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 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. 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 an IT consultant on €76.5K living in the southeast of the country. This week, a head chef on €43K living and working in Dublin and saving towards starting their own business. 

I am 28 years old, still living at home with my mam and sister. I’m the head chef at a gastropub in Dublin, which is about a 25-minute drive away from home. I got my driver’s licence earlier this year, which has saved me a lot of time and money. Before that, my options were either an hour-long, two-bus commute or to get a taxi, which costs around €22 each way.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve started taking saving more seriously. I’ve been working towards the goal of starting my own business. I have a savings amount I want to hit before I start, which I should hit by the end of this year. I cut back a lot on travelling, concerts and even eating out this year. I get paid weekly and I’ve been trying to put at least €100 away every week – sometimes it’s a bit less if I have something on that week, sometimes it can be more. Anything I have leftover at the end of the week usually goes into my savings. I also started saving in the credit union instead of the bank so it wouldn’t be easy for me to take back out like I have in the past.

Occupation: Chef

Age: 28

Location: Dublin

Salary: €43,680

Monthly pay (net): €2,782

Monthly expenses 

Transport: €203

Rent: €400

Phone bill: €65

Groceries: €240

Subscriptions: €16.99 for Netflix, €12.99 for Spotify, €6.99 for Prime

***

Monday

8.00am: I get up for the day, put on my workout clothes and do 45 minutes on my walking pad while watching Gilmore Girls. After that, I have a shower, change into my work clothes and have breakfast (two Weetabix) and pack up my lunch and dinner for the day. Unfortunately, my car broke down a few days ago, so taxi it is for today (€21.50). I start work at 10am.

12.30 pm: I eat a ham and cheese sandwich and tomato soup for lunch that I packed. I started meal prepping lunches and dinners in advance over the last month. Being a chef is quite chaotic and there’s usually no time to make yourself something healthy or even eat most of the time, which sometimes led to me not eating during a 12-hour shift and then ordering a takeaway when I got home (a surefire way to slap on the weight, waste money and, on top of that, it’s terrible for your mental health).

6.00pm: I heat up the dinner I brought with me and eat it as I’m filling in some of the day’s paperwork. I buy a Diet Coke from the bar to go with it (€2.00). I love Diet Coke.

10.00pm: Finish my shift and head home. Luckily, I get a lift and don’t have to pay for another taxi. Once I’m in, I jump in the shower, get into my pyjamas, have a little snack and watch TV in bed until I doze off.

Today’s total: €23.50

Tuesday

10.00am: I wake up later today as it’s my day off, but stick to the same morning routine: get up, walk on my walking pad for an hour while watching TV, then shower, get dressed and make breakfast.

12.00pm: An auto-electrician arrives to look at my car. After spending more than an hour looking at it, he tells me he can’t figure out exactly what’s wrong with it, just that it’s something happening with the electronic control unit. Great. He gives me a few options and leaves to let me think about it (€60). I’m seriously considering getting rid of it.

1.30pm: I eat my lunch and watch some TV. It’s payday today. I get paid weekly, so I send my rent straight away (€100) and put my €100 into savings.

2.00pm: Spend the rest of the day going between doing a few bits around the house and watching TV.

7.00pm: I heat up my meal-prepped dinner of chicken curry. It’s so handy to have a meal ready to go, so I won’t be tempted to order a takeaway

9.00pm: Not much happening today. I get into bed and read my book before falling asleep.

Today’s total: €260.00

Wednesday

9.00am: I get up and do my usual morning routine (go for a walk, shower, get dressed and have breakfast). Before I implemented this routine a month ago, I had little to no energy and my mental health had taken a hit, but even going on walks every morning has really helped me.

1.00pm: I eat my lunch at home before heading out to my local shopping centre to meet a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We stop in Starbucks for a coffee (€8) and a chat and then browse around the shops for a while. I pick up a new book while we’re out. (€14.30)

3.00pm: I go to Aldi before I go home to pick up my food shopping (€54.60) so I can meal prep before I’m back in work tomorrow.

4.00pm: Once I’m home, I put away all the shopping and start my meal prep. I always cook enough for three meals so I don’t get too sick of it.

5.30pm: Clean up the kitchen after putting the prepped meals away, heat up my dinner and just relax for a while.

9.30pm: It’s been a long day and I have a long shift tomorrow, so I read a bit of my book and go to bed early.

Today’s total: €76.90

Thursday

7.45am: I get up, do my usual morning routine and get ready for work. I order a taxi again because I haven’t sorted my car situation yet. (€22.10)

10.00am: I get to work and get a coffee – the best part of the day – before getting stuck in. There’s a lot to do today as Thursday is the day we start heavier prep for the weekend. I fill in all the morning paperwork, set up the kitchen and turn everything on, then go through the fridge, organise everything to see what we have to prepare for the day and then make a prep list. Once that’s done, I start off all the big prep that can be finished and out of the way so as not to disrupt service too much (anything I don’t get finished can be finished up by the other chefs coming in at 12pm) and then I start setting up for lunch service.

12.30pm: I’ve got three other chefs working now, so I take the opportunity to eat my lunch I made and start on next week’s roster.

6.00pm: It’s been a busy one. I heat up my dinner and eat it quickly with a Diet Coke (€2.00) before getting back to the kitchen.

8.00pm: I’m supposed to finish at 8pm today, but it got busy in the last hour and I still have to do orders and fill in the rest of the paperwork. Another 45 minutes go by and I call it a day and get another taxi home. (€24.00)

9.00pm: Get straight in the shower once I’m in the door, then into my pajamas and straight into bed. I scroll on my phone for an unhealthy amount of time before I fall asleep.

Today’s total: €48.10

Friday

7.45am: Up and do my usual routine. I’m more tired today and not in the mood to do my walk, but I make myself do it anyway. I’m on my way to work by 9.30am – luckily, I’ve got a lift this morning!

1.30pm: I have my lunch and a second coffee to help wake me up. I forgot to say, we get free coffee at work, so no cost. 

Related Reads

Money Diaries: An IT consultant on €76.5K living in the southeast of the country

Money Diaries: An administrative officer on €55K living in Dublin

Money Diaries: A marketing manager on €90k currently on unpaid leave after having a baby

6.00pm: It was less hectic today, so I’m able to leave on time today, and the sous chef is in to do orders. I got a taxi home (€21.10). I should have got the bus because I was off that bit earlier, but I just wasn’t in the mood.

7.00pm: Get home, heat up my dinner and watch some TV with my mam and the dog.

8.00pm: I meal prep my dinner for the next three days while I’m still in the mood to do it. Even though it’s a pain cooking after a long day of cooking, this really helps me keep on track.

10.00pm: Not much else happens for the day. I have a shower, go to bed and read for the rest of the night.

Today’s total: €21.10

Saturday

7.30am: I wake up and do my usual routine. I try to get to work a little earlier on Saturdays because it’s the busiest day besides Sundays. Another lift this morning thankfully, so no taxi for me.

9.40am: Arrive and do my usual morning set up. I also go to the desk and check the bookings for the day and make a mental note of our busiest times and how many platters we have on for the day, then check with the bar staff about what games are on and what times. This helps keep me organised for the day knowing when I’ll get my rushes.

12.00pm: I eat my lunch before we kick off for the day, and order another coffee to really make sure I’m alive.

1.00pm: It’s already time for a Diet Coke (€2.00). Money well spent.

4.00pm: We’re hour six into my shift and I’ve already heard my name being called probably a thousand times. It’s still crazy to me how uncommon common sense is. I get called to solve the most basic of problems and have to hold the hands of grown men constantly. I really need to book some time off. 

6.30pm: I heat up my dinner and eat it really fast, before jumping straight back into service.

9.00pm: No orders today luckily, so I get a taxi straight home. (€25.70)

10.00pm: Showered and in bed, ready to do it all again tomorrow.

Today’s total: €27.70

Sunday

7.45pm: I wake up do my usual routine and head to work in a taxi (€23.50). I really need to get the car sorted. 

10.30pm: Sundays are the best and busiest days of the week. We’ve got five chefs on today and bonus points that there’s no lunch menu on a Sunday.

12.45pm: After I’ve organised everyone and everything for the day, I eat my lunch and have a coffee.

8.00pm: I didn’t have much time except for service today. Sundays are always hectic, but they fly by. I add up all the hours on the roster again because by Sunday, they’ve usually changed quite a bit, and send them on to the owner. I also do my orders before heading home for the day in a taxi. (€25.50)

9.15pm: Late dinner today as I literally didn’t have time to eat. I’m starving at this stage, so I eat it quickly before heading to bed for the night.

Today’s total: €49.00

Weekly subtotal: €506.30

***

What I learned –

• After keeping track of my money for the week, I’ve realised I do spend quite a bit of money on Diet Coke (well worth the investment though, if you ask me). I have bought a multipack in the past and brought it in to keep in the fridge for when I want one, but I do sometimes forget, so possibly something I can work on.
• The car situation wasn’t ideal this week, and the taxis obviously set me back quite a bit of money. I think I’m going to have to sell the car and get a new one, so not an ideal situation at all. I could have got the bus at certain times instead of taxis, but when you’re doing 10 and 12-hour shifts, you really want to save as much travel time as possible and my commute without a car is two buses and an hour long.
• Overall, I did spend a good bit this week, but in general, I’m really proud of myself this year for sticking to my savings, my routines and not ordering rubbish takeaways all the time. I have really turned myself around the past few months and even though this week was hard, I still kept my good habits going with the routines and the meal prep.