Money Diary 23 Year Old In London On £38k

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: "I’m a single, fresh-out-of-uni 23-year-old who took the first job I could to pay my exorbitant south London rent. I live with some friends and spent September and October frantically applying for jobs and burning through my savings to stay afloat. I am typically very bad with budgeting and tend to spend everything available until my overdraft bottoms out – usually prompted by a call from the bank rather than diligent monitoring of my account balance."

Industry: Financial services
Age: 23
Location: London
Salary: £38k
Paycheque amount: £2,219
Number of housemates: 3

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: Base rent £785
Loan payments: Student loan, comes directly out of wages
Utilities: Around £150 (Wi-Fi, utilities, council tax)
Transportation: £30/week
Phone bill: £0 (love you, Dad)
Savings? About £400
Other: Yearly travel card, £1,648, is bought by work and comes directly out of my wages