A Week In San Francisco On A $60,000 Salary

Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennial women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar. (Thanks, New York mag, for the inspiration.) This week, an events manager working in technology who makes $60,000 per year and who saves on a daily commute and gym membership thanks to her apartment building.

Industry: Tech
Age: 27
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: $60,000.00
Paycheck Amount (2x month): $1,705.29
Gender Identity: Female Monthly Expenses
Monthly Housing Costs: $1,300.00. Split somewhat evenly with my boyfriend. The entire apartment is $2,700.
Monthly Loan Payments: My parents paid 100% of my college tuition.
Credit Card Payments: $550
Travel Savings: $250
Savings: $700
Utilities: $0. My boyfriend pays the electric and water bill (usually around $160) because he makes a lot more than I do, over $120,000.
Transportation: $0 (I work remotely from my apartment's lounge area)
Phone Bill: $0, I'm on a family plan with my parents
Health Insurance: $0, completely covered by my company
Dental Insurance: $13.99

Day One

11:30 a.m. — My boyfriend and I land at the airport after a two week trip to Japan. We're dying for some caffeine after an 11 hour flight from Beijing, so we stop by a Starbucks for two grande iced coffees. I pay. $5.90 12:30 p.m. — We skip out on taking an Uber from the airport to our apartment in Oakland. It would cost us upwards of $50. We opt to take the BART instead. It's only a 45 minute ride, plus, the BART station is up the block from our apartment, so we have zero excuses. $9.80 6:30 p.m. — To make up for eating out every single day during our trip, we decide to put together a meal plan for the rest of the week. We take a trip to the supermarket to buy milk, loads of vegetables, and fruit. My boyfriend lives for Costco, so he tells me we'll go to buy our meat tomorrow to avoid overpaying at our local supermarket. I always pay for the local supermarket and he pays for the Costco goods. $44.10 8:00 p.m. — We decide we're “too jetlagged” to be preparing a meal tonight, so we place a takeout order for Thai food. We order a green curry chicken entree, eggplant and peppers entree, and a side of brown rice. I pay because he practically paid for everything on our trip. $27.65 Daily Total: $87.45

Day Two

7 a.m. — I wake up and make some eggs and coffee before my daily 7:30 a.m. video call with my team on the East Coast. I eat and drink while mapping out the day with my coworkers. I head downstairs to the gym. I don't have a gym membership because my building has a gym and offers free yoga classes on Mondays and Wednesdays in the yoga studio. 12:30 p.m. — I start getting hungry, so I head upstairs to my apartment to reheat the leftovers from last night's Thai dinner for lunch. 6:30 p.m. — I'm done with my work and I need a pedicure so badly. I sneak in a FaceTime with my parents back home on my way to the salon. $29 7:30 p.m. — I get home and get started with dinner from the meal plan we created. On the menu, we have turkey kofte, Brussels sprouts, and eggplant spread. Healthy is the week's trend. 9:30 p.m. — I take a much-needed bath, complete with a bath bomb. Within an hour, I am knocked out on my couch. I'm still super jetlagged. Daily Total: $29

Day Three

7 a.m. — I roll out of bed for my daily meeting. I make coffee and sit down to work, then I realize the team skips the meetings on Fridays. YAY. I crawl back into bed for 30 more minutes of sleep. 9:30 a.m. — We head to Costco, because I can finish my work later (the perks of working from home). We buy some produce, ground turkey, salmon, and bulgogi for tonight's dinner. The total is $191.90, and my boyfriend pays. 5:30 p.m. — As I'm wrapping up work, my friend sends me a link to an Alexander Wang bag I just purchased on sale. I decide to head to Nordstrom to return it. The sales girl tells me it's on sale for $357. I make $652 back, but now I'm debating buying a backpack instead. My boyfriend tells me to think about it, so I walk away… and consult my friends via text. 8:30 p.m. — I'm back at my apartment to make dinner. I make bulgogi and a Korean lettuce salad to go along with it. It's so bomb. 11:30 p.m. — We decide to scare ourselves by watching The Conjuring 2 on our couch. Bad idea. I end up falling asleep at 3 a.m. Daily Total: $0

Day Four

3:30 p.m. — Whoa. We just both rolled out of bed, the jet lag has really caught up to us today. I make scrambled eggs and drink some espresso. I force myself to head to the gym, I'm not letting my streak end. 6 p.m. — My best friend talks me out of the backpack purchase and into buying the bag I just returned back for the sale price. I call to find out if it's still at the store, it's gone. I buy the bag back off the website. $390 8 p.m. — My boyfriend and I head into San Fransisco to watch a movie. We decide on Moana. I buy the snacks (pretzels and cookies) and he buys the tickets. $9.49 11:00 p.m. — We're super hungry when we walk through the door, so I quickly whip up rotini with turkey ragu. Daily Total: $399.49

Day Five

6:30 a.m. — I roll out of bed to get ready to drive my boyfriend to a 10K race in Marin. He makes me an espresso to-go. I need it! 9 a.m. — I head to Starbucks to finish the work I never got around to on Friday. I pick up a cheese stick and order an iced peach green tea to tide me over, because we're going to get brunch after he runs the 10K. $4.40 12:30 p.m. — I scoop him up and we're off to wait in line for brunch. We decide on the one with the shortest wait, 45 minutes. I treat. $63.98 3 p.m. — We head to the beach for a stroll. It's a really nice day. 5 p.m. — We run by Target for some home goods. He pays. Daily Total: $68.38

Day Six

7 a.m. — I roll out of bed and pop in a cup for an espresso. I rush to jot down my notes for my morning meeting and try to look presentable at the same time. 10 a.m. — I head downstairs to the apartment's office/lounge area to get started on work. I push a few buttons on the (free) coffee/espresso/latte/mocha/basically whatever you want machine in the office and get a vanilla latte. 1:30 p.m. — I'm feeling a little "hangry," so I decide to walk over to the Mexican spot across the street. I order two carne asada tacos and a horchata. $5.50 6 p.m. — I wrap up work and FaceTime my parents and sister. I'll be going home in two weeks, so my sister and I make plans to go to a handful of restaurants while I'm in NYC. 7 p.m. — I head to the studio for yoga. 8:30 p.m. — I resort to making a fast dinner — pizza! I make an arugula, orange, and shaved pecorino romano salad to go along with it. I decide I'm really getting good at this cooking thing. Daily Total: $5.50

Day Seven

7 a.m. — Same routine as yesterday, I make an espresso and join my team for our daily call. 11 a.m. — I walk over to my dentist appointment. There's a co-pay. I leave knowing that I have to spend $295 the next time I come in. I must stop eating candy! $30 12:30 p.m. — I eat leftover pizza for lunch and start working on an event coming up on Friday. 6:30 p.m. — My apartment complex periodically hosts events with food and drinks. I decide not to make dinner and get down on some free catered food. 8:30 p.m. — My boyfriend and I use the yoga room to do an “insanity” workout. I try so hard to keep up. 9:30 p.m. — I prep dinner for the next day, chicken fajitas. Daily Total: $30