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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 systems operations analyst on €57K living in Wicklow. This week, a 27-year-old staff officer on €47K living in the southeast of the country.
I’m a 27-year-old living with my boyfriend and his family. We’re both originally from the southeast but had been living and working in Dublin for years. Just before Covid hit, we decided that living in Dublin wasn’t sustainable anymore, and we moved back home to save for a deposit for a house. Instead of living with my parents, we moved into his parents’ house. Even though it’s smaller and there are more people living there, it’s closer to the city and more convenient for work.
We thought that six months at home would be enough, but almost three years later, we’re still here. However, we’ve put a deposit on a €350,000 four-bed semi-detached house in a new development so there’s light at the end of the tunnel. It was supposed to be ready by Christmas, but it’s looking more like March/April now.
I work in the public service. I started as a clerical officer and got a promotion to staff officer in November 2021 – my current salary is €47,855. My boyfriend works in a milk factory and his salary (including shift allowance) is €53,215.
This definitely won’t go down well, but we don’t pay rent to his parents. We’ve tried many times, but they are adamant that they want us to save as much as possible, and this is their way of helping us. We cook our own dinner three or four times a week, and my mum makes a meal for the whole house at least once a week and drops it over. We usually get a takeaway at the weekend and are out of the house most of the time when we are not working so we’re not on top of everyone.
We both put away €200 a week into our separate savings accounts. I put away €20 a week into my Credit Union account, and my boyfriend puts away €50 a week. At the end of the month, we both put another €250 each into our mortgage saver account. Between the two of us, we currently have roughly €75,000 in savings. We’ve been together for 10 years and have always put money away but ever since living at home we have consistently saved every week. It goes without saying that we are extremely grateful to both of our parents for everything they are doing to help us purchase our first home together and that it wouldn’t be possible without them.
Occupation: Staff officer
Age: 27
Location: The southeast of the country
Salary: €47,855
Monthly pay (net): €2,717
My boyfriend pays for a family account on Spotify for us and his parents. We use my dad’s Netflix account, and my sister’s Plex account.
Phone bill: €36
Car insurance: €77.25
Petrol: €300
Subscriptions: My boyfriend pays for a family account on Spotify for us and his parents. We use my dad’s Netflix account and my sister’s Plex account.
Gym membership: €39
Credit Union account: €80
Savings account: €800
Mortgage saver: €250
Credit Union car draw: €4
Work draw: €8
Monthly bank account fees: €6
Groceries: €400
Takeaways: €100
Leftover: €616.75
***
5.15 am: My alarm goes off and it’s time to start my day. If I don’t go to the gym on a Monday morning, then I won’t have the motivation to go for the rest of the week. I hardly went in December so I’m trying to set a good pattern for the year. I sleepily get ready for the next half an hour by getting changed, packing my bag, putting on a wash and getting my lunch and dinner ready.
5.45 am: I leave to be at the gym for 6 am.
7.15 am: After an hour and 15 minute workout, I chat with the ladies in the changing room while getting ready for work. My gym is fairly close to my work so I’m not under pressure.
8.30 am: I get to work and make a coffee. I do intermittent fasting so won’t be eating until lunchtime. Today is always a busy day, so I spend the morning catching up on emails and meeting with my colleagues to talk about the week ahead. It looks like a busy one.
12.00 pm: Lunchtime. I catch up with the girls in the office and we chat about our weekend. We were all at a retirement party together on Friday night, so we fill each other in on all the gossip. I tuck into my lunch which consists of vanilla yoghurt, strawberries, an orange, and a coleslaw, rocket, and tomato salad.
1.00 pm: After lunch, I call my boyfriend for a quick chat before I have to go for a weekly 2 pm meeting.
3.00 pm: I reply to more emails and work on some bits for the rest of the afternoon.
Mondays are always a long day because I have to work until 8 pm to cover administration work.
5.30 pm: I cooked spinach and ricotta pasta parcels this morning while half asleep, so I tuck into those for a bit of a boost. While eating, I get a WhatsApp picture from one of the girls in the office. – it is of my car keys. When she was trying on my coat earlier, she accidentally took my car keys home with her. She has to drive back to the office to give them to me, and we have a laugh over it.
8.00 pm: I leave at 8 pm sharp and head for home. There is leftover chicken curry, so I tuck into a small bowl while talking to my boyfriend about his day. After tidying up, we head upstairs to watch the second episode of The Last of Us. My sisters have already watched it by now, and are frantically texting me to watch it so the three of us can talk about it. We watch it on the laptop in bed and I fall asleep for the last 10 minutes and have to replay it so I can text my sisters about it. I’m passed out before 10 pm.
Today’s total: €0.00
5.15 am: My alarm goes off but I’ve been awake for a while. I have to chair a meeting today for the first time, so the anxiety has already kicked in. I get myself organised and head for the gym. I desperately want 11:00 am to come so I can get this meeting over and done with.
7.15 am: After my workout, I shower, do my makeup, and get changed, and I get to work just after 8.30 am.
8.45 am: I make a coffee and reply to emails until a meeting with my manager at 9.30 am. Last week he asked me to be a part of an interview panel which happens tomorrow, so we go through the CVs and decide on our interview questions.
10.00 am: The meeting that I have to lead creeps up on me, and I’m thankful I didn’t have time to panic. It goes well, and my colleagues tell me I did a good job. They knew I was nervous, so I appreciated them telling me I didn’t mess up.
1.00 pm: I agreed to go on a lunchtime walk with two of the girls every Tuesday and Thursday, so I put on my runners and do a half an hour loop with them. I eat lunch that I made this morning at my desk when I come back (same thing as yesterday). I get a notification from RTÉ that Bank of Ireland mortgage rates are going up, so I read about that and make a mental note to talk to our broker about it during the week.
5.10 pm: I head home a bit later than usual today. My boyfriend’s parents made bangers and mash for dinner, so we eat with them. There are seven of us in the house at the moment so it just makes more sense for all of us to eat the same thing when we can. My boyfriend and I always look after the cleaning up.
7.00 pm: Our evenings aren’t very exciting as we generally spend them in our room. His parents relax in the sitting room in the evenings, so we usually watch an episode of something on the laptop in bed before falling asleep. It’s hard being confined to a bedroom in the evenings, but hopefully, it’s not for too much longer.
Today’s total: €0.00
5.30 am: Interview day. I’ve never interviewed anyone before, and I’m convinced I’m more nervous than the interviewees. I skip the gym this morning because A, I need a break day and B, I need time to get ready and decide what to wear. I stick on a wash, pack my lunch and head to work.
8.30 am: Interviews start at 10 am but we spend a good hour reading back over CVs, discussing grading criteria and setting up the room.
12.30 pm: We finish up after spending the morning conducting interviews.
1.00 pm: I have lunch at my desk again because I want to catch up on emails and my to-do list. Today’s lunch is turkey, broccoli, green beans, and rice. I check my personal email and see an email from my broker re: mortgage interest rates. They say that if we can draw down before the 21 February then we can still avail of our old rate. I text our builder to see if that’s possible but no reply.
4.30 pm: I get to leave work on time today, so I head straight for home. My boyfriend has been off the last few days as he does shift work, so he’s been looking after running to the shop for food and bits. He needed a new phone because his old one wasn’t charging and his screen was cracked so he went to Three and got a new phone on bill pay, a screen protector and a cover for €160. When I got home, he asked if we could swap phones instead because they’re the same brand just slightly different models but mine has a headphone jack. I happily accept and we spend the evening backing up our phones over chicken burgers and chips.
6.00 pm: I usually meet my mum for coffee or a catch-up during the week but she and my dad are in Spain until Friday night, so instead I text her to see how she’s getting on. She sends me some pictures of the last few days and we make plans for me to call over to them for Sunday lunch.
Today’s total: €0.00
5.15 am: I get up early and get ready for the gym as usual.
5.35 am: As soon as I get into the car, I realise that I messed up. As my new phone doesn’t have a headphone jack and I don’t have Bluetooth in my car, I can’t listen to Spotify through my aux cable. I reluctantly listen to the radio while making a mental note to stop at Halfords after work to get an FM transmitter.
8.30 am: I get to work. Today I don’t have to chair any meetings or participate in any interview panels, so I take it handy for the morning.
12.30 pm: I go for another lunchtime walk with the girls and have lunch at my desk again (same meal as yesterday). Although I know it’s great to get out for walks during the day, I realise that it’s my third day in a row having lunch at my desk so will have to make an appearance in the staff room next week.
4.30 pm: I leave work on time and stop by Halfords to pick up an FM transmitter for €21.60. I also get a screen protector and a new phone cover for my boyfriend’s phone, both coming to €25 from a local phone shop. As I’m leaving, I get an email from our kitchen supplier, so I decide to pop into them as they’re on the way home. I spend half an hour with them talking about measurements and exchanging inspo ideas for our next project: wardrobes.
6.00 pm: It’s a Kung Po beef stir-fry for dinner tonight so I wait until my boyfriend is home to eat. I shower and listen to an episode of a true-crime podcast (Casefile) while tidying up the bedroom and packing my gym bag yet again.
6.30 pm: We eat, clean up the kitchen and talk about our day before getting ready for bed.
Today’s total: €46.60
5.15 am: The alarm goes off but it’s not too bad knowing it’s the last one for a couple of days.
5.30 am: I get organised and head for the gym but on the way, I stop at Applegreen to get petrol. The total comes to €75.13 but I use my dad’s DCI card, so I won’t settle up with him until the end of the month when the invoice comes in. After the last gym session of the week, I head to work.
8.45 am: Friday is Budget Day. I transfer €200 from my current account to my savings account and do the same for my boyfriend. His Credit Union direct debit is every Friday, whereas my direct debit of €40 is every fortnight so I get away with it this week. My gym membership of €39 comes out today. I also pay €2 towards the weekly draw in work.
1.00 pm: We get a half-day on Fridays, so I head to town to have lunch with two women from work. I pay the daily rate for parking (€3.60) and meet them at a local café. I order a Croque Monsieur and an oat cappuccino. One of the women actually won the weekly draw so she sneakily paid for lunch before I even realised!
2.00 pm: Afterwards, we stroll around Dunnes Stores smelling candles and admiring bed linen before we each go our separate ways. I head straight for the car park because if I stay around town, I’ll surely do some damage.
4.00 pm: Arrive home and chill out for a little while.
6.00 pm: Free lunch today is justification for a take-away, so once my boyfriend is home from work, we order sushi, gyoza, and General Tso’s chicken (€45 incl. delivery and tip). We share a bottle of wine from last weekend’s shop and watch a documentary about Charles Manson on the laptop in the kitchen. We’re both fairly wrecked from the week, so we head to bed not long afterwards.
Today’s total: €289.60
9.00 am: No alarms this morning so we wake up at our leisure and decide to go for a walk on the beach. We reluctantly make coffees at home in our keep-cups so we’re not tempted to buy fancy cappuccinos while we’re out and about. My boyfriend is on the night shift tonight, so we go for a nice long stroll and some fresh air before he has to go back to bed.
12.00 am: While he’s getting a rest, I head out and meet a friend for lunch who I haven’t seen since November, so we have loads to catch up on. We get a selection of mezze dishes to share, and two hours fly by. My friend bought lunch last time we met up so this one’s on me (€37.85). She has to go to Lidl for a couple of items afterwards, so I join her and end up buying a lotto (€6). We say goodbye and I take the long route home to listen to the rest of my podcast from earlier in the week and to get some extra steps in.
4.00 pm: When I get home, I make a start on cooking spaghetti meatballs for dinner. My boyfriend will have to eat earlier than me as he’s leaving for work around 5.30 pm. I chat with his mum over a glass of wine and have my dinner around 7 pm as I’m still full from earlier. I head upstairs for the evening with a cup of tea. I have my eye on a box of Lindt chocolates left over from Christmas. I watch two episodes of Euphoria and I’m dead to the world. It’s a wild Saturday night.
Today’s total: €43.85
9.00 am: Another lie-in this morning which is greatly appreciated. My boyfriend got home around 7.30 am this morning from the night shift so when I get up, I try to be as quiet as possible. I grab my headphones and runners and head out the door to get a quick walk in before getting ready to go to my parents’ house.
10.00 am: I put on a wash when I get back, have a quick shower and make a coffee to go.
10.45 am: I drive out to their house and hear all about their 10-day holiday in Malaga over tea and sandwiches. Their friends have a villa out there, so they go out about three or four times a year. I fill them in on the developments with the house, and we plan to go up to the site during the week to see the progress.
1.00 pm: After about two hours, I get up to leave to go to the shop, but they insist on giving me a goody bag full of chicken, Granby burgers and other bits so I avoid the shop for another day or two.
2.30 pm: When I get home, the whole family is there so I spend about an hour playing with my boyfriend’s nephews before getting dinner ready. I also pop on some pasta parcels for his lunch at work later.
9.00 pm: I shower, dry my hair, and get my gym bag packed for the morning. I put away clothes that I washed earlier and do general tidy of the room before getting into bed and making a list of the things I need to do for the week ahead.
Today’s total: €0.00
***
What I learned –
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For once , Met Eireann didn’t exaggerate!
@Brian Hunt: ‘for once’. A pity you couldn’t too.
Looking at those blocks there seems to be no if very little cement on the edges
@Chris Lynch: Most likely if Ireland is to be hit with such winds on a regular basis that walls are built with reinforced concrete.
Poor wheelie bins. I hope they can rebuild!
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