Money Diary: A 25-Year-Old On 30k Moving To Edinburgh

This week: "I work in science communication at a medical research charity, which essentially means that I get to talk about all the cool science that my organisation funds without having to actually do any experiments myself. I always found lab work horrifically boring and repetitive (and was also very bad at it) so this job suits me perfectly. 

I live with my boyfriend, P, in a one-bed flat in south London. However, he’s recently accepted a new job based in Edinburgh, so we’ve decided to say goodbye to London and make the move up to Scotland. My manager has agreed that I can relocate to the Scotland office and continue in my current role up there, which is very exciting! I love Scotland and we go hiking there a lot, so the fact that this move is actually happening is like a dream come true. 

I’m usually fairly sensible with money but I probably do spend a bit too much on food and drink. I’ve been able to save up enough to pay off my overdraft from university over the last year, and I’m hoping that once we move to Scotland our outgoings will be lower and we’ll be able to save towards going travelling in a couple of years."

Industry: Science communication
Age: 25 
Location: London (soon to be Edinburgh!)
Salary: £30,150
Paycheque amount: £1,798
Number of housemates: One

Up until this month, P and I each paid a proportional amount relative to our salary into the joint account. I earn slightly more so I pay in £965 a month. Whatever is left of our salaries after that is ours to spend as we please. This covered my share of:

Rent: £1,350
Electric: £30ish
Water: £9 – we definitely used to pay more than this so I have no idea why it’s now so low?!
Internet: £23.99
Council tax: £128
Spotify family split with friends: £14.99
Phone bill: £23 for me, £20 for P.
Food: Usually about £35-£40 a week.

But as we’re moving, we paid our last instalment of rent last month, so we just added £300 each to cover the final bills. We're staying with P's family near London for the next couple of weeks after we move out of our flat, then moving in with his aunt and uncle in Edinburgh just before New Year until we can find a place of our own. This rent-free existence is such a luxury and I feel very grateful to be in this situation. My bank account has never looked so healthy! I'm aiming to save most of the extra money I have to cover moving costs and things we might need for the new flat. 

Loan payments: £84 undergrad student loan and £45 postgrad student loan (taken out of my salary before tax). Bloody Lib Dems. I also have a 0% credit card which I pay about £50 a month off at the moment. I’m hoping to pay it off over the next few months, once my overdraft is gone.  
Charity: £10 to Shelter and £10 to The Trussell Trust through payroll giving. Charities like this shouldn’t exist in the UK in 2019 but until they’re no longer needed, I'm very happy to support them. £5 to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). I’m strongly pro-choice and BPAS does fantastic work for women’s reproductive rights. 
Transportation: Varies from month to month, as I just tap in using my Monzo.
Savings? For the last few months I’ve been saving £200 a month to pay off my student overdraft. This is my last £200 before it’s paid off, so I’m looking forward to properly saving in the new year!