Money Diaries An interior designer on €45K living in Leinster

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 software consultant on €76K living in Co Kildare. This week, an interior designer on €45K living in Leinster. 

I am a 28-year-old lead interior designer in a bespoke company in Leinster. I’m currently renting a bedroom in a 2-bed apartment. I’ve just come back from living in Canada after two years away and I want to have a longer-term saving plan. 

Saving for a mortgage and contributing to my pension in Ireland are my key saving goals this year. I also want to save for a two-week holiday to eastern Europe over summer. I have money saved from selling my last car so I will purchase a new car with that money and some.

Occupation: Interior designer

Age: 28

Location: Leinster

Salary: €45,000

Monthly pay (net): €3,300

Monthly expenses

Transport: €0. Since I have just moved back to Ireland (two weeks ago) I am looking for a car but have not purchased one. My accommodation is walking distance to work so I won’t spend anything on transport this month

Rent: €600

Household bills: €60.50

Phone bill: €20

Health insurance: €0. Have not got Irish Health Insurance yet. One of the things on my list

Groceries: €175

Subscriptions: Strava; €70 per year. Google; €1.99 monthly

Swimming: €64 (based on going swimming twice a week)

***

Monday

6.45 am: I start work at 9am, but I like to wake earlier so I have a slow morning and I’m not rushing. Do some meditation, stretches and rehab exercises (I have an injury from running), take a one-minute cold shower then get dressed listening to self-affirmations. This sounds like an extensive morning routine, but I swear my days are better when I begin them like this. Work is a 10-minute walk away so I have plenty of time to have a coffee and breakfast before I leave the house.

1.00 pm: I went to a grocery shop at the weekend and stocked up for a week of dinners and lunches. I had leftovers from dinner last night. I not only save money, but I can better track what I’m eating. There is free tea and coffee at work so we typically sit and chat in the kitchen during lunch.

5.30 pm: Get home from work and have a snack. I had planned to go to an aqua class but my sister pops over, so I skip it. Aqua classes are €8 euro a class so I didn’t spend that today.

8.00 pm: I cook dinner. Do a quick tidy afterwards before hopping in the shower. Then it’s time to relax for the evening.

Today’s total: €0.00

Tuesday

6.45 am: I have the same morning routine every morning. It works really well for me so I don’t deviate from it too much!

1.00 pm: Brought lunch again today. I decide that since it’s a nice day out, I’ll go for a walk. It’s nice that we have an hour lunch so I have time to walk for 15-30 minutes and still get to chat to my colleagues.

5.30 pm: Arrive home. I have an earlier dinner as I have been swimming this evening. I’ve started taking swimming lessons to improve and today is my first day. The classes cost €8 each. I like paying per class rather than signing up for six weeks for example. I walk to the swimming pool, it’s only 10 minutes away.

8.00 pm: Feeling nice and relaxed after the pool. I love the water, finding it very therapeutic. I’ve wanted to learn to swim properly for a few years now, but I thought as I wear glasses, I couldn’t get goggles and still be able to wear contact lenses. My mom got me bifocal goggles and they are the best. No chlorine gets into my eyes and the lenses don’t irritate me which I was afraid of. Chill out for the rest of the evening. 

Today’s total: €8.00

Wednesday

6.45 am: Morning routine as usual. Planning my to-list for the day so I get my jog done this evening.

1.00 pm: Have some lunch from home in the office kitchen. I pop out to the shopping centre across the street to look for an international adaptor (my laptop and hair straightener has a canadian adaptor). No luck, so I didn’t purchase anything.

5.30 pm: I return home, have a quick snack as I can’t run hungry and head out for a jog by the river. It’s a beautiful route and the weather is dry and sunny. I’m slowly getting back into running after an injury, so I’m going at a very slow pace, but I’m just happy to be out on it.

7.00 pm: My sister picked up an international adaptor for me for €37. It’s an extension cable and has four sockets that are suitable for any plug type. Happy days.

8.00 pm: Have a shower and get dressed in my cosies. I make dinner and set myself up for tomorrow. As part of my evening routine, I prepare everything for the next morning – from clothes I will wear to lunch and packing my handbag. It makes life easier when everything is ready before you head out the door. Spend the rest of the evening unwinding by doom strolling on social media for a bit.

Today’s total: €37.00

Thursday

6.45 am: Repeat my morning routine, nothing new. I’m going to the site today for measurements, so I make sure I have everything in my bag for that.

9.00 am: Arrive at work and leave for Dublin straight away. 

11.00 am: Get to the first site, a gorgeous project the company has completed for the kitchen, pantry and utility room. It’s great to see some of the work they have done. Do some measurements in the property for wardrobes.

1.00 pm: On the way to get lunch and a prospect client called the owner happened to be close by so we do a site visit. Super exciting project ahead with very high-end specs! Obviously I have to skip our lunch for this. At times like these, it’s very tempting to stop at a gas station or cafe and pick something up, but we don’t in the end.  

3.00 pm: We head to Butler’s cafe for a coffee and treat. I opt for a scone as it’s the
“healthiest” option and I’ve given up chocolate for lent. This was paid by the owner of my work so it cost me nothing.

5.00 pm: On the way home from Dublin, we stop at one of the Applegreens. At this point, I’m not hungry anymore so I don’t buy anything and wait to get home instead. 

7.00 pm: Eat some snacks quickly before making dinner. I don’t buy takeaways by myself so I’m not tempted to get one. Happy I waited to get home and cook something more fulfilling than a gas station sandwich!

Today’s total: €0.00

Friday

6.45 am: Morning routine – check! Arrive to work on a buzz as it’s almost the long weekend.

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9.00 am: Arrive at work and have my second coffee of the day.

1.00 pm: I brought lunch with me today (as usual) but it’s one of my colleagues’ last day, so the owner bought us all a chipper as a treat. It’s my first Irish chipper since coming home from Canada, so it went down a treat for sure!

5.30 pm: I get home and have a quick snack. I’m meeting a friend at an Italian restaurant this evening so I don’t make anything for dinner. Have plenty of time to get ready as the restaurant is within walking distance of my apartment. As a culchie, living so close to everything now is something I truly appreciate!

8.00 pm: The restaurant was lovely, had a really cosy vibe and the food was delicious. I ordered gnocchi, one of my favourites, and the bill was covered by my friend, so it cost me nothing. An evening well spent. 

Today’s total: €0.00

Saturday

8.00 am: Wake up and do my meditation and morning stretches.

9.15 am: Leave the house to take part in the local parkrun. It’s a lovely sunny, fresh morning and everyone is in good spirits. I grab a free coffee at the finish line. It’s instant Maxwell House, but it was well needed!

11.00 am: Get home and have a slow morning making breakfast and checking currency exchange rates (IYKYK) before grabbing a shower. The landlord got a new chest of drawers for my room yesterday so I need to reorganise my things and do a tidy up. I hate clutter so this needs to be taken care of asap.

1.00 pm: Needed to go grocery shop but knew if I went shopping on an empty stomach, I would end up spending more and be tired/cranky. I had some mixed nuts and yoghurt with oats with protein powder (double breakfast, but I was already hungry!) . This is one of my favourite food combinations so I was quite content.

5.00 pm: Back from shopping. Decided to try to source the supplements the naturopath
recommended to me in-shop rather than online. I went to a number of health stores and
pharmacies and couldn’t get the exact ones, so I settled on different supplements that contained the main ingredient (€81.87). I plan to start the new course of supplements on Monday. Pick up my groceries (€20.57) and some beauty products (€20) and walk back to my apartment. Already clocking my step counts; I’m exhausted. A bigger spend than usual today, but the supplements are for 1-3 months and if I see results, it’s money well spent. The beauty products I bought will also last me many months so it’s a small investment.

7.00 pm: I picked up scone mix in Tesco so I baked two scones to have after dinner with butter and tea. For dinner, I cooked a stir fry – quick and easy. I always cook something that is quick because if I have to cook for an hour, I’ll be picking at food for that hour and end up ruining my dinner. This would also increase my grocery bill.

9.00 pm: I received my first paycheck from my new job on Friday so I wanted to spend some time budgeting and allocating my money to saving accounts etc. I find this helping in tracking my spending and seeing where my money is actually going. Something I’ve only really got back into the past six weeks.

Today’s total: €122.44 

Sunday

8.00 am: Wake up, do my morning stretches followed by a one-minute cold shower. Have a quick coffee and breakfast, then I’m out the door for a hike.

9.15 am: The plan was a hike in Wicklow, but I got to the pickup location at 9.02 am (not 9.00 am) and missed my ride. 

12.00 pm: Back at the house. I ended up walking 11km out and back on the Barrow Track instead. I do a quick tidy up and made some bread. Have lunch at home.

1.00 pm: I do some errands aligned with the move from Canada; getting quotes for health insurance, etc.

5.00 pm: Lie down for a bit as I find sitting at the laptop tiring. Read the magazine I got at the local health store. This year I have prioritised my health and listening to my body. Relaxing is what I need!

7.00 pm: Head to Mass. It’s my first time going to the local church where I live now.

8.00 pm: Cook dinner at home and tidy up before taking a shower and doing some bedtime reading. Earlier evening for me than I typically have, but I have no plans and the past few weeks have been very busy for me.

Today’s total: €0.00

Weekly subtotal: €167.44

***

What I learned –

• Although I’ve tracked every day this week, it isn’t quite as reflective of a typical week. I usually wouldn’t spend as much on supplements and would purchase my own food out, so these were exceptional cases.

• The amount I spend on supplements is quite excessive and I almost have buyer’s guilt about it, but at the end of the day, my health comes before saving for the house I don’t have yet. I have to remind myself of this sometimes.

• My grocery shop is based on meal plans which I just started doing again. I would recommend this as not only do you save a lot, but you have more control of what you eat day-to-day as you’re planning on a full stomach and not an empty one.

• The grocery amount this week appears quite low, but I shop just for myself and I had groceries left from last week. I tend to eat the same thing for weeks on end till I get bored, so I only had to purchase a few filler ingredients for the week.

• Overall, my spending this week is very low. As I don’t have a car, transport or health insurance to worry about right now, I was able to put more money into my savings. I’m well aware that as soon as I have these again, I won’t be able to save quite as much.