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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'm a lawyer currently on maternity leave with my first baby (Z). She is 7 months old and is (objectively speaking) adorable. I was really looking forward to my maternity leave and then...corona. Being a new mum can be isolating enough but add a global pandemic and it really does push you to your limit!"
Industry: Law
Age: 30
Location: London
Salary: £150,000
Paycheque amount: £7,232
Number of housemates: Four: Z, my partner (K) and his dad and stepmum. We've been living with K's parents for two years so that we could save to buy somewhere to live and we're looking at flats now BUT THE MARKET HAS GONE CRAZY (well, even more crazy than before, it's always been a bit mental in London) so we're a bit in limbo at the moment, waiting for things to calm down. I'm really grateful to K's parents for letting us stay with them but it has been pretty intense and I'm looking forward to having my own space again.
Age: 30
Location: London
Salary: £150,000
Paycheque amount: £7,232
Number of housemates: Four: Z, my partner (K) and his dad and stepmum. We've been living with K's parents for two years so that we could save to buy somewhere to live and we're looking at flats now BUT THE MARKET HAS GONE CRAZY (well, even more crazy than before, it's always been a bit mental in London) so we're a bit in limbo at the moment, waiting for things to calm down. I'm really grateful to K's parents for letting us stay with them but it has been pretty intense and I'm looking forward to having my own space again.
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: None, and I'm super grateful for this.
Loan payments: I paid my student loan off a few years ago and felt really proud once I had. I was one of the lucky ones who paid circa £3k a year for tuition fees and feel really sad for those who came after me and had to pay £9k a year.
Utilities: K and I contribute £500 a month to cover our share of bills (council tax, electricity, water, internet). I pay £400 and K pays £100 as I earn significantly more than him.
Transportation: Pretty minimal as since corona, Z and I tend to walk a lot and only use public transport occasionally.
Phone bill: £10 but I was paying £53 up until recently.
Savings? £23,000 in a cash ISA and £6,500 in a stocks and shares ISA (this is what I invested but the value has actually plummeted since then – again, thank you corona). I know this might not sound a lot given my salary and expenses but I helped my mother to buy a house, which really dented my savings.
Other: Amazon Prime £79.99 a year, Netflix £11.99 a month, Save The Children £100 a month.
Loan payments: I paid my student loan off a few years ago and felt really proud once I had. I was one of the lucky ones who paid circa £3k a year for tuition fees and feel really sad for those who came after me and had to pay £9k a year.
Utilities: K and I contribute £500 a month to cover our share of bills (council tax, electricity, water, internet). I pay £400 and K pays £100 as I earn significantly more than him.
Transportation: Pretty minimal as since corona, Z and I tend to walk a lot and only use public transport occasionally.
Phone bill: £10 but I was paying £53 up until recently.
Savings? £23,000 in a cash ISA and £6,500 in a stocks and shares ISA (this is what I invested but the value has actually plummeted since then – again, thank you corona). I know this might not sound a lot given my salary and expenses but I helped my mother to buy a house, which really dented my savings.
Other: Amazon Prime £79.99 a year, Netflix £11.99 a month, Save The Children £100 a month.
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