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 social care manager on €58K living in the east of the country. This week, a public relations manager on €62K living in Dublin.
I’m a 27-year-old PR manager for a digital marketing agency in Dublin City, but I am originally from Connacht. I’ve been living in Dublin for five years having moved up for work straight after college.
I share a house with four of my friends. I’ve always been fairly poor with managing my money, but have made a concerted effort this year to be better. My savings situation has improved since I paid off my student loan (I paid this off two years early).
I’m a fairly normal 27-year-old: I enjoy sports, particularly Formula One and horse racing. I go out at least three nights a week, and haven’t missed a Thursday on the beer in God knows how long! I also enjoy the odd flutter, and I try and go to Mass every Saturday evening – I find it gives me great peace of mind.
I started going to the gym again this summer after a three-year hiatus – my initial spurt was for a holiday, and I was going six days a week to try and get in shape for that, but since I’ve come back, I try and go three or four times. I find it really breaks up the week when you just get yourself up and go.
Occupation: Public relations manager
Age: 27
Location: Dublin
Salary: €62,000
Monthly pay (net): €3,200 (I have an ongoing Revenue issue from a couple of years back that is deducted from my tax credits – it will be resolved at the end of this year)
Transport: €100 (car tax, insurance, and diesel, though the car rarely leaves the driveway bar to go grocery shopping)
Rent: €620 (For this I have a large double room. It’s a lot of money, but for Dublin, I think I’m doing ok)
Household bills: €60 (everything split five ways)
Phone bill: €60
Health insurance: Employer pays
Groceries: About €150 a month
Subscriptions: Netflix – €15 (I pay for my family); Amazon Music (Garth Brooks isn’t on Spotify!) – €9.99; Amazon Prime – €9.99; NOW TV – €5 (on a reduced rate for a few months); Gym – €30; Horse Racing Tipping Service – €80; iCloud 50GB – €0.99; New York Times – €2; The Daily Wire – €8; MyOmnipass – €14.99
Cleaner: €20 (we get a cleaner in for our house twice a month at €50 a time as it saves arguments between the five of us, none of whom are keen to clean. We’re all on decent salaries, so happy to give someone else the work)
Savings: €650 (this varies, but I try to be disciplined)
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8.00 am: I get up, shower, then bring my sister to school before returning to my parents’ house to work from there for the day. I live in Dublin, but my parents are on a two-week break, returning later tonight, and while they’re away, I always come home to house-sit, dog-sit, and make sure my two siblings who still live at home can get where they need to be. It’s nice that my job gives me the flexibility to work from wherever, and I can give my parents peace of mind to enjoy their holiday without worrying about things at home.
8.40 am: I begin work. My “official” hours are 9 am – 5.30 pm, but I usually log on early to get a head start on the day. I don’t eat breakfast (I fast intermittently – more on that later), and crack on with my day.
12.50 pm: I break for an hour’s lunch. Lunch for me most days is a fry-up – two sausages, three rashers. I follow the carnivore diet, so consume nothing but meat, water, and raw milk in the general run of things. I’m not super strict on this (if I’m out for dinner, I’ll order off the menu), but I try to cut out carbs entirely during the week. I’ve lost about five stone doing this, and feel great. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this diet to people, as it’s very dull sometimes, and quite hard work, but the results for me personally are clear to see, so I plan to keep it up as best I can.
1.50 pm: I return to work. I have a few bits that need to be done in the short and medium-term, so crack on with those.
5.00 pm: My sister has football after school, so I don’t have to pick her up until now. I Slack (office messaging app) the boss to let him know I’ll be gone for 15 minutes. Again, I’m quite grateful to work for a company that offers flexibility to its employees. I never feel micromanaged, and am generally trusted to just crack on.
6.00 pm: I return home with my sister, and then finish off work just before 6 pm. I make sure she’s all set for food, then flick through a book on St. Thomas Aquinas for an hour. What an interesting man!
7.30 pm: My sister has fed herself, so I cook myself a big, fat rib-eye steak, nice and rare, heavily seasoned. Tastes yummy!
8.00 pm: My parents are landing tonight at midnight, so I kill some time playing PlayStation until about 10.15 pm, then jump in their car and head for the airport to pick them up. I pay the toll, but my dad left money in the car for this, so it doesn’t cost me anything. I wouldn’t have any issue paying it myself of course, and I’m glad to be able to do little things like this for them now.
1.30 am: I get home from the airport with parents in tow, and after a quick debrief (apparently the Azores are lovely this time of year!), I head to bed.
Today’s total: €0.00
8.45 am: I rise, grab a quick shower and then hit the desk a couple of minutes after 9 am. I’m fairly bunched having not gotten to sleep until after 2 am, but power on. No meetings this morning thankfully. I down a pint glass of raw milk to start my day off.
9.15 am: Receive a text from my horse-racing tipping service. I stick €100 on the horse at 5/2.
1.00 pm: I break for lunch – same as yesterday! My morning hasn’t been too hectic thankfully, but I have some exciting projects in the pipeline that I’m working away on.
2.30 pm: I break from work to watch our horse run. It’s been backed into 5/4 from 5/2, but gets beaten by a half-length. I’m not too disheartened, this is the way it goes. They can’t all win.
5.45 pm: I wrap up my work for the day, then jump on the PlayStation for an hour or so. I don’t have a PlayStation in my own house in Dublin as I don’t want the distraction, and I very rarely pick up a remote these days, but I do enjoy the opportunity to kill a bit of time on the one we have when I’m back home.
7.15 pm: Dinner time! I’ve already left the second rib-eye out of the pack (it’s two for about €12 in Lidl) at room temperature, wrapped in kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. I season it, and again cook it to medium-rare, leaving it five minutes to settle after cooking before tucking in. Once again, it tastes divine. I really don’t understand people who don’t prep their steak properly. It’s not hard to do and makes the world of difference to what can otherwise be a very dull meal.
8.00 pm: My father sticks his head in the door and throws two cartons of Marlboro Gold at me that he picked up for me on holidays. They’re greatly received! I know smoking is bad for you, but I don’t really care. We all have vices. I typically only go through about a box and a half a week anyway. I really don’t get why Irish people who smoke continue to pay over the odds for cigarettes here. I’ve travelled quite a bit with work this year, and have enough cigarettes in my bedroom to open my own “Palacio de fumador” from the garden shed at this point, at a fraction of the cost of what it would’ve cost me here.
8.15 pm: Finish my book on St. Thomas Aquinas, then power up NOW TV to watch a couple of episodes of a new sci-fi series I’ve gotten really into called “From”. It’s made by the same guys who made Lost (the greatest TV show ever made) and has a couple of the cast too.
12.00 am: All of a sudden it’s midnight! I play around on YouTube for a bit, then scroll my phone, eventually falling asleep sometime around 1 am. I’ve always been a night owl – in my ideal world, my day wouldn’t start until 10-11 am, and I’d happily work until 7-8 pm. Unfortunately, the rest of the world doesn’t see it that way, so conform I must!
Today’s total: €100.00
8.00 am: Night turns into day, and I’m up out of bed and into the shower. Another pint of raw milk, and I’m at the desk ready to rock for 8.35 am.
12.00 pm: I don’t plan on taking lunch until 1 pm, but take a quick break to heat the oven up. Today’s lunch is half a kilo of chicken wings, with salt, pepper, and some carb-free ultra-hot sauce. I make sure to heavily season the wings, then fire them in the oven for 25 minutes at 180, before turning them, re-seasoning, and doing another 25 minutes. I like my wings well done.
12.50 pm: Grab my lunch, and grab the wings out of the oven. They taste amazing, and are guilt-free as no dirty carbs along with them! While eating, I have a read through the recently announced budget. While I’m going to benefit by about €1,500 a year, I’m not convinced it was the most prudential approach from the government. It won’t be a popular statement, but completely free GP care to almost half a million people is the exact reason the HSE is such a mess, and there’s such a backlog. Even a nominal fee of €5 or €10 per visit would discourage vexatious visits for very minor discomforts. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to a GP in my life (I realise I’m fortunate, and some people have no choice but to be unhealthy). Our health service has a bigger budget than NASA at this stage, and we don’t seem to get much in return for it.
1.45 pm: Get back to the desk to see out the afternoon. Two meetings and a hefty piece that needs to be done for the morning await me.
6.00 pm: Everything finished, I wrap up for the day. I plan to return to Dublin this evening, so start packing the small bag I brought down home with me last week. I put the other half-kilo of wings into the oven at 6.15 pm to cook while I pack.
7.00 pm: Remove the wings from the oven now my bags are packed, sit down and tuck in. This meal will see me through the drive back and until lunch tomorrow. I know it might seem crazy to people to just consume two meals in a relatively short window, but after a while, you get very used to it, and it’s fine. I have a pint of raw milk with my dinner, both to keep the calories up, and take the sting out of the sauce, which is HOT!
8.00 pm: I bid my family farewell, chuck my bag in the car, and turn the key. I notice I’m short on diesel, so pull into a nearby filling station and fill the car, which costs me €80. I haven’t really noticed the increase in fuel prices too much, as I do so little driving these days. That’s also the excuse I’m going to use for only noticing that I’ve been driving without any tax for the last month when I spot the disc as I get back into my car. Oops. I rectify that situation immediately when I get back into the car, and pay for a year online (€240 including arrears).
10.15 pm: Arrive back at my house in Dublin. All but one housemate has retired to bed, so I shoot the breeze with him for a bit, before hitting the hay myself.
12.45 am: I flick off the laptop, having finished “From” (10/10 recommend), and roll over to sleep.
Today’s total: €320.00
8.00 am: The usual – rise, shower, brush teeth. Haven’t done my shop yet, so a pint of water replaces the pint of raw milk.
8.40 am: Crack on with work. I’ve a very busy morning ahead and barely lift the head.
12.00 pm: I realise I’ve no food in the fridge, so head down to do my big shop for the week. Because my diet is so restricted, usually one shop in the week does the trick for me. I still get a few funny looks when I fire €35-€40 worth of meat onto the conveyor belt every week, particularly when BBQ season is over, but I don’t pass much heed. This week’s shop comes to €38 in total.
12.40 pm: I return home, then flick my Slack status to “on lunch”. I did my shop on company time but given I’ve worked over my hours this week, it’s no biggie. I don’t have anyone checking in on me every five minutes, and I put in the hours when needed, so taking 40 minutes to do a food shop seems fine by me. I pack my food away into the fridge and freezer, then set about making lunch – three turkey burgers with my favourite hot sauce.
1.00 pm: I browse a few clothes websites to while away the rest of my lunch break. One of my huge weaknesses is buying far too many clothes, way more than I need. I build up a bag of about €500 on Ralph Lauren but manage not to go as far as checkout. Willpower needed.
1.30 pm: I get back to my laptop, and try to expunge the image of a €130 cable knit sweater from my mind so I can get back to work!
5.45 pm: I wrap up work for the evening, and pour myself a glass of wine – I’ll be going on the rip later and want to get warmed up! Alcohol is the only way I break my fairly strict diet – no carbs go out the window when it comes to drinking 9-10 rum and cokes!
7.00 pm: I go through the usual process of seasoning my steak, then tuck in, wolfing it down as quick as I can. I clean up, first the plates, then myself, and throw on a nice shirt and jeans, before making my way to the Luas.
7.15 pm: I don’t bother with a return ticket (no point kidding ourselves, there’s zero chance I’m going to be going home in time for the last Luas), and pay the €1.80 fare to my destination where I meet a few mates. It’s going to be a heavy one.
2.40 am(ish): I stumble in the door, €127 lighter after a great night. 9 am seems a long way away.
Today’s total: €166.80
8.35 am: Up and at ‘em! I’m one of those people who doesn’t seem to ever get a hangover, so while I’m fairly tired this morning (the few hours you get after drinking really are restless), I don’t feel unwell. I get a pint and a half of ice-cold raw milk into me, then jump in the shower.
9.00 am: I’m at the desk, ready to rock for 9 am. Friday is a grand day. I usually finish up around 3 pm. I would normally go into the office twice a week, but given I was down at home for part of this week, it didn’t happen this week.
12.30 pm: Feeling peckish, so take an earlier lunch than normal. A nice fry-up is on the cards today, greatly received after last night! I chat away with two of my housemates who are also making lunch at the same time.
3.15 pm: Wind down for the day. It’s a long weekend for me, as I have a massive day out with the lads planned for all day Sunday when there’s a verifiable feast of sport on. I booked Monday off weeks in advance for this. On that note, I’m likely to take it easy for the rest of the weekend.
4.00 pm: Get myself down to the gym. I usually go a few times a week, but again, being down home this week and then going out Thursday, means I haven’t been in. I pump some iron for about an hour and leave feeling good.
5.30 pm: Land home, and jump in the shower, firing my gym gear in the wash. It is amazing how much better you feel after exercise. I hate the idea of going to the gym, and I’m not sure that will ever change, but I’ve gone enough that I now know I’ll appreciate it afterwards.
7.00 pm: Make dinner of – you guessed it – steak! As I sit down to eat, I get a text from a friend that simply says “Dubai in December (shifty eyes emoji)?”. I shake my head and get back to my steak.
8.00 pm: Laying on my bed reading, and the phone rings. The same friend as earlier, asking if I had any interest in a trip to Dubai in December. Flights are expensive he says, but I’ll have free accommodation. I whip out the laptop for a gander and see flights are €1,100 return. I hum and haw for a few minutes, but ultimately end up booking them before I hang up the phone. Not how I expected my Friday evening to turn out!
1.15 am: Turn out the light and get some sleep. Very glad it’s the weekend.
Today’s total: €1,100.00
10.00 am: To be fair, I told ye I love a lie-in! I wake and spend a few minutes scrolling, then get up and dressed.
10.45 am: I down a pint of raw milk, then get myself down to the gym. Going on the weekend honestly feels like going twice, the endorphins are great.
12.00 pm: I leave the gym after a great workout. Feel the burn baby!
12.10 pm: Park the car in the driveway, then head in and shower before making lunch (another fry). A friend texts to see if I fancy a coffee in town. It’s a bit of a trek, but I haven’t seen the friend in a while, so agree. I don’t actually drink coffee (I’ve never had a cup of coffee, or a pint of beer – figure that one out), but will always go to the café. We agree to go to Pret on Dawson Street, one of my favourite places in Dublin.
1.30 pm: Meet my friend. They have a coffee of some description (it all sounds the same to me), while I just grab a water. I pick up the bill, which comes to €5.10. I’ve heard a lot of people giving out about cafe prices, but I have to say I’ve had a very pleasant experience when I’ve been in. The staff are great here and the location is spotless. Can’t please everyone I guess!
3.30 pm: I arrive home, and have a long evening stretching out ahead of me. I’m not going out tonight as I have a big day tomorrow, so settle in with a good book (a biography of Richard Nixon) with the TV on in the background. Bliss.
7.00 pm: The day slips away effortlessly, as is so often the case when one is engrossed in literature. I think the ability to enjoy reading is a blessing – I’ve rarely left a book out of my hand since I was a toddler. I’m getting hungry though, so crack on with dinner – another three turkey burgers with, you guessed it, hot sauce!
7.20 pm: I browse the web while eating, and find myself back clothes shopping. My willpower is on the floor, and I find myself absentmindedly typing in my card number (know it off by heart and backwards – dangerous) and picking up that cable-knit sweater I was looking at the other night. I congratulate myself on leaving the rest of the checkout bag behind and only spending €130. Oops.
7.45 pm: I grab a quick smoke after my dinner, wash up and then head out the door to go to Mass at 8 pm. I try and go most weekends. I don’t know where my beliefs are really, but I find going helpful mentally, and I don’t think it’s bad, or even silly to go. You see how much it means to individual people within the church who also go every week. It brings meaning to their lives.
8.40 pm: The sermon finishes and I jump in the car for home. I park up and go back to my book when I get inside.
11.30 pm: I stretch, then flick off the light in the sitting room and head for bed. I watch some stuff on YouTube (a couple of comedians’ podcasts that I really like), and fall asleep sometime around 1.30 am.
Today’s total: €135.10
10.00 am: Up and at ‘em! I’m meant to be meeting my mates in the pub for about 12 pm, so peel myself out of the cot and grab a quick shower
11.00 am: I stick on a fry – it’s highly likely that I’ll order food in a venue later on, but I want to eat something before leaving the house. Breaking my diet for days like this doesn’t stress me at all, and I’d love to try and help other people who are struggling with their weight or habits. Once you keep track of things in the main, you can afford cheat days or even the odd cheat week! No need to stress about it.
12.15 pm: I leave the house to meet the lads down the pub. The cab sets me back €14.60.
12.30 pm: Most of the lads are here already, with only three left to join. There are a few sore heads from last night (some people never learn!) but the mood quickly picks up. Apologies in advance for this being the least detailed day of this money diary!
2.00 am: Revolut tells me I spent €135 across a variety of venues, which sounds about right to me. Very glad I’m off work tomorrow! I’m not long in falling asleep when my head hits the pillow.
Today’s total: €149.60
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What I learned –
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