This week: “I’m a 32-year-old events producer working in the arts. I have been living in London for around 10 years. I’m originally from Scandinavia but grew up moving around the world due to my parents’ jobs. I moved to the UK to study when I was 18 and eventually ended up in London for my master’s. I’ve always been very career-focused and consider myself lucky to work in an industry that’s also my passion. Before COVID I specialised in producing events around arts programmes and decided to take the leap to go freelance in March 2020, a week or so before the UK went into lockdown. In hindsight, not the best timing (cue many weeks of self-doubt and crying) but I miraculously landed a freelance gig which saw me through the pandemic. After freelancing I pivoted to focus on visual arts and am currently on a maternity cover contract, as I thought that safety net would be helpful as we transition out of the pandemic.
After three very lonely lockdowns, I moved six months ago to an area of London that I’ve wanted to live in for years. My rent and living costs have gone up significantly but it’s all been worth it to live near my friends and within walking/cycling distance of all my favourite neighbourhoods. As a single thirtysomething in London it’s expensive paying for everything on my own but I’ve been determined to prove that you don’t need a partner to live in the city. I’m trying to strike a balance between living my best life while living within my means every month.”
Occupation: Events producer
Industry: Arts and culture
Age: 32
Location: London
Salary: £35,000
Paycheque amount: £2,288
Number of housemates: None
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £845 for a studio flat.
Loan payments: £0
Savings? £2,800 in a cash ISA, £31,000 in a UK savings account (£12,000 of which is set aside for paying taxes from freelancing in 20/21. I’m super proud of these savings as most of them were put aside in the year I was freelancing). £3,000 in a child savings account (my parents gave this to all their children to access when they turned 18 but I haven’t touched mine yet). £450 in a bank account at home (which I use as spending money when I visit to avoid the terrible exchange rate). £1,900 in stocks.
Pension? My employer automatically contributes 8% pension regardless of whether we choose to match this or not. I’ve chosen not to contribute for now as this is a short-term contract and my living costs have increased since moving in on my own.
Utilities: Council tax with single person discount £80, water £22.50, electric £50-£100 (varies depending on the time of year), Wi-Fi £18.
All other monthly expenses: Phone and travel insurance £10 (through my bank). Subscriptions: Netflix £5.99, Now TV £4.99, Spotify £9.99, ClassPass £35 (although I often end up buying extra points). During the summer I also pay £35 monthly for access to a local reservoir and pools for swimming.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Higher education is free in my home country (and a master’s is seen as the norm) and years ago they had a reciprocal agreement with EU countries. As such the state paid for both my undergraduate and master’s. I also received a monthly stipend of about £500 throughout my studies which covered living costs, and my parents paid for my accommodation. I had to submit transcripts of my grades every six months to prove I was passing – with the understanding that if I failed or didn’t complete the course I’d have to pay back my whole stipend to the government. This has all changed since Brexit but I feel very lucky not to have any student loans.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My parents were transparent about money and I’ve always felt fortunate enough to have support from them if needed, although their financial situation changed drastically during COVID. I do wish I’d been taught more about investing and am trying to educate myself on this.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out of home at 17 and have paid day-to-day living costs and bills since then.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself?
My parents paid for my accommodation while I was studying (within a strict budget – we always chose the most affordable option). I became fully financially independent at 22 when I finished my master’s.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked every summer from the age of 14 in a local restaurant as a waitress for pocket money. I also worked throughout my bachelor’s as a waitress to earn enough to supplement my stipend throughout the year. During my master’s in London I worked three jobs and did three unpaid internships, which led to a job straight out of university in my industry.
Do you worry about money now?
All the time. I chose my career out of passion rather than what would earn me a lot of money but recently it’s been eye-opening seeing friends who aren’t in the arts hugely surpass my salary range. I’m currently considering whether I should change career paths and retrain in something non-arts-related to eventually earn more money. COVID was a reality check for anyone working in the arts (especially live events) and I’m worried about going freelance again if another lockdown happens.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
My grandfather left all of his grandchildren £800 in stocks when he passed over 10 years ago, which has since grown to £1,900.
8.30am: After 15 minutes of snoozing I finally get out of bed. This is particularly hard after spending the weekend having (slightly too much) fun, including a Saturday gig and a late Sunday cinema screening.
8.50am: I work from the office three days a week so quickly get ready and head out the door. Since moving to a more expensive flat to live by myself in February I’ve had to slash all travel expenses by swapping TfL for my bike. It’s a gloriously sunny autumn morning so it’s actually a really nice start to the day.
9.20am: Arrive at the office and pop into the Waitrose next door to pick up some food for my breakfast this week. I try to buy groceries for meals at work and prep food in the staff kitchen when I can to save money. I buy strawberry Skyr, a four-pack of blueberry muffins and raspberries. £4.50
9.30am: Make breakfast in the office (yoghurt with berries and a muffin) with a pot of coffee (free) and settle into work. After a crazy last few weeks of back-to-back events, this is one of the rare weeks without an event (hello, free evenings) and I’ve got lots of planning to do.
1pm: A colleague messages me on Teams asking if I want to join her for lunch. Our office faces right out on the canal and I want to make the most of the sunny day so we head out. We pop to Waitrose – the plan is to buy several bits for lunch which I can use over the next few days. However, on arrival we find that all of their cooler discs have broken and all the fresh food is being thrown out (so much food waste). I buy a chicken and avocado sandwich, BBQ popchips and a Coke Zero and promise myself I’ll try to prep lunch the rest of the week. £4.75
3pm: Quick biscuit and coffee break. Coffee is from the staff kitchen and the biscuits are left over from an event last week. Here’s hoping that the sugar kills the remnants of my hangover from the weekend.
5.30pm: Log off for the day and store all my equipment in the work lockers. I have a few deliveries arriving this evening including a Sainsbury’s order so want to get home pronto. Bike home in what is still glorious autumn sunshine.
6pm: Make it home in time for the Sainsbury’s delivery, which costs £53.94. As I don’t have a car I do a big online order for heavy basics once a month or so and grocery shop locally or use HelloFresh when I have a voucher. I get lots of barista Oatly, washing detergent, fabric conditioner, candles (hello, hygge season), Coke Zero, olive oil, bin bags, loo roll, kitchen towel etc. Sadly nothing fun.
7pm: Still waiting on a HelloFresh delivery which should have arrived by now but is delayed. I decide to make a quick pasta dish with freezer veg (peas and spinach) instead.
9pm: HelloFresh order finally arrives (payment went out last week from direct debit). I’ve got cheese and bean quesadillas, cauliflower bean stew and a lentil veg salad to look forward to.
11pm: After catching up with the most recent Grand Designs episode, I shower and head to bed.
Total: £63.19
8am: Wake up and do my morning routine of yoga, getting ready, packing a sandwich and jumping on my bike to work. Grateful for another dry day that means I don’t have to get out the rain trousers.
9.30am: Arrive at work and make a yoghurt bowl with Skyr, banana (brought from home), raspberries and blueberry muffin with a coffee, all from the shop yesterday. With two events coming up next week the morning flies with calls arranging logistics.
11.30am: Have another coffee and half a peanut butter and chocolate Kind bar from my stash at work. Jump on a call with a museum.
1.15pm: Break for lunch and have my homemade sandwich (ham, avocado, tomato and pepper) and buy some apples and Mini Cheddars from Waitrose to bulk it up. Read a few pages of my book (the latest Sally Rooney novel… It took a while but I’m fully into it now!) and go for a walk along the canal before going back to work. £1.25
2pm: Have a big planning meeting to discuss the events programme for 2022, covering both in-person and digital events.
3pm: Eat the other half of the Kind bar and bang through event briefings so I can send them off for approval. I’m going to the theatre tonight with some old colleagues and one of them messages to say we need a COVID test as well as a vaccination passport. This means I’ll have to cycle home to pick one up before I go.
5.30pm: Leave ASAP so I can make it home before the theatre. Cycle home, take a test and register the negative result online.
6pm: Whip up dinner (bean quesadilla) from HelloFresh and add in some leftover veg (tomatoes, peppers and side salad) then head back out the door.
7pm: After a slightly traumatising cycle by the canal (thanks, Citymapper) I get to the theatre and order a much-needed glass of red wine. £4.90
9.30pm: The play was amazing! I worked in a new writing theatre for years and really miss seeing new work. Cycle home and eat some Ben & Jerry’s (Netflix & Chill’d, best flavour ever) in bed while watching Below Deck and doing WhatsApp and dating admin. Confirm a date for Thursday eve.
10.30pm: A friend who lives down the road messages asking if I’d like to join her for Power Pilates on Thursday morning. I book in on ClassPass but have to buy extra points as I’ve used them all up for the month. Exercise is super important to me and my mental health, and I love being active with friends, so decide to pay the extra money. £9
11pm: Lights out.
Total: £15.15
8am: Alarm goes off for my daily yoga. I am DEAD. Go back to sleep.
8.20am: Get out of bed, stretch and rummage around in my cupboard for lunch options, of which there are none. I was going to prep the HelloFresh meals the other day for lunch but as they didn’t arrive until late I’ve got to improvise until I have time to go to the shops.
9am: Cycle into work. It’s another gorgeous autumn day and I am feeling very grateful for life almost being back to normal after COVID.
9.30am: Get into the office, usual routine of making my coffee, breakfast bowl (Skyr, crumbled muffin, berries and banana) and jumping onto our daily check-in call.
1.15pm: Break for lunch. Pick up some veggie sushi from Wasabi, £4.10, which I eat with an apple from yesterday and some dried bean snacks, £2.40 from Waitrose. Realise I’m still starving and that was deceivingly small…
1.45pm: Someone has put leftover food from a lunch in the kitchen! Win. Have a small bowl of beetroot feta lentil salad with hummus, which perfectly fills the gaps.
3pm: Spend the afternoon chasing agents of artists for our digital event series. We started a series of online ‘in conversation’ panel discussions with artists during the pandemic and they’ve been so popular, we’re still running them monthly alongside the in-person events programme.
5.30pm: Have to rush home (again) as I’ve got a board meeting tonight for an arts charity I am a trustee for. It’s a UK-wide charity so all meetings are online still. Make it home and have exactly 15 minutes to shower, change (yay leggings) and get a drink before the meeting starts.
7.15pm: Finish the meeting and I am ravenous. Definitely should’ve had a snack earlier. The whole board is new so it was interesting to meet everyone and hear from the directors in each area about their priorities for the next year. Cook up a HelloFresh meal (some kind of lentil veg jambalaya, pretty meh) and add some freezer peas for extra veg.
8pm: Sit down to do some life admin, put on a load of laundry and eat. I review previous board minutes from a meeting I missed and action a few points from the meeting we just had.
8.30pm: A friend messages that she’d like to buy some Eurostar vouchers off me (I was meant to go to her wedding in France in 2020 but #COVID) and I send her the relevant booking codes and she transfers me the money. Given they were about to expire it feels ace to have an extra £107 in the bank. Foam roll and stretch, hang up a load of laundry.
11pm: Watch a few episodes of Maid on Netflix while eating a bowl of ice cream. Have a second serving because it tastes so good and because the show has me in floods of tears.
Total: £6.50
6.45am: Alarm goes off for Pilates. Curse myself for booking an early class on a work from home day. Jump into some comfortable leggings and top, make a coffee with oat milk to bring in my keep cup and butter a few toasted slices of Soreen for the road. Grab my yoga mat and walk to the studio, which is a 20 minute walk away. See that payment for next week’s HelloFresh has come out (I have a 35% off voucher so it’s £22.03 for three meal kits).
8.15am: Class done and head to a local coffee shop for a catch-up with my friend. We’ve done it a few times before together but my legs are so sore today from all the cycling to work and this week felt like a killer. We take turns buying each other coffee and today is my turn. Order two flat whites, £5.60, and head to a nearby park, partly to catch up and partly to dog-watch. Cute dogs are sometimes followed by cute guys, just sayin’.
9.15am: Lost track of time chatting so speed-walk home in time for our daily meeting. It feels like a treat to work from home today and I spend a few minutes setting up my monitor and workstation (studio living means everything gets hidden away usually), putting on some incense and settling down to emails.
12.30pm: An agent I’ve been chasing for weeks has confirmed talent can do a date for our digital event. The event is only two weeks away so it’s been down to the wire waiting for them to confirm availability. Realise I haven’t eaten much and am once again starving. Dig out my last piece of sourdough from the fridge and top it with baked beans, cheese and tomatoes.
2pm: Get sucked back into emails and realise I need to go out at some point to top up groceries. Go for a quick walk to my local high street. I always try to get out of the house when working from home and it helps to have something to walk towards. Get sourdough and eggs from a local organic shop, £5, and pick up other essentials (tomatoes, avocado, kale, butter) from Sainsbury’s Local. £5.50
2.30pm: Make a super quick banana bread and put it in the oven. I add walnuts and chocolate so it’s definitely more a cake than bread…but we move. Spend the rest of the afternoon drafting contracts for talent.
4pm: Coffee and warm banana bread break. Smother it in Biscoff for good measure.
6.15pm: Finished and sent all of the contracts, hurrah! Jump in the shower to get ready for a date and heat up some leftovers from last night (the veg lentil jambalaya thing).
7pm: Realllly fancy a drink and run across the street to an off-licence to buy a small soda water, orange and pale ale, £3.50. I make myself a Campari soda orange to sip on while messaging with a group of friends who all live abroad.
7.30pm: Walk to the pub, it’s about a 30 minute walk. The bus would be quicker but I’m determined not to spend any money on transport where I can avoid it.
8pm: Arrive and he offers to buy the first round. We have three in total, I pay for one (red wine for me, Guinness for him and a pack of salt and vinegar crisps). £11.60
11.30pm: We stay chatting until the pub closes and although we’ve had some really interesting conversations I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other again, at least romantically. He kept checking his phone all night for work which was a massive turn-off for me.
11.45pm: Go past McDonald’s on the way home (definitely more tipsy than I thought) and get a chicken nugget meal with Diet Coke and chips, £5.39. Jump on the bus, £1.55, get home and drunkenly eat half in bed while updating friends on WhatsApp about the date.
12.30am: He messages asking if I got home safe, which is a lovely touch. Although any date that ends with McDonald’s in my bed instead of a boy is probably not going to have a second one. Take off my makeup (well done, drunk me) and fall asleep.
Total: £60.17
8am: I’m surprisingly fine after last night. Strip my bed and put my sheets in the washing machine. Perks of working from home.
8.30am: Do half an hour of yoga. My body is so sore from all the cycling and it feels amazing to stretch. I use Boho Beautiful’s videos on YouTube and although her voice is (super) annoying she knows her stuff. I did it every morning in lockdown with a friend and I like to include it in my morning routine when I can now.
9.15am: Make a coffee and log on to work. It’s going to be a busy day as I have an event to prep for on Monday and none of the briefings has been signed off yet…
9.30am: Daily team call. Really want a proper breakfast but have a meeting in 30 minutes. Tide myself over with toasted banana bread and more coffee.
10am: Have a briefing about the event on Monday. There are lots of changes to the format so I have to redo some of the documents before they go out this afternoon.
1pm: I am once again starving as I got sucked into emails and prep for next week. Cook a massive lunch of sourdough, baked beans, a poached egg, avocado and roasted tomatoes. Tidy up and slice the rest of the sourdough to put into the freezer and do the same with the leftover banana bread.
1.30pm: Root around for some coins then head to a nearby laundromat with my sheets. They have massive driers which dry everything in 10 minutes, which is so worth it to not have my studio covered in laundry over the weekend. The load costs £1.40.
1.45pm: Do some dating admin while I wait and reply to a bunch of new matches (I may have drunk-swiped last night while eating McDonald’s). I also get some urgent messages from colleagues on Teams so I finish up and hurry home.
2pm: Back home and get on with emails. I can feel my stress and anxiety building as I’m delivering two events a week over the next few months and it’s a lot trying to balance all the different deadlines. Deal with panicked emails about a Zoom event URL that needs to go live by 5.30pm. Eventually fix it with the tech team and the event goes live.
5.30pm: Done with the work week! I’d planned a quiet night in, catching up on laundry and cleaning my flat, but a friend down the road messages asking if I fancy a beer and a walk… Why not? It’s Friday after all. Put on the latest Peggy Gou track, speed-clean (vacuum, dust surfaces, clean the bathroom) and put the clean sheets on my bed. Eat the last bites of the lentil veg jambalaya thing.
6.15pm: Walk to meet my friend.
6.30pm: Decide the walk to the pub was enough walking and we catch up over a few beers. I fill her in on my dating and get the latest update on her wedding planning. She’s a friend from Denmark and it’s so nice to chat in Danish. I’m going to be a bridesmaid at her wedding and can’t wait. Drinks cost £11.50.
9.30pm: Walk home and throw together the rest of the HelloFresh bean quesadilla meal for dinner.
10.30pm: Finally start the latest series of You on Netflix. Either it’s really boring or I’m totally wiped but I fall asleep almost immediately.
Total: £12.90
8.30am: Wake up before my alarm, put on some incense, make a cup of coffee and sip it in bed while watching the last episode of Maid. I’m in tears in the first five minutes (and I can’t even blame my period anymore). It’s totally heartbreaking how broken the system is for victims of domestic violence. Make a note to look up DV charities to donate to.
9.15am: I’m meeting my friend from last night and another friend for a HIIT class at 10am (booked weeks ago on ClassPass) so get ready and eat a bite of banana bread to tide me over. I’m still quite full from the beers and late dinner last night and after 18 years of struggling with an eating disorder, I’m really trying to practise intuitive eating. I’ve been recovering for two years but it’s always in the back of my mind.
9.45am: Cycle 10 minutes to the class and meet my friends.
10.45am: Emerge as sweaty messes but had so much fun. Felt like being at a rave without the hangover. The three of us are meeting tonight for dinner at A’s new flat so make plans for later and bike our separate ways home.
11am: Home and make a quick banana oat milk smoothie. Put on a face mask while looking up how to get to a gallery event later (relent to taking the Tube as I don’t want to show up to a networking event as a sweaty mess) and jump in the shower.
1.15pm: Spend the morning reading and catching up on personal emails. Make another epic brunch (sourdough, avocado, egg and garlic roasted tomatoes). Put on my best art world outfit (I usually wear all black given I work in events) and jump on the overground to central London. £2.75
2pm: Go through COVID checks, get my pass and meet my friend C inside. We spend a solid two and a half hours going round and it’s actually really fun. I recognise quite a few works from artists I’ll be working with on upcoming events and it feels great to be constantly learning.
4.30pm: Much-needed coffee break. C has an exhibitor pass and gets us free flat whites. We also munch on some Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate (dark almond sea salt) that one of the stalls was giving out.
5pm: Head home on the Tube as I need to pick up some things I have at home for dinner tonight, including my friend’s housewarming gift. £2.75
5.30pm: Home and running late. I bought a bottle of prosecco, a card and some incense last week as a housewarming present, which I wrap up and put in a nice tote bag I got for free from the art event. I also bring a really nice bottle of red that I have at home. I charge my bike lights for as long as I can and cycle 20 minutes to her flat.
9pm: We’ve had the best evening, chatting (mainly about boys) and eating. After many Aperol spritzes, a delicious risotto, some various salads and tiramisu, vodka makes an appearance from the host’s freezer and we start dancing around the living room. Eventually I remember everything is open and we can actually go OUT OUT so we decide to seize the night.
10pm: Do a quick makeup top-up (yes, we’re now all wearing the same colour lipstick) and head out. I pop into a corner shop to buy a beer for the road and a lighter for my friend who’s smoking, £3.50. It’s walking distance and I push my bike with me.
10.30pm: Pay for entry, £5. We collate all our stuff into one bag and my friend kindly pays for the cloakroom.
11pm: We take turns buying rounds of vodka soda limes (my round is £15) and dance the night away. It feels so good to let loose after so long in lockdown and everyone is on great form. There’s a disco night on and people are throwing some great shapes. Rollerblades even make an appearance.
3am: Several rounds and some free drinks later, we make a move to go home. A is desperate for McDonald’s and we spend 10 minutes reminding her that they are all in fact closed. I remember I have my bike with me and weigh up walking home through the park alone in the dark vs biking. Decide to bike the scary bits and walk the rest. I put on all my lights and helmet and make it home in 10 minutes. I’m Scandi so I feel like biking is in my blood but know it’s not the best thing to do after a few drinks…
3.30am: Drunk-eat a pack of ramen and take off my makeup. Wait up for both friends to text me they’re home safe, then crash into bed.
Total: £29
8am: Wake up and will myself back to sleep. I’ve felt better but also much worse…
9.30am: Spent the last hour snoozing and think I might still be slightly drunk. Wake up to messages suggesting my friends feel much the same.
10am: Really want to Uber Eats McDonald’s but raid the fridge instead. Find a lonely English muffin in the freezer and realise I have all the ingredients to make eggs Benedict. I must definitely still be drunk as I make hollandaise sauce from scratch. 10/10 would recommend.
11am: Back in bed with a coffee to read my book and do some life admin. Really want a sofa for my studio and spend some time browsing my local Freecycle. Find one and arrange to pick it up next week.
2pm: I’ve booked a slot for a secondhand kilo sale at 3pm so I walk there early to run some errands on the high street and get some fresh air. Stock up on paracetamol from Boots, £1.05. Also buy some decorations for the flat, £2.
2.30pm: Give into the hangover temptation of McDonald’s. I limit myself to a cheeseburger and Coke Zero. Tell myself I at least saved the delivery fee by walking there. £1.98
3pm: Everyone I’m meant to go to the kilo sale with is late or too hungover so I head in alone. Eventually a few of them show up but I can’t find much that catches my eye. I buy a fleece checked shirt for £8.60 which I’m imagining myself cosying up in over Christmas in a log cabin.
4pm: Head home and call my bestie who’s working abroad. We have a long catch-up and it gives me some company for the walk home.
6pm: Cook up the last HelloFresh meal from the week, a bean and veg stew with roasted cauliflower bites. I add in a ton of kale I need to use up. Eat it while watching You (still can’t get into it).
9pm: Finish up some laundry and pack my bag for tomorrow morning. I’ve got an event during the day but want to keep up the cycling so need to bring a change of clothes and makeup. I’m hoping there’ll be leftover food from the event so don’t pack lunch.
9.30pm: Eat the last portion of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream from the tub while watching Netflix.
11pm: Lights out
Total: £13.63
Food & Drink: £166.44
Entertainment: £5
Clothes & Beauty: £8.60
Home & Health: £10.40
Travel: £7.05
Other: £3.05
Total: £200.54
Conclusion
“It doesn’t surprise me that food and drink is my top spend as I’m going out and socialising much more now that lockdown has lifted. I’m trying to eat at home where I can before going out and it was fun trying HelloFresh as I think it did stop me making random trips to the grocery store. Not sure I’d pay full price though.
I am really proud of how much I managed to save on transport by cycling and walking – it was my biggest compromise when moving to my own flat and I’m really glad I’ve stuck to it. Also, I don’t usually eat McDonald’s twice a week but needs must.”
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