Money Diary: A Civil Servant On £42,499

This week: "I'm a 31-year-old mum of two who is two months into a year of maternity leave. I live in Wales with my partner of 11 years and two children. I'm a civil servant working in education for the past six years and feel extremely lucky that I love my job. I also volunteer on two boards of directors for charities in the arts and education, and have recently become a critical friend to an arts organisation. I’m looking forward to spending the next year focused on my children while dipping in and out of work-related activities."

Occupation: Civil servant
Industry: Education
Age: 31
Location: Wales
Salary: £42,499
Paycheque amount: £2,751 (this varies month to month due to how maternity leave is paid).
Number of housemates: Three: my partner, J, and two children, L and Z.
Pronouns: She/her

Housing costs: £540. My housing costs, utilities, nursery fees, mortgage protection and children’s savings contributions represent half the overall cost as they are split with my partner.
Loan payments: £200 undergraduate loan.
Savings? £20,000 in an ISA, £2,000 in stocks and shares, and £11,000 across savings accounts.
Pension? I pay 5.45% of my salary into the civil service pension scheme and my employer pays 28.97%.
Utilities: £35 water bill, £91 council tax, £16 internet, £52 gas and electricity.
All other monthly payments: £291 nursery fees, £12.95 mobile SIM only, £48 dentist fund, £100 to L and Z child savings’ accounts, £5 mortgage protections. Subscriptions: £4.99 Netflix.

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I studied an undergraduate degree and took out the maximum maintenance loans. My parents gave me £150 a month each year during term time, which I topped up through summer jobs. When I started my job in the civil service, I went back to study an online master's degree part-time. I was fortunate as it was related to work so it was half-funded by work. I used my savings to pay the rest.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
As a family we didn't often talk about money growing up, however my parents made sure we didn't go without anything we needed and we always went on one holiday a year. We were always told to live within our means and to pay back any credit cards in full at the end of the month. I got my first credit card at 22 after finishing university to build my credit score.

If you have, when did you move out of your parents'/guardians' house?
Aside from relocating during my undergraduate degree, I moved out of my parents’ house at 23 when my partner moved and we moved in together.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
My partner and I earn similar salaries and have always split living costs between us equally. While I'm on maternity leave he will contribute more towards costs (once I am on statutory maternity pay and unpaid leave). We are also extremely fortunate that my mum helped out with childcare up to a couple of days a week before I was on maternity leave, which helped financially.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
From the age of 14 I regularly babysat a few children in our local area, which gave me some pocket money for weekends.

Do you worry about money now?
I do worry due to increased childcare costs and the real possibility of needing to move house to meet our growing family needs. We also need to be able to save enough for retirement, especially due to the fact I would like to go part-time in the near future to be able to juggle family life more easily. However, I do recognise that overall we are in a very fortunate position and have family who can support us in any way they can.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
I haven't received any inheritance.