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 24-year-old junior health and safety officer on €42K living in Dublin. This week, a procurement manager living in Leinster and earning €105K.
I’m living in Leinster with my husband and three children, who are aged 18, 16 and 12. I work as a procurement manager for a large company. I’ve worked with this company for 26 years. I have a hybrid working model and usually commute to the office in Dublin two or three days a week.
My husband works in social work and he currently works with adults with additional needs, a role he absolutely loves. He covers the monthly mortgage of €1,050 and I look after most of the other expenses such as bills, most grocery shopping, children’s expenses, etc. I have a defined benefit pension and currently save an additional 15% of my salary as additional voluntary contributions (AVCs). I would love to retire from my current job in about five years and do a local part-time job, freeing up my time for travel, looking after my parents and voluntary work. Let’s see how expensive life is and what the children need first, but this is the big plan.
I save an additional €700 a month into a fund for holidays and unexpected expenses. We also have a buy-to-let apartment which is currently costing €500 a month to subsidise on top of what the rent makes. I would love to sell it, but it may not make enough in a sale to cover the outstanding mortgage yet. I find the situation of the buy-to-let very stressful because the rent is low but the expenses are climbing all the time.
If I have money left over at the end of the month, I top up my AVCs with extra as there isn’t much point saving anywhere else with current rates. There usually isn’t anything left over these days though, and I often dip into the holiday fund to keep me ticking over till payday. I’d love to understand through this diary why this is.
Occupation: Procurement manager
Age: 48
Location: Leinster
Salary: €105,000 plus an average 15% bonus
Monthly pay (net): €4,330 plus €280 children’s allowance
Transport: €150 on diesel, €120 to cover insurance, tax, servicing and repairs for the car, €18 subsidised car park.
Rent: €0, husband pays the mortgage.
Household bills: €300 gas and electricity, €80 tv and broadband, €200 a month to cover yearly expenses such as bins, TV license, property tax, home insurance, mortgage protection, etc.
Phone bill: €90 for myself and two of the children. The youngest doesn’t have a phone.
Health insurance: €0 for me as work covers it. €80 per month for a basic plan for my husband and three children.
Groceries: €800
Subscriptions: €16 Netflix, €18 Spotify, €8 Disney+
Children’s clubs and grinds: €250
Gym couple membership: €85
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6.20 am: I’m in the office today so an early start with a shower. Then everyone gets a kiss while snoring and I’m out the door by 6:45 am.
7.40 am: Arrive in the office and have breakfast with my colleagues/friends. Have porridge and a coffee for €2. Get a call from my son who wants a Revolut top-up as he is going away for a school match and needs money for a chicken fillet roll. I send him €6.
12.30 am: Get my lunch in the staff canteen, which is baked salmon and veg for €3. Head out for a walk to buy some toiletries I need. This comes to €19.97.
4.45 pm: Leave the office and arrive home an hour later. My husband has dinner ready for everyone – chicken pasta bake.
6.45 pm: Go to a 30-minute spin class.
8.00 pm: €5 needed for a school concert ticket, so that’s put in a school bag. Make the school lunches for tomorrow.
9.00 pm: I collect my son from football training. He shows me a top he wants to buy from JD with his birthday money. I order it online. It costs €42, but I take €30 off him and cover €12.
9.30 pm: Bedtimes start with everybody – including me. Down by 10.30 pm.
Today’s total: €47.97
6.15 am: Today is a working-from-home day. I get up and go to the gym where I do a 30-minute strength class.
7.20 am: I’m back home for a quick shower. I have a bowl of Weetabix and blueberries with coffee. I’m at my home office desk (in the bay window of my bedroom) by 7.50 am.
8.30 am: Nip out for a few minutes to drive one of the kids to school who isn’t feeling like walking.
12.30 pm: Break for lunch and have some leftovers from yesterday’s dinner heated up. Go for a 30-minute walk and listen to a podcast.
1.30 pm: Back to work and the afternoon is meeting intensive.
3.45 pm: I knock off work early because I’m going to a medical consultation I’ve booked. I haven’t been feeling great lately. It costs €120 now, but I will get half of this back with my VHI plan (€60). On the way home, I fill the car with diesel and buy a sliced pan. The total cost is €74.67.
6.00 pm: I’m back home. My husband has dinner made and the kids have been fed. I sit down for mine, which is chicken curry and rice. My son is just finishing a maths grind which costs €42.50.
6.45 pm: I bring my son to a football match and do laps of the pitches while they are warming up.
8.30 pm: Back home and make lunches for tomorrow. Then some TV and bed.
Today’s total: €177.17
7.00 am: It’s a working-from-home day, so up and start the morning routine. Toast and marmalade for breakfast. Log into work at 7.40 am.
8.35 am: I drive the kids to school as it’s raining. One of them requests €7 for a visit to the shop on the way home, so I oblige.
12.45 pm: Break for lunch and have a sardine sandwich with tea.
4.40 pm: Finish work for the day and start dinner prep. We all have sausages, mash and French beans with gravy.
5.30 pm: Go to Dunnes for a groceries top-up and spend €38.42.
7.30 pm: The evening ends up being nice and bright. I put on my headphones and go for a 5km walk.
9.00 pm: Kids have homework finished. Prep for tomorrow is done so after a little TV, it’s time for bed.
Today’s total: €45.42
6.15 am: Up and out the door 30 mins later to make my way into the office. I arrive around 7.40 am and have porridge and a coffee, which costs €2. My son has a school trip in November so I log onto the website and pay the €145 deposit.
12.30 pm: It’s a really busy day. I barely manage a 20-minute lunch in the staff canteen. I have a tuna salad costing €2.75.
5.30 pm: I leave the office and it takes an hour to get home. My husband has my dinner ready – salmon, broccoli and mash. A local locksmith is there to fix the lock on the back door which is sticking. It seems to be a simple job and costs just €70.
7.00 pm: My daughter goes to basketball and my sons go to soccer training. Myself and my husband ferry them there and back. We get a 5km walk in while they are at their clubs. I stop by Dunnes on the way home and pick up some biscuits for €3.20 as my parents are coming over tomorrow.
9.00 pm: Usual evening prep and off to bed for 10.30 pm.
Today’s total: €222.95
6.15 am: It’s another working-from-home day today. I get up and go to the gym, where I do a 30-minute strength class.
7.15 am: Weetabix for breakfast and log on for work by 8 am.
12.30 pm: Break for lunch and have a sandwich and tea. Then I prep a lasagne and put it in the oven for dinner later. I run down to the shop as I remember I need to buy a birthday card for my dad. I also pick up a couple of magazines for my mum. The total cost is €9.40. Back to work at 1.30 pm.
3.00 pm: I finish work for the day. We have flexi time and a rough estimation tells me I have enough done.
5.30 pm: My parents come over. Everyone is home and we all have dinner together. I put €50 in the birthday card for my dad.
7.30 pm: I bring my son swimming. On the way home, I call into Dunnes for milk. I pick up a treat for everyone. Total spend is €9.44.
11.00 pm: Bed.
Today’s total: €68.84
9.00 am: Get up and have breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast.
10.00 am: Bring my daughter to an appointment to get her debs dress. She picks a gorgeous one and I cover the cost (€355). The total cost of the event will be twice that as there will be hair, make-up, shoes and a ticket too, but I’m happy to be able to do this for her. She’s a great girl who knows the value of money and has a part-time job herself, meaning she doesn’t put a lot of demands on me.
12.15 pm: Bring my second child to a football match while my husband takes the younger one in a different direction. Pick up breakfast rolls and sausage rolls for them on the way home. (€11.40)
2.15 pm: Eat a chicken salad panini with a banana and head off to do the grocery shop in Lidl. Spend €94.74.
6.00 pm: My friend’s child is over for a sleepover so I bring him and my son to a local restaurant for an early dinner. I also get a takeaway for my husband and bring it home. Costs €62 including tip.
9.00 pm: My friend is having a 50th birthday party in her home. My daughter watches the kids while myself and my husband go over. I give my friend a card with €50. Great night with dancing and drinks. We head home around 1.30 am.
Today’s total: €573.14
9.00 am: Brown bread with poached eggs for my husband and myself. The two boys have pancakes with Nutella. The teenagers won’t rise till 11am.
11.30 am: I drop my friend’s son home and on the way back, I go to the chemist for headache tablets. I spot the shampoo and conditioner I like with 20% off so I get those too. Total spend in the chemist is €32.56.
1.00 pm: Have lunch at home which is a ham salad panini with an apple and a few crisps. My son requests a €5 Revolut top-up for a trip to the shop with his friends. After a quick check that his homework is done, this is completed for him.
5.00 pm: I make dinner (roast chicken, garlic potatoes and veg followed by trifle). Myself, husband and youngest eat together. The older two eat when they get in.
7.00 pm: I walk down to Dunnes and pick up the bits we like from there that can’t be gotten in Lidl. Mostly things for the kids’ lunches. (€17.65)
8.00 pm: Make the kids’ lunches for tomorrow. We all watch a bit of TV, scroll on phones and everyone is in bed by 10 pm. A very quiet day and end to the week. Sometimes, that’s welcome and needed.
Today’s total: €55.21
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What I learned –
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