Money Diary: A Superyacht Stewardess On €42,000

This week: “I’m a 23-year-old stewardess, working on a superyacht in the Mediterranean. I left university in 2021 and since then I have been bouncing between jobs and travelling. I discovered yachting watching Below Deck and thought I’d give it a try, and I’m now about to finish my first season in the industry. Working in this industry means my expenses are very minimal, as I live onboard and food is provided. The pay is good, although it does involve a lot of sacrifices and there are a lot of stressful moments. We had a very busy season, with lots of charters and boss trips, so there was a lack of free time and days off. This means there's not much time to spend money, but it can be very tiring and after seven months I am definitely ready for a rest. I like to think I have a very healthy attitude with regard to money. I do prioritise saving over spending and I only buy things when I need them, as I like to keep my money for travel. I would also like to buy my first property within the next two years so I have really been focusing on saving as much as I can. I do occasionally like to splurge on skincare and meals out as I think a treat every so often can do no harm.”

Occupation: Stewardess
Industry: Hospitality 
Age: 23
Location South of France
Salary €42,000
Paycheque Amount: €3,250 + tips (around €1,500 per charter, varies each month)
Number of housemates: Seven
Pronouns: She/her

Housing costs: £0
Loan payments: None
Savings?: £26,000 total (£20,000 of this is for a deposit, the rest is split between my emergency fund, and travel fund.)
Utilities: £0
Pension?: I have £100 in a pension from a previous job. I do not currently pay anything into pension, instead I am focusing on building an investment portfolio. I invest around £100 a month, which I split between Circa5000, Trading212 and Crowdcube. I have £4.5k across these accounts. 
All other monthly payments: £70 phone bill. Subscriptions: £10.99 Spotify; £9.99 Kindle unlimited; £2.29 iCloud storage.

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a Bachelor of Laws and took out a government student loan. I was very fortunate: my parents paid for my accommodation while I was studying and I covered my living expenses.  

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
When I was growing up we did not have conversations about money. My parents encouraged me and my sister to save, but I don’t remember any conversations aside from this. Now I am older and we speak about money a lot more, they encourage me to ask them questions if I do not understand things. 

If you have, when did you move out of your parents’/guardians’ house?
When I’m not working I still live at home. 

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
As I still live at home, I would not consider myself to be financially independent.  

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I was a waitress in a restaurant in my home town. I wanted to go on a ski trip hosted by my school and I got the job to help pay for this. 

Do you worry about money now?
I wouldn’t say I worry about money currently.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
In 2017, I received £1,000 from my grandad when my nan died. When I finished university, I received £10,000 from my parents. 

All currency has been converted into GBP