A Week In Thornbury, Melbourne, As A Learning Designer On $93,000

Today: a learning designer who makes $93,000 and spends some of her money this week on a pair of Dr. Martens.

Occupation: Learning Designer
Industry: Education
Age: 36
Location: Thornbury, Melbourne
Salary: $93,000
Net Worth: $88,300 ($7,000 in savings, $9,000 in investments in a Vanguard account, $300 in investments in a Raiz account, and $101,000 in super). I've been told that my super is in good shape for my age. I think this is because I contributed extra money when I was in my mid-twenties and switched to an aggressive account. I wish my savings and investments were higher, but I spent four years living in London and I wasn't able to save a cent. I moved back to Australia in 2018 and it's taken me a while to find full-time work and get back on my feet.
Debt: $29,000 in HECS debt.
Paycheque Amount (Fortnightly): $2,500
Pronouns: She/Her

Rent: $1,434. I live on my own in a one-bedroom apartment. It's the first time I've lived on my own. I loved shared housing and made some lifelong friends, but living alone is also pretty great! Particularly as I'm working from home a lot at the moment.
Spotify: $11.99
Gym/Pool: $100
Netflix: $10.99
Disney+: $11.99. I just cancelled Binge as I try to only have one subscription at a time.
Phone/Internet: $184
Electricity: $90. My last bill was really high. In the summer, this is usually only $40 to $50.
Gas: $50
Water: $50 every two months.
General Savings Contributions: $800
Investments: $100, split between my Vanguard and Raiz accounts.
Holiday Savings Account: $100
'Something Nice' Savings Account: $100. I usually use this to buy clothes or shoes.

Over the years, I've completed a bachelor's degree and a few postgraduate courses. I was on and off Centrelink in my early twenties while I studied. During my first degree, my long-term boyfriend supported me as the money I got from my casual job and Centrelink was not enough. He paid the majority of the rent and bills, as well as holidays and other fun things. Looking back, I wish I had been more financially independent.

My parents fought a lot about money. It was a huge cause of stress in our house. My dad controlled the finances and from what I can work out, he wasn't very good at it. My parents bought a house when I was born but lost it a few years later due to some bad decisions. We lived in a caravan for about two years while my parents tried to recover. Growing up, most of our clothes were from op shops. It wasn't until I was an adult that I fully understood how poor we must have been and how different my upbringing was compared to a lot of my friends. My parents didn't explicitly teach me about money and I went on to learn a lot of bad money habits from my first boyfriend.

My first job was working in the laundry of a hotel where my mum was employed as a cleaner. It was her idea for me to get a job — I hadn't thought about it until she brought it up. I was earning good money for a 15-year-old. I remember saving quite a bit and paying for my Year 11 debutante ball. My next job was working in a local bakery, where I stayed for the remainder of high school and most of university.

Even though my parents fought over money constantly, I was never worried about it growing up. I think I was so used to money stress that I thought it was normal.

I do. I'm a single woman living in an expensive city. I worry that without a double income, I won't be able to afford a house or the type of lifestyle that couples are able to have. I would love to have a yard and a dog, but it's just not possible on my own in Melbourne. I've also started worrying about my old age. Will I be okay when I'm older? How will I afford rent?

I finally became financially independent when I split from my then-partner at 23. I left that relationship with over $25,000 worth of credit card debt and loans. My partner lived off credit cards, and because I was younger than him, I followed his lead. As soon as I turned 18, I got my first credit card and things snowballed from there. When we broke up a few years later, I got my first professional job and focused on paying off all my debt. I haven't had a credit card or a loan since, although I did have an Afterpay addiction. Once I realised that I have no willpower when it comes to buy now pay later and the damage I was doing to my credit score and my finances, I cancelled my Afterpay account. I don't have a financial safety net. I'm currently estranged from my family so if things got dire, I would go to friends for help.

No. I've had a few bailouts from parents and friends over the years but I've always paid the money back.

7:25am — I put on a pot of coffee using my stovetop coffee maker. Every few months, I buy a 1kg bag of coffee from Market Lane. I love going out for coffee, but it's a bit cold today so I stay in, flick the heater on and read my book, Wild Abandon by Emily Bitto.

8:40am — I make breakfast — toast with avo and eggs. I'm almost out of butter, so I add it to my grocery list on the Woolworths app. I don't have a car so I get my groceries delivered about once every two weeks. While I'm making breakfast, I start making some salads for weekly lunches. The salads have spinach, tomato, sweet potato, cucumber and feta in them. The sun has also come out so I put my sheets on to wash. I don't have a dryer so I try to be strategic about when I wash.

10:40am — I make a second coffee, hang out my washing, clean my make-up brushes, and defrost some chicken for dinner. It's a productive Sunday morning!

11:10am — It's still sunny so I head out for a walk. It's such a nice day and I end up walking 8km. While I'm out, I stop at a cafe and get a vegan sausage roll for $10.50. I eat it in the park, enjoying the sun and watching nearby dogs. $10.50

3:55pm — Even though it's early, I start making dinner. Today I'm doing a big batch of green curry that will last me a few days. I use the defrosted chicken, plus some carrots and broccoli. Today I'm using a jar of curry paste, but sometimes I make my own curry pastes from scratch. The jar says to only use half the paste, so I put the other half in the freezer. 

5:35pm — I'm still in the mood to cook so I go with it and make blueberry muffins. I used to bake a lot, but now that I live alone and work mostly from home, I don't do it a lot. I prefer to share baked treats so I'm not eating a whole cake on my own. But this muffin recipe is low-sugar, so I'm sure I'll have no problem eating them all — blueberry muffins are my favourite baked treat.

6:45pm — Both the curry and the muffins are a win. I eat some of the curry for dinner and have a muffin for dessert. 

10:00pm — I spend the evening listening to music, cleaning the kitchen, reading, and scrolling Depop for vintage fashion. I don't buy anything. I'm a few days away from payday and my bank balance is looking a little sorry. I've got friends visiting from Perth, so I've been eating out more than usual over the last week. 

6:30am — My alarm wakes me and I make a cup of tea and get back into bed to read my book. I finished Wild Abandon last night, so this morning I start a new book — The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy. I get most of my books from the local library. There's no way I could afford to buy all the books I read!

7:05am — I make breakfast. Today it's porridge with cacao, honey and banana.

7:50am — I get ready for the day. I'm working from home so I just wear my tracksuit. It's sunny and I put a load of towels on to wash. 10 minutes later, it looks like it's going to rain. Oh well!

8:05am — I make a stovetop coffee while I get ready for work. Sometimes I go around the corner to the local cafe, but it's cold and windy so I stay in. 

8:30am — I usually start work at 9, but I start early today so that I can give myself an earlier finish. I started working from home in 2020 and because the university I work for has not mandated staff to come back to the office, a culture of working from home has developed. Most of my colleagues never go to the office so I mostly stay at home too, even though it feels isolating. That being said, working from home saves me money on public transport and I'm way less likely to buy lunch or coffee. 

10:05am — After working my way through emails, I break for a cup of tea and a blueberry muffin. I also hang out my towels to dry.

12:00pm — Lunch break! I eat one of the salads I made yesterday and have a cheeky Milo. 

4:40pm — I decide to clock off 20 minutes earlier. I feel exhausted after a Monday filled with online meetings. 

5:10pm — I'm off to the movies and dinner tonight with four friends. I get the tram a few stops to the cinema. I don't tap my Myki. We watch a French film called Full Time which is good, but also stressful as the main character is doing it tough and her circumstances lead her to make desperate choices. It makes me feel grateful for the privilege I have. I bought the cinema ticket a few days ago and shouted tickets for my two mates from Perth as they bought me dinner the other night. I take water with me from home so I don't buy anything at the cinema. 

8:15pm — After the film, one of my friends drives us all to the pub for dinner. I order the Monday special — 'roo and wine for $20.

10:00pm — I miss my tram home and the next one isn't for another 17 minutes. I walk home along High Street which takes about 25 minutes. It's been so nice hanging out with my Perth friends the last few days, but it's definitely thrown my routine off. I get to bed after 11pm. Usually, I would be in bed at 9pm and up at 5am for swimming training.

6:30am — My alarm goes off and I really don't want to get up. I make a cup of tea and get back into bed to read for 30 minutes. 

7:15am — I make breakfast. I have porridge again. I'm running low on bananas, so I add them to my growing shopping list on the Woolworths app.

8:00am — I make a stovetop coffee and start work early as I have an urgent task. It's a beautiful sunny morning and I would have liked to walk to a local cafe for coffee, but I have to get on with it. I'm designing a survey for students as a bit of a mid-semester pulse check. I want to find out how everyone is going in their courses and if they need extra support before their final assessments.

10:20am — I have a second coffee and a blueberry muffin. I check my PayPal app and two Uber payments have come out of my account from the weekend. The total comes to $36.32.

12:00pm — For lunch, I have a salad and some Greek yoghurt with honey. I try to have lunch at the same time every day. I've blocked it out in my calendar so that no one can book me for meetings. I find that if I don't do this, I might forget to eat. 

3:15pm — I break for a cup of tea. Today, I'm putting together a workshop for academics. The aim is to let them know about all the forms of study support the university offers students. As a Learning Designer, my role is to support university teaching staff in delivering learning to students. I've only been working as a Learning Designer for a few months. Before this role, I worked as a librarian for over a decade, but after three years of looking and failing to find a full-time library role in Melbourne, I decided it was time to change careers. Learning Design is a growing field and so far I'm enjoying it. I completed a Graduate Certificate in Education with the Queensland University of Technology.

5:00pm — I'm booked in for a swim training session today at 6pm, but I'm super tired from going out last night. I decide to have an early night. 

8:30pm — I spend the evening cooking dinner and watching Netflix. I head to bed early.

5:15am — My alarm goes off early as I have swimming training. I eat a banana and a piece of toast. I get the tram to the pool. I touch on my Myki. $4.60

6:15am — I swim for over an hour. It's such a great way to start the day. It's hard to get up so early (especially when it's cold), but I never regret it. I've been swimming for most of my life, but it's only in the last few years that I've started ocean swimming as well. I don't swim in winter, but in the summer, I usually do a few long-distance ocean races.

7:45am — After training, I get the tram home. I touch on with my Myki ($4.60). I've reached the cap for the day. On my way home, I get a takeaway coffee ($4.30). $8.90

9:30am — It's a slow morning so I put my clothes on to wash. It's raining today, so I have to hang my washing inside. I hate doing this because I get worried about mould. 

12:00pm — For lunch, I have a salad. It's the last of the pre-made salads from Sunday. I also roast some sweet potato. I'm extra hungry from swimming this morning.

1:20pm — A friend texts me to say she is transferring $135 to my bank account. We have a holiday in Margaret River booked for October. We cancelled one night from an Airbnb due to a change in our itinerary, so we are getting a small refund.

6:25pm — I work back a little late today as I'm trying to fix an issue with a course. I'm tired from work and still hungry from swimming this morning, so I order a takeaway dinner. I get a burger and some chippies. $30.29

7:00pm — It's payday today so I finalise my groceries on the Woolworths app and book delivery for Friday. With the $7 delivery fee, it comes to $166.33. I stock up on yoghurt, oat milk, eggs, bread, frozen blueberries, bananas, avocado, chicken, olives, cos lettuce, tomatoes, feta, beef mince, noodles, bok choy, beans, and some other things. This will probably last me two weeks. Sometimes I need to top up the fresh stuff. I also transfer $25 to my Raiz investing app. Tomorrow, some direct debits will come out of my spending account and go into my bills account. $191.33

7:30pm — I'm heading into the office and going for a swim tomorrow morning, so I spend some time packing my bag. It feels like such a random assortment of things to pack on swimming plus work days. I need my thongs for the public showers, shampoo, a hairbrush, a cap, goggles, and a swim towel. I decide that I'll buy lunch tomorrow so that I don't have to carry food as well. My bag is heavy enough! While working from home is isolating, it would be such a huge adjustment to need to work in the office every day now.

5:15am — My alarm goes off for swimming. I have a banana and a piece of toast.

6:15am — I get the tram to the pool. I tap on my Myki ($4.60). I swim for an hour, then shower and head to the change room to get ready for work. $4.60

8:05am — Even though it's raining slightly, I walk to work. It's about 40 minutes and I'll usually stop off for coffee and a bite to eat. Today, I have coffee at one of my favourite cafes and grab a takeaway ham and cheese croissant. $14

10:00am — I meet up with a work colleague for coffee but neither of us actually buys coffee. We both feel like we've hit our caffeine limit for the day. We sit and catch up for half an hour. He's somewhat of a mentor to me and encouraged me to switch to Learning Design. Every time we catch up, he's keen to hear about what projects I'm working on and always gives me some great ideas. He's also well-connected around the uni, which is handy!

12:15pm — I head out for lunch and buy a chicken wrap. $9.80

3:35pm — A work friend invites me for after-work drinks. I'd like to go, but my head is pounding and I think I'm dehydrated. I also want to go to swimming training in the morning, so I'll need an early night. I politely decline.

5:30pm — Work finishes and I contemplate going shopping in the city. I'd love some new boots and maybe some work pants, but I'm super tired so I head home on the train ($4.60). On the way home, I buy a chocolate from the service station ($3.50). It's probably the dehydration, but I feel like I need a hit of sugar. $8.10

7:00pm — I make a little stir fry for dinner. I'm running low on everything now. Luckily, my groceries are coming tomorrow.

8:45pm — I watch some Netflix. I'm currently watching SeaChange. It's such an old show, but I like the quirky lightheartedness of it. I also dream about living by the ocean. I watch a few episodes, then head to bed early.

5:00am — I wake up before my alarm. It's much easier to get up today than it has been the previous two mornings.

6:15am — I get the tram to the pool and tap on with my Myki ($4.60). Today is a hard session, but as the sun comes up, a rainbow appears. It's a beautiful sunrise with vivid pinks and oranges. It puts everyone in a good mood, even though we're all finding the set tough. $4.60

7:45am — I get the tram home and tap on ($4.60). On the way home, I buy a coffee for $4.30. $8.90

9:20am — My grocery delivery arrives and I spend some time putting everything away.

2:25pm — It's a busy day at work and I don't have lunch until the mid-afternoon. While on my break, I order cleaning products ($107). They're from the company Zero Co, which sends the products in pouches. Then you post the empty pouches back. The aim is to cut back on plastic. I buy in bulk and stock up on handwash, shower cleaner, multi-purpose spray, toilet cleaner and dishwashing liquid. $107

5:00pm — I finish work for the day and I spend an hour cleaning my flat. I dust, vacuum and steam mop the kitchen and bathroom. One of the benefits of working from home is that I often get all my housework done during the week and don't have to do much housework on my days off. 

6:10pm — I eat some leftover beef mince stir-fry with beans, noodles and bok choy.

7:15pm — I'm going to meet some friends tonight for a few drinks. I get the tram to the pub, tapping on my Myki ($4.60). I buy two drinks while I'm out ($21). $25.60

10:00pm — A friend buys me a cocktail. I know I should buy them one to pay them back, but after just one cocktail, the night feels like it's ending and everyone is keen to get home to bed. I try to book an Uber home, but it takes ages to find a driver, so I get the tram. I'm at my daily cap, so this tram ride is free. 

11:05pm — In bed, ready for sleep! I'm so happy it's the weekend tomorrow.

7:40am — It would have been nice to sleep in a bit longer, but I'm already awake so I make a cup of tea and read my book. I'm now reading Darkness Visible, which is a bit of a classic. It's a short, essay-style book in which the writer chronicles his experience with depression. 

10:20am — After having some breakfast and a shower, I make a stovetop coffee at home. It's really sunny so I probably should have gone out for coffee, but instead, I potter around the house, listen to music, and look for activities for my holiday to Margaret River.

10:40am — I browse learning design jobs on Seek. I don't want to leave my current job, but I'm on a contract which finishes in mid-December. There's a possibility that the project I'm on could be extended, but there are no guarantees. If it doesn't get extended, I'll be out of a job over the summer period, which is not ideal.  

11:50am — I have an early lunch — toast with egg and avo. Then I head out. I need to return my library books so I get on the tram, tapping on for $4.60. I get off near the library and get a chocolate slice from a local cafe ($4.30). $8.90 

12:15pm — I return my books and browse for a while, finally choosing No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. It's warm enough to sit in the park, so I eat my slice and read the first chapter. It's written in an experimental style — the narrative stops and starts in small paragraphs. The story seems to take place in a futuristic, all-consuming type of social media called the portal. I stick with it, but some of the text is a bit abstract and I get frustrated, deciding to watch the dogs in the park instead. 

12:45pm — I've been wanting a pair of Dr. Martens for ages, so I decide to take the tram ($4.60) go into the city to get a pair. I try on a few pairs and the shop assistant explains that I need to wear them in and they'll loosen up by half a size. Usually, I buy my clothes and shoes online because shopping centres stress me out, but I want to make sure I get fitted for the right size. I choose a pair of smooth 1460s and buy the leather rub to help take care of them ($327). $331.60 

2:00pm — I get the train home. My travel is at its daily cap so when I tap on, my fare is free. I spend the afternoon drinking tea and reading. 

6:30pm — I'm pretty tired from the week and from last night. Keen for an early Saturday night! I eat the rest of the leftover stir-fry, listen to some music, write, and read. Tomorrow there is an Italian food festival which I'm looking forward to.