This week: “I’m a 29-year-old engineer living in the West Midlands. I moved here over 10 years ago for university, where I met my husband, and haven’t left. I’ve been based in Birmingham for my job since I graduated and my husband, a fellow engineer, worked for a bit and then started an engineering doctorate in 2020. Since then, he’s been on a stipend so I’ve been the ‘breadwoman’. In that time, we have bought our home and got married so we have had a lot of financial commitments. We also love going on holiday so a lot of our savings go towards our next trip. We combined our finances when we moved in together in 2018 with each of us putting a set amount in the joint account for joint expenses, keeping some back for personal savings and spending, and the rest going into our savings pots.”
Occupation: Structural engineer
Industry: Construction
Age: 29
Location: Birmingham
Salary: £43,000
Paycheque amount: £2,565
Number of housemates: One: my husband, M.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £403 for my half of the mortgage.
Loan payments: £87 student loan (Plan 2).
Savings? I try to keep around £500 in my personal savings pot for things like girls’ weekends, books and makeup. I am also saving up for a piano so I currently have around £1,200 for that and contribute £100 a month. Otherwise, I tend to put £500-£1,000 into our joint savings pots depending on what is needed where. We have a joint emergency savings pot of six months of outgoings, which we do borrow from at times but pay back in the next paycheque (we have to petition the other if we want to borrow the money).
Utilities: £60 council tax (since my husband is studying, we qualify for 25% discount. It will go up in a few months when he starts work), £38 gas and electricity, £9 water bill, £19 internet (all costs are my half).
Pension? I currently salary sacrifice 8% and my work contributes a further 7%. I generally increase my contributions whenever I get promoted but I’m going to start going up 1% a year to ensure it’s growing.
All other monthly payments: £16 life insurance, £12 income protection, £6 postcode lottery, £12.50 Currys payment plan for our hoover (all costs are my half). I also pay personally for a £25 gym membership, £90 train pass, £29 contact lens scheme, £10 charity lottery, £35 mobile phone and £4 for my choir lottery.
Subscriptions: £4 Tesco delivery, £4 Spotify, £6.30 Smol laundry and dishwasher tablets (every 12 weeks). I also personally cover Netflix, £11.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I went to university for a four-year undergraduate (MEng), which left me with my Plan 2 loan (standing at over £70k last time I looked). I took out the full tuition loan and as much maintenance loan as I could get each year to cover living costs while my parents gave me a weekly allowance for food and such. I also got a music scholarship for three years. While some of this had to go on my music lessons, the rest went towards my society activities. I worked each summer for an engineering consultancy and would usually have around £2k in savings to use as I wished for the academic year. I was definitely privileged to have the paid summer work, which allowed me the space to focus on my course and hobbies during termtime. Had this not been available, I would have needed a part-time job to have any disposable income during my university years. It also helped me save for a deposit for when I rented as a graduate.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My mum is an accountant so handles all the finances for her and my dad. I got an allowance and a bank account when I was around 12, and my parents immediately taught me about budgeting. I had my own accounts spreadsheet to fill in with what I spent and various ‘pots’ for things like clothes, phone, etc. I had to show the previous month’s accounts in order to get my next allowance so it was drummed into me! We weren’t well-off when I was a kid and I don’t think my parents’ finances stabilised properly until I was around 14. I never went without but as a teenager I was very aware that we could not afford to go on foreign holidays each year or for me to keep up with trends.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out for university, effectively full-time by third year, and moved straight into a rented flat when I graduated.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I would like to say by 23 but there were dribs and drabs that family helped me with for a few years. My grandparents sent me money for taxis to ensure I could always get home when I was in the city centre, which was a lifesaver as a fresh graduate. By 25, I was essentially independent but my husband, M, supported me when I was furloughed during COVID.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first proper job was a summer placement when I was 17 at the company where I work now.
Do you worry about money now?
A bit yes! We’ve had some full-on years with saving for our house, then our wedding, so I was looking forward to enjoying things more in 2024. However, we have had lots of other weddings and committed to some big holidays, which ate into our disposable income quite a bit. Currently I’m trying to keep as much money as possible available for when M’s postgrad finishes as we’ve agreed he can have some time off to finish his thesis. We can handle all our outgoings on one salary but it doesn’t leave anything for a social life and it coincides with my 30th birthday and Christmas, so I’m trying to have the finances to celebrate in some way. Thankfully he has a job lined up post-thesis so we’re looking forward to having two full salaries again.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
Personally, no. But my husband has received it twice. Once when he bought his car using inheritance (which is our only car) and again when we bought our house. He was gifted part of our deposit by his parents, which had come from his grandparents’ estate. So I have benefited from inheritance indirectly.
6 a.m. — Alarm goes off for both me and my husband, M. I’m WFH today and he takes zero time getting ready so we snooze it for at least another half hour before M gets up and takes the car to the station. I stay snugly in bed.
7:30 a.m. — I begrudgingly get up. I’m still recovering from a bad flu that made me lose my voice completely. I spent last week whispering or in silence and got my speaking voice back yesterday. It’s a little scratchy so I’m going to rest it today as much as possible. Do some chores that we avoided yesterday in my pre-work hour.
8:30 a.m. — Start work at my desk. My only project meeting gets cancelled (as expected) so my day looks clear. Field some emails and put together my to-do list for the week so I can take advantage of the clear day and get some smaller project tasks done.
10 a.m. — Do a quick ASOS order for clothes for our holiday next week. I’ve been scouring Vinted for a few weeks to find some extra bits but haven’t had much luck. My best friend has ASOS Premium, which I borrow to get next-day delivery, £47.90.
12:30 p.m. — Break for lunch. M made a Spanish omelette with leftovers so I heat up a slice of that with some leftover cheese, crisps and salad.
1:30 p.m. — Back to my computer for the afternoon, starting with a project review call with my manager.
3:30 p.m. — Get a text through from the dentist to say I’m due a check-up. Ring the surgery to book an appointment and opt to pay nearer the time. I do have some medical insurance through work with £65 annual dental allocation so I’ll need to make sure I get a receipt to claim the cost back.
4:30 p.m. — Get added to new Teams chat to discuss a colleague’s upcoming 40th birthday. I’ve only been in my current team for a couple of months and I have started to get to know them but I work in a different office from them, which provides a barrier. Send some money across because I’m a big believer in treating everyone as I would want to be treated and it costs very little for gestures like this, £5.
5 p.m. — Finish work for the day but stay on my computer to book my 30th birthday celebration. I’ve opted to have a nice meal, some wine and a bit of a karaoke sesh in town with a few close friends as there’s a lot of people turning 30 around this time of year and we’re having multiple large parties.
6 p.m. — I start cooking dinner as M got held up in the lab. I’m making creamy tomato sausage pasta.
8 p.m. — Time for Zumba! I’ve been with this class for three years now but have not been often recently due to illness, holidays and scheduling. I am so ready to sweat it out and enjoy myself. Pay £5 for the pleasure.
9 p.m. — I arrive home from Zumba and crack on with my nighttime routine of washing my hair and skincare. I just bought a retinoid emulsion to add to my current products and my skin seems to like it. Debate buying a skincare fridge to avoid the nightly trek to and from the kitchen to retrieve it.
Total: £57.90
5:30 a.m. — Alarm goes off as M has to be on an early train to get to Heathrow. We both get up and get ourselves ready. M often has 10 extra minutes in bed since he doesn’t have the same skincare regime as me.
6:30 a.m. — I do a final passport check on M before heading out to the station. I drive us down because a) M has luggage and b) I don’t know what time I’m back later and the walk home is half an hour up a hill.
7 a.m. — Hop on my train in the opposite direction from M towards town (as I insist on calling Birmingham) and start my new library book. Travel is all paid for on my monthly pass.
8 a.m. — I’m the first one at my office so I unlock everything before settling down at my desk. Since I’m the only one in for a bit, I take advantage of the printer to do paper copies of all the boarding passes for next week as requested by my MIL before settling in for a number of calls and emails.
12:30 p.m. — Heat up my leftovers from home and eat lunch in the breakout space with colleagues. Conversation includes house renovations and Race Across The World.
2:30 p.m. — Have a site visit to do so I get some drawings, measuring tape and PPE together before heading to the station. I’m only heading locally so I just use my travel pass for the train.
5:30 p.m. — Visiting the site was long and I only just got back to the office to drop off my site gear (steel-toe boots are not comfortable for long periods of time). I was planning to run some errands in town and don’t have any food. Check Too Good To Go and score a bag from my favourite bakery to collect immediately, £4.99.
6:15 p.m. — Catch the train home after running my errands. I also treat myself to some new earrings in Oliver Bonas as my second lobe piercing has finally healed, £22.
7:30 p.m. — Make myself a picky tea of leftover Spanish omelette, cheese, cucumber and Pringles. My TG2G bag resulted in two doughnuts, two brownies and a pain aux raisins so I have a doughnut in front of Emily in Paris.
9:05 p.m. — Watch M land on Flight Tracker, then make my way to bed. Pack my rucksack and gym bag for the morning before doing some doomscrolling in bed.
10:10 p.m. — Turn off the lights, send M a goodnight text and fall asleep.
Total: £26.99
5:15 a.m. — Drag myself out of bed and get ready for the gym. Run around the house opening blinds for the day. See darkness and feel sad.
5:55 a.m. — Drive myself to the station, which is conveniently opposite the gym. Have planned a 30-minute HIIT routine with some cardio bookends.
7:30 a.m. — Catch the train into Birmingham for another day in the office.
8:30 a.m. — Get to my desk and log on. I have a project meeting at 10 a.m. so I try to read my emails and close out some items before then.
9:55 a.m. — Receive an email from the karaoke bar that my birthday booking needs a deposit to hold the room, £35.
12:40 p.m. — Meeting finally finishes so I run away from my desk before anyone can contact me. Walk over to the library to return some books and then return to the office to eat some leftover jambalaya.
1:40 p.m. — Back at my desk to write a report about yesterday’s site visit between meetings and calls.
5 p.m. — Leave my desk promptly to catch the train, feeling very mentally drained after spending over half my day in Teams calls.
5:10 p.m. — Grab a seat and start the next library book. I’m starting the Outlander series but I’m borrowing from the library first to see if I like it enough to buy it.
6:20 p.m. — Do a brief detour to Tesco between the train and the car as I’ve decided I’m going to bake Biscoff blondies this week. Grab the ingredients I won’t have at home. Spot some white chocolate Leibniz biscuits that are on offer and they find their way into my basket. Joint account purchase, £4.19.
6:35 p.m. — Get in the front door and start to unwind. Put on PJs to chill on the sofa and heat up some other leftovers for dinner (I promise I can cook). Pop The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on the TV.
8:10 p.m. — Grab a doughnut from yesterday’s TG2G bag and start putting together a shopping list for my next house project: photos. We have some great photos from our honeymoon and a recent holiday to put up in the house. I save all the links to frames to discuss with M as it’s going to be a decent chunk of money.
9:05 p.m. — Prepare for bed and sort the house out a bit. Doomscroll.
9:35 p.m. — M video calls me to check in so we chat for a bit before I basically fall asleep on the phone.
Total: £39.19
6 a.m. — Alarm goes off, snooze once and then I’m up to get ready for the office.
6:55 a.m. — As the weather is decent (meaning not too cold and no rain), I opt to walk to and from the station today so I set off.
7:30 a.m. — Train pulls in, hustle for a seat and get my book out. Debate how “Sassenach” should be pronounced in my head.
8:25 a.m. — Get to the office and log in. Immediately get annoyed at the emails I see in my inbox. I was due to be issuing out a full pack of information for a project this morning but got some last-minute changes from the architect at 8 p.m. last night. Email back to explain we can add these in but it will delay the issue until tomorrow.
9:30 a.m. — Mentally prep myself for back-to-back meetings.
9:40 a.m. — 10 a.m. meeting is cancelled. I inwardly celebrate and crack on with drawing reviews.
11 a.m. — Go into my morning meetings.
12:35 p.m. — Finish up my meetings feeling positive as we have solutions for the issues on site. More leftovers for lunch and chat with the girls in the office.
1:35 p.m. — Back to the desk and set about doing a project review for another engineer, just to cast a fresh set of eyes over it before the next stage. I’ve only started doing these over the last year and I definitely approach it with a “here’s some tips and things to consider” rather than “here’s what you should have done” attitude.
4:55 p.m. — Give up for the day as more requests for changes on my project issue come in. Decide to deal with it in the morning and head to the station.
5:15 p.m. — The train is on time so I beat the commuter huddle to get a seat and get back to my book.
6 p.m. — Disembark the train and begin my walk home. Call my mum for a quick catch-up about her holiday and my week.
6:25 p.m. — Say goodbye to my mum so I can go pick up my ASOS order from the corner shop on my way home.
6:35 p.m. — Get in my front door and immediately go to try on my ASOS haul. Out of three dresses and a cover-up, one dress is a definite keep, one is being returned and the other two are awaiting a second opinion from M.
6:55 p.m. — Throw a quick wash on to ensure I have all the clothes I need for the weekend then actually cook something for dinner! When M is away, I try have a ‘treat’ night where I cook macaroni cheese with chicken nuggets (my absolute comfort food) and watch my trash TV shows (his words, not mine).
7:40 p.m. — Sit down to episode 7 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I have thoughts on Zac.
8:10 p.m. — Get my laptop out and update my finance spreadsheets so I know how much money we have for the weekend ahead. Transfer the remainder of our social pot out of our main joint account (where all the bills come out) and into our joint Monzo for spending.
8:30 p.m. — Heat up one of the brownies from the TG2G bag to end my treat evening as episode 8 starts.
8:55 p.m. — Put the house to bed and head to bed myself. Write a bit of a list of everything to do tomorrow while I work from home as we’re off to see friends this weekend for a 30th birthday celebration. I then doomscroll for a while (with my books looking at me judgingly).
Total: £0
5:05 a.m. — Get up with my second alarm (I snoozed the first in my sleep) and proceed to get ready for the gym. Text M good morning and check Flight Tracker to see if he’s taken off yet. He has not even boarded, which makes me laugh.
5:45 a.m. — Arrive at the gym and get going. I always get there much earlier when it’s just me.
6:45 a.m. — Finish my workout and then pop into Tesco as I forgot to pick up the final birthday present needed for the weekend. Make the mistake of walking through the F&F clothing section and end up with two pairs of trousers and a dress in my arms. I’m trying to upgrade my work wardrobe as I got very stuck in a ‘jeans and a top’ rut for a couple of years and I want to look a bit more put-together as I aim for the next step in my career, £70.39.
7:10 a.m. — Arrive home and get straight into an everything shower seeing as I have some time to myself.
8:05 a.m. — Get a load of laundry going, heat up the pastry from TG2G (bit stale) and make a matcha latte. Apart from hot chocolate, I have not drunk hot drinks all my life (no drink, no coffee) but I’ve really got into matcha lattes and iced matcha recently. Had to make a bit of an investment to get a milk frother at home but it’s worth it.
8:35 a.m. — Crack on with work. My team meeting is cancelled so I put my dressing gown back on for the day.
9:40 a.m. — Bank notifies me that my direct debit for my instrument insurance has gone out. I pay this annually so often forget it’s coming. The cost isn’t much so it’s worth it for the peace of mind, £39.89.
12:35 p.m. — M’s plane is over England but is circling to get a landing slot. I give up watching the tiny plane icon and go downstairs to make the blondies.
12:55 p.m. — Blondies in the oven, heat up leftovers for lunch and eat quickly at the dining table. M texts to say he has landed.
1 p.m. — Take the blondies out the oven and leave to cool while I go back to my desk for the afternoon. Due to pulling a longer day on Tuesday, I’m finishing a bit early, which gives me the motivation to close out my day.
1:40 p.m. — Expenses from work come back for some Ubers I took the other week for a site visit.
2:55 p.m. — M makes it to the train out of London and I agree to pick him up from a couple of stations away rather than making him do a further train trip to get to our local station.
3:55 p.m. — Submit my timesheet for the week after a quick call with one of the senior leadership team regarding a slightly turbulent project I’m managing.
4 p.m. — Switch off everything for the weekend and get ready to go pick up M.
4:25 p.m. — He’s back! Hand over some much-needed sustenance of brownie and water considering he’s spent almost 19 hours in transit.
4:25 p.m. — Arrive home and get M a coffee to wake him up. Our friend S is arriving around 5.30 p.m. to drive us up north so M has limited time to turn himself around. A shower and packing are top of the list.
5:05 p.m. — Supervise packing for the weekend ahead while M tells me about his time away. Few last-minute presents to wrap as well but we manage it.
5:45 p.m. — S arrives, having dodged the city centre traffic in Brum. We catch up briefly while M has more caffeine.
6:45 p.m. — We have fitted two luggage bags, two cakes, one box of blondies, two large present boxes and three people into the car. Maps is saying the journey up north is going to be one hour and 15 minutes so we let our friends C and B know. We visit C and B at least once every three months and take turns between us and S to drive up, so we don’t share petrol money.
7:50 p.m. — We arrive at C and B’s house for the night and unload everything apart from the presents. C serves up dinner with some wine and we catch up on life over the last six weeks since we saw each other.
9:15 p.m. — We open some champagne and open birthday presents for C and S — C is already 30 and S turns 30 in a week. The presents are well received and laughed at.
10:30 p.m. — We turn in for the night to try to reset M’s body clock and save energy for tomorrow evening.
Total: £110.28
8:20 a.m. — Wake up naturally and spend the next hour reading my book while M sleeps.
9:20 a.m. — Go downstairs and start making a pot of tea (juice for me). I’ve been best friends with C for over 10 years now and we just make ourselves at home when we visit. The rest of the house slowly appear as the need for caffeine draws them in.
10 a.m. — C starts heating pastries for breakfast so I take the first slot through the shower as I’ve offered to assist B with some errands in town for tonight.
11:05 a.m. — We get to the shop to pick up some number balloons to decorate the bar later. I help wrestle them into the car before we head to one of the local coffee shops and do a quick girls’ gossip. B offers to get the drinks as her treat.
11:50 a.m. — Stop by Sainsbury’s Local to grab a few picky bits for lunch. I grab it as B got our drinks. The reduced section is on our side today, £10.72.
1 p.m. — Go upstairs and get ready for the party. Help B pick an outfit to wear and do my makeup before doing final hair checks. Pack the suitcase ready to head into Manchester.
1:50 p.m. — Set out some lunch and grab a plate. Debate best way to divvy up luggage, decor and people for the drive in.
3:05 p.m. — Set off for Manchester with pretty much the same luggage as yesterday but with the cakes in a slightly more stable condition.
3:45 p.m. — Park up at C’s office (free parking, yay) and then walk over to the hotel to check in. Find we have a city tax to pay on arrival, £1.20.
4:30 p.m. — Arrive at the venue and get decorating! B and I handle balloons and confetti, S is on cakes, and C and M get a drink. The joint 30th celebration is ready.
5 p.m. — Guests start arriving so I grab a drink. First one is on S and C via drinks tokens.
6:45 p.m. — M has gotten two rounds in for us so far, £12.50.
6:55 p.m. — I decide it’s time for food and order some bao buns and sides from the street food kitchen on site, £14.
7:40 p.m. — Next round in, £6.50.
8:20 p.m. — Another round in, £6.50.
10:35 p.m. — Decide to pack down at the taproom and head to a nearby music venue. Take presents, balloons and cakes back to the hotel on the way.
11:10 p.m. — Enter the venue and wander for a bit to find some space. M starts yawning and flagging so we decide to head back to the hotel so he can crash.
11:45 p.m. — Makeup off and crash into bed for the night.
Total: £51.42
9:05 a.m. — Wake up feeling okay despite the sparkling wine last night. M is still fast asleep.
9:35 a.m. — B texts to suggest meeting at 10:30 a.m. to take stuff to the cars before brunch. I wake M up so we can be ready to go.
10:20 a.m. — We’re ready 10 minutes early so we go play some table football in reception.
10:55 a.m. — We walk past the brunch spots that have been suggested but they have long queues and we have 12 people to seat. There are students everywhere so we head a little bit further out of the city to a lounge bar which is quiet enough to sit us all.
11:20 a.m. — Order brunch for us both. M gets a large breakfast and a cappuccino, I get the Miami brunch with extra halloumi and a matcha latte, £18.25. Continue to catch up with a few of C and B’s coursemates from uni who I haven’t seen in a while.
12:50 p.m. — Say our goodbyes and head back to the car. We’re heading back to C and B’s to pick up the last of the luggage.
1:30 p.m. — Arrive and the kettle is put on. Give the cat some attention and chat about life again. My 30th is in a month so talks turn to the plans made so far.
2:55 p.m. — Decide it’s time to head home so we stack S’s car again and head off (via a petrol stop).
3:15 p.m. — Arrive home. S doesn’t stop in so he can get home promptly. Dump stuff and get into my dressing gown for comfort before unpacking and sorting the house out a bit.
3:55 p.m. — Following M’s consultation, I’m returning one ASOS dress and the cover-up, and going to size down in one Tesco dress. Sort out the return so I can drop it off tomorrow.
4:45 p.m. — Decide to have a bubble bath. Grab some snacks and find a rom-com on Netflix to watch. M does some batch cooking for the week ahead while I relax.
6:35 p.m. — Bath runs cold and movie finishes so I finish up and make my way downstairs. M and I chat about some things coming up this week and the upcoming holiday before settling on the sofa to catch up on TV.
8:45 p.m. — Make our way to bed to be rested in time for tomorrow and kick the last vestiges of M’s jet lag.
Total: £18.25
“I definitely spent more than I anticipated this week but I knew there would be money spent on the 30th birthday. As this was our only big social event this month, we didn’t mind spending a bit more. I also splurged on clothes and beauty, just because I had a need or spotted what I wanted there and then. I typically try to spread those sort of purchases out but it doesn’t always work. I’ll probably limit my spending a bit more next month (excluding my birthday) to balance things out.”
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Money Diary: A Data Scientist On £48,000