Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last penny.

This week: “I’m a 29-year-old data analyst who wrote my first Money Diary two years ago when I was learning programming while on universal credit. Since then, I have done some software and data courses and got my first data analyst job. I also work as a freelance instructor teaching one of the courses I did during my study period. I broke up with my then-boyfriend (who I lived with) as he wanted marriage and kids and I didn’t. I am now living with a housemate in Manchester.”

Occupation: Data analyst and freelance software instructor
Industry: Tech
Age: 29
Location Manchester
Salary £25,000
Paycheque Amount: £1,813 from my main job and £240 for every freelance course I instruct, going up to £480 soon.
Number of housemates: One, my housemate.
Pronouns: Any

Housing costs: £750 rent includes all bills and a cleaner.
Loan payments: None
Savings?: £1,200
Utilities: Included in rent
All other monthly payments: £10 phone, £18 gym. Subscriptions: £10 charity donation.
Pension?: None.

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
No, I did not.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
We were pretty poor so we didn’t talk about money, nor did I get an education about money. I wish I did because it is an important skill, but I guess people can’t teach you a skill they don’t know themselves.

If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
22.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I was 22. My boyfriend financially helped me for about two years when I was unemployed by paying all the bills, but I still contributed to money for food and some outings. Since then no one else covers any aspects of my financial life.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was tutoring. I got it by posting an ad online offering my services.

Do you worry about money now?
I don’t worry so much about money, as much as I worry about my own financial irresponsibility. In the past, every time I saved any money I would spend it on travelling. For the first time I am working towards a bigger goal (buying a property) and I am nervous that my YOLO attitude will kick in and I will spend all the savings on travel again. 

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
No.

Day One

9 a.m. — I wake up 30 seconds before I’m supposed to start work, crack open a Redbull to wake up and start.

11 a.m. — I make myself scrambled eggs for breakfast and load the dishwasher because no more dirty dishes can even fit in the sink at this point.

1 p.m. — For lunch I have tofu egg fried rice that I prepped at the weekend. A few weeks ago I decided I am now an organised adult who has their shit together — and that means meal prep (we will see how long that will last).

1:30 p.m. — I spend the rest of my lunch break playing Tower Jump on my laptop. It’s a game where you are a little man who jumps on towers (you have to jump quicker as you go) and if you fall down, you lose.

5 p.m. — I go to The Range to try to buy a Christmas present for a person who I barely know. My book club is meeting next week (and I still haven’t even started this month’s book, mess) and we are doing Secret Santa. I figure everyone will be gifting each other books or book-related items so I opt for a fake plant and a small box of Ferrero Rocher, £8.49.

6 p.m. — Shower, have cereal for dinner and hop in bed for the night. I watch a second episode of the mini series A Small Light, which is about a family who hid Anne Frank during WW2. I am riveted, but I can’t watch more than one episode at a time due to the heavy subject.

9 p.m. — I spend the rest of night scrolling social media and other similarly productive things. 

Total: £8.49

Day Two

7:45 a.m. — I wake up earlier than usual today because the cleaner is coming at 8 a.m. I want to be out of the house when she comes so she can work in peace so I head to the gym.

8:30 a.m. — I run a 5k on the treadmill and walk around the gym trying to see if there is anything else I want to do, but I give up because, to be honest, I cannot figure out how to use most of the machines. I then shower and head to start work.

9 a.m. — There is a Costa right next to the gym, so I go in there to work on my laptop. I order a toasted hazelnut hot chocolate (one of their Christmas drinks) and it is so good. It tastes like Nutella, £4.10.

1 p.m. — I have two pieces of toast with peanut butter for lunch and spend the rest of my lunch break napping because I am so tired from waking up early and going to the gym.

5 p.m. — I finish work and want to take another nap so badly, but I decide to do the responsible thing and make dinner. I cook chicken korma with couscous and some Greek yogurt on top. It’s delicious.

6:30 p.m — I sit down for a programming class I started instructing online a few months ago. During my previous Money Diary, I was learning programming and someone in the comments suggested a company that does free programming courses for women. I took the advice and did a few of their courses and now I work as a freelance instructor for them. This is my second course that I am instructing and the students spend today’s class presenting their group projects that they have spent a few weeks working on. It is really interesting to see everyone’s creativity.

8:30 p.m. — Before going to sleep, I spend my evening taking a closer look at the group projects as I have to choose a winner!

10:30 p.m. — Sleep.

Total: £4.10

Day Three

8:45 a.m. — I wake up slightly early this morning because I have a meeting and need to make myself look presentable. Whoever schedules meetings at 9 a.m. is a sadist.

8:50 a.m. — I check my phone and see that I got a text at midnight from N, my former friend with benefits, saying that he misses me. He was a rebound after my last relationship ended (the boyfriend I lived with during my previous Money Diary). The rebound was the perfect thing I needed at a time, but it ended because he caught feelings and wanted a relationship. I ignore his message because I just can’t right now.

1 p.m. — I have the leftovers from last night for lunch and spend some time looking for last-minute flights to go travelling for Christmas, but nothing is within my budget as I am trying to save up for a house or a flat. I’m not that bothered about not being able to go on a Christmas trip as I am happy spending the holidays just napping. 

3:45 p.m. — I finish work early, as there’s not much to do, and head to the the shop. I buy some groceries, snacks and frosted-cranberry-scented candles to make my room smell nice, £8.87.

6 p.m. — I make Caesar salad for dinner, then shower, wash my hair, dry my hair, light some candles and lay down with my snacks (Doritos dipped in hummus).

7 p.m. — I read a book called Perfect Little Children. It’s a thriller and it is very engrossing so far. It is my 22nd book I am reading this year, and I aimed to read 25 in 2023.

11 p.m. —Go to sleep, but not before I reply to N’s text. Here we go again…

Total: £8.87

Day Four

8:40 a.m. — Wake up, snooze alarm and go back to sleep.

9 a.m. — Wake up again, eat cereal for breakfast and start work.

9:30 a.m. — I take a break after only 30 minutes of working to scroll social media. I feel shit because you see all these influencers on YouTube and Instagram are doing their day in a life videos where they seem to have 48 hours in a day considering how much they get done. I still continue watching them because I have no self-control.

12 p.m. — Go to the kitchen and snack on cheese. I decide I will not spend tonight in bed and that I will go to the gym and meal prep instead. Immediately after that I go to bed and take a nap.

4 p.m. — I go to the gym before the after work rush starts. I cycle for 45 minutes so I can be on my phone while doing it.

5 p.m. — I come home and shower. I decide I will meal prep tomorrow instead, but tonight I will plan for the meal prepping and order the groceries for the meal prep using Deliveroo. I also order the ingredients for tonight’s dinner, which is a ciabatta sandwich with green pesto, halloumi and rocket. The delivery adds up to £24.45.

11 p.m. — Sleep after a night of scrolling and watching another episode of A Small Light.

Total: £24.45

Day Five

8:50 a.m. — I wake up happy as it’s Friday. I reply to an email I received yesterday asking me if I am available to instruct another course starting next week and say yes. They reply sending me a work order and say that since this is my third course, I will be paid double per class from now on. This raise really makes my day! I’m hoping to put all of the money I make from instructing into my house savings fund, but that requires me being financially responsible which I have never been in my life, so we will see.

11 a.m. — I message S, my best friend, sharing the news and asking her if she wants to get pizza tomorrow to celebrate. She says yes. I love that she is spontaneous like me: Most of my other friends plan things weeks in advance. I then ask N, the former FWB if he wants to come over during my lunch break. We always used to do this during my lunch break as he is a professional athlete so his training is already done by 1 p.m. He comes over and tells me he likes my tan. It’s leftover tan from my holiday in France a few months ago and being complimented on it feels really good. 

2 p.m. — He leaves and I go back to work.

6 p.m. — I make teriyaki salmon and rice, eat one portion and leave the rest for tomorrow. I also meal prep meatballs and mashed potatoes so I don’t have to cook on Sunday.

7 p.m. — I load the dishwasher, then the washing machine because I realise I have no clean clothes. I also clean the kitchen. 

9 p.m. — I’m in the mood to watch something light, so I rewatch a few episodes of Will and Grace, before hanging my clothes out to dry and going to sleep.

Total: £0

Day Six

10 a.m. — I wake up, have toast with cream cheese and go on a long walk in a nearby park. It snowed a bit so the park looks beautiful and I feel so serene.

11 a.m. — I stop by Costa on the way to get a toasted hazelnut hot chocolate, even though I swore I’m done with Costa because their prices are wilding. £4.10 for a small hot chocolate?

2 p.m. — I eat the teriyaki salmon for lunch, shower and wash my hair. I then alternate for a few hours between reading my book and watching YouTube videos before getting ready to have pizza with S.

7 p.m. — I take the bus to the city centre, £2. It’s not fancy, but I have the Pizza Express app so I get loyalty stamps. The only time I go to a restaurant these days is when there is some sort of discount (pro tip: Sign up to restaurant’s newsletters and they will sometimes send you discounts!). I have a garlic prawn pizza and we share the brownie for dessert, £20.50.

8 p.m. — We then go to a nearby bar and play darts, £5. I don’t get a drink as I’m teetotal ever since I had a really bad depressive episode earlier this year when I was drinking way too much.

11 p.m. — S asks if I want to come with her to meet up with her boyfriend and his friends, but I really just want my bed so I call it a night. Take the bus back, £2.

Total: £33.60

Day Seven

10 a.m. — Wake up and scroll. Have cereal for breakfast.

12 p.m. — I decide to meal prep fajitas for the next few days as it doesn’t take that much time. I have all the ingredients except peppers, so I head to the shop to buy them, as well as a four-pack of Red Bull and some snacks to bring to a friend’s board game night tonight, £9.14. The way I cope on the weekends when I just want to lie around is to make sure what I’m doing doesn’t take that much time — and making fajitas only takes about 10 minutes.

2 p.m. — I take a look at what’s on in a theatre that does discounted tickets for people under 30 (I have less than a year to take advantage of this discount). I find a musical that looks good and text B, a friend who loves plays too, to see if he is interested in going with me next week. He says yes and we buy our tickets separately, £7.

6 p.m. — I head on over to a friend’s house to play board games with a group. We play Werewolf and Deep Sea Adventure and I have a really good time.

9:30 p.m. — I take an Uber there and back as I would have to take two buses otherwise, and I really don’t feel like doing that. The Uber trips there and back add up to £20.47 in total.

10:30 p.m. — Scroll before falling asleep.

Total: £36.61

The Breakdown

Food & Drink: £71.16
Clothes & Beauty: £0
Home & Health: £0
Entertainment: £12
Travel: £24.47
Other: £8.49

Total: £116.12

Conclusion

“I think I did okay. I have an Excel budget and I think planning a budget and sticking to it makes me feel in control so I usually stick to my groceries, travel and shopping spending goals. Having said that, I really find it hard to stick to my snacks and eating out budget, as I associate these things with rewarding myself after a hard day. I’m hoping to change that as every time I check where on earth has my money gone, that seems to be the culprit. I have already reduced the number of coffee trips I do (I use to do it almost every day), but I plan to reduce that to zero as I don’t live near any independent coffee shops and Costa and, in my opinion, Starbucks, have lost their mind with their prices.”

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