This week: “I’m a 34-year-old living in the northeast with my partner. We’re not originally from the region but moved up here last summer for my partner’s new job. In my role I plan events such as workshops, film screenings, talks and community outreach projects and develop work with partner organisations. We are expecting our first child in late spring. We have been saving for the past year to build up a pot of money for big items like a pram, cot etc. and also a pot to subsidise my/our income when maternity pay drops to SMP and then nothing. Over the past few years I have got much better at saving as moving out of my parents’ house meant budgeting much more, saving for the future and gradually sharing finances more and more with my partner. We have our own accounts that our wages are paid into, then we each pay a large chunk of our wage monthly into the joint Monzo account, which covers shared bills such as rent, power, water and council tax. We also have pots we pay into monthly for car insurance, house insurance, baby stuff and emergency fund.”
Occupation: Assistant curator
Industry: Arts and culture
Age: 34
Location: Newcastle
Salary £11,744 (this is for 2.5 days per week).
Paycheque amount: £754.98 (currently on basic rate tax, hoping to sort this out by the end of January).
Number of housemates: Two: partner, M, and cat, C.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: Approximately £337.50 for my half of the rent.
Loan payments: £161 personal loan.
Savings? £500 in an easy access savings account, £7,872 in a Help to Buy ISA. I also have a joint Monzo pot slowly building up for an emergency fund, which has a couple of hundred pounds in it.
Pension? 6.75% at my new work. I can’t see how much they put in but I will find out!
Utilities: I worked out a fair percentage with my partner as he earns more than me. I pay approximately a third of all utilities, which works out as: £25.15 gas and electric (with the government discount), £25.90 water, £134 council tax.
All other monthly payments: £27 phone, £12.67 phone tariff, £20 parking. Varying payments a month into my house ISA/off my credit card bill (currently sitting high at £370 post-Christmas). Subscriptions: £12 to my brother to cover Spotify, Netflix and Amazon Prime (my partner, sister and her partner also all chip in), iCloud £0.79.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I went to uni to study an art-related BA (Hons) degree. I took out the full maintenance loan and tuition fee loan. As I come from a low-income household I also received the full grant amount at the time, plus a small materials bursary of about £300 a year. I worked part-time in an art gallery in customer service to get some extra income during this time.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
We knew we didn’t have much as we were on free school dinners during infants and juniors until our dad got a better job during high school. The mantra in our house was ‘I want doesn’t get’ and we were brought up to share everything. Our parents taught us not to live beyond our means, to value what we had, to share and, importantly, to cultivate a good credit score. It’s hard to educate on finances when you don’t have any!
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out for the last two years of uni, into a shared student house with friends, and moved back home after. I moved out properly in about 2017 when me and my partner both moved away for jobs and moved in with each other. Once we got jobs/turned 18, me and my sisters had to pay board money to cover food, energy etc.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I became financially responsible when I properly moved out into my first rented flat with my partner. We shared the rent and bills equally at the time as we earned the same amount. I always paid my way when living at home but was not fully responsible for all costs I incurred. When we moved away for my partner’s new job, I was only able to get a part-time job, so we now split the rent/bills a little more like 70/30. This means we end up contributing about the same percentage of our income.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
If a paper round counts then this was my first job! I got it so I had money for sweets and, most importantly, CDs. My first proper job with a payslip was working in a packing warehouse at 16. I worked there every summer holiday and long school holiday afterwards (I still had the paper round at this point too).
Do you worry about money now?
Yes! All the time. It’s always been my family’s number one worry. Even though me and my partner combined have a fairly stable income, the rising cost of living is really impacting us. We are also expecting our first child so we know that costs for us are only going to rise. Living paycheque to paycheque for most of our careers has meant we have only managed to scrape a small safety net together but I am very grateful to have it.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
No, and will likely not in the future.
8am: My partner, M, and I are both off work today. We wake up late and chat for a bit while stroking the cat. M heads downstairs to make a cup of tea (decaff for me). I listen to the radio and scroll on my phone for a bit. Text my sister as we are going to stay at hers this evening.
11am: After having breakfast (yoghurt with honey) we sit around doing our own thing for a bit. I do a little bit of life admin on my phone while listening to the radio. I cash out my Prolific earnings from December (£51.09) and put £5 on my National Lottery account so I can put a lucky dip on for Tuesday’s EuroMillions.
2pm: After some dinner (eating up whatever was in the fridge from the weekend) we pack our overnight bags and get in the car to drive down to my sister’s. It’s about one hour 40 minutes depending on traffic. I fill up water bottles so we have a drink for the car.
3.30pm: Get to Leeds and call in at Aldi to buy some snacks to say thanks for having us. We get some nice crisps that everyone should like, £1 for my share.
3.40pm: Get to my sister’s and there is no answer at the door. I call her and find out she is in Aldi getting some missing ingredients for tonight’s tea. We missed them by minutes! Sit in the car for five minutes to keep warm while we wait.
6pm: Teatime! My sister has made a big chilli with rice, salsa and tortilla chips. Our friend T arrives to join us and we tuck in while all catching up. I haven’t seen T for a couple of months now as every meet-up planned got called off due to illness. I’m 20 weeks pregnant and have had awful nausea, then got the flu, so I’m happy to finally see him. I’m helping T with an Arts Council funding bid for an artist development programme he wants to set up through his small artist publishing business so even though this is a social call, we chat about ideas so I can draft a proposal of the project.
9.30pm: T heads off as he is walking home rather than spending on the bus fare. We make a hot drink using the hot chocolate milk stirrers I got everyone for Christmas and watch some TV before heading to bed around 10.30pm.
Total: £6
8am: My sister is back at work today so we have a quick chat before she leaves. Me and M are heading to Liverpool to pick up a parcel that was sent to our old address by mistake. We have a cup of tea before heading off. I also call the hospital to order my next month’s prescriptions so I can pick them up tomorrow at my scan.
10am: Feeling very hungry so we decide as we’re still on holiday to have a little treat. Call in at the big Wetherspoons for breakfast. I get the traditional English breakfast and M gets the American pancakes, £6.50 for my half.
11am: Call in to visit my grandma as we didn’t get a chance to come down over Christmas as everyone was poorly. We have a cup of tea and a good catch-up before heading off.
1.30pm: Visit the Mamas & Papas factory outlet on the way to the motorway. We have a good look around, though the big savings are only on the large furniture items they sell as factory seconds. We don’t have the money or space for anything like this but we do find the bottle kit we wanted at a great reduced price, plus a baby outfit that Wednesday Addams would totally rock. At the counter, M spots a little reindeer baby sleeping bag reduced to £5. As he points out, the baby won’t know or care that it’s an unseasonal reindeer so we grab one of those too. The total comes to £50.50 for my half.
3pm: Arrive in Liverpool. Literally just as we park M gets a notification to say our parcel, which was definitely ready for collection today, has been delayed. I get very annoyed as we’ve driven such a long way but M says we should treat it as date night and do something fun since we’re here. He’s so nice.
4.30pm: Feeling stuffed as we went to Crust for a late dinner. I managed to eat the whole pizza by myself, pretty much. Such a treat and definitely not something we do very often, £15 for my half.
5pm: We head to Tate Liverpool to see the Turner Prize. We have fun looking at all the exhibits and chatting about what we like and dislike. As we both work in the arts we can get a bit too into the production value of installations. I imagine us talking a lot about hanging points, lighting and how works are fixed to walls and ceilings is not fun eavesdropping for those around us.
6pm: As the exhibition closes we head outside and I realise that even though I’ve been a million times, I need the loo again. All the fun of being pregnant. We head to John Lewis as M wants to look for presents for his niece and nephews’ birthdays coming up in the next few weeks, plus they have nice, clean public toilets. M finds some toys in the sale that he likes the look of and a little quilted jacket as a baby present for his sister. I also spot that they have the really cool Alessi Christmas decorations in the sale so I grab one each for my family’s presents this coming Christmas. Expensive now but I’m thinking of the long game, £47.50 for my half.
6.30pm: I still have the pregnancy-related metallic taste in my mouth even though the nausea has mostly abated so I’m craving a fizzy drink to help ignore the frustrating feeling. We both get a pop in Tesco, £1.50 for my half.
6.44pm: Back in the car, happy and still full, even if we didn’t achieve the parcel collection. Car park is £2.50 for my half.
8pm: Call in to my parents’ for a cup of tea and some hot soup for dinner. Good almost-halfway point as we’re driving all the way back to Newcastle this evening.
10pm: Arrive home, give C some Dreamies and a big fuss. Cup of tea (decaff obvs) before bed.
Total: £123.50
8.30am: Both me and M are off most of this week so today we have a little lie-in after all of yesterday’s driving. I’m currently always tired in the morning as even though I’m only 21 weeks, I already need to get up during the night. M heads downstairs to make a brew (decaff again) and comes back with tea and yoghurt for breakfast.
10am: We’ve been sat in bed for ages, checking out baby stuff on Facebook Marketplace. We find two items we still have on our baby list and send messages to see if they are available. Fingers crossed.
2.30pm: It’s our second scan at the hospital today. M is coming too as he couldn’t make it to the first one. We walk up as it’s only a 20 minute walk away and it’s not raining today. The scan goes really well, even though the person doing it presses so hard that my stomach is really sore for the rest of the day. We get a picture and take a quick snap to send to our families. I also collect my prescription while we are there. I have the pregnancy exemption certificate, which means I don’t have to pay for prescriptions.
3pm: Call in at the local Co-op on the way home to get milk, bread, a cucumber and other salad bits we missed in our big shop last week, £6 for my half.
6pm: Have tea of homemade tomato soup and bread. M makes this while I read some more of my pregnancy book and read sections out to him.
10pm: Enjoying watching some crappy TV and eating crisps. Head to bed as I start to get sleepy around 9pm.
Total: £6
8am: Get up with tea and yoghurt again. I’m working a half day from home today so I get up and get ready for a 9.30am start with my laptop and bottle of water.
11.15am: M is painting Warhammer at the table and I’m working on my laptop.
12pm: I message my midwife to let her know the scan went well and that I’ll need my MATB1 form soon so I can get everything sorted with work over the next couple of weeks.
12.30pm: It’s my sister’s partner’s birthday this week and we forgot to leave a present the other day so I order a Vue voucher to send to him as they both love films, £11.50.
1pm: I finish work for the day. It’s been useful to get all the little bits done. Usually you get so busy with delivery and project planning that some things get missed or delayed so I feel I have caught up with myself today.
1.15pm: Lunch of leftover soup from yesterday’s tea. It’s so tasty. M used to work in a kitchen so makes the best soups and salads.
4.15pm: Both of the items on Facebook Marketplace were still available so we are collecting them this evening. First the baby carrier, which M is really excited about. We stop to get cash out on the way and call at the first house, £40 my half.
4.45pm: Stop in at Lidl between collections to top up our shopping. Buy yoghurts, fruit, veg, bread, eggs etc. £4 for my half.
5pm: Collect the second item, cash again, £15 my half. M comments on how our first use of Facebook Marketplace has been really successful and easy. We will make sure to keep checking over the next couple of months in case there is anything else we need.
6pm: Get home and have tea from stuff we already have in the freezer to try to make some space. Watch some TV and try to have an earlier night around 9.30pm. I read for half an hour before lights out.
Total: £70.50
8am: Get up. I’m going to miss these late mornings once we’re back at work properly next week. Have a cup of tea and a yoghurt in bed together with the cat, listening to the radio.
11am: We’re getting ready to go back to Liverpool as the parcel arrived yesterday (for definite this time!). Pack an overnight bag as we’re staying at my sister’s again this evening.
1.05pm: We forgot to pack some food for the journey so we stop for a halfway-point break. We buy a sandwich and some crisps from the service station shop, £6.50 for my half. The sandwich is cold and disappointing but serves us right for not making something.
2.30pm: Collect our parcel (the pram we ordered in the January sales) from DPD’s Co-op collection point. Everything is in one piece and the shop staff help us carry it to the car so we feel much happier now.
3.20pm: Call into the big Asda to use the loo and pick up bits for tonight’s tea. We get veg, pasta, fancy cheese and some sweets for the car journey, £7.50 for my half. We also stop and get some petrol here for the drive back, £20.50 for my half.
5pm: Arrive at my sister’s and have a catch-up while making tea (pasta with fresh tomatoes and spinach and a mascarpone sauce, which is very tasty). M does all the work as usual as he is a good cook and I am only good at helping.
8pm: After tea we watch some TV together then have an early night as we’re all very tired.
Total: £34.50
8am: Get up and get washed and dressed. We pack our airbed away and tidy up the living room where we set up camp last night. We’re heading to Huddersfield today to meet our parents for a wander round the market and charity shops so everyone’s getting up and ready.
10.15am: Arrive in Huddersfield and park at the slightly further away car park as it’s a little bit cheaper than the one across the road closer to town. Every little helps. £1.50 for my half.
10.30am: Meet our parents in the market and have a good wander round each of the stalls. We haven’t been since before COVID so it’s nice to hang out and look at random crap together again. I find some super cute wooden toys on one stall which I just love. I buy them under the guise of being for the baby but realistically mostly for me, £4.
11.05am: We head into town and look around some charity shops. I find some waterproof trousers for walking, something that’s been on my investment list for ages as me and M go hiking quite often. I also find some maternity leggings and trousers for work, £21 total. My sister buys a lovely linen blouse and gets a book for my mum.
12.15pm: Look in Primark to see if they have any of the super longline sweatshirts left. I can’t find any but find a black oversized hoodie dress that will be great to wear for casual maternity vibes, £19.
12.30pm: M pops into Poundbakery while we wait for my parents to catch up. He gets a supersize cheese and onion pasty and some gingerbread people for a quick snack. He pays as the pasty is for him. Gingerbread person is deffo for me though.
1.15pm: We all congregate at Merrie England for a butty and a cup of tea. I get them for everyone as a treat (my bank balance doesn’t feel treated but I ignore it), £33.
3pm: Drop my sister off in Leeds, obvs use the loo again, then head back off up north.
5.50pm: Stop in via Lidl to get bits for tea, for tomorrow and for M’s first day back to work. Buy salad stuff, yoghurt for breakfast, juice etc. The total comes to £10.90 for my half.
9pm: After fussing the cat and giving her Dreamies we have some tea. Head to bed to read before sleep. Very tired so lights off at 10pm.
Total: £89.40
8am: Last day off so we have one last lie-in. We have tea in bed and chat for a while before getting up.
10am: Have a big late breakfast while watching cartoons. Fried eggs, tomatoes, toast. M also has hash browns, which I’m not super keen on. We watch too many episodes of Bob’s Burgers before finally calling it quits.
1pm: Drive to South Shields for a walk along the coast. It’s grey and miserable but we enjoy the fresh air and watching the waves. The rain gets very heavy quite quickly so after about 40 minutes we call it quits and walk back again. Parking costs £1.50 for my half.
4pm: Home and watching TV together before M paints some more Warhammer. We have an early tea so we can have pudding later.
7pm: Watch Glass Onion on Netflix and have pudding and custard as one last treat before work starts in earnest tomorrow.
9.30pm: Bed with time to read before lights out.
Total: £1.50
Food & Drink: £112.90
Entertainment: £16.50
Clothes & Beauty: £19
Home & Health: £154.50
Travel: £24.50
Other: £4
Total: £331.40
Conclusion
“This week has been an odd one with the amount of travelling. It has been useful to track spending as even though usually we try to do a big weekly shop, I can see how smaller shops quickly add up. We had some big spends on baby stuff, however we have been saving a Monzo pot for this. I want to do this recording process again during a work week and see how buying snacks and Greggs breakfasts adds up across the week. We pay into the joint account and most of these expenses come from that account. We have decided that due to the difference in our incomes, once the baby comes in spring we will review the finances to an even more joint situation where we end up with the same small amount of pocket money rather than me having next to none after bills and M having more.”
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Money Diary: An Art Teacher In Wales On 41k