £300-£400 to this every month and hoping to get it paid off before our mortgage is up for renewal at the end of this year.
Savings?: I currently have around £800 in an emergency fund and around £2,200 saved for our honeymoon which we’re going on in a few weeks’ time. Once we’re back from this, any savings I’ve been making for this will go to the emergency fund and the credit card payment. W also has some savings but I don’t know the exact amount.
Pension?: Yes I pay 6.4% in to my pension per month (approx. £230) and my employer contribution is around 17.6%. I’m not sure how much is currently in it.
Utilities: £104.27 gas and electricity, £14.37 home insurance, £63.41 life insurance, £14.03 internet, £7.50 TV licence, £122 council tax.
All other monthly payments: £24.77 RCOT membership, £37.87 car insurance, £10 phone, £90 Monzo Flex, £80 childcare (we pay this per month to cover nappies, food, activities), £38 gym.
Subscriptions: £6.50 Netflix, £4.99 Ring doorbell, £7.50 Virgin wines, £9.99 Headspace, £12.25 Postcode lottery, £11 Substack, £3.59 Organised Mum app, £2.99 Apple storage, £11.99 Spotify, £10 community lottery.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did an undergraduate degree in Psychology initially. Undergraduate tuition fees are free in Scotland so I didn’t need to pay for this. I took out a student loan and was entitled to a small bursary too. When I did my MSc in Occupational Therapy, I took out a Career and Professional Development loan to part-fund this which I didn’t need to start paying back until a month after I’d graduated. I was very lucky that my parents helped out to cover the rest and I then paid them back once my first occupational therapy job.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. It was always a big stress in our house and I remember it being a source of a lot of arguments. We never went without but I was always conscious of asking my mum for anything because I knew we couldn’t really afford it. I don’t feel like I had a lot of education around money, other than I was told never to get a credit card. Inevitably, I did end up getting one and I have had lots of issues over the years with overspending but feel in a reasonably good place with that now.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents/guardians house?
I moved out when I got my first occupational therapy job at 23 to live with a friend. My husband and I moved back in with my mum for what was meant to be six weeks at the start of the pandemic until we got the keys to our new house but it ended up being nine months.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I became completely responsible after moving out at 23. Since I’ve lived with my husband (then boyfriend) at 26, we have shared the costs, which is a huge help.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I got my first job at 13 in a cafe in a nearby park. I knew if I wanted new clothes or to go out with my friends that my parents couldn’t give me the money for it, so it was important for me to earn money I didn’t need to ask for and could spend as I liked.
Do you worry about money now?
Constantly. I’m the most comfortable I’ve ever been but I wish we had more in savings and that we were debt-free. It’s something I think about daily and I’ve only recently realised how much I value financial freedom and how much my childhood experiences have impacted my spending habits over the years.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
Yes, I received around £1,000 from my granny when I was 18 which I used to go interrailing around Europe. My husband and I have also been gifted money at various points — we received around £10,000 from family members when we bought our current home, around half of that we will repay when we remortgage the house later this year. We also received around £10,000 towards our wedding but this was after we had already paid for everything and our wedding cost nowhere near that amount. We ended up spending the money on paying for a family holiday, getting some things done in the house and putting away some for our honeymoon.
Day One
5:25 a.m. — End up in bed with O, he’s had a restless night of coughing.
6:30 a.m. — N wakes up and goes through to W in our bed. He falls back asleep so I sneak downstairs for a peaceful coffee before the morning chaos begins.
7:15 a.m. — Wake N up – this never happens! Breakfast for the boys then get them dressed.
8 a.m. — W takes O to his mum’s and drops N at nursery. He works from home most days so he tends to do most of the childcare pick-ups and drop-offs. I head to work.
8:30 a.m. — Arrive at the office, log in and caffeinate. Crack on with some admin, chat with colleagues and get feedback from my senior on recent assessments. The new paperwork takes ages to complete but the feedback is positive so I just need to power through.
10 a.m. — Monthly in-person team meeting. Nice to see everyone face to face rather than just on Teams.
1 p.m. — Head to the opticians. They confirm I need glasses for computer work, which explains the headaches. Decide to come back another day to pick a pair — it’s too overwhelming and I don’t want to make an impulse decision. Grab a multipack of crisps and cans of juice to keep in the office, £8.80.
1:30 p.m. — Arrive at a home visit but the person isn’t in. Head back to the office.
2 p.m. — Try to focus on work but the office is so busy that I struggle to concentrate. Love my job but the admin vs face-to-face time is frustrating. Discuss a complex adaptation case with my senior — costs are spiralling and we are desperately trying to get things approved and completed before the person’s condition worsens. Feeling stressed but my senior gives good advice which helps.
5:30 p.m. — A frustratingly unproductive afternoon — feel like I’ve been pulled in a million directions but achieved precisely nothing. Head home listening to a podcast (currently rotating between Guardian Today in Focus and The Mel Robbins Podcast).
6 p.m. — W has cooked dinner (he’s a saint) so I eat while N gives me a nursery debrief. W heads out for a personal training client.
7 p.m. — Upstairs with the boys — teeth, book, bedtime.
7:30 p.m. — W gets home and we catch up with a cup of tea and some TV. A restaurant I’ve always wanted to visit has opened its bookings so I text my mum and sister some dates and book it. £10 deposit each — mum sends hers immediately, my sister will pay later, £20.
9:30 p.m. — Skincare routine intended to be followed by reading but crash instead.
Total: £28.80
Day Two
6:40 a.m. — Wake up, vaguely aware that W had to settle O overnight. Parenthood: where you wake up confused and don’t ask questions.
6:50 a.m. — Get out of bed as I hear N’s Yoto playing. Go in to get him and we head downstairs just as W and O wake up and join us. Make a coffee.
7:15 a.m. — Get the boys’ breakfast and put a wash on. Wash my face and get dressed while they eat and W has coffee with them. Once they’re done, I get them dressed and organised for the day while W gets ready.
8 a.m. — Working from home today. Take N to nursery while W takes O to his mum’s — we walk part of the way together.
8:15 a.m. — Back home, log in and make another coffee. Morning meeting, then start making phone calls, knowing they’ll probably generate more work for later.
10:15 a.m. — Fit in a 15-minute YouTube workout to feel marginally less like a gremlin.
11 a.m. — Listen to a webinar on moving and handling while catching up on admin. After I head out on my lunch break to get my nails done — it’s a short walk from home.
1 p.m. — BIAB nails done, £27.75 (family discount). It’s hailstones! Call W, who’s also working from home, and he kindly picks me up since I didn’t bring a coat. Once home, I quickly make soup and a roll and get back to my desk.
2 p.m. — Listen to another webinar — this one’s about power of attorney and guardianship which is really useful for my work.
5 p.m. — Log off after an admin-heavy afternoon and walk over to pick up O. N has already been picked up by W for swimming.
5:45 p.m. — Arrive home after a leisurely walk with O who gets excited every time he sees a bird or dog.
6 p.m. — W and N get back from swimming. Get the boys sorted for bed while W makes our dinner — prawn noodle stir fry.
7 p.m. — Bedtime routine. Do teeth and stories, tuck N in then leave W to settle O while I head out to meet a friend for a walk and chat.
8:20 p.m. — Back home, make a cuppa and join W on the sofa for TV.
9:30 p.m. — Head upstairs, skincare and read a bit before W comes up. Lights out.
11 p.m. — O wakes up. W goes through to settle him and falls asleep there.
Total: £27.75
Day Three
6:35 a.m. — Wake up as N passes my door to go to the toilet. Convince him to come in for a cuddle before we start the day. Small wins.
7 a.m. — W and O join us downstairs, the boys play with W and I have a chat with our coffees
7:30 a.m. — W leaves for work. It’s my non-working day so I take a slightly more leisurely start with the boys. Make N breakfast, O insists he doesn’t want any… until N sits down then suddenly decides he does. After breakfast, N gets himself dressed while I get O and myself ready.
8:30 a.m. — Leave for nursery. Both boys want to take their scooters. O immediately changes his mind, leaving me to carry it/push him on it the whole way there. He then cries the whole way home for unknown reasons, not the best start! Quick turnaround to grab my bag and a library book before heading out in the car.
9:30 a.m. — Arrive at the leisure centre which has a soft play, café and library so it’s a great spot to kill time. Pay for 30 minutes of soft play and a pair of goggles for O for his swimming lesson later, £6.75. Buy myself a coffee and a scone since I haven’t had breakfast, £3.20. Once soft play time is up, buy O a smoothie and snack, £2.05.
10:30 a.m. — After a game of hide and seek in the library and returning our books, we head home.
11:15 a.m. — W texts me a link for a theatre show the boys will love in the summer. Book four tickets for us out of the boys’ Monzo pot, £86.95 (scandalous but that’s what we put the money away for). Catch up on some housework while O plays and watches TV before making us both some lunch.
2 p.m. — Leave for O’s swimming lesson, these are paid in advance in blocks. I leave feeling exhausted from the changing room logistics. Head to my dad’s to see him and my grandparents, as he’s picked N up from nursery.
5 p.m. — Head home, W has made us all dinner so we eat together which doesn’t happen as often as I’d like!
6 p.m. — W heads out for a personal training client and I get the boys organised for bed, we head upstairs for the bedtime routine. Extra stories requested, classic delay tactic.
7:45 p.m. — W gets home and we chill on the sofa together, watching TV and catching up.
10 p.m. — Drag myself off the sofa and up to bed, skincare bypassed. Oops!
Total: £98.95
Day Four
12:30 a.m. — O has rolled out of bed. I go through to put him back in and end up falling asleep next to him.
6:30 a.m. — The boys wake up so we all head downstairs to start the day. Usually the boys go to my mum’s today but I’ve taken the day off as she wasn’t sure if she needed to do jury duty — turns out she didn’t but I decided just to have the day off anyway.
8 a.m. — W leaves for work. I make breakfast for the boys and sip my coffee while they play.
9:30 a.m. — We attempt a short walk but it’s absolutely freezing and the boys are not feeling it. We quickly abandon our plans and head back home.
10:30 a.m. — Snacks, playtime and general housework. I decide to put the lottery on since it’s a rollover. You never know, £5.
12 p.m. — My mum arrives and she’s going to treat us to lunch out today. Win!
2:45 p.m. — Mum drops me off at home and takes the boys back to hers for a play. W arrives home from work and we take the chance to head to the gym together.
4:15 p.m. — Back from the gym. I shower, wash my hair and take some time to chill out and read my book before tidying up a bit.
5:30 p.m. — The boys return home from my mum’s, have their tea and then head up for bath time.
7 p.m. — Bedtime for the boys! Once they’re asleep, W and I have a glass of wine and have a cuddle on the sofa in front of the TV. Domestic bliss!
9:45 p.m. — The wine has made me super sleepy so I head up to bed, ever hopeful for an undisturbed night’s sleep!
Total: £5
Day Five
2 a.m. — O wakes up. I get up and head through to settle him.
6 a.m. — N is up now. I convince him to lie down and listen to his Yoto player for a bit so I can squeeze in a little more rest.
6:30 a.m. — Give up on sleeping and head downstairs with N. First things first: coffee. W and O wake up and join us shortly after.
8:15 a.m. — Head to the gym which is a five-minute walk from home. W has made me up a program so follow that, very lucky to essentially get free PT!
9:30 a.m. — Back from the gym, W heads out for his turn while I make myself another coffee and eat the almond croissant he picked up for me yesterday — favourite pastry.
10 a.m. — I come across a fundraiser that tugs on my heartstrings and donate £5.
10:30 a.m. — W arrives home from the gym. He grabs a quick shower then takes N to football. While they’re out, I take a quick shower, get dressed, do my makeup and put some laundry away while O plays.
11:30 a.m. — Make O something to eat. It’s a beautiful day so I take advantage and hang the washing outside.
12:30 a.m. — W and N get home and I head straight out to meet a friend. On the way, I stop to collect a couple of Vinted parcels and pick up some Krispy Kreme doughnuts for her, plus a chocolate bar for myself, £7.95.
1:30 p.m. — Meet my friend and her new baby at Starbucks. I load £20 on my app to cover our drinks and snacks.
4:30 p.m. — After a long overdue catch-up (and lots of baby cuddles!), I head home to see the boys.
5:30 p.m. — It’s time for dinner and then W’s brother pops in for a quick visit with the boys.
7 p.m. — The usual bedtime routine for the boys. Once they’re asleep, W and I have a glass of wine and start watching a new series about the undercover police scandal.
9:30 p.m. — Realise I’ve fallen asleep and missed most of the second episode — oops. Time to admit defeat and head up to bed.
Total: £32.95
Day Six
6 a.m. — Wake up and realise I can’t hear the boys. W must have gone through to them at some point in the night.
6:45 a.m. — I hear them heading downstairs but W has pulled the bedroom door closed so I can get a bit more sleep — legend.
7:20 a.m. — I can hear them crashing and shouting while they play despite W’s attempts to keep them quiet. Time to get up!
9 a.m. — After coffee, breakfast for the boys and everyone getting dressed, we head out. I have a laser appointment later and want to look at new glasses beforehand.
10 a.m. — Arrive and get parked — planned perfectly to avoid parking charges!
10:50 a.m. — After what feels like forever, I finally choose a pair of glasses. They’ll be ready in about 10 days and I’ll need to come back to collect them, £130. Goodbye money!
11 a.m. — Help W settle the boys with juice and a pastry (W pays) before I head to my laser appointment, which is already paid for.
11:45 a.m. — Appointment done! I meet back up with W and the boys and we head home.
12:15 p.m. — Quick stop at M&S to grab tomato soup and a couple of cheese scones — top-tier lunch. W pays.
1 p.m. — Back home for lunch and coffee, then some playtime with the boys before tackling more laundry. It’s literally never-ending.
3:15 p.m. — Take a walk across to my mother-in-law’s for Sunday dinner, a lovely treat!
6 p.m. — Walk back home, get the boys ready for bed and start winding down for the evening.
7:30 p.m. — The boys are asleep and W surprises me with stuffed cookies he picked up earlier. A true act of love. Have half with a cup of tea while watching TV.
8:30 p.m. — Remember that N needs to take £2 into nursery tomorrow. Rummage around for some change and pop it into an envelope for him.
9:10 p.m. — Head up to bed to read, just as N wakes up with a sore tummy. Cuddles to resettle him then do my skincare before finally getting in to bed to read for a bit.
9:45 p.m. — Lights out!
Total: £132
Day Seven
12:30 a.m. — O wakes up so I head through to settle him. End up falling asleep there. You can see there’s a theme.
6:20 a.m. — Both boys wake up within minutes of each other. I get up and head downstairs with them. Make a coffee and potter around unloading the dishwasher while the boys play. Make them breakfast then head upstairs to get ready for work.
7:30 a.m. — Say goodbye to the boys and actually leave on time for once. A rare achievement!
7:50 a.m. — Arrive at work, log on and make another coffee. I have part one of my performance review this morning, so I spend some time preparing.
11:15 a.m. — Review done! Feeling really positive — got great feedback and encouragement to consider senior roles soon. I need some fresh air so I take a quick walk to the shop and pick up some Babybel, almonds, oatcakes and an apple, £5.80.
12:30 P.m. — Arrive at an initial assessment with a new person. The outcome is to submit my assessment for funding consideration for a wet floor shower adaptation.
1:45 p.m. — Stop at Waitrose on my way past and pick up cheese scones to have with my soup later. I also finally find date syrup which I’ve been hunting for a recipe for ages. Add a chocolate bar and grab a free coffee, £6.30.
5:45 p.m. — Afternoon spent tackling emails, phone calls, case notes and referrals. Log off and head home.
6:15 p.m. — Walk in the door to find dinner ready and the boys already bathed and in their PJs. W heads off to football while I eat dinner and the boys chill in front of the TV.
6:45 p.m. — Head upstairs for bedtime stories. I do a few extra because I miss them and wish I could work less.
7:15 p.m. — Boys are asleep. I head downstairs and indulge in half a stuffed cookie, a cup of tea, and the chocolate bar from earlier — oops. While snacking, I put on a YouTube video and start screening articles for a systematic review I’m helping update in my spare time.
8:30 p.m. — W arrives home. We catch up over a cuppa and watch some TV.
10:15 p.m. — Head upstairs, do my skincare and get into bed. Hope for an interrupted night (unlikely).
Total: £12.10
The Breakdown
Conclusion
“I felt like this was a relatively standard week. Obviously I don’t buy new glasses every week and I used money from my emergency fund to cover this as I wasn’t anticipating that cost. I also don’t regularly buy theatre tickets for us, but since we put away their child benefit money every month, there’s at least one larger expense per month, whether that’s swimming lessons, new shoes or an activity. It’s confirmed what I already knew, that I spend more than I’d like on food but it actually wasn’t as bad as it could have been! We live fairly quiet lives so I feel pretty comfortable with the overall spend although I’d definitely like to make saving a priority for the future.”
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