This week: “I’m 27 and a management consultant living in London. I’ve lived here for nine years and never left after uni. I try to live a healthy, plant-based, sustainable lifestyle. I don’t tend to splurge on expensive items, but I do have a low-key addiction to Vinted and feel like I spend lots of money constantly. I love raving and electronic music, and I want to spend my money on experiences rather than stuff. I used to be terrible with money, but I got to grips with it during the pandemic. I’ve built up everything I’ve saved since lockdown (I had no savings before then!). I’ve made some lifestyle changes this year including reducing my drinking. I was never a big casual drinker and drinking is getting in the way of my fitness goals. I don’t always achieve this and regularly get disappointed in myself. Secondly, I’ve been saving to eventually try and buy in London in my 30s, but I now think I’m going to move to Glasgow the year after next.”
Occupation: Management consultant
Industry: Consulting
Age: 27
Location: London
Salary: £64,575 with a bonus potential of £19,000 twice a year. This is the top end of the scale and super unlikely! I’m yet to be in a bonus round in this role.
Paycheque Amount: £3,385.06
Number of housemates: Three: L, M and S.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £740 rent
Loan payments: £245 student loan
Savings?: £25.5k in an ISA, £9k in a Help to Buy ISA, £800 in a Monzo savings pot for an upcoming backpacking trip to Mexico, £1.2k in a Monzo saving pot for a sabbatical.
Utilities: £100
Pension? I pay 7% a month into my pension, my company contributes 5%.
All other monthly payments: £10 Voxi SIM-only contract. Subscriptions: £6 Spotify group account; £420 annual gym membership; £89 annual Evolve membership; £95 annual Amazon Prime.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes. I did a BA in London. I qualified for the full loan and maintenance grant because of my mum’s income. I received an additional £3k grant from my university every year, due to my low income background and being the first in my family to go to uni.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My parents were pretty awful with their money. It all came to the fore in a messy divorce. My mum’s struggled with her finances ever since. My dad was, and still is, very compulsive and loves to put expensive gadgets on credit.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I left at 18 for uni and would come back for parts of the summer. I stayed in London after uni but I did have to move in with my mum for two months at the start of COVID-19. Our landlord issued the notice and we couldn’t find a new house as we had just entered lockdown.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I have been funding my own finances since 18.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked at a local family theme park for £5 an hour at 16.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes and no. I appreciate that I earn a lot and have a good amount of savings, but I know I won’t be getting any help from my family. My friends joke that I’m pretty frugal, but I feel like I’m constantly spending money!
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
No and I don’t expect to.
6 a.m. — Please no, lord let me sleep — it’s the weekend. Pop on a guided meditation from Balance to try to get back to sleep.
7 a.m. — Didn’t manage to get back to sleep (I never do), so I decide to start the day. My head is slightly groggy from work drinks last night, even though I left at a respectable 10 p.m. and was asleep by 11 p.m. Internal debate of “disappointment in myself versus silliness and fun I had with my friends” ensues.
7:30 a.m. — Usual breakfast of porridge with golden syrup protein powder and frozen berries, black coffee, multivitamins and creatine.
9:54 a.m. — Leg it to the Overground. I’m visiting my little sister who’s just started uni in Brighton. My dad and his wife (little sister’s mum) will be there too.
10:18 a.m. — Treat myself to a black filter from Pret for the journey, £1.70.
10:30 a.m. — Get the train on time. Pop on a mix from one of my fave DJs and read my book.
12 p.m. — Delayed train finally gets to Brighton and I’m ravenous. Grab a banana and mini bag of fruit and nuts from M&S, £2.15. I had an eating disorder as a teenager and struggle with being hungry and worrying that I’ll binge. I tend to keep snacks on me when I’m out for the day if I don’t know when I’ll eat next, but I have nothing at home.
3 p.m. — I get my lil’ sis and me an ice-cream: Vegan Biscoff for me and salted caramel for her. I get a black coffee too, as I’m beginning to feel tired and have a house party tonight, £10.49.
5 p.m. — On the train back to London, after a nice lunch and beach walk. I had vegan fish and chips for the first time (and won’t be trying it again). My father and his wife paid for it, which is very kind of them.
6:25 p.m. — Walk across Blackfriars Bridge and think about how I love London but feel at peace with being ready to leave (something I never thought I’d do!).
8 p.m. — I speed walk to Tesco and I grab a bottle of prosexy (aka prosecco) and even though I’m not hungry right now I know I need to eat a lil’ something. I have a nut bar, banana and find a reduced apple and grape pot which I eat on the Overground, £10.05.
2 a.m. — My heart is full. I got silly and danced around the fire with my friends. I decide I feel comfortable going home, so I head to the Overground.
3 a.m. — Face washed, teeth brushed and a Ryvita or two consumed. I conk out in bed.
Total: £24.39
7:45 a.m. — I like that I’m an early bird by nature, but wish I could sleep in on the weekends.
9:20 a.m. — Back in bed after an everything shower to wash away the smoke from last night’s fire pit. Do a couple of chores and make my usual breakfast of porridge, black coffee, creatine and multivitamins. I’m having a me day today, which I haven’t had in weeks. I’m looking forward to resting and enjoying alone time.
10 a.m. — Scroll through Vinted looking at some Weekday trousers and find a couple of options, but hold off bidding on anything just yet. I have a tendency to feel like I need a whole new wardrobe when the seasons change and I need to stop!
10:30 a.m. — Best friend (S) rings to chat through some challenges they are facing. They ask for my advice, but I don’t deliver it well and we have some crossed words. I text them to apologise afterwards.
11:20 a.m. — Finally out of bed and head to the gym. I began working out during the pandemic and fell in love with weight training.
12:30 p.m. — Text my best friend (B) to see if he’s nearby for a coffee and he is. Lifesaver. I wrap up my push day with some light cardio.
1 p.m. — Grab some Pink Ladies, bananas and grapes in Iceland post gym, £5.98. Pink Ladies are ludicrously expensive, but I’m sad so we allow it.
1:15 p.m. — Walk past my fave Vietnamese shop and pick up a huge block of tofu and supersize soy sauce as I’m out, £5.15. I refuse to buy tofu at supermarkets as it’s such poor value for money.
1:30 p.m. — Meet B and treat myself to an almond milk flat white, £3.50. I tend to drink black coffee, but I will sometimes get a cheeky milky coffee. The walk with B really helps and it’s lovely to catch up.
2:30 p.m. — My best friend from university, C, rings for our preplanned walk and talk. She has awful news and I try to help the best I can.
3:30 p.m. — Get to Aldi and do my food shop. Aubergines, baby corn, red peppers, protein yogurts, coconut milk, peanut butter, protein granola, crisps for my housemate (because I stole hers) and fresh coffee. Lidl doesn’t have everything I need, so I also go to Sainsbury’s and pick up limes, coriander, massaman curry paste and a cute lil’ muchkin pumpkin, £22.88.
4 p.m. — Voicenote bestie S and we clear the air. I have such rewarding, deep female friendships and they all deserve the world and more. However, I have a tendency to always try to fix and sometimes I just need to listen.
5 p.m. — Meal prep a tofu curry laksa with buckwheat noodles and lots of veggies to eat later. Jump in a hot bath and immediately feel very physically and emotionally exhausted.
7:45 p.m. — Prep my porridge (which will technically be warm overnight oats when I eat them) for the office tomorrow and get into bed for my “cricket time” — this is when I chill in bed, rub my feet together and numb my brain with screen time.
9:30 p.m. — Can’t keep my eyes open as I read my book. Brush teeth and have an early night.
Total: £37.51
6:10 a.m. — Wake up an hour before my alarm. Classic.
7:45 a.m. — Have coffee, multivitamins, creatine and then get dressed and head out the door to walk to work. My walk takes about 35–40 mins and I love starting my day like this.
8:30 a.m. — Warm up porridge and crack on with work.
10:30 a.m. — Get distracted listening to a mix by a new DJ I find. Do a bit of stalking and he’s playing at a pub near me on Friday. Wonder what friends (or maybe a date) I could trick into coming with me…
1 p.m. — Eat my meal prep for lunch after a pretty productive morning. Have a nagging sense of unease I can’t pinpoint, then remember that I drank twice this weekend. Bingo.
1:20 p.m. — Lunch time scroll on Vinted ends up with me bidding on some Weekday trousers I saw yesterday. They accept, but I will decide later.
3 p.m. — Feeling restless and colleague offers me a banana. I happily accept.
3:40 p.m. — Go for a walk to Tesco with work friends. I get a multi-pack of Trek’s protein flapjacks as my sweet afternoon snack for the office, £2.25. I’m trying to reduce my intake of ultra-processed food, but can’t resist a protein enriched snack and I recognise most of the ingredients.
4:45 p.m. — I’ve been hyping myself up to text someone I’ve been on a couple dates with, who I suspect is (definitely) ghosting me. I do it. I feel proud of myself, I would never normally do this!
5:40 p.m. — Leave work and nip into Holland & Barrett. Buy a plastic free natural rock deodorant, £4.21. I’ve been waiting months for my Mitchum to run out so that I can replace it with a natural, sustainable option. It dried up a couple of days ago and no one’s told me I smell yet, so I think a sustainable option should work as I’ve heard they aren’t as strong.
6 p.m. — Get the Overground to the gym for a heavy leg day.
7:30 p.m. — Get home, via Iceland to pick up two bags of frozen raspberries and frozen summer fruits for my porridge and smoothies, £6. Portion up meal prep and make porridge for tomorrow. Jump in the shower.
8 p.m. — Eat protein yogurt, protein granola and frozen raspberries (aka girl dinner) on the sofa with housemate (L).
8:20 p.m. — Get into bed for cricket time. Stick on a documentary about AI. I then crack and buy the Weekday trousers. Get them for £22 when they should be £49 and they are BNWT.
9:40 p.m. — Date texts and apologies that he’s been very busy, but confirms he would still like to hang out. I now wonder if I’m actually interested or just focusing on this one rejection. Will consider how to reply later.
10 p.m. — Teeth, guided meditation, then sleep.
Total: £34.46
6:40 a.m. — Wake up and remember that I was supposed to DM a tattoo artist I’ve fallen in love with. They are based in Mexico City and I’ll be there in a couple of weeks’ time (eep!). Enquire about when they will open their books.
7:50 a.m. — Coffee, vitamins, creatine and I’m out the door. The artist has replied! I squeal with excitement. The only availability they have is the day after we’re due to leave MXC, but I’ll stay on my own and catch up with my friends in Oaxaca after the tattoo. I make a mental note that I will have to be extra careful and keep out the sun the best I can. It’ll be on my back, so it should be easier to cover up.
8:40 a.m. — Eat porridge at my desk and send the artist the £40.89 deposit to secure my booking.
12:30 p.m. — Super productive morning developing a prototype for my client. I then enjoy my meal prep and have a fun lunch chatting with work friends. Eat my Trek protein flapjack as my post lunch sweet chaser.
3:30 p.m. — Peckish and losing steam after back-to-back meetings. Eat an apple. Change my focus to some internal work and begin refining a pack for a prospective client. The variety of the type of work is one of the things I really enjoy about consulting.
6:30 p.m. — Realise I have my gym trainers and lifting straps, but no gym clothes. No gym for me! (I am secretly happy about this). Walk home talking to work bestie and then nip into Weekday. Treat myself to a cute long sleeve top I’ve been eyeing up and waiting to come on Vinted, £20. Very impulsive!
8 p.m. — Park myself on the sofa with my girl dinner (protein yoghurt, protein granola and frozen raspberries) and send the tattoo artist my references for the custom design.
9:50 p.m. — Shattered. Teeth, guided meditation, bed.
Total: £60.89
6:30 a.m. — Try to wake up so I can go to the gym. Nope. I will go at lunch instead. Snooze until 7:15 a.m.
7:40 a.m. — Start work. I’m WFH today and have quite a bit to do. I’ve pretty much got complete flexibility with where I work, which suits me.
11:45 a.m. — Productive morning of death by slides. Cycle to gym, haphazardly eating an apple.
1 p.m. — Sit back down to work with girl dinner for lunch. Mixing it up!
4 p.m. — Pretty hungry and super tired for some reason. I grab a small bowl of my meal prep to tide me over.
6 p.m. — Wrap up work. Me and my housemates were supposed to be going for dinner to celebrate our housemate moving out, but we’re all pretty dead. Agree to watch a film and chill on the sofa instead.
8 p.m. — We order a pizza from Yard Sale Pizza, £12.50. This is my first takeaway of the year. I’ve always struggled to condone spending money on unhealthy, expensive food. My housemate L tells me she’s proud of me. She brought a selection of snacks she knows I like too. Really appreciate her.
11 p.m. — We watch Married at First Sight and laugh together. Lights out at 11 p.m.
Total: £12.50
7 a.m. — Alarm goes off.
8 a.m. — Have coffee, creatine and multivitamins before I get ready. My mascara has truly entered the crumbly stage and I’ll have to pick one up after work. Frustrating these things don’t last for long – and are single-use plastic!
8:20 a.m. — Decide to trial pausing my notifications for WhatsApp, Hinge and Insta. I saw a TikTok (irony is not lost on me) that your life is what you give your attention to, and I feel like I spend too much time on my phone.
9 a.m — Settle into work with my porridge and have another morning of slides. I listen to lots of male DJs and make a conscious effort to try to find more female artists to listen to and support.
1:20 p.m. — Eat the final portion of meal prep with my colleagues and chat rubbish.
5 p.m. — Finish up work and head to the pub with work friends. I don’t drink on weekdays, and my friends persuade me to come for a lemonade before I go to the gym.
6:15 p.m. — I don’t bother with the lemonade and stand and chat for a bit, before quickly heading off. Old me would have been so disappointed!
6:30 p.m. — Remember I need some toiletries. Grab some Epsom salts, wax strips, mascara and a Trek bar as I’m feeling snacky, £21.78. Swear I spend my life savings at Boots.
8 p.m. — Have a warm bath (with the bath salts) post gym. Housemate (M) and I send another message to the landlord about our mice problem. I really don’t want to use traps or poison, can’t they bother someone else?! Finish up my book, Bestiary, 8/10.
8:40 p.m. — Girl dinner in bed. Wild.
10:22 p.m. — I’m absolutely shattered. Teeth, guided meditation and sleep.
Total: £21.78
7:45 a.m. — I sleep solidly through until 7:45 a.m., wow I must have been tired!
8:40 a.m. — Sit down to work, with my usual porridge, creatine and multivitamins and black coffee.
9:30 a.m. — Housemate L has brought a new Osprey bag for our backpacking trip. I try it on and it looks great. I hate my garish purple 60L, but can’t condone dropping £140+ on a new bag. Join a client call and tell my client that I know I’m getting old because I’m getting excited about backpacks.
10 a.m. — The presale for a festival I went to last year goes live, and my best friend B cops a group ticket for us (5 for the price of 4!). The festival was the best one I’d ever been to, and was a magical time. I can’t wait! £180 for my ticket.
11:30 a.m. — Come off my calls and split my paycheque into various pots. £1,000 into my Monzo savings pot as I got a notification this week that my interest rate is going up. £200 into my HTB. £100 on my credit card. £550 into my Monzo current account for everyday spending (I’ll need to top it up from the current account my salary goes into, but I try to monitor this). I pay rent and what I owe on our house Splitwise for bills and communal items. I pay rent a couple days early, so I know how much I have to play with that month. It goes to housemate L, who pays the landlord on the last working day of the month.
12 p.m. — Make a protein smoothie and black coffee in between calls.
1 p.m. — Quickly make two Ryvitas with peanut butter and banana before more back-to-back meetings — a cruel and unusual punishment for a Friday afternoon!
2 p.m. — Friend who I had loose plans with texts to say she’s feeling pretty dead and needs some alone time this eve. I decide to swap my workouts around and do a heavy glute session tonight and then some self-care. I not-so-secretly love a Friday night in.
4:10 p.m. — Realise I haven’t really moved all day and decide that I’ve worked hard enough this week. Put on The Kardashians and redo my gel nails. I am a DIY beauty girlie.
6 p.m. — Eat the rest of the pizza from earlier in the week followed by a handful of prunes.
7 p.m. — Get to the gym and yesterday’s Overground trip comes out, £3.40.
7:30 p.m. — Finish up my glute day with some incline walking and go to pick up my Vinted parcel. They tell me I can’t pick up parcel past 7 p.m.! Buy some bananas and baba ganoush, £3.74.
8:30 p.m. — I decide to clean the bathroom, hoover the stairs and give myself a bikini wax. A wild Friday night! A friend texts to see if I want to go out; part of me is tempted but I know I’ve got big nights coming up every weekend until I go away, and I should rest. I’m also in a bit of a weird headspace.
9 p.m. — Bathed, waxed, tanned, and I’m in bed. I write some manifestations and reflections.
10:20 p.m. — Accept I’m no longer the wild child I once was — guided meditation and sleep.
Total: £187.14
Food & Drink: £86.39
Clothes & Beauty: £108.97
Home & Health: £0
Entertainment: £180
Travel: £3.40
Other: £0
Total: £378.67
Conclusion
“It wasn’t a usual week, with a tattoo deposit and a festival ticket! I also don’t tend to buy two items of clothes in one week — but this did substantiate my view that I can be impulsive! I did find the diary writing super cathartic and I really enjoyed the reflection time. It made me appreciate my friends even more and how fulfilling I find spending time with them. I was surprised at how much I spent on little snacks and a silly little coffee quite regularly. Going forwards, I need to make sure I carry a nut bar around with me.”
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, please call Beat on 0808 801 0677. Support and information is available 365 days a year.
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