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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 am a flight attendant for a German airline and moved to London two years ago to be with my partner. I work part-time so the commute is not too bad. I fly to Germany at least twice a month and I stay with my parents during that time. My boyfriend and I split the cost of flights and rent and pretty much everything else, that was our agreement before moving in together.
I would say I spend a lot of money on clothes and transportation, and on food when I’m on layovers. My boyfriend and I are trying not to eat out as much when I’m in London; we always buy food on the day that we decide to cook so that we save money. My boyfriend is very good at saving, he tries to teach me every day not to spend big amounts and how to save, even if it’s just a little bit day by day."
Industry: Aviation
Age: 25
Location: London and Germany
Salary: €30,000 (£26,396). My fixed salary is £1,500/month before taxes then I get paid on top of that for flying hours.
Paycheque amount: €2,000 (£1,760). It always depends on the month I’m flying – every month is different – but roughly it’ll come to €2,000/month.
Number of housemates: One (boyfriend).
Age: 25
Location: London and Germany
Salary: €30,000 (£26,396). My fixed salary is £1,500/month before taxes then I get paid on top of that for flying hours.
Paycheque amount: €2,000 (£1,760). It always depends on the month I’m flying – every month is different – but roughly it’ll come to €2,000/month.
Number of housemates: One (boyfriend).
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £675 each in rent.
Loan payments: €483 credit card (£425) on direct debit.
Council tax: £77.50 each.
Electricity: £16 each.
Internet: £15 each.
Water: Still waiting for the bill...
Transportation: Depends on how often I have to fly back to Germany but roughly £100. One standby return flight to Frankfurt is €100 so if I fly twice, my partner and I will each pay about £100. I use my company’s credit card for Tube rides (we get the best exchange rate) and top up my Oyster when I reach my credit card limit.
Phone bill: £0. I have a top-up sim but I never really use it. I only use public Wi-Fi and when there’s none I just try to enjoy life without being on my phone every second. My boyfriend gets so annoyed and can’t understand how I can live without data, lol.
Savings: I have €8000 (£7,038) in my savings account. My grandma had a savings account for me and my sister since we were little but I kept asking her to withdraw money through the years so there’s only €30 (£26.39) left at the moment. Ouch. I have about €2000 (£1,800) in my company stocks/shares. I try to add money to my savings account whenever I can. We get a bonus every year, which I try to save. It’s about €1000 (£879).
Other: Cineworld membership £18.40, iCloud storage plan £0.79, that’s about it. I hate being stuck to a contract, which is why I don’t have many standing orders or contracts.
Loan payments: €483 credit card (£425) on direct debit.
Council tax: £77.50 each.
Electricity: £16 each.
Internet: £15 each.
Water: Still waiting for the bill...
Transportation: Depends on how often I have to fly back to Germany but roughly £100. One standby return flight to Frankfurt is €100 so if I fly twice, my partner and I will each pay about £100. I use my company’s credit card for Tube rides (we get the best exchange rate) and top up my Oyster when I reach my credit card limit.
Phone bill: £0. I have a top-up sim but I never really use it. I only use public Wi-Fi and when there’s none I just try to enjoy life without being on my phone every second. My boyfriend gets so annoyed and can’t understand how I can live without data, lol.
Savings: I have €8000 (£7,038) in my savings account. My grandma had a savings account for me and my sister since we were little but I kept asking her to withdraw money through the years so there’s only €30 (£26.39) left at the moment. Ouch. I have about €2000 (£1,800) in my company stocks/shares. I try to add money to my savings account whenever I can. We get a bonus every year, which I try to save. It’s about €1000 (£879).
Other: Cineworld membership £18.40, iCloud storage plan £0.79, that’s about it. I hate being stuck to a contract, which is why I don’t have many standing orders or contracts.
Do you have a particularly unusual or high-salaried job? Refinery29 is looking to talk to women anonymously about what their job entails - if you'd be interested in sharing, drop us a line at moneydiary@refinery29.uk
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