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 an engineer on €45K in Limerick. This week, a job coach on €38K living in County Cork.
I’m currently living in county Cork and I commute about one hour (51km) by car from my home to the city four days a week.
I am a single parent to a 20-month-old toddler. We were extremely lucky to be housed by the council in a new build house last year. Prior to that, we were living with my parents after the breakdown of my relationship with my child’s father. I get paid fortnightly and most of my wages go on childcare. I try to save about €100 a fortnight, but recently I’ve been digging into this for car repairs and insurance. My child’s father pays maintenance of €400 per month.
My hobbies are few and far between since my toddler came along! I enjoy hiking and used to go out all day on a weekend prior to 2022, and sometimes camping overnight, but it’s just not feasible at the moment so I just try and go for short walks in my local area. I am lucky to live near the sea so I will enjoy some sea swims during the summer. I did a yoga class every Wednesday while I lived with my parents but since moving out, it’s just become unfeasible. Hopefully, I can start back again soon.
Occupation: Job coach
Age: 39
Location: Cork
Salary: €38,238
Monthly pay (net): €1,990
Transport: €240 on petrol
Rent: €370
Household bills: Electricity – €150
Phone bill: €20
Health insurance: N/A
Groceries: €280
Subscriptions: €11.99 (YouTube)
Internet: €13
Childcare: €1,070
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6.30 am: I get up and get ready to go to work. It’s a laborious task trying to get the toddler up and dressed. They have a yoghurt and I have a slice of toast with banana.
7.40 am: We leave the house, the childminder is about a 15-minute drive on my route so it’s a quick chat and tears (from child) before setting off. Traffic varies so much day to day, but luckily this morning it seems quiet enough so I get a nice street parking space near the office.
8.50 am: I arrive in the office and make a cup of coffee. I acquired a coffee machine a few months ago on a freecycle group and this has (probably) saved me a fortune. I love a nice coffee so I make one extra caffeinated this morning as I’m exhausted!
11.00 am: Coffee break; I usually make something at home to bring with me. This morning it’s a spinach and fruit smoothie.
1.00 pm: Lunch is a veggie curry that I took out of the freezer last night. I find batch cooking suits our lifestyle at the moment and it’s always handy to grab out of the freezer during the week. I also like to think that it saves me money but I’m guilty of buying lunch out a little too often, one of the disadvantages (or advantages?!) of working in the city centre.
4.30 pm: Leave work. I listen to an audiobook or podcast on the drive home.
5.30 pm: Collect my child from the childminder.
6.00 pm: Arrive home. I make a sandwich for myself and some leftover curry for my child. After, we go out to the garden for some playing.
7.00 pm: I get my child ready for bed, brush their teeth, read a book and snuggle down with them until they goes to sleep. This could take anything from five minutes to two hours! Luckily tonight, they’re asleep within 10 minutes.
7.30 pm: I clean up the kitchen and living room, wash up, and have a shower.
8.30 pm: I turn on the TV and flick through the channels but there’s nothing interesting on so I start ‘Bodkin’ on Netflix. Hmmm, the jury’s out! I start a new 1,000-piece jigsaw. I started back doing jigsaws last summer for the first time in my adulthood and I am really enjoying it. I find it kind of meditative and it’s definitely better than scrolling Instagram or flicking TV channels. I get most of them from my local charity shop or swap with a friend.
11.00 pm: My child is awake, he’s like clockwork like this. Luckily, they go back to sleep easily enough.
11.15 pm: I read some of my book on Kindle and afterwards watch one or two historical videos on YouTube (a new hobby picked up since having a child!).
11.45 pm: Close my eyes and go to sleep.
Today’s total: €0.00
6.30 am: I get up and get ready to go to work. I am very tired this morning, coffee and banana for breakfast.
7.45 am: Leave the house and drop the child off en route. Spilled my coffee on white T-shirt on the way to work, so stopped in Dunnes to buy a new one (€8) and also saw a pair of shorts (€12).
8.45 am: Buy a coffee and croissant (€4.95) in the café in Dunnes.
9.10 am: Arrive at the office, check emails and tidy up any loose ends.
10.00 am: Out and about to accompany a participant on work experience in the suburbs. I go for an early lunch and coffee (€11.30) and pick up a few groceries at Tesco (€16).
4.30 pm: Leave work and go to the corner shop to buy a few bits. (€14.20)
5.15 pm: I am back going to a therapist that I used to go to a few years ago. She’s excellent. She is doing low cost for me; she’s normally €70 for 50 minutes but she charges me €55.
6.30 pm: Pick up my child and pay childminder €140 for the two days.
6.45 pm: Arrive in home, feed ourselves a light snack and it’s wind down to bedtime.
7.00 pm: Do the usual routine with my child but they do not want to go to sleep tonight. After an hour of books and songs, I give up and go to the living room where they play with their toy cars for a while.
9.30 pm: He’s eventually asleep. I put on some laundry, empty the dishwasher, prepare for work tomorrow and have a shower.
10.45 pm: No time for jigsaws and TV tonight, just go to bed and read a bit of my book.
11.15 pm: Lights out and sleep until my child wakes again at midnight.
Today’s total: €261.45
6.30 am: Awake and begin the usual morning routine.
7.50 am: Leave the house and drop child off to my other childminder.
9.00 am: Arrive at the office, check emails, chat with my colleagues and make a coffee.
11.00 am: Break time. This morning, it’s overnight oats with strawberries and honey.
1.00 pm: I brought in a pasta dish from home but I’m just not in the mood for it. It’s a nice day so take a stroll down the street to the Spar where I buy a chicken wrap and a bar of chocolate (€7).
4.30 pm: Leave work.
5.50 pm: Pick up my child and go home.
6.00 pm: Arrive in home. I eat half the pasta dish for my dinner and give the other half to my child.
7.00 pm: It’s wind down to bedtime and the usual routine. It’s bath time tonight and all goes well thankfully! It can be a struggle at times with it.
11.30 pm: My child wakes up but they do not go back to sleep straight away. The minutes pass, the hours pass, and it’s 3am until they’re asleep again. It’s actual torture. They like to do this maybe once or twice a month these days. God help me.
Today’s total: €7.00
7.30 am: Oops, we’ve slept in! I get ready as fast as I can and text my boss telling her I’ll be late. Luckily, I don’t have meetings this morning.
10.00 am: Arrive in work. Have to do a lot of admin today but the day passes quickly.
1.00 pm: Lunch is lasagne and salad today brought from home. Had a stroll after lunch and bought a cappuccino from a local café. (€3.20)
4.30 pm: Leave the office.
5.30 pm: Collect child from childminder and pay her €140 for the two days.
6.00 pm: Home and have our tea.
7.30 pm: Child’s bedtime and he’s asleep by 8.30 pm.
8.30 pm: Watch some Netflix and do my jigsaw.
9.30 pm: Have a cup of vanilla chai with magnesium. It’s great for sleep.
Today’s total: €143.20
5.30 am: My child is awake. I try my best to doze on the couch while they explore. Give in and do some stretching and make a strong coffee.
7.30 am: Make poached eggs on crumpets for breakfast while listening to morning radio. It’s a nice morning so go outside and have my coffee in the garden while my child plays on their tractor.
11.00 am: GP appointment (free). Bought some bits in the pharmacy after. (€18.80)
11.30 am: Pop to Aldi for some groceries. (€36.00)
12.30 pm: Meet up with my sisters and niece. We go to a fish restaurant for lunch. They treat me as it’s my birthday next week. I buy teas and coffees and treats after. (€22.30)
2.00 pm: Go for a walk through a forest nearby with the kids. Lovely!
4.00 pm: Home again. I zone out on the couch for half an hour scrolling on my phone while my child entertains themself with their toys. I buy a block of cacao online for €21.50. This should last me about six weeks.
6.00 pm: Still stuffed after lunch so just have a light snack and cup of tea. Child has beans on toast.
7.00 pm: Child’s bedtime and it’s an hour of songs and stories before they finally nod off at 8pm.
8.00 pm: Remember to pay the guys who cut my grass. (€100)
Today’s total: €198.60
6.30 am: Another early morning! Did some chores around the house for most of the morning.
10.30 am: It’s raining heavily so we both went for a nap until lunchtime, bliss!
2.00 pm: My sister looked after my child while I went to the local town for a coffee with a friend (€3.30). Popped to my favourite charity shop and bought some clothes for work (€35).
4.00 pm: Weekly fill of petrol. (€60)
5.30 pm: Prepare dinner, it’s steak and chips. It’s become my (almost) weekly ritual on a Saturday evening. My child has spaghetti Bolognese.
7.00 pm: Bedtime for my child. He’s asleep by 7.30 pm.
7.30 pm: Watch a film while doing some of my jigsaw.
9.30 pm: Make myself a Baileys coffee and eat some chocolate.
11.00 pm: Bedtime, read book and watch videos.
11.30 pm: Sleep.
Today’s total: €98.30
6.30 am: Why does my child love waking up super early at the weekends?! I have to drag them out of bed then during the week. Typical!
8.00 am: Make some oat pancakes for breakfast which my child laps up (thankfully!)
10.00 am: Walk to the local beach. I buy a cappuccino (€3.50) from a coffee van. It’s a sunny morning and there are lots of families setting up for the day which is nice to see. I sit on a bench while my child plays in (eats) the sand. We have a little paddle in the sea and I put them back into their buggy in the hopes that they’ll eventually go for a nap.
11.30 am: I visit my parent’s house and my sister is also there. The child is asleep so I chat and have some toast with my family. I still have a lot of clothes and stuff here so I go upstairs and try to sort them out and bag up anything that I need to get rid of.
1.00 pm: Child is awake so we all have lunch together at my parents’ house, nothing fancy, just a toasted sandwich and tea.
4.00 pm: Watch the hurling, Limerick v Waterford on TV. As a Cork fan, I am happy for once that Limerick won and that Clare won the other one.
6.00 pm: Enjoy a home-cooked roast chicken dinner with my parents and family. You could travel the land and not find one as tasty, delicious!
8.00 pm: Child is in bed asleep.
9.30 pm: Enjoy a hot cacao while watching ‘Bodkin’ and scrolling on Instagram.
Today’s total: €3.50
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What I learned –
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