Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.
This week, a writer who recently quit their salaried day job to work on a first book. Income comes from odd writing jobs for magazines and brands. Living with parents, friends and other family while looking for something more permanent. Supposed to be saving money but failing. Most of it goes on alcohol and Ubers... old habits (from full-time employment) die hard.
Industry: Journalism and publishing
Age: 25
Location: London
Salary: No fixed salary because I’m currently freelancing four days a week, but I think it would work out at about 30k before tax. So far, companies rarely seem to pay on time, so it’s quite hard to keep track of exact income, despite my best efforts.
Paycheque amount: £2,650 last month, £650 of which I put aside for tax.
Number of roommates: 0
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: Currently nothing, although will look at getting a new place in February or March.
Loan payments: Student loan? Will figure out how much I need to pay when I do my tax return. That’s when you pay it, right? They should teach this stuff in PHSE.
Utilities: Currently nothing
Transportation: £38 per week for a travel card (I pay extra for Zone 3).
Phone bill: This month it was £95.07!! I was away for two weeks last month and kept forgetting to turn off my data roaming. Usually about £45.
Health insurance: I don’t have this but I have worldwide travel cover that I bought for the whole year at £50.
Savings: At the start of the month I transfer my mum about £500 in savings and then usually ask for half of it back in week three when I’ve run out of money.
Day One
12pm: Wake up. Not the most productive start to the week but hey, it was a big weekend.
1pm: Go to a café and work. Order a coffee and poached eggs on toast, which costs about £8. I stay for about five hours and get a bit nervous about not ordering enough, so tip a bit extra at the end. £11
6pm: Panic-buy some tampons in Tesco because I forgot I was getting my period. Am about as good at managing my period as my money. £2.20
7pm: Meet the girl I’m dating for a drink because I need to give her back some keys I borrowed the other day/ maybe it is an excuse to see each other. She buys one round and I buy the other. She is drinking non-alcoholic beer which is apparently very cheap – who knew! £6.45
9.30pm: Go back to my step mum’s and eat some cheese on toast. When you live with your parents it is amazing how long you will stave off a meal to wait for one that is free.
Day Two
11am: Wake up (I know but it’s nearly Christmas?). Make some coffee and Marmite on toast. Make a note to myself to stop having toast for every meal.
12pm: I'm supposed to be working on the second chapter of my book, but procrastinate by doing some “finances”. First I phone HMRC because I am locked out of my self-assessment account/ have lost the passwords and need to pay my tax in January. Then I try to figure out how to open a private pension that I can transfer all my scattered existing pensions from various jobs into, but give up when I see you need to do it through an independent financial advisor. I text my mum saying “Do you still get your state pension if you have a private pension?” Then I log into my student loan for the first time in the four years since I graduated and am alarmed to see that at £26,250 it seems only to have fallen by about £1,000 since I started paying it back. Decide to stop doing my “finances”.
8pm: Last-minute invitation to go out for dinner with my dad and my aunt. They kindly pay.
10.30pm: Go on my online banking and see I’ve finally been paid for some of the work I did last month so donate £25 to a Syrian aid fund. I don’t donate to charity regularly, usually only when a friend asks to be sponsored for something.
Day Three
9am: Up (better). Coffee and cereal at my step mum’s house. Start working.
12.30pm: Book a train to go to the Lake District in January. My ex is living in her parents’ house there to write her PhD and invited me to come and work on my book. Decide to book one-way and sort out when I’m coming back later. £30
4.30pm: Eat at home – oven pizza, my diet is not “balanced” – then go to the pub with some guys I used to work with. They cover the bill because they can expense it.
7pm: Head to north London where my sister is playing a gig. I pay for myself and my sister’s friend to get in, since she has no cash. £10
9pm: Uber to a friend’s Christmas party because it’s kind of an awkward journey by bus and tube, and I’m already late. £10.78. Jump out on the way and buy a bottle of wine to take, it’s on offer for £7.50. Eat at the party. A Christmas ham!
10.30pm: Another Uber. £9.66. Uber is my downfall.
Day Four
10am: Go back to my regular work café. Breakfast and two coffees – £11.30
2pm: Head into central London and buy myself a pair of trousers from a vintage shop that are almost the exact same as a pair I already own. £26
2.30pm: Meet my friend in Soho. Buy us both a coffee (last time we went for drinks he picked up most of the bill). We chat for a while then work next to one another. It’s nice to have the company – freelance can be lonely. £4.90
5.30pm: Meet a friend who is lending me her house while she is away to grab the keys. I get us both a half pint – £5. Doesn’t feel like much of a thanks so make a note to buy her flowers or similar.
8pm: My dad runs a restaurant and some of my family and friends are meeting there for a pre-Christmas dinner. I leave the house 15 minutes after I am supposed to arrive so get an Uber to speed things up. £6.51
10pm: I offer to pay for my meal but my dad spots me. Go home and drink a really unnecessary amount of sherry with my lovely step mum. I have very good parents.
Day Five
12.30pm: Wake up so, so, so hungover. Have coffee and Marmite on toast.
4.30pm: Realise I have done nothing for four hours. Do nothing for another three hours, except maybe delete some emails and have a bath.
8pm: Get an Uber to a friend’s Christmas/ birthday party. £10.08. Stop and buy four beers and some prosecco – £14.25
1.51am: £9.49 Uber split fare – my friend is going home. I am going... out?
2.30am: £5 Uber from a pub to a friend’s house, where I stay until far too late. From there I go to sleep at another friend’s – no email about that Uber in the morning so perhaps they paid for it.
Day Six
12.30pm: Buy a coffee £2.40 and go round to a friend’s place to lounge about and gossip while they do their Christmas present-wrapping.
6pm: Top up Oyster card £10. Normally I buy a travel card, not sure why I didn’t (hangover logic?).
7pm: Go to my parents’ friends’ Christmas party and try not to look like I’m eating everything in sight even though I’m eating everything in sight. Rude guest.
8pm: Go to the pub with my dad. Buy us both a drink – £9.10
9pm: Go for an Indian with my dad and aunt, he pays.
Day Seven
10.30am: It’s Christmas Day! I panic that I haven’t bought my mum enough for Christmas (an Emeli Sandé CD not really going to cut it) so buy her a Netflix subscription for a year. The first month is free and by next month I’ll have forgotten it’s even coming out of my account.
1pm: Arrive at my dad’s restaurant where we are having lunch. I don’t want to lumber my dad with all costs so I buy a bottle of prosecco for my mum and sister and me, and a beer for my brother. £28. After that happens, Dad is pretty much lumbered with all costs.
9.30pm: Two people in my family have cried and I can’t eat or drink any more. Tactically pass out.
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