Welcome to Money Diaries, the regular R29 series where we tackle what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. The format is simple; we ask all different kinds of women to map out their seven days in money for us.
This week, however, we're doing something a little different. In partnership with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) we’re going to find out exactly what people spend on their holidays.
FSCS is a free service which automatically protects your money, from £1 up to £85,000, in UK banks and building societies and credit unions. They also have loads of helpful money tips and guides, including a future savings calculator, to help you find out how much money you could save (now and for your future!). Whatever you’re saving for, your money is safe with FSCS.
For this first holiday money diary of the year, we're with a 31-year-old woman who went on a last-minute trip to Valencia before Christmas. Money hasn't been hugely forthcoming recently due to some mental health issues, which have proved horrendously expensive, and realistically she probably shouldn't be going anywhere at all. But after her boyfriend surprised her with the flights and accommodation as a present for such a rubbish year, off she went anyway. That's what credit cards are for, right?
How did her spending fare? Ummmm...
*FYI – prices have been converted into pounds using the correct conversion rate at the time.
**We are currently looking for people who have bought a house in the past few years to do money diary entries for us. If this is you, please contact us on moneydiary@refinery29.uk ***
The Basics
Flights: I was very lucky not to have to pay for flights or accommodation. I've been off work sick a lot this year and spent a lot of money on doctors and medication. I've used up all of my savings because of this and my delightful boyfriend surprised me with flights and accommodation as a present to make up for such a rubbish year. Flights were £88 for both of us from Gatwick.
Accommodation: We stayed in a lovely hotel called Hi Valencia Boutique and it was £245.73 for two people for four nights.
Total: £0
Day One
5am: Up stupidly early to get our flight. Trains don't go from our station this early so we have to Uber to a closer station and get a train from there. My half of the Uber is £7.87 and my train ticket (with a Two Together Railcard for extra cool points) is £5.20.
6.30am: Buy my boyfriend and me some food from Pret in the airport even though it's far too early to feel hungry. £11.33. Boyfriend buys us some bits we needed from Boots and we call it even. I also purchase travel insurance on my phone – something I always do now after getting stranded by a cancelled flight. £7.49
11am: In Valencia! We catch the Metro from the airport to the area we're staying in (£3.89 each) and head to a café we've heard is incredible. I eat all of the food and drink two giant coffees. My half is £9.46.
2pm: We check into our hotel and go out roaming. I spend £3.08 on various bottles of water throughout the afternoon before we settle down at a nice bar for drinks in the evening. I buy a beer for me and a red wine for my fancy boyfriend. We also get some patatas bravas because they are essentially chips with garlic mayo but not frowned upon. £6.92
7pm: Heading to another bar, we get another round of drinks. Aaand then another. Hey – where else are you going to get good wine for two euros? My boyfriend pays.
9.30pm: Realising we should probably eat something, we head to a tapas place and order so much stuff that the waiter informs us that we cannot possibly eat it all. Sounds like a challenge to me buddy. Seven plates of calamari, chorizo, frittata, (more) patatas bravas, salads and more wine later, we do indeed prove him wrong. To our detriment. Moving and speaking is now an issue. The waiter looks smug as we pay our bill of £17.01 each.
Midnight: The plan had been to go back and to bed but on the way home we stumble past a live music venue and an incredible band is playing. We stay for several rounds and lots of dancing – I have no idea who paid for what but there's a £7.48 charge from the venue on my card so I guess I got away with just paying for one round?
Total: £79.73
Day Two
11am: After a lazy morning we head out to find some brunch for me and my hungover boyfriend. Settling upon a suitably swanky café which promises excellent brunch, we head in. I go rogue and order a Reuben sandwich which is incredible. We split the bill. £9.82
12pm: We spend an hour or so wandering around the modern art museum. Tickets are €6 each – I buy both. (£10.55.) Afterwards, we explore the old neighbourhood El Carmen.
2pm: Next, we walk through a park that's been made out of an old riverbed down to the city's hugely impressive (and by all accounts very expensive and controversial) arts and sciences complex, because this is where the aquarium is and aquariums are nearly always excellent. I manage to wangle a student ticket and it is £22.19. The aquarium is OK, there are some good sharks and penguins and a cool walk-through fish-tank tunnel thing, but there's a lot of children running around and it gets to be a bit much after a while.
8pm: After a much-needed sit-down in the hotel we head out for more tapas in trendy Russafa. We are more restrained on the food front this time. £14.31 each.
11pm: We find a great cocktail bar that looks like the inside of Miss Havisham's place. We stay for two drinks before the creepy porcelain dolls get too scary. £10.55 each.
Total: £67.42
Day Three
10am: Waking up hungry, we head straight for the city's central market. It's full of tourists and locals eating, drinking and shouting to each other. I buy some slices of frittata for my boyfriend and me to eat while we walk around. £3.52
12pm: We sit down for a coffee to recover from the throngs of people in an unassuming café which turns out to be the home of maybe the best coffee we've ever tasted? Boyfriend pays.
1pm: Determined to buy some lovely things, we head to all the boutiques, pop-up shops and vintage stores and markets we carefully researched beforehand. There's loads of local artists selling jewellery and clothes in lovely old warehouse spaces. Sadly, I buy nothing and even more shamefully, my boyfriend spends £40 in Zara.
4pm: We break for (late) lunch, which consists of more patatas bravas and probably some other bits too. I can only remember the patatas bravas though because the aioli is exceptional. Thinking of investing in it. £16.73, or £8.37 each.
8pm: We head out for a fancy dinner at Canela which, we've heard, is the place for paella. The paellas come in a huge sizzling dish and technically I think they could feed more than two people but we make pretty good work of our one – which, for some reason, we order with rabbit in. It's a gamble, as neither of us can remember what rabbit tastes like, but it's one that pays off. It is around £50, with starters and a bottle of wine, for two. £25
10pm: Shamefully, this is where the night takes a turn. My boyfriend heard about a gig happening over the other side of town so we traipse there and it turns out to be an un-be-liev-able live band. To celebrate, I decide we should switch our beers and wine to gin and tonics, conveniently forgetting about Spain's liberal attitude when it comes to pouring spirits. Next, we go to a "rock club" which only seems to play Guns N' Roses (more gins are had), before heading back to the live music venue we went to on the first night to find some open mic freestyle thing going on. The gins continue. I am not sure what time we headed home but I do know our efforts to find late night food of any kind except crisps went unrewarded. I literally have no idea what was spent where and my boyfriend is no help either. I do know I got out €50 (£43.95) at the beginning of the night and I woke up with just a handful of change left. Oops.
Total: £80.74 (maybe?)
Day Four
1pm: Not feeling fresh today kids. My boyfriend buys me a bocadillo from a nearby chain café. It is super gross and I don't finish it.
4pm: We do a lot of wandering around aimlessly. I buy some postcards (£4.50) and some crisps and also some Lucozade and a bunch of stuff my boyfriend slips in my basket which I'm too hungover to take issue with (£7.73).
8pm: After the Lucozade and a little nap I'm feeling a million times better and we decide to go out to dinner to celebrate our last night. We go to Refugio which is possibly one of the best restaurants I've ever been to and I'm very glad I managed to drag my sorry ass out of bed for it. £44.28, so £22.14 each.
10pm: We go for some drinks and dessert at a nearby bar. I pay. £11.93
Total: £46.30
Day Five
10am: Out of our hotel, we go and find some breakfast at a little café. I get it. £11.49
12pm: We've been a little lacking in the cultural department and feel guilty, so wander around looking at the beautiful medieval architecture before my boyfriend decides he wants to get another piercing and our admiration of turrets and city walls turns into a scavenger hunt for tattoo parlours.
4pm: I buy some lovely prints for our wall at home (£5.30) and we sit and have some lunch. My boyfriend pays.
6pm: We head to the airport (£3.89) on the Metro and find our flight is delayed for what ends up being about three hours. Cool. I buy myself a giant sandwich to make up for it. £7.81
Midnight: We're back and we've missed the last train all the way home so instead we do what we did on the way down. Train to East Croydon £5.20 and Uber home which I totally forgot to split £18.97.
Total: £52.66
The Breakdown
Food/Drink: £231.80 (oops)
Travel: £45.02
Accommodation: £0
Shopping: £9.80
Other: £40.23
Total: £326.85
Whatever you’re saving or budgeting for, remember FSCS protects your money in UK banks, building societies and credit unions for free. Check your money is FSCS protected here.
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