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 staff officer on €47K living in the southeast of the country. This week, a 32-year-old call centre supervisor in the Midlands.
I’m 32 years old, currently living in the Midlands and commuting to Dublin nearly every day for work. I’m also studying part-time and I’m in my final year which is mixed between face-to-face lectures and online lectures.
At the minute life consists of getting my dissertation complete for college and trying to fit in a small bit of a social life. I’m in my final year of HR and have spent every Monday and Tuesday evening over the last four years doing this, so it will be such a relief to have finished. I already do a lot of HR-related work where I currently work, but when I finish my course it will help me decide what to do better!
I’m trying to save as much as I can at the minute for a big trip when I finish my exams in May. I really want to do the Camino walk – I have done for a while now, but this wasn’t possible during Covid. I love travelling so even mini-breaks without college in the background will be such a good feeling. I find I can save €200-ish most months as at the minute, my social life is quite limited with being so busy!
Occupation: Call centre supervisor
Age: 32
Location: Midlands
Salary: €29,000
Monthly pay (net): €2,300
Transport: Diesel – €160, fuel – €130, Leap card – €30
Rent: €500
Household bills: €250 for car loan, €2,800 for annual tuition fees [€233 monthly?], €38 for car insurance, E toll tag – varies each month,
Phone bill: €60
Health insurance: Work pays this
Groceries: €160
Subscriptions: Netflix – €15, gym – €32, Microsoft Office package – €8.20
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4.45 am: Finally get out of bed. I’ve a bad habit of hitting snooze on early starts lately as I’ve let sleeping habits go out the window. Have a shower and a coffee and hit the road soon after. Pay for the Luas parking and ticket (€9.80). My commute is over an hour and twenty minutes most mornings but that’s the price of somewhat affordable rent, I guess.
8.00 am: Check emails and start work.
2.00 pm: Lunch at my desk. I try my best to pack a lunch as much as I can, usually leftovers from the night before. My car insurance (€38.00) and Microsoft package (€8.20) have both left my account.
4.00 pm: Finish work and head for my car and try to get home on time for college online.
6.00 pm: Home and logged on for college, I usually make dinner between classes.
10.00 pm: Log out, shower and bed!
Today’s total: €56.00
5.00 am: Wake without too much snoozing. Shower, coffee and hit the road!
7.00 am: Much the same as yesterday, pay for Luas ticket and parking (€9.80).
8.30 am: Get to work, check emails and get stuck in.
10.30 am: Quick call to the hairdresser – I make an appointment for next week and pay a €40 deposit. The best thing about shift work is getting things like this done in the middle of the week.
2.00 pm: Lunch at the desk. We have no set break times with work as it’s very fast-paced and someone needs to be on the floor on shift. I don’t mind this as it’s all I’m used to here.
4.00 pm: Finish work, get the car and head home for another evening of college.
6.00 pm: Log on to college. It’s quite stressful as I’m in my final year and I feel like it takes up nearly all of my time, but have to keep reminding myself that it’ll all be worth it in the end. I have been doing a balancing act with the two, but I find that it being online helps with college, and I try to work from home or schedule my work days off around this to make it slightly easier.
10.00 pm: Log off and scroll through my phone for a while – something that I need to stop. It’s more of a habit than anything else at this stage.
11.00 pm: Bed.
Today’s total: €49.80
7.30 am: I have the day off today. I have breakfast and clean the house.
8.30 am: Get out on a walk. Fresh air is great when every day is spent in front of screens and one of the best things about living in the countryside.
10.00 am: Head into Dublin for college and meetings. I pay the usual €9.80 for parking and Luas ticket.
1.00 pm: I have my lunch – which I brought from home – then head out to get a few make-up bits and toiletries that I need in Brown Thomas (€48.00) and Boots (€35.50).
4.00 pm: Back to meetings.
8.00 pm: Home and dinner! I usually cook things like pasta bakes and curries that double up for lunch the next day. It makes life easier when I need to spend most of my time trying to get research done. I also avoid takeaways as best I can as I’m not as active as I’d like, so I don’t want to start putting on weight.
9.00 pm: Reply to the last few emails.
10.30 pm: Bedtime.
Today’s total: €93.30
7.00 am: Start of late shifts at work, but still wake early. Make breakfast and head out on a walk.
9.00 am: On the way home, I pick up a few bits that I need from Aldi (€29.50).
10.00 am: Sit down and do a few hours of college work. I try to do a couple of hours every day as I have my dissertation due in under two months and I still have a lot to do for it.
12.00 pm: Early lunch before I start work for the afternoon. I do my late shifts from home, which is always a nice change from commuting.
1.00 pm: Meet with my dissertation supervisor to go through things so far. I like these meetings as they keep me focused on it.
2.00 pm: Start work – another busy afternoon ahead.
7.00 pm: Dinner at my desk!
11.00 pm: Finish up, do my tan and head to bed.
Today’s total: €29.50
7.00 am: Wake up feeling stressed with everything that I need to have submitted to college as well as work. This is happening a lot lately as I feel really guilty when I don’t do as much as I would have liked.
8.00 am: I head out to meet a friend for breakfast. It’s so good to catch up and have a few hours for myself (€11.80). Head to the post office before heading back home (€3.90).
11.00 am: Log on and get some of my assignment due. I was going to wait until after work but decided it was better to split it so I’m not up half the night later on.
2.00 pm: Time for work. Friday afternoon is one of our busier days. Most days consist of constant calls, dealing with complaints, emails and staff training. I have to admit, I still like shift work as it’s what works best for me at the minute in regards getting stuff done for college.
10.00 pm: Finish up. Have a quick tea and finish my last few bits of the college assignment.
12.30 am: Bed!
Today’s total: €15.70
8.00 am: Wake and have breakfast. I usually don’t have big sleep ins as I usually work some of the weekends, so I don’t want to waste them by being in bed.
9.00 am: Walk and then back to get ready to meet a friend for coffee and a cake.
11.00 am: Coffee and a catch up. (€9.20)
2.00 pm: Log on for work.
10.00 pm: Finish up. Feel a bit under the weather, so I get ready for an early night.
11.00 pm: Bed
Today’s total: €9.20
7.00 am: Wake early and get some college work finished. I’m meeting up with the group later to get things submitted.
11.00 am: College group meet-up; I really enjoy these and it makes me feel normal knowing that the others are just getting by and trying to get things done the same way as I am.
1.00 pm: Home for some lunch.
2.00 pm: Get a walk in. This week has been very busy so I haven’t gotten to the gym and I’m trying to keep my steps in. Weight goes on easier in your 30s!
5.00 pm: Get ready for the week ahead. Get a few things for meal prep in Tesco (€18.50) and Diesel (€70.00).
10.00 pm: Another early start tomorrow so head to bed!
Today’s total: €88.50
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What I learned –
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