This week: “I’m a 28-year-old interior designer. I moved back in with my parents after a break up with my partner last year. Since being home, I’ve been diagnosed with a chronic back problem. I have two dehydrated discs in my lower back which sometimes means my muscles will spasm and I can’t walk for a few days at a time, which is really painful. Most recently I was off work for three weeks and I ended up relying on my parents to help me walk, take me to hospital appointments etc. I’ve been at my current job since I graduated and I feel like I’m ready for a new challenge and also a pay rise so I can move out. I love living with my parents, they’re a little older and they’ve had some health issues so I like to spend as much time with them as I can. I don’t really want to be living alone but I feel like emotionally and physically, I’m nearly ready to. I have a PT who is helping me work on getting stronger to prevent more back spasms and I know I’m extremely lucky to be able to afford this. I know that if I move out I probably won’t be able to do this, so I’m hoping that this week will help me to look at where else I would be able to cut back.”
Occupation: Interior Designer
Industry: Architecture and Design
Age: 28
Location: West Yorkshire
Salary: £25,467
Paycheque amount: £1,715
Number of housemates: My parents, H. and G., and dog, D.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: I am extremely fortunate as my parents don’t charge me rent. They are probably hoping if they don’t I’ll save more and move out quicker! Instead, I pay for other things that we share like TV streaming, Amazon Prime, and buy top-up shops and larger birthday/Christmas presents.
Loan payments: Student loan. I have no idea how much there is to pay and have accepted that it will most likely never be paid back. It’s probably an extortionate amount currently.
Pension? I’m not entirely sure with this one. I have one but I think that it will be the minimum, I need to actually find this out.
Savings?: £12,000 in NSI premium bonds. £5,600 in a LISA, £3,000 in my current account as back up and £2,365 spread across different Monzo pots (I use this to allocate money for throughout the year like car insurance, gym etc).
Utilities: £0 (I do realise how fortunate I am for this).
All other monthly payments: £12 phone bill, £170 PT, £40 Gym. Subscriptions: £8 Amazon Prime, £8 Disney +, 79p iCloud, £9.99 Spotify, £9.98 Adobe.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it? I went to university and received the minimum maintenance grant alongside the tuition loan. My parents would always have to top up my account to cover my rent as it was always more than the loan and came out before the loan went in.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
I grew up in a household where my parents were doing well but my parents didn’t spoil me. They bought their house before finding out that my mum couldn’t continue working due to a medical condition. Luckily, my dad had a good job and we were fine but it just meant that we didn’t go away as much as they would have liked. They didn’t really speak about money with me and I think that I probably do more research into saving than them. My parents would always tell me to spend money on experiences rather than frivolous things.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents/guardians house?
I moved out for university and then moved back home once I finished. I then moved in with my boyfriend at the time as he had an apartment. We were going to build a house together, so he sold the apartment, then we broke up and I’ve been home ever since.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I became financially responsible when I moved out at 21, but when I moved back in at 26 I was no longer paying bills etc.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked at a gas and boiler company doing admin during summer when I was at university.
Do you worry about money now?
All of the time. I think about mortgage rates and being able to afford it, especially when being single means you have no one to split things with. I try to manage my money with a spreadsheet but still it’s something I constantly worry about. I know that if I were to move out I would need to cut back on a lot of things, so I try to make the most out of them whilst I can.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
No.
5.26am: Wake up, realise the time and the fact I’m not at work today and go back to bed.
8am: Wake up again, scroll through my phone until my alarm goes off.
8.30am: Get up and make my bed. We’re walking the neighbours dog today because they had a family emergency. Good thing I cancelled this morning’s yoga class. I had my back and neck cracked at the osteopaths and he said not to go to the gym for a few days and I am still very achy. Apparently, I went at the right time because A LOT of my muscles were very tight.
8.40am: Today’s getting ready routine consists of exfoliating with Ole Henriksen Sauna Scrub, La Roche-Posay Effaclar moisturiser and sun cream. I then get carried away because I haven’t worn make up in three days (because I was sick) and put on some Nars concealer, Charlotte Tilbury bronzer, Glossier blush and mascara and HD brow pencil (the BEST pencil ever for hair strokes). I then throw on some leggings and a jumper.
9.15am: Go to collect the neighbour’s dog and joke with them how I’ll make sure he doesn’t go in the canal today (apparently yesterday he jumped into the canal and they spent ages trying to drag him out).
10.45am: Decide I need breakfast, but I’m still feeling a little unsure with my stomach so I just have toast with Dairylea on.
11.20am: Decide to put Harry Potter on. I watched the first three when I was sick, so number four it is. I read the other day that anxious people like to rewatch the same thing over and over because it’s predictable and comforting and I realised I do this.
11.45am: Decide to do my nails. I’m out tomorrow and I have an interview in a few days so it is a good time to do them. I decided to start doing my own nails last year and saves me around £30 a time. It takes me ages and they’re not as good as my beautician’s, but they will do.
2.45pm: I’m peckish now, so I go to heat up some soup that I got yesterday.
5:30pm: Go back down and make an apple crumble with the apples my aunt gave me from her tree. I’ll put it in the oven and make custard after we’ve eaten.
6.30pm: We have tea that G. made (we take it in turns to cook). Tonight, is a peri peri chicken with roast potatoes and veg.
7.45pm: Plate up the crumble and then sit eating it with the rest of HP on.
10pm: Remember I’m going out tomorrow and might have my legs out, so I quickly put on some fake tan. I’m tanned but my legs are always really pale and I feel like they never match the rest of me. I really love the Bondi Sands Aero Liquid Gold as it dries quickly and never goes on my sheets.
10.30pm: Get ready and go to bed.
Total: £0
8am: Wake up, get a shower then spend the rest of the morning getting ready until my train.
10.50am: I can’t decide what to wear, this weather is all over the place. It says that it isn’t going to rain so I just wear jeans, a top and a shirt (I later regret this decision).
11.30am: Get the train, £4.05. I’m meeting my friends R. and P. today as we are going to the cricket together. We all went last year and had a good time so P. got us tickets again.
12.20pm: Leave the station and start walking to theirs. When I get there, they have left over pizza and I have a sausage sandwich. We then get an Uber to the cricket which P. pays for.
1:.0pm: We arrive at the cricket and have a great time. I don’t know much, but I feel like the more that I go the more I understand. My friends think that I should go out more to try and meet someone because it seems that online dating isn’t working for me and tbh I’m starting to agree. Plus, it’s really boosting my confidence going out more and meeting new people. I always thought of myself as shy, but I feel like I’m starting to come out of my shell.
3pm: There’s one short burst of rain where everyone turns into a herd of sheep trying to hide from the storm, but apart from that it’s good fun. R. and I take it in turns to buy drinks, £34 for my two rounds.
6pm: We go for some food. R. and I share a burger (they’re so big) and some sides. If you’re ever somewhere with a Fat Hippo, I recommend the cheeseballs, £20 for my share.
8.30pm: They walk me to the station and I go back home where G. kindly picks me up.
10pm: I get ready for bed. Why is having to take make up off the worst part of the day? I can never be bothered but I also refuse to sleep in it because no one wants clogged pores and make up pillows.
Total: £58.05
8am: I have the day off today, so I enjoy a welcome lie in.
8.30am: Get up, throw on some clothes and take my car for an MOT. I’m already dreading it. I know it will be another big expense as the timing belt needs changing. I put money aside every month for car-related things, but this year it’s been so expensive (G. says that it should mean the next two years will be relatively low, so let’s hope that’s true). I already know I’m going to have to dip into my savings for this one because literally everything is needed within two months (service, insurance, MOT and new tyres! Ugh!).
9am: Get back home and make breakfast of porridge with Biscoff and strawberries.
10am: Do my mobility work for my back and a home workout since I don’t have my car so I can’t go to the gym.
11.30am: I shower and get ready. I love a no make-up day, my skin feels so clean. I just potter around the house, prep for my interview this week and do a bit more work on my portfolio to send off to other companies.
5pm: Go to pick up my car and cry internally at the £500 fee.
6pm: I make us tea of spaghetti bolognese and then spend an evening doing interview research, watching TV and chatting to a friend who has just had a baby. Everyone around me is either having babies or getting married and I feel no desire for either right now, but it does make me feel like I’m a little behind. I guess I feel a little lost after being with someone else my entire adult life. I’d say that 90% of the time I’m so much happier now and thankful for what happened, but that other 10% of me wishes that I had someone to share things with.
10pm: Bed!
Total: £500
5.30am: Can’t sleep, I feel too nervous.
6.30am: Get up, shower, get ready and have a mini-panic!
7.45am: I leave for the interview. It’s not until 9am, but I want to get there a little early to calm myself down. I eat an apple when I arrive as I realise that I’ve not eaten anything and hope that it will settle my stomach.
10am: Interview over! I feel like it went quite well, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. I like the sound of the company and it would be a much larger team and they seem fun.
10.30am: Finally leave to go back home. I had a few phone calls and messages that I wanted to respond to first.
11.15am: Arrive home and I finally have some breakfast. I really can’t be bothered to cook anything, so cereal it is.
12pm: Take my car back to get them to look at the noise it’s been making since the MOT and timing belt change. The guy says to leave it with them and they’ll give me a call… (they did not call).
1pm: I have an accidental nap which is not like me. I think that I was tired from not sleeping much last night.
2pm: I wake up and I’m hungry again so I make myself a bacon sandwich.
2.30pm: Now that I’m full, I can concentrate on baking G.’s birthday cake for tomorrow. He wants a carrot cake, but with no icing which for someone who loves baking is a little boring as there’s no decoration.
4pm: Take the cake out of the oven and leave it to cool. My work is done.
4.15pm: Decide that I need to tidy up my room since there are clothes everywhere after choosing an interview outfit. I can’t say that this isn’t a regular thing.
5pm: Time to make tea. Tonight I’m making marinated chicken with a Greek salad and bulgur wheat, which I am currently obsessed with.
6pm: Mobility exercises time. I’ll also do a few light weights for some ab exercises to try and build up my core strength. Apparently, I need to have a super strong core, but it is really hard work and I’m always achy.
7pm: Chat to my friend E. on the phone about how everything went today. We also have a general catch up: she lives in London, so we don’t get to see one another much.
9pm: I decide it’s time for bed, so I get ready and read for a little bit. My friend recommended a book about gut health and I always find these topics interesting.
10pm: Lights out because I can’t keep my eyes open.
Total: £0
6.30am: Alarm goes off. I snooze.
7am: Get up and get ready for work. I need to get the train today as I still don’t have my car which is annoying.
7:40am G. gives me a lift to the station and brings the pooch as well.
8:15am Get into town, but my half past train is cancelled so I have to wait until 9am to get the next train.
9am Finally get the train, £7.30.
9:30am: Arrive at the office and apparently because I had my earbuds in, which are sound cancelling, I completely blanked my colleague who was shouting at me as I walked down the street. Oops.
10am: Decide I’m starving and I don’t fancy my usual porridge. I debate between an almond croissant from the coffee shop down the road or a bacon sandwich from Gregg’s. I vote savoury, but I get a hot chocolate as well, £4.05.
12pm: Lunch time. I’m starving today but I have no idea what I actually fancy. I go to Morrisons and get my boss a meal deal (he gives me cash for this) and me some paninis, smoked salmon and an avocado, £4.50. I’ve only just started to like avocado this year and I’m still unsure, but I season it to death. On the way back I pop into the card shop for a birthday card for G., £3. Why are cards so expensive now? And yes, I know it’s very last minute.
5pm: Leave work for the birthday party.
5.45pm: Arrive home and everyone is round for G.’s birthday. We have food, a few drinks and then get out the cake I baked for him. Everyone loves the cake including my niece, however it seems she doesn’t like raisins and spits them out and into my hand each time she eats one. The joys of a two-year-old!
7pm: Everyone leaves apart from some family friends and we just sit around drinking and chatting. I get G. to open his presents. He acts surprised at my gift of aftershave, even though he requested it the previous week.
9pm: They leave and we tidy up, which is definitely the worst part about hosting.
10p: I am pooped. I get ready for bed and sit on my phone for a little bit before falling asleep. Definitely a bad habit that I need to get out of.
Total: £18.85
6.30am: Wake up, get ready and still no car… train it is again, £7.30.
9am: Arrive at the office and have breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and granola that I brought from home. Today we’re painting the office because it’s long overdue. I know it seems a bit odd for us to be painting, but we’re also having a clear out of samples and, whilst everything is being decorated and rearranged, I won’t have a desk so we might as well do everything ourselves and all at once.
12pm: Lunch time. They have a joke in the office that I’m always hungry and I can’t say I disagree. I walk down the road to Morrisons and grab a meal deal as I’ve not been in all week and I’ve not prepped my lunches like I normally would, £3.50.
12.30pm: I answer some emails, speak to some clients and write up a couple of costings for projects and then back to painting. My colleague is doing the majority of the painting, but I’m doing some of the areas around my desk. I decide that the cupboard next to my desk needs fixing so I order a few things from Screwfix on my boss’s card and tell him to pick them up on his way back in so my colleague can fix it.
4pm: My bits are done. I’ve sorted out the sample room and I decide to call it a day because I am tired. I walk to the station and get the train home. I do really enjoy the perks of flexible working hours sometimes. Normally I’m in early so that I can leave and miss the traffic.
5.30pm: Get home and it is leftover birthday food for tea tonight, which I am more than happy with. I love G.’s lamb chops and didn’t get to have many yesterday.
6.30pm: Take D. out on a walk and somehow get bitten on my legs by what feels like a million insects.
7.30pm: My friends are having an impromptu night at theirs, so another friend picks me up and we head over. Since my breakup, I’ve reconnected with old friends and made new ones which has really helped me to get back to feeling like myself again.
11pm: Back home. I do 10 minutes of stretching and then straight to bed for me!
Total: £10.80
6.30am: Wake up and get ready for work. Another day, another train, but apparently I’ll be able to pick my car up later – finally! It’s taken them long enough to figure out what was causing the noise, but I’m glad it’s sorted and that I wasn’t going crazy when I said that I could hear something.
8am: Get the train, £7.30. I can’t wait to not have to get the train again. It’s costing me so much more than driving. But I’m looking at the positives, I’ve not had to concentrate on driving through rush hour. I also get some morning steps in and I can do a few extra things on the commute.
9am: I’m on my own this morning, as my boss and colleague are out on a measure. I decide to do a bit of a clean-up because I can’t work in a mess. I reorganise my desk and then get on with drawing up and designing an office scheme.
12.30pm: My colleague gets back so I decide to have lunch. I have tuna and mayonnaise in the kitchen already, so I go to get a ciabatta and some cheese from Morrisons to make a sandwich, £3.74.
1pm: Do more work and text my friend T. to ask about her hospital appointment today.
4.30pm: I walk to the station, which I’m starting to enjoy.
5.30pm: G. picks me up from the station in my car, which is now sounding great. It feels strange to be driving again.
5.45pm: Make creamy salmon pasta for tea and then make chocolate chip banana bread with a banana that is going off. I love baking: I find it really calming and I’ve been doing it since I was little.
7pm: Go to the supermarket to pick up some wine for a present and a few other bits for everyone’s lunches and teas next week. I’m going to try to make a focaccia-style Detroit pizza one night, I think. I like to try and make a new thing every now and again and I’ve been wanting to try this for a while, £50.
8pm: Do some stretches and yoga, then shower and fake tan because I have a date tomorrow evening! We’re going to a gaming bar. I’m no good at games, but we thought that it might be a bit different and fun.
9.30pm: Get ready for bed, scroll TikTok and then read for a bit.
10pm: Sleep.
Total: £61.04
Food & Drink: £119.79
Clothes & Beauty: £0
Home & Health: £0
Entertainment: £0
Travel: £25.95
Other: £503
Total: £648.74
Conclusion
“Obviously, this isn’t a typical week as I wouldn’t usually be spending this much on my car and I wouldn’t get the train as much. Other than that, I would say that this is pretty average and it is no surprise that most of my money goes towards food, so I should probably look into that. I enjoyed keeping track of my spending and seeing where my money goes.”
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Money Diary: A Financial Advisor On £55,000