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 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. 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 an engineering director on €75K living in Co Wicklow. This week, A clerical officer on €32K living in Leinster and trying to save for a deposit for a mortgage.
I’m currently living at home with my parents in Leinster (not Dublin) as house prices here are crazy. I began my job in the local authority at the beginning of the year, and this has allowed me to really start putting away money for some long-term goals.
Before this, I was working as a yard operative and delivery driver. I’m relatively good with saving, so the pay bump compared to my last jobs is helping me figure out how to do this better.
I’m trying to save up for a mortgage deposit at the moment, but options around me are limited. My girlfriend and I have talked about buying a derelict and doing it up, or else I’ll try to transfer to another county with lower prices.
My main hobby would be music, and I’m on the go with that a lot of the time, so that brings in a little extra income from gigs, etc.
Occupation: Clerical officer
Age: 34
Location: Leinster
Salary: €32,000 thereabouts
Monthly pay (net): Roughly €2,000
Monthly expenses
Transport: €90
Rent: €400 a month to my parents
Household bills: The money I give my parents covers bills
Phone bill: €20 a month
Health insurance: €45
Groceries: €100-150
Subscriptions: €20 Union dues, €30-odd for charities (Unicef and Uplift), €22 Spotify for me, mam, and my brother, €12 Patreon for an education channel I like, €6 for a streaming service, and €5 for The Journal.
Other: €75 the odd time for speech therapy, €50 for my half of a couples’ gym membership
Savings: €440 every month, and I’ll top it up with spare cash I get from gigs etc when I can
***
Monday
9.20am: Wake up late as it’s a bank holiday. I stayed in my girlfriend’s flat as I was coming home late from a gig, so I’m woken up by the cat. Text one of the lads in the band to see if he wants to go for a coffee before heading off on the bus. His bus is in 20 minutes, so I’m up and out the door in five. I buy us the coffees and a cookie for myself (€9.00). I wouldn’t normally have sugar for breakfast, but it’s the end of a long weekend. I’ve been running on fumes the whole weekend with gigs, so I figure that I fell off the wagon on Friday and it’s best to just let it be.
11.00am: My girlfriend and I have a busy day ahead so it’s off to the gym first of all. We got a couple’s membership a few months ago and have been using it relatively often (I’m trying to get into a habit). The place is absolutely packed as it’s pretty small, and I’m very tired, but I get through it. They have coffee and protein food at the counter, but I wouldn’t pay for either. The bars are full of crap, and my heart rate is already up.
12.45pm: Showered and out the door to head off on our date. We had planned this a while ago as we haven’t had many chances for dates recently, between work and gigs. We’re strapped for time today unfortunately, as we have to make a friend’s house to drop off birthday gifts, and then we have a rehearsal in the evening, but you take it where you can.
1.30pm: We get to the restaurant in a nearby town. I haven’t heard of it, but herself has. It’s a miserable day, but the place is absolutely stuffed. It’s in an old, converted church, which is pretty cool. The girl at the desk tells us it’ll be a 45-minute wait for a table (Jaysus!), so we get coffees in the meantime and a couple of protein balls. My girlfriend pays for these, as I said I’d get the lunch. The pair of us are absolutely starving at this stage.
2.15pm: I opted for some fancy yoke of a coffee, and it’s alright. Caramel and sea salt (it was far from caramel and sea-salt you were reared…). The sweets are out in full force today. They’re fairly on it with the timing, as we get called to head to our table. Staff are super stressed out with the amount of people.
3.20pm: Food was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait. I just ordered an Italian club sandwich with a few chips. Tasty stuff, and the howling in the belly is quieted for now. We enjoyed the place well enough, but left with the impression that they aren’t using the space as well as they could. It’s a unique building, but the decor is as run-of-the-mill as you can get. Also fairly pricey for what in reality amounted to a sandwich, a burrito, some chips and a few bits of fried feta (€42.22).
3.52pm: We land at our friend’s house to drop off the gifts. They live in a little thatch cottage in the countryside, and it’s very wholesome. We haven’t been out in a while, so we get a tour of what’s happening lately in the garden (himself is an organic farmer) after some tea and chats in the house. Go for a walk towards the canal, get a little drenched from the rain, and back on the road to make rehearsal, with a vase of wildflowers and a fresh leek for the trip.
6.40pm: I head to the shop to pick up some food and drinks for the other people in the group as I’m hosting the rehearsal in my parents’ gaff. We have a gig on the weekend, and the group is a collection of us who haven’t played together in that context yet, so we’re excited. My girlfriend paid for the pizzas, and I pick up some non-alcoholic beers, as folks are driving (€14.12).
9.40pm: We finish up the practice, and I drop herself home. I won’t be paid till the end of the week, and a bunch of bills are due to go out in the morning, so I head to the bank to deposit some cash to cover that, but WHOA! Cash deposits are unavailable at the moment. Uh-oh. I make peace with the overdraft, which is hard as it has never happened to me yet, and tell myself I’ll just make a cash deposit in the morning.
11.00pm: I am absolutely shattered. Head to bed, read for about 10 minutes, and fall asleep instantly once I put the book down.
Today’s total: €65.34
Tuesday
6.54am: I wake up still feeling very tired and figure that instead of the bus I will just drive to work today. I live fairly close, so I let myself sleep on for another hour. When I do get up, I eat a solid enough breakfast of Weetabix and a banana with half a cup of tea.
Before leaving the house, I check the banking app. Surprise! I pre-empted myself on Friday apparently by lodging some money after 5 pm in between all the rushing around, so I just manage to scrape by with some money left in the account. Last week was the end of the month, so my monthly savings go out of the account, along with money for my parents, and I had to pay for some recording work too, so that pretty well cleaned me out, as I had been paid the week before. The bills came to about €138.30.
11.00am: I got into the office for 9am and set up quick enough, but I can feel how tired I am from all the going on the weekend. I’m kept busy all morning and, come tea break, I decide to take a walk, for a stretch and because there’s a gap in the rain. I end up passing the shop and buy a protein bar, but a good one (or so my food scanner app tells me). The only ingredient really is… peanut. So that should be fine (€2.99).
1.00pm: Lunchtime, and I need it. Starving. I made a ham sandwich with some leftover salad we had before leaving the house, so I have that, and a cup of tea. I read during my long break usually, and have just started a collection of essays on Irish Labour History. After an essay, I head out for a quick stroll as the rain has eased off again.
7.10pm: I finished work at 5pm, got home and had a bit of dinner that Dad made (spuds, cabbage and a bit of bacon that my parents had cooked yesterday). Can’t beat it.
I volunteer with an older person’s charity, so I headed off at 6pm to the older lady I visit once a week. She lives near me so it’s very handy. She is in good form, and I ask her some questions about living in London during the 1960s. I’ve noticed that she lights up when asked about stories from back in the day, and I love hearing about it. She has told me about the dances they would go to in all the spots which would be synonymous with the Irish experience in London at that time, so as a person who plays a lot of trad and collects ballads from that time, those stories are a goldmine of information. She has no water left (our tap water is undrinkable), so I head off and buy her a pack of bottles in the local, best-German-supermarket (€4.49). When I get home, my brother and his partner are there, which is a nice surprise as I haven’t seen him in weeks. My girlfriend also lands at the house as she teaches a yoga class nearby on Tuesdays, and I accompany her to her drama group auditions at 8pm.
12.00am: I very foolishly decide to stay up later than planned playing a video game. Gaming would have been a big hobby back in the day, but I rarely get the chance any more, so when I do, it’s hard not to add on another hour or so. I only sat down and had a moment to myself at around 9pm, so I needed a way to de-stress. By 11.20pm, I figure it best to hit the hay, so I prep lunch for the morning and read a little bit once I get into bed.
Today’s total: €145.78
Wednesday
7.00am: Wake up fairly groggy, but I’m up and prepped in about 20 minutes. I’m taking the bus today so ideally, I leave the house around 7.20am to not be in a rush. I take the bus regularly each week, depending on what’s going on and if my girlfriend needs the car. I still have some tickets left on the app, as I buy them in batches of 10 trips. Quick bowl of Weetabix with some honey and a banana, and I’m off.
8.00am: The bus was actually early for once, and what’s more, he was five minutes early. I didn’t think anything of it until he passed by stops because no one was waiting (probably because they expected it to be late), and when I get off, a guy asks me if the bus I got off was his. Turns out it was, and it was ‘scheduled’ for another 10 minutes. The paradox of Irish public transport. Since I’m dropped off so early, I go across the road and get a coffee in a little café which I’ve never been to before. It costs €3.90, average I suppose, but the girl behind the counter was in no mood for dealing with people, it seems. I run across to the supermarket when it opens to get some protein bars and a stick of deodorant to keep in the office (€11.97). I had made lunch the evening before, so I don’t need to buy anything for that. It’s about a 20-minute walk to the office, and depending on the day I may or may not need the deodorant, so I start off on the trip.
11.00am: Tea break, and I head out for a walk. The day is actually rather nice, in between showers of rain, but I can definitely feel a tingling in my throat, which introduces an element of dread. I suspect it may be from the weekend.
7.00pm: The tingling has evolved into my having lost my voice (almost). Probably a combination of the gigging and general business the last few weeks. I have been burning the candle at both ends now for a while with everything going on with the music and general social stuff. We have a rehearsal at 7.30pm and a music session afterwards at 9pm, so I gather my stuff and head down to the pub for both.
12.00am: The session ends at 11.30pm, and I am glad to be home in bed. I have two hot whiskeys, which helps the voice and throat somewhat (or it does in my head anyway), and I didn’t even have to pay for them! I have very thoughtful friends, which I am always very grateful for. We had a grand quiet night overall, which is great when it happens, as the place can be quite busy and that makes listening to everyone difficult. The rehearsal was also very productive, and I am looking forward to the gig on Saturday, despite being very tired at this stage. I’m going to drive to work in the morning so I can get an extra hour of sleep in.
Today’s total: €15.87
Thursday
8.00am: Escape the clutches of the cuddle monster and get ready for work. My throat is pretty bad, and my voice is non-existent at this stage. I carefully sip water and slurp down the soggy wheat biscuits (the honey is helpful) and head off in the car.
11.00am: Should have called in sick. I take a walk to the shop on my break to buy some herbal tea, honey to keep in the office too, and some yoghurts for the next two days. (€13.05!)
1.00pm: I can’t take calls because all I can do is croak at people when they talk to me, so I spend the rest of the day filing and sending emails. At lunch, I head over to the canteen for some bread and soup as I didn’t prep any meals yesterday. (€4.00)
4.30pm: I ask a few friends if they’re free to cover for me at another weekly session I usually play on a Thursday, which one of them is kindly able to do. I could turn up and not sing, just accompany people, but I need the rest, and I wouldn’t be providing a lot in the way of zest to the proceedings.
6.00pm: Get home, eat dinner, get into bed. I feel awful.
8.30pm: Wake up after the little sleep and organise a little TV time with herself for the evening. I don’t feel so rotten after the sleep, so I think I’m just exhausted. My girlfriend comes over to our gaff so I don’t have to travel any (I’m being minded very well these last couple of days). We watch an episode of Twin Peaks (haven’t seen it in years), and then return to the leaba. We chat for a little while and drift off by 11.00pm.
Today’s total: €17.05
Friday
7.30am: Wake up not overly groggy, which is a surprise, and what’s more, my voice is in slightly better nick. I get ready as usual, and had decided to take the car last night as I expected to be feeling pretty rough. I notice that we don’t have any water, so I quickly fly to the garage near us and get a six-pack to bring home (€9.50). Dad and my girlfriend will be wanting tea when they’re up and about.
11.00am: Day is going handy enough so far. I can kind of talk again, so I can handle phone calls and chatting with people. Take a stroll for tea break and end up getting another protein bar and a yoghurt in the shop (€5.78).
12.30pm: Gap in the work, and it’s payday, so I book my girlfriend and me a room in an Airbnb for next month (€345.60). A friend has been hounding me to go along with him up the country for a traditional music summer school. I went to one in Connemara the year before last and loved it, so I go ahead and book my spot for the classes too for three days on fiddle. (€85.00)
6.00pm: Rest of the workday is fine. I’m still not feeling 100% but a lot better compared to yesterday. I pick up herself and the music equipment for another rehearsal for the gig tomorrow, again at my house.
11.00pm: Everybody feeling buzzed about playing tomorrow! I can’t sing with my throat at the moment, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m only doing backing vocals anyway. Quick cup of herbal tea and into bed, shattered.
Today’s total: €445.88
Saturday
12.00pm: Really taking it slow today, haven’t done much since morning (woke up late), apart from going over some of the songs that needed work and reading. I’ll play some video games now for a while before we head off.
4.30pm: Showered, fancy shirt on, gear in the car, miserable-ish evening ahead of us but looks like the rain is due to stay away (it’s an outdoor gig!), and I head off to pick up my lady. It’s only about half an hour’s drive.
7.00pm: We actually got lost because someone misread the Eircode, but that’s okay – I know the host of the party, and she’s as laid back as you can get. We’re still early for sound check, which goes smoothly, and we’re all good to go at 7pm.
12.30am: Great success! We went down very well, glowing reviews all ‘round (and not just from people out of politeness). Everybody got €75, but three of us contributed a fiver each of our pay to the fella who brought the mixing desk and speaker. Good wholesome evening, nice food, pleasant company and finally home to rest up after what has been a very busy week.
Today’s total: €0.00
Sunday
8.00am: My body clock wakes me up, but I have to be up early anyway. We have the month’s mind for a friend’s dad who passed away, and it’s a couple of counties across.
1.00pm: Make mass for 11am and head for a coffee and a bite afterwards with the aforementioned friend to bust her out of the funk a little bit. End up in some bougie garden centre/coffee house in the middle of nowhere. My girlfriend covers the cost of the food and beverages, and I leave them to chat for a while as I look around at the trees they have on sale. I intend on planting as many native species in our council estate as possible as I’m big on biodiversity, and trees in general, so I want to price mature trees for when I can’t grow them myself. We live in a small house, and the garden is already home to around 40 baby oak trees waiting to get big enough to plant, so space is a factor.
5.00pm: We were asked back to the family home for dinner and to chat. Hospitality was great, I ate more red meat than I have in probably a year (my girlfriend is vegetarian, so I often opt for that when we go out). Say goodbye to everybody and make the trek home for the evening; I’m looking forward to putting the feet up for the night. The day has been really nice, but between all the socialising at the gig and today, I’m pretty spent.
7.30pm: Get back to our hometown. I drop herself off because she could do with some alone-time too, and I head back to the gaff. Pick up a bottle of beer (the big 750ml ones, enough for a tipple but not enough that I’d regret it in the morning) and a bag of crisps from the offie on the way home (€10.59).
11.20pm: Lounge around for the evening playing video games again; crisps and beer were a nice way to round off the week. Get ready for bed, read for a little bit and hit the hay to do. Time to do it all over again.
Today’s total: €10.59
Weekly subtotal: €700.51
***
What I learned –
- I could stand to buy stuff from the shop and just make food at home. Anytime I prep food for the week, I’m always like “oh yeah, this is great – and it’s cheap!” I feel that evenings are often busy and I’m tired, so that’s my excuse, but I should be doing it.
- I would have been prone to superfluous spending in the past, but recent months have seen a lot of unforeseen bills (mainly the car and saving for holidays), but the danger is always there. Booking the B&B on a whim proved to bite me in the backside later on, when the same fella who asked me to go to the summer school offered me a place to sleep in his gaff.
- Gig money is useful, but being on the go the whole time more often than not results in me getting sick, so I should reassess when to agree to the few extra pounds and when to decline. I’m keen to put as much cash together as possible to move out and get on with things, but it should be balanced.