Welcome To Money Diaries, Australia!

It all started with an awkward conversation at a dinner party, almost 6 years ago.

An editor at Refinery29 pitched the idea after the mood in the room seemed to change when her then-boyfriend, who made a six-figure salary, brought up how much he earned. It felt weird to hear someone share details about how much they made, even among friends.

And so in January 2016, Money Diaries was born, in the hope of breaking the taboo around talking about money. The series offered an up-close-and-personal look into the daily lives of everyday people, and became wildly popular all over the world, spawning a book, a podcast and a subreddit with over 42,000 fans — and thousands of diaries that led to hundreds of thousands of conversations.

The very first diarist, a graphic designer on a $65,000 salary in Brooklyn, NY, indulges in some emotional eating, pays for a gym membership she seldom uses, and goes on two dates: one that goes from 0 to 100 real quick, and another with a "really nice" guy who grew up on a farm in rural Virginia. Diaries like these helped change the prevailing narrative around women and money, and also made us feel better to see that no one else is perfect with money either.

Talking about money has always been taboo, and it’s especially complicated for women. Australian women are still paid far less than men, are less likely to invest their savings, retire with less and are more likely to live in poverty. We’re also less likely to feel confident about money or negotiating a pay rise. And one of the reasons that this gap continues to linger is because the money remains firmly ensconced in the too-hard basket.

So we couldn't be more excited to launch Money Diaries in Australia, in partnership with Money by Afterpay. Our shared goal is to make Australian women and underrepresented people feel more confident about their own finances, no matter how much they make or how they spend it.

We know that normalising conversations about money makes us smarter, stronger, and more powerful. We hope that through these diaries, you'll feel encouraged and inspired to start talking about money in your own life, and taking steps to improve your finances.

Here are a few of our favourite Australian diaries so far:

— An 18-year-old uni student and hospitality worker in Melbourne who is on a COVID-19 Disaster Payment and makes $14,000 a year. She bakes her mum a birthday cake, plays Trivial Pursuit with her family, and splurges on an iPad that she uses to design bikinis as her side hustle.
— A 30-year-old writer in Sydney who makes $36,000 a year. They bake a focaccia with Mexican flair, work on a 1500-piece jigsaw puzzle with the last 100 pieces infuriatingly just shades of blue and purple sky, and go to a pole dancing class.
— A 34-year-old in Perth who makes $170,413 a year as an HR manager at a mining site. She has a great skincare and gym routine, loves a nitro cold brew and buys home renovation supplies at Bunnings.

We can't wait to share more stories, and hear yours, too.