A Week In NSW’s Central Coast As A Senior Policy Officer On $113,000

Today: a senior policy officer who makes $113,000 a year and almost buys a KitchenAid (but lets it sit in her cart because she "needs time to justify a $600 expense").

Occupation: Senior Policy Officer
Industry: Government
Age: 28
Location: Central Coast, NSW
Salary: $113,343
Net Worth: $120,880 (A house worth $970,000, which is shared with my partner, $47,668 in savings, which doubles as our mortgage offset, $55,026 in super, and $60 in investments. I share the house payments with my partner, but my savings and super are my own.)
Debt: $446,841 ($853,617 remaining on my mortgage, split evenly, so $426,808 for my share and $20,033 in my HECS.)
Paycheque Amount (Fortnightly): $2,798
Pronouns: She/Her

Mortgage: $1,683 each per month. We bought our place with most of our savings at the time ($100,000 for me, $20,000 for my partner). We also got a $60,000 loan from my parents. We live in a large house that requires a bit of maintenance. We hope to slowly renovate it when we're more financially stable as we want to transform it into a space that works for us.
Loans: Only our mortgage. I bought my car outright secondhand and only pay my HECS each year. My partner is a maths whiz and worked out that it wasn't beneficial for me to pay off my HECS early. We also use a credit card for joint expenses — it's in my name so I pay it off and my partner pays me back. He also has car payments, but that's from his own personal account. His financial situation isn't as secure, but he works really hard to make sure I'm not left in the lurch. I'm happy to support him while he's building his bank back up.
Savings Contributions: I try to save $3,000 each month. This mostly happens, but sometimes falls through when we have big expenses come through.
Netflix: $0. I use my parents' account.
Disney+: $0. I use my sister's account.
Amazon Prime: $6.99
Internet: $70
House Rates: $1,579/year
Water: $230/quarter
Electricity: $353/quarter
Home Insurance: $987/year. This was only for home insurance, not contents. We're updating our policy now so this will go up to approximately $1500. 
Phone: $260/year
Spotify: $15

Yes. I got a Bachelor of Arts and a Grad Cert, both paid for on HECS. Both were 100000% worth it because I'm a huge nerd. I've debated doing further study, but always decide it's not worth it because I love to study but hate assignments. I figure I can learn just as much through books and online courses.

Conversations were usually something like, "No, we can't buy this because it's too expensive." Even though my parents weren't poor, we saved for the sake of saving. It turned out to be quite handy because now I save as much as possible and I'm very conscious about how much I spend each month. But, I also now take a minute to spend on things I really want. I also try to live quite minimally and buy secondhand as much as I can (much to my partner's despair). Despite my parents' "must save" attitude, I never went without and always got to go on school excursions. I just didn't necessarily always get the latest gadgets.

I was (finally!) able to get a job when I was 18, during my first year of university. I worked at Woolworths for four years, and I loved it. The people I worked with were down-to-earth and legendary.

No. My parents never made us feel like we had to worry. Even now, they insist on paying for things when we go out, which my partner doesn't like. He was raised to pay for his own things from a young age because his parents weren't well off, so he doesn't like it when my parents pay for our food when we go out. It's their way of showing they care, though. My partner and I are working through this. He's definitely taught me to spend a lot more money on myself and to worry less about our finances. He constantly reminds me that we're a lot more well-off than we think.

I do worry a little since my partner and I bought a house. We would like to save enough to start renovations and go on a holiday. He's never been overseas and has worked so hard to get to where he is, and I want to be able to do that with him.

I would say I became completely responsible for myself when I turned 25 and got kicked off my parents' health insurance. But before that, I was mostly financially independent. I've always been an independent person so I insist on paying for myself whenever possible. My parents are my financial safety net, but I'd never rely on them because they've worked so hard to get where they are. I want them to enjoy their life in retirement, so I don't want to ever get into a situation where I need to lean on them. My partner will eventually become my financial safety net, especially given that he's expected to significantly out-earn me soon. We'll take care of each other if anything ever happens.

Yes. My parents helped us ($60,000 worth of help!) when we bought a house.

8:00am — Alarm, snooze, check phone, wake up.

8:30am — Get up, make coffee for A. and me, and open the back door for T. so she can go to the bathroom. Brush teeth and take coffee outside to our little patio and BBQ area to drink. Chat with A. about the state of our backyard. I'm purposely trying not to spend time scrolling before and after work, so sitting outside with my coffee is how I'm achieving that today.

9:15am — Pyjamas off, leggings and hoodie on and I’m ready for my 9:30am meeting. It gets pushed back, so I work instead.

11:00am — My tummy is growling but I'm in meetings, so I pop my headphones in and heat up some leftovers while I listen. This meeting doesn’t require me to talk, so I can be hands-free while I munch on leftover chicken skewers from last night's Thai takeout. I also have some couscous with leftover pasta sauce. Munch, listen to meeting, make tea and eat a little choccy biscuit. I must have something sweet after a meal; it’s a weird habit.

1:00pm — I'm working away, freezing my butt off. A. resolves to turn on the heater. After last quarter’s electricity bill, I’m super conscious about using the heater, but at this point, I have a hoodie, a jacket, thermal leggings and two pairs of warm socks on. I'm still cold, so I think this use is justified!

2:00pm — My 2pm is a no-show. Annoyed. Browse the KitchenAid website while I wait for her to show. I’ve been contemplating buying a stand mixer for about two years but could never decide on a colour. It has to be blue — it’s been my favourite colour since forever. Through the process of elimination, I find a blue tone that I love. I hit add to cart. It's 20% off and my birthday is coming up. But I let it sit because I need time to justify a $600 expense.

3:30pm — I’m getting a headache from staring at this spreadsheet. An hour later, motivation declines to an all-time low. The laptop is being turned off.

5:00pm — In another effort to stay off my phone and embrace the end of the cold weather, I pop my roller skates on and practice on our little patio. I bought these secondhand a few weeks ago after searching for months for someone with the same size skates (and protective gear) — and it paid off! $80 well spent. I’m very uncoordinated though, which results in me landing flat on my butt in about 15 minutes. A. comes to check on me after he hears my weird wail. He can't help, but he makes sure I know that I'm the most uncoordinated person he's ever met. I take them off and waddle over to his study (we use the two front ‘bedrooms’ as our own studies/wardrobes) to talk about house insurance. Ours recently lapsed but we only had home insurance and now need to combine contents into that. After reading a couple of PDS statements, trying to understand what figures we should put in, and comparing lists (we each made our own lists of things in the house and their worth), we settle on the same insurer A. uses for his car. We get 20% off, which is a bonus. We pay the yearly amount, $833 for my share. $833

6:15pm — Waddle my sore bum over to the couch and decide to continue my embroidery (a Covid hobby). This one’s a cute autumn house and uses a new technique. I pop on the last episode of Indian Matchmaking and stitch away. I have so much judgement towards everyone on this show.

7:15pm — Whoops, I was going to start dinner and lost track of time. I take out the vindaloo, rice, and leftover pizza dough which were all defrosted the other day, and start heating up the oven to make naan. We meal prep in BIG batches and this is our last vindaloo (thank goodness). While the oven does its thing, I empty and load the dishwasher and start rolling out the naan. I am the dough handler in this household, given A.’s lack of skills with bread-y things. Heat up the rest of the food, pop the naan in the oven, and mix up the butter and garlic to pop on top and we're done. A. comes out to plate up the food and we eat while watching She-Hulk. I don’t mind it, but A. hates it. He's very opinionated about new TV shows, and it takes him a while to warm up. I continue stitching while we watch. 

9:00pm — Still stitching. The show ends and A. is bored. I finish stitching (I’m missing thread so I have to reluctantly stop). We scroll through Insta and watch funny dog videos (fact: dogs are better than cats). We’re both craving ice cream (I made the mistake of mentioning Messina to him earlier), so we decide to get McFlurrys. $5

10:00pm — M&M McFlurrys in hand, A. wants to eat in bed. I do not (I really dislike eating in bed — crumbs, etc). I sit (read: lay not on my bum) on the couch and start Only Murders in the Building. A. is interested in the show but not enough to stay on the couch, so he goes to bed. We have two TVs — we upgraded the main one at the end of last year and have A.'s parents' old TV in the bedroom. We love it because we watch a lot of TV. A. can't fall asleep unless it's on, so I don't mind it. Two episodes later and I turn in too. Teeth brushed, pyjamas on and I watch the episode of Kim’s Convenience that A. has been watching in the bedroom. A few eps later, it's lights out.

7:15am — T. is making noise and is about to make more, so I get up and go open the back door. We now have a doggie door (thanks to A.), so I don’t have to wait for her to come back in. I sleep-waddle back down to bed and try to get another 45 minutes in before my alarm goes off. I fail.

7:30am — After 15 minutes of scrolling Insta and pondering whether to work out or not, we’re up. Change into workout gear and get my iPad out to see which class to put on. I subscribed to online classes at a barre studio that I used to go to in person when I lived in Sydney and worked in the city full time. They had a 50% off sale for a year of classes, which works for me! I have bursts of using it, but the intention is there! After 20 minutes of signing in and out and trying to load a video, we're finally ready.

8:55am — Improvise the cool down because A. is up and I just realised we have to drop off his car for a service at 9! I quickly finish up and we head out the door.

9:15am — T. has had an accident on a bed I just bought her. Sigh. Wipe it up, shower, coffee and sit at my desk by 9:30am. We bought a coffee machine at the start of lockdown and although it's expensive, we use it every day so it pays off.

12:00pm — Break for food. Falafel, hummus and veggie salad. Delish. Chocolate biscuit after, of course. Head out to pick up A.'s car. This was a recall, so the fix was free. Get back and take my stuff out into the backyard for some sun. Hang laundry to dry midway through.

5:15pm — And we’re done. A couple of last-minute Friday things to knock off and the laptop is shut. I head outside to grab the washing off the line and put it away. We’re having friends over tomorrow, so I’m trying to tidy up as I go. Sit down to watch Only Murders in the Building and two eps later, it’s dinner time.

7:15pm — A. is craving naan and a drink, so after procrastinating, he heads out to pick it up. He also gets some snacks for himself ($3 for my share). $3

8:00pm — Dinner and an ep of Kim’s Convenience. I’m getting tired and that means grumpy (bad combo, I know). A. is getting grumpy at me getting grumpy, but he wants to watch a movie. I ask him to choose since I probably won’t stay awake, but apparently, that makes things harder. We argue and don’t end up watching anything. I’m so tired that I crash on the couch. A. asks if I want to move to the bed and I groan so he lets me sleep on the couch for a bit. I eventually stumble into bed.

Daily Total: $3

9:30am — Short sleep in and we’re up. The plan today is to tidy up and prep for dinner. We’re hosting seven people today and have decided to make pizza. Normally we do a full starter, main, and dessert, tiring ourselves out with all the prepping, but this time, we're just doing pizza and getting my friends to bring chips and dips and dessert. It’s a madhouse of tidying, vacuuming, mopping, setting the dinner table, unsetting the dinner table, making a grocery list and working around food allergies. We realise (once again) that our table of six is much too small for nine people, so we rethink and decide to host it outside at the bigger table. This results in more cleaning and deciding whether or not to buy an outdoor heater.

12:00pm — Tired. Outdoor heater decision has me now looking on Marketplace for a cheaper version. I’m in luck! I message two potentials and shower while I wait for replies. A. laments that we won’t get it in time but I’m hopeful. Wrap hair to dry, jojoba oil, sunscreen and 20 minutes later, I have a $189 heater for $100! The guy is going to drop it off before guests arrive — a win! I get the dough ready for pizza (this recipe I found is off-the-charts good and only needs two hours of proofing!) and it's off to the shops I go. $100

2:30pm — A successful and expensive supermarket outing later, we have 1kg of mozzarella, parmesan, Grana Padano, blue cheese, salami, bacon, chorizo, veggies, pesto, garlic sauce, and some other bits — enough for six pizzas ($78.50 for my share). I also get a croissant for my grumbly belly and a loaf of bread ($10), charcoal chicken ($7.50 for my share) and some beer for A. which he’ll eventually pay me back for ($23). $119

3:00pm — Start prepping and realise I didn’t get the cash for heater guy! Sigh. I tell A. and he says he might have the cash in his wallet — success! Heater dude is great. He drops it off, shows me how it works, and A. hauls it out the back and pays. Our BBQ gas bottle works perfectly with it. I get back to prepping. I take the dough out of the oven and start dividing and prepping it.

4:00pm — A. comes back down, exhausted. Normally it’s him prepping and I’m the one tidying up. He pops in the shower while I change and we start prepping the pizzas. The plan is to prep them all so we can actually enjoy time with my friends instead of cooking the whole time (which is what usually happens).

5:00pm — They’re here! One couple at a time, they all come in. T. is very excited. She’s been up and down the stairs watching and following A. all day and now has seven other people to sniff and get affection (and food!) from. We all say our hellos and I get them drinks while A. puts toppings on pizzas. 

7:30pm — Everyone loves the pizza. T. is getting very annoying, following everyone around and sneaking under the table for food. We finally put her in a different area so we can all eat. A. feeds her leftover charcoal chicken with frozen veggies (she’s a very spoilt dog). We catch up and share stories. 

9:00pm — It’s getting chilly and everyone’s finished eating, so we all head back inside and I pop the heater on. One friend leaves, so we have just enough space at our smaller dining table to play a game of Taboo. We say goodbye to another friend and her partner, and grab some donuts that another brought for dessert. 

10:30pm — A. and I lose by 1 point! Technically the other team had three people, so we should’ve won. Everyone takes another donut and after many goodbyes, everyone’s gone. 

11:00pm — I am exhausted but apparently, A. has a burst of energy and starts singing Adele really badly. He doesn’t sing (that’s the problem) — he just talks the lyrics. I am not in the mood for this. A. is now hungry, so he grabs the remaining few pieces of pizza and a donut and heads into bed to relax. I didn’t get a donut but now want one, so I make myself a mug cake and a cup of green tea to compensate. We watch more Kim’s Convenience and I doze off very quickly.

Daily Total: $219

9:00am — In and out of sleep. I'm not ready to get up just yet. Bed too cozy.

10:30am — Finally get up. A. suggested yesterday that we should go take T. out today and grab a coffee by the water. It’s a sunny day, so we discuss whether we want to go to the waterfront or to a beach. Beach it is! Grab our things, including our coffee mugs, and head out with T.

11:00am — Coffee in hand ($5), we walk towards the beach. T. stops to sniff everything and jumps at birds who dare to come into her personal space. A man with a cute pup comes over to tell us about a petition against the council, which is trying to ban dogs from the beach. I start a conversation with him and A. overhears the man's wife comment that we’re probably tourists and he should just leave it. I don’t catch this until A. tells me after the fact. What a weird thing to say. I wonder if the lady made the comment because I’m not a white Anglo person who grew up here. A. wonders the same. People. $5

12:30pm — Walk from one end of the beach to the other. T. is pulling hard, away from the water. She’s never been a water doggy, much to A.’s disappointment. A. grew up here and despite introducing T. to a pool as a pup, she’s never cared for moving water. She likes her splash pool and that’s it. 

1:00pm — T. will not sit still, so A. is not keen to eat, but I convince him otherwise. After much indecision, we settle on two smoothies, a BLT, a bacon and egg roll, a hashbrown for A., and extra bacon for T. ($27.50 for my share). We wait for our food and I check my bank account, reminding A. that the mortgage was due yesterday. $27.50

2:00pm — Food eaten. We head back to the car and I chat with Mum on the phone about life. I ask her about flights overseas and she says that they’re still not booked. Apparently, Dad believes that better deals will come in October, so alas, we wait. We’re heading home for three weeks over Christmas break to see my grandparents and I’m going with them. I haven’t been ‘back’ since 2007, so it's well overdue.

3:00pm — Home. Put the washing on and play a game of chess with A. He’s recently gotten very into it and I said I’d play if he bought a chess set. Alas, now I’m stuck. I am terrible naturally but couldn't care less. Play one game, lose, put the towels out to dry, pop in a second load of darks, play another game, lose again. Head out to Spotlight to grab the missing pieces of thread — $3.

3:30pm — Back and put the second load of laundry out to dry. Play with T. for a bit. A. suggests we have pizza again for dinner to use up some of the leftover ingredients. 

5:00pm — A. gets ready to start on the dough, only to realise we have no more yeast left. Off to the shops, I go. Yeast, chocolate muffin, lollies and strawberries in hand ($5.50 for my share), and I’m back. A. gets cracking on the dough while I tidy up around him. I head upstairs to grab the laundry, which is still quite wet. I put A.’s jacket in the dryer with a couple of small hand towels since he’ll need it for tomorrow and pop the rest on a drying rack inside. We try to only use the dryer when we need something dry ASAP. I plonk my bum down to do more embroidery while watching more episodes of Only Murders in the Building. Fifteen minutes later, his jacket is dry. $5.50

8:00pm — Dough’s ready so I’m up to divide and roll out while A. gets all the toppings ready. Pizzas are in the oven 20 minutes later. We eat and watch more Kim’s Convenience, waiting for pizza numero three to finish. When it does, we grab a couple more slices and happily chomp away. I end up scrolling on my phone not long after, and A. is poking me for attention.

10:00pm — About ready to call it a night. We turn the TV off, lock up and grab our respective desserts (strawberries for me, muffin and lollies for A.). I break off a piece of chocolate from my stash of dark chocolate (which I don’t love, but it satisfies the craving without me indulging) and A. puts out his hand in a very Oliver Twist way. I let him know he’s got some nice junk food to look forward to, but he’s willing to split his muffin with me if I give him a piece of my chocolate (who could say no?). I happily agree and he makes another remark about how it’s a typical me thing to do to take half his food. I call it sharing. Lights out an hour later.

Daily Total: $41

8:00am — Alarm. Snooze. Get up an hour later.

9:15am — Brush teeth, take the drying laundry outside to the patio to dry in the sun, make coffee. A.'s up and doesn’t have to go into work today. I potter around, give T. some cuddles, bring her big bed to my study and get changed. Trackies, hoodie, and start working.

1:00pm — Break for lunch. Leftover pizza from last night. Take pizza outside to sit in the sun and T. naturally follows me (she’s very food oriented). I give my last piece of crust to her and head back inside. Brew tea and pop hot water in a thermos because more tea will be required later.

3:00pm — Fatiguing. Second cup of tea down. One task has got my brain scrambling so a change of scenery is required. Head outside with a picnic blanket and a third cup of tea. 

4:00pm — Cold. Back inside and onto the couch with a blanket. Continue working. 

6:00pm — Okay. Laptop is almost dead. Brain is tired. This is a good point to stop.

6:15pm — Embroidery in hand. Only Murders in the Building back on. Chill time. 

7:45pm — Should have dinner but A. and I aren’t super hungry as we've been snacking all day. Lentil soup with crusty bread it is. Heat it up while A. cuts bread and lemon. Head to the couch to eat with more Only Murders in the Building. A. is liking his new game, so he doesn’t stick around after dinner. I go back to my embroidery and finish all the bushes. Almost done! 

10:00pm — A. is tired of his game and wants a mug cake since I had one yesterday. Make one each for us and some popcorn. Head to bed for some Kim’s Convenience and am asleep by midnight.

Daily Total: $0

8:00am — Alarm. Snooze. Scroll on phone. Brain tells me to stop and I eventually get up. Was going to head into the office today (I go in once a week) but trains are a nightmare, so nope. 

9:00am — To work out or not to work out. Decide to take T. out for a walk before the rain sets in instead. Listen to a history podcast about tea. V interesting!

9:45am — Back and a bit sweaty! Shower, brush teeth, jojoba oil and sunscreen. Jojoba oil is my moisturiser. I use a few drops mixed with my sunscreen (Cancer Council bottle FTW). It’s a small glass bottle (recyclable) that’s 100% pure jojoba oil. It only costs $30 and has lasted me many months! My skincare routine also sometimes involves bentonite clay as a clay mask, which I grab in bulk from the bulk food store. If I ever wear makeup, it’s a tinted moisturiser which I bought at least 3 to 4 years ago, some mascara and lipstick. Once I get rid of all the old makeup I have, I’m hoping to get refillable/more sustainable options.

10:15am — Coffee for A. and me. I sit at my desk for a 10:30am meeting.

12:00pm — Need to stretch, so figure it’s a good time to break for lunch. My bum is still sore (!), so I can’t sit for too long. I fry up an egg and try to use as much as possible of the leftover sad-looking avo in the fridge. Give some avo to T. with her biscuits, chuck half the skin in my makeshift compost and wrap the rest in a beeswax wrap. My composting currently consists of Tupperware containers that I take to a lady's compost bin every fortnight via Sharewaste. She loves it, I love it, we all love it (except A., who finds it weird). 

2:00pm — A. wants a ‘proper’ movie night tonight and has made a decision that we're having burgers for dinner. I make a short list of any other things we need and A. heads out. Undoubtedly more snacks than food will be bought, but alas, we compromise. I check my Sharesies account and my investments are steady. I only dabbled thus far with $60. For a long time, it was just losing money, but now it’s on the up and up! I take another gamble and sign up for a responsible investment (invest but make it ethical!) and pop in $100 on the app. $100

3:30pm — A. returns with organic chicken, garlic, Häagen-Dazs ice cream (we’re living large, folks), snacks, burger buns, chips, veggies for T., Teddy Bear biscuits for yours truly, and some other little things for our meal prep meals ($44 for my share). We meal prepped a lot this time and it’s all vegetarian. This gives us flexibility when we’re not feeling like cooking, but also means we only rely on non-veg meals when we really feel like cooking. I help him prep the chicken marinade (we’re making peri-peri burgers) and turn the dishwasher on before getting back to work. Steptember is being organised at our work and we’re all signing up. I join a team and sign up — donating $15 towards the cause. Add the donation to my ATO app as a deduction. $44

5:00pm — Closing off before any other crises come into my inbox. Too late. Re-work it and we might be okay! Check my emails one more time, only to realise I haven't donated $15 towards Steptember, but $71 (?!). Much confusion later, I resign myself to the fact that at least it’s a good cause. $71

5:45pm — Review budget spreadsheets since it’s almost the end of the month. I’ve got two — one that’s been running since 2017 and tracks my savings each month (I just take my savings account figure from the start of the month and the end, and log the difference) and another which tracks in detail my credit card expenses (aka our joint spending) and my debit card expenses and breaks it down categorically. Categorising stuff and going through each expense has really helped me see how much we spend. On average, A. and I spend $1500 to $2000 a month (not including personal expenses). It takes time to go through and categorise each expense but it’s worth it, especially for transparency with A., since the credit card is under my name and he’s technically paying me back. 

7:15pm — Make burgs, chips and watch Kim's Convenience. Finish embroidery and chill. Watch Prey on Disney+, eat snacks, and head to bed by midnight.

5:00am — A.’s alarm goes off. He eventually gets up and gets ready for work. I go back to sleep.

7:30am — T. gets up and potters around, demanding I get up so she can pee. Sigh. Up and back door open. Back to sleep. Snooze alarm.

8:45am — Awake and scroll on phone for a minute. End up checking my shares and rethinking yesterday’s pick of stocks. Re-jig them and respond to a couple of work emails.

9:15am — Up and brush teeth, trackies and hoodie on. I generally wear the same thing all week and mostly leave washing my clothes until they smell or I’ve worn them a few times. Laundry in for a wash, coffee and sit at my desk. 

11:15am — Run out to put laundry up to dry before the next meeting. Run out of time. I’ll run back later for the last few socks.

12:30pm — Was going to take time during ‘lunch’ today to oil massage and wash my hair, but meetings ran long and work is piling up. No time for proper food yet, so I cut up an apple and run back to my desk for a meeting. 

2:15pm — Small break, so I get up to make tea only to get an urgent letter with instructions on a very vague letter to draft. Heat up falafel, chuck some lettuce in a bowl with hummus and eat while I get briefed. Realise there’s leftover chicken in the fridge from yesterday, so I heat that up too and wrap it in a small pita, because why not?

2:45pm — Jump in the meeting and finish the letter a record 45 minutes later before sending it off.

7:00pm — And laptop is closed. Ooft. Up to grab the laundry I put out to dry this morning and chuck it in the dryer for 5 minutes as it’s now unclear whether it’s dry or cold. T. has yet to finish her biscuits from earlier today, so I leave her be. Fold laundry from the other washing line from a couple of days ago and put it all away.

A. is home and exhausted. He puts his stuff away and starts on guac for dinner (we're having bean soup). Exhausted, A. brings home a bunch of snacks, of course. We eat and watch more Kim’s Convenience. A. asks how many seasons there are and is disappointed when he learns he’s almost at the end. It’s a shame that A. is not into SVU or Grey’s Anatomy — he’d love the number of seasons there are! Feed T. her dinner and she inhales her food. 

9:30pm — A. is ready to wind down. We grab the snacks and head into bed to continue watching more Kim’s Convenience before it finally finishes. A. puts on Seinfeld and two eps later, he’s ready for bed. I turn the TV and lights off just before midnight.