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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.
This week we're with a full-time mum to two kids who are just about to turn three (A) and one (B). She used to be an Ad Sales Director in a global media company and went back to work full-time between having her first and second child. She has just resigned.
She says: “Given that my husband and I had the same salary this is a huge drop in our household income. We have also just renovated our home using our mortgage and combined savings and are hoping to sell out and undergo a hard ‘Lexit’ (departure from London to remote rural area) in the next 6-12 months. Living in an up-and-coming corner of south London, my immediate retail radius is, frankly, limited. With two frenetic offspring permanently in tow, in-store shopping opportunities must meet the following thrilling criteria: a) ACCESS: aisles large enough to accommodate the double buggy, b) AMBIENCE: enough background noise to mask my children’s screaming. As a result, 90% of my non-supermarket based purchases are made online.”
Industry: Unemployed
Age: 35
Location: London
Salary: £0 (My husband earns £90,000)
Monthly paycheque: £5,000
Number of housemates: 3 (1 husband and 2 kids)
Age: 35
Location: London
Salary: £0 (My husband earns £90,000)
Monthly paycheque: £5,000
Number of housemates: 3 (1 husband and 2 kids)
Monthly Expenses:
Mortgage: £1,750
Loan payments: None but still owe our builder around £5-10k
Utilities: £200
Council tax: £170
Home insurance: £20
Contents insurance: £50
Running a car (insurance/tax/petrol): £200
Transportation: £70
Savings: £0 (it all went into the house renovation)
Entertainment: Netflix/Amazon/Wi-Fi: £36
Son’s nursery: (3 mornings a week) £498
Contact lenses: £45
Mobile phone: £38
Cleaner: £100 (comes every 2 weeks for 5 hours)
Charity donations: £45
Beauty Pie subscription: £10
Loan payments: None but still owe our builder around £5-10k
Utilities: £200
Council tax: £170
Home insurance: £20
Contents insurance: £50
Running a car (insurance/tax/petrol): £200
Transportation: £70
Savings: £0 (it all went into the house renovation)
Entertainment: Netflix/Amazon/Wi-Fi: £36
Son’s nursery: (3 mornings a week) £498
Contact lenses: £45
Mobile phone: £38
Cleaner: £100 (comes every 2 weeks for 5 hours)
Charity donations: £45
Beauty Pie subscription: £10
Total: £3,332
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