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.
"I work in finance (accountancy) in a city bank in London which is often very stressful. I struggle a lot with exhaustion, which means I don’t eat as healthy as I’d like or get enough exercise. I find I have to force myself to go out sometimes because I’m haunted by the expression, 'It’s the things you don’t do that you regret the most'. I no longer beat myself up over my spending habits – I’ve worked too hard on my career to get where I am now to spend my limited free time feeling guilty. I don’t take my higher income for granted, though – I started out in London on £26k and have worked my way up from there. I like to be comfortable (I sometimes get an Uber to work to avoid the anxiety the sweaty Tube commute gives me) but I also don’t like being wasteful and always look for a bargain where possible.
I live with my husband in a flat in Camden and we started an 18-month renovation on our new house last year (which has been more stressful and time-consuming than I could ever have imagined!). My husband runs a small property company so he is very flexible with his time (which is helpful during the renovation) but also means that he earns less than half my salary and often spends the weekends working.
My husband and I make a list of our joint spending and split everything at the end of the month because we don’t have any joint bank accounts. Since getting married last year I’ve reached a turning point where my life is now focused around house renovation and cosy nights in with my husband (we are also trying to start a family), rather than clubbing and killer hangovers. I sometimes feel older than I am as my husband is six years older than me."
Industry: Finance
Age: 29
Location: London
Salary: £77,000 (+ £11,000 bonus paid in March 2018)
Paycheque amount: £4,222 (excluding bonus)
Number of housemates: 1 (my husband)
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £1,100 (my half of the mortgage)
Loan payments: None – I paid off my student loan at the beginning of the year.
Utilities: £515 which includes a hefty service charge (covering the gym, porter and car park in my building), hyperoptic broadband, council tax, TV licence, Spotify, home insurance, cleaner (three hours a week) and electricity. (No gas. Water is included.) I don’t know the exact split because my husband sorts all the bills.
Transportation: Oyster PAYG – £5.80 per work day. I don’t buy a season ticket because I occasionally work from home and I never use the Tube at the weekend so it isn’t worthwhile. My husband has a car that he uses to commute to work but I only pay for petrol when I drive it.
Phone bill: £13 a month (SIM only).
Savings: I don’t save a set amount per month, I just leave whatever I haven’t spent during the month in my current account. Every penny I save is going towards the new house.
Other: RSPCA £7 (this is occasionally upped when they call me with heartbreaking "cat in the microwave" stories). Pension payments (3%), private healthcare and health appointments (£10 for a limited amount of "therapies", dental and optical appointments) are taken out before I get my monthly paycheque.
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Day One
9am: Working from home today so I log in and check my emails. Feel smug that I’m not facing the hellish commute into the City and that I only woke up 10 minutes ago.
10am: Remember that I made drunken plans with friends last weekend to go to Majorca (while forgetting they will be bringing their toddler – doh!). My husband’s parents live in a beautiful villa in the hills and we want to take the opportunity to visit while they’re not there! The house will always hold a special place in my heart because we got married there last year. Flights (including seat selection, fast track security and airport parking) are pricy but accommodation is free so I justify it. £283
11am: Realise I haven’t had breakfast yet so I make a cheese and mushroom omelette from food in the fridge (stocked up during our weekly food shop).
1pm: I do a home workout during my lunch break. I’m easing back into exercise after a major operation I had two months ago for removal of endometriosis.
2pm: I raid the kitchen for some food – protein shake, pear, olives and a cookie.
4pm: I notice there’s a 35% online sale on Redken so I stock up on hair products. I’m a sucker for a sale. I buy a new spot treatment too because my skin is horrific. Working from home is bad for my spending because it gives me a chance to catch up on purchases I’ve been wanting for a while (and I don’t get much work done!). £41
6.30pm: Acupuncture appointment – I find it helpful for pain management and it’s supposed to boost fertility. £60 (expensed)
7.30pm: As I haven’t been at work today I have enough energy to cook. I make turmeric and lemon chicken with a satay sauce, sweet potato mash and broccoli (from food in the fridge).
9pm: I check my Amex online and notice my House of Fraser refund has been processed (I bought my husband some jeans but they didn’t fit). +£120
Total: £324
Day Two
7.30am: Drink green juice (which I made yesterday) and cook two fried eggs at home. I’m trying to limit my caffeine intake but juice just doesn’t give me the same buzz!
9am: I pay £5 to charity for Dress Down Friday and £5 for the World Cup sweepstake. I get Argentina. My football-crazy colleague spends the rest of the morning giving me evils – he got Saudi Arabia. £10
11am: Nibble almonds I keep in my desk and make a green tea in the kitchen.
1pm: Grab sushi and a miso soup. I eat at my desk every day because we don’t have a canteen or any seating areas at work. Makes it difficult to really take a break. £6.50
3pm: Pop out to buy a birthday card for my dad. I realise it’s also Father's Day this weekend and feel a pang of guilt for not seeing him (he lives in Devon). Start to panic, wondering how many birthdays he might have left, but force myself to stop thinking such morbid thoughts. £2.99
5.30pm: Sneak out of work early to go to an outdoor concert at Kenwood House with some friends. Tickets were £50 but paid for a few weeks ago. It’s festival-style so we buy a roast duck wrap from a truck and drink G&Ts on a blanket. Luckily it’s sunny and warm. £39
10.30pm: Concert finishes and we walk to Tinseltown to get a milkshake! £5.99. Then grab a cab home, £15. I think back to a few years ago when I would have been just heading out at this time on a Friday. Feel old.
Total: £79.48
Day Three
10am: After a good lie-in I make eggs and bacon at home to cure my hangover.
12pm: We drive to the new house to check on progress. I can’t see any changes from last weekend – what have the builders been doing all week?!
1pm: We pick up sushi from our favourite Japanese restaurant. It’s a traditional no-frills place but good quality sushi is expensive. £19
3pm: Appointment at the kitchen showroom to finalise our order. Mind blown by all the options!
6pm: Use the gym in my building. It’s empty luckily but insanely warm (no air con!). Feel sad that I’m not able to do a hard workout.
8pm: I cook steak, garlic mushrooms and spinach from the fridge. Resist the urge to open a bottle of wine. We eat ice cream and watch a movie but obviously I fall asleep before the end.
Total: £19
Day Four
10am: Husband brings me eggs and juice in bed. I never really make any plans on Sunday, feel like it’s a day for relaxing and preparing for the week ahead.
11am: We do our weekly Ocado shop for delivery tomorrow. It’s pricy but it includes toiletries (ovulation tests £19 – what a rip-off!) and cleaning products. I really appreciate being able to afford good quality organic / free range meat and fish. £53
12pm: As it’s a sunny day, we go on a walk along the canal and through Regent’s Park. I struggle in the summer with having no outdoor space in our flat. It’s impossible to get away from the crowds of Camden. I remind myself that next summer I will have a garden. On the way back we buy a chicken salad from Whole Foods and some brownie bites. £9
3pm: Eat some cannabis chocolate my husband made (I use it medicinally – it helps with pain management and Sunday night anxiety) and settle in for the afternoon on the sofa to finalise bathroom tile choices and browse Pinterest. Finish the brownie bites.
7pm: Can’t fight the cravings and order a pizza: 18-inch with pepperoni, salami, goat's cheese and mushrooms. £11
8pm: It’s a Boots points weekend (spend £60 get £10 in points) and I’ve been saving up my purchases for a while. Buy mascara, fake tan and a Clarisonic brush head. £61
9pm: Chat to my mum on the phone. I swear she has a more exciting life than me. Oh to be retired.
Total: £134
Day Five
9am: Ugh Mondays! Skip breakfast in favour of extra sleep. Tube is a nightmare. I dream of packing it all in and going travelling. Eat a Nakd bar from my desk.
10am: Have a meeting where my boss' boss refers to me as "young lady". Not cool. I feel like calling him "old man".
12.30pm: On my lunch break I pop into the baby Next to get a gift for my best friend who is due next week. I also buy both my nieces a new outfit. I miss them and wish I got to see them more. I text my sister to arrange a catch-up. £52
1pm: Grab a chicken and sweet potato salad for lunch. £5.50
3pm: I have deadlines but I pop out for coffee with a colleague. I usually avoid buying coffees at work but it’s Monday so the instant coffee in the kitchen just isn’t going to cut it. I buy both coffees. £5.80
8pm: Home from work. Too exhausted to cook. Ask husband to cook trout and asparagus. He grumbles about the lack of carbs so has a bowl of cereal for dessert. I do some gentle yoga which makes me feel less guilty about the lack of gym.
Total: £63.30
Day Six
7.30am: I wake in time to cook two fried eggs at home. Feel like I’m winning at life when I manage to cook breakfast before getting to work.
9am: I have two interviews this morning for a new role in my team. Make coffee to sharpen me up. Both candidates are good and I ask them to come back for a second interview with my boss.
1pm: Grab a salmon and tuna poke bowl for lunch. Doesn’t taste good value for money. £9.50
4pm: I spend the afternoon investigating an error in our reporting and wondering how to break the news to my boss. My brain craves sugar so I help myself to an office doughnut.
7pm: Escape work to meet a friend for dinner at Barbecoa. We share a porterhouse steak and drink cocktails and wine and chat for hours. £78
10.30pm: Tube home. Camden feels dodgy at night, wish I got an Uber.
Total: £87.50
Day Seven
8am: I overslept so no time for breakfast. I get an Uber to work and eat a protein bar on the way. £13
10am: I send an email about handing over some work. It starts a war and the men start shouting. Sometimes it’s tough trying to get my voice heard as one of only two women in my team.
1pm: Buy a falafel wrap with tortilla chips. It’s huge so I give half to a colleague (the human dustbin). £4.95
6pm: Work pub quiz. I’m really bad at general knowledge so don’t have high hopes of a win. Garlic bread, chicken wings and nachos are provided by work (healthy!).
8pm: The round on the World Cup is impossible. My team loses, of course! I buy commiseration drinks for my team. £33
9.30pm: Tube home. I notice House of Fraser is having an online sale and purchase two summery dresses for work. £45
10pm: Husband fills me in about the latest disaster with the new house (one of the bedrooms is full of rainwater). We tiredly make some decisions which will undoubtedly add cost to our next invoice from the builders.
Total: £95.95
The Breakdown
Food/Drink: £280.24
Entertainment: £0
Clothes/Beauty: £199
Travel: £311
Other: £12.99
Total: £803.23
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