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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 28-year-old Executive Assistant at an investment bank in the City of London. When she moved to the capital she lived first with her sister, then her uncle and, after four years, managed to save up enough for a deposit on a flat – although she does now miss being bill- and rent-free!
She tries to spend less by exploring the free things that London has to offer but invariably winds up in a pub en route... so it doesn't always work out so well...
Industry: Banking
Age: 28
Location: London
Salary: £43,100
Paycheque amount per month: I got a 2% inflation pay increase in March but haven’t had a full paycheque yet as our business changed companies mid-month. I think it will be around £2,385 – will find out end of April! I also make a 2% pension contribution.
Number of housemates: 0
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: Mortgage £845.08/ Service charge £100
Loan payments: Student loan £179 – deducted from my paycheque before I get it.
Utilities: Internet, landline & BT TV £34.99/ Gas & electric £54/ Water £25.74/ Council tax £84.10/ TV licence £12.12
Transportation: £110 for travel card from Penge to London: my commute works out at £2.60 each way. My dad loaned me the money for the yearly travel card as it worked out a lot cheaper than paying weekly or monthly, and I pay him back the £110 per month.
Phone bill: £27.99
Health insurance: £45 – deducted from my paycheque before I get it.
Savings: I have a few online accounts where I try to put a bit of money each month: £150 holiday, £50 birthday and Christmas, £20 for wedding fund (I have a couple of weddings coming up in the next year that I’ll need travel, hotel and gift for), £30 student loan (I’m hoping to have finished paying it back before I turn 31 so if I can overpay a bit for the next couple years I should be able to).
Other: Netflix £7.49, Amazon Prime £7.99, Gym £27.99, Spotify £9.99.
Insurance: Home £18.56, life £12.99, buildings £12.73.
Total £1,641.76
Available to spend for the month: £743.24
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Day One
5am: My alarm goes off and my good intentions for the gym are thwarted when I opt for an extra 90 minutes in bed. I finally get up at 6.40am and leave the house at 7.22.
8:30am: I have breakfast at my desk every day. I do food plans on a Sunday along with a food shop and some prep in an attempt to be a little bit healthy. I have two boiled eggs, three slices of ham and some cottage cheese along with the obligatory cup of tea. We have a tea club at work where we all throw in £3 per month and this covers tea, coffee, sugar, sweetener, herbal, green and mint teas.
12.15pm: Today’s lunch is a ham salad wrap. I brought the makings of it with me and made it up at work as no one likes a soggy wrap!
4pm: I am ravenous and not sure what time I’ll get home for dinner later so go to the tuck shop downstairs and get some Hula Hoops. 55p
5pm: I leave on the dot today as I’ve booked a tarot reading session with a friend. My railcard only covers my commute on Southern Rail so I use contactless to pay for the Tube in central. £2.40
5.30pm: We’re a little early so grab a drink in a nearby pub; a Corona for her and a glass of wine for me. My friend pays.
6pm: I have my session, which is really interesting but I won’t know how accurate the reading is for about six months, haha. £40
7pm: We passed a Busaba Eathai earlier and the temptation is too much – we share a calamari, spring rolls, pad thai, massaman duck curry and rice, and have a glass of prosecco each as well. We split the bill; my half is £25.87
8pm: I get the Tube to Victoria on contactless – £2.40 – and the train home from there (covered by my railcard).
Total: £71.22
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Day Two
8.20am: I only have one boiled egg in the fridge at work and a couple of slices of ham so go to the canteen in the basement and get two slices of toast to have with it, and a banana for later, £1.15.
12.30pm: I have a chicken chow mein ready meal and use a microwave veg bag to steam some broccoli, baby corn and asparagus to bulk out the meal.
2.30pm: Walk to Boots with a colleague so she can pick up some holiday supplies; I’ve started wearing contacts again and my eyes are dry so buy some contact lens eye drops. £3.20
4.45pm: One of the team from Singapore has been over for the week so we’d arranged some drinks for him. I spend a grand total of £0 – I always feel bad as no one ever seems to let me get the drinks.
8.45pm: I'm a little bit on the tipsy side after quaffing prosecco all evening so suggest to one of the ladies we pop into Pizza Express en route to the station as I have a 2-4-1 voucher and the tuna salad I had planned is not going to cut it! Two pizzas and a starter come to £21.75. As I work for this lady she insists on getting the bill and I leave the tip. I only have £1.80 in loose change so that’s what I tip.
Total: £6.15
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Day Three
8.20am: Somehow I am not totally hanging (thank God for pizza and paracetamol!!) but I am in need of sustenance. I go to the canteen and get a slice of toast, slice of ham, slice of cheese and two perfectly poached eggs £2.70. Obviously I have a tea with this.
10am: I go to Rymans to pick up some file dividers £2.99 and pick up a caramel milk for me and a caramel latte for a colleague on the way back £4.50.
12pm: I’m very glad drunk me remembered to take food out of the freezer for lunch. Today I’m having a chicken and veg chilli with rice £0.
3pm: I’m hungry again so have an orange (from my food shop).
4.30pm: Get out a little bit early and pop into my local Homebase as I’m planning an IKEA trip tomorrow to do my outside area. I end up buying three trees, five flower plants, a plant pot, a watering can and some solar lights. £105.92.
7pm: Make a smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese wrap for dinner using ingredients from my food shop earlier in the week.
10pm: I’m tired from last night so hit the hay early ready for a busy weekend.
Total: £116.11
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Day Four
8.30am: Get up and check how many people are in the gym (I can check this on the dashboard on the app) and it’s a lot busier than I was expecting for a Bank Holiday so I opt to go for a run (I use this term loosely) instead. Stop at Costa and grab a coffee for the walk home £2.65. I go back past an Aldi and they have a load of flowers outside so I pick up two more plants £10.98 and some olives and microwave rice/quinoa packs £3.06.
10.45am: Swing into Poundland on the way home to pick up bleach, mouthwash and toilet roll. End up also getting tealight holders, flowerpot windmills and a tortoise boot cleaner for outside – £10 total spend.
11.30am: I head back out again to Wilko to look for some flowerpots to put the plants I bought yesterday into; I buy three different ones, a conifer plant, bunting and some compost. £24
1pm: Head to Lidl to pick up a couple of bits as my mum is down for a couple of days. I get some parsley, lemons, asparagus, lettuce, smoked salmon, eggs, spaghetti, hot cross buns and also some roses and tealights for the flat. £15.46
4pm: I go to Superdrug and buy nail varnish, toe separators and, because it’s 3 for 2 across most ranges, pick up a new mascara, pressed powder and lip liner as well. £17.26
7pm: We share the wine I bought earlier in the week and I make a dinner using bits I have. As we have a wedding tomorrow we have a relatively early night.
Total: £83.41
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Day Five
9am: We have breakfast in the flat using bits I have in already.
10am: I get a gel manicure. £20
12pm: Make our way across to the hotel for the wedding; I use my railcard to get to Victoria and contactless from there to Chiswick. £2.80
1pm: Lunch is tuna wraps which we make in the hotel room. I took a bottle of fizz from the fridge at home to have while we get ready and buy two bottles of water in the hotel reception £2. My mum paid for the hotel as she wanted to stay there.
3pm: We get a taxi to the town hall £6 but my mum pays.
Rest of the day: We have dinner at the wedding breakfast and it’s a free bar so I don’t spend anything. There's a sweetie table (I think aimed at children) but I fill a bag with Mini Eggs as they are my absolute favourites!
Total: £24.80
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Day Six
10am: I’ve missed breakfast in the hotel so I have some Mini Eggs instead…it’s Easter Sunday so I don’t feel too guilty about this.
11am: We head back to mine the same way we came so I spend £2.80 on contactless. I nip into Tesco Express for new potatoes and some cherry tomatoes £1.95. My mum buys me some wine instead of an Easter egg (no complaints here!).
2pm: We have lunch – roast chicken (I took it out the freezer Friday evening) with new potatoes and salad, followed by a hot cross bun.
4.30pm: I go to King’s Cross and back using contactless £5.40 so as to put my mum on her train; it’s totally out of the way but it makes her feel loved, plus she’s very good at getting lost without a guide!
8pm: Dinner is leftover crab linguine from Friday night, happy days! I put the rest of the hot cross buns and rye bread into the freezer and take out some sea bass for tomorrow.
10.30pm: Messing around online looking for a potting station or garden shelving unit and I end up finding one that I like which will fit the space where I want to put it. £26.58
Total: £36.73
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Day Seven
9am: Have a little lie-in to make the most of the last of the four-day weekend then have breakfast using bits I have in already.
11.30am: I do my food plans for the week and venture out to do a food shop. I go back to Aldi and get milk, sweet chilli sauce, honey, olives, antipasti, green veg selection, broccolini, carrots, courgettes, tortellini, stir fry sauce, cheese, lettuce, hummus, paracetamol, travel adapters and I stock up on some dark and milk chocolate for baking supplies. Easter eggs are also massively reduced as it’s Easter Monday; I buy two chocolate rabbits for 29p each and two specialty Easter eggs which are down to £1 and don’t expire until Jan 2018…I fully don’t expect them to last that long!! Total spend is £39.86.
12pm: Head to Poundland for sandwich bags and end up buying a garden trowel and fork as well as a couple of cute garden ornaments £7.
12.30pm: I have a chicken salad wrap for lunch using leftovers from yesterday.
1pm: I make a Spanish omelette/tortilla using bits I have in the fridge. It ends up being a lot bigger than I was expecting but this will be lunch for the next three days so minimal effort for a decent output.
2pm: One of my friends is moving back to New Zealand in less than a month so she is coming over for the afternoon. She brings two bottles of prosecco and we nibble on crisps and hummus while watching a movie. We have dinner from stuff I already have then drink the two bottles of wine my mum bought me for Easter and watch another movie. My friend leaves at 10.30pm and I guzzle water and paracetamol, will hopefully be OK tomorrow...gulp!
Total: £46.86
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