This week: “I’m a 27-year-old trainee solicitor living in Belfast. I took a large pay cut to undertake the solicitor training course and also wiped out my savings to pay the tuition fees. I moved back home to live with my parents and I’m very much still adjusting to living with five other people. It feels strange to tell people where I’m going and who I’m with all the time! However I’m very grateful to be allowed to live at home and I’m trying to take advantage of this time as a family as I don’t imagine we will all live under the same roof again.”
Occupation: Trainee solicitor
Industry: Law
Age: 27
Location: Belfast
Salary: £13,650
Paycheque amount: £1,042
Number of housemates: Six (my parents, three siblings and my dog)
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £200. I live at home with my parents and this is my ‘keep’. I also contribute to groceries etc.
Loan payments: £0
Pension? I contribute £36.40 per month which I think my employer matches.
Savings? £0. I had almost £10,000 saved before I started training as a solicitor but I have used that money to pay for the course. I am trying to see it as an investment in my future but I find myself comparing myself to people I went to school with who are all on the property ladder now.
Utilities: Included in housing expenses.
All other monthly expenses: £65 phone bill (I know this is high but the Wi-Fi at home doesn’t reach my bedroom and this includes unlimited data, which is necessary for working from home). £60 car insurance. Subscriptions: £3 Amazon Prime student membership and £16.99 Spotify Family. £13.50 sports team membership.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a four-year undergraduate degree in law including a year abroad and I’m doing the solicitor qualification course. I got a pretty hefty bursary towards my undergraduate fees and my parents paid the rest as they were very keen for me not to take on student debt. I paid the solicitor course fee from my savings. I worked various part-time bartending and waitressing jobs to pay rent at a student hovel and to have ‘fun money’ while at university.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
We didn’t discuss money outside of being told at 16 that I wouldn’t be able to go to university in England as my parents couldn’t afford to send me. My parents never took on any debt outside of their mortgage and always said that credit cards and overdrafts were the devil! We talk more openly now about salaries and finances but I wish we had discussed it more when I was younger.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out at 18 and moved back in at 26 during the COVID pandemic, which sometimes feels like a regression. But I actually really enjoy living at home and spending time with my family.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I’m definitely still not financially independent!
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was at a supermarket as a Christmas temp. I got it because my parents told me I needed a job if I wanted to go on our summer holiday. I loved the independence it brought me and never stopped working after that point.
Do you worry about money now?
All the time. Even living at home, getting to the end of the month is a stretch for me at the minute. I worry about being able to afford a house on my own and I worry about financial stability in general.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
I inherited £5,000 when my grandmother died in 2016. I bought my car with the money and spent the rest on a holiday.
7am: Wake up and start getting ready for work.
8.30am: I drive to work and park on a public road so that my parking is free. Since it’s Friday I decide to buy a pain au chocolat for 90p as I don’t fancy cornflakes for breakfast.
9am: I work right through to lunch without stopping. For some reason everyone seems to want something from me today.
1pm: I didn’t pack lunch today so I buy a wrap, a KitKat and a Diet Coke, £7.85. I am a big advocate of Friday treats! Everyone seems to quiet down in the afternoon so I spend some time chatting to colleagues about the upcoming weekend.
5.30pm: I stop quickly in Tesco on my way to my rugby match and spend £16 on a bottle of Aperol (the large bottle was on offer for £1 cheaper than the smaller one, yay!) and £2 on deodorant.
8pm: I played alright but we lost in the last minute. I drink a Diet Coke at the bar (kindly bought by a teammate), then head home. Debate getting a takeaway the whole way back.
8.30pm: I decide to eat leftover chicken and roast vegetables to save myself some cash.
9pm: I head to my room to put some fake tan on and tuck myself into bed early.
10pm: Sleep.
Total: £26.75
9am: Wake up.
11am: I head out to coach the mini team at my rugby club.
12pm: After training I shower and wash my hair and get ready for a fun weekend in Dublin with some pals.
2pm: I spend £2.90 on Jelly Tots and a Diet Coke for the bus ride down. I end up sitting next to a woman who is loudly and somewhat desperately trying to persuade her friend to go on holiday over the phone. I feel very sorry for her but also wish she’d shut up as she is killing my vibe.
5pm: I stop at Spar on my way to my friend P’s house. I spend €30.47 (£26.22) on two bottles of prosecco, a toothbrush and a vape (don’t judge me). I then head to M&S and spend €1.70 (£1.46) on two navel oranges.
5.30pm: I drop my bags at P’s house and we immediately head out to a cool bar for a pint, which is kindly paid for by P’s partner, B. We then go back to the house and make Aperol Spritzes with the prosecco and Aperol I bought earlier.
9.30pm: We head out to dinner with a big gang of friends and get a set menu and three cocktails each. We are celebrating B’s birthday so we split the meal evenly between everyone except the birthday boy and P. It comes to €109 (£93.79) each and I stress out trying to coordinate everyone’s payments and the tip. We then head to another bar for more drinks…
Total: £124.37
12am: I buy a round for €24 (£20.69) and I’m forced to consume a tequila shot, which my friend C pays for. Everyone I’m celebrating with earns much more than I do so sometimes I feel like I’m along for the ride a little bit, which is usually fine at the time but the next day I wake up with horrible anxiety and feel like everyone hates me.
2am: I buy a drink for C and I for €15.80 (£13.62) and then insist upon walking back to the house instead of getting an Uber, for reasons unknown to me. Everyone comes back with us and we drink more there!
6am: I lose my wits and get an Uber back to C’s flat and we have drunken sex.
12pm: C and I eventually wake up feeling terrible and try to have more sex but are too hungover. She drags me to a coffee place near her flat and I buy us two iced lattes for €8.20 (£7.07). We walk 40 minutes into the city centre to go to a specific sandwich shop and when we get there it is closed and I nearly cry. We get catcalled by a really vile man and it upsets us both. We get the Luas back to P’s house (free as I don’t swipe my card, oops) and stop at Spar for sandwiches, grapes, ice lollies and assorted liquids, €15.70 (£13.54).
2pm: We eat and then go for one more drink, paid for by B.
3.30pm: Drag myself to the train and kiss everyone goodbye. I spend £4.46 on water and popcorn for the journey and try to sleep but the train is packed so I don’t succeed.
7pm: My sister, L, picks me up and we go to McDonald’s, £8.98. They give us the wrong order but we don’t discover until we get home and then I really do cry.
9pm: I wash off my sins in the shower, put moisturiser and hyaluronic acid on, and go to bed.
Total: £68.36
8am: I drive to work and park on the public road again. I stop at Tesco and buy two ready meals, a multipack of Wispa bars and a bottle of Diet Coke, £7.45.
12pm: I’m still feeling rough and have lots of emails to get through and lots of work to do. I eat lunch at my desk and get the O2 Priority free Caffè Nero to get me through the rest of the day.
3pm: I make a cup of tea and have one of the multipack Wispas I bought this morning. My colleague gets good news about being promoted and I cry because I’m so happy for her – she works so hard and really deserves good things. I debate staying late to finish some security deeds but decide that I don’t get paid enough to work outside my contracted hours.
8pm: I head home and my sister decides she wants to have chip shop chips with our dinner so she heads out to get us some. While she does that I go and walk the dog, do a load of washing, shower and put spot cream on as my body seems to be punishing me for drinking 700 beers this weekend?
9pm: I order flowers to be delivered to my friend A for her birthday, £26. I love sending flowers as gifts, I think they’re perfect for all occasions and also think gifts should be perishable!
Total: £33.45
8am: I drive to work and stop at Tesco, again. I buy oranges and Diet Coke, £3.45.
9am: I get really overwhelmed at the start of the day as one of my colleagues is winding me up and I’m nervous about my appraisal later so I go cry in the toilets (is this normal?). Due to an emergency in work I have recently had a lot of responsibility put on my shoulders, which is incredibly daunting as I’m not even qualified yet. However it turns out that I had nothing really to worry about as they are incredibly complimentary during the appraisal and I leave feeling proud of myself.
1pm: I frantically try to get security documents to the other side of a transaction before meeting a fellow trainee solicitor for lunch at a cafe next to my office. We have a lovely catch-up and she kindly pays as I paid the last time we met up.
4pm: I mentally check out after the stress of the day and head home.
6pm: I stop at Tesco and buy ingredients to make dinner for my family, £7.45.
7pm: My mum requests that I make spinach pasta with chicken so I do and everyone tells me it’s nice but I sense they could be lying. I really enjoy cooking but find it hard to do so when everyone is at home as people are constantly coming in and out of the kitchen.
9pm: I finish the day with a cup of tea and chocolate and watch Heartstopper, which is really sweet and makes me cry. Tears seem to be a theme of the week. I had planned to go to the gym today but after a stressful day and a heavy weekend I just feel too drained.
Total: £10.90
8am: I wake up and it’s payday, yay! I check my app but I don’t move any money yet.
9am: When I get into work I make a coffee and have it with own-brand Weetabix that I had in my desk.
12pm: I eat two oranges and chat to one of my colleagues who got engaged over the weekend!
1pm: I add money into a Monzo savings pot which will be my spending money for the holiday I am going on next week with my friend E.
1pm: Someone has eaten my ready meal out of the fridge so I don’t have any lunch. I go to Boots with some colleagues and get a meal deal and we eat outside our office on a bench, £3.59.
4pm: I’m asked to do a really unpleasant task that I absolutely don’t have time for but I power through it and finish up at around 6pm. The partner I did it for is really grateful, which makes it worth it.
7pm: I drive home and make chicken and new potatoes with peas for dinner. I shovel it down quickly as I have a one-to-one meeting with my rugby coach this evening.
8pm: During my session we discuss personal and team goals for the season. Afterwards I go out for a run then head home to shower.
9pm: Eat a handful of Mini Eggs and watch Below Deck in bed.
Total: £3.59
8.20am: I decide to have a slightly later start today and spend £3.50 on an all-day bus pass. I make awkward but somehow sexy eye contact with the young guy who gets this bus at the same time as me.
8.45am: I arrive in the city centre and debate getting a coffee but decide I can’t justify it to myself. I eat Weetabix and have an instant coffee at my desk and triage my overflowing inbox. I delegate some tasks to paralegals which always makes me feel horribly guilty but I’m so busy that I don’t have much choice.
1.30pm: We have a CPD session over lunch today so lunch is catered. I grab some sandwiches and settle in.
2.30pm: After the session I head out to meet a friend in town to get a coffee, £3.08. I stop by Waterstones on my way back to the office and spend £13.38 on two paperbacks to take on holiday with me (these are on a buy-one-get-one-half-price deal so I feel like they’re a bargain). I consider buying the Rare Beauty liquid blush that TikTok raves about but decide against it.
6pm: I get gel nails done after work, £25. I don’t usually get this done as I play a few sports and spend a good amount of time in the gym but I’m going on holiday and feel like they’re an essential.
7pm: Afterwards I stop in the Co-op and buy a pizza for dinner, £4.90.
10pm: Sleep.
Total: £49.86
Food & Drink: £247.40
Entertainment: £13.38
Clothes & Beauty: £27
Home & Health: £0
Travel: £3.50
Other: £26
Total: £317.28
Conclusion
“This weekend was something of an anomaly. I don’t usually have £100 dinners but I think this one was worth it as I had the best time! I should stop my Tesco runs in the morning and also should try to limit hungover spending. I also got nails done and made some holiday purchases but otherwise this was fairly representative of a typical week. I can’t wait until I’m qualified and can finally start putting money away in savings again.”
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