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 student on €13K working part-time while doing an internship. This week, a 23-year-old social media manager on €32K living in Dublin.
I’m a 23-year-old social media executive living in Dublin. I came to Ireland for my masters and have been fortunate to get a suitable job. The journey hasn’t been ‘a bed of roses’ but hey, that’s life. I live in Dublin with my boyfriend. We haven’t saved enough yet, but we would definitely like to start saving more for a mortgage sooner rather than later. I also need to pass my driving test and save for a car, start a pension and open a coffee shop somewhere down the line as that has always been my dream.
I have always liked reading this section of The Journal as I believe there’s something to learn from every individual, so I thought it would be interesting to keep track of my own finances for the week and see how I fared. It’s a lot tougher than it seems.
Occupation: Social media executive
Age: 23
Location: Dublin
Salary: €32,000
Monthly income (net): €2,080
Rent: €450 monthly (€900 in all)
Insurance: €220 annually
Mobile: €20
Groceries: €120 (€240 in all)
Supplements: €45
Savings: €100
Subscriptions: YouTube Premium – €15.99, Google storage – €1.99. I borrow Netflix and Amazon Prime from my family plus they come with the rent.
I also pay €300 for my visa each year.
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7.30 am: My alarm is set to go off at this time, but have gotten into the habit of waking up before the alarm, scrolling through TikTok- mind you, I’m not on TikTok – it’s for ‘work’ (not saying anything against those on TikTok).
8.15 am: I eventually get up and hop into the shower. These days, I have started showering a bit earlier compared to me trying to fit everything in between 8.30 am and 9.00 am, which includes shower, making the bed, ringing my mother and making and eating breakfast.
9.00 am: Monday morning is what you can expect at work. I work in digital marketing and social media remotely and while having my breakfast, I check my emails, reply to the texts and/or queries on social media and get started with my day.
11.00 am: More emails, calls and meetings to follow. Time for an apple. My boyfriend and I have fallen into a regime of working out almost every day (wouldn’t want to become a couch potato). He goes for daily runs, goes golfing at the weekends and basically excels at any sport you can name, and then there’s me, the queen of avocado toast (nothing wrong with that, right?). It’s a quick 15-minute workout that he finds on YouTube every month.
2.00 pm: Dinner that consists of turkey con carne, courtesy of my boyfriend. Afterwards, I continue working and answering calls. I also add €10 that I had in Revolut to one of the vaults for holidays.
5.30 pm: I finish work for the day. I’m also studying for a diploma in social selling on the side. Work has paid for it.
6.30 pm: Make a quick sandwich and decide to settle in for the night. Some Netflix, reading and mindless scrolling on social media follows next.
10.30 pm: It’s lights out for us as my boyfriend starts work at 8am.
Today’s total: €0.00
7.30 am: I have been awake for a bit now. Same routine as before – I have a shower, make the bed and ring my mom before work.
9.00 am: Work begins. I scroll through the emails while eating my breakfast. I used to have coffee with breakfast before, but I have started cutting down on caffeine lately. Too much caffeine makes me hyper.
12.00 pm: I grab a small apple for a snack and continue working.
1.00 pm: I do a workout just before dinner. I know mornings are usually the best for exercises but to each, her own. This works better for me time-wise.
2.00 pm: Dinner is what is leftover from yesterday’s turkey con carne. Our dinners usually last us two days. It’s always a great way to save on money and on food waste, and sometimes it tastes even better on the second day.
3.00 pm: More work to follow.
5.30 pm: I finish work and right away, it’s time to study. It’s easier to do it this way while I’m still in work mode because if I leave it a little while in between, I find it’s harder to focus.
6.30 pm: Finish studying. Quite mundane.
8.00 pm: Time to settle down and read a good book. Have got a pile of books to read through but I find I keep buying more and adding to the stack. I love how some people love reading on their Kindles, but I seem to lose all motivation if I read on it.
10.45 pm: Lights out for me.
Today’s total: €0.00
9.00 am: The same morning routine until breakfast. This morning, we decided to squeeze our exercises in before lunch. I will work fifteen minutes extra during the hour break I have later to make up for it.
12.00 pm: Another small apple for a snack.
1.15 pm: I start preparing for dinner. I’m making lasagne. I also throw on some chips to have on the side.
2.05 pm: Get back to work while finishing off the chips. Save the rest for tomorrow.
5.30 pm: Finished work for the day. My boyfriend and I head to the nearby Tesco to get some shopping in. We have most of the stuff but need a few extra. I also need some pills in the chemist so it all comes to €25. I also pay half for the fuel on the way home. (€27.50)
7.00 pm: Back. We find something to watch on Netflix to unwind. I’m a horror movie buff so I play something spooky – not everyone’s idea of unwinding, but I enjoy them. I don’t feel like studying today.
10.45 pm: I’m quite tired, so I shower quickly before going to bed.
Today’s total: €52.50
9.00 am: The usual morning routine continues with a quick breakfast as I’m inundated with calls. I’ve a couple of meetings to follow.
2.00 pm: I haven’t had the chance to snack yet, so I get on with reheating the dinner – it’s the lasagne from yesterday with some more chips.
5.30 pm: Finished work for the day. I log in to volunteer online with an organisation. I’m on their helpline, which means I have to answer calls in case someone rings for a general chit chat. The lines have become quieter since the Covid restrictions were relaxed, which meant more people were going out.
7.00 pm: I shop for a few things on Amazon on my break. An electric coffee grinder is a must as my boyfriend’s brother has got me an annual coffee subscription for Christmas and I want to make good use of it. I also decide I need a pair of compression leggings, a book (another one to add to the pile), an ice pack as my boyfriend goes running and pulls the odd muscle at times, and a few more bits and bobs. (€45)
8.00 pm: Back to volunteering for a couple more hours.
10.00 pm: I finish volunteering for the night and I’m in need of a snack.
10.30 pm: It seems like the week is catching up on me. I’m exhausted, hence I retire to bed.
Today’s total: €45.00
9.00 am: It’s finally Friday. However, it’s the same routine as usual followed by some workout time before I begin work. Bamboozled with calls again.
1.30 pm: I was so looking forward to the break today after a very busy morning. Time to eat – I have salmon and rice today.
2.30 pm: Resume work again. I text my friends as we’ll be going out for some food tonight. I haven’t seen them since August even though we live ten minutes away from each other (am I a bad friend?). I used to eat out often, but I have cut down immensely.
4.15 pm: Finish work early on Fridays – hurray!
5.30 pm: I have a shower and get ready to meet the two friends. My boyfriend is going out to meet one of his golf buddies.
8.30 pm: Head out. Have a cappuccino on a Friday night because I was dying for one! We get a starter each to share and then go for a main each. I get the vegan chicken bites to share and some Thai curry for main. I get a doggy bag later as I feel guilty letting so much food go to waste, especially since it tastes so good. (€25)
11.30 pm: Home now. Watch some telly with one of the housemates. Post something on my food page on Instagram as I haven’t done it in a while – wouldn’t want to lose followers, would we?
12.30 am: Boyfriend is back. Lights out again.
Today’s total: €30.00 (including a €5 Leap card top-up)
7.00 am: Wide awake at 7 am on a Saturday. Lie in bed as boyfriend goes golfing. Video call my family.
8.30 am: Shower. Breakfast consists of an egg (sunny side up) and avocado spread on toast. Yummy.
9.00 am: Clean the house. Put on a wash. It’s cold outside, but I’m sweating.
1.00 pm: Boyfriend is back. We’re leaving for Sligo shortly – that’s where he’s from. Dinner consists of salmon and some of the yum takeaway (Thai curry) I brought home last night.
2.00 pm: I have another shower and my Amazon parcels arrive. Give the coffee grinder a good try. Definitely worth the
3.00 pm: We leave and head for Sligo. Stop at Ballinalack. I pay €6.50 for coffee and a snack and withdraw €90 for the driving instructor tomorrow. I’m doing my lessons in Sligo as we’re down every other weekend.
7.00 pm: We arrive. Have some toast and chat away to his mother.
8.00 pm: Spend the evening relaxing and reading.
11.00 pm: It’s bedtime, as well as social media time, so I don’t realise when I doze off idly scrolling.
Today’s total: €6.50
7.00 am: Awake early on a Sunday. Have some breakfast and read for a bit. Ring home once I put the book down.
11.00 am: Go for my driving lesson. Have to pay the instructor €90 for my two final lessons. I had finished my six lessons a while ago before the pandemic put a stop to everything. Six lessons only as I have an exemption. Today’s lesson was just some practice sessions around the routes to prepare for my test.
1.00 pm: My boyfriend meets me near the test centre and we go to a pub as he was meeting up with his friends. I order a coffee. (€3.50)
3.00 pm: Dinner. Read again.
4.00 pm: Study. Study. Study. Monotonous, isn’t it? But what can you do, though, when you have to sit the exam in the coming days? Hopefully all this studying pays off.
6.00 pm: Have some toast for a snack. Studying continues.
8.00 pm: Jump in the shower. Scroll idly on my phone again when I’m done.
8.30 pm: Time to chill for the rest of the night. My boyfriend suggests we watch ‘Tinder Swindler’ on Netflix as it features in the top ten recommendations, but I can already feel my eyes closing, so I might not be able to stay awake through the whole thing.
11.00 pm: I made it. Bedtime.
Today’s total: €93.50
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What I learned -
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