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Money Diaries Have you been affected by rising costs? Would you like to keep a diary for us?

We are asking readers to keep a Money Diary to let us know how your spending and savings are changing.

BUDGET 2024 WAS announced last week, with the Government announcing a number of measures aimed at benefiting those feeling the pinch from the cost of living crisis. 

However, while some welcomed the announcements, many said the package did not go far enough to reflect the high cost of energy and rents, with grocery price inflation also remaining high. 

Readers here at The Journal will be familiar with our popular How I Spend My Money series, which looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances. Over the years, the series has chronicled the lives and financial ups and downs of hundreds of readers.

We are asking readers to get in touch and write a Money Diary to help us understand how people are handling their finances right now.

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Would my diary be of interest?

Absolutely. Everyone is in a different place when it comes to money and will have different incomes and outgoings.

Everyone also has different approaches to finances. For instance, are you a good saver, or does money burn a hole in your pocket? Can you afford a pension? What about mortgages, are you confident you could qualify for one, are you meeting your mortgage payments?

If none of the above even seems remotely possible right now, then we also want to hear from you. It’s not an easy time and we get that, so you might just feel like saying ‘I can’t make ends meet’ and that’s ok too.

How does it work?

Over the course of a week, we ask you, our readers, to keep a record of how much you earn, what you save if anything, and what you spend your money on.

Send a message of interest to money@thejournal.ie and we will send back a diary template.

Our Money Diaries readers also love to hear about your day, what kind of routine you have, what you had for dinner – all of it. Woven into that is a note through the day about how much you spent on groceries, incidentals and other expenses.

Readers often get helpful information and tips from reading the diaries, so include details about Revolut vaults or other handy savings tips you might have.

What next?

If you’re interested in keeping a diary for a week, send an email to money@thejournal.ie and we’ll get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

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