Money Diary A Territory Manager In Scotland On 23.5k

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We're asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last penny.

This week: "I'm a 31-year-old territory manager living in Aberdeen. I've recently moved back to the area as my husband and I bought our first home seven weeks ago. I only just started my new job and it means me being out all day, visiting different sites. It has been a busy time for me but I'm so happy we finally have our own home as a few years ago it felt like it would never happen. Due to mental illness and covering all expenses for a period of time when my husband was unemployed, I ended up in a very large amount of debt. At its worst it was £18,000. I buried my head in the sand for quite some time and felt a lot of shame over how bad the situation was. Luckily, my husband was very supportive and we tackled the problem together and although we are not entirely debt-free, I can see the end of the tunnel. The result is that I try to be conscious of what I'm spending and I attempt to avoid impulse-buying. My husband's salary is much higher than mine so we keep the same amount of money from our paycheques for ourselves and then the rest goes into the joint account, which covers all of our joint expenses including food shops and activities. Whatever is left goes into joint savings. My contribution works out at 37% so that is what I've made my share of everything joint in this diary."

Occupation: Territory manager
Industry: Retail merchandising
Age: 31
Location: Aberdeen
Salary: £23,500 + company car + £68pm lunch allowance + up to 10% bonus (biannually).
Paycheque amount: I'm not 100% sure yet as I've not received my first paycheque but I'm thinking it will be £1,500.
Number of housemates: Two: my husband (J) and my cat (C).
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: £438.41 for my share of the mortgage.
Loan payments: No loans but I have £2,880 on an interest-free credit card that I pay £200 on a month. Once it is gone, I'll be debt-free.
Savings? £3,110 in joint savings account and £1,370 in my Plum account.
Pension? I have three different workplace pensions. I know two of them are in the same place but I don't know about the third. I've always just done the minimum contribution but once my pension in my new job starts, I'm going to increase it and start taking saving for retirement seriously.
Utilities: For my share it's £53.28 gas and electricity, £14.06 internet. We haven't had a council tax bill yet but we've been putting aside £200 to cover it.
All other monthly payments: £10 SIM only plan, £10 phone insurance, £21 contacts, £21.99 gym, £32.89 car insurance. For my share it's £75.83 for the car and £49.76 for building, contents and pet insurance. Subscriptions: £31.52 for my share of Netflix, Prime, Disney+, Spotify, Now Sports and Now Entertainment.

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?

I have a university degree in sociology. I lived at home so I didn't take out any student loans and the fees were paid by the Scottish government.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?

My mum always taught us to save our money but that was about it.

If you have, when did you move out of your parents'/guardians' house?

I moved out at 23.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?

I'd say once I moved out at 23. However, I was fortunate to have my dad give me £50pm for a little bit while my husband was unemployed.

What was your first job and why did you get it?

Babysitting. My mum was a childminder so I got most of my babysitting jobs through her.

Do you worry about money now?

Not as much now. It was a huge worry for me when my debt was at its highest and I was incredibly stressed out all the time. It is better now.

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

£500 when my granny passed away.