This week: “I am a 29-year-old senior account manager living in London. I moved here from Germany around six years ago and ever since I have been living in the same building. Initially I was sharing an apartment with my brother, but when he moved out, another friend from Germany moved in. As fun as it is living so central it can be expensive due to there being so many restaurants and bars so close by and me having constant FOMO. My goal is to start saving more in order to buy a place within the next two years. Besides travelling and hiking, I do pottery once a week and improv every other week. I also try to go to the gym twice a week and usually walk everywhere. I really hate taking the tube and would rather walk hours (all my friends make fun of me for that).”
Occupation: Senior account manager
Industry: Advertising
Age: 29
Location: Central London
Salary: £39,000
Paycheque Amount: £2,488
Number of housemates: One
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £1,000 rent
Loan payments: I don’t have a student loan as education in Germany is tuition-free.
Savings: £10,000
Utilities: £40 energy bill, £60 council tax, £10.50 wifi, £65 water/electricity.
All other monthly payments: £51 Classpass, £10 phone. Subscriptions: £30 Pret; £10 Netflix; £10 Spotify.
Pension? I pay 5% into my company pension, which works out at £114.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it? I went to university and paid for my living expenses with student loans.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
As both of my parents were refugees, saving was very important to them and we had a lot of discussions about how not to waste money. When I was growing up we never went to any restaurants or had expensive holidays. I realised that I am now actually going to restaurants a lot and I should try to cut back.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out at 19.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life? When I moved out at 19.
What was your first job and why did you get it? I had a paper round for spending money.
Do you worry about money now?
YES, all the time!
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
No.
9.30 a.m. — Wake up and get ready for the day.
10.45 a.m. — I meet with a friend for a Pilates trial class (this is very early for me). As it is a trial class at 1Rebel it comes to £15. After the session I realise Pilates is not my vibe as I don’t enjoy the slow movements. I usually prefer fast workouts.
12 p.m. — Afterwards we head to my place to shower and change and then go to Bancone in Covent Garden to have brunch. Once we arrive we realise it is actually more of a pasta place and we luckily grab the last table for lunch. Both of us share two pasta dishes and have a cocktail each. Usually, we don’t drink that much but it feels like a place where it is okay to drink during the day. Overall, the bill comes to £26 each.
2 p.m. — On my way home my housemate texts me to meet up so she can tell me all about her date. I meet her at WatchHouse for a debrief and an iced latte, £4.50.
6 p.m. — I want to have a quiet night so I just chill out and rewatch Friends.
7 p.m. — For dinner I eat the leftovers from the night before (technically free?).
10 p.m. — Sleep.
Total: £45.50
10 a.m. — I’m off work today but I don’t have any set plans. I decide to have a walk along the Thames and get a matcha latte from Pret with my subscription.
11 a.m. — Once I get back home, my housemate is already cooking and we have lunch together and hang out.
1 p.m. — I do some admin stuff and make some plans for my Thailand trip in November.
6 p.m. — I meet a friend for dinner at a Thai restaurant called PSV Cuisine near Waterloo. The restaurant doesn’t look nice at all and it’s above a shabby pub, but it’s reviewed at 4.8 stars online and it turns out to be some of the best Thai food I have ever had. We share two dishes and pay £16.60 each.
7 p.m. — We head to the National Theatre to watch a play called The Effect, written by Lucy Prebble. My friend was lucky and got us Friday rush tickets, which means we only had to pay £10 for really good seats.
9 p.m. — I really enjoyed the play and I tell all my friends to watch it. Also I found out that the main actress is dating Harry Styles! We head to the BFI bar afterwards to have on drink and chat about life. Both of us have a cocktail. My friend pays and we stay until around 11 p.m. As I live close by I just walk back home over Waterloo Bridge.
11.30 p.m. — Sleep.
Total: £26.60
8 a.m. — I decide to give the office a miss and work from my family’s place today. I take the train over, £5.70.
9 a.m. — On arrival I am immediately greeted by my mom, who is here for a visit from Germany, and our family dog.
12 p.m. — My mom cooks lunch for me so I save some much-needed money today.
1 p.m. — My day is full of work and I don’t have much time for anything else. A key role of my job is to launch online campaigns for my clients and to make sure they run smoothly. Today I’m focusing on my charity client, who sent me some new creatives. I’m making sure the audience will find them engaging.
3 p.m. — I have to finish a presentation for a client for Thursday. I want to make sure everything is perfect and want to send it over to my director today, so he has enough time to check it.
5 p.m. — In the evening, me, my mom and my dog for a long walk around Wimbledon Common. I get an ice cream for £3.70 and my dog gets one for free.
7 p.m. — My mom cooks some Tamil food for dinner for my brother and me. We always appreciate when my mom comes to visit as I never have to worry about food. My brother always tries to convince her to stay longer.
10 p.m. — Decide to sleep here for the night and head back to mine tomorrow.
Total: £9.40
9 a.m. — Wake up and decide to work from here until lunchtime.
12 p.m. — Take the train back to mine, £5.70.
1 p.m. — On my way home I buy a salmon bagel for lunch, £6.99. Unfortunately, I have been very lazy with cooking recently and not eating healthy, but it’s a priority for me and I want to start cooking more.
5 p.m. — Every week I have a pottery class, so I walk to Hoxton where the studio is. I have been doing pottery for an over a year now and I usually book a a block of eight- or 12-week class, which costs around £290 to £350. Besides travelling, pottery is my biggest spend but after this class I will be able to become a studio member and go there twice a week to work on my own pots. My goal is to have a dinner party where everyone can eat from my own plates and bowls. So far I could invite four people (including me).
7.30 p.m. — After the class, I head to a pub with my friend who also does pottery and I buy two lemonades for us, £7.40.
11 p.m. — I head back home. It is very cold and I take the tube for once, £2.30.
11.30 p.m. — Sleep.
Total: £22.39
7 a.m. — Usually, I go to the office today and if I wake up early enough I try to walk there. Today is one of those days!
12 p.m. — We get four free lunches per month so I get a big bowl of salad as a start of my new healthy lifestyle (which lasts for two whole days).
1 p.m. — We have clients coming in today and I have to present a post-campaign analysis to them this afternoon.
4 p.m. — After the meeting we all go out for snacks and drinks (lemonade for me, all paid by the company).
6 p.m. — After drinks I sprint home as I am I expecting two friends for dinner and I need to clean the whole flat and buy food.
7 p.m. — Our plan is to make fajitas, so I only have to buy some tofu and veg. I have all the other ingredients at home which keeps costs down, £7.
8 p.m. — Once they arrive we make the fajitas together. After dinner we play a game that one of my friends suggests. It is all about green and red flags.
11 p.m. — Everyone heads home and I head to sleep.
Total: £7
8 a.m. — Wake up and head into the office.
9 a.m. — I grab my free chai latte and a blueberry muffin at Pret, £2.30.
3.30 p.m. — After a busy day at work, we’re allowed to head home early as it’s Friday. I decide to go shopping for the first time in ages and head to Covent Garden. I buy some comfortable pants and a top from Uniqlo for £42.
5 p.m. — I’ve been looking for the perfect pair of sunglasses forever and I finally find some in Mango for £22.
7 p.m. — In the evening I head for date night with my partner and we go to our usual chill place, The Hoxton, where I buy one round of drinks, £17.20.
8 p.m. — It has been a very long social week for me and I have plans tomorrow, so we head home early and watch a movie.
11 p.m. — Sleep.
Total: £83.50
8 a.m. — I leave to drive with my cousin to Canterbury. We want to escape the city and go somewhere for a day trip and we’ve chosen somewhere that should be less busy. Neither of us have been to Canterbury before, but I have heard really good things about it.
9.30 a.m. — It takes us around an hour and half to get there and I pay for parking, £11.80. We are both too lazy to walk far so we choose a parking spot right in the centre.
10 a.m. — We arrive very hungry so we decide to have brunch first. My cousin is vegan and to my surprise she has a lot of choice at the restaurant. I get salmon and avocado on toast and a green smoothie for £17.60.
12 p.m. — After exploring Canterbury, we continue on our trip to Whitstable. It is my first time here and I really enjoy being near the sea. We have been very lucky with the weather. There are even people still swimming in the sea.
2 p.m. — We want to try oysters for the first time because we are in Whitstable and oysters are a speciality. They cost £2.50 each, which turns out to be a waste of money as I find them disgusting and will never eat them again.
6 p.m. — For dinner I want to eat fish and chips on the beach so we share one box for £10.20.
7 p.m. — We want to end the day with something sweet so I buy some ice cream for us both, £6.70.
8 p.m. — We leave Whitstable and head back home. It was nice to leave London and explore new areas and I feel lucky that my cousin has a car and doesn’t mind driving.
10 p.m. — Get back and head to bed for an early-ish night.
Total: £48.80
Total: £243.19
Food & Drink: £128.69
Clothes & Beauty: £64
Home & Health: £15
Entertainment: £10
Travel: £25.50
Other: £0
Conclusion
“Keeping this diary made me reflect on how much I spent on eating out and that I should start cooking at home more. Also, this week was a very social week for me and usually I have many boring days where I don’t do much after work. This year I started saving more in order for me to buy an apartment (with the help from my parents) and, I try to invest monthly in S&P 500 to increase my passive income which is helping.”
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