This week: “I’m a 34-year-old senior project manager and product owner, living in Edinburgh. I moved here in 2022 from London, as I wanted a better quality of life and I felt Edinburgh could offer this. I’m pleased to say that I was right! I now rent a flat on my own, which is wonderful but also quite expensive! I’m not in a big rush to buy my own home, as it’s a big commitment and one I fear I’ll struggle with financially if I take it on. I’ve not always had the best relationship with money, but I really try hard to budget these days and ensure I plan and save for bigger expenses. Keeping this money diary is a chance for me to see how I’m getting on!”
Occupation: Senior project manager/ product owner
Industry: Tech
Age: 34
Location: Edinburgh
Salary: £52,000
Pay cheque Amount: £2,892.30 (although I just got a letter from HMRC telling me my tax code has changed, and moving forwards, my pay cheque amount each month is going to be reduced by almost £200 because I owe them tax.)
Number of housemates: None
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £795 rent.
Loan payments: I pay £224 per month in Student Loan repayments, which is deducted from my gross salary pre-tax. I also have one zero interest credit card with a balance of around £3,300, which I’m currently making monthly repayments to. This means I’ll pay the balance off before interest begins to accrue. My biggest debt which sometimes causes me to fret is my other credit card. This one is not zero interest, and the balance is currently around £3,700. I pay £400 per month to this card which more than covers the minimum payment and interest, but never seems to eat away at the balance quite quickly enough. This is the card I use in emergencies and when I occasionally go on unwise spending sprees, hence the balance.
Savings? The move to Edinburgh pretty much blew all my savings (who knew hiring movers and paying out for stacks of new furniture was so expensive?!). I’m down to a measly £550 in my savings account right now but I also put money aside into various sinking funds each month for different payments.
Pension? I contribute £146.76 into my pension from my gross salary pre-tax. My employer contributes £110.07 per month.
Utilities: £122 council tax (which includes water), £49.19 wifi, £13.25 TV licence, £45.27 approx for electricity.
All other monthly payments: £16.72 car insurance, £15.75 car tax, £18.44 SIM contract, £32.04 phone repayments, £82 gym membership. Subscriptions: £8.99 Amazon Prime; £6.99 Netflix; £10.99 Spotify; £3.99 Amazon Audible; £14.49 Apple iTunes; £1.59 Google storage; £2.99 Apple storage.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science before student loans got ridiculously expensive. My student loan covered my tuition fees and also some of the cost of living. I was fortunate enough that my parents and grandparents contributed towards my cost of living (I cannot remember exactly how much anymore). I also got a job invigilating exams at a nearby secondary school.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
In the past, I think I had quite a bad attitude towards money, taking it for granted a lot and falling back on my parents to help me out of sticky spots a bit too often. I recognise that I’m extremely privileged that they could help me when I asked, but I think I became a bit too dependent on that support if I’m honest with myself, and occasionally kind of just expected it, which is pretty bad! I’m honestly not sure where this attitude towards money came from, since both my parents are pretty savvy and careful with their money, and neither of my siblings did this (that I’m aware of). Nowadays, I have a more balanced relationship with money and I’m more careful. I have received gifts of money from my parents once in a while, but I’ve not actively asked them for money for years now.
If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
I moved out at 18 to go to uni. I’ve moved back home a few times between then and now, but I have never lived there permanently.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I became financially responsible for myself when I got my first proper salaried job at 22.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was working at a hotel as a chambermaid in a town near my parents’ house. I got it as a weekend job when I was about 14 or 15 so I had some extra pocket money.
Do you worry about money now?
I worry periodically. Sometimes I can have a completely chilled attitude towards money, and other times I’ll be more concerned about it. My credit card debt is always just at the back of my mind, but in the grand scheme of things my attitude is generally that money comes and it goes and there’s always going to be fluctuations. I sometimes think I should worry more about my future (retirement, buying a house, and so on), but I have never been a big forward planner, so I guess I’ll deal with it when I get to it…?
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
Yes, when I was 25 our great uncle passed away and left me approximately £20,000 which I spent on travel and paying back a lump sum of money to my parents that I owed them at the time. I know some people reading this will judge me for seemingly frittering this money away, but I honestly have no regrets. My parents also have a small fund set aside for me and my siblings for things like higher education, training courses and general life improvement, which I’ve dipped into occasionally to pay for courses and some therapy I had. I’m also very fortunate to be in a position where, if I (or my siblings) ever want to buy property, they have saved a lump sum of money to help each of us with this.
8:45 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I snooze it. It’s Saturday and I have a PT session at 10am, but I decide an extra few minutes in bed takes precedence over coffee this morning.
9:30 a.m. — Drive to the gym. I live on one side of Edinburgh and my gym is on the other, so I do this drive about 3 to 5 times a week. There are obviously gyms closer to home, but I love the vibe at this one and my PT is honestly the best!
11 a.m. — Finish my PT session. Today we focused on core movement since I’ve had some niggles lately and my training has been a little frustrating.
11:30 a.m. — Home for a quick change of clothes (don’t judge me for not showering, it wasn’t a hugely sweaty session and I’m in a rush…) and then I’m back out the door, heading for the train station. I’m taking a boat trip around the Firth of Forth today, which was pre-booked and paid for a few months ago. I buy my train tickets on the way to the station, £5.30 return.
12 p.m. — Grab an iced latte from my favourite local coffee shop, £3.95.
12:30 p.m. — On the train to my destination with some snacks from M&S, £10.75. I walk to the marina from the station, don oilskins and a lifejacket and we head out.
3:30 p.m. — The boat trip lasts two hours and is really great! I have a chat about power boating with the skipper once we’re back on dry land. I love yachting, and I’m currently looking for somewhere to do my Day Skipper theory. I also want to get my power boating certificate, so the conversation proves helpful and informative. Sailing and boating is generally so expensive, so I’m prioritising courses to save the money to pay for them. I pop into the marina chandlery on my way out, and gasp at the prices of oilskins, waterproof coats and sailing gloves. Needless to say, I don’t make any purchases.
4 p.m. — I decide to walk a different route through town to get back to the station. I stop on the way to eat the M&S wrap I bought earlier, and chat to my mum on the phone. We have a good catch up before I take the train back into the city.
5 p.m. — As I’m walking home from the station, I impulsively dive into a local charity shop that sells furniture, and stumble across a small coffee table. I’ve been looking for something like this for months, and I was going to buy something from Ikea. However, this one is £5 and seems too good of a deal to pass up. I buy it and carry it home, feeling very pleased with my bargain.
6 p.m. — I’m rewatching Gossip Girl for the fiftieth time, so I pop on an episode while I eat a couple of cheese scones, a bag of crisps and some mango. It is so lovely to have a table to put everything on.
7 p.m. — I get cosy and settle down to watch Love At First Sight on Netflix. The best moment in the whole film is when one of the main characters and his family drive from Peckham to Greenwich… via Regent’s Street. I snort laugh at this ridiculous detour (IYKYK).
12 a.m. — Before I know it, it’s midnight and I’ve binge watched the movie, and the whole new season of Surviving Summer. Time for bed. Double cleanse to remove my sunscreen, moisturise, brush my teeth and lights out.
Total: £25
8:30 a.m. — I wake up from a bad dream. I jump on my phone to distract myself and complete today’s Wordle and Connections puzzles. My eyes are drooping so I accept the inevitable and drift back to sleep.
11:30 a.m. — I wake up naturally. This is a much later lie-in than normal, but I try not to feel bad and accept that I clearly needed the sleep. I scroll through my phone for a bit, then get up and make coffee and a tomato and cheese roll for breakfast, followed by a protein yoghurt.
1 p.m. — After showering and getting ready, I’m on my way to do a beach clean in a town near Edinburgh. It’s my first time, and I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like.
4 p.m. — The beach clean wraps up. Nine of us have spent just under two hours on the beach and between us have collected 10.5kg of rubbish, most of which is plastic. It’s an eye-opening experience and makes me feel more determined to look into getting reusable sanitary products in future (the amount of pads on the beach was truly disgusting!).
5 p.m. — Go home via the Co-op where I pick up some food for dinner, and some snacks for the next few days. I’m heading off on holiday at the end of the week, so I don’t want to do a big shop. I get cheese, frozen chips, gravy granules, cake, bread and vegan ham to go with stuff I have left in my fridge, £18.73.
6 p.m. — Once home, I put on a load of laundry and do a bit of a kitchen tidy before making chips, cheese and gravy for dinner. A beige dinner feels appropriate for the grey and windy weather.
6:30 p.m. — Is there anything better than chips, cheese and gravy? After dinner, I spend time organising my wardrobe, preparing clothes for my upcoming holiday and cleaning the flat while listening to some Adele classics, and time flies by.
9 p.m. — Put six pairs of jeans (two sizes each of three styles) into my basket on the Next website and decide to sleep on it before hitting the “order” button. I know I need new jeans, but spending so much money and then waiting for the refund after sending back the wrong sizes is always a pain.
10 p.m. — Watch some TV and then do some research into the place we’re staying on our upcoming holiday. End up scrolling through Reels afterwards for longer than I care to admit…
12:30 a.m. — Bedtime — I’m definitely a night owl.
Total: £18.73
8:30 a.m. — Get out of bed after snoozing my alarm for 30 minutes. I couldn’t get to sleep for ages last night (probably that long lie in) so I feel sleepy this morning. I quickly dress, do the most basic of skincare and make a coffee.
9 a.m. — I decide to buy just four pairs of the jeans (two sizes each of two styles) for £130.95, including delivery. Of course, some of this money will be refunded in future when I send some of the pairs back.
10 a.m. — I’ve been paid today so I make some payments out for different things, including a £25 donation to Sail Britain, a £33 contribution towards a wedding present for a friend and £46 for my PT session on Saturday. It’s also another friend’s birthday so I get them a box of brownies from M&S for £18 to be delivered tomorrow.
9:30 a.m. — Work gets underway with a series of meetings and a bunch of scheduling tasks for upcoming work in the week. It’ll be like this through to lunch time now, with lots of internal conversations on Slack and further meetings. I usually lack motivation on Monday mornings (who doesn’t?), so I amble through my task list at a slow pace.
11:30 a.m. — I take an early lunch and make a sandwich. Follow up with a slice of carrot cake and watch an episode of Gossip Girl while I’m eating.
12:30 p.m. — Back to work. My afternoon mainly consists of meetings. I’m managing an important internal project currently which is fairly new and has only just hit its stride. I also have a new business opportunity call with some of the team, and a couple of internal meetings about other client projects. I’m still not feeling super motivated today, so I take things a little easier and tell myself I’ll make it up later in the week.
5 p.m. — Make it through the rest of the afternoon. Monday is really Mondaying today! I cancel tonight’s booked gym session as my period has just started too, which always leaves me feeling exhausted and a bit woozy for the first couple of days.
7 p.m. — Have veggie soup and a sandwich (I’m in a bit of a cooking rut) followed by more carrot cake for dinner.
8 p.m. — I transfer £475 to the tour company who’ll be taking us out while we’re on holiday. My friend G and I have split the costs of the trip so far – he bought the flights and one of the hotels, me this tour and the other hotel. I think I still owe him money as the flights were expensive, so I daresay I’ll be sending him more money once we do the maths and figure it out. This is turning out to be an extremely expensive pay day, but this is covered by one of my saving pots, so I transfer the balance back into my current account. I’ve known about this trip for a while and have been saving accordingly.
7:30 p.m. — Settle in for the night with more Gossip Girl. Reply to a few emails as I watch and scroll through Instagram.
11 p.m. — Off to bed. Quick skincare and I take my vitamins and some painkillers for my period pain before diving under the duvet.
Total: £727.95
2 a.m. — …Aaaaannndddd I’m still awake. I suffer from sciatica and tonight it’s really bad. No matter what position I get into, I’m in pain and the worst thing is, painkillers don’t do much to help. I distract myself with a podcast and eventually doze off.
7:30 a.m. — Despite the late night, I wake up naturally. I’m feeling pretty tired, so I decide to have coffee in bed and laze around for another hour and a half.
9 a.m. — Finally up, have a shower, get ready and log on for the day. When I open Slack, I have 20 messages awaiting me. Sob.
11:30 a.m. — Grab two slices of bread with butter and marmite and an apple for a late breakfast/early lunch, and eat while working.
12:15 p.m. — Take my actual lunch break. Head out to return an ASOS parcel and get some air. I’m feeling some anxiety today, probably because I’m tired and I’ve got lots to do before heading off on holiday. When I’m back, I water my plants and then make pasta for a proper lunch, which I eat while watching, you guessed it, an episode of Gossip Girl.
2 p.m. — My jean delivery arrives in the middle of a meeting — it’s always the way, isn’t it? Finish the call and try them on. They’re not amazing, but one pair fits and will do as I need them before I go away. I pack up the others to be returned in the next couple of weeks.
3 p.m. — Grab a protein yoghurt to eat and crack on with my afternoon of work while trying out Spotify’s new AI DJ. I’m not convinced.
4 p.m. — Fall down an unlikely rabbit hole trying to find out more about Taylor Swift’s rumoured new beau Travis Kelce. I love a bit of celebrity gossip, and the internet is all lit up with this story. Eat a few segments of Terry’s chocolate orange while I’m down my rabbit hole — Christmas is coming!
4:30 p.m. — Final meeting of the day. This call is with a client, and the usual account manager is on holiday, so I’m leading today. Luckily, the client is lovely and we have a good chat about the project.
6 p.m. — Work is finally finished for the day. The client meeting overran, and I had some urgent tasks to action straight after before I wrapped up. Now I’m done, I change into gym gear and get ready to head to my class. I’m early so I can have a quick call with my sister before I go in.
8 p.m. — Finish the gym class. It’s a toughie but a goodie tonight, and for the first time in a while I don’t feel my niggles, aches or pains and feel great when I leave. So satisfying!
8:15 p.m. — Go and get some petrol, £25.01. This will be transferred back to my current account from my sinking fund for petrol.
9:30 p.m. — Head home via big Sainsbury’s and do a pre-holiday toiletries shop. I also pick up some light bulbs (the wrong size, as it turns out, bleargh!) and some vegan bacon to make BLTs when I get home, £53.93.
10 p.m. — I’m starving by the time I eat, and the BLT disappears in minutes. Pop a load of laundry in the machine and take a shower, then settle down to watch a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl before bed.
11:30 p.m. — Empty the washing machine, do a quick skincare routine and head to bed.
Total: £78.94
7 a.m. — Wake up a bit earlier than usual as I have a doctor’s appointment at 8am. Get dressed and ready, then walk to the surgery.
8 a.m. — Get my blood taken in double quick time, and head back home. I make a coffee and get back into bed to drink it while scrolling my phone.
10 a.m. — Start work later today. It’s “Quiet Wednesdays”, which means there are no meetings in the morning, which is nice. We’re also meant to stay off comms on Slack so I get on with my to-do list of tasks.
12:30 p.m. — Make some food for lunch (sandwiches again, don’t judge me, I’m literally all out of food at this point and don’t want to shop before my holiday). Prep for an interview I have at 1pm.
2 p.m. — The interview seemed to go well, but now I have a thumping headache. Pop some painkillers and hope it clears off. I cancel dinner with my friend tonight as I’m feeling stressed about everything I need to do before going away. Get my head back into work mode for the afternoon and crack on.
5:45 p.m. — Finish work for the day. The rest of the afternoon was a lot of meetings, but the painkillers have worked and my headache has disappeared. Fingers crossed it doesn’t come back. I’ve got lots to do, but I am the queen of procrastination, so I start the evening by eating the rest of my Terry’s chocolate orange and watching another episode of Gossip Girl because who doesn’t love leaving everything until the last minute and then having a big stress about it?
7 p.m. — Start packing properly. Try on a few outfits and repack a couple of times to get everything fitted in. I fluctuate between being a careful, carry-on kind of packer to overdoing it, and this time, I’m definitely overdoing it. I pack lots more clothes than I need, but I find in hot countries it’s always good to have a few outfit changes and I want to feel my best while wearing fewer layers.
9 p.m. — Have a scrappy dinner of leftovers in the freezer and fridge. Very unhealthy, bar two tomatoes.
11 p.m. — Get in bed, having cleaned the flat and had a “spa” shower. It’s an early start tomorrow (my train is at 6.25 a.m.) so I hope I sleep okay. I find if I have an earlier start I tend not to sleep well as I get worried I won’t wake up and so on. I’m also off on a trip which, although needed and it’ll ultimately be restful, I am feeling anxious about right now. It’s a combination of trying to ensure I’ve remembered everything, the early start, seeing people (I’m a little bit introverted) and everything else, basically. Let’s see how I go…
Total: £0
5:15 a.m. — Awake and up! Quickly get dressed, finish packing, do a few last minute bits and then I’m out the door to catch the bus to the station. The cost of the bus ticket will be charged tomorrow.
6:30 a.m. — Grab a Pret coffee, £3.60. Despite the early start, I always like getting the train down to London at this time because you get to see a good sunrise as you travel down the east coast.
9:45 a.m. — Start work on the train. Have a couple of meetings that I listen in on (connection isn’t the best) and crack on with my task list for the day. I know once I arrive in the office I’ll probably do less work than normal due to human interaction distractions, so I want to get a few bits out of the way before I get there.
11:45 a.m. — Go and get an early Leon lunch with my colleague and friend, £10.98. We don’t get to hang out in real life very often so it’s great to catch up. I also pop to Co-op after to buy some fruit as I feel like I’ve been ridiculously unhealthy lately, £2.90.
4 p.m. — As anticipated, my output has dropped significantly from being in the office today. Attending some meetings helps me to feel more productive than I’ve actually been. I book a meeting room for tomorrow to ensure I can take myself off and get all my work done without distractions before I go on holiday.
5 p.m. — And I’m done for the day! I head to my friend G’s house where I’m staying and we catch up. I haven’t seen him for over a month so it’s good to have a proper chat.
7 p.m. — Order Mexican takeaway. It comes to £73 total, which I pay for, as I still owe G money for the holiday. When it arrives, most of my meal is missing from the order. Log a complaint and receive £24 credit which I immediately spend on getting something from Wagamama as I’m starving. G nips out to buy beers and comes back with a Bounty bar as a treat for me, the absolute gem.
11 p.m. — After some good chats, it’s bedtime. I’m on the sofa bed, so set it up and scroll through Instagram before turning on a podcast and turning off the lights.
Total: £90.48
7 a.m. — Alarm goes, I turn it off and have 30 more minutes.
7:30 a.m. — G delivers a coffee to me in bed because he’s the best. We have a brief chat, then I shower and get dressed and head out the door. TfL have charged me for yesterday’s travel, £6.10. I’ve also been charged for the bus to the station in Edinburgh, £2.
9 a.m. — Grab an iced latte and a cheese scone from Gail’s. Gail’s cheese scones are literally the best things ever, and I always have at least one when I’m in London, £6.60.
1 p.m. — After a busy morning updating a website and sorting out my pre-holiday handover, it’s time for lunch. Sort out my bags to ensure my liquids are in my checked luggage, then go and grab a sandwich from Gail’s with a colleague. £8.80 (I also get a cheese straw).
1:30 p.m. — Back to work, two meetings and then one more hour of work before freeeeeedom!
3:30 p.m. — IT’S TIME TO GO ON HOLIDAY!
5 p.m. — Get to the airport. I quickly get changed into comfortable leggings, then go through security and go to the lounge that my friend G has access to. Enjoy a couple of free drinks and some food before going to our gate.
7:30 p.m. — Take off. Our first flight is a quick hop over the channel to Paris, where we’ll be roughing it in the airport for the night as the hotels were all so expensive.
10 p.m. — We’ve found the lounge (thank goodness for that access — the chairs are much comfier) and settle in for the night. I watch a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl that I previously downloaded. I try to sleep but I know I’m in for a restless night. At least tomorrow when we finally arrive in Tunisia we’ll be able to fully relax following our overnight airport stint.
Total: £23.50
Food & Drink: £211.23
Clothes & Beauty: £130.95
Home & Health: £51
Entertainment: £0
Travel: £38.41
Other: £533
Total: £964.60
Conclusion
“This was not a normal week of spending for me. The most normal day was when I spent £0, which during the week is pretty regular for me. However, with the final payment for my upcoming holiday, the purchase of the jeans and the holiday toiletries haul, this was never going to be a cheap week. I had planned for this and my final payment towards the holiday was saved for. This week also involved a night in London before going on holiday and I always eat out more there, which again is not a usual occurrence. Overall, considering the type of week it was, I feel okay about my spending. If you were to subtract the unusual payments, I’d end up with a fairly reasonable weekly spend and I’m happy with that.”
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