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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 chemist on €52K living in Munster. This week, a governance assistant manager on €71K living in Munster.
I live at home on a dairy and beef farm in Munster with my parents and my brother. My parents are still both actively farming whilst my brother is serving what seems like the longest apprenticeship in history, patiently waiting (for the most part!) to take over the family farm and put his own stamp on it. I work for a bank, remotely four days a week and commute to the office in Dublin once a week. In January, this will be going up to two days a week in Dublin, one in a regional office (which is about 10 mins from home) and the other two days will remain remote.
Pre-Covid, I lived in Dublin and was in the office every day and was working towards buying an apartment in the city until the pandemic hit and working remotely became the norm. I moved home during the pandemic as the apartment I was sharing at the time was a two-bed and space was at a premium in terms of setting up a desk in the living room. At home, in the countryside, there was a bit more space and you could go about your normal routine, getting out for walks, etc with a bit more pleasure.
After living down home again for the last five years and working the majority of the time remotely, I was lucky enough to inherit my grandparents’ old house which is a stone’s throw away from my parent’s house. I’m just at the beginning of trying to renovate and extend this house currently and have finally gotten a builder’s quote that I can (somewhat) afford and have been approved for the derelict homes grant. I’m trying to get the mortgage sorted now so work can hopefully start before the end of the year. It’s an old farm cottage that isn’t really liveable anymore and hasn’t had anything done to it since the 70’s so it requires a good bit of work.
I have a five-year-old border collie dog who, as you’ll see, features heavily in this Money Diary. She was a lockdown pup and spent the first two years of Covid working in my home office with me every single day. To say she is obsessed with me would be an understatement, but the feeling is very much mutual.
I’m in the very lucky position that my parents refuse to take any rent from me, and this has allowed me to focus on building up my savings as much as possible to go towards the renovation. I’m aware that this is not the norm and I’m not really living in the real world in that respect, but I’m really trying to make the most of it whilst it lasts by heavily investing in my pension, saving aggressively month-on-month and investing a bit in an investment portfolio to try and build up a bit of a nest egg for post-house renovation.
Occupation: Governance assistant manager
Age: 35
Location: Munster
Salary: €71,000 + overtime which varies month to month
Monthly pay (net): Approx. €3,890 per month – it can be higher or lower depending on overtime, but for the first nine months of the year, that’s the average figure
Pension contribution: €1,180 per month (20% of salary) + €710 employer contribution
Transport: Approx. €230 (train to Dublin once a week plus diesel for day-to-day)
Rent: €0 (my parents refuse to take any rent from me or my brother)
Household bills: €0 (same as above)
Phone bill: €35
Health insurance: N/a – paid by work
Groceries: €0 (my mum does the shopping for the house and loves it, would go to town for a few bits every day if she could get away with it)
Subscriptions:
Investment: €545 per month invested into a 60:40 portfolio
House savings: €1,750 per month which is a lot but only possible as I’m living at home
Other savings: €200 per month, split into a rainy-day fund (used for bigger items like car insurance, car repairs, etc) and a fun-day fund (used for gigs, travel, hotel stays, etc)
Specified Illness Cover: €60 per month
Charity: €20 per month to our local animal rescue centre
***
7.15 am: I wake up before my alarm and decide to bring the dog for a quick walk before getting ready for the day. I’ve been trying to break the habit of reaching for my phone first thing in the morning and have found that the best way to do this is to get out of bed as soon as I wake up or else I’ll be scrolling on TikTok for half an hour before I know where I am.
8.00 am: Facetime with my sister and my two nieces. They’re currently the only nieces/nephews I have and the first grandchildren on our side of the family, so everyone is all about them and we Facetime pretty much every day.
9.00 am: Log into work remotely and start going through emails that have come in since Friday. I’m a big believer in making a list (really, I just love the buzz of checking things off the list) so that is the first order of business for the day.
11.00 am: Fix myself an at-home iced latte (I’ve started buying decent coffee beans from my local coffee shop in order to make cold brew at home instead of buying coffee out multiple times a week). Play ball with the dog for 10 mins before getting back to work. She spends the day at the desk with me, so I like to get her out for a bit of fresh air during the day.
1.00 pm: Lunch every day is at 1pm sharp (much more a country thing than town/city, but it’s always been the way at home). Salmon, rice and cucumber salad for lunch, walk the dog and back at the desk within the hour.
2.00 pm: On calls/in meetings on and off for the rest of the afternoon. Some of my colleagues are based in the US so afternoons/evenings tend to be busier for calls/meetings which can mean staying on later in the evening. On the flipside, it can give you a chance to get stuff done in the morning before they are online which is good.
5.30 pm: Finish for the day, bring the dog for her last walk of the day. I always try to get out for an evening walk regardless of the weather as I find that working from home, I need the time to switch off from work in order to enjoy the rest of the evening.
6.30 pm: Light supper of eggs and homemade brown bread, an orange and some yoghurt. Eating my main meal in the middle of the day means I try and keep it on the lighter side in the evenings.
7.30 pm: Start into season two of Mindhunter (I know, it’s years old at this stage, I did really enjoy season one but just never went back to it). See an email from Gym+Coffee saying there is a sale on so pick up a new fleece. Don’t read the email properly so don’t see there is an extra discount code to apply at checkout and I am raging about the extra fiver I could have gotten off. (€61)
8.30 pm: Do a little bit of yoga/stretching. I think as I’m getting older, I can feel sitting at a desk for eight hours a day is starting to take a toll, particularly on my back. It’s usually a bit tight and stretching a bit before bed helps. Follow along with a beginner video on YouTube.
9.00 pm: Read for an hour before bed.
10.00 pm: Get ready for bed and scroll social media for an hour before putting the phone down.
Today’s total: €61.00
6.20 am: I tend to do a spin class at my local gym on a Tuesday morning, so an earlier start today. Bring the dog outside for 10 mins before heading to the gym and trying not to die on the bike. This class is half spin and half core work, so get a break from the bike after half an hour. It’s €10 per class with the ten class pass that lasts me 5-6 weeks, so it works out a bit cheaper per month than full gym membership. I like the classes and someone telling me what to do, otherwise I just wander from machine to machine and find it a bit boring.
8.00 am: I feel like I deserve a little treat afterwards, so pick up a new bag of coffee beans at my local coffee shop (it’s €40 - expensive for a 1kg bag, but will last me about a month and a half) and a slice of rocky road which I’ll save as a treat for later. (€44)
8.30 am: Log into work and get started for the day. It’s not as busy as yesterday but I’ve started sitting in on team meetings with another area of the business that I’m not familiar with, so spend a bit of time doing some reading up online to try and learn a bit more about what they do.
12.30 pm: I’m on dinner duty today so prep some veg, chicken and rice for burritos. I also make sweetcorn salsa and guacamole. It’s not the usual fare my parents would go for, but it makes a nice change from the more traditional dinners my mum makes. Have dinner and bring the dog for her lunchtime walk.
2.00 pm: Back at the desk and it’s a slow enough afternoon to be honest with no calls or meetings. I see that my mortgage broker has gotten back to me confirming the maximum amount I can borrow based on my salary and it doesn’t leave much wiggle room compared to the builder quote I’ve gotten, but I can make up the difference out of my savings. I notice it’s not taking into account any of my overtime which has been fairly consistent over the last few years, so I give them a call and they send me on a three-year salary cert for the HR team to complete for me.
I spend the rest of the afternoon frantically doing sums on my calculator in a bit of a panic as I need to ring-fence a 10% contingency for the renovation which will eat into my savings, and the derelict grant won’t be paid until the project is finished and the house is liveable again so all finishes, etc will need to come out of savings as well as covering the mortgage shortfall. I have a call with the builder and he confirms that the SEAI grant is awarded directly to the builder once the required energy rating is achieved so that’s not something I need to fund upfront which makes a big difference. It’s mad that with working a job with a decent wage, living at home for five years and saving the majority of my wages and being lucky enough to inherit a house, I’m still not sure if I can afford everything. I have no idea how people manage to get on the property ladder in more normal circumstances, especially as a single pringle without another salary to put towards a mortgage/deposit.
5.00 pm: Log off for the evening and bring the dog for a walk.
6.30 pm: Same supper as yesterday, followed by another episode of Mindhunter and the slice of rocky road from earlier. It’s delicious and very-chocolatey, will be getting again.
9.00 pm: Pick up my book for a bit of reading before bed.
10.00 pm: Pack my bag for the office tomorrow, get ready for bed and scroll social media for an hour before putting the phone down.
Today’s total: €44.00
6.00 am: Alarm goes off a little earlier this morning as I’m getting the train up to Dublin at 7am. The mornings are starting to get that bit darker, so put on the high-viz and bring the dog for a quick walk as I’ll be gone all day.
7.00 am: Get the train to Dublin, which takes about an hour-and-a-half and is a nice enough way to travel as you don’t have to worry about traffic and I can log into work and get started on emails if needed. Walk from Heuston to the city centre as it’s a nice day and am in the office for 9am.
10.00 am: Go for coffee with the team and catch-up which is always nicer in person than it is over Teams. (€4.60)
11.00 am: Spend the morning in one-to-one meetings with my team to check in with them individually, which is something that I do on a quarterly basis. It’s always better to do things like this in person in the office, but it does mean I spend most of the morning in meeting rooms and not a huge amount of time actually doing anything.
1.00 pm: Have a browse around the shops at lunch but don’t pick up anything. Head to Hong Kong Wonton for lunch where I get chicken dumplings and noodles (€12.60). Because I only go up to the office once a week, I do tend to treat it as a bit of a day out and I like trying new places for lunch, but when I start commuting twice a week from January next year, I’m going to have to be a bit more disciplined with my spending.
2.00 pm: Get back to the desk and do the couple of tasks that were hanging over from yesterday.
4.15 pm: Leave the office so I can catch the 5pm train back home. I always try and leave a little early and then log back in for the train journey home as it means I get home at a more reasonable hour. It’s not always possible with calls/meetings in the evening but the Wifi on Irish rail is decent enough that you can still do a few bits. I’m a divil for getting a snack for the train home (another thing that I’ll have to watch come the new year) so get myself an Offbeat donut for the way home. (€3.75)
6.45 pm: Arrive home and fix myself instant noodles with a fried egg which I follow with a packet of popcorn and a Daim bar before planting myself on the couch for the evening. Another episode of Mindhunter as well as a bit of catch-up tv before reading and social media scrolling before bed.
11.00 pm: Put the alarm back to a more reasonable hour for tomorrow morning and put the phone down for the night.
Today’s total: €21.00
7.15 am: Wake up before my alarm and bring the dog for a walk.
8.00 am: Make myself an iced coffee and get ready for the day.
9.00 am: Log in to work and get stuck into getting a few things done after a heavy day of in-person meetings yesterday. Book the train for next week’s day in the office. (€31)
11.00 am: Bring the dog outside and play ball with her for a few minutes. Check my emails and notice that my mortgage broker has confirmed that my mortgage application has been submitted to the lender which is positive news.
1.00 pm: It’s chicken curry for dinner today. Walk the dog before heading back to the desk.
2.00 pm: On back-to-back calls for the next few hours until it’s time to log-off. Some are ones which I have to actually participate in, and some are ones that I can keep one ear listening to whilst I try to get other stuff done.
5.00 pm: Log off for the evening and bring the dog for a walk.
6.30 pm: Another day of eggs for supper, scrambled this time on toast. I think if I had to live on one thing for the rest of my life, it would 100% be eggs. They are so versatile.
7.30 pm: Another episode of Mindhunter, followed by some stretches and then a bit of reading before going to bed.
10.00 pm: Head to bed and scroll on my phone for an hour before calling it a night.
Today’s total: €31.00
7.15 am: Same as every other day this week, get out of bed first thing and bring the dog for a walk.
8.00 am: Facetime with my sister and two nieces. My parents and brother join in also.
9.00 am: Log into work for the day and it’s a slow enough Friday morning. I have a couple of things to finish off before the end of the day but nothing too hectic. Friday is by far the quietest day meetings wise as everyone inches towards the weekend. One thing I do miss about being in the office is the Friday buzz about the place that was always nice, whereas working from home, it does start to feel just like any other day. On the flipside, it’s nice to get to 5pm on Friday evening, log off and already be at home, ready to start the weekend. Like everything, there are pros and cons!
1.00 pm: Lunch is spag bol today which is one of my favourites. It’s followed by another walk with the dog.
2.00 pm: One and only meeting of the day is after lunch. Once that’s done with, I don’t overdo it trying to get much else done. One of my favourite things about working from home is that you can enjoy the times when things are not hectic rather than having to sit at your desk and look at the clock for the afternoon on a Friday.
4.30 pm: Log off for the evening as I’m getting my hair cut at 4.45pm – another WFH benefit! Price for a wash, cut and blow dry is €45.
6.00 pm: Back home and make myself a sandwich for supper and treat myself to a Coke Zero given it’s Friday.
7.00 pm: Plant myself on the couch and watch Shallow Grave, which has been on the planner for an age but hadn’t gotten round to it. I thoroughly enjoyed it – just unsettling enough without being scary. Organise a meet-up with work friends and book tickets to a theatre show in Dublin (€51). Also book tickets to the Peppa Pig live show for next summer which I’ll bring my nieces to and can be part of their Christmas presents (€72).
9.00 pm: Read a bit before bed and then scroll on my phone for an hour.
Today’s total: €168.00
7.30 am: Wake up and, you guessed it, out with the dog for a quick walk before doing anything else.
8.00 am: We tend to have a standing family call to catch-up on a Saturday/Sunday morning. Both of my brothers are living abroad, and my sister lives about three hours away – we talk to her pretty much every day as the little ones like to Facetime. This morning it suits one of my brothers to Facetime but not the other brother, so we’ll do a call both mornings and hopefully get all the news from everyone that way.
9.30 am: Head to the gym for another spin class at 10am. This one is just spin with no core, so on the bike for longer and much sweatier after it. Go to Lidl afterwards to pick up a couple of bits my Mum wants for the week as we won’t have time to do our regular grocery shop today as there are jobs to be done on the farm. Pick up avocados, cucumber, sour cream, spinach, chicken fillets, broccoli, granola, mushrooms, limes, pasta and bananas which comes to €27.
12.00 pm: Get home, shower and set up my mum’s phone in her new jeep. It has a touchscreen and Apple car play which will take her a while to get used to, so I show her how to use Google Maps, get her podcasts up and save her favourite radio stations.
1.00 pm: Light lunch today of granola, yoghurt and fruit. Saturday is the only day of the week where we have our main meal in the evening, and I usually cook for everyone.
2.00 pm: Bring the dog for a walk in the woods near our house which is beautiful in the Autumn with the leaves changing colour and the lovely weather that we’ve been having recently. There’s plenty for her to sniff at and she spends the hour running all over the place. I pick some blackberries as I want to make an apple and blackberry crumble for dessert this evening.
3.00 pm: Watch an episode of A Touch of Frost. Don’t judge me – I’m aware that I have the same taste as my almost 70-year old Dad when it comes to this, but it’s a show that I remember watching as a child when we used to have only one TV and that was what was put on on a Saturday night. I’ve seen every episode multiple times, but I have my favourites that I return to every so often and re-watch. Perfect viewing for a cozy October afternoon.
5.00 pm: I fix myself a negroni and start cooking. I’m making a chicken and mushroom pasta for my mum, brother and myself. My dad will have some steak and kidney pie and rice as he’s very particular when it comes to sauces and won’t try anything that he doesn’t like the look of/doesn’t think he will like, so it’s easier to just make something separate for him that I know he likes. Get the crumble and steak and kidney pie in the oven first before turning my attention to the pasta.
7.00 pm: Have supper, which is lovely. It’s always high-stakes trying out a new recipe as my family are not shy in giving feedback. Mum says the pasta was too al-dente for her taste but other than that, she enjoyed it. The crumble and custard were a big hit, but Dad dithered over taking some as he is a diabetic and trying to cut down his sugar intake so he opts for a bowl of custard instead.
8.00 pm: Head to the couch and watch Conclave on Amazon Prime with my brother. It’s an interesting watch, although I find it drags a bit in places.
10.30 pm: Head to bed and am on my phone till nearly midnight before I put it down and go to sleep.
Today’s total: €27.00
7.30 am: Wake up and social media scroll in bed. The week has gone well trying to reduce this habit first thing in the morning, so I allow myself a Sunday treat.
8.15 am: Part two of the family call, catching up with my brother who is now free to fit us in for a chat.
9.00 am: Long walk with dog. I’d contemplated going into town to the park for this, but I have cold brew at home after purchasing a large bag of coffee grounds during the week so I do the responsible thing. I forego my usual Sunday morning air-fryer croissant also as we are going out for lunch later.
1.00 pm: Sunday lunch out with brother and parents, which is a rare enough occurrence to be a treat. Living and working with your immediate family day-in, day-out can be tense at times as there is no separation between what goes on outside the home and what goes on inside, to the extent that most mealtimes are dominated by farm talk and disagreements that happen on the farm tend to carry on indoors. Even though I’m not in the thick of it, the fact that I live at home means I can’t really avoid it either.
That said, living on a dairy farm that is going to be manic come springtime, we do make an effort to get out and do things this side of Christmas as we haven’t a hope of trying to do much in the New Year. Lunch for four comes to €118, which my brother and I split (€59). We are both conscious that we don’t really contribute to the running of the house, so when it comes to eating out or getting the odd takeaway, we like to treat the parents.
3.00 pm: Bring the dog for a short walk (she was disgusted that there were no table scraps smuggled home from lunch out) and then chill on the couch for a few hours.
7.00 pm: Finish watching season 3 of Hacks with the brother. We’ve been steadily making our way through it since summer and it’s only ten 30-minute episodes, but usually we like to unwind and do our own thing in the evenings. This is followed by episode one of the BBC Pride & Prejudice adaptation, which is perfect Sunday evening viewing, especially coming into the colder months.
9.00 pm: Pick back up my book and read for 45 minutes before getting ready for bed and scrolling on my phone until 11pm.
Today’s total: €59.00
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What I learned –
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