Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last penny.
Today, a 29-year-old woman who works in publishing at a highly regarded London newspaper. She has two children, aged two and six, and works full-time. She does a weekly shop on Sundays. She tries to spend as little as possible so that she and the family can move to a nicer area.
Industry: Publishing
Age: 29
Location: Work in London/ live in North Kent
Salary: £40,000 basic plus £24,000 OTE
Paycheck Amount: Varies, depending on performance (between £2.5k- £3.5k after tax/ month)
No. of roommates: 3 Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: £895
Home insurance: £20
Contents insurance: £16
Loans: £100 (my car) £16 (sofa) £100 (credit card)
Utilities: £60 (gas) + £40 (electricity) + £40 (water) + £30 (internet)
Council Tax: £130
Fuel: £40
Season ticket: £328.40
Phone: £15 * 2 = £30
Savings: depends on take-home pay
Groceries: around £300
Childcare: £0 (my boyfriend has taken a break from work as a builder to take our daughter to and from school and look after our son during the weekdays.)
Total: £2,145.50
Age: 29
Location: Work in London/ live in North Kent
Salary: £40,000 basic plus £24,000 OTE
Paycheck Amount: Varies, depending on performance (between £2.5k- £3.5k after tax/ month)
No. of roommates: 3 Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: £895
Home insurance: £20
Contents insurance: £16
Loans: £100 (my car) £16 (sofa) £100 (credit card)
Utilities: £60 (gas) + £40 (electricity) + £40 (water) + £30 (internet)
Council Tax: £130
Fuel: £40
Season ticket: £328.40
Phone: £15 * 2 = £30
Savings: depends on take-home pay
Groceries: around £300
Childcare: £0 (my boyfriend has taken a break from work as a builder to take our daughter to and from school and look after our son during the weekdays.)
Total: £2,145.50
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Day One
7am: I’ve overslept. I don’t have time for a drink so I scurry up the hill to the station and buy coffee for £2.40. The coffee is bitter and the train stops every few minutes meaning I’m now late, obsessed with the painfully slow train speed and overwhelmed by the urge to wee. I can think of nothing else. I distract myself by looking for work shoes online (I don’t need any more shoes.) I tell myself I’m demure and turn to the Hobbs sale for some sensible heels at a steal for £39. 9:20 I finally reach London and frantically hunt out a toilet. I must pay for the privilege: 30p. 12pm: I usually skip breakfast and have lunch early. I have brought soup from home but it’s not enough. I top it up with a salad from our (subsidised) canteen for £2.50. Loads of people have just returned from holiday so I graze on their sweets and wafers for the rest of the day: free. 2pm: I remember to pay my boss back for lunch and wine on Friday: £15. 4pm: It’s raining so, although it’s the summer holidays, no money gets spent on the kids today. 6:30pm: Dinner is left over roast dinner from Sunday: no additional cost.Total amount spent: £59.20
Day 2
7:30am: I run to the station to make the earlier train that gets me to work on time. 9am: On arrival, I drink the complimentary tea and snack on oranges I’ve brought from home. Throughout the morning I snaffle all the varieties of Percy Pig available in our department. 12pm: At lunchtime I eat the leftover chicken and noodles I’ve brought from home but add some salad from the canteen: £1.37. 6:30pm: For dinner, we eat roasted peppers stuffed with leftover chilli from the weekend and topped with cheese. 8pm: After putting the kids to bed, I go to the local shop and buy wine for £6.50. We watch episodes of The Office because they never stop being funny. Total amount spent: £7.87AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Day 3
6:30am I leave early in anticipation of a big morning meeting at work. I buy coffee at the station: £2.40. 8:30am I meet my boss to prepare for the meeting and buy tea in the staff canteen: 50p. 9am: Meanwhile, at home, the car has been booked in for its MOT: £50. Our nephew has also come to stay for a few days, meaning the kids are happy playing at home and in the garden: no cost. 12pm: More leftovers (boring salad) from home for lunch: no cost. 1pm: At home, our daughter is rewarded for her good school report with a gift (a dinosaur mask): £3. 4:30pm I leave work early feeling very fatigued and head to the station where I buy a bottle of Florida Orange and some crisps: £2.29 for the journey home. 6:00pm Once home, I sit outside and play with the kids for a while until I feel better. I take my son to the shop and he persuades me to buy 3 lollies: 60p. Total amount spent: £58.79Day 4
9am: The car failed its MOT but with only fairly minor repairs needed and gets booked in for the work: £228. 12pm: I eat yet more leftovers (this time it's chicken chow mein) for lunch: no cost. 6:30: We have hot dogs, chips and corn on the cob for dinner because it’s quick and easy: no cost. Total amount spent: £228Day 5
7:00am: I have a banana at home because I have a little more time on Fridays when the dress code is more relaxed and I make even less effort than usual (I make minimal effort at the best of times.) 10:30am Work is unbearably quiet so I wander to the canteen mid-morning and buy a coffee: £1.50 12pm: It’s a sunny day so I go to M&S and buy a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich and crisps to eat outside: £3.15. 2:30pm: There are no sweets in the office which seems ludicrous in August and I consider buying something sweet. I go to the canteen and buy one of those old school cinema pots of ice cream for £2. 6:30pm: We eat pasta with vegetables and cheese: no cost. Total amount spent: £6.65AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT