A Week In Boston, MA, On A $75,000 Salary

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We're asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.

Today: a customer success manager who makes $75,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on botox.

Occupation: Customer Success Manager
Industry: Government Technology
Age: 26
Location: Boston, MA
Salary: $75,000 + bonus ($2,000-$10,000)
Net Worth: $54,336 (Assets: $67,685.59 in stocks, savings, car minus debt.)
Debt: $13,384 (student loans)
Paycheck Amount (1x/month): $5,000 (Employer covers insurance costs, and I put $400 into retirement.)
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,240 (For my room in a two-bed apartment, plus a parking spot.)
Student Loans: My federal loans are on pause right now, but usually I pay $120/month.
WiFi: $40
Gas/Electricity: $60
Spotify: $10
RocksBox: $20
Composting Service: $15

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I was not expected to participate, but I was academically-minded from a young age so my parents assumed that I would go. I did not have a college fund from my family so when it came time to choosing a school, I had to consider the expense and how I was going to afford it. My dad was willing to assist to an extent but I would have to cover additional costs. I ultimately went to an out-of-state school, but it was a public school so relatively affordable compared to my other options. I took out loans to help with costs during my junior and senior year, but otherwise paid for undergrad with a series of government and university grants and having a part-time job. For my master's degree, I had a fellowship that paid me a stipend of $15,000 a year as well as tuition waivers. My dad helped me cover the cost of living while I got both of my degrees. At the time, we charged my rent to a credit card and he has since paid off that credit card bill. I have no debt from my graduate degree, but I do have outstanding loans from my undergraduate education.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Money was always a troublesome topic in my household. My family did not really educate me about finance. I received most of my understanding of investment and savings from my grandfather who was a good saver and fairly frugal spender. On the other hand, my mom was always spending money — often money we did not have. I understood what saving was and also the idea of investment because my grandpa had invested on his grandchildren's behalf and he tried to pass on his knowledge. I also was infrequently rewarded with money for doing chores or getting good grades.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I started babysitting at a young age because I loved spending time with little kids and was a natural caretaker. Eventually, I got my first job with a paycheck from a company when I got a job one summer as a lifeguard after turning 16. I was a swimmer growing up so it was a natural transition to want to work at a pool. I also got trained in swim instruction as well. I did both for a couple of years before I got a job in retail. I used the money I made to pay for personal expenses, shopping, food, outings with friends and saved a little bit. Ultimately I spent everything I made before I went to college, I was not told or encouraged to solely save the money I made so I just mainly used it for whatever I wanted. I continued working part-time jobs during college, and so on until getting my first full-time job after graduating with my masters.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I understood financial struggle from a young age because when I was six, my father filed for bankruptcy and we had to sell our house. This led us to live in rentals my whole life and move every few years. My father was often on unemployment and I witnessed our car get repossessed. Money was something I always wanted because, to me, it seemed to be the secret to reducing disputes and disruptions at home.

Do you worry about money now?
Because of the inconsistent exposure to money and finances as a child, I still have deep-rooted worry about money. I know what it can look and feel like when your finances are not stable and that is not something I want to put my children through or create conflict around with my romantic partners or future spouse. I am not worried on a day-to-day basis, but more in the terms of achieving the life I want and creating healthy financial habits as an independent woman and for my future generations. Additionally, I worry about the future financial burden of caring for my parents who do not have strong retirement savings.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became financially independent in 2020 upon getting my first full-time job, which enables me to pay for all my monthly expenses and ongoing personal needs. I do have a safety net in that my family would step in if I needed it, but they themselves have minimal resources beyond offering a roof over my head.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes, I received some inheritance when my grandparents passed away ($10,000) and some from when my uncle passed away who did not have any children himself (also $10,000).

11:30 a.m. — It's Sunday morning and I sleep in. I start my day with a glass of water and a bite of leftover banana bread. Then I turn on Encanto and have some tea and cereal. A buyer from Facebook Marketplace stops by to buy a bookshelf from me for $50.

3 p.m. — I take a much-needed trip to Costco with two friends. I get a handful of fresh produce and frozen salmon, chicken, and ground turkey in bulk. I also get my boyfriend and myself a couple of pairs of workout pants. I am a sucker for Costco clothes. A few hundreds of dollars later we leave with carts full and shopping batteries drained. $307.58

7 p.m. — After unpacking and portioning out my rations from Costco in the freezer, I'm exhausted, hungry, and still not sure what to make for dinner. I make frozen green beans, gluten-free spaghetti, and ground turkey with tomato sauce for dinner. I use the last of my energy to meal prep some other items for the week ahead so I have food ready to grab while working from home.

9:30 a.m. — I wake up and roll around for an hour or so before finally getting out of bed. I make my way to the bathroom and tell Alexa to play me The Daily and Up First. After listening to my morning round of podcasts to catch me up to speed on the news, I get dressed and make my way to work (aka the corner of my apartment).

12 p.m. — I wake up later than planned so I don't eat until noon when I take out a slice of the breakfast quiche I prepared last night. I refill my water and jump into meetings. I am on EST and most of my team is MST or CST so we often have meetings during times I want to eat.

2:15 p.m. — I get bored with my work so I take a shopping break on Amazon. I want to get my boyfriend a birthday gift on behalf of my mom since she isn't tech-savvy enough to online shop. I get him an alarm clock since he really needs a new one. My mom will eventually pay me back for this purchase, but I front the $30. $30

4:15 p.m. — I have been keeping my eyes on airline tickets because my friend is getting married in May in Toronto. I see that prices have dropped to below $200 so I grab a ticket before they go back up. $194

5 p.m. — Time for a weekly therapy session. This was free for most of the pandemic but my insurance started charging again. Thankfully, my copay is reasonable. It's definitely worth the cost. $30

7 p.m. — I have a lot of work to get done so I am glad I meal-prepped some food. I heat up some falafel and make a pita while I watch some episodes of Cobra Kai on Netflix to unwind.

8 a.m. — It's trash day which means I get woken up by the sound of dump trucks. I snooze for a bit and then roll out of bed to get things started. I actually get dressed today because I have to leave the house today for an appointment.

10 a.m. — I eat breakfast (slice of the quiche) at my desk and have a call with an old colleague. I do some work and then head out to my doctor's appointment.

11:15 a.m. — I get to my dermatologist's office. I get a small mole shaved down and might get billed for this later if insurance doesn't cover it. I also have a Botox consultation for my "deep 11's." I decide to pull the trigger and the injection while I'm here. In the end, I pay $50 for the medical visit, $75 for the consult (eye roll), and $400 for 20 units of botox. RIP to my wallet this month. I'm curious to see how long the results last and whether it will be worth forking over $400 every six months. $525

4 p.m. — I spend the remainder of my afternoon in meetings, snacking on various food I have in the house.

7:30 p.m. — Exhausted from my day and ready to curl up after a long day of meetings and cold weather, I make a quick dinner of falafel and pita and eat while watching Yellowjackets. I end the night by playing a game of Wii tennis.

7 a.m. — I wake up earlier today since our cleaning person is coming this morning. I get dressed and ready to head out and run errands while giving her time and space to clean without me around. Once she arrives, I head out to the grocery store.

8:45 a.m. — I leave the house with plans to go to Wegmans [supermarket], but when I get closer I realise there is an Aldi nearby. I've never been so today feels like the right day to explore. I get fresh produce and ingredients for the dinner party I'm having this week (we are hosting a Shabbat dinner). My boyfriend will be splitting the cost of the groceries for the meal. He recently moved to New York so this meal is to give him a chance to see his friends in a small and safe environment. Everyone is getting COVID tests before they can come. His going-away festivities at the end of December got cancelled because I had COVID. $92.37

10:30 a.m. — On my way home, I pass the car wash and decide to get a wash. I love the fun colours of the soap and I tend to blast music while going through the car wash. It's also a wonderful place to let out a scream. $12

11 a.m. — I return home to a sparkling clean house. I pay the cleaning woman — I have a fairly small space so it's not a large area to clean but has a lot of stuff to navigate. I didn't grow up with a cleaning person so this is certainly a luxury I appreciate. Normally my roommate and I split this cost, but she has been out of town for the last month and is not returning for two weeks so this time I am paying for it in full. $75

2 p.m. — I take a break from work to eat lunch. I make a pita pizza in my toaster oven. I then watch the two remaining episodes of Cobra Kai. It is so bad, but so good. I really wish I was a badass karate champ now.

7 p.m. — I finish up work and then start making turkey chilli. I also make corn bread. This is a classic meal for me when it's cold out and boy is it cold out this week. I started binging the new season of Cheer on Netflix. It is tough to watch with some of the controversies, but I can't look away.

10 p.m. — My boyfriend arrived from New York via train. I haven't seen him since last week, which honestly is not that long, but it was plenty of time to miss him. I'm happy he is here for the next few days. My roommate is out of town so we will finally have some good one-on-one time.

8 a.m. — I get out of bed and take a shower to wake up. I put some more time into getting ready today because I am speaking on a virtual panel for work this afternoon. I eat a piece of quiche and make a smoothie.

9:30 a.m. — I get settled at my desk for work, listen to my podcasts, and make a reservation for dinner tonight.

12 p.m. — I have a busy day with meetings so I take a quick break for lunch while I have a chance and eat some leftover chili and cornbread. My panel discussion is up next and I hope my chilli doesn't cause heartburn.

2 p.m. — Update: no heartburn interruptions during the panel. I take a break to reward my efforts and have a snack.

7 p.m. — My boyfriend and I finish up our days of work and got ready for our date night of dinner and a concert. We head out all bundled up to walk then decided against it because it was too cold. I drive us over to the restaurant and we park at a metered spot. $1.25

7:30 p.m. — Before heading to the concert, we go to the best ramen restaurant in Boston. We get vegetarian miso ramen and water. It is so tasty and hits the spot. $37.50

8:15 p.m. — We have some time to kill before the show, so we walk into a huge bookstore and wander around. I love bookstores. I find the bargain table and pick up a cocktail book, a small book of Jewish sweets, and baking cookbook. Great unexpected finds and I will definitely return to this shop in the future. $18.23

9 p.m. — We arrive at the historic synagogue in Brookline and were seated in the candle-lit sanctuary. It is a beautiful location! The audience was small so we get moved up closer which was nice. Tickets were $30 and I bought both of ours last month so that was already taken care of for the night. The performance features a string quartet and the programme is centered around Vivaldi's four seasons. It's a lovely concert and I am really glad we decided to go. It's an hour-long performance. I love watching people play the violin, it's so beautiful.

8:30 a.m. — I wake up and take a nice, long shower.

9:30 a.m. — My boyfriend has to get to work, so I make him a bowl of yoghurt and blueberries, coffee, and a tall glass of water. I then get started with cooking dinner for tonight since I have meetings back to back from 11 to 4. I am making teriyaki salmon, crispy Brussels sprouts, kale salad, coconut lemongrass soup, and roasted potatoes.

11 a.m. — Work time.

4 p.m. — I finished cooking for dinner and turn off my computer for the day. Time to light candles for Shabbat. I observe Shabbat in a way that involves no use of technology or spending money.

6:30 p.m. — My friends had arrived for dinner and we socialise before sitting down to eat. The meal goes by fairly quickly and the food is well received. We have dessert and then play a game. Our guests leave around 10:30. We clean up and go right to bed.

10 a.m. — I sleep in and stay in comfy clothes most of the day. Eventually, we get up and eat a small breakfast.

1 p.m. — We bundle up and go for a walk in the freezing cold weather. It's nice to get some fresh air.

3 p.m. — We get home and my boyfriend makes us hot chocolate. We sit on the couch and thaw out.

4 p.m. — We eat leftovers for lunch and then play cards and drink tea until the sun goes down.

7 p.m. — We put Friends on in the background and get started on cooking dinner. We make fried chicken sandwiches and they are so good. Then we clean up and watch a movie.

10 p.m. — We finish the movie and go to bed. It's been a long but good day!