Money Diary: A Communications Manager On £55,000

Refinery29

2 days ago

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 .
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This week: "I'm 32 and live in a small city in the South East with my partner. We bought a small house here just over two years ago which is our first home together after moving from renting in London. We wanted to go somewhere smaller than London, but I needed to be somewhere commutable as I work in the London office twice a week. We've also been renovating our house since we moved here, though mostly by buying things on Facebook Marketplace and doing everything ourselves except for more specialist stuff like the plastering and new carpets. With regards to money, I am very aware I have large amount of savings, some of which has been inherited and some of which I have saved. I have always been very conscious of saving money/being savvy and managed to save throughout university, which continued into the world of work. I also recognise I've been very privileged that my family haven't charged me rent when I lived at home during and after uni. I've started to dip my toe into investing in the last three years and have become more financially educated. I love to find a bargain, use cashback offers, shop on Vinted and invest a good chunk of my salary each month, but I also try and keep balanced and spend money on experiences with my partner, friends and family, and things that are good for my health and happiness." Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
Occupation: Communications Manager
Industry: Not-for-profit
Age: 32
Location South East
Salary £53,000
Paycheque Amount: Around £3,100
Number of housemates: Two — my partner, S and my rescue dog, O.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £623 (my partner and I split equally).
Loan payments: £0. I paid off my plan 1 student loan a few years ago.
Savings?: Around £130k split between savings accounts, premium bonds and stocks and shares ISA.
Pension?: I pay in 9%, my employer pays in 8% — so overall 17% of my salary. I try and increase my contribution fairly regularly but that's the max my employer contributes. I have around £38k in my pot. I have another pot from earlier jobs but this would only have a tiny amount in it.
Utilities: £105 council tax, £13 wifi, £15 water, £45 energy — all split equally with S.
All other monthly payments: £9 phone, £10 for my rewards bank account (but I get cashback every month so it equates to £3 and covers my phone and European travel insurance), £15 pet insurance and, £20 donation to the rescue centre we got O from and £20 food for O (split with S). Subscriptions: £10 TV subscriptions (split with S), £20 iCloud storage/fitness app on phone/Apple music, £15 contact lenses.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, I went to university and got student loans/bursary. I also worked during summer holidays and I worked before I went to university too. My parents definitely supported me financially — I lived at home rent-free during holidays and they often would send me back loaded with a food shop and other essentials! Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
We didn't really talk about money, but I know it was tighter at times during my childhood as neither of my parents had massively well-paid jobs. I wasn't overly educated on money but I have always been a saver/cautious about spending money and finding bargains where possible. My parents also gave me a small allowance when I was at school and talked to me about budgeting a bit. I would also say my mum and dad are not materialistic at all, which has shaped my views and ways of spending money.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents/guardians house?
I went to uni aged 18 but went back home rent-free during holidays, and after uni for about a year and a half whilst I did a few unpaid internships and started my career. I didn't pay any rent during this time and count myself very lucky.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
When I moved out from my family home aged 23, though for those first few years my parents continued to support me financially with some things, as I was on a low salary. For example they paid for a moving van when I moved flats in London, and gave me old furniture to furnish it. They do also still invite me and my siblings — and pay for — family holidays occasionally, though we try and find ways to balance this out now we are all financially stable. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I was keen to earn money from quite a young age. I did various one-off event catering jobs from when I was around 15, then worked at a supermarket when I was 16. I liked the independence of earning and saving money and worked throughout uni holidays too.
Do you worry about money now?
Not really, but I know that is a very privileged position to be in. I do worry about one day having a family and being able to afford that and take time out of work, which is quite crazy considering my partner and I are lucky to earn decent salaries and have a safety net of substantial savings.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
Yes. Sadly all my grandparents have passed away but they left me and my siblings various child bonds which grew to around £30k altogether. I accessed this when I was 18 and invested it in ISAs so it has grown more. My mum also gifted me a substantial amount of money (over £100k) from the sale of my grandparents' home which my partner and I used as part of the deposit towards our home.
8:20 a.m. — Wake up and head downstairs to make coffee for S and I. We got a new coffee machine recently and I love it! We let O sleep in the bed last night which we don't normally do, so I didn't sleep too well and feel a bit frazzled — we need a bigger bed! Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
8:45 a.m. — Get up and dressed for a long dog walk. I was away with work last weekend and we always do a long walk with O at the weekends, so this is overdue! We walk to a bakery we haven't tried before which takes about an hour and a half and enjoy some tasty baked goods and coffee. I pay for the snacks, £12. S pays for coffee. It's really buzzy around this part of the city this morning and the sun is shining.
12:30 p.m. — We meander home and feel very lucky that where we live is so beautiful and green. We bought a small standing island for our kitchen/diner on Facebook Marketplace a little while ago and decide to prime and paint it today. Head to B&Q for supplies and get a few new plants as I have £9 off voucher if we spend £60. I pay for everything, £52.
1 p.m. — Have some lunch before the work begins — scrambled eggs and tomatoes on toast made by S. Then we start the priming coat, with the rugby on in the background for good measure.
7 p.m. — Finish the first coat of paint and it's looking good! I've become a bit of a paint pro with all the renovations we've done the last few years. My body hurts from the strange angles I was in for the painting so we veg out on the sofa and order an Indian takeaway. S pays to equal out the B&Q shop…ish! Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
8:30 p.m. — Takeaway arrives late and we are hungry! Eat while watching some TV. I wanted to watch a film but we didn't have any in mind and I hate mindlessly looking for one on Netflix!
10:30 p.m. — I'm still catching up on sleep from a big work event so head to bed for a big sleep.
8:30 a.m. — It's a Sunday, so we have a bit of a lie-in. I feel refreshed from a long sleep! S kindly brings us coffee in bed and we play with O and scroll for a little while.
9 a.m. — Have some toasted sourdough and then take O for a walk. We explore a new walk today, there are so many around us and we are discovering new ones even after two years living here! We've had O for almost a year and she loves exploring too.
10 a.m. — Get back and do a second coat of paint on our new little island.
12 p.m. — Have a shower and get ready, we are heading to my mum and dad's for a roast. My siblings will be there too.
1:30 p.m. — Arrive and help with some little DIY jobs around their house before lunch. My dad makes an amazing roast which we all enjoy while catching up!
6 p.m. — Head home, tidy up the house a bit and S makes us a cheese toastie. Sunday nights done right! I see on Instagram a friend is fundraising for charity and doing a half marathon, so I sponsor her £20. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
7 p.m. — Watch some Motherland and chat about what we've both got on this week.
10:30 p.m. — Head to bed!
7 a.m. — S's alarm goes off and he gets ready for work while I snooze in bed, O comes up excitedly for a cuddle!
7:30 a.m. — O and I get up and ready for the day. I'm working from home today and we always go for a dog walk before work. We both have breakfast and I make a coffee when we get back.
9 a.m. — Start work for the day. The team has been really busy with a big event recently but now in a bit of a 'mop up' phase which I don't love! I have a few meetings this morning, including a bit of a tough one with HR about a direct report who isn't performing. Power through with a coffee and listening to BBC Radio 6 music in between.
12 p.m. — Take O to the park with a tennis ball. She's obsessed! I drop her home then pop to the shops. We need a few boring household things like loo roll, toilet cleaner and dog treats so I go to Aldi. It amazes me how much other supermarkets charge for basically the same thing. I get the boring things, stuff for dinner and a few other lunch bits for this week. I pay using our joint account which we both add money into ad hoc, £9 for my share. Get home and make a cream cheese and avocado bagel for lunch. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
1 p.m. — Back to work with a coffee and a banana.
3 p.m. — Browse and buy some gifts online for a colleague who is leaving. I have already contributed to the pot so this doesn't cost me anything now and I use QuidCo to get some sneaky cashback.
5:30 p.m. — Finish work for the day! Feed O and nip round the house with the hoover, it's a bit of a mess after our painting job at the weekend.
6 p.m. — Since the pandemic, I've been doing home workouts. I thought I would go back to the gym but I like how easily and quickly I can get a workout in after work! Do a 45-minute strength-based workout with weights. Exercise really helps with my mental health so I try to workout four times a week. I've fallen off my schedule a bit recently because work has been busy but I'm trying to get back into a good routine.
7 p.m. — Jump in the shower, it's hairwash night tonight as I'm working in the office tomorrow.
7:30 p.m. — Make dinner — a butterbean stew this evening. We mostly eat vegetarian at home and during the week.
8 p.m. — S gets back, he had football this evening and went straight from work. We eat dinner and catch up on our days. Then settle in for some easy TV watching.
10 p.m. — Get ready for bed, do skincare routine and brush teeth. I read for half an hour to help get off to sleep. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
6:40 a.m. — Alarm goes off and I get up and get ready for work, feed O and leave by about 7:15 a.m. Feeling really tired today as I have an impacted wisdom tooth, which randomly started to hurt in the night and kept me awake, urgh! I've got a dentist appointment booked for next week coincidentally.
7:30 a.m. — Make the train, I can sometimes be a bit optimistic with timings and have to walk quite fast to make it. I bought my ticket a few weeks ago. I have to get advance tickets and a specific train because otherwise the price is absolutely extortionate for a 50-minute train! I get a seat for about half of the journey today, mostly I don't even get a seat! Listen to 6 Music on my way in and scroll.
8:30 a.m. — Arrive in London. I get some special mouthwash in Boots as worried about my wisdom tooth, but why is it so expensive, £6.60?! Hop on the Tube for a few stops to my office, £2.90.
8:50 a.m. — Grab a flat white from Caffe Nero — I get one coffee a week free via my energy provider which I always make use of on office days! I don't love chain coffee shops, but it's free.
9 a.m. — Get to my office and snack on a banana I brought with me. I really enjoy days in the office and seeing colleagues and collaborating. I'm working on an award entry for our team's recent campaign which is exciting, it's great for the team to have recognition and document the success of our work this way. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
12:30 p.m. — Lunchtime. I was organised and got a salad for lunch yesterday which I brought in with me. I prefer to do this than spend £7 on an average baguette from Pret!
1 p.m. — Resist the urge to get another coffee, I'm in a habit of having two a day. But my colleague has got some delicious M&S cookies, the best! Wrap some gifts for my colleague who is leaving tomorrow then get back to work and a few meetings.
5:30 p.m. — I'm meeting friends for dinner this evening so wrap up and walk to Soho to meet them.
6 p.m. — Catch up and have a tasty dinner of veggie mezze. We decide to be good and not drink! The service and food is really good and we get a few more dates in the diary during our catch-up.
9:15 p.m. — Finish up and split the bill equally, £35 for my share. I hop on a bus back to my siblings as I'm staying in London tonight to save a double commute tomorrow. Tapping on doesn't seem to be working for anyone so my journey is free!
9:35 p.m. — Get home and have some work to finish while catching up with my sibling. Do some salt rinsing of my sore tooth, not cool.
11 p.m. — Get ready for bed, take some painkillers for the wisdom tooth and sleep.
2 a.m. — Ouch, tooth wakes me up. Do some salt water rinse and try and get back to sleep. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
4 a.m. — Repeat. I hate wisdom teeth.
7 a.m. — Get up so I can eat something and take some painkillers for my stupid wisdom tooth. Have a shower and get ready for work.
8 a.m. — Leave for work and get the Tube to the office, £3.50.
8:30 a.m. — Get a cappuccino from a great coffee shop near my office, £3.80. I collect loyalty stamps and my next one will be free!
8:45 a.m. — Settle down to work and have breakfast of a banana and a yoghurt I had brought with me. Have a few meetings today and with my colleague's leaving celebration later, the office is busy.
12:45 p.m. — I haven't brought in lunch today, discuss with colleagues what to get and where to go. We also need to walk my colleague's dog in the park because she's in a long meeting, so have a little stroll in the sunshine. We settle on Itsu for lunch, I get the veggie meatball soup for £5.75, hoping it will be ok for the wisdom tooth situation. Buy a box of Buns from Home (I love cinnamon buns!) for the team to share, £10.95.
1:45 p.m. — More work and meetings.
4 p.m. — Early finish today for my colleague's leaving do. We have a few drinks (on the company), some great speeches and gift-giving. It's lovely to see some old and new faces and it's a really good turn-out.
8 p.m. — A few of us head to the pub. My tooth is sore so I just get a soft drink for me and an old colleague, who is now a friend. It's only £2.50, we must be in the cheapest pub in all of London! Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
8:50 p.m. — Jump on the Tube, £2.90. I have a train booked home at 9ish (paid for in advance). As usual I'm optimistic with my timings and just about make the train, why do I always do this?! Plug into Radio 1's Chillest Show from Sunday and scroll for the journey.
10:30 p.m. — Hate myself for booking a longer train because it was £10 cheaper. Train pulls in and S kindly picks me up from the station.
10:45 p.m. — O greets me very sweetly, I have missed her the last two days! I realise I haven't eaten this evening so scoff some leftover pasta that's in the fridge, catch up with S, cuddle O, take some painkillers for my tooth and get ready for bed.
11:15 p.m. — Head to bed and hope for a better night's sleep!
7 a.m. — S's alarm goes off. I'm already awake because of my tooth, so get up and mouthwash and salt rinse. It's not really bad pain but it's just an annoying dull ache.
7:15 a.m. — Try and doze but I'm awake. Scroll on my phone then get up, brush teeth, wash face and get dressed to take O for a walk.
8:15 a.m. — Get back from our walk and we both have breakfast. I have a coffee and take some paracetamol. Sort of some washing that S did yesterday.
8:50 a.m. — Settle down to work. Have a catch up with the team and see if there's any gossip from the night before! Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
12:30 p.m. — Take O for ball chasing in the park. Her simple joy makes me very happy! Getting her has been one of the best and most rewarding things I've done.
1:15 p.m. — Pop O home and go to the big Waitrose which is dangerously close to our house. Get a few things we need including stuff for dinner (snaffle a reduced chicken and nduja bake as need something quick this evening), hot cross buns, milk and lunch stuff, £7 for my half, I pay from the joint account.
1:30 p.m. — I have a meeting so eat lunch (reduced ramen I found at Waitrose) during, with my camera firmly off. No one needs to see that!
4 p.m. — I continue work through the afternoon, S gets home from work and makes me a hot cross bun. Delicious!
5:30 p.m. — Finished for the day! I play with O for a bit then tidy some things away from my couple of days in London and put the washing away.
6 p.m. — I'm playing netball tonight, I do this weekly in a semi-competitive but mostly fun league. I love it! We have a later game tonight though which I don't love. I get ready, stick dinner in the oven and say goodbye to S, who is off to football this evening.
7 p.m. — Eat and run out the door to netball.
8 p.m. — Play, we lose by 1 point which is frustrating, but still lots of fun. I got back into netball in the last year after playing competitively at school and uni. I have the most lovely team and the league is good fun and level of competitiveness for me. We pay about £60 at the beginning of each season, so I already paid for this. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
9:30 p.m. — Drive home, cuddle O and catch up with S. Have a quick shower and get ready for bed. Take some painkillers again as my gums/tooth are still sore.
10:30 p.m. — Read for about half an hour then sleep.
7 a.m. — S's alarm. He gets ready for work while I doze a bit longer, tooth is feeling better, thankfully and I slept better.
7:30 a.m. — Get up and go for a morning walk with O.
8:30 a.m. — Breakfast and coffee, then have a shower as I won't have time later. Do a quick mouthwash and pray the tooth is better!
9 a.m. — Start work — meetings and some other writing and smaller tasks I need to get done.
12:30 p.m. — Finish up my morning and do a speed clean of the house because I have a friend coming over later.
1 p.m. — Take O to the park. When we get back I have a lunch of leftovers and nip to the shop to get some milk and biscuits, £3.20.
1:45 p.m. — Get through more of my to-do list at work. Everything is kind of bitty at the moment, I prefer to have my teeth into a bigger project but this is the nature of working in comms!
3 p.m. — S gets home from work quite early today, so he gets some bits and bobs ready for the weekend. We are in London this evening for a friend's birthday and need to leave as soon as I finish work! Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
4 p.m. — My friend pops by for a cup of tea and to see the house and meet O. We have a good catch up.
5 p.m. — My friend makes a move and I speedily get ready to go out. We're driving to London as it's cheaper (which is ridiculous!) and easier with O. We're parking and staying at my siblings' and they are going to look after O for the evening. We're really lucky to have this option as my friends mostly live the opposite side of London.
7 p.m. — Arrive in London, traffic was surprisingly okay! I finish getting ready and we get an Uber to my friend's flat, B. S pays, I'll get our one back later.
7:45 p.m. — S pops to the shops for beers and flowers for the birthday girl. I had a bottle of fizz at home which I brought with me.
8 p.m. — Arrive at B's. There's a nice crowd of us and we have a few drinks and birthday brownies.
10:30 p.m. — Head out to a bar with some great live music! S gets me a margarita and we have a fun evening with everyone.
1 a.m. — People begin to peel off home. We're in our 30s now and quite a few friends are obviously doing the London Marathon and have planned big runs tomorrow. S and I realise we haven't had dinner and get a very odd wrap from a local kebab shop…it's hummus, salad and chips?! Weird choice. I pay, £12. Advertisement ADVERTISEMENT
1:30 a.m. — Get an Uber back to my siblings', I pay in return for earlier, £16. O greets us and we get ready for bed. We have another birthday tomorrow evening and must do everything in my power to avoid feeling gross — cleanse, moisturise and drink a pint of water, and cross my fingers! Sleep.
"This is a fairly average week for me, although I didn't get any petrol or buy any train tickets as I get these in advance. I probably spend on average £40 on trains weekly and maybe £40 once a month on petrol. I also had more socialising this week than normal — I usually probably go out once or twice a week for food/drinks, it's definitely a favourite thing to do and obviously weekend walks and coffee with O. I liked tracking my spending. I generally do keep an eye on it but also try not too be too stringent with anything, life is for living and balance is what I aim for. Still, I recognise I'm lucky to have this mindset because I'm comfortable financially. In the future, I should probably start to value my time more and not get the longer, cheaper train to/from London, as I regret it every single time!"
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