Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
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 clerical officer on €31K living in Dublin. This week, a data analyst on €42K living in Munster.
I’m a woman in my early 40s living in Munster in a suburban three-bed semi that we luckily managed to buy just before the Covid-19 pandemic. I live with my husband and teenage daughter and our two cats. The husband earns nearly twice as much as me. We split the bills 50/50 with the exception of the car, which he pays for. I don’t drive, so I use public transport.
I think I’m fairly good at saving. On a good month, I try to save around €400 to €500 if there are no big expenditures such as holidays. I’m mostly saving for house upgrades and hopefully paying off the mortgage early. I know I’m one of the lucky ones to have my own home, it’s really getting crazy out there and I can’t imagine trying to buy now.
In my spare time, I like doing yoga, going for walks, reading and doing the occasional painting class.
Occupation: Data analyst
Age: Early 40s
Location: Munster
Salary: €42,000
Monthly pay (net): €2,700 after pension contribution, etc
Transport: Around €50 on Leap card
Mortgage: €558 (my half)
Household bills: €140 to joint account monthly for my half of electricity, gas, broadband, house tax and home insurance
Bins: €110 every three months (I pay this and my husband pays for mortgage protection, which works out about the same annually)
Phone bill: €15
Health insurance: Covered by work
Groceries: Around €200
Monthly charity donation: €15
Subscriptions: Netflix €16.99 (my half – €8.50), Spotify family plan €17.99 (my half – €9)
Monthly yoga membership: €59.99
***
6.45 am: I get up and get ready. I normally only work from home Mondays and Fridays, but this week I’m working from home all week, so I can sleep a bit longer in the mornings. I also feed the cats.
7.00 am: Clock in to start work and have breakfast at my desk (porridge with chia seeds and peanut butter and a coffee with soya milk). Get stuck into my projects.
9.45 am: I take a break and have a slice of wholegrain toast and coffee. I also empty the dishwasher.
10.45 am: I have an online meeting about an upcoming project.
12.30 pm: Lunch break. I make some pasta with sundried tomato sauce, adding some fresh tomatoes, garlic puree and fresh basil. I manage to read a couple of pages of my book (I always have a book on the go).
1.00 pm: Back to work.
2.45 pm: Afternoon break. Some more coffee and another slice of toast.
3.00 pm: Back to work for the last 30 minutes. Nearly there for the day.
3.30 pm: Finish work. It’s raining, looks like the summer is over. I was hoping to go for a walk, but instead I just walk to Aldi for a few bits. (€22.60)
5.30 pm: Make some green curry with tofu and fresh vegetables for dinner.
6.00 pm: The cats always demand their dinner pretty much at 6pm on the dot.
6.30 pm: Settle down to watch Netflix for the evening.
10.00 pm: I’m very sleepy, so head to get ready for bed.
Today’s total: €22.60
6.45 am: I get up, get ready, feed the cats.
7.00 am: Clock in to work and have the same breakfast as yesterday at the desk. When I’m working from the office, I normally just have a quick bowl of cereal before heading out the door, but when I’m working from home I have more time to make the porridge. It’s yummy, healthy and cost effective.
9.45 am: Break time, coffee and toast again. I reserve a spot at a yoga event in aid of Gaza and pay a €35 donation for it.
12.30 pm: I have a bagel with tomatoes, vegan cheese and fresh basil for lunch. I put on a load of laundry, and also manage to read a few pages of my book.
1.00 pm: Back to work. No meetings to break up the day today, so it seems to drag on.
2.45 pm: Coffee break. Have coffee and toast with avocado and then hang up the laundry to dry. Remote days are handy to get some housework done; office days take me around 10 hours with the commute, and I don’t have any energy left for any house work after that.
3.30 pm: Another work day done. It’s dry and even a bit sunny, so I go for a 45-minute walk. I get back just before the rain starts again, and read some more of my book.
5.30 pm: Make green curry for dinner again.
6.00 pm: Cat’s dinner time.
7.00 pm: We have a week’s holiday coming up, and the payment for the apartment is due today, so I pay €332 for my half of it. Watch some more Netflix.
10.00 pm: I head to get ready for bed.
Today’s total: €367.00
6.45 am: Get up, get ready and then clock in to start work. This morning I added some blackberries from the garden to my porridge. Feed the cats.
9.45 am: Morning break with coffee and a slice of toast with avocado.
10.00 am: Back to work. Today I have a few virtual meetings, which should help pass the day.
12.30 pm: Lunch break. Pasta with sundried tomato sauce and fresh tomatoes, olives, garlic puree and fresh basil. After I’ve eaten I put on the dishwasher.
2.45 pm: Afternoon break with more coffee and toast with avocado. My daughter is home from her first school day of the year.
3.30 pm: Time to finish up work for the day. I read for a while, and then take the bus (Leap card) to town for a yoga class (paid monthly).
7.00 pm: I arrive home and make some vegan bolognese with soy mince and fresh vegetables for dinner. Spend the evening watching Netflix after that. The cats only seem to bother me for food, so I feed them as well.
10.00 pm: Time to get ready for bed
Today’s total: €0.00
6.45 am: Same morning routine as before.
7.00 am: Clock into work and have breakfast at my desk (same as before, added the blackberries again).
11.30 am: Earlier lunch break today as I have a meeting at 12pm. I make the same pasta as yesterday. I empty the dishwasher while it’s cooking.
12.00 pm: Back to the desk for the meeting.
2.45 pm: Afternoon break with coffee and a slice of toast (I know, I’m very stuck in my routine!). I top up my Leap card with €20.
3.30 pm: Finish work. I then go to SuperValu for a couple of bits that I’ve run out of (€11.50).
5.00 pm: Make some green curry for dinner again, as the ingredients are there, and the jar of curry sauce is opened. I’m the only vegan in the family, so nobody else usually eats my cooking.
6.00 pm: Take a bus to town for another yoga class (Leap card).
8.30 pm: Get home and again it’s some more Netflix before bed around 10.30 pm.
Today’s total: €31.50
6.45 am: You know my morning routine by now.
7.00 am: Start work and have breakfast at the desk (same as before).
10.45 am: Morning break with coffee and toast once again.
12.15 pm: Take my lunch break – bagel with tomatoes, vegan cheese and fresh basil today, followed by an apple. I also put away the laundry that has been out to dry.
1.45 pm: Take my afternoon break, have the usual coffee and a slice of toast.
2.30 pm: I have a shorter day on Fridays and get to finish early – yay! I go to Aldi for a couple of more bits and pieces. (€16.61)
3.00 pm: Read my book for a while. I was planning to go to yoga again, but the daughter is feeling a bit under the weather, so I decide to stay home with her instead.
5.30 pm: I use the last of the curry sauce for one final green curry this week.
6.00 pm: Time for the cats’ dinner.
7.30 pm: Husband gets home from work and we watch some Netflix again.
10.30 pm: Time to get ready for bed.
Today’s total: €16.61
8.30 am: I get up as I’m going to a volunteer event with the Irish Guide Dogs today, so I shower and get ready.
9.30 am: Usual breakfast of porridge, chia seeds, peanut butter and blackberries, followed by a coffee and a slice of toast.
10.30 am: I need to get two buses to get to the volunteer event, so it takes me about an hour to get there. The daughter specifically told me to let her sleep when I leave, so I text her around 12pm to see if she’s awake. She’s still feeling a little poorly, so I advise her to take a Panadol and take it easy for the day.
2.00 pm: The volunteering was good fun. Husband collects me as he is on his way back from work. We stop in Aldi on the way home for the “big” shop of the week. (€35.98 from my part)
3.00 pm: I fry some potatoes with vegetables and ‘no chicken’ pieces for lunch. Ends up being surprisingly delicious.
4.00 pm: Husband and I go and help a friend move to her new house.
6.00 pm: We invite the friend to spend the night at our house, as she would need to stay in a nearly empty apartment before being able to move to her new place tomorrow. We order some pizza for all of us. I pay €20 for my pizza + half of the daughter’s pizza. We (minus the daughter, who goes to eat in her room) sit out in our pergola eating the pizza, listening to music, chatting and having some wine, before finally going in to watch TV for a while.
11.30 pm: We call it a night and head to bed.
Today’s total: €55.98
10.00 am: I get up after a nice sleep in. Have the usual breakfast.
11.00 am: Hubby gives me a lift to yoga and takes our friend home.
12.30 pm: I’m back from yoga. I put on a load of laundry and head for a 45-minute walk, which I somehow manage to get done without getting caught in the rain.
2.00 pm: I empty the dishwasher, hang up the laundry to dry, and make the same lunch as yesterday since it turned out so nice. I spend the rest of the afternoon mostly reading my book. The cats like to come and hang around with me while I read.
6.00 pm: I make vegan bolognese for dinner and eat it while watching a movie with the husband. The cats also get their dinner. After the movie we put on an episode of a series we’re watching, although I think I fell asleep before it was finished!
Today’s total: €0.00
***
What I learned –
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say