WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week.
Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re looking for readers who will keep a money diary for a week. If you’re interested send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.
Last time around, we heard from a financial services employee on €100K living in Shanghai. This week, a quality assurance analyst in biopharmaceuticals on €99K living in Dublin.
I’m a 38-years-old, originally from South America, working in biopharmaceuticals in Dublin.
After working for eight years in pharmaceutical companies in my country, I decided to move to Ireland. When I came here, I attended an English school for six months and worked part-time in housekeeping. As English is not my native language and I didn’t have a work permit to work full-time, I found it very difficult to get a job in my career even with my great experience. Then things changed eight months after I arrived, when I got my European citizenship. This allowed me to be more competitive and finally, I was able to get my current job.
Before the pandemic, I used to travel to other countries around Europe every month, and return to my own country twice per year. I stayed doing this kind of plan for two years. However, I’m not too excited to travel abroad now, and I have been to so many countries in Europe that I don’t have the same motivation as before. The main thing is it definitely helped me with saving money and I will look for countries in other continents.
I am not much of a big spender and consider myself a good saver. I manage my expenses from my monthly salary, which is my only source of income. I also save my annual bonus, which depends on my performance. I have often sent money back home to my parents or for investment. I have also bought some properties in my country for the future. I would like to buy a house here one day, but when I saw house prices and mortgage prices here, I just gave up, especially when you are a single, foreign guy. On a good month, I put away about €2,800 in savings.
I live in a rented house with three housemates, and we share the rent and all bills. My week is an eight-day week. I work in shifts: four 12-hours days (and nights), but I also get four days off. My routine is quite uneventful. I always make my own food and like to spend my time at home with my housemates. When I do something different, it’s usually to meet up with my friends for dinner or go to a pub/club at least twice a month. I also go for shopping at least once a week to buy household goods and groceries. For exercise, I like to cycle and walk.
Occupation: Quality analyst in biopharmaceuticals
Age: 38
Location: Dublin
Salary: €86,350 (including shift allowance) + €13,000 bonus
Monthly pay (net): €4,360 (after pension contribution)
Transport: €20 (cycle to work/bus to city centre twice a month)
Rent: €738
Household bills: €55 (gas, electricity, and households)
Phone bill: €42
Health insurance: €0 (paid by my employer)
Groceries: €200
Subscriptions: Amazon Prime – €7.99
Pension contribution: €235 (deducted from my salary)
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6.20 am: I get up and get ready for work. It takes me ten minutes to cycle into my work.
7.00 am: I start my shift.
8.00 am: Time to go for breakfast. I buy a full Irish breakfast at our on-site canteen (€5.20). The coffee is free.
12.00 am: Lunch time. I cycle home where I get my lunch, so this is included in the household grocery bill. I prepared my lunch the day before. I have some rice, beans, grilled beef, salad, and orange juice. I never miss my coffee after a meal!
1.00 pm: Back to work.
7.00 pm: Time to head home.
8.00 pm: I have a quick meal before taking a shower. My housemate is baking a carrot cake, so I will have some of that for dinner.
8.30 pm: For now, it’s time to relax and watch a movie on Netflix. I tried to watch a film suggested by my friend called ‘The Nightingale’. The movie was interesting, but too sad before going to bed. So, I change over to watch the live news to be aware of what is going on in the world. I soon give up, though – news is not motivating me to sleep. I meet my housemate in the kitchen, and we chat for a few minutes. I still have food there that I prepared for my lunch tomorrow, so I don’t need to cook anything.
10.30 pm: Time to go to bed. I check messages on my phone quickly before falling asleep.
Today’s total: €5.20
6.20 am: I get up and get ready for work. Today it’s raining, windy and cold. Of course, it doesn’t surprise me anymore. At least my work is very close to my home.
7.00 am: I start my shift. Check emails and today, I am scheduled to train a new staff member. It will take almost all my time, so no extra activities.
8.00 am: Breakfast time. As I love a full Irish breakfast and it keeps me full until my lunch, I buy another one in our on-site canteen. (€5.20)
12.00 am: Lunch time. I cycle home again to have the same thing I had yesterday.
1.o0 pm: Back to work
7.00 pm: Home time.
8.00 pm: I grab a quick meal again as soon as I get home before my shower. Today is my last daytime shift of the week, so I try to go to bed as late as I can. During this time, I read a book called ‘If This is a Man’. I really enjoy reading this book as I like memoirs and history books. Despite the reading being very interesting, I feel myself getting tired after 40 minutes and decide to stop.
8.45 pm: I have a look at my phone to check the news. I go to the kitchen to pick up a snack and a hot chocolate. I meet my housemate, and we chat more than an hour. I have a long call with my mother on the phone afterwards.
10.30 pm: It is still very early to go to sleep. I turn on the TV to watch a series where I don’t need to think too much about the story, just for keeping me awake
12.00 am: By now, I am feeling very tired and must go to bed.
Today’s total: €5.20
9.00 am: Today I will work the night shift, which means I can wake up later in the morning. I get up and I am ready to make my breakfast at home. My housemate isn’t working today, so we make the breakfast together. We prepare a milkshake and eat some fruits.
11.30 pm: I decide to make something different for lunch. I will cook a traditional recipe from my country. I need to go to the supermarket first though, as I don’t have one of the ingredients at home. I always prepare the food for me and my two other housemates. I pay €7.20 (chicken, bread, milk). We split the cost between the three of us. When someone is free, they cook for everyone and we share the expenses.
1.00 pm: I purchase a flight and book a hotel in Lisbon for my brother for his birthday (€280). I won’t go with him this time as he will be with his best friend, and I think they will enjoy this trip together. As I will take some holidays next month, I will go to visit my parents and friends in my country, after not seeing them for a year and three months. I waited until the pandemic situation got better and I felt more comfortable to travel before I booked it.
2.00 pm: The lunch is done and soon afterwards, my brother arrives starving. We have lunch together while watching some videos on YouTube and chat for a bit. I tell my brother that I bought him a flight and booked a hotel for his birthday, and he is very grateful and happy.
3.30 pm: I finish eating my lunch and clean the kitchen afterwards. I need to take a nap until 6pm. Otherwise, I will be very tired for the long night shift.
6.20 pm: Mission accomplished. I wake from my nap and take a shower, get dressed and head off to work.
7.00 pm: I arrive at my work and start my shift.
9.00 pm: I have my break – I get a sandwich to eat and one cappuccino. (€5.20)
10.00 pm: Back to work. I complete my review and I do some training and reply to some emails.
Today’s total: €287.60
1.00 am: Time for a break, and that means time for a coffee. I must do it to keep me awake. I normally eat some fruit and drink a free coffee from the canteen.
4.00 am: Break time for a coffee again. As I am hungry, I buy a snack bar from the vending machine. (€2.00)
7.00 am: Head home.
8.00 am: I eat some nuts and grab a snack before taking a shower. After my shower, I go straight to bed and fall asleep nearly instantly.
1.00 pm: I wake up feeling very hungry, so I have the same food I had yesterday for lunch.
3.00 pm: I finish my lunch and clean up the kitchen. I need to take a nap until 5 pm. The house is very quiet and there is no one at home.
6.20 pm: That time again. I take a shower, dress and go to work.
7.00 pm: Time to start my shift.
9.00 pm: I have my break. I buy a sandwich again and a Coke. (€5.20)
10.00 pm: Back to work.
Today’s total: €7.20
1.00 am: Time for my coffee break again. The same as yesterday, I have a free coffee from our canteen and some fruit that I brought from home.
4.00 am: Second coffee break. I normally have some more fruit and drink a coffee and buy some snacks from the machine (€2.00). When I am working on the late shifts, I don’t really change the menu much!
7.00 am: Time to head home.
8.00 am: I just have a shower and go to bed straight away. I am very tired.
1.00 pm: Wake up and I have to think about my lunch. Today my menu is baked Kibe, rice and salad.
3.00 pm: My brother arrives from work and we have lunch together.
4.00 pm: I need to send money to my country to pay for part of my parents’ renovation house and some furniture that I bought for them. (€1,029)
7.00 pm: I meet my brother at the supermarket to do the shopping for the week. We buy some food and other household goods. We spend about €75, but we have a coupon discount of €10. That was very much welcomed. (€65)
8.30 pm: We are back at home. We watch a movie and wait for the dinner to get here – my housemate said he will bring some Japanese food home for free as he works in a restaurant.
10.00 pm: My housemate arrives with the food and we have the meal together. Chat a bit and drink some beers that he bought for us.
12.00 am: I go to bed. Tomorrow I can wake up and not think about work for three full days! I will back work only next Tuesday.
Today’s total: €1,051.
10.30 am: I wake up later than I was expecting and I already know I won’t feel up to doing too much today. My body takes time to recover from the night shift. I don’t feel hungry and just want to watch the news and drink a regular coffee with some biscuits.
1.30 pm: My brother prepares the lunch as he is off today. He made pasta and it was delicious.
2.30 pm: I have to wash some clothes and clean up the house. We have one schedule that every week, one person is down to clean the whole house.
4.30 pm: I go for a walk with my brother in a park close to our house. The weather is great, but 30 minutes later, it is already getting cold and windy, and we head back to the house. We are used to Irish weather, so complaints.
5.30 pm: Time for a coffee and something to eat. I have some toast and a cappuccino.
7.00 pm: My friends invite me to go for dinner in a Korean restaurant in the city centre. I get ready quickly because I live far from the city centre and the buses take more than an hour to arrive. (€3.15)
8.30 pm: I have my dinner with my friends and have some beers. We talk about our week and the future. We normally go to different restaurants together, but Korean is one our favourites. It is not expensive and very affordable. (€40)
11.30 pm: Time to go home. I don’t want to leave late, otherwise I will pay for a taxi that is quite expensive. I take the bus. (€3.15)
12.15 am: Arrive at home and take a shower and go to bed and rest.
Today’s total: €46.30
9.00 am: I wake up and go to make my breakfast. I am alone at home.
10.00 am: Today, I will make a special recipe (Lasagne alla Bolognese). I start to prepare all the ingredients early and will be done by 1pm. Meanwhile, I like to listen to music on my phone while I am doing something, especially cooking. I call my mother but it seems it’s still too early in my country.
1.00 pm: I start, finally, to prepare my lasagne. Put in the oven and wait for my brother and friend for the lunch.
2.00 pm: They arrive for lunch, and we eat together. We enjoy this time because we don’t always have this time to spend with each other.
3.30 pm: I clean the kitchen. Afterwards, I take a rest on sofa and think what I should do. To be honest, I just want to feel free and don’t put pressure on me. I want to stay at home and take a nap, and maybe go for a cycle later on.
6.00 pm: My brother and friend arrive from work. We order some Thai food and decide to watch a series. Today, we watch ‘Rick and Morty’ and ‘Emily in Paris’. We really like to watch them together as it funny and have short episodes. (€20)
11.30 pm: Time to go to bed after a shower. Take rest and have the amazing feeling that I still have two days off left. Thank God!
Today’s total: €20.00
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What I learned –
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