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 data analyst on €42K living in Munster. This week, a retail supervisor on €30K who deferred her PhD for a year after struggling to find funding while paying off student loans.
I’m a young adult living in South Dublin, about 40-50 minutes by bus outside the city centre. I work as a retail supervisor in a supermarket in the city, and I recently graduated with a postgraduate degree. My biggest expenses right now are rent and paying off my student loans. I would say I struggle at saving.
I’m also staying on a stamp 1G Visa, which is something I need to renew/pay for annually (it costs €300). My goal has been to find funding for a PhD. I was accepted into a programme, but couldn’t find funding in time, so I’m deferring for one year. Otherwise, it’s a ridiculously competitive job market. So my best bet was going back into retail!
I have one more year that I can stay here, and then I would need to have sponsorship from a company in order to keep living here. It’s really important to me because my partner also has a stamp 1G Visa and we want to stay together. We’re both non-EU citizens.
I share rent with my partner. We are renting a room in a house, and live with another couple and one single man. Our room is €1,360 per month, which we equally split. My primary income source is from working full-time (40 hours, five days a week) as a retail supervisor. Otherwise, I sometimes contribute as a freelancer to publications. I’m also working on publishing a photography book.
A lot of my spare time (and my energy) has been going towards cleaning and organising the house my partner and I moved into a few months ago. When I’m not cleaning or working on my writing or photography projects, I’ve been getting into drawing/sketching. Otherwise, I like reading (books and news articles), going on walks, eating the food my partner cooks and spending time with my partner, or watching video essays on YouTube.
Occupation: Retail supervisor
Age: 25
Location: Dublin
Salary: €30,000
Monthly pay (net): €2,100
Monthly expenses
Transport: €80 – I take public transportation, €1 per ride with Young Adult Leap card
Rent: €680 – this is my half, I split the room rent with my partner
Household bills: €0 – no utility bills, covered by landlord
Phone bill: €20 – I top up with Vodafone
Health insurance: €36 – I’m required to have health insurance since I’m on a Visa
Groceries: Around €100 – I split the cost with my partner, so one week I’ll buy groceries and the next, he’ll buy. The difference is small and so we might make it up with getting takeaway for the other person or covering it in a different way. Our grocery list is mainly vegetables. We eat chicken once a week, but are otherwise vegetarian.
Subscriptions: €10 – Squarespace (I have a website), €35 – Adobe (I use Lightroom, InDesign, etc as a photographer), €2.99 – iCloud storage
Student loan payment: €543 ($637)
Other: €35 to €60 weekly on takeaways – my partner and I both work full time, and since we moved and have been simultaneously applying for jobs, we’ve been getting more takeaways. It’s usually once a week, but sometimes twice. Again, he’ll pay for it one and time and I’ll cover it the next.
***
Monday
9.12 am: I’m jolted awake to the sound of knocking on the front door. It’s my day off (thank God) but I forgot someone from Adverts was dropping off a spice rack I found (€25). It was listed at €15 and it was €10 extra for it to be delivered. I chose that option so my partner doesn’t have to spend 40 minutes on the bus to collect it. My partner and I agreed we could split the cost. I throw on a cardigan and run down the stairs, without even a glance in the mirror. I already know my hair is a mess but I’m risking it all to be courteous. I complete the sale with the seller (bless their heart for not commenting on my state and giving me a positive review).
11.00 am: Two baskets I bought on Adverts arrived (€7). I’m trying to organise the kitchen space in the house. I’m a very tidy person, and the kitchen is in need of decluttering.
11.30 am: I’ve run out of my favorite face mask, and I notice I’m running low on my shampoo and moisturiser. I really enjoy skin care and I also sweat a lot at my job and have naturally oily skin, so I invest in good products to take care of it. I first tried ordering from Boots, but the items were priced too high. I go to Amazon (how I loathe thee) and find what I was looking for at a cheaper cost. My order total is €59.64. There’s no shipping fee because I’m using the Prime free trial, but don’t worry, I’ve set a reminder to cancel. I also send an email to Boots’ customer service because I realised I was never refunded for an item I returned. It would be a €28.99 refund.
12.30 pm: I spend a couple of hours cleaning and doing laundry. The rest of the day goes toward doing the finishing touches on a book I’ll be selling through the Photography Museum in Dublin. The museum wants five copies, which is exciting.
5.24 pm: I’ve completed my edits for the book through a book publishing platform, which is also from where my books will be printed. There’s a 20% discount if I buy a bundle of ten books and I figure it’s worth getting extra copies. The grand total is €477. Yikes.
8.00 pm: My partner and I wanted dessert, but we didn’t have anything in the house. He has Just Eat downloaded, so he ordered tiramisu, chocolate, and a pack of cookies for €11.50. His treat.
Today’s total: €568.64
Tuesday
7.30 am: My alarm goes off. My partner doesn’t have work today, so I’m unmotivated to leave the bed. I cosy next to him for 30 more minutes.
8.55 am: I’m out the door to catch my bus. I’m trying to get a bus that’s a 15-minute walk from my place instead of the one right nearby. I think I’m gaining a little weight so this is my way of getting some movement in. It’s €1 for the 40-minute bus ride into city centre.
10.01 am: I clock-in for work. My shifts are always from 10am to 7pm. I bring lunch with me so I don’t have to eat out.
6.20 pm: My partner wants me to bring a couple of things home with me that we’re out of. I get a 10% staff discount when I buy store items. My total is €12.43.
7.07 pm: I’m out of work, and get the bus. €1 for my 40-minute commute home.
8.30 pm: I’m exhausted from work, and my partner is recovering from me getting him sick (I was sick the week before). We have leftovers of soup and sandwiches for dinner.
Today’s total: €14.43.
Wednesday
7.30 am: My alarm goes off. I was already half-awake. I woke up early from not sleeping well. I started my period, and on the first day I can get pretty rough cramps.
8.55 am: I rush off to work, tired and a little cranky. I didn’t get time to eat my breakfast, so I packed it to eat on the bus. I make myself walk the extra 15 minutes to the further bus stop because I read online somewhere that movement helps with period cramps. I just want to go back to bed.
9.18 am: The bus is a few minutes late and it’s packed. I decide not to eat my breakfast because I’m sitting next to someone and I feel self-conscious.
10.03 am: I clock-in. My €1 bus ride took longer than expected because of the heavy traffic with the rain.
11.50 am: I text my partner and ask if he can order me pads through Shuppa. I’m terrible at getting these ahead of time. One regular and one night-time is €4.50 each (€9). Why aren’t these free?
7.03 pm: I get out of work quickly because I need to catch my bus to meet my partner at Dunnes to do our weekly grocery shop. I see I can get a bus at 7.15pm, but it doesn’t show up until 7.25pm. I don’t get to Dunnes until closer to 8pm. (€1)
8.20 pm: My partner got here before me so he’s picked out basically all of the groceries. We finish getting the few last bits together. It’s my week to pay for groceries. I’m still feeling the burn from purchasing my book order. After using our voucher and cash back from returning our plastic bottles, the total is €42.79.
8.40 pm: We take the bus back home, so another €1 for me. My partner picked out two of the fresh-made pizzas in the two for €7.50 deal. This is tonight’s dinner.
Today’s total: €54.79.
Thursday
10.05 am: Day-off. I’ve already decided it’s going to be a big cleaning and organising day. The couple who also live here are moving out, and a couple my partner knows from his home country is moving in on Sunday. We’re very excited, and I want to get the house in order before their arrival.
2.30 pm: I finish cleaning for the day and make myself a homemade chai latte as my reward with oat milk my partner bought for me and black tea that we already had.
3.00 pm: I remember to send money to my partner to pay our landlord for rent. My half is €170, weekly rate.
9.00 pm: I get paid weekly on Thursday evenings. This payslip is €436.05, lower than usual because I was out sick one day last week. I also notice that I was refunded the €28.99 from Boots – hurray!
Today’s total: €170.00
Friday
7.00 am: I wake up to my partner leaving for work. He tells me to have a great day and I mumble something along those lines, still half asleep. I immediately squeeze my eyes shut again to capture that last bit of sleep, praying for my time before I hear my alarm.
7.30 am: There goes the alarm. I hit snooze. I can already tell today’s gonna be rough. I was tossing and turning all night.
8.00 am: My second and final alarm goes off and I officially wake myself up. My neck, shoulder and back is stiff as hell. I got myself a memory foam pillow for €50 recently, so why the feck am I still sleeping so badly? I’m a side sleeper so that’s probably the whole problem there. Or maybe it’s because my partner was snoring.
8,30 am: I scurry downstairs to finish some dishes and unload the dishwasher. I notice my flatmates left some dirty dishes out and food on the table, and they didn’t clean the air fryer. It’s alright, I tell myself. They’re moving in two days, they’re moving in two days. They’re. Moving. In. Two. Days.
9.15 am: I’m on the bus, where I’m also having my breakfast (€1). Yogurt, banana, nectarine, honey, and cashews.
1.31 pm: Lunch time. It’s leftovers from last night, which my partner packed for me this morning. Thanks honey.
7.05 pm: I clock out and catch the next bus back home. €1 to get home.
8.30 pm: My partner was home from work before me, so he made dinner. I’m so grateful because I have absolutely no energy when I come home.
Today’s total: €2.00
Saturday
7.30 am: My alarm goes off. I lay in bed for about 10 more minutes and then I get moving. I’m starting to mentally prepare myself for a busy day at work. Weekends are starting to get hectic at this time of year.
9.10 am: I catch my bus and head up to the city centre. (€1)
1.30 pm: Lunch time. I get one hour for lunch, and it’s leftovers from the night before. I’m already starting to think about getting takeaway for dinner.
7.07 pm: I’m finally out of work, and I’m exhausted. I’m now thinking that maybe I can make some pasta with my partner for dinner instead of ordering something. He’ll be home shortly after me and it won’t be too tiring to make.
8.00 pm: I’m home (€1). But all my energy is gone, and I’m exhausted from work, and we haven’t had takeaway since last weekend so I figure we can treat ourselves. I text my partner to find out what he wants to order.
8.30 pm: We got delivery from And Wok – the total is €44.49. I pay this time. We have enough food for our lunches tomorrow, which is great.
Today’s total: €46.49
Sunday
7.30 am: My alarm goes off. My partner doesn’t start work until the afternoon, so again, I find myself waiting until my second alarm to get fully out of bed.
7.55 am: I head downstairs a bit early so I can clean and tidy up the kitchen. The new couple (our friends) are moving in this afternoon while my partner and I will be at work.
9.15 am: I hop on a later bus since I wanted more time to clean up the place. I quickly made a sandwich for me to eat on the bus up to the city centre before I left.
10.03 am: I clock in. Today, since we don’t have a delivery, I’ll be doing more desk work. It’s definitely a nice break from being on the floor all day yesterday!
12.00 pm: I really need a pick me up. I decide to try a coffee drink – I don’t like coffee at all, never drink it, but I’ve been eyeing this one for a while and decide now’s the time. It’s €2.25 after my staff discount, and it’s fairly decent and gives my heart a little boost.
2.35 pm: My lunch break. It’s late today because I needed to get the order in. Leftovers from last night’s takeaway, still just as yummy.
6.55 pm: There’s a second supervisor tonight so I’m able to head out a few minutes early. I quickly get to the bus stop. I’m so excited to meet the new tenants. This’ll be my first time seeing them in person; we’ve just been chatting online.
7.35 pm: I’m home. The new tenants are lovely. They’re using the kitchen so I let them do their thing and get settled. My partner will be home soon so I’ll wait for him to get started on dinner.
8.20 pm: He gets home and we decide to get takeaway again. He’s buying though. Tonight it’s a meal deal from Apache Pizza.
Today’s total: €4.25
Weekly subtotal: €860.60
***
What I learned –
- I spent a lot this week, but it’s usually not this high. If I hadn’t paid for my books to be printed, my subtotal would be more reasonable.
- I find it challenging to set aside money, especially because I have a lot of expenses. I do my best here and there, and it is somewhere I want to improve.
- It’s really helpful for me to buy items secondhand, such as clothes or home items. I save a lot of money here.
- It also helps that my partner and I (mainly my partner) make all of our meals at home, and then buy a takeaway once or twice a week when we’re tired.
