A NEW YEAR is upon us, and despite the Government’s energy credits and the slight drop in the rate of inflation, people are still feeling the pinch from the increased cost of living.

Readers here at The Journal will be familiar with our popular How I Spend My Money series, which looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.

Over the years, the series has chronicled the lives and financial ups and downs of hundreds of readers. More recently, the Money Diaries also reflected how life (and often incomes) had changed for everyone during the pandemic.

So we are asking readers to get in touch and write a Money Diary to help us understand how people are handling their finances in 2023.

Would my diary be of interest?

Absolutely. Everyone is in a different place when it comes to money and will have different incomes and outgoings. 

Everyone also has different approaches to finances. For instance, are you a good saver, or does money burn a hole in your pocket? Can you afford a pension? What about mortgages, are you confident you could qualify for one, are you meeting your mortgage payments?

If none of the above even seems remotely possible right now, then we also want to hear from you. It’s not an easy time and we get that, so you might just feel like saying ‘I can’t make ends meet’ and that’s ok too.

How does it work?

Over the course of a week, we ask you, our readers, to keep a record of how much you earn, what you save if anything, and what you spend your money on.

Send a message of interest to money@thejournal.ie and we will send back a diary template.

Our Money Diaries readers also love to hear about your day, what kind of routine you have, what you had for dinner – all of it. Woven into that is a note through the day about how much you spent on groceries, incidentals and other expenses.

Readers often get helpful information and tips from reading the diaries, so include details about Revolut vaults or other handy savings tips you might have.

What next?

If you’re interested in keeping a diary for a week, send an email to money@thejournal.ie and we’ll get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More