A Week In Crows Nest, Sydney, As An SEO Content Manager On $75,000

Occupation: SEO Content Manager
Industry: Tech
Age: 29
Location: Crows Nest, Sydney
Salary: $75,000
Net Worth: $7,448.82 ($5,235.03 in a personal savings account and $33,784 in superannuation. I highly recommend comparing interest rates on your savings account every year to check whether you're getting a good rate! This is especially true if you're under 35 — there can be some great rates out there for 'younger' people. I share my finances with my partner and we also have a joint account that we use to pay for our rent, utilities, groceries etc. — basically anything that isn't clothes (ha, I'm guilty of one too many purchases from The Iconic). We usually aim to have around $4,000 in the joint account, split 50/50.
Debt: No other loans besides my huge HECS debt — $31,570.21. I genuinely never check this, even at tax time. It kills me to see how all the indexations have made it increase over the years. It feels like any amount I manage to pay off doesn't even make a dent!
Paycheque Amount (Monthly): $4,603
Pronouns: She/Her

Rent: $2,440. I rent a one-bedroom apartment with my partner and we split the rent 50/50. It has one bathroom, an internal laundry, a study area, a big and lovely kitchen island, a balcony and a car space. My partner makes more than me but I feel like I spend way more time at home than him as I work from home four days a week, while he's a landscaper five days a week. Our rent increased by $35/week at the start of this year, which sucks. He offered to pay a little more than me for the next six months of our lease but I'm still doing okay enough to be comfortable with 50/50.
Internet: $59.99, split 50/50 with my partner
iCloud subscription: $4.49
Spotify: $11.99, split 50/50 with my partner. We're on an individual subscription because we're cheap arses, but this has proven to be problematic at times when we're apart and want to listen to music/podcasts at the same time.
Netflix: $10.99, split 50/50 with my partner
Reformer Pilates Membership: $450
Electricity & Gas: $115, split 50/50
Psychotherapy (every three weeks): $142
Monthly Savings Contributions: $2761.80. I have a strict "save 40% of your monthly paycheque" rule (thanks, Barefoot Investor). This tends to bend in December because purchasing gifts tends to get out of control. I don't actually bucket my savings into separate accounts though. No reason — I'm just lazy!
Mobile: I pay for my mobile plan yearly in June, which is $200.

I have a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in marketing) and a Bachelor of PR/Advertising. I've been trying to pay off my HECS debt since I graduated in 2018, but it honestly doesn't feel like the bill's getting any smaller. I'd love to pay it off in maybe three or so instalments, but I've never felt financially secure enough to do so. I tend to prioritise spending money on travelling over paying off my student debt.

Money was always spoken about with an air of seriousness and responsibility. My parents had it rough growing up in rural China and Indonesia and I know their feelings about money come from their experiences. Unfortunately, the way this has spread to me is that I constantly feel like I don't have enough money. Which then stresses me out — a lot. My parents always taught me to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE, but didn't teach me anything about investing because that wasn't something they had experience with.

My first job was at my dad's Chinese restaurant as a waitress, right after I finished high school. My parents were sick of me staying at home or going out with friends and spending money, so my dad decided to take me to work one day. I can't speak fluent Chinese so I wasn't allowed to handle the till. It was a lot of clearing tables, filling up sauces and washing dishes.

When I was 15, we moved out of my childhood apartment into a house and my mum sat me down to tell me how serious a mortgage is — and that it could be a lifetime commitment depending on your financial circumstances. My dad was the sole income stream in our household and my mum kinda scared me, telling me that I might need to contribute money towards the mortgage one day. My parents had me when they were a bit older so my mum was worried that the mortgage wouldn't be paid off by the time my dad retired. This really freaked me out and probably explains why I totally burnt myself out at the end of year 12. I was so stressed about having to do perfectly in the HSC, so I could get a great ATAR, to then secure a high-salary career. I used to get migraines almost every single day... so yes, you could say I was worried about money growing up.

Sometimes. It feels like you can never have enough money, especially with life being so bloody expensive these days. But I worry about it less now than when I was younger because even though I may not have a huge amount of savings or make a six-figure salary, I know I can take care of myself. I haven't been in a situation (yet) where I've had to struggle with money, so I trust my instincts and spending habits.

The last couple of years, seeing people I went to school with buying houses totally stressed me out and made me feel kinda worthless because I wasn't at the same stage as them. But I've learnt that this is what they mean by 'comparison is the thief of joy'. I was being tough on myself for not owning property yet, but I realised that I don't really want to own property right now. I'd rather spend my money on travelling than save up for a house. I'm sure my priorities will shift one day in the future but for now, I'm focusing on what makes me happy, and that's seeing the world!

I became financially responsible for myself when I moved out of home with my partner at 23. At the time, we lived in a small studio apartment, which wasn't very luxurious, but it still felt special because I finally felt like I had freedom. We were kinda pushed into living together so we took whatever we could get — we both needed to live together for at least a year so that he could apply for a partner visa to stay in Australia.

I don't know if I'd say I have a financial safety net though. I have a bit in my savings account but I know it needs to grow so I have enough to feel like I could lose my job and still survive, ya know? Knock on wood that I don't lose my job though!

No.

8:05am — I’m not a morning person by any means, and I’m even worse on Mondays. On mornings when I need help to find the willpower to get out of my linen sheets, I scroll through Youtube or Spotify to find a mindless video or podcast to listen to while I get ready. Zoe Sugg’s first 2023 vlog, it is.

8:35am — Skincare done. Hair brushed. Bed made. Dishwasher emptied. Breakfast ready on the table. Time for another vlog while I have my breakfast of oatmeal and fruit — it's Niomi Smart in Bali this time. This is making me excited for my Bali trip in May! Trying hard not to think about how I’m still paying off my Airbnb for that trip.

9:00am — Hop online to start work for the week. Okay, but how great is working from home on a Monday? Makes it a little less sucky.

10:45am — Freak out as I almost forgot I have a dentist appointment now. My new health insurance extras policy starts today and only costs $14.40. My plan is to have this extras insurance for a week only, go do all my annual checks, and then close my policy.

11:22am — I can’t believe that a 20-minute general clean and check-up costs $215. But my pearly whites are looking good and my insurer's is covering most of the bill — so I only pay $80.40 out of pocket. $80.40

12:15pm — Out the door again for my lunchtime reformer class. It’s funny how in my head, I see these classes as ‘free’ because I pay upfront for a pack of 20 to 30 classes. It doesn’t feel free when I have to pay it in one huge instalment though... which I'll need to do later today!

1:22pm — I'm feeling really great after that class! I pop into one of my favourite shops on the way home… Chemist Warehouse! The Neutrogena face wash that my partner and I use in the shower is half-price this week, so we’re buying two (for the price of one!) ($19.98). I find that this sale happens every couple of weeks so I basically refuse to pay full price for this face wash. I'm no sucker! $19.98

1:28pm — Grab some fruit at Woolies. I watched a video from the ABC over the weekend about how to pick the perfect stone fruit. Time to put my newfound knowledge to the test! Pick up two peaches and a mango for a mango salsa dinner later this week. $3.77

1:36pm — No proper lunchtime today since I spent my break at my Pilates class. But now, I need to buy a new pack of classes. There’s a six-week challenge coming up and if you sign up this week, you get two free classes. Usually, I buy a 25-class pass for $675 ($27 per class) and do three classes a week. But I’m going to challenge myself this time and do four classes a week. The pack is $520 for 24 classes, making it just over $21 per class, so I’ll be saving a bit while getting RIPPED. Lunch is some leftovers from a family dinner over the weekend. Can’t complain — day-old Hainan chicken is still pretty delicious. $520

6:12pm — Finish work a little later tonight. My partner’s off to a boxing class but has started dinner already (bless him). We’re having a Moroccan cauliflower and couscous salad with chicken for dinner. We’ll have this tomorrow too, so I might as well make two nights' worth of sauce to make tomorrow a little easier. I realise that we forgot to buy mint when we did the weekly shop over the weekend but as luck may have it, our apartment block has a communal herb garden all the way up on level 17. I’ll grab some (free!) mint there.

6:28pm — I’ve got a bit of time to squeeze in a quick yoga sesh while I wait for my partner to get home. I’m doing Yoga with Adriene’s 30 days of yoga series but I’m not forcing myself to adhere to it. There are some days when life gets in the way and THAT IS OK. I’m two days behind at the moment.

7:15pm — We’re having dinner but I AM CRAVING CHURROS SO BAD. I don’t know where this has come from. I’m also on my period so when I’m craving things, I NEED IT NOW. Do I a) order $4 churros from Guzman Y Gomez on Uber Eats and pay a delivery fee, b) walk 15 minutes to buy those $4 churros with no delivery fee, or c) Look up the recipe for churros on Google, hope they're easy to make and give it a go myself? I must be a nutter, because C, it is! I realise it’s a lot more effort to make them myself, but I love cooking and I already have all the ingredients (all six of them!) at home so why not? I also really don’t feel like heading out for the 4th time today.

7:48pm — That was surprisingly easy and I now have five fresh mini churros to enjoy while watching Djokovic vs de Minaur at the Australian Open. Why have I never made churros at home before? Oh, the issue of the leftover oil… that’s why. I’m going to struggle to find a container to store all this used oil.

10:30pm — My ‘wind down’ routine starts. The phone goes on ‘do not disturb’ mode, alarms ready for tomorrow (I have four of them), and it’s time to start journaling. After, I’ll read a book until I feel ready for bed (which is usually after 11pm). A friend of mine lent me Tuesdays with Morrie with a disclaimer that I’ll probably be ugly crying by the end. Great.

7:45am — I take back what I said yesterday. The mornings that I have to commute to the office are the worst. I don’t even live that far from the office (15 minutes by bus) but the thought of having to look presentable makes me tired already. Okay, time to stop complaining — up we get!

8:57am — Have a quick breakfast of Greek yoghurt, granola and strawberries while I'm getting ready, and then head to the bus stop. I’m very lucky to work for a company that allows flexible hours, so while the ‘start time' is 9am, they’re happy for you to rock up at the office earlier or later. It also means that I get to miss the morning rush of commuters, which I am all too happy to do! I pay $2.30 for the bus. $2.30

12:02pm — Work very kindly caters lunch every day, which was enough to convince me to come in every day pre-Covid. However, now it's become pretty hard to beat working in sweatpants at home. Today's lunch is a fried chicken burger from Butter. 

1:22pm — I head out for an optometrist appointment to make the most of my new health insurance policy. My eyesight hasn’t gotten any worse — woohoo! But I’m still going to buy some new frames because my current ones are two years old and I’m feeling a change! I get two pairs for $199 but it costs me a little more because I opt for the blue light filter. Health insurer covers $200 and I pay $159 out of pocket. $159

4:32pm — I’m the unofficial birthday celebrator in my team so I’ve organised drinks at a bar for two people’s birthdays. We’re starting in the office because we’re also lucky enough to have beers and wines available in the drinks fridge for free.

5:00pm — Right, the free drinks are over and we’re at the bar but WINNING! IT’S HAPPY HOUR! The first round of chips for the table is on me so I pay $14 for a bowl of truffle fries (how are normal fries acceptable once you see that truffle is an option?) and $10 for a happy hour cocktail. $24

5:28pm — There’s just over half an hour left of happy hour so I get another $10 cocktail while I can! We’re not planning to stay out late tonight, so I can rehydrate with water after that (yep, just call me Miss Responsible — the idea of a hangover has become less appealing to me after the age of 25). $10

6:51pm — Heading home for dinner that my lovely partner has cooked (and probably already started eating without me, but that’s fine... he missed out on truffle fries!). I’m surprised that there’s still a line for the bus but it still beats the 5:30pm queue. I pay $4.20 for the bus. $4.20

10:26pm — There’s been some wild lightning going on outside but it’s made it quite a nice mood to sit on the couch, journal and read. I also have to move my plants into the shower to water them. I don’t know if this is a good way to do it, but it seems to work since they’ve all been alive for over three years now. I just water them all in the shower, let the excess water drain out overnight, and then move them back into place in the morning. My partner especially loves it when I surprise him by doing this at night and after the gym the next morning, he's greeted with a bunch of plants in the shower. Surprise!

7:45am — Easy wake up this morning because I’ve decided to take the day off work! It’s meant to be a nice day, so I thought I’d enjoy a day to myself and soak up some rays at the beach.

8:30am — Standard breakfast of oatmeal, banana, blueberries and a crumbled speculoos biscuit to top it off. They're basically the same as a Lotus Biscoff biscuit, but heavier on the spices. My partner is originally from Belgium and his brother gave me some local speculoos biscuits as a gift when we visited last year.

10:22am — Class is over and I’m vibing some chocolate brownie M&Ms. At drinks last night, we got into a random discussion about how a conservative American TV host raised outrage over the M&M mascots being ‘too sexy’?! And also about how there was backlash about the new purple M&M being too ‘woke’. I’ll save you the discussion and just let you know that now I can’t stop thinking about those damn sexy M&Ms. It must be a sign from the universe, because they're on sale at Coles. $3.50

10:59am — Put a load of laundry in the wash. It’s still pretty cloudy so I’m going to follow another yoga video at home. The plan is to have lunch, finish reading my book, put the laundry out, and then head out to the beach. Lunch is easy today — leftovers from dinner last night with an extra miso corn cob I took home from the free work lunch yesterday. Hey, you gotta make the most of freebies when life is so expensive right now!

3:02pm — Take the bus to my fave local beach ($3.87) — Chinaman’s Beach in Mosman, which is right next to Balmoral. The beach is lovely and not too busy, but it’s time to head home before I overheat. The bus home is running late (what’s new?) but it gives me time to look up dinner and make sure that we’re not missing any ingredients at home. $4.99 for the second bus. $8.86

3:34pm — I get off the bus and take a quick detour at Coles. Apparently, we’re in need of avocado and it kills me to buy one because they’re so expensive right now! $3.50 each… at least they’re ripe and ready to go. I pick up a small cut of watermelon as well and some corn thins, which are 50% off this week. $8.37

6:38pm — Time to start cooking the salmon before my partner gets home from boxing. We’re having chilli lime salmon in the air fryer with avocado and mango salsa over a bed of coriander lime rice. This is definitely a bit more of an intensive cook than our usual weeknight feeds but because I had the day off, I knew I’d have enough time to prep and cook. Excited for the mango salsa!

7:15pm — Omg, the dinner is to die for. I see something on the telly about the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is a great reminder for me to look up tickets. Soccer (sorry, football) runs in my partner’s veins and tickets are surprisingly cheap! $50 each for category two tickets to the quarter finals. Time to start a group chat and see who else is keen to join us! $50

9:58pm — Djokovic just annihilated Rublev in the quarter-final match. Besides watching tennis, I’ve also been browsing for some basic knit tanks and graphic tees online. I haven’t bought anything… yet. I tend to wait at least a day before committing to buy stuff (unless it’s on sale and the sale ends that night, then I HAVE to… right?!) just in case I change my mind. So for tonight, we’re safe. No purchases... yet.

11:12pm — I’m about 30% into Beth Leary’s book, The No-Show. Feels like a light read after my last book and I quite like Leary’s other books. But now, it’s off to bed!

8:00am — Because it was pretty warm overnight, I'm not really hungry for breakfast. So it's just a Greek yoghurt bowl with granola and strawberries. My partner is meal prepping his work lunch for tomorrow before we head out — it's a public holiday today!

9:25am — We leave later than we’d like to but whatever, we don’t have a schedule. We’re heading back to Chinaman's Beach today but I have a feeling it’s going to be full already.

9:56am — Yep, it's full. We can't find any parking, so we decide to head in the other direction and check out Little Bay Beach. It’s already a little later than we’d like, so we pay for the toll to cut 15 minutes off the drive. $3.58

11:02am — Finally set up a spot at the beach but oh my god, it is so full. Of course it is; it’s a public holiday in summer!

12:30pm — I’m 63% into The No-Show on my Kindle and I’ve dipped in and out of the water over the last hour and a half. I’m happy, but it’s time to go because we’re getting hungry. We’re thinking of a quick stop in Barangaroo for gelato at Rivareno (my fave!) and then steaming some frozen pork and chive dumplings at home.

1:08pm — Finding street parking is a huge pain but we’re here! We’re only planning to be here for the gelato, so 30 minutes of parking should do it ($2.40). I’m feeling pistachio today and my partner is giving the salted caramel a go ($6.50). You can’t go wrong at Rivareno so I’m not surprised that they both taste INCREDIBLE! $8.90

3:20pm — We have our dumplings for lunch and head out for a short walk down to Wollstonecraft to drop off our weekly compost box. We found someone on ShareWaste that does home composting for her worm farm and chickens, so once a week, we go over to drop off our food scraps.

5:30pm — Tonight’s dinner is a HelloFresh recipe I’ve saved — harissa and honey glazed eggplant with roast potatoes and a Greek salad. I’ve only ever gotten HelloFresh once when my cousin gave me a promo code for five free meals. I enjoyed it, but I also love grocery shopping, so it wasn’t something I wanted to commit to. I love their recipes though because they’re easy, so I usually incorporate a HelloFresh recipe into our meal plans each week.

7:22pm — Dinner is done. Since it feels like a weekend, we pop on a movie instead of a TV show. This also means we'll need snacks. We’ve got half a box of cherries left and a selection of chocolate including those brownie M&Ms from earlier this week and one of my favourite chocolates ever, Tony’s Chocolonely milk caramel sea salt.

10:08pm — I can’t believe it’s Friday tomorrow! I’m mad that I didn’t take it off. I had Wednesday off already and apparently, it's meant to be a murky day tomorrow, so I thought I'd just work. The weekend feels so close, yet so far… I sit down and actually finish The No-Show and really enjoy it! Then I give my eyes a break and listen to an audiobook instead. I start Untamed by Glennon Doyle, which I’ve heard mixed reviews about.

8:15am — I’m struggling to get out of bed, but I know that if I don’t eat breakfast before logging in, I’m going to feel like I’m running behind the entire day. Thank goodness there’s a new episode of Emma Chamberlain’s podcast which will help me get through the morning.

8:50am — Just enough time for a very quick breakfast before I start work — oats, banana, strawberries and some dark chocolate chips. Really kicking myself for not taking today off, but it’s definitely a gross, sticky, cloudy day so I’m glad I spent Wednesday at the beach instead. The good news is that most people did take today off, so work will be really chill.

1:24pm — Head out for my lunchtime Reformer class. I need to pick up a few bits at Woolies before I head home. I’m going to try making a sundried tomato, goat's cheese and hummus toast for lunch. Grab some mint, goat's cheese and sundried tomatoes ($11.70). Turns out, I have a $10 Everyday Rewards voucher so the goat's cheese is free! How good. $11.70

5:30pm — The rest of the afternoon goes by okay. Have a couple of meetings and finish off some easy tasks. Notice that quite a few people have logged off by 5pm so I feel less bad about taking an extra 15 minutes on my lunch break to eat after my class. Then I clock off. We’re meeting my cousin and her husband for dinner tonight, but they’ve just messaged that they’re running late so we’ve got an hour before we need to leave. Bit ambitious but I’m going to try to do two of the 30 days of yoga videos to try and catch up!

6:35pm — Finish yoga, get dressed and run out the door just in time. I feel good about doing some yoga because now I feel really calm and refreshed. We’re off to have fried chicken burgers in Chatswood!

8:00pm — These burgers are good! ($58.36, split 50/50 with my partner) We're lucky enough to score the last portion of fries they have for the day. My cousin has a huge sweet tooth so I already know we’re going to have to look for some dessert now. We decide to give Gelateria Gondola a go. It has good reviews on Google but I doubt it’ll come close to Rivareno… $29.18

8:40pm — End up getting blood orange sorbet ($13.17 for my partner and me, so $6.58 for my share) and I enjoy it! Time to head home and catch the rest of Djokovic’s semi-final match. Also, how great is going home before 9pm? I may be 29 on the outside but inside, I’m like, 78. $6.58

10:10pm — Of course, Djokovic has smashed it out of the park again! He’s just completely dominated the last couple of matches. I opt for a Youtube video tonight rather than reading. Another Youtuber I follow is Linda Sun, who’s from Canada and does a lot of food and fitness videos. Good timing for meal planning too because she shares a couple of great dinner ideas!

10:20am — After a very chill morning wake-up routine, we’ve arrived at Copacabana beach! (Not to be confused with the one in Brazil, we’re still in NSW, haha). We already like it here. It feels way more chill than the city and there are so many free parking spots! A bunch of my mates have started driving at least an hour out of Sydney to explore other beaches and run away from the crowds and now I can see why. I’ve got my eye on Burnt Honey Bakery which a workmate of mine has recommended, so it's time to see what they’ve got on offer!

10:38am — We pitch our umbrella and sort out our food. We opt for a couple of fresh homemade ricotta pastizzi and a dark chocolate, sea salt and rye cookie ($9.66). I'm not quite hungry yet, so I’m going to start reading a new book — The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. $9.66

11:18am — The waves are nuts today! I jump in for a bit then head out to have lunch. The pastizzi are TO DIE FOR. I consider walking back and buying, like, five more, but I know I don’t need it — we’ve got more than enough.

12:52pm — I know it’s early but I can already feel myself getting a bit too hot from the 31-degree heat, so we start to head home. We drive back to Sydney but already make plans to come back to the Central Coast for future weekends to check out more beaches. And more local bakeries!

2:45pm — I am weirdly craving spring rolls, so we stop off in Crows Nest at the local Chinese takeaway to grab some ($6.70). These pastizzi have totally got me craving flaky and crunchy pastry! $6.70

4:00pm — We do a quick apartment clean and now my brain feels so organised. I just remembered that we have a couple of bills to pay — $141.19 for electricity and $209.17 for gas (covered in my monthly expenses). This is the first time that our gas bill has gone over $200 and it kills my soul a bit. The only reason I’m not feeling more devo is because I know that paying these bills will help us reach our credit card requirement to get bonus Qantas Frequent Flyer points. Last year, we got enough points from our everyday spending and bonus point offers to get a free return flight from Sydney to Belgium for one person! Hoping to do something similar this year for a trip in September.

6:00pm — We have the same harissa eggplant HelloFresh dinner as Thursday. It’s nice, but I am sweating so much from how hot it is in here! Our apartment faces southwest and we get the brunt of the hot afternoon sun. It’s lovely during winter, but not so much during summer. I think we have to turn the air-con on for an hour before I disappear into a puddle of sweat and need to shower again.

7:30pm — It’s finally cooled down so the air-con is off and the Australian Open women’s final is on. I also do a bit of online shopping during the ad breaks. I commit to a black knit tank top ($49.99) and get some goodies for the house from Biome. I use bamboo toothbrushes and I’m on my last one from a bulk box of 12, so I reorder another box and get a bunch of body soaps too ($70.40). $120.39

10:21pm — Sabalenka!!! That was a nail-biting end to the women’s singles! I’m feeling pretty sleepy already but I want to watch the men’s doubles. Just don’t think I’m going to last that long… but we’ll see (I don't).

9:24am — Have my breakfast of Greek yoghurt, blueberries and granola. It was horrendously hot and humid last night so I’m not feeling very hungry this morning, but I have a Reformer class in an hour so I know I need the fuel!

10:14am — I quickly stop by Coles. This week’s groceries will cost more than usual because we need to stock up on a couple of essentials like toothpaste, paper towels, protein powder and long-life oat milk. Most are on sale, so we tend to buy HEAPS to make the most of it! Besides that, we’ve got a bunch of fresh and frozen veg for next week’s dinners but no fruit (I’ll explain later). Luckily, we have $40 worth of FlyBuys rewards to redeem because we got a bunch of bonus points from spending a set amount over the last three weeks. I also still have $15 left on a Coles gift card, gifted by my uncle for Christmas. This lowers our bill down to $126.76. Then it's off to class, I go. $126.76

11:28pm — On my way home from my Reformer class, I stop off at the dollar shop to buy a sun shade for the car ($6.50). No more burnt hands on the steering wheel! $6.50

12:30pm — Finish another 30 days of yoga video and eat my lunch of sundried tomatoes, hummus and goat's cheese. Jump in for a cold shower and then I'm on my way to Macquarie Centre.

1:40pm — My partner has gone to get a schnitty for dinner ($3.70), so I go and get my brows done at Benefit. When I go to pay, I'm surprised with a $10 Myer rewards voucher, so it’s $39 this time! I’m feeling seriously chuffed today after all the rewards at Coles and now at Myer! I celebrate and grab myself a taro milk tea at Coco before I head over to my parents' place ($6.20). $48.90

4:00pm — Spend a couple of hours at my parents’ place. We make the pilgrimage to my parents’ every week or two and they reward us with their love language, which is fruit. This is why we didn’t buy fruit earlier! My mum basically shoves way too much fruit and random veg at us when we come to visit. Random veg this week includes corn, snake beans and bok choy. Then we head home.

4:50pm — Stop off in Lane Cove on the way home to grab some guanciale (for future carbonara) and honey at Harris Farm ($23.98). I also get a takeaway ham, cheese and egg crepe at Four Frogs for a very early dinner ($14.21). $38.19

5:50pm — I’ve already downed my crepe and it’s actually quite filling. But I decide that I'll also bake one of the corn cobs my mum gave me with some garlic and parsley butter. I was meant to meet up with some friends from high school tonight to play badminton, but I've bailed because I'm feeling too tired to sweat for two hours. I don’t feel as guilty as I thought I would because now I’m having a very relaxed evening. I’ll see them next week anyway!

9:44pm — Djokovic is killing it in the Australian Open final tonight! But Tsitsipas just broke him, so we could be in for a long night. I grab my journal and start my do not disturb time, trying to mentally prep myself for another work week ahead. But before I forget, the dreaded fortnightly rental payment needs to be sent… Goodbye $1,220 (covered in my monthly expenses).

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