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 27 years old and have recently moved from Yorkshire to Birmingham to live with my boyfriend, M. It’s a small home that he built himself so there is no mortgage or rent to worry about — insane, I know. Although I have offered numerous times to at least take care of utilities, he won’t hear of it. It’s such a fortunate position and one I never would have dreamed I’d be in. I’ve lived alone since I was 19 and am so accustomed to seeing the majority of my money going to living costs. I feel slightly like I’ve lost my ‘independent woman’ licence but overall it’s a huge weight that has been lifted and I still have the means to take care of myself if it came to it. I own a house in my hometown, which I’m now renting out. I’m keeping the extra income from the rental, after the mortgage and insurance is paid (about £145 per month), in a separate account and viewing it not as my money but as savings solely for repairs, taxes, etc. Currently I work two part-time jobs that equal 37.5 hours; one fully remote (based in Yorkshire) and one in Birmingham, which is half remote/half office-based. I enjoy working two jobs because when I worked full-time in one position, I would find I got bored really quickly. This is a nice way to mix up my week.”

Occupation: Finance administration
Industry: Charity youth group/accountancy firm
Age: 27
Location: Birmingham
Salary: £24,750 
Paycheque amount: £1,732
Number of housemates: One: my boyfriend, M.
Pronouns: She/her 

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: £375 for my house in Yorkshire but this is paid for by the rental income, which also covers the £16 landlord insurance. 
Loan payments: £0
Pension? I have around £4.4k saved. I started saving into a pension just a couple of years ago and if I could go back, I would definitely have started contributing earlier in my career. Currently I pay in total around £78 monthly and this is matched by both employers. 
Savings? £8,400 in a savings account, £570 in a Plum account which is my ‘emergency fund’, £375 reserved in an account for holidays, £333 in the savings account that is specifically for the rental property. 
Utilities: £0
All other monthly payments: £13 phone SIM, £3.06 vehicle tax, £14.50 for wi-fi for my house in Yorkshire (my contract isn’t up for six months and I can’t get out of it so my tenant and I agreed they would keep it in and we would split the cost, which is £29 in total). Subscriptions: £4 contribution to the family Spotify plan, £7.99 Audible.

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did one year of college studying performing arts and then dropped out at 17 to start working full-time. I had figured out by that point that uni wasn’t for me and I wanted to start working and earning some money.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My family was definitely not well off and I remember there being a lot of money-related stress in the house, especially after my mum and dad split. My mum did end up in a relationship with a fairly well-off man and things got better. I wouldn’t say we had many conversations about money growing up, but I did get pocket money from my grandma from a young age and that was my first taste of having autonomy over what to spend my money on. 

If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out when I was 19, into my own flat. Looking back, I wish I’d stayed a bit longer at home but I have four siblings so privacy and peace and quiet were hard to come by throughout my younger years. As soon as I was able to get my own space, I jumped at the opportunity. 

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I started working in a call centre for a bank when I was 17 and from then on paid some board to my mum (I think it was about £160 per month) until I moved out at 19. Since then I have been financially independent until two months ago, when I moved in with my boyfriend. 
 
What was your first job and why did you get it?
When I was 15 I got a job in the local takeaway that paid me £30 for the night, which was typically 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. I did two or three nights per week for around six months. It wasn’t the best work environment and working until late while doing my GCSEs probably didn’t do me any good, but it got me into the habit of working and managing my money. 

Do you worry about money now?
Not right now, although I have a lot in the past. I actually think this was quite productive for me because it motivated me to make sure I have safety nets in place in case things go wrong. 

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
When I was young my mum and dad put away £2,000 for me to take out when I was 18. I think I used this mainly on driving lessons and towards some furniture when I moved into my own flat. 

Day One

5:55 a.m. — M’s alarm goes off. A couple of taps of the snooze button later, he is up and out of the house for 7:25 a.m., which means I can spread out across his side of the bed. It feels amazing. My working hours today are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. to accommodate me going to a rehearsal performance for the youth group I work for.

8:05 a.m. — Decide it’s time to get up for some breakfast, which is avocado on sourdough toast and a coffee.

8:35 a.m. — Get on the road to head up north, which is where I’ll be working today. Top up petrol, £40. Stick on the John Delony podcast for the first hour of the drive. The rest of the journey is spent without any media so that I can plan ahead for the next couple of days and make a mental to-do list. 

10:50 a.m. — Arrive at my mum’s house just in time to start work, phew!

2 p.m. — Head into town for some lunch and go to Nando’s. My sister is working today so I get her discount (thanks sis!). I get a kids’ chicken pitta meal, which comes with sides of corn on the cob, cucumber sticks and an apple juice. I also get an extra chicken breast to fill out the pitta. It comes to £6.03 including the discount. I order it to go so I can eat at home while carrying on with work. 

3:55 p.m. — Time to head to rehearsal, which is conveniently two streets away from my mum’s house. One thing I really miss about living here is that I can walk to pretty much anything I need, which is just not an option in the area of Birmingham I live in now. 

4 p.m. — Just before leaving for work, I walk across to Greggs to get a flat white and a chicken pasta pot to have when I get home. I also get two buns, one for me and one for a colleague, £5.75. 

8:10 p.m. — Get back to my mum’s and have a catchup about our days while eating my pasta. It’s then shower time followed by some YouTube in bed while texting M.

10:10 p.m. — Time for some sleep. 

Total: £51.78

Day Two

7:20 a.m. — My mum very kindly wakes me up with a cup of tea while she’s getting ready for work. I sit in bed and scroll a little before getting up to start work.

8 a.m. — Log on and get some admin done and answer some emails. I have a meeting soon with the finance manager so I don’t bother with breakfast as I’ll get something from the café we are meeting at. 

9:55 a.m. — Arrive five minutes early for the meeting and order a flat white and some toast, which I can expense. We have a good meeting and I come out of it feeling like we got loads done and we are overall in a really good position with the accounts. 

11:50 a.m. — Back to Mum’s and after a bit more work, I get an early finish at 2 p.m. I have been asked to attend a virtual workshop tomorrow for the youth group so it’s been agreed that I take the time back from today’s hours. There is a Too Good To Go bag available at one of my favourite cafés today so I spend £3 to reserve it. I’ll pick it up in a few hours before heading back home. 

2 p.m. — Walk into town to collect my Too Good To Go bag, which includes a croissant, pain au chocolat and a sausage, cheese and chutney bagel. I pop across to Holland & Barrett to get some iron supplements for £4.99, then the fruit market next door to get myself some raspberries for the drive — only £1! 

2:30 p.m. — Back on the road and listening to the original cast recording of Wicked while eating my raspberries.

4:55 p.m. — Arrive home and have my sausage, cheese and chutney bagel while catching up with M about our days. I have a work social event tonight in Birmingham so I book the train, £6.19 for the return journey.

10:25 p.m. — It was lovely to see colleagues outside of work but I’m quite new at this company and I don’t know everyone yet so I leave a little earlier than most people. We did an ‘interactive football experience’ and there was plenty of food and drinks. M picks me up from the station and we both fall asleep almost immediately after getting in.

Total: £15.18

Day Three

7:30 a.m. — M’s alarm goes off and after five or 10 minutes, we’re both up and getting ready for the day. For breakfast we have the pastries from my Too Good To Go bag; I have the croissant and M has the pain au chocolat. It’s Saturday but after breakfast M is off out doing his side hustle, leaving me to chill for a little bit and watch some YouTube.

10 a.m. — Log on for the virtual workshop, which is really interesting and gives me some insight into what extra funding our group might be eligible for.

12 p.m. — Have a snack of Greek yoghurt with frozen strawberries, bananas and blueberries. I’ve been buying frozen fruit recently and I don’t think I’ll ever go back — you get so much more for your money.

1:05 p.m. — M has gone to pick up his daughter, C, who is 5 and the most amazing little girl in the world (in my totally subjective opinion). We have her every weekend and we always have so much fun. I decide to let them have some quality time together so I go out to a café to get some work done before they get home. I’m training to be a pole fitness instructor and have coursework to do, which I’ve been putting off. 

1:35 p.m. — Order myself a latte from Costa, which is £3.70. 

3:20 p.m. — Feeling productive having almost finished my coursework. I reckon if I can get some more done tomorrow, I’ll be able to finish it off. Head across to Sainsbury’s to pick up the food for tonight’s dinner, as well as a little treat for M and C (chocolate Santas) and some wrapping paper, £15.85.

4:45 p.m. — Arrive home and C is my little helper, wrapping Christmas presents for my family while M does some cleaning. 

6:15 p.m. — We have our dinner, which is sausage, mash and lots of veggies. They then have their chocolaty treats while I have some Biscoff biscuits and we watch Sonic Boom on Netflix until C falls asleep. 

8:35 p.m. — C is asleep so we watch some grown-up TV and chill until we’re ready for bed.  

Total: £19.55

Day Four

6:20 a.m. — There’s a thud as C jumps onto the bed. I check the time and see it’s far too early to be up on a Sunday. She gets in between us and we all snooze for a bit longer.

7:30 a.m. — I get up and pour C some cereal, which keeps her occupied while I do the washing up from last night and take a shower. Make a cup of tea for me and M and bring his to him in bed. He’s been up early every day this week so deserves a good rest today. 

10 a.m. — Head out for a hot girl walk for about 40 minutes around a local reservoir. I usually try to do 10,000 + steps a day but I’ve been just short most days this week so I want to make a good dent in today’s. There’s a Morrisons close by so I pop in and have a flat white and do some more coursework, £2.50.

12:30 p.m. — M has taken C to his mum’s house for Sunday dinner, which she very kindly does for us most weeks. I meet them there. 

3 p.m. — Had a lovely pork dinner and I’m utterly stuffed. Moving within the next couple of hours is not on the cards.

5:05 p.m. — Time for C to go back to her mum’s so I take the opportunity to have another 20-minute walk to finish off my steps for the day. 

6:15 p.m. — M goes out to get us a Subway. I have a chicken tikka salad, which he pays for. We then chill watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 

7:45 p.m. — Finally finish my coursework and submit it for marking.

8:35 p.m. — Time for a celebratory snack, which is a Twix ice cream and a couple more Biscoff biscuits. We continue with Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

10:25 p.m. — Lie in bed and do some virtual window shopping for some new winter clothes before going to sleep. 

Total: £2.50

Day Five

7:20 a.m. — M gets up after the obligatory few snoozes on his alarm. I’m WFH so get a nice lie-in.

8:05 a.m. — I get up, shower and get into my cosy dressing gown. I have a cup of tea and a protein bar for breakfast. Book two pole classes for this week, £16.

9 a.m. — Log on for work. I’m on a half day today so I’m excited to get on top of some household chores and general life admin in the afternoon. 

12:25 p.m. — My Gousto box arrives. I ordered it last week because I had a 65% discount from being referred by a colleague. It has five meals included and they all look amazing so that’s this week’s evening meals sorted. 

1 p.m. — Finish work and make lunch of a sausage and egg sandwich. Watch a bit of fitness influencer YouTube.

1:55 p.m. — Time for a walk before it gets too dark!

3 p.m. — Back from my walk and do a little shop to top up on snacks for me and M for the week, £8.30.

5:05 p.m. — Start making dinner, which is super early but I have two back-to-back pole classes in an hour so I need to eat first. It’s the first meal from the Gousto box, which is chicken fajitas. It’s a classic that we make regularly without the box but this version does look slightly elevated compared to what we normally do.   

8:45 p.m. — Get a McFlurry for M on the way home from class, which is £1.69, and a cappuccino, which I use points to buy (yes, I know it’s insane to be having caffeine at this time). Get home and snack on some popcorn while chatting to M.

10:40 p.m. — Time for bed. 

Total: £25.99

Day Six

6 a.m. — It’s snowing! M gets up almost straightaway today as he has a very early start. I get some extra sleep. 

7:40 a.m. — I reluctantly get up, get dressed in some cosy clothes and have a coffee and yoghurt with mixed berries for breakfast. 

8 a.m. — Work work work.

12 p.m. — For lunch I make a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich and get my wellies on for a walk in the snow. 

4:05 p.m. — Finish work for the day. M is back home now and not feeling too well so I make him a hot chocolate and some crumpets and look after him for a bit.  

5:45 p.m. — Set off to pole class, giving myself an extra 15 minutes so that I can de-ice the car. 

7:30 p.m. — Arrive home and get started on cooking our second Gousto meal, which is Bombay chicken and potatoes. I’m feeling a little blue after class. I feel like my progress has plateaued recently and it’s making me feel a bit of imposter syndrome about doing this instructing course. 

8:10 p.m. — Dinner is served. The portions are smaller than what I would usually do for us if I were buying the ingredients from the shop but it’s really nice and M seems to love it. He also manages to cheer me up.

9 p.m. — We make up for having a smaller portion for dinner by each having a Dairy Milk ice cream.

10:20 p.m. — I go to bed while M stays up for a bit. I must be fully knocked out by the time he comes to bed as I don’t hear him at all. 
 
Total: £0

Day Seven

6:45 a.m. — Up today without any snoozes, a pretty rare occurrence! 

7:55 a.m. — Arrive at the office, which is around a 20-minute drive from our house. I have a few meetings today and I’m in a really good place with how much work I’ve done so I anticipate them going well.

12:30 p.m. — My colleague joins me for a lunchtime walk, which I try to do every day that I work from the office, just to get some fresh air. I brought in a sandwich from home so I eat that at my desk, along with an apple which is provided free by my workplace.

4:10 p.m. — On the way home I call M and ask him if he would mind making me a coffee for when I get in — I’m freezing!

4:30 p.m. — M is still not feeling well but he’s made me a coffee and is lying on the sofa. I join him for a bit and we have a little snooze together. 

6:30 p.m. — Dinner is served and today’s Gousto meal is sticky sweet chilli pork with rice. M has lost his sense of taste, which is gutting because this is by far my favourite meal of the week. 

7 p.m. — Head out to pole class, driving slowly because it’s still a bit icy. After class I’m going straight up north to stay at my mum’s so I stop for petrol, £40.  

11:40 p.m. — Arrive at my mum’s and go straight to bed. I’m knackered.

Total: £40

Conclusion

“The food and drink spend is pretty low due to the Gousto box, which I paid for last week. M usually contributes half of the food shop bill but I didn’t do a big shop this week so I didn’t ask. The petrol is high but that’s because I’m still travelling to Yorkshire to work one day per week. My contract with this job actually finishes in a few months so I hope to see that spend reduce significantly. Overall it’s been a good week and I don’t think I’ve spent on many unnecessary things — pretty happy with myself there.”

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