Money Diaries: A sports officer on €42K living in Munster

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 social worker on €49K on maternity leave. This week, a sports officer on 42K living in Munster.

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I work in the sports industry with a popular sport which includes a bit of evening work besides the 9 to 5. It’s an industry of 12-month contracts, which sucks for financial planning and security. I do some volunteer coaching for different clubs but not as often anymore. I save about €500-€600 most months, more or less. I am probably saving for a mortgage, although with current house prices, I don’t think I would ever be able to get one.

I am living in Munster, sharing a small apartment with two housemates. My landlord is miserable and the place is falling apart around us. I use a spoon to open the washing machine, and the house is filled with damp mould. He has kept the electricity credits for himself and charges us the full bill amount without showing it to us. The usual. However, there is nowhere currently available to move to and I am scared in case it would be worse.

My main hobbies are cycling and reading. I have spent my life mostly on minimum wage and finally, after getting a Masters degree and sheer hard work, I am earning the most I ever have (a very recent change). However, like everyone else, inflation is affecting me – particularly fuel inflation. I got diagnosed with a rare type of bone condition recently so I have to see a physio, consultant and take medication, and it is vital for me to keep active to stay out of pain. I am close to being symptom-free at the moment.

I recently got a big bank charge from AIB and decided I was done with them and moved to Revolut. It’s been fantastic for me. I have my savings actually earning interest which compounds monthly. I opened an N26 account as a backup too. I have had a pension for nearly two years now and I have decided to up it to 9% to try and catch up a bit, hard to know if this is wise. I feel like I need the money now but the tax saving does make sense too.

Occupation: Sport officer

Age: 30s

Location: Munster

Salary: €42,000

Monthly pay (net): €2,890

Monthly expenses

Pension: €245 (7%)

Transport: €320 Diesel

Tolls: €70 – €100

Rent: €500 (cash only for the crook)

Household bills: Around €100

Phone bill + Internet: €28.45

Health insurance: Not affordable and I have a preexisting condition. Maybe something I will eventually need!

Groceries: €200-€240

Subscriptions: €10.99 Spotify

Personal Training: €180

Physio: €120

***

Monday

8.30 am: I get up to go to work. I have a protein shake for breakfast as I don’t want to get up earlier to eat a proper meal. It’s a 45 minutes/one hour drive to the office where I work three-to-four days a week. I put on the Dave McWilliams podcast. I pass through the toll (€2.30) to avoid 30+ minutes of traffic.

9.30 am: Catch up with colleagues and attend meetings.

11.00 am: I have tea and biscuits on site, provided – a blessing or a curse.

1.00 pm: I go to the local garage deli to buy my lunch. I was away at the weekend with my long-distance boyfriend for a nice break, so I haven’t done my groceries yet. Lunch is a wrap, Galaxy bar and soup. (€8.70)

5.00 pm: I finish work and it takes 1 hour 15 minutes to drive home – through the toll (€2.30).

6.15 pm: The roads are dry for once, so I get out my bike and do a couple of hours. A burst of endorphins.

8.00 pm: Dinner is a curry from the freezer that I made last month.

9.00 pm: Off to Tesco before they close for my weekly shop. I attempt to recycle my plastic bottles – the machine is down, again. I spend €61.03 on food and use my clubcard – not sure if it’s a scam or actually saves me money.

10.00 pm: I watch TV for an hour. I cancelled Netflix six months ago and I’m currently using my boyfriend’s Prime account.

Today’s total: €74.33

Tuesday

8.30 am: Up again to head to the office. Protein shake and an apple in the car on the way. €2.30 toll.

9.30 am: I leave the office to pick up sports supplies and meet some schools – I grab a chocolate bar (my weakness in life) while driving around (€1.20).

1.00 pm: I brought my lunch from Tesco last night, a ready made Fit Food meal of pasta. I manage a lunchtime walk to keep the joints moving.

5.00 pm: I drive home, €2.30 toll.

6.00 pm: Today I go for a run. 6km. Best feeling in the world. Absolute freedom. I am considering entering the local 10km race next month to have a goal, but it is hard to balance in case my condition flares up and it is a waste of money. I put chicken and chips in the airfryer and veggies in the oven while I hit the shower.

7.00 pm: I have a cup of tea – decaf – and watch TV. I have a long phone conversation with my boyfriend – the joys of living in two different places!

12.30 am: Head to bed after preparing food and clothes for the next day. I end up reading on my Kindle – I only get E-books these days.

Today’s total: €5.80

Wednesday

8.30 am: Off to work – the usual €2.30 on the toll. Protein shake in the car. This time I need to get diesel on the way. It costs €74 and I will be lucky to get six days out of it. I spend the morning at stakeholder meetings working with other agencies. This puts me in great form as our collaborations sound like we are going to change the world.

1.00 pm: I brought my lunch – Fit Food meal of Red thai curry, an apple and yoghurt. I put some water in my windscreen washer thing and see that my coolant is empty! Off I go to get some. I bought a big bottle thinking it is better value – it’ll probably outlast the car. (€18)

3.00 pm: I have a chocolate bar – a small Twirl – with a cup of tea. I spend the afternoon on the phone to sports clubs.

5.30 pm: I drive to training (no toll – happy days!) and eat a granola bar on the way.

6.30 pm: I arrive to the gym and meet my coach/personal trainer. I pay €180 monthly and I meet him once a week. I started it a few months ago and it is some of the best money I have spent on myself, even coaches need to be made accountable.

8.30 pm: I arrive home exhausted. I whip up a stir fry and nearly fall asleep eating it. I shower and spend the evening on a Zoom with friends who moved abroad and on the phone with my boyfriend.

12.30 am: I get to bed, too late.

Today’s total: €94.30

Thursday

9.00 am: Working at home today. No toll, no diesel and no commute. I sit down with porridge – berries, peanut butter, chia seeds – and juice. Ten times better than a protein shake. I put on a clothes wash – finally. Then, I sit down to an Excel file looking at club funding applications and don’t move until lunch. My back gets stiff.

1.00 pm: My friend is around and wants to have lunch, which we do once every two months when I am working from home. We go to a nearby restaurant. Their chicken sourdough sandwich and sweet potato soup is awesome at the cost of €13.50, including a Coke Zero.

2.00 pm: I hang up the clothes knowing they won’t dry for the week in the apartment and get back into the sports club grant applications. This time I start ringing some of them to offer support and advice on how they applied for the completely wrong thing.

3.30 pm: Tea and a Twirl bar. Random phone chats with a colleague.

6.00 pm: I drive to the gym as it’s lashing. I do 30 mins on the indoor bike and then I swim to loosen my back. I paid the membership to this hotel gym and pool about eight months ago for the year – €550. I sit in the jacuzzi for half an hour.

8.00 pm: I have some of yesterday’s stir fry which I was meant to eat for lunch so I add a turkey burger. I find some ice cream for dessert. I listen to a Guardian science podcast.

9.00 pm: I pack up the car as I will be driving to my boyfriend’s rented apartment straight after work for the weekend. It is about two hours and 20 minutes from the office. Then I watch TV – catching up on ‘The Mentalist’ which I had never watched before.

11.30 pm: Bedtime – I am exhausted, but it takes a while to wind down.

Today’s total: €13.50

Friday

8.30 am: The bike goes in the car. Back to the office, toll €2.30. A very long budget meeting reviewing the next few weeks of work. Lunch can’t come quick enough.

1.00 pm: I buy lunch today – I ran out of food I want to eat and I am so tired on Fridays, I am just lazy. Today it is €10.50 for the nearby garage. Wrap, side of spicy chicken, crisps and chocolate.

5.00 pm: Out the gap and podcast on, toll €2.30. I stop for toffees and a Coke (€4). Hit toll number two, another €2.30.

8.00 pm: Thai takeaway dinner with my boyfriend (€17). It’s halfway healthy and it’s Friday.

10.00 pm: Catch up and movie night.

Today’s total: €38.40

Saturday

10.30 am: What I consider a sleep-in, thank God. I was so tired. We have porridge and juice while we plan our 60k cycle route for the day.

11.30 am: On our bikes in the rain (I own good bike gear, the thinking being if I buy quality, it will last years – and I haven’t been proven wrong yet!).

1.00 pm: Coffee stop for the boyfriend – I don’t drink coffee thank God – looks expensive.

4.00 pm: Home to the boyfriend’s apartment. I had been eating snacks he had bought me such as granola bars and bananas. Time to get real food.

4.15 pm: Pop down to Tesco and the fishmongers. I buy four fillets of seabass salmon for €9. The boyfriend buys the rest.

5.00 pm: We have fried fish, airfryer veg and chips. Loads of garlic, lemon and butter.

6.00 pm: The bikes get a quick clean and the wash of wet clothes go on. Time for TV and a hot water bottle.

7.30 pm: One of our friends calls over to catch up, she brings chocolate and crisps and we drink tea. I am falling asleep but I am a social creature by nature.

11.30 pm: Bedtime.

Today’s total: €9.00

Sunday

11.00 am: A great sleep-in. I spend the morning catching up on text messages, some from athletes I used to coach. We have no plans for the day.

11.30 am: A full Irish fry up is breakfast. Airfryer so it is somewhat healthy. We chill out then and I read my Kindle.

2.00 pm: We head out for lunch – a burrito for me costing €13.50 and a Coke (€2).

2.30 pm: We stroll around the shopping centre but not actually shopping for anything.

3.30 pm: We chill out at home and look at planning our summer holiday trip. Then play some video games.

6.00 pm: Takeaway time. I send him €17 for my share of the pizza and garlic bread.

10.00 pm: The hard part, saying goodbye until next weekend. I drive home with music and a phone call with a friend.

12.15 am: I am low on diesel as I arrive home and I know I won’t have time in the morning traffic to get some. (€69.45)

Today’s total: €101.95

Weekly subtotal: €337.28

***

What I learned –

After keeping the money diary for a week, I realise I buy a lot of food and snacks while out and about. This is definitely something I can work on.
Considering most of my spending is on essentials like fuel and food, it seems okay.
Some months when I have extra expenses, such as car service, repairs or insurance, I really struggle to save – so I wonder am I putting too much into my pension? Especially since I am changing it to 9% next month.
I am delighted with Revolut and that I am avoiding bank charges.
The tolls on the roads frustrate me.
I think I am quite frugal in general and consider everything carefully, but I probably need to spend a bit more and enjoy life while I can.

Money Diaries A sports officer on €42K living in Munster