Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.
This week, we're with a junior doctor who is training to become an orthopaedic surgeon. She and her husband are buying a house at the moment. It's a new-build and they've paid half the deposit already, so they're trying hard to save up for the second half while keeping some money aside for furniture!
Industry: Healthcare
Age: 33
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
Salary: £62,968 is my annual salary but I usually do quite a bit of overtime – last year, I earned about £75,000.
Paycheque amount per month: £3,400 (without overtime)
Number of housemates: 1 (my husband)
Monthly Expenses
Rent: £375 (my half of £750)
Utilities: My half of council tax/ Sky/ gas & electricity/ water/ TV licence is £125.22
Transportation: I walk to work as we only live five minutes away but pay half of my husband’s petrol costs as he has a 45-minute commute – normally this is about £75.
Phone bill: £30
Savings: I put £940 in my ISA each month… kind of an emergency/ retirement fund
Mortgage insurance: My half is £85. This is a new expense since we exchanged contracts on our house.
Total: £1,545.22
Day One
10am: Dragging ourselves out of bed on a Sunday morning, my husband and I head to Aldi for the weekly shop. Shopping here has been one of the ways we have economised while saving for our house, and it does make a massive difference. We buy two bottles of lemonade, beer, milk, squash, a four-pack of baked beans, baking potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, parsnips, bananas, ham, cheddar, tomato puree, clementines, and naan bread – plus maybe a packet of Mini Eggs, all for £15.35. Considering this is 95% of the weekly shop, bargain!
11am: Safely back home we have a latte from the Tassimo machine we got as an engagement present – we buy pods in bulk every couple of months but have plenty at the moment.
1pm: We eat some curry I have defrosted for lunch with the naan bread we bought. My husband heads off to work for a 2pm-11pm shift – some overtime to put towards our house. He takes a ham and cheese sandwich and some fruit, with a very grumpy face – he is not enjoying economising.
3pm: We have loads of milk and we're trying to use up store cupboard stuff before moving, so I make a big dish of rice pudding with dates. It’s quite tasty and I eat a big bowl for supper. Pudding has always been my favourite course.
8pm: I put together a stew for our slow cooker with some of the veggies we bought and some diced beef from the freezer. We get a meat bundle from a great local butcher every couple of months and both the price and the quality are great. I put the pot in the fridge overnight – my husband will put it on to cook tomorrow as he is on annual leave, though obviously I will need to text three times to remind him.
10.30pm: Head to bed.
Total amount spent: £15.35
Day Two
6.30am: Get up, dressed and head to work, arriving at 7.15am, clutching another latte from the Tassimo in my to-go mug. Mondays require caffeine! Before I go I make each of us a lunch of sandwiches and fruit.
8am: We have a meeting where we discuss all the theatre cases for the day and the new patients we have admitted, then start the operating list.
1pm: Eat my packed lunch, trying really hard not to be jealous of my colleagues who've been to Subway. One of them did buy me a cookie, however...
7pm: Get home and eat a bowl of the tasty stew my husband has obediently cooked and we talk about our days.
8pm: I am browsing on eBay and spot some large coloured stickers, which we need to label up our moving boxes, for £2.69.
10pm: Head to bed with some hot chocolate and settle down to sleep.
Total amount spent: £2.69
Day Three
6.30am-7pm: My working day is just like yesterday, again I get home at 7pm. Eat a hasty supper of jacket potato, beans and cheese from our Sunday shopping, and head to the cinema.
8pm: We pay £1.20 to park and nip into Tesco for a bag of chocolate on special offer for £1. We use vouchers (my husband gets them with his current account) for our cinema tickets. And actually manage to make the bag of goodies last beyond the adverts…
11pm: Get home and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow!
Total amount spent: £2.20
Day Four
7am: I am on call today so get up and into work a little later, for 7:45am. Being on call means running around the hospital all day answering calls from other specialities in the hospital, from GPs and from ED. However, my SHO saves me with a morning latte. I eat my packed lunch at about 3pm. I am covering for someone else while he does a theatre list so get to go at 6pm, when he takes over.
6.30pm: Get home in time for another homemade meal from my husband – I am very spoilt! – of chicken and tomato pasta made with chicken from the freezer and store cupboard pasta and tinned tomatoes. Have some rice pudding for supper.
10pm: After struggling to keep my eyes open after three busy days, I have an early night with an academic paper (boring, I know!).
Total amount spent: £0
Day Five
7am: Today I am on call from 8am, and finish handing over about 8.45pm. I eat another packed lunch and fruit. At the end of the day, I check my phone and realise I have walked around 10k, just at work.
9pm: I walk through the door to find my husband has reheated some of the stew. We have it with jacket potatoes, then eat fruit for pudding.
10pm: After I fall asleep on the sofa while we are watching TV my husband sends me up to bed!
Total amount spent: £0
Day Six
6.30am: Theatre day again! Another packed lunch but with a treat – as it's Friday, one of the nurses has brought cupcakes. Yum. We finish early as there are no beds for our patients.
I leave about 5pm and drop my work stuff at home before heading back to Aldi for a little top-up shop: We need milk, rolls for supper, a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs and some more fruit (I get bananas). The chocolate calls to me but I remain strong. £4.99
5.30pm: Get home and my husband has made the turkey burgers already. We eat at 6.30pm and again have fruit for pudding. We settle in for a cosy money-saving evening on the sofa with a movie, then later head up for an early night.
Total amount spent: £4.99
Day Seven
9am: I'm not working this weekend so have a little lie-in. Get up and head out bed shopping for our new house. This is awesome fun and I almost fall asleep in Dreams. We refuel the car, stopping at the cheapest local garage, which happens to be Tesco, so we also get Clubcard points. £22.50
12.30pm: We get home and cook together, making a bacon, leek and cheddar frittata for lunch. My husband packs up the leftovers for supper at work and heads off for a 2pm-midnight shift.
2-5pm: I do some work in between window-shopping on the Paperchase website – I just manage to resist!
5pm: Snuggle down on the sofa to catch up on some favourite shows.
7pm: Have a long gossipy Skype call with my best friend, then write some cards for various birthdays and anniversaries – I still have a stash from my last Paperchase binge.
8pm: Head out for a couple of cocktails with friends – we're lucky as there is a great place just up the road, so I walk there and back. £14.75
11.30pm: Back home and in bed.
Total amount spent: £37.25
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