A Week In Las Vegas On A $97,770 Salary

Occupation: Community manager
Industry: Arts and culture
Age: 39
Location: Las Vegas
Salary: $97,770 + 5% bonus
Assets: Checking: $2,000; HYSA: $14,000; Roth IRA: $57,638; traditional IRA: $5,895; 401(k): $164,936; HSA: $15,292; brokerage account: $8,706; home equity: $172,000
Debt: $257,726 (mortgage: $247,000; car loan: $10,726)
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $3,760
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: Mortgage: $1,366 (includes taxes and home insurance).
Loan Payments: car payment- $335
Income Taxes: $1,243 (no state income tax).
401(k): $1,203 (company match up to 3% of salary).
HSA: $270 (company match up to $500).
Roth IRA: $250
Internet: $53
Phone: $0 ($35, but reimbursed by work).
Donations: $50 (rotating and comes with company match).
Water & Sewer: $80
Trash: $16
Electricity: $67 (goes up wildly in the desert summer).
Netflix: $23 (it’s worth it for the obscene amount of loved ones on my account).
Rakuten Viki: $6 for mom’s K-drama obsession.
Insurance: $0 (fully covered by employer).
Apple Storage: $10

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 never a conversation about an alternative route. My parents paid for the vast majority of undergrad with a smattering of grants. It was understood that I would — and did — pay for grad school. Probably should have skipped that one, oh well.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
That’s another conversation we never had. I have always been risk averse and inherited a scarcity mindset from grandparents, so I learned timidly first hand how to navigate money.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I did scorekeeping for a youth sports league on weekends in high school. It was money to spend on teenage priorities.

Did you worry about money growing up?
While we didn’t talk about money, my family provided and I never had to worry about money. When the Great Recession hit, we felt it and my mom’s dramatic flair did stress us kids a bit. Our lifestyle has always been stable and I know I’m very privileged.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes, because it’s something I have always done and it’s part of being an adult. I try to keep myself in a position where it’s not keeping me up at night, but I budget and constantly check where I stand. I worry most about taking care of my parents in their retirement since they still skirt around the issue of what their financial plan is when the time comes.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Hard to say. Even after I got my first career job, lived on my own, and paid my bills, there have been times when I moved back in with my parents or partners to be economical, or borrowed a car. I guess the answer is when I got off my parents’ health insurance at 26? Again, counting my blessings. I know my family would figure out a way to help me if I need it.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
I received an inheritance when my grandmother passed. I don’t plan or like to think about any future windfalls. I get a couple hundred dollars a month renting out storage space on my property. On occasion, an acquaintance who does business in Vegas rents a spare room when they’re in town for another couple of hundred.

6:20 a.m. — I’m up! This isn’t normal. I have responsibilities this morning and need to take my cousin’s kid, W., to the SATs. He flew in last night to take the test in Vegas and is my ward for less than 24 hours. I get ready with Sunday Riley vitamin C, First Aid serum that does who knows what, moisturizer, Supergoop Unseen sunscreen and my usual makeup. I stress for a minute over what to wear since I’m having breakfast at a country club and they have a strict dress code. Settle on a wrap sundress with the mandated sleeves and the acceptable length and huaraches. Whip up a roadie blueberry smoothie for W. and we’re off! W. has an appetite so we made sure to make time for a McDonald’s breakfast. He gets TWO McGriddles, a hash brown and OJ. I sip on my homemade cold brew. We make it with time to spare and I head back down the valley to meet friends for breakfast. Of course the 15 freeway, in a city eternally under road construction, is closed for a portion and my trek takes way longer. $14

8:30 a.m. — Arrive at the country club, “Oooh, this is nice.” Present company is an eclectic mix of movers and shakers in Vegas that I met a couple years ago when we were part of the same leadership class. I order a waffle and coffee, but don’t finish because I get distracted by chisme about burned bridges amongst our cohort. A club-member friend treats me, despite my attempts to pay. I have time to spare before I pick up W. so I head to a nearby Goodwill in the hopes I can find a Vegas Aces shirt before going to semifinals game four tomorrow (no luck). I then book it to the testing location and surprise, W.’s hungry, so we zero in on a lunch spot. I need to get gas so I stop at a Costco on the way. Fill up quickly and make our way to Chinatown. $38

12 p.m. — Vegas Chinatown has the best food and we land on tonkatsu and curry at a newish spot. The panko breading is perfectly crisped and the pork is super tender. W. absolutely cleans his plate. $48

1 p.m. — We still have time before the flight — and W. still has room in his stomach — so to celebrate being done with testing, we get ice cream from a local place that uses an exorbitant amount of butter in its recipes. I didn’t even know ice cream had butter in it. He gets the mint chip and I go with ube honeycomb. So good, but it’s rich and I’m struggling to keep up with the appetite of a growing teenage boy. $16

4 p.m. — Get W. safely to the airport and he texts he’s all good at the gate. Phew. I head into work since it’s close to where I’m meeting out-of-town friends in a bit. Shoot the shit with a coworker who is normally remote. Take care of the one travel request I had to fix and then I’m outta there. I head to the Strip to meet my friends, which is reserved only for when meeting visiting loved ones because who wants to deal with that mess, especially with the prep for the upcoming F1 races? We get Aperol spritzes where they’re staying. I fight ’em for the bill but get bamboozled: While one partner distracts me, the other slips the bartender their card. Sneaky. We catch up on recent and upcoming trips. They have dinner reservations so we go meet their parents and I insist I be their Lyft to the next casino. I don’t pay for parking with my MGM player’s card status. It’s like I banked $30 right? They invite me to join, but the SATs really wore me out — glad I never have to do that for real ever again.

10 p.m. — I laze about at home. Still full from going one-for-one with W., so I just drink water. Text with my cousin and she thanks me again for taking care of her kid (she already sent me cookies and a gift card). Originally she was going to bring him herself, but was dealing with health issues. I’m just glad I could help. I have a body shower and wind down. Do a terrible job repainting toenails. Taking care of someone other than myself took its toll: Kudos to all my friends raising kids and doing it all. Read Touch, which I e-checked out from the library recently, and dick around on Instagram before sleeping early.

8 a.m. — Wake and do the morning routine. Dress in Alo leggings that pass as fashionable so I can go straight from yoga to the Aces game. I pack funky neon and animal print Air Max 95s, a white tee, and black cap. Fill tumblers with cold brew coffee and another with water. I get in a free outdoor yoga class; the weather is a balmy 90 this morning. Feel good that I moved my body, and celebrate with the free cinnamon bun-flavored protein shake they give out. Quick pit stop at Sephora across the street to drop off empties for recycling; I help myself to a dry shampoo tester — to test a totally new-to-me product, of course.

11:45 a.m. — I lied earlier about avoiding the Strip: I’m back. Arrive just before jump ball to meet my doctor friend, M. She regales me with tales of what she has recently pulled from patients’ butts. M. bought the tickets so I venmo her for mine ($118), and treat a pretzel and popcorn ($16). We cheer our damndest for a chance at an Aces World Champion three-peat, but alas, Liberty clinches the win. It’s a good game — the energy is always incredible at Michelob Arena. Everyone watches women’s sports (or they should). We part ways and promise to grab dinner soon. My family group chat is on FaceTime so I join while I sit in the exit traffic. The baby has just learned to wave and does it for the entirety of the call. So cute. No parking charge for me again! $134

3:30 p.m. — Home and suddenly motivated to clean. Strip the spare room sheets and my own. I put away the last of my luggage from my trip and set to washing laundry. Robovac gets sent on its merry way. I water the outside plants that aren’t on the irrigation drip with reclaimed shower water, add kitchen scraps to the compost, and plant the monstera I was propagating in water. I snip a couple of new monstera nodes and set them in fresh water to root. Hungry, so I finish off half a BBQ burger. Sweaty, so I shower. Watch YouTube and get on the step machine to multitask. Clear out emails and resubmit my tax information to Ticketmaster so I can get paid out for concert tickets I resold (because my friend got better floor seats!). Make a solicitation pitch deck for a youth nonprofit I’m on the board for. Reconcile all my receipts for the week and log in ones that get me points on iBotta, Social Nature, and Fetch. Cache the equivalent of $3.50. Make the beds and tidy the bathrooms.

9:30 p.m. — Eat Din Tai Fung green beans and rice, which are left over from dinner with my mom and aunt when they were in town the other day. Run the dishwasher and then patiently wait for it to finish in order to use a nice and clean pitcher to batch cold brew for the week. Night routine is Sunday Riley Lactic acid on rotation, snail mucin moisturizer and Laneige lip balm. I also use Mederma on some bug bite scars that won’t fade away.

7:30 a.m. — Up and at ’em. I wear an artsy auntie-style mumu with bike shorts and a sports bra underneath. The everyday wear includes hoop earrings and a few of my grandma’s timeless gold rings. I’m in to work and grab coffee and a fig bar from the break room. Proceed to help very minimally with a yoga public program that my work is hosting, before enjoying the session as a guest (hence the outfit choice, which I get multiple compliments on! Nice to start the day with an ego and endorphin boost). I join a company-wide learning opportunity session about voting, then head over to an offsite meeting for a partner event we’ll be participating in. It lasts a whole seven minutes — what a waste of gas. Well, at least I can rejoin the learning session for the end. Stop by our warehouse to do some organizing of my department’s supplies and materials, pulling everything I need for the next couple weeks of busy activations.

1:20 p.m. — I’m back in the office and get my travel request approved, so I book my flight ($277), car ($291,) and hotel ($515) through our travel portal. I get reimbursed — I’ll gladly take the credit card and loyalty points. Group chat goes off about seeing Joker at the Palms Theater tonight at 10 p.m. Lol, that’s the joke. I will sleep instead and respectfully decline. Admin work time, fulfill partner requests, down some loose leaf green tea. Partake in a little creative outlet activity and a treat courtesy of HR. I’m still snacky, so I eat some veggie sticks from the breakroom (not the healthy crudité kind, but the starch added, deep-fried kind). 

4:30 p.m. — Head out to pick up credentials for an event I’m headed to tomorrow. On the way home, I swing by Von’s for odds and ends. Produce looks terrible, but I find decent bunches of cilantro, parsley, and green onion. I also get a sorta sad eggplant, tub of Greek yogurt and mini cough drops that are half off, to replace a supply my coworker gave me last time I came in hacking. Basically everything will go into tonight’s dinner. Get home. Make hummus, but only have some harissa-marinated chickpeas — pleasantly surprised with the outcome. $12

8:30 p.m. — Much later I eat Greek salad, falafel, and a mezze plate. I clean up — which is an accomplishment, because there were two kitchen appliances used tonight. And because I have a presentation I really should finish, I decide that I absolutely must deep-clean the air fryer. I tackle an email I need to send to a community partner, watch a couple of Abbott Elementary episodes, and polish off the popcorn from the game. Do my night routine (this time use extra moisturizer instead of lactic acid), then read in bed before sleep.

8 a.m. — Rise to texts rallying the group for the event tonight. Don a white linen matching set so I feel like I’m sneakily wearing pajamas to work (from home). Buckle down for a few meetings with team members in another state. Get distracted by all the Prime Day listicles. Drink copious amounts of water and cold brew. Take a break and unload dishwasher, which is a separate chore than doing the dishes, whether by hand or machine. Down a cute li’l bowl of Special K and oatmilk. Defrost some bison that my snow bird neighbors hunted while they summered in WY and gifted upon their return. Spend the afternoon on reports.

6:30 p.m. — Everything shower and blowout my hair with Color Wow. It really does up the shine. I try to disco nap, but no luck. Get a bit bored and end up cutting long curtain bangs. It actually looks decent and I’m inordinately proud. Eat an arugula and feta salad with a Coke Zero (the first caffeine of the night). Settle on a white backless dress with a bow and CDG Converse, because we were told comfy shoes.

10:45 p.m. — Double check I have all my credentials and then I head to a restaurant bar where I meet the rest of the crew for espresso martinis and appetizers. We go two rounds before it’s time to head over to the real show. P., my Gaming Queen friend who is responsible for festivities tonight, designated her husband to pay. We all do a hit on my menthol sniffer to perk up.

12:45 a.m. — This is really the last time I’m on the Strip. Check in with credentials courtesy of P. and enjoy the hosted drinks and food. Tip the bar. We run into various contacts through the night, schmooze with the necessary folks and before we know it, it’s nearly time. It’s also worth noting that the port-a-potties are very nice. They’re trailers, complete with running water and AC. A couple hours later, we’re witnessing history! After a few long-winded speeches, the storied Tropicana Hotel is being imploded! Fireworks start it off and are joined by a fantastic drone show. The buildings are imploded in the finale and come down in a matter of seconds. We shower P. with deserved compliments for pulling off a demolition show for the ages, with aplomb. $10

3:30 a.m. — The dust settles and the site gets cleared for us to leave. Haul outta there. Get home and do the bare minimum to wipe my face with micellar water and pass out.

9 a.m. — Wake up in time to take this meeting. It is absolutely a WFH day. I can only muster a tank dress and company cap, but I’m presentable for my first meeting. Thank you, Living Proof dry shampoo. Used all my composure during meetings and I am feeling it now. Not drunk, not hungover, I think just old. Eat a bowl of instant pho loaded with green onions and cilantro and an electrolyte drink. Power through a series of meetings. Get an Amazon Prime Day delivery and am confused because I’m pretty sure I left everything sitting in the cart. AWWW! It’s facemasks from my friend! She sends a note saying that it’s to make up for not getting to use them during our recent trip. I’m so touched and these are the very ones I was actually eyeing. Power away at editing a budget with renewed energy.

3:30 p.m. — Eat — no joke — three bowls of rice with pickled vegetables and seaweed. It’s comforting. Last meeting for the day and I managed without a nap. Spend the next couple hours on emails and budgets and prepping all the veggies for dinner tonight. Put the finishing touches on the presentation. Plant a propagated pothos and cross my fingers. Actually make and eat dinner — by this point, I’m not hungry, but I put in so much effort, I have to. Use up most of my produce, and ground bison and tofu for mapo dofu. Water plants with the water I save from washing rice for dinner.

9:30 p.m. — Shower and mix it up with retinol face care after. I can’t hold out any longer and I promptly fall asleep.

7:30 a.m. — Up and pretty refreshed. Scroll Instagram and respond to work Slack messages from bed before getting ready for the day. Dress in a blue pinstripe shirtdress, loafers, and fun earrings by a local maker. Just have cold brew and water. First meeting with the executive of my department; I think I am reading between the lines correctly when she stresses that we have to prove the value of our roles throughout this year with down projections for revenue. Good morning to you, too. Move from email to personal texts with my counterpart in another region and dig into that ominous check in.

10:45 a.m. — I make a pitch for support to a casino’s philanthropic foundation for a youth nonprofit I’m on the board for. I will take whatever gaming money these casinos want to offer the community. We’ll find out their decision in a few weeks, but I feel optimistic. I commute into the office before taking another meeting and so many emails. For lunch, I have an informational meeting with a funder, again on behalf of the same nonprofit. They like what we provide and offer to have us join their conference happy hour to talk about the organization — and we’ll receive a donation in appreciation. Solid. After that, I have back-to-back-to-back meetings; for a snack, I sneak in yogurt with honey and walnuts I packed from home. Submit a bunch of forms for our participation in holiday events, start printing a huge stack of activity sheets we’ll use next week at an activation, and resist office snacks. Compile info and visuals for a department update.

7:10 p.m. — Pack up everything I need for the event tomorrow. Email thank yous to the funders I met earlier. Dinner time: I take julienne cucumbers, jicama, diced tomato and thinly sliced egg and top with cold somen noodles and spring leaf mix. Make a nice presentation for myself before mixing everything with a gochujang-based sauce. Defrost a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Waste away on YouTube.

11:30 p.m. — Light a candle because my goal this year is to actually use and enjoy the nice things I have. Do some preliminary research on the local election candidates. Tonight after a body shower, I use Dr Dennis Gross Peel Pads and feel like a new woman. In the same spirit as earlier, I also use my stupid expensive Byredo lotion because why am I saving it?

8:20 a.m. — Up and throw on leggings, sports bra, and tank for Reform Extreme class. Whatever that means — Pilates on the wild-looking row machine thing, maybe? Use the showers there to really get my money’s worth. Class is $25, but work reimburses me up to $40 a month. Back home for cold brew and water. Throw on a company-branded Pride shirt and wide-legged cropped denim. Clear Slack, respond to emails, and knock out a couple meetings. Eat more yogurt, walnuts, and honey. 

4 p.m. — Make my way downtown and find street parking. Buy a gift for my friends’ baby who I’m meeting for the first time when we lunch at a heritage festival tomorrow. It’s a super-soft piggy plush. Squish. $27

5 p.m. — Nevada celebrates Pride late, because it’s too hot in June and we can’t have the gays passing out from heatstroke. Today is one of our company’s designated holidays, but I’ll have to figure out a comp day in the future because today, we parade. I packed myself a colorful BBQ chicken salad to eat while I hold down our float space. I have veggies of all colors of the rainbow, perfectly in theme with the day. Staff have a gay ole time at the parade and we are out showing our support, so I’m pleased. It’s a short route so we finish after a hour-ish and I collect and tidy all the parade accoutrements.

9 p.m. — My dear friend, formerly a coworker, joined us for the parade, so we keep the night going — it’s her day, and she playfully insists I buy the drinks. We get two rounds of beer and buffalo nachos to split. Make it home eventually. $59