Money Diary Digital Editor In Bath On £71.5k

Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.

This week we're with a 28-year-old woman who has recently moved to Bath to live with her partner after doing long-distance for almost four years.

"P has always earned more than me so he contributed to my travel costs when I visited him, and paid for most, if not all, our social outings. I now earn around £10k more than he does, so we’ve balanced it out. We’re looking to buy a house in Bristol at the moment as most of P’s friends live there (my friends all live in London or the North) and it’s easier for travelling to work. P is exceptionally good at saving and has enough money for us to buy a house with ease. But I’ve always been very independent and don't like the idea of not contributing, so have offered to pay around a quarter of the deposit and to cover more of the mortgage after the purchase.

I’m usually quite good with my money, but I do have certain times (when the seasons change) when I buy lots of clothes. I do countless online orders and tell myself I’m redoing my wardrobe. Then end up returning everything that isn’t monotone.

I never talk about money or salary to my friends as I know I earn more than most of them, and I just end up feeling embarrassed. Most of my friends think I earn around £40k and I still get a lot of ‘You’re so lucky with jobs’ or if I point out something I’d like to buy I get, ‘Well, you can afford it’. I have been working since the age of 16, and my first job was flipping burgers at a fast food restaurant, so I don’t think it’s just sheer luck."

Industry: Self-employed digital editor (currently in the finance industry)
Age: 28
Location: Bath
Salary: £71,500
Paycheque amount: Average £5,500 per month although I get paid weekly (£1,375) – I only transfer myself around £1,800 a month and the remainder stays in savings.
Number of housemates: 1 – partner

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: £200 – P’s family own several houses and at the moment we live rent-free in one of them. P doesn’t have a mortgage and doesn’t really want me to pay rent. But I pay him £200 because there are still bills like council tax and heating to cover.
Loan payments: £50 for a credit card. I don’t really like using credit cards, but I got one last year to help with credit rating for when we buy a house. I treated myself to a handbag, and now pay a direct debit of £50 to clear this.
Utilities: £0
Transportation: £220 for fuel
Phone bill: £38
Savings: I currently have around £21,000 in savings. I have a separate saving pot whereby if I have any money left out of the £1,800 I pay myself, I put it towards things on my wishlist. These are things I really like, but are quite expensive. On this year’s list I have a leather jacket from All Saints, Russell and Bromley Chelsea boots, and an Apple watch.
Other? Contact lenses £9 but my dad pays for these even though I constantly ask for them to be transferred over (I can’t do it without him present). Gym membership £18
Committee*: £200

Total: £708

*A committee is an extended family saving pot. Each week, those who can afford to put in an amount they want, for 100 weeks. So how it works: Each week I put in £50, but in week 10, if I need £5,000 for something, I can take the £5,000 out and keep paying my £50 until the 100 weeks are finished. It’s like a short-term, interest-free loan. I took £5,000 around 20 weeks in and paid off my student loan. The committee ends in July.

Want more money diaries? Join our Money Diaries Facebook group for extra content and discussion.