Money Diary: An Office Administrator on £10.42/hr

This week: "I'm a 24-year-old Project Management graduate from Buckinghamshire. I left university last summer and moved back home after finishing my degree. When I got home, I started working as an office administrator for a fashion retail company. I worked for this company throughout my placement year and they asked me to come back after graduation. I made a plan to travel to Australia after graduating, so I took the offer to work with the brand for another six months and then go travelling afterwards. I was away for a few months and just returned home. When I got back, I asked my ex-manager if it was possible to return to my old role to get my cash flow started again and I start back with them this week. Since coming back, I've had to be on a strict budget and work out how much I have left to spend before receiving my first paycheque. I normally spend most of my time in the gym, catching up with friends and travelling as much as I can."

Occupation: Office Administrator  
Industry: Retail  
Age: 24 
Location: Buckinghamshire 
Salary: Minimum wage (£10.42 an hour). 
Paycheque Amount: Roughly £1,000 depending on hours. I can work as many hours as I want but I'm planning on doing roughly five hours a day whilst I’m applying for a new job. 
Number of housemates: Two, my mum and my sister. 
Pronouns: She/her 

Housing costs: I pay £150 board to my mum.
Loan payments: My student loan (I don't pay this back yet).
Savings: None. I'm currently using my interest-free overdraft to pay for things before my first paycheque comes in.
Pension? I pay £200 into the company pension scheme.
Utilities: Included in my house costs.
All other monthly payments: £58 phone contract, £54 car insurance, £26 gym membership. Subscriptions: £5.99 Amazon Prime, £10 Spotify. 

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?: 
I did a BA Honours degree in Project Management and I took out a maintenance and student loan to pay for this.  

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
I grew up in a single-parent household so my mum brought me up to respect money and be careful with it. She's had to budget since my parents spilt many years ago so I always understood the meaning of money. My sister and I never went without but we didn't understand why we couldn't go on holiday every year. As I grew older, I learnt how important money is, how important it is not to waste it and also to know how hard it is to make it.  

If you have when did you move out of your parents/guardians house? 
I've not moved out of my parent's house just yet. I have lived away from home while at university and I also travelled twice for four months at a time.  

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life? 
When I was at university, I had to work to be able to afford my daily finances. This included food, drink and anything I wanted to do. I had to take out a student loan to help with my rent but now I pay rent to my mum. That being said, I still live at home so I'm not fully financially responsible for myself.

What was your first job and why did you get it? 
I started working weekends at a restaurant when I was thirteen. My hours increased the older I got. I started to work there because my dad wanted me to understand the meaning behind money.  

Do you worry about money now? 
Having just gotten back from Australia, I've come home with not much money. I worked for six months before going travelling and I spent all the money I earned. This means that I'm going back to my previous job to start earning money again to pay for rent and any expenses. I am currently slightly worried about money but I know I will work hard to be stable again.  

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
Nope.