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 26-year-old IT apprentice on €25K living in Dublin. This week, a HR specialist on €57K living in Limerick and saving for a deposit for a house.
I am a 28-year-old currently living in Limerick. I have been renting for the last 10 years and was fortunate enough to move in with my partner last year where there is no rent or mortgage. We have started our savings from scratch this year and we are currently saving for a deposit for a house together. I try to put away €1,000 per month but it’s not always achievable with holidays, car maintenance, etc. My partner matches this with €1,100 monthly.
We spent the last four weeks at the end of last year travelling. This cost us just under €13,000 but it was worth every penny.
I work from home the majority of the week but live quite close to work and try to split my week into equal times in the office and equally at home.
Occupation: HR specialist
Age: 28
Location: Limerick
Salary: €57,000 + €4,000 bonus
Monthly pay (net): €3,250
Transport: Roughly – €170 – €100 diesel + €70 insurance
Rent: €0
Savings: €1,150 (€1,000 House deposit & €150 Holiday Vault)
Personal loan: €200
Credit card: €100
Phone bill: €33 – €20 Phone Bill & €13 for insurance
Revolut bills vault: €400
Household bills: €150 – this covers electricity, broadband TV license & bins
Cleaner: €45 – we have cleaner twice a month, my half is €45
Groceries: €200
Subscriptions: Hayu €7.99, Irish independent €5 iCloud €2.99 – My partner pays for Now TV, Netflix, Spotify family plan and Disney.
Deducted from Gross pay monthly:
Health insurance: €95
Cycle to work: €100
Pension: €250 (this is made up of my own contributions and AVCs)
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7.00 am: I get up and take the dog for a walk. I try to do this most mornings, but it does not usually happen. We do a 3.5k loop and I log on to work from home by 7.45am.
8.00 am: I am quite lucky I have flexible start times at work but try to start as early as possible each day. I also make a coffee before starting as I feel my day starts right with one.
12.00 pm: I make lunch as we did our shopping in Dunnes last night. I am not a fan of breakfast so I usually combine breakfast and lunch. I make smoked salmon, avocado, and scrambled eggs. I also have my third Americano. (I know it’s too much coffee)
1.00 pm: Our Hello Fresh order arrives; this is the first time we ordered it as a friend shared a discount code with us. We got three dinners for two people for €5.99. I think the full price would have been over €40 which I am not too sure I would pay for three dinners at home.
4.30 pm: Finish work. I pop to the garage as I need a tire replaced. This costs €88.
Whilst my tire is being replaced, I walk to the gym to sign up (€3.24). The monthly cost is €49.99 which will come out on the first of the month. Call into the supermarket on my way home and get cakes and a card (€8.06) I couldn’t resist, and I joined the gym so why not!
7.00 pm: Sit down to have dinner. Tonight it’s pasta and chorizo which we had the ingredients for before the Hello Fresh order arrived.
8.30 pm: My partner doesn’t have his steps done so we pop out for another quick walk to get some more. Of course the dog benefits too. That’s the joy of working from home – you really must make a conscious effort to try get out for walks.
10.30 pm: Bedtime!
Today’s total: €99.30
7.30 am: I wake up and turn on the laptop right away and make a coffee, working in the kitchen is dangerous as it leads me to have too many coffees throughout the day.
11.00 am: I am starving this morning, so I throw on some lunch, same as yesterday. You can tell I’m very adventurous with food!
1.00 pm: I plan to take the dog for a lunchtime walk but end up getting busy with work so I do not have time. Coffee it is!
5.30 pm: Finally log off work and finish for the day.
7.00 pm: Back to the reality of the gym and spinning. It’s my first spin class in five months and I am dead. My legs are shaking walking down the stairs after the class.
8.15 pm: We make one of the Hello Fresh dinners – an Indian chicken cashew curry. I think it was one of the best home-cooked dinners I have had, until I saw there were 1,100 calories in a small portion. I would buy the ingredients to make it another time.
9.30 pm: We take the dog for a quick loop before bed as he has not been out today.
11.30 pm: Bedtime! Overall, not an overly exciting day but I am wrecked.
Today’s total: €0.00
9.00 am: Why do I feel like it is Friday? I slept on it this morning and did not log on until 9am, which means I will be staying on until later this evening. I reach for the coffee before turning the laptop on.
12.00 pm: I make lunch today, which consists of a sambo and tuna and mayo. It’s quick to make, and I have a nice coffee with it.
2.00 pm: Our cleaner arrives. She does three hours a fortnight which saves us from having to clean during the weekend. We do not mind paying for it as it gives us more free time throughout the week/weekend, and I keep on top of it the week she does not call. The total cost is €45 (this comes from our Revolut bills vault, so I transfer it to her). My gym subscription comes out €49.99 - this covers all classes, so I don’t think it’s too bad.
6.30 pm: Finish work and drive to spin class. Today’s class is for 45 min – pray for me!
7.30 pm: I need to get diesel on my way home. The car is constantly in the red with the price of diesel these days! €50.04 - it barely gives me half a tank! I arrive home and I’m too lazy to cook, so my dinner consists of carrot sticks and hummus!
11.00 pm: Bedtime!
Today’s total: €100.03 (€45 for the cleaner is included in the bills vault)
7.00 am: Into the office early this morning so I can finish early.
1.00 pm: I am between offices today, so I grab a meal deal in Tesco which consists of a wrap, crisps and water (€4.49). The last time I had this it was €3.50. I am really starting to notice the prices of everyday things creeping up.
4.30 pm: I finish up for the day and go home to get ready for a spin.
6.00 pm: The DREADED spin class which I know I always feel good after. I arrive and realise there’s a hole in my gym leggings – oops. Looks like it’s no spin for me tonight. I drive home and take the dog for a 5km walk instead. Benefits both of us.
7.30 pm: We make another Hello Fresh dinner. Tonight’s one is a prawn cashew curry. It’s not as nice as the other evening, but I eat some of it.
8.30 pm: I watch a few episodes of Real Housewives; I love to catch up all at once instead of sitting down to watch it every evening and it’s an easy watch where I don’t have to be engrossed.
Today’s total: €4.49
5.30 am: I drive home to my family home and work there for the day.
7.00 am: Log on to work as I need to finish early for a nail appointment which I scheduled two weeks ago.
12.30 pm: I run to the shop and grab a coffee as I haven’t eaten yet. I grab a few chicken goujons from the hot counter and eat in the car (I know they’re not good for me). They cost €6.30.
1.00 pm: Pop into town to get my nails done. €1 for two hours parking. My nails are in dire need of being done and haven’t been done in eight weeks. I Revolut her €40 – she charges €35 but I tip €5 as I keep telling her to put her prices up as most other places have and she’s still reasonable for €40.
3.00 pm: Pick up my niece. She’s staying with us for the weekend so I’m sure she will have me broke by Sunday!
4.30 pm: We stop in Supervalu on our way to the cinema and I spend €13.05 on treats for the four of us.
6.00 pm: We are off to the cinema. We also have a subscription to see all movies, so this didn’t cost me anything. My partner paid for my niece and his nephew’s ticket early in the week. The subscription can be handy when there are lots of good movies out but recently there haven’t been many. We also encourage our friends and family to use it to maximise the benefit. I think it cost €14.99 per month each, which is the price of one ticket! I also pay for the popcorn and drinks (€22.10).
8.30 pm: We are really treating ourselves today and stop by McDonald’s on the way home. My partner gets this as a treat for us all.
9.30 pm: I pop into Aldi on the way home for some salmon and eggs but end up picking up wax melts, toothbrushes, you name it! (€26.28)
Today’s total: €108.73
8.00 am: Up bright and early this morning. We are going horse riding for 12pm.
8.30 am: I have a coffee in bed and scroll on my phone for 30 minutes. My niece comes in and we both watch an episode of Power Rangers (I have not watched this since I was a kid myself, I forgot how bad it is ha-ha).
12.00 pm: We are a couple of minutes late for horse riding but off she goes! €20 for 30 minutes and she thoroughly enjoyed it,
1.00 pm: We head back to the city to watch the Arsenal game and have lunch. The bill comes to €86.20. I pay, and the lads give me €60, so my share is €26.20.
3.00 pm: We leave the pub/restaurant and head to another one for a game of Jenga and cards. I have two drinks and we head home. Bills come to €25.20.
6.30 pm: I stop in Supervalu on the way home and get a bottle of wine and a few bits for breakfast in the morning. My partner has a €20 One4All card and I pay the remainder. (€9.77)
8.00 pm: We scroll Disney+ trying to find something to watch and settle on The Lion King – such a good movie!
11.00 pm: Off to bed after a long day!
Today’s total: €81.17
7.30 am: We are up early to head to Waterford for a race. I’m not running – going back to the gym is enough for me for now!
9.00 am: My niece and I make fresh pancakes for the journey, and they go down a treat with chocolate, sugar, and honey.
11.00 am: The dog came with us, so we take him for a long walk on the beach – we stop at a coffee shop and get coffee, hot chocolate and some lunch. (€15.30)
12.30 pm: My partner finishes the race, and we drive to another beach for another walk. The sun is out and it’s such a lovely day.
3.00 pm: Back home and we chill for the evening. I put on another Disney movie for my niece.
7.00 pm: None of us are overly hungry, so we throw on pasta carbonara for dinner and I find a bag of microwave popcorn and use the left-over chocolate from the cinema to make popcorn and chocolate buttons.
9.30 pm: My niece goes to bed, so we watch an episode of Succession. We really struggle to find a show we both watch, and I fall asleep 10 minutes into it! Zzzz
Today’s total: €15.30
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What I learned –
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