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 financial services manager on €105K living in Dublin. This week, a senior fund administrator who has made the move from Dublin to Luxembourg.
I’ve been living in Luxembourg with my boyfriend for the last two years after having spent three years living and working in Dublin. I work in the funds industry and speak some German so it wasn’t difficult to find a job here. The quality of life is a lot better here, the main city (also Luxembourg) is small and easy to get around, especially with public transport being free. Living in a country the same size as Roscommon, it’s easy to meet people and make new friends. The higher salary also helps. My mam has been so convinced that she has decided to make the move here!
I have always been a good saver but while living in Dublin, it was difficult to save. Between the high rent, commuting, and trying to have a social life, I would tend to save around €300. Even though the cost of living in Luxembourg is higher than Ireland, and even with us socialising a lot more and taking more weekend trips, I easily save on average €700 a month. This gets split between my high yield savings account in Trade Republic and stocks that I have in my DEGIRO account. For all shared expenses, such as food, nights out, trips away, we have a shared Revolut account, which we put in around €700 a month and top up during the month as needed.
My boyfriend and I love to travel so living in the middle of Europe has been amazing. We have taken countless trips thanks to my boyfriend being able to lease a car through his job. Over the last few months, we have managed to save up enough to go travelling around Asia and Australia for a few months and leave our corporate jobs behind.
Occupation: Senior fund administrator
Age: 27
Location: Luxembourg
Salary: €67,000 with a 10-15% bonus and overtime
Food vouchers: €270 per month (prepaid card that every employee gets, and can be used in most shops and restaurants)
Monthly pay (net): €4,201
Transport: All public transport is free in Luxembourg, but we also have a car. It’s a fully electric Mercedes so we pay €450 a month (including a prepaid electricity card of €50), which gets taken out of my boyfriend’s salary pre-tax but we split more or less equally. It’s definitely pricey but amazing for trips to the shop / weekend trips.
Rent: €1,500 for a studio apartment just outside the city, which we split €750 each. It’s tiny but we are close to the city and don’t spend too much time there anyway.
Household bills: €0 as all bills included in rent (electricity, internet, heating and bins)
Phone bill: €25
Health insurance: Luxembourg has a good healthcare system whereby the majority of your medical appointments and expenses are reimbursed by the state. My work also provides additional health insurance that covers the portion not paid by the State. It also has travel insurance and some other perks, which costs around €360.
Groceries: Around €500
Subscriptions: Electric bikes - €18 for a year, gym – €30, Spotify – €15, Hayu – €6 (all coming from our shared Revolut account)
***
5.30 am: Early wake up time today as we’re flying back to Luxembourg after spending the weekend at the Fleadh Cheoil in Wexford. My brother drives us to the airport as we only live 30 mins away. I buy a 12 packet of Tayto and bottle of water for €7.80 so I can bring a duty-free bag as my bag is slightly too big for under the seat. I’m thankful I did as they check everyone’s bag getting onto the plane so I have basically saved money. I take a nap for the full flight.
11.00 am: Land in Luxembourg and I run through security so I can pick up the car. My office is across the road from the airport so parking is free. I pick up my boyfriend and my mam and all the suitcases and drop them both off. I run to the shop and pick up bits for lunch using my food vouchers for €22.90.
3.00 pm: It’s 33 degrees out today and I have the day off, so no time to waste! I decide to go to the local spa that has an outdoor pool. Pay €24.50 for the full day and enjoy the sun and pool. I bring my own water, snacks and sun cream.
6.00 pm: Dehydrated and hungry after spending a few hours in the sun, I leave and pick up bits for dinner and snacks on the way home for €12.48.
7.30 pm: After a few chicken sandwiches and a weekend of little-to-no sleep, I knock out for the night.
Today’s total: €67.68
8.00 am: Wake up, grab a shower and get some yoghurt and oats from the fridge before heading out the door. We take the car so I drop my boyfriend to work and get to the office for 9 am. August is great for commuting as the whole country is off on their holidays.
10.30 am: First coffee break of the day. We have a Nespresso machine in our kitchen and a fridge full of drinks at work which I use to my full advantage.
12.00 pm: Starting to get hungry so go outside to grab a pizza from the food truck. We have a different food truck every day outside the office and a canteen across the road so there’s plenty of choices. I pay €16 for a Ceasar pizza using my food vouchers and eat ¾ of the pizza and save the rest for later.
3.00 pm: Starting to feel the post lunch slump so I grab another coffee and a Coke Zero from the fridge and chat with my colleagues for a few minutes.
6.00 pm: Leave work right on the dot and go to pick up my boyfriend. He has just done a quick shop for dinner so am delighted we don’t need to stop on the way home. He pays for the full lot.
6.30 pm: Arrive home and it’s still 33 degrees. It would be a shame to miss the sun, so we head for a walk and decide to grab some drinks in the sun. He pays so I am off the hook (again).
9.30 pm: Get home and make myself another chicken sandwich and finish the pizza from lunch. I can’t be bothered making a proper dinner while it’s still so hot outside.
Today’s total: €16.00
8.00 am: Alarm goes off, a quick shower and into the car. I have an appointment at 9 am to pick up some documents from the city centre. Parking in the city costs me €1 for 45 mins. I make it to work for 9:30 am.
10.30 am: I grab a quick coffee and some fruit from the kitchen. We get a delivery to the office every other day – a banana and two plums are my breakfast.
12.00 pm: Wednesday’s food truck is always disappointing and tomorrow is a bank holiday, so a few of us in the office decide to order some lunch to the office. We decide on bao buns. I order on the app and everyone pays me back. My order of chicken bao buns and cucumber salad is €22.00.
6.30 pm: It’s been a busy day in the office so leave a little later than expected. I drive one of my friends home as she lives on the way. Get home and get ready for a drink with some friends.
10.00 pm: We leave the first bar and head over to one of the Irish bars. Between a few pints and vodka-cokes, my share of the drinks comes to €79.10.
1.30 am: We all decide to head home. Taxis here are a rip off, even compared to Dublin prices, so we decide to take the electric bikes home. As expected, there is nowhere open for food so we stop into a 24/7 petrol station for some bread rolls, prosciutto and cheese for €15.
Today’s total: €117.10
10.30 am: It’s a bank holiday, so I get to enjoy a nice lie in. My mam texts me to say that she’s bought sausages and sausage rolls so we drive over to hers for a fry.
1.30 pm: It’s a great day so we go to the local park and enjoy the sun and talk about our upcoming travels. The whole country closes on a bank holiday which is a pity so there’s not much to do. Thankfully there’s a small café in the park and we get an ice cream, Fanta and water for €9.00.
5.30 pm: We are starting to get hungry so we decide to take the electric bikes and go get some dinner. It’s not easy as most places are closed but we find a local Italian restaurant. We get mains and a bottle of wine to share. Altogether it costs €109.80, which I split between my food vouchers and Revolut card.
8.30 pm: We get home and decide to go for a walk before settling in for the night. We enjoy watching one of the Alien movies on Disney+ before falling asleep.
Today’s total: €118.80
8.30 am: I take my time getting up this morning as it’s a Friday. As my boyfriend is working from home, I don’t need to leave as early. I watch some TikTok, grab a quick shower and drive in just after 9am.
11.00 am: Quick coffee break and grab something for the fruit box as a mid-morning snack and work away until lunchtime.
12.30 pm: Run across the road and grab a burger from the canteen which costs €12.00. I have it with a Coke Zero from the fridge.
6.00 pm: Finish work right on time and head over to Auchan (similar to ‘Big Tesco’) to meet my mam – she is buying things for the new apartment. She buys a new TV, kettle and toaster. We also get some groceries and house cleaning supplies, which I cover with my food voucher and bank card for €77.85.
7.00 pm: I drive her back to her apartment and help set up her TV with a cup of coffee and a Snickers bar. We chat a bit before I go to pick my boyfriend up from the gym.
8.30 pm: Get home and make fajitas alongside a cheeky bottle of wine.
10.00 pm: We realise that Disney+ doesn’t have anything more worth watching, so we decide to cancel and get Netflix again – €14.99.
Today’s total: €104.84
10.00 am: We enjoy a nice lie-in before my boyfriend pushes us to go to our usual weekend breakfast spot. It’s a small spot close to our house, owned and run by a Canadian. I grab some pancakes and he gets a breakfast sandwich. Free refills on coffee are not something you find in most places. (€34.10)
2.00 pm: We spend the afternoon at home planning our trip to Asia and Australia but end up booking nothing.
4.00 pm: The new Alien movie is out so we decide to go to the cinema. We rarely go here as it’s a bit more expensive compared to Ireland – two tickets cost €38.40 and popcorn and drink cost another €15.70.
6.30 pm: After the movie, we grab some food bits on the way home. (€4.75)
9.00 pm: We head to the gym as I haven’t been in a while. Prefer the night time as it’s not too busy.
10.30 pm: Nod off while watching some Netflix.
Today’s total: €92.95
10.00 am: Wake up and decide to meet my mam for some food in the city. Try to take the electric bikes but they’re not working for us today, so we take the bus instead.
1.00 pm: There’s a pop-up beach in the city so we grab some smoothies and pizzas which cost €48.00.
4.00 pm: We walk around the city centre and head to another local Irish bar. It’s great during the summer as you can sit outside in front of the river. Two rounds of drinks cost €64.60.
6.00 pm: We walk back up to the city centre and grab some kebabs for dinner. As we paid for drinks, my mam pays for the kebabs. We grab the tram and a bus home.
7.00 pm: Put on a wash of clothes and get ready for another day in the office.
Today’s total: €112.60
***
What I learned -
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say