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 27-year-old graphic designer on €45K living in Dublin. This week, an electrical engineer on €115K living in the northeast of the country.
I am a married man in my early 40s with four kids (three now living at home full-time) living in the northeast of the country. I work in the food manufacturing sector for quite a large company that has plants across Ireland and Europe.
My job involves travelling to these plants, although since Covid hit, the travelling is a lot less. When I do travel, my day-to-day expenses are covered. My working week can vary a lot and since Covid, I get to work from home more often.
We own our own house and have a relatively small mortgage due to both of us working hard from an early age and saving extensively in our younger years. This allowed us to build our own house two years ago. We both put ourselves through third-level education later in life while working full-time. Thankfully, this has paid off for us both.
In my spare time, I restore vintage vehicles whenever I have any time! For exercise I enjoy walking but to be honest, it’s not enough. At 42 years old, I can’t get away with the odd walk…
Occupation: Electrical engineer
Age: 42
Location: The northeast
Salary: €115,000 including a €5,000 bonus
Monthly pay (net): €5,686 after pensions deduction plus expenses that have been accrued during the previous month
Transport: €40 tax and insurance, €200 diesel but this is covered by work mileage expenses
Rent: €352 for mortgage
Household bills: Bins – €30, broadband – €70, electric – €140 (have solar panels), heating oil – €60 average 12 months
Phone bill: €60 – I have a company phone, but I pay for wife and kids’ package
Health insurance: Covered by employer (but very basic)
Groceries: Approx €300, but my wife would buy more
Savings: €150 Revolut vault, €200 credit union
Subscriptions: Netflix – €15
Personal loan: €336
Life assurance: €38
School lunches: €60 (subsided)
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6.30 am: Get up. I’m working from home today, so just wake the kids for school and make breakfast.
7.30 am: Head to the (home) office and start to answer a few emails that I watched come in over the weekend, make a few calls and get ready for some Teams meetings later in the day.
8.30 am: Go down to see the kids and wife off, have another coffee and take a work phone call for about an hour. I usually put the dishwasher and washing machine on after the kids leave as the solar panels mean it’s usually free to run.
10.00 am: Back in the office for various meetings and calls.
1.00 pm: I pop downstairs and have some lunch before heading into town to run some errands. I go to the bank and stop at the hardware to get an outside tap and a few things for the lawn.
2.30 pm: Back in the office and start working on some project work that is due before the end of the month. I have another few Teams calls and deal with some issues that occurred on a site.
4.30 pm: Kids and wife are home, so I head downstairs to say hello and chat with a coffee for half an hour.
5.00 pm: Back into the office to prep for tomorrow and finish off some presentations for later in the week.
6.00 pm: Finish work and wife has dinner ready (I know I am spoilt).
7.00 pm: Go over to visit my mother just down the road and do some work outside. Notice that the evenings are getting shorter – it’s almost dark at 7.30 pm.
8.30 pm: Back home and get my clothes ready for tomorrow and make coffee. Sit down then and put Netflix on. Start watching Jeffrey Dahmer (it’s a hard watch) and relax for the evening.
10.30 pm: Time for bed.
Today’s total: €0.00
6.00 am: Up out of bed and jump into the shower quickly. I am out on site in the midlands today so have a drive ahead of me. Grab some breakfast and fill my travel mug and take a yoghurt with me. Leave the house around 6.45 am.
8.30 am: Arrive at the site and get stuck in. I have a big day ahead and plan to get everything done so I don’t have to be back on this site for a few weeks.
2.30 pm: Head out for some lunch (I know it’s late) and all I had was my yoghurt and some tea. Have a wrap and drink at a service station. (€7.50 - claimed back expenses each month).
3.00 pm: Back at the site and carry out the remaining tasks for the day.
5.30 pm: Leave the site and hit the road. Because I was tied up all day, I have multiple calls to make as I head up the road (it makes the journey shorter). I stop off at a Lidl along the way and pick up some groceries. (€25.50)
8.00 pm: Arrive home and heat my dinner (I have the greatest wife) and up catch up with family. I check another few emails before getting my clothes ready and prepping for tomorrow.
9.00 pm: Watch some more Dahmer on Netflix (really is compulsive viewing).
10.30 pm: Time for bed.
Today’s total: €33.00
6.00 am: Get up and take a quick shower. Another day onsite ahead – this time in south Dublin. Same as yesterday, I get breakfast (porridge) and hit the road with my travel mug – I stopped buying coffee in service stations some time ago.
8.15 am: Arrive on site and meet the team, go through all progress since my last visit, have some meetings and discuss future plans and timelines.
10.30 am: Get a sausage and bacon sandwich in the staff canteen (free for staff).
11.00 am: I grab a hot desk and have some Teams calls and deal with some project work from other sites.
1.00 pm: Myself and site manager have lunch together in the canteen and use this as an opportunity to catch up on some site progress.
2.00 pm: I take a couple of calls regarding an issue in one of the European sites and try to deal with the drama (I love it really).
4.30 pm: Leave the site and head for home. Take a few calls on the way down the road, I mainly do this because it gets me ahead in the following days’ work.
6.00 pm: Stop for diesel (€80). Travel expenses will cover this. I also buy some crisps (my weakness) and a drink (€3.40). Once back in my local town, I go to Lidl and pick up some food. (€27)
7.00 pm: After dinner, I get out for a short walk with the dog. Don’t go too far, just away for about an hour.
8.30 pm: Do a few jobs around the house and get ready for tomorrow.
9.30 pm: We all just relax and watch some TV for the rest of the evening.
11.00 pm: Bed for the night.
Today’s total: €110.40
6.30 am: Up, quick shower followed by breakfast and head off. I am at a local site today so only 15 minutes from the house.
7.30 am: I get to the desk and start the day. I have Teams meetings and also some face-to-face today so I get ready for these.
10.00 am: Head to the canteen for some poached eggs and bacon (again, free for staff).
10.30 am: Have meetings with suppliers and contractors for the remaining day.
1.00 pm: Head out for lunch with a work colleague and a contractor, cover some issues over lunch.
2.30 pm: Arrive back home and have some more calls and meetings. I also do some more work on a project due at the end of the month.
5.30 pm: Finish up for the day, head outside and do a few DIY jobs and garden work. I head into town then and buy a new tube for my son’s bike (€8.50). We also stop at a shop and get a drink and some snacks. (€11)
8.00 pm: Finally get back into the house and do some small jobs and chill out for the evening.
11.00 pm: Bedtime after some more Netflix.
Today’s total: €19.50
7.00 am: Get up and ready, have breakfast while I chat to my wife and kids, let the dog out and get a quick shower.
8.00 am: Sit down in the office and get started. My Fridays are pretty full-on with team meetings and calls. They are back-to-back for most of the day.
11.00 am: Have tea and toast with a yoghurt. Put the dishwasher and washing machine on.
11.30 am: Back at it in the office. More calls and meetings with a few unexpected issues along the way.
1.30 pm: Have a toastie and salad for lunch. Watch some Sky News and come to the conclusion that the world’s gone mad.
2.00 pm: More calls and meetings. I do some research online in-between meetings for another project that I am working on for another site.
4.30 pm: Go downstairs when I hear the kids home. Have a chat and a coffee with my wife.
5.30 pm: Last meeting over and finish up for the day/week. Head outside and do more little jobs around the house. It’s a new house and still loads to do outside, so I never miss an opportunity. Today’s task was burying some water pipes in the lawn.
7.00 pm: Order a takeaway and go into town to collect it. I stop at the shop and get a few goodies. (€45)
8.00 pm: Watch a movie with the family and relax. I also look at some work emails that came in at the end of the day, just reading and the odd reply (timed to deliver Monday morning) but nothing major.
11.00 pm: Head to bed.
Today’s total: €45.00
9.00 am: Out of bed after a lie-on of sorts. Put the TV on and let the dog out while eating breakfast. Put some stew in the slow cooker.
11.00 am: It’s a great day so decide to get more work done on the lawn and landscaping after breakfast. One of the kids is out with me, we both enjoy it. Head into town and buy lawn seed and some more water fittings and other bits and pieces. Total comes to €145. All that stuff has got very dear. I blame Putin.
4.00 pm: I’ve had enough of the garden and call over to a friend’s house who is in the process of building/renovating an older house. I give him a hand for a while and catch up with some other mates that are also there.
6.00 pm: Some family call over and we have coffee and a chat.
7.00 pm: Spend some time in the garage tidying and painting. We are trying to set it up a home gym. My wife is a regular at the gym but I am less disciplined and would like to have the option to go out and use the equipment if it’s there.
9.00 pm: After dinner, we settle in to watch some TV and relax with a glass of wine.
11.30 pm: Time for bed.
Today’s total: €145.00
9.00 am: Wake up and lounge around while making some breakfast and watching some news on the TV.
11.00 am: We both go to Lidl to do the weekly shop. Pick up enough to do most of the week (€130). I will be in the UK for three days next week so we buy accordingly.
1.00 pm: We decide to go out for lunch to a local restaurant (€120) and then onto the retail park to get one of the kids new runners along with some other clothes for them. We also grab some Costa coffee and drinks for the kids. (€280)
5.00 pm: Head out for a walk with the kids and dog. We stop off at my mother’s for an hour.
8.00 pm: Everyone was hungry so toasties and tea it is. After that, it’s the usual uniform and Monday prep for work and school.
9.00 pm: Watch some TV and relax for the night.
10.30 pm: Bed for the night.
Today’s total: €530.00
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What I learned –
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