A Week In Hampton Roads, Virginia On A $53,501 Salary

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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 dollar.

Today: an art teacher who makes $53,501 per year and who spends some of her money this week on a mattress from Facebook Marketplace.

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Diarist’s Note: I didn’t mention this in my diary, but earlier in the year my dad underwent surgery for diabetic complications. I was also told that I was 0.1 points away from being pre-diabetic. This had a significant impact on how I was eating and is one of the reasons I’m trying to be healthier. I am aiming for better health (and have been successfully achieving goals), but nutrition is a difficult balancing act. I may have been a little too strict this week. Life moves on, and I will adjust the balance accordingly.

Occupation: Art teacher
Industry: Education
Age: 23
Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia
Salary: $53,501
Assets: I have $12,000 in savings in my bank account and around $6,000 in retirement savings that my company will match.
Debt: I have $17,000 in student loans and $5,000 in loans for my car payment.
Paycheck amount (once a month): $3,500
Pronouns: She/her

Housing costs: Rent is $1,050, with water included.
Loan payments: $185 car payment to grandparents; $0 student loan payment (this is due to the SAVE Program — because I teach at a Title 1 school, after 10 years of “payments,” my loans will be forgiven).
Acorns: $25 (I use it as pet insurance).
Car insurance: $215
Internet: $50.01
Electricity: $60-$100

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
There was an underlying expectation for me to attend college because I was bright and did well in school. However, there were no real plans in place to get me there, and no financial support. Both of my parents have GEDs and only went to college later in life, so the guidance wasn’t there. My plans to secure financial support through scholarships based on my academic performance were wrecked when, in high school, I became disabled and my working memory deteriorated quickly. My As became Ds and it was difficult for me to focus. As a result, my schoolwork suffered greatly and I wasn’t sure if I would even make it through high school, let alone attend college. My grandparents offered to pay for my college if I went to a community college (they paid for the first year of it, then loans and scholarships paid for the other three). At 18, unsure of what else to do with my life, I enrolled, pretty sure I would fail. And I did fail the first six weeks. I was so ashamed of myself that I buckled down and put my all into passing. I was hesitant to apply for accommodations for my disability because I was afraid they wouldn’t help. But after receiving them, college became much easier and my Ds turned into As once again.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Growing up, we didn’t have many productive conversations about money. My parents never really educated me about finances, and I learned through observation. My dad made around six figures but it always felt like we never had enough. We were living paycheck to paycheck because he would waste his money on random things. At various points, he would buy $30,000 motorcycles and then, when he felt poor, he would sell them for around half the price. Toys, action figures, rare comics and other such nonsense were often bought right when the paycheck came in, but necessities and bills were treated as second priority. My dad would even ask me for money as a child to cover electric bills and other expenses.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked at Home Depot. I was living with my parents and we paid an equal amount of rent. I paid one third, my sister paid another third, and my parents covered the rest. All utilities and food costs were split evenly. I needed money to pay them so I applied to about 30 jobs and picked up the first one that would hire me.

Did you worry about money growing up?
For me, having money was something that could never stick and was always going to be taken away. I always felt like we never had enough to cover the necessities and I worried when we would run out of essential items like food. It led to learning to live with less and make do with what we had.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes and no. If I spend more than I expect on groceries or buy something for fun, I panic and feel very stressed about it. However, if I had to fix my car and it cost $3,000, I wouldn’t even blink. Money spent for fun or bills being higher than expected makes me worried, but emergencies and basic needs? That is what the hoards of money are for, so it doesn’t worry me too much.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became responsible for myself the day I graduated high school. That was when I started paying my portion of the rent, being on the lease, covering utility bills, and paying taxes.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No.

6:30 a.m. — I make coffee at home, adding chocolate protein powder to instant coffee (when I get to work, I’ll fill it up with water and have it for breakfast). I pack my lunch of an apple and string cheese.

6:45 a.m. — My car is hungry — it needs gas. I feed her. I think about how good 7-Eleven coffee is, but I have some, so I don’t buy any. $23.70

7 a.m. — I have metal detector duty at school this morning, where I search the students to make sure they don’t have weapons. Today I’m overwhelmed by the number of kids and it drags on longer than it was supposed to. I head to my planning period late and have a coffee with protein powder and one more coffee for good luck.

11:45 a.m. — I eat my standard lunch: an apple and light string cheese. I chat with my coworker about a new art project that we have started with the students, focusing on the Broobs style of portraiture. They keep calling it “boobs style” but since they are learning and it makes them more engaged, I allow it. The work is turning out well! My coworker gives me an expired yogurt — I eat it because I’m pretty sure it’s fine.

4:30 p.m. — My grandfather is in town! He’s a maybird who goes to Florida during the colder months and Virginia during the hotter ones. I invite him to a coffee shop where the barista is mean but the coffee is good enough to make up for it. We talk for two or three hours about life and learning Spanish (he’s doing much better than me). He insists on paying but I pay instead and tell him he can just pay me back when he remembers, knowing he won’t remember. He agrees, falling into my evil scheme. I pick at a muffin and have a large latte. $9.65

6 p.m. — By the time I get home I am beat — the only thing on my mind is resting. 

6:30 p.m. — I online shop with friends and live vicariously through them. I haven’t bought new clothes in...I’m not even sure. I help my friend pick out a beautiful rainbow tulle skirt. I’ve got my eye on a pair of red overalls, praying to the thrift gods that one day they’ll come to me. I have cottage cheese and pretzels for dinner and head to bed.

5:30 a.m. — I tell my cat how much I love her. Every day I wake up with her on my chest. I feel loved. I adopted her last week after wanting a cat for over a year but not feeling ready. When I went to the shelter last week, this one sat on my shoulders and refused to get off. It was impossible not to take her home.

6:35 a.m. — I shove some eyeliner on in the car. I try to wear makeup every day but it usually never gets fully done. Today it’s Wet n Wild eyeliner and whatever glittery white product I can get a lot of for my inner corners — today’s pick is the Epic Wear Waterproof Eyeliner Stick from NYX.

6:50 a.m. — I watch the kids get searched in line. One girl keeps beeping and it turns out she has four energy drinks. Well, at least she is prepared for school today!

12:45 p.m. — My photo lesson totally bombs. None of the kids grasps the content, and I feel terrible about it. We will revisit it next class but I’m glad they try hard, even if they’re unsuccessful. I eat my lunch alone — an apple and a cheese stick.

2:30 p.m. — “I FOUND A SOLID WOOD CHERRY BED FOR FREE!” is the text I send my partner, H., as soon as I see it on Facebook Marketplace. I had been hoping to find one, but for free? I’ve never been so excited in my life. H. is excited too, as I currently sleep in a full-size bed and with him being so tall, he doesn’t quite fit. I ask to borrow his truck so I can take it home and he says yes! I thank the seller profusely for letting me have it and can't stop thinking about how happy I am.

3:30 p.m. — H. and I pick up the bed together. I ask him to stay for dinner and he agrees. 

5 p.m. — The beautiful bed is perfect in every way, except it doesn’t come with bed slats. I head over to Lowe’s with H. to make some. I could buy them new but it’s over $100, which is a little outside my price range. I buy 1x4x14 furring boards and have them cut to 5ft each. The worker does a terrible job and they’re all slightly different lengths, but I decide not to say anything. It comes to about $35 — I feel a little bad about spending that much but I spent about 40 minutes trying to come up with something cheaper, and I couldn’t. I still think there’s something I could’ve done for less, but I try to put it out of my head and remind myself it’s still a deal as it is. I take some paint swatches and sticks for work. I am unsure what I will do with them but I’ll figure it out. $35.27

6:30 p.m. — My love and I spend some time doing a crossword together while snuggling with the cat. He loves the cat and is now her father.

7 p.m. — We drink some Coca-Cola with peach schnapps that was on sale. 

8:30 p.m. — After H. leaves, I message people online about buying a mattress. Buying one on Amazon is about $250, which is my backup plan, but I would like to stay under that. I don’t mind buying a used mattress (my last one was used) but everyone in my life would kill me if I did that, so I try to find some sort of sale. I always check out Facebook Marketplace. Two people are selling unused mattresses still in their original packaging, both for $50. One is much nicer than the other but I message both. I also check a few online stores to see if I can stack coupons to make an amazing deal — big fat nope. All of them are set up so that people like me can’t stack coupons. I can’t find a new mattress that’s not on Facebook for under $250, so I hope the Facebook options pan out.

6:30 a.m. — I get a free coffee from Panera. During the summer, they gave away a free three-month membership to their Sip Club and I am still using it. I can get a free drink every two hours. I have a very pleasant and productive morning making four different lesson plans and finishing all my grading.

6:40 a.m. — With coffee in hand, I watch the parents queue up for drop-off from my car, feeling ready to start the day. 

12 p.m. — I show my students pictures of my new cat and tell them they’ll earn extra credit if they send me photos of their pets. I’m greedy and keep all the pet photos for myself!

12:30 p.m. — I am extra hungry today after just having an apple and string cheese so I have a can of sardines, too. People give them a lot of hate, but what they don’t understand is that they are delicious and I love them — plus: cheap! I eat alone today, feeling overstimulated from all the noise.

2:30 p.m. — When I adopted my cat last week (with an $80 adoption fee), she came with everything she could possibly need and then some (two litter boxes, two cat posts, so many toys I can't keep track), so I didn’t find myself needing anything. But free is free so I go to pick up the extra items I get free with a coupon: a litter box and scoop, 10 containers of wet cat food, four pounds of dry cat food, and some cat treats. She will be eating well tonight! I add it to her hoard.

3 p.m. — My mom invites me to the Goodwill bins, where we bond over rummaging through giant blue tubs filled with who knows what. They’re vaguely sorted into clothes and non-clothes, and everything is charged by the pound, so you can score some great deals! I leave with a 10-inch Christmas tree, a cute lace tree skirt, a Halloween garland, and Valentine’s Day garlands that I snag quickly since Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. At checkout I consider putting back the Halloween garland because it seems frivolous but I’m too embarrassed so I buy it. Once in the car, I’m glad I kept it — the little skeletons are adorable. $2.71

6 p.m. — I am locked in for the good Facebook mattress! I have messaged the seller and I am picking it up during my lunch break. It is a 12-inch mattress, better than the one I have been sleeping on for years, and also a queen size, which I need for the FREE CHERRY BED I got. Still excited over that.

6:30 p.m. — I’m so sleepy and just want to take a nap. I haven’t eaten a lot, so that might be the cause. I throw some canned herring on top of some rice and toss it in the microwave. I also add some cauliflower to the air fryer. Top with hot sauce and bon appétit!

7:30 p.m. — Snack time: I have some chips and cottage cheese. I don’t want to dirty a plate so I eat both straight out of the container.

6:40 a.m. — I watch the children line up from inside with five minutes to go before work starts. I consider putting on makeup but decide against it because I don’t want to draw attention today. Feeling grubby and unprepared for the day ahead; I can’t understand what changed from yesterday, which was so good. I forget to unlock the door of my classroom before opening it and slam my face into it. OW!

7 a.m. — Time for breakfast: coffee with protein powder.

7:15 a.m. — Drinking my coffee and calling my sister has become a ritual on bad mornings. We both wake up around the same time for work (her job is low stress and work from home). I have trouble focusing today and can’t manage to get anything done during my planning period. My sister and I chat about DC Comics and the new Batman show. Nothing gets done.

10:30 a.m. — I am having a slight amnesic episode but I hide it. We’re working on a longer project so they should know what they are doing, and I keep the lesson plan close by so I can reflect back. I keep forgetting what project we are on and what they should be working on. I can’t stop blinking, and it’s so annoying. One kid walks up to me and I have no idea who he is but I know the answer to his question, so I give him the information and just call him “dude.” Extremely dizzy, I eat my apple early and save my string cheese for lunch.

12 p.m. — I pick up the mattress on my lunch break — it fits in my car, yes! I see a dead beetle and try not to think about it too hard. $50

3:30 p.m. — I lay on the bed with my cat until Dungeons and Dragons starts. I feel guilty for being unproductive but I can’t manage to get anything more out of myself. The cat lays on my chest and it seems to be a sign to relax a little. I watch YouTube videos about cat care and pet her.

4 p.m. — I put together my bed, complete with free bed frame, bed slats, and mattress. My old sheets and comforter will work with the new bed even though one is queen size and the other is full. I was planning to sell my old bed and mattress but when I was taking them apart, the metal frame of the bed collapsed. The metal screws fell out and the frame warped in such a way that it couldn’t be put back together. I’m glad I replaced it when I did!

5 p.m. — It’s time for the weekly DnD night. I play with some friends who were initially coworkers but no longer work at the same place as me. I play a hyper-religious grandma who is obsessed with converting people to her religion. It may be a cult, but she doesn’t think so! I eat pulled pork and coleslaw while we start the game.

9 p.m. — I head straight home after Dungeons and Dragons. I call H. on the drive home and tell him everything I did and we cover our days. We keep the call going until I fall asleep.

6:30 a.m. — It’s pep rally day so we have free coffee and bagels at work! During last year’s pep rally, things went haywire and the police were called — it was a huge mess. So this year they have placated the teachers with bagels as an apology for making us do this again. I sneak a bagel with walnut cream cheese and a large coffee. We’re all on edge but hoping for a safe pep rally day.

12:30 p.m. — Someone grabs me a leftover bagel for lunch because I mentioned the walnut cream cheese. Yum.

1:30 p.m. — I feel stressed about the pep rally until I find out I’m assigned to be in the library with the children who don’t want to go to the rally. It’s much safer and less likely to have a mob fight in there. I play Jenga with one of my students (I lose).

2:30 p.m. — I head over to my sister’s house because she is making food and it’s Fri-YAY! She has a VR Oculus headset that I try out. I play Beat Saber and do very poorly, with only 30% accuracy. I eat homemade pumpkin loaf as a reward for my failure.

4:30 p.m. — I eat chicken chili that my sister made while we chat. We watch an episode of Batman: The Caped Crusader and discuss how the new Harley Quinn turned out.

5 p.m. — I pick up groceries from Aldi — just some pantry essentials like pretzels, cottage cheese, and canned fish. I buy almost all of my meat in bulk, cook it, and freeze it, so I limit the amount of raw meat I touch. I also keep rice mass-cooked and frozen in pre-packaged one-cup portions. It’s like a half meal prep. Since I don’t need to buy any meat or cheese this week, it’s a rather cheap grocery run. $31.69

6:30 p.m. — When I get home, I realize I’ve been on edge all day — everyone at my school was. I decide it’s time to stress clean. I vacuum my entire apartment and scrub the bathtub. The laundry is folded and my place looks like a whole new house by the end of it. I also put up the Halloween garland I bought from Goodwill, complete with little skeletons.

5:30 a.m. — It’s the weekend and the cat is on top of my chest, so I go back to sleep.

8:30 a.m. — H. is coming over to spend the day with me. I prepare breakfast for us: I try to “faux boil” eggs in the air fryer but the results are disappointing. Some are overcooked and others are still raw. To go with the sad eggs, I pair pretzels, apples, some cheese, and peanut butter for him, making a Lunchables version of a charcuterie board. Even though the eggs are a fail, H. tells me he likes it.

9 a.m. — After breakfast we have to get oil for my car — H. is a mechanic by trade so while I can change my oil, I prefer he does it. I pick up some oil and a filter — he offered to pay but I got my card in before him. It feels rude to have him pay for it when he’s already changing the oil for free. We like looking at the car knick-knacks, and a pair of fuzzy dice catches my eye. I add it to my thrift store manifestation list in my head. $14.08

9:30 a.m. — H. changes the oil while I hang out with him and we talk about what movie we want to watch when we get inside. I’m team cheesy Halloween movie, while he wants something with childhood nostalgia attached. We brainstorm ideas as I clean out all the trash and clutter from my car.

10 a.m. — We get distracted from the movie-watching quest and start moving the furniture to make the new bed look nicer. We position it by the windows so the sun can wake me up in the morning.

10:50 a.m. — H. and I settle on watching The Nightmare Before Christmas. We stop after the second song to see how they made the claymation and end up watching a video on Coraline. We continue the movie and oh man, Danny Elfman plays Jack Skellington! I didn’t know he acted! It becomes a new rabbit hole and it takes a long time to get through the movie.

1 p.m. — H. fell asleep sometime during the movie. I play Duolingo. I will never buy premium — you can take my money out of my cold, dead hands, you evil birds! The bird rewards me, and I am number one in my league. After my victory, I sketch H. while he sleeps.

4:30 p.m. — I start making a version of tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes). They are these soft, mochi-like noodles in a hot pepper sauce. We used to make them more authentically but I have been trying to eat healthy so we add ground turkey meatballs for protein, spinach, whole peppers, and a LOT of cabbage. H. and I love cooking together. I like to fry the pepper paste (gochujang) in a pan with a little bit of oil first. I don’t know if it does anything but my mom does that with tomato paste so same concept maybe?

5:30 p.m. — I feed the cat some extra fancy cat food (I add some saved sardine broth to it) while we set the table. I live in a small one-bedroom so there isn’t really a dining table, more like a coffee table pretending to be one. We set up glass plates, bowls, candles, a pitcher of water, and some sides like pickled onions (mostly for me) and cucumber salad. It looks so fancy. We eat undisturbed and just talk with no distractions — it’s peaceful.

7 p.m. — H. leaves for work and I have no interest in going outside today or putting on real clothes. I take out my yoga mat and do some stretches from a YouTube video to help digest a big meal. I used to do a lot more when I was off during the summer but during the school year I’m less consistent in keeping up with daily exercise.

8:45 p.m. — I’m on that teacher sleep schedule where I wake up and go to bed way too early. I used to stay up until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. and be fine, but now I’m sleepy by 9 p.m. I’ve officially become old.

5:30 a.m. — I am mad I woke up before the sun is up. I refuse to get out of bed; I try to go back to sleep but can’t so I settle for playing all of the free New York Times games. I love Connections and Strands and play them most days.

9 a.m. — I text my sister to see if, after therapy, she would like to go to an art fair with me, and she is 100% on board. We both love art, especially local art. I’m thinking of spending money there if they have any sun catchers at a good price — I’m a sucker for them! We also make a plan to visit my grandparents since they are in the area. I go to therapy every other week to help with my disability. I have significant memory issues that worsen when I’m too stressed or anxious. Therapy helps me manage the symptoms. In my mind it’s a necessity so I don’t worry about the price, especially since insurance covers a lot of it.

11:30 a.m. — I make a fancy coffee for therapy, adding vanilla and almond extract. My therapist and I video chat from home so I tidy everything up. I also do the dishes because, hey, why not? I light some incense and look through my week to see what I want to discuss in the session.

12 p.m. — It’s therapy time. I’ve always thought it’s weird that she only does Sundays, but whatever. We chat about my new cat and other more boring things. $36.05

2 p.m. — I drive up to pick up my sister. We are going to the art fair but beforehand we visit my grandparents. We have a good talk and enjoy sourdough bread sandwiches. I share about my life, and we chat about my cat.

4 p.m. — We go to the art fair and it’s a lot different than I expected. I thought it would be like a “Hey, I’m selling my crocheted items or homemade candles for like 10 bucks”, but it’s working famous artists selling their work for upwards of $40,000. The cheapest item is a print for $50. I buy nothing. We enjoy looking at the art and treat it like a museum instead of a market. I feel very poor the entire time.

5 p.m. — My sister and I stop by the library at my grandparents’ house before heading home. They have a book nook where they sell books for under a dollar. I don’t get anything — maybe I’m still in museum mode after the fair — but I always enjoy looking. My sister picks up an art print for a dollar.

6 p.m. — Finally home, I have dinner: some tofu, cabbage, tomatoes, and rice with a lot of spices to make it taste decent. It reminds me of cabbage rolls.

8 p.m. — I watch YouTube videos until I fall asleep; video essays are my favorite.