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 clerical officer living in Meath and earning €26K. This week, a 30-year-old administrator on €44K living in Dublin.
I am a 30- year old administrator living in Dublin. I am renting an apartment with my wife. I work full-time and am currently completing my Masters. My wife is currently completing her PhD and working as a research assistant. We don’t halve each bill, we take different bills and have a family email account so we can both check on the balances for everything. We don’t have a joint account.
Our current goal is for my wife to complete her PhD and build her career. At some point we may need to look into me working part-time. I have an invisible disability that is manageable now but can progress with age – we don’t know how much longer I can work at the pace that I am (or at all), so I am trying to earn as much as possible before I have to stop. I don’t have a medical card (really need to apply again in the hope I’ll get it), but I do have free travel so I try to get the bus as much as possible.
I would love to buy a house (if only to stop haemorrhaging so much money on rent), but I don’t know if that will ever happen for us. Our savings have been obliterated. Between college fees, moving cities and inflation, there is basically nothing left and the rent is so expensive, it makes it hard to save.
In my limited free time, I like to game a little, go for walks, but mostly I need to rest.
Occupation: Administrator
Age: 30
Location: Dublin
Salary: €44,500
Monthly pay (net): €2,700
Rent: €1,500
Household bills: €150 (I cover rent, gas and electric, my wife covers phone, internet and car)
Loan (college fees): €305
Groceries: €150
Savings: €70 – €125
Medications: €40 – €50
Subscriptions: Spotify Family – €17.99, Disney+ – €8.99, Netflix – €7.99
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7.15 am: I get up, shower and get dressed for work. There are some big meetings on today, so I try to make some more of an effort. I run to the shop to get milk for the office (€0.64). The bus to work takes about 50 minutes, so I listen to a podcast and zone out on the way.
8.55 am: Arrive at the office, put the milk in the fridge, check and sort the postbox. We have flexible start times, which is a godsend on days where my fatigue is bad. I catch up on emails after the weekend and draw up a plan for a new initiative I’m working on.
10.30 am: I normally bring food to the office, but I forgot this morning. I pop downstairs to grab a chocolate bar to keep me going (€1.45) and get back to work.
1.00 pm: I work from home some afternoons, so I head to the bus and get home.
5.00 pm: It’s a friend’s birthday, so his husband arranges for my wife and I to call over and surprise him with a cake. I normally like to bake for birthdays if I have time, but it’s short notice, so I pop to Dunnes and grab a cake, some sweet treats and a card (€14.50). I make us dinner and do some washing up as we wait to head over.
7.30 pm: We head over and surprise the birthday boy. We stay for a glass of prosecco and catch up.
11.00 pm: Get home and try to relax a little. I didn’t mean to stay out so late, as my energy levels are worse than usual, so I head to bed once I can peel myself off of the couch.
Today’s total: €16.59
7.50 am: I’m really struggling to get up this morning, so my wife wakes me with a cup of tea and a croissant. I hop in the shower, but as I’ve slept in, I need to drive. My wife is heading into the office, so I drop her off and head to work. Thankfully during summer, parking near work is free.
11.00 am: Heading for tea with some other staff members. I’m conscious of how buying little treats can add up, but also want to be sociable, so I skip pastries and just buy a plain tea (€1.85).
1.00 pm: I’ve already eaten the fruit I bought for lunch, but I keep some emergency foods (cereal, microwave popcorn) in the office press for days when I need lunch but don’t want to spend any money. I have some microwave popcorn as I trawl through some of my favourite jobs websites. I like where I am, but I think it’s important to keep an eye out for new opportunities. My friends think I’m addicted to applying for new jobs, but with the cost-of-living skyrocketing, I don’t see what choice I have.
4.30 pm: I have some more emails to look at, but I’m exhausted so I decide to head home and finish the work day from the couch.
6.00 pm: My wife bought a big shop last weekend, so we have nearly everything we need. I’m trying to eat healthier and I find a great recipe online so I pop out to the shop and get a few things (€5.40) as we have everything else already. After dinner, I try to get some reading done for my thesis.
9.00 pm: I head to bed early, as I have a splitting headache.
Today’s total: €7.25
8.30 am: I wake up late, but thankfully I’m working from home this morning, so I make some tea and get to work.
11.00 am: I have a smear test (always get checked!) so I head down to the doctor’s surgery. Thankfully, it’s a short walk, and the nurse was really lovely. Afterwards, I decide to buy myself and my partner a few brunch treats (€9.50) as we are both slammed with work.
1.00 pm: I hop on the bus and head into the office for the afternoon.
5.00 pm: Work is over, thankfully. I try to relax on the bus home. I enjoy my work, but I find working with a chronic illness exhausting. When I get home, I go for a lie down to try to recover for an hour or so.
7.00 pm: We make dinner and relax at home for the evening.
Today’s total: €9.50
8.30 am: I get up, have a quick shower and get dressed for work. I’m only in the office for the morning, but as I’m running late again, I drive into work.
10.30 am: I make myself some tea in the kitchen and eat the Nutri Grain bar I brought from home. Most people are working from home this month, so there are only a few of us in the office. It’s eerie, and although I love the solitude, I think it will be more fun when people are back in the office come September.
1.00 pm: Time to head home! The car only takes a 20-minute drive, so I have time to make a sandwich and have some lunch before getting back to work. On the way, I also stop to get some petrol (€10).
5.00 pm: On a last minute whim as we rarely go, I decide to get us two tickets to the cinema to see Thor: Love and Thunder. We go to the Vue cinema in Liffey Valley- parking is free and tickets are cheap when you book online (€11.98).
8.30 pm: A bit disappointed with the movie, we decide to stop into McDonald’s on the way home (€8.40).
Today’s total: €30.38
7.30 am: Last day of the week and I couldn’t be happier. I get up and get showered, then grab the bus into the office.
10.30 am: There is lots to sort out in the next few weeks, but it’s Friday and I’m in a good mood, so I treat myself to a muffin (€3.50) at work and split it in half – half now, half for lunch.
1.00 pm: I meet up with a friend for coffee. We take it in turns, and today is her turn. We sit in the sunshine and catch up.
4.30 pm: Out the door like a shot and sprinting to the bus stop to get home. Roll on the weekend!
7.00 pm: After dinner at home, we decide to split a bottle of wine at home and relax in the back yard and catch up (€8.99). My wife and I try to have a night in, just the two of us, no phones, no TV, just catching up and talking about what’s going on with us every two weeks or so. We’re always either working or exhausted from work, so setting aside this time is a great way to reconnect.
11.00 pm: Time for bed – tomorrow is a long day.
Today’s total: €12.49
9.30 am: It’s my brother’s birthday this week also (why are they all so close together?), so I grab a card and a stamp (€4.25). I put €50 in the card and put it in the post as I wonder how to bend the laws of physics to get it to arrive in time.
11.30 am: We head to Mr Price to grab some cleaning supplies (€11.50). After a brief stroll around some of the shops, I manage to restrain myself and we head home.
3.00 pm: We’re heading to a friend’s this evening to celebrate another birthday, so I hop in the shower and we head over for the afternoon. The hosts very kindly order pizza for everyone so we relax and eat our way into the evening.
9.00 pm: We get a bus into town to grab a few drinks and end up in a lovely pub a little bit out of the city centre. I buy a round (€31.50) and we bop along to the music.
11.30 pm: Sprinting for a bus again, we manage to get a bus home so we can avoid the taxi fees. I don’t mind paying for a taxi, but they’re so hard to get after a night out these days.
Today’s total: €97.25
10.00 am: Today is a lazy day. Although last night was pretty tame, the heatwave at the moment is not my friend, so we stay in for breakfast and have a fry, with every window in the house open to try and encourage a breeze.
1.00 pm: We go for a stroll to our local café, where we have made friends with the staff. We grab some drinks and have some banter, before going for a short walk. (€7.60)
5.00 pm: I usually try to take a day at the weekend, (if not the whole weekend) to rest and not do too much so I’m able to go back to work. I alternate between dusting, doing laundry and lying down. My wife is getting some reading done for her PhD and I think about how I should be working on my Master’s thesis as I scroll through TikTok and pet the cat.
7.00 pm: My wife takes a break to make us some dinner, which we eat outside. I adore our apartment, and although calculating the percentage of income I spend on rent gives me panic attacks, I am truly grateful to have a backyard where we can enjoy being outside in the heat.
10.00 pm: After a long, hard day doing extremely little, I lay out my clothes for tomorrow and pack my bag for work before going to bed.
Today’s total: €7.60
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What I learned –
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