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 communications manager in Cork. This week, a 30-year-old architect on €45K living in South Dublin.
I’m currently renting a three-bed house in Dublin with my partner and another couple. We value having a garden and a generous living space so sharing the house makes this affordable. We’re lucky to have great housemates.
When I get paid, I generally put €1,000 straight into my savings account. I put the amount for rent and expected bills aside also as these are paid throughout the month and if I don’t see the money, I’m less likely to spend it.
I’m looking to buy a house with my partner in the next year or so. The majority of my savings are going towards this, though I occasionally dip into these savings for other things – the next one is to buy a van for camping/surf trips before next summer.
Occupation: Architect
Age: 30
Location: South Dublin
Salary: €45,000 (plus €500 per month to a pension)
Monthly pay (net): €2,887
Transport: €80 (I top up the petrol about once a month, my partner uses the car more often so he covers the rest)
Rent: €575 (the total for our three-bed is €2,300)
Household bills: My share is bins – €4, gas and electric – €45, internet – €18.70 (we each pay a quarter)
Phone bill: €0 (paid for by company)
Health insurance: €0
Therapy: €160
Groceries: €150
Subscriptions: €0 (my mum pays for Netflix and Spotify family which my three brothers and I use)
Gym: €79
Taekwondo Club: €45
Savings: €1,000
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7.30 am: I get up after snoozing for 20 minutes and go down for breakfast. I make porridge with honey and peanut butter with a multivitamin drink. I get ready for work, make a quick sandwich, grab a banana and head out on my bike. My office is a 15-minute cycle from home. I go into the office full-time as I get much more done there and I enjoy the separation from home life.
9.00 am: I start the morning by checking emails and prioritising tasks for the day and the week.
10.30 am: I head out to grab coffees for the few of us in the office. These are paid for by the company which is a nice perk of the job – I wouldn’t pay for daily takeaway coffee myself!
1.00 pm: I have my sandwich at my desk with an instant coffee. It’s raining outside so I stay at my desk for most of lunch. I buy some floor samples online for my parents who are planning some renovations to their house (€7.50) before running out to a pharmacy to get some shampoo and toothpaste which comes to €9.67.
5.45 pm: I arrive home extremely thankful that my rain gear is effective as it’s absolutely lashing. I have a cup of tea with some homemade carrot cake from the weekend and scroll on my phone for a while. I then make some rice and beans for dinner listening to a podcast. My partner is at Jiu Jitsu training this evening so I leave his dinner ready and the dishes which he cleans up when he’s back.
7.45 pm: My partner and I cross paths for about 15 minutes before I hop in the car to go to Taekwondo training myself.
10.00 pm: I arrive back and have a quick shower and get to bed!
Today’s total: €17.17
7.30 am: Up with a bit more energy today and have my usual porridge and some orange juice. I get ready and make a sandwich for lunch with leftover chicken from the weekend.
9.00 am: I’m in the office alone this morning. I check emails and get on with some quick tasks for the morning.
11.00 am: I make an instant coffee and have some more of the carrot cake. After this, I head out to a snag (final check) at a construction project that has finished up. Client gives me a bottle of sparkling wine as a thank you which is lovely!
1.00 pm: Eat my sandwich at my desk then go for a walk and take a call from a friend. We make a plan to go bouldering at the weekend, so when I’m back at my desk I buy ten passes online as it works out better value and I plan to go a bit more over the winter (€125).
3.00 pm: A colleague comes into the office for the afternoon and we grab a coffee and some chocolate – again, paid for by the office.
6.00 pm: I arrive home starving after another windy cycle and cook some egg fried rice with veg. My partner and I eat this while watching Netflix and catching up on the day.
7.30 pm: I drive to the gym which is 15 minutes away. It takes the same amount of time to cycle but today I drive!
9.00 pm: I get back from the gym and have a protein shake while catching up with my housemate for a while before heading to bed early.
Today’s total: €125.00
8.00 am: Up later than planned but I slept very well. I have the usual quick bowl of porridge, make a sandwich and am on my bike.
9.00 am: I stop off at a project site on the way in and arrive in the office for coffee at about 10 am. Once I’m in, I get on with my list of things to do. Work is really busy at the moment.
1.00 pm: I head out and buy some nuts and fruit to supplement the sandwich from home (€3.51).
3.00 pm: I finish work early today and get the Dart to go to therapy. I had some time beforehand so went for a walk on the beach. I do this about twice a month to keep my mental health in check. I can be flexible with my work hours, so can either take this time off or work early/over lunch to make up the time.
6.00 pm: I top up my Leap card before getting back on the Dart to head home (€10) and pay therapy fee (€80).
7.00 pm: I stop in the shop on the way home to buy a few things. When home, I make some butternut squash and lentil soup. I eat this while watching Netflix and scrolling on my phone. My partner has an early shift tomorrow so is in bed already. While scrolling, I buy tickets to a comedy show I came across (€55.10).
9.00 pm: I do a bit of housework listening to a podcast and go to bed before 10.
Today’s total: €148.61
7.30 am: I’m up and out with the usual breakfast.
9.00 am: I get stuck into some bigger tasks for the morning in work.
1.00 pm: I go for a walk at lunchtime and eat a tuna sandwich from home along the way as it’s a nice day out. I am much less likely to burn out when I get out for a walk at lunch to break up the day at my desk, so delighted when it’s a sunny day.
3.00 pm: It’s a pretty non-eventful afternoon but I get through a lot of work, a colleague buys some chocolate to share which helps keep our energy up for the afternoon.
6.00 pm: I’m home and have leftover soup for dinner with a cheese toasty while watching Netflix.
7.00 pm: My partner is in bed early again for work tomorrow, so I visit my granny who lives around the corner for tea and a chat for a couple of hours.
9.00 pm: Back home and spend about an hour scrolling on Pinterest saving images for my parent’s renovation project then head to bed.
Today’s total: €0.00
7.30 am: Up as usual and on my bike into the office.
10.00 am: On Fridays, we get a pastry with our coffee! Blueberry danish today.
1.00 pm: I work through lunch today as I’ll try to finish work a bit early and am still full from the pastry.
4.00 pm: I finish work having decided nothing else is critical before the weekend.
5.00 pm: I arrive home and my partner has made some chicken, veg and rice for dinner. We have this and lounge around for a couple of hours. I’m debating whether to go training or not.
7.30 pm: I head out to training!
9.30 pm: Heading home feeling much better for it. This is a good way to let out any stress from the week. I listen to a podcast in the car on the way home.
10.00 pm: Chat with my partner for a while and head to bed before 11.
Today’s total: €0.00
10.00 am: I wake up, enjoying that I have no plans this morning. I cycle around to Dunnes to grab some bread, eggs and orange juice for breakfast which comes to €11.87.
11.30 am: My partner and I do a bit of housework with Netflix and tea breaks in between for a few hours, enjoying the lazy Saturday feeling.
4.00 pm: I have an extra training session this afternoon so grab a banana and head out in the car to get there for 4.30 pm.
5.30 pm: I finish training and decide to stay at my mum’s because my partner has a work event this evening. One of my brothers is in my mum’s tonight too and he makes us a carbonara for dinner. I brought out the sparkling wine my client gave earlier in the week which we enjoy after dinner.
8.30 pm: We have meringues and berries with whipped cream for dessert and head to bed after another couple of hours chatting.
Today’s total: €11.87
9.00 am: Get up and have a coffee. I chat with my mum and get some hugs from the family dog.
10.00 am: I head home. My partner and I catch up with an instant coffee.
12.00 pm: We then head out to get brunch – my partner pays for this! Afterwards, we browse in an art gallery for a while before heading home.
3.30 pm: I go bouldering with some friends using one of my passes.
5.30 pm: On the way home from climbing I stop in at Tesco for a few things for dinner today (€10.43). Usually, we’d do a weekly shop on Sunday, but my partner is off tomorrow so he’ll do it then.
6.00 pm: I roast some sweet potato and green veg which we have with steak we had from last week’s shop. While cooking, I buy a subscription for Now TV to watch White Lotus (€11.99). I’ll cancel this once we finish the series.
7.30 pm: After watching an episode, I make a quick batch of chocolate chip muffins, which we have during the second episode.
9.30 pm: We both tidy up the kitchen and head to bed early.
Today’s total: €22.42
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What I learned –
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