This week: “I currently work as an Events Manager. As much as this is one of the hardest hit sectors due to COVID-19 I feel really lucky to still be in a job and to have worked through the pandemic continually.
I am also lucky enough to own my flat, which I bought four years ago in and up-and-coming area. I have a good amount of space and before the pandemic I had a flatmate who moved out in March. I was considering getting another flatmate however I think it’s too risky with the COVID-19 numbers increasing again and also with me being home all the time I wouldn’t want to be stuck in with someone I didn’t get along with.
At the end of last year I was diagnosed with M.E. otherwise known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which is a neurological condition. I am lucky that I am ‘mild’ and I am currently not house or bed bound. We suspect I have had it for over a decade but it has only just been diagnosed as there are no tests for M.E and it is massively under researched and underfunded. My main symptoms include extreme fatigue but often insomnia, flu-like pain throughout the body, digestive problems, tremors in both hands, headaches, brain fog and memory issues, persistent infections and being unable to fight infections as others can. I can also experience anxiety and sensitivity to light, noise, certain foods and alcohol. Everyone’s symptoms are different and there is currently no treatment for the illness. As I am high risk this year has been a frightening time but working from home has been life changing for me. I have not had one day off sick since February and it sounds ridiculous but I am really proud of myself for being able to work through this and that’s largely due to being at home. I still have a long way to go with my health but I have made huge strides especially in the last few months.
Growing up my mum always made sure we had whatever we needed, she worked really hard, never relied on anyone and is a great example to both me and my sister. I don’t really remember many discussions about money growing up but we were always encouraged to save our allowance. My sister and I both took out student loans to get through college/university and we both have had various credit cards over the years. I don’t think I have always made the best decisions with money and have spent a lot on travelling and work that needed doing on my flat. I also think I spend an obscene amount of money on food and probably too much on clothes. I would really like to pay off the existing debt I have and be out of my overdraft as I rely on it too much.
This money diary was completed during the first week of new restrictions in Scotland. All pubs and restaurants are shut and only cafes allowed to be open until 6pm.”
Industry: Events
Age: 36
Location: Glasgow
Salary: £34,840
Paycheque amount: £1,750.80. This is after NI contributions, pension contribution, tax, credit union savings and student loan.
Number of housemates: None
Monthly expenses
Housing costs: Mortgage is £418 (I have a great financial advisor), unfortunately though, I pay £150 in factor fees although this covers my building insurance.
Loan payments: £110 student loan repayment which comes straight off my salary, £102 to a Bank of Scotland credit card, £75 a month to a Virgin credit card (for the record these are now cut up and I am working on paying them back) £37.85 a month for my sofa and armchair which is well worth it because I love them and most of my other furniture is basic Ikea or second hand. I often have around £35 of bank charges as I am currently in my overdraft.
Utilities: Gas and electric is through Utilita and I had smart meters installed two months ago so I didn’t need to keep going to the shops to top them up. I use around £30 electric a month and around £25 in my gas card. I like having ‘pay as you go’ electric and gas as I feel more in control of it. Council tax is £107 and I’m currently applying for a backdated single person’s allowance. TV licence is £13.37, Sky internet and TV is £50.75, life and critical illness insurance is £28.21 a month, contents insurance is £16.72.
Phone: Around £40.
Transportation: Very little at the moment. I do not drive so therefore don’t have a car and have no intention of ever learning. After my diagnosis I was told to limit my walking so I had to start getting the train to work. To be honest I was just pleased to still be able to work as a lot of M.E patients can’t. Currently I am paying around £10 a month as I am in a bubble with my parents and I have to get the train to their house but they have been very good about offering to give me lifts home as I am trying not to use public transport if it can be helped as per the guidelines.
Savings: £550 – I put £50 a month away every month for Christmas. I currently have around £550 in this pot which will more than pay for family presents. I have another pot with £900 in as I have also been putting £50 away monthly for the last few years so I can take my sister to Iceland for her 40th.
Other: Netflix is £11.99 a month – I pay for the family package but I get to use my sister’s Amazon Prime and her Disney + so it’s a good deal. Union member fees are £20 a month. Camelot Lottery is £20 a month. Spotify – £9.99, well worth the money for the amount of podcasts I listen to and albums I download every month.
7.55am: I wake up with a thumping headache, I would like to say this is not normal but I’m afraid is just part of my symptoms. I try to sleep for a while but eventually get up around 8.30am, have a quick shower and throw on leggings and a jumper (my work wardrobe of 2020) and head to the living room to turn on my phone and laptop as it takes a while to load. I make some porridge in the microwave with bananas and maple syrup. I make a hot water bottle and sit down to work through emails.
10am: I try my best just to work through it but this headache is getting worse so I take two paracetamol. My head of department phones and we update each other on files that we have been working on together. I have also recently applied for a loan to consolidate my debts. It’s in the final stages but the underwriter is asking for a statement as I work in event management they want to know how my job will be affected by the pandemic. However I feel I have never been busier as a lot of my job I have been able to do from home. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given. I send off the statement and hope it’s enough for them.
11am: My headache is getting a little better so I decide to put on one of my favourite podcasts. I’m an avid true crime fan so I put on RedHanded – each episode looks at a different true crime story and the two presenters can be quite funny, I know that sounds bizarre but they add some light heartedness to pretty grim stories and they also highlight a lot of prejudices and injustices in the justice system. I listen while working on emails.
12.40pm: I have to pick up a coat I put in for dry cleaning. I never do dry cleaning but I wore my winter coat last week for the first time since February and, long story short, I fell and got it covered in mud. £12
1pm: There’s a cheap supermarket next to the dry cleaners so I pop in for juice and some fruit and veg. I spend way more than I want to but I get mixed peppers, grapes, strawberries, snack cucumbers, lettuce, three packets of microwave rice, orange juice, parma ham, conditioner, tin foil, a selection of Halloween sweets for my nephew and some sugar-free treats for his baby sister who isn’t quite old enough for Halloween yet. £18.96
The trip to the dry cleaners and shop is only 30 mins there and back but leaves me exhausted. I sit down for fifteen mins to eat my lunch of parma ham salad, grapes, strawberries and a handful of salted popcorn and then back to work.
6pm: I work on for an hour after my usual finishing time. I have a shower and wash my hair and then put my dinner in the oven. I have gluten-free breaded fish and oven chips with broccoli. This is not the dinner I had planned but my chicken didn’t defrost in time so I will just need to have it tomorrow. I went gluten and dairy free at the start of this year and then started following the low-FODMAP diet which restricts certain foods with high fructose and then reintroduces foods eventually (yeah took me ages to get my head round it too). On the recommendation of a friend I start watching Brave New World.
9pm: After watching a second episode I go to my room to dry my hair. I realise I have forgotten to take my medication for pain and to help me sleep (supposedly, I have become a little immune to it). I was meant to take it around two hours ago and so I have less of a chance of getting to sleep at a decent time tonight. I read some of my book, I am currently reading Rebecca but don’t nod off until about 2am.
Total: £30.96
8am: Wake up but stay in bed until 8.30am when I get up, have a quick shower and throw on some clothes. Make a bowl of strawberries and grapes for breakfast but not actually sure if I want it as I just don’t feel that hungry. Start working on some information a client has sent through.
10.30am: I have a video call meeting but have just had a nosebleed so I’m late for the call! I’m lucky it’s not a bad one and I am only a few mins late. After the meeting I have regained my appetite so have a rice cracker. I realise after washing my hair last night, my roots are a bit out of control and I need to dye my hair. My stepdad is actually a hairdresser and I would usually always get my hair dyed by him every 8-10 weeks but he isn’t working right now and I feel bad getting my hair done with expensive dyes when his salon is just back up and running and I know he would never take money from me if I tried to pay. I log onto Amazon and get two boxes of hair dye, my hair is super long so I need two to cover it all. £8.99
12.30pm: I have parma ham salad for lunch and some remains of a pack of gluten-free chocolate wafer curls. A client phones me during lunch so I take the call and speak to them for half an hour. Then back to work.
5.30pm: I finish work for the day after getting a call to say my loan has been approved which is great news. I clean the bathroom and then I decide to do my nails as they look pretty awful right now. I watch Come Dine With Me while doing it and think about what to have for dinner. I end up having chicken, aubergines, green peppers, rice and broccoli. I have made rhubarb and strawberry ‘healthy’ crumble for dessert. Before my digestive problems I ate way more foods but I have learned what foods are better for my particular issues and these are healing foods for my gut… in moderation. I watch some TV before deciding TV is rubbish, read some of my book and go to bed.
10pm: I know I won’t sleep for a while so find myself in a YouTube hole until I nod off. Rock n’ roll Friday night under new restrictions!
Total: £8.99
9.20am: I have a courier service arrive with the paperwork for my loan for me to sign. It’s free and easier than doing snail mail as I have no access to a scanner or printer right now. I have a banging headache and take two paracetamol and go back to bed for a while. Before I do I text my mum to ask if I can come see her today.
1.30pm: The thing I love most about the changing seasons is I get to break out all my hats, scarves, warm jackets and layers so I layer up before going to Mum’s. I grab a rice cake and banana before leaving the flat for the train. The ticket machine is broken at the station and we still don’t have conductors on trains so my journey is free. My stepdad and I watch TV while my mum pops to the shops for food.
5.30pm: My parents ask me to stay for dinner, my mum makes a really nice prawn and red pepper curry with rice – she makes mine separate as I also can’t really have onion and garlic on my diet. I do feel bad when I go to other people’s houses and I always ask if they want me to bring my own food which I am happy to do but my mum always insists she will cook. My mum gives me some new dark chocolate I haven’t tried before from Lidl. I check the ingredients and it looks safe for me to eat. I have a few squares.
8pm: My parents give me a lift home which is very kind of them. My mum gives me back a book she borrowed which I forgot she had. I currently have about six of hers. When I get home I wash the dishes that I left last night, go for a shower and discover White Teeth is on Netflix based on Zadie Smith’s book so I decide to give it a try as I read the book about a year ago and really enjoyed it, I actually wasn’t aware they made a series from it. I don’t nod off until much later.
Total: £0
8.30am: My alarm goes off but I had a rotten sleep. I am due to meet my friend at the park in a few hours but to make it in time I have to get up now as it’s the other side of the city. My head and body is aching and sore, this is my body telling me I am heading for a ‘crash’ if I don’t rest. This is one of the hardest parts I have found with M.E, resting literally means doing nothing and that’s been an adjustment. A ‘crash’ can last for hours, days or weeks. I text my friend and tell her I feeling terrible and can we rain check, which she says is fine. I really hate doing this and unfortunately I have had to do it often over the years and felt a lot of guilt for letting people down but it is always because I have been ill, at least now I have a diagnosis. I am grateful I have understanding family and friends for the most part. I take two co-codamol and go back to bed and sleep.
1.30pm: I wake up feeling less achey and decide to get up and make porridge with almond milk, strawberries and banana. I stay in my pyjamas, put on a hoodie and watch the rest of White Teeth. I decide to do some light sketching while sitting on the couch. I have my own art studio in the flat and I used to do a lot of painting particularly with alcohol inks and sell them. I discover Parks and Rec is on Sky Comedy all day, I have seen every episode but love watching it so I keep it on all afternoon. I do a video call with my sister and my niece and nephew at around 4pm. My niece is 15 months and thinks this is hilarious that I am talking to her on video through the phone and keeps grabbing it and getting very excited. Very cute.
6pm: My stomach has not been great since the porridge but I decide to give dinner a go. I have learned that missing meals is not the way to go as healing your gut is mostly about the food you eat so I try my best if I can to eat something although sometimes I just can’t. I have chicken, peppers, aubergine in a gluten and dairy-free pesto, roast potatoes and broccoli. I have one small scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream (which bizarrely always use to calm my stomach) I eat it but feel pretty rotten still. I manage to sweep and mop the floor. I know this sounds like nothing but keeping the flat clean is a big achievement for me as it takes a lot of effort. I have thought about a cleaner but don’t feel safe doing it right now. I have a shower and go to bed afterwards.
Total: £0
2am: After reading my book for a while I am still awake and cannot seem to sleep surprise, surprise. I am knackered and absolutely drained but often my body just won’t allow me to sleep.
8.30am: My alarm goes off, my stomach is still bad which is not good, it hasn’t been this bad in months. I jump in the shower and get dressed in proper clothes today, not my regular leggings and jumper. I look out some of my supplements that I retired a month ago to see if they will help. I eat half a rice cake and have some water. I log on to my laptop and check my emails which isn’t too bad – just 20 over the weekend. I decide to weigh myself and realise I have lost four pounds in less than a week which is not ideal.
10am: The postman arrives with my hair dye and a credit union account statement. I have more money than I thought in the Christmas account which is good news! Back to work while listening to the latest Michael Kiwanuka album and some Young Fathers.
12.30pm: I am on a half day today. I have a quick catch up call with my manager before I sign off and then log onto Tesco to put in an online delivery order for tomorrow. Tomorrow is payday and I always order a big monthly shop when I am paid and then do top ups throughout the month (but I am trying to limit them). I get maple syrup, dairy-free ice cream, gluten-free ginger biscuits, courgettes, sugar-free fruit Volvic water, gluten-free cereal, broccoli, tinned chopped tomatoes, mixed peppers, cucumbers, mixed grapes, strawberries, prawns, zip lock bags, a large tray of chicken, cold meat, almond milk, lactose-free cheese, lactose-free soft cheese, gluten-free wraps, toilet paper, gluten-free breaded fish. I go to the pharmacy to pick up my monthly prescription. We get our prescriptions for free in Scotland which is amazing. £65.57 but it won’t come out of my account until tomorrow.
1pm: I go to get my flu jab at Boots and my aunt and uncle are in the area so come and meet me for a socially distanced hot drink. Their treat. My aunt is also gluten-free and has brought me muffins and a honeycomb treat, I don’t feel hungry so don’t have them, but thank her and take them home. I have to stay in Boots for five minutes after my jab to make sure I don’t take an allergic reaction so I book an eye test for next week due to the volume of headaches I have had recently. Eye tests are free in Scotland. I end up buying a concealer on my way out, £4.99.
4.30pm: I get back home and grab a few snack cucumbers and do a quick teeth brush as I have to go out again as I am heading to the dentist to get my brace fitted. I made the decision a while ago to spend my savings on straightening my teeth and fixing my overbite. Its bothered me for years and I never smile in photographs and I figured now is the best time to do it when we are all stuck at home and I have the money. I also wanted to start doing it when my health was in a bit of a better place.
8pm: I return home from a long trip to the dentist. I could only get the top set fitted as there was an issue with the bottom set so I have to go back on Wednesday. I am absolutely exhausted and think I have overdone it today, I am still getting use to ‘pacing’ and on occasion I still make mistakes like this where I try to fit too much in one day. I have some gluten-free pasta with tuna and go to bed.
3.30am: I have been sleeping since about 11pm but wake up and I am pretty uncomfortable as my brace feels so tight. I sort of expected this so it’s not a great surprise but it will just take some getting used to.
Total: £4.99
8.50am: I finally get up but am really pushing myself. I feel so drained, tired, sore and my teeth are hurting. I wash my face and pull on some comfy clothes and head to my computer. I take my supplements and have one of the muffins my aunt brought me yesterday with water. I catch up on emails and then have a long video call meeting with my manager and head of department about a document we are working on that is going for board approval.
1pm: Online food shop is delivered and £65.57 comes out of my account. I also remember it’s payday and so buy a cable that I need for my hard drive to connect to my laptop as the old one broke and I buy a cream turtleneck jumper I have had my eye on for a few weeks. The cable is £6.99 and the jumper is £11.99.
5pm: Finished work for the day and watch the news as Manchester have just announced that the government walked away from negotiations with them regarding entering a Tier Three lockdown. I have enchiladas for dinner. I always forget that gluten-free wraps don’t really meet expectations for enchiladas. One of my teeth has really been bothering me since the dentist yesterday so I decide to go to bed early and take two paracetamol.
3am: Still awake and now in a lot of pain. I have a second appointment booked with the dentist anyway at lunchtime so just need to take a lot of Co-codamol until then.
Total: £84.55
8.45am: I contact my boss to tell her about my toothache because I don’t think I can concentrate on work until this gets sorted. I try go back to sleep for a bit.
11.45am: I have to get a taxi to the dentist which is not ideal right now and is the first taxi I have been in since March but needs must. £9.20
3pm: I am at the dentist for some time as he is running late and also my appointment takes a while. He fixes the issue thank goodness and there’s no extra charge as this relates to a previous procedure I had done. We are now unsure though if my teeth are going to be able to take the braces so I need to wait four weeks before we can find out. The dentist embarrassingly says I have major plaque issues though and advises me to buy an electric toothbrush, he makes some recommendations – the cheapest of which is so expensive. I do some research on the way home and find it at the ‘bargain’ price of £140!! I can’t believe I’m spending this much on a toothbrush but it’s an investment. I get a taxi home as I am exhausted and a bit sore. I sit and rest for a while and read some of my book. £10.20
5.30pm: I can’t eat anything that is going to annoy my tooth too much so I have mashed potato and veg in a tomato sauce with some lactose free cheese on top. After dinner while watching Come Dine With Me I feel I have a bit of a second wind so go ahead and dye my hair, I forget though how much energy this uses up and my white bathroom looks like a murder has taken place in it as I have red hair. Oops. While waiting on my hair to take colour I realise that I need to replace fairy lights that are in my living room so log onto Amazon and order some. £5.99
9pm: I go to bed and read my book for a while before trying to get to sleep.
Total: £165.39
Food/Drink: £96.52
Entertainment: £0
Clothes/Beauty: £13.98
Travel: £19.40
Other: £164.98
Total: £294.88
Conclusion
“I think the toothbrush sent me over the edge here but it is an investment and without that I would overall be happy with my spending. The food part has actually surprised me considering this included a monthly shop and some treats for my niece and nephew. Overall this week has made me realise that even though my health has somewhat improved some I still need to take it easy and learn to pace more. I think this goes against most people’s nature and definitely not how I use to live my life so this is an adjustment period. “
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