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 an administration assistant on €31K living in Co Clare. This week, a trainee solicitor on €37K living in Cork.
I am a 26-year-old trainee solicitor living in Cork. I am renting an apartment with my boyfriend in the city centre. I know I am very fortunate that my boyfriend’s dad owns our apartment. Our rent is minimal compared to what other people are paying.
My boyfriend is currently completing his pupilage, and has only a few months left before he becomes a barrister. Therefore, we halve our bills. I have been working in law since my teens as a legal assistant and subsequently built up a lot of savings. My salary is due to increase rapidly due to qualifying as a solicitor in February 2023.
Our long-term plan is to buy a house in the midlands and commute into Dublin as I hope to move away from general practice into commercial law. I currently have €25,000 tied up in prize bonds and an additional €10,000 in stocks.
In my free time, I like to run, cycle and go to the gym. I go to the gym about four times a week. My membership is pretty cheap but I would like to go somewhere else as I find it is always busy, even at off peak times!
Occupation: Trainee solicitor
Age: 26
Location: Cork
Salary: €37,000
Monthly pay (net): €2,800*
*I give some online law grinds at the weekend which boosts my income.
Leap card: €30
Rent: €200 (My half)
Household bills: Electricity – €75, WiFi – €30
Phone bill: €20
Health insurance: My employer pays
Groceries: €300
Savings: €350- 450
Private pension: €60
Subscriptions: Apple Music – €10, Netflix – €8.99
Clothes/shoes/handbags: €3,000- 4,000
Holidays: €2,000
Gym membership: €330
***
5.30 am: I get up and head to the gym. I find it much easier to go early in the morning when it’s not too busy. I do twenty minutes of cardio, some light weights and twenty minutes in the pool.
6.35 am: I call my dad as I walk home. He is a solicitor in Dublin so it’s a busy time of year for him and early mornings seem to be the only time we can chat!
7.00 am: My boyfriend makes us breakfast. I get ready and walk to work. On my way I pick up a coffee (€3.50).
8.30 am: Arrive at the office and begin to plan for the day. I’m not supposed to start until 9.30am but I like to plan my day before my numerous meetings. I go through my emails and see there’s an emergency meeting with a client at 10am.
2.30 pm: It’s finally lunch! I don’t know where the day has gone. I pop into a local cafe and decide to get a chicken salad, a coffee and a ginger shot. (€13.50)
3.30 pm: Back to work for the afternoon reviewing title documents for a house sale.
5.50 pm: The day passes in a blur. I wasn’t as productive as I would have liked. I take the bus to my mum’s house for dinner. We watch an episode of the new series ‘Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey’. It’s definitely eye opening and not something you’d believe would be still happening.
9.30 pm: My mum drops me home. I do my usual nighttime skincare routine (serum, eye cream, moisturiser and eyelash serum). I’ve been using The Ordinary retinol serum for the last few weeks and I must say I can see the difference.
Today’s total: €17.00
6.45 am: Exactly the same as yesterday – I go to the gym, come home, have my breakfast and get ready for work. Today it’s raining, windy and cold. Of course, the weather doesn’t surprise me anymore. At least my work is very close to my home.
8.45 am: Arrive at work. I’m running a little behind schedule as I am in court at 11am and wanted to catch up on some emails before I left.
10.15 am: Walk to court. Pick up a coffee from my favourite coffee shop on the way (€4.00) and scroll through Zara. I see a few things that I like so I decide to pass down there sometime this week.
12.40 pm: Not the result we wanted, but sometimes it can be like that. I decide to pick up lunch on my way back to the office. I get a goat’s cheese baguette and a smoothie (€15.30).
3.30 pm: It has been such a busy day I haven’t even got a chance to look at my messages. My phone rings and it’s my friend. She has reserved two spots in a spinning class for tonight. I Revolut her the money. (€10)
5.15 pm: Head home, get changed and head straight back out the door for the spinning class.
7.30 pm: The spinning class is finally over! It wasn’t that enjoyable but at least it’s only once a week! On my way home I pick up some pre chopped vegetables for our dinner (€ 4.50).
8.00 pm: I arrive home. Fortunately my boyfriend has already made carbonara for us. We watch two episodes of Elite on Netflix. I don’t know why we turned it on. I don’t think we’re the right age demographic for it, but at least my Leaving Cert Spanish is coming to some use!
10.30 pm: Bedtime!
Today’s total: €33.80
6.30 am: Up, ready and off to the gym. I swear my life is more interesting than this, but it’s just a really busy time of year for solicitors!
8.00 am: Head straight to work and eat my overnight oats and terrible office coffee. I call my dad before anyone else arrives at the office and we catch up.
1.00 pm: Finally time for lunch! I heat up some of the leftover carbonara from last night. It tastes better today than yesterday.
5.30 pm: Head home. My boyfriend has training tonight, so I decide to clean the apartment and catch up on a true crime podcast that I listen to religiously every Wednesday when it comes out.
8.00 pm: My boyfriend’s finally home and we have the stir fry that we planned to have last night.
10.00 pm: We decide to head to bed early because we’re both off tomorrow and have a cycling trip.
Today’s total: €0.00
8.00 am: We had a nice sleep-in this morning. We have some porridge and decide to get our bikes ready.
10.00 am: We stop for a coffee on the way. It’s my treat because my boyfriend drove all the way down. (€8.00)
3.00 pm: We do the Glengarriff-Kenmare Loop from Bantry, which is 60 miles and takes around four hours. We stop for KC’s on the way back, which my boyfriend kindly pays for. Are you even from Cork if you don’t like KC’s?
7.45 pm: After our day of cycling, we stay in for the rest of the evening and watch the Spain v Portugal match. It ends in a 1-1 draw which makes my boyfriend very happy because he’s half French!
Today’s total: €8.00
6.40 am: Head to the gym and do a forty minute barbell class which is included in my membership.
7.30 am: Head home, get dressed and have breakfast.
9.00 am: Arrive at work. Today will mainly be taken up by a conveyancing issue which arose on Wednesday night.
1.00 pm: I finish early and decide to treat myself to a new foundation I was eyeing up for a while in Brown Thomas. (€50.00)
3.00 pm: Meet my mum in town. We decide to go for some Mexican food and I pay. (€70.00)
7.00 pm: My boyfriend’s sister’s baby was two last week. We decide to drop her presents around and they ask us to mind her tomorrow. How can we say no!?
10.00 pm: Head home, have a shower and off to bed.
Today’s total: €120.00
10.00 pm: We have a nice lie-in but decide to get up and get some treats in Smyths for my boyfriend’s niece. It’s so hard to buy for kids when you don’t have any yourself! My boyfriend buys her the Zany Zoo Wooden Activity Cube Assortment, which will hopefully keep her busy for a while!
1.00 pm: My boyfriend’s niece arrives! As soon as she’s asleep, we decide to look online for flights to Norway in late July. We’ve been together for 11 years in August, so sometimes it’s nice to go somewhere together.
3.00 pm: We watch Birdbox on Netflix. I’m normally not into science fiction movies but I’ll watch anything that Sandra Bullock’s in.
7.00 pm: My boyfriend’s niece is collected and we decide to get a takeaway, which he pays for.
8.00 pm: Struggle through some more of Elite. We’re nearly through the first season. It’s really addictive.
Today’s total: €0.00
11.00 am: head out for breakfast with my friends in town. I have an acai bowl and a coffee (€15.50).
1.00 pm: We have a look around town but I don’t pick anything up. I head home and get the bus to my mum’s.
2.00 pm: We head to Mahon Point Shopping Centre. It’s not my favourite place in the world as everytime I go there, I spend way more money than I want to. I buy two pairs of denim shorts, a blazer and a top (€130).
6.00 pm: My mum drops me home and I go grocery shopping with my boyfriend. I haven’t included this as an expense as it comes out of a separate joint account we have together.
8.00 pm: Head home, relax and have some beef stroganoff which my boyfriend prepared earlier.
10.30 pm: Head to bed.
Today’s total: €145.50
***
What I learned –
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