A Week In New York On A $24,000 Salary

Editor’s Note: This is a Thanksgiving diary. Due to our festive season schedule, there has been a delay in publishing it. Our diarist discusses experiences relating to income, career, and mental health that we believe are important to feature, even if the diary is seasonally out of step. If that kind of throwback has you stressed, don’t worry — we’ll see you on Friday instead.

Occupation: Content creator
Industry: Social media
Age: 29
Location: New York
Salary: $24,000
Assets: None
Debt: Student loans: $8,000
Paycheck Amount (1x/month): ~$2,000 (I get paid per video I create, so this amount fluctuates — some months it’s $1,000, and others it’s $3,500).
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $762.50 in rent. I have three roommates — we live in a nice neighborhood, but our building is old and our apartment is on the smaller end. It is worth it to us to live somewhere safe and close to all the best bars and restaurants, while still lucking out on sharing a rent cost that keeps it on the lower end for NYC standards.
Loan Payments: I pay $89 a month (the minimum) toward my student loans.
Utilities: ~$100.
Subscriptions: ~$100, which includes streaming services and Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro.
Phone: $50 — I share a phone plan with my family to keep cost down.

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 more than just pressure to attend college, it was a built-in expectation my entire life. I took classes and did extracurricular sports, clubs, and volunteering to get into a “good” school, my parents created a college saving account when I was born, and everyone else around me was going to college as well. I went to college for journalism and creative writing. My parents paid for most of it; I went to a fairly affordable City University school. I had to take out $10,000 in loans to get through my last year, which I am still paying off (I graduated in 2018). I also worked part time while I was in college to pay for all my expenses except my $800 monthly rent. My parents paid for that while I was going to school, but upon graduation I immediately assumed those costs and all others.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
We never spoke about money, as I was raised in a community where it was considered rude or impolite to discuss it, especially as a child. I did not understand what an IRA or retirement plan was or looked like — and honestly still do not. We were middle class: privileged enough to always have food on the table and money for us to pay for all our instruments and sports lessons. My parents were both raised fairly close to the poverty level, which resulted in them living in a very frugal way, even when their joint income had them pulling in close to probably $150,000 (this is a VERY rough guess. I still have no idea how much they were making). They did not spoil us; I understood through their actions that you must always go out of your way to cut coupons and save.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job, after spending my teenage years babysitting, was in a tiny café in college, and several other various minimum wage jobs in the service industry — the kind you’d expect a college girl to be working to pay her expenses that were not rent (rent was the biggest bill and as I mentioned, my parents took care of it while I was in school.) I interned doing unpaid work for a music label, where I learned photography and other content creation skills for social media. I got that internship by having a strong social media presence on my personal account where I talked about music a lot. I got noticed by someone in the industry who approached me about a job interning for college credit. My first “proper” job after college was when I moved to LA for a bit. Through my previous work in social media I was hired at a global media talent agency in Beverly Hills to be a coordinator and run a few social media accounts in the beauty and lifestyle space. I was laid off when the pandemic hit, so I returned to NYC where I became a social media manager for entertainment venues for a few years. I was laid off a year ago and pivoted toward freelancing as a content creator, where I get paid sporadically by a private social club to create videos at $250 each.

Did you worry about money growing up?
No. I always had “pocket money”, as I had jobs babysitting or minimum wage service jobs, and my parents made sure we always had money for things like piano lessons. I never doubted their capacity to provide for my siblings and me.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes. It keeps me up at night. The job industry is so bleak, I haven’t been able to secure anything, either as a very experienced social media manager or as a content creator. I am technically one of the top creators in my field, but still have not been able to land anything. It’s so competitive and a lot of companies still do not take social media seriously. I need to secure something with a solid paycheck, because prices are always rising in New York and I cannot afford any little extras or even healthcare. I had to cancel a trip to London with my besties that we’d been planning for a year, just because I was too stressed about all the expenses. I would be financially ruined if I broke my foot right now. I have suffered from depression since I was a teenager, and it is currently impacting my life and ability to create and find work to a significant degree, but I just don’t have the resources to get help. I need therapy but do not have the money for it, or for the medications I was on when I was under 26 and could still be underneath my mother’s healthcare plan.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I always paid for my own “extras” growing up, but after college, when I got my own full-time job, I assumed all financial responsibility for myself. I have no savings or retirement plan or any other “net” to speak of. If I were to not be able to make rent and was in serious danger, I assume I could call my sisters or parents to loan me the money, but they would expect to be paid back, and it only be done if I was truly in a tight spot.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
I have never inherited or received passive income.

9 a.m. — I wake up on Thanksgiving Day, and have a slow start as I shower and go through my beauty routine. I cook breakfast and then hop on a group FaceTime with my immediate family so we can wish each other a Happy Thanksgiving and briefly catch up. After this I cut and post two TikToks to help promote my latest podcast episode, and then list six items on Depop. My closet is exploding with clothes I never wear, and I have the perfect vintage Juicy Couture hoodie I could easily turn around for $40. I LOVE thrifting and try to maintain the “one piece in, one piece out” mentality to help myself stay on top of all the clothing clutter in my room, and attempt to create a sustainable closet.

12:30 p.m. — I pick up wine for an all-vegan Friendsgiving at a friend’s place in Bushwick. It was going to be too expensive to fly home twice for me, and both my siblings work Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we get together in early December at my parents’ home to see each other. $29

12:45 a.m. — I spend a few hours working on a video, then send it over to my client. I hope it will not be seen as rude to email on Thanksgiving. Since I am not requesting anything and simply giving them a deliverable sooner rather than later, I think that this email is appropriate. If anything I am glad they see me working on a holiday — I am terrified of being fired, despite my work being great and always receiving good feedback. Social media and content creators are always so easily cut or dropped and this client is my main source of income — I would be so screwed if I lost them — so I always try to go above and beyond, even though a lot of things I do for them fall underneath a “social media manager” umbrella and basically count as unpaid consulting and copywriting work. I know they’re taking advantage of me a bit, but I can’t find other work right now so... *shrug*

4 p.m. — Need to catch the subway to lunch. I can’t jump the turnstile because cops are frequently at my station now, and I see them actively writing tickets. To this day I am confused why the cops spend so much time at a very non-busy, small stop in a nice neighborhood — they are always just standing around playing on their phones, there’s no threat of danger. My guess is they really are just there to write tickets to the few lower-income people that pass through and jump the turnstile. $2.90

11 p.m. — I uber home from the Friendsgiving. I had fun and it was a chill night, but it did make me a little sad that I could not be home with my mom, and I felt so alone to be spending a holiday with people I did not know that well (I was invited as a plus one by my best friend.) Money-wise, it was nice I did not have to pay for any of the food and even took home a big plate of leftovers. I almost never pay for a car, but since it’s a holiday, I’ve been drinking, and I am a lone female in Brooklyn, I decide to drop the money on this luxury. $21

6:11 a.m. — I order matcha latte powder off Amazon, and the company agrees to reimburse me if I leave a review. I have a small food Instagram account where I review or create content about products or restaurants in the city, and sometimes I get sent free products or get offers for comped meals in exchange for content. I am not big enough on my food page yet to get paid for this, but free is free and I am working toward turning this into another way to make money, or at least get some free food. $21.76 (Expensed)

6:29 a.m. — I buy Christmas presents online for my sisters. They both asked for comfy, cozy cute socks so I pick out some that match each of their style and tell my parents I’ve bought them so they won’t also buy these items off my sisters’ lists ($27.06). I also know what is cute more than my parents, so any sort of fashion/clothes gift giving always falls to me in the family. I also buy some warm gloves for myself (on sale for $6) — normally would not buy any “extras” for me, but winter is fast approaching and I absolutely need gloves. I have hypotension (low blood pressure) so I am always cold and it takes a bit more to warm me up. My circulation is always poor and I have to be mindful about keeping myself warm, especially since I cannot afford to be sick and don’t have healthcare. $33.06

3 p.m. — I snack from the Thanksgiving leftovers all day. I also cut and edit videos from my bed. I do not have an office in my apartment and the common area has no windows, so I do not like working out of there during the day. This is not the best environment for my depression, as I am literally alone in my house all day. I miss the days of working in an office or with a team of people I know well. My routine is all over the place and so unstructured, and I think it affects my eating habits, too — I eat quite sporadically, and sometimes if I’m hyper-focused on an edit, I will power through on coffee or OJ until it occurs to me that I need to take a break (I do want to mention that upon reflection, I wasn’t particularly diligent with writing down what I ate this week. It’s just an oversight, rather than an intentional omission). 

6 p.m. — I wrap my work and crack open a bottle of wine I already had in. It’s brand I buy frequently because it’s a delicious crisp white wine from the bougie wine shop on my block. It’s a bit on the pricier end for me at $17, but one bottle usually lasts me two or three nights (I usually keep it to around two glasses a night). I have no plans tonight besides me and the show I am currently watching, but I have become such a homebody since I got laid off — I am very content chilling with my cat, watching TV with a few candles lit, or hanging out with my roommates. We are all single girls in our 20s, and I love them all immensely. I also love our apartment. I put a lot of work into decorating it and using things like Facebook Marketplace or the NYC Stooping Instagram page to get free or lower-cost items. When people walk into our apartment it’s not uncommon for them to say, “Wow, this looks like a magazine.” I used to be a photographer, so I know how to build a beautiful set, and this leaked into my interior design skills. 

7:30 a.m. — I buy my mom a Christmas present. She always asks me for good skincare stuff. I am the family expert at skincare, everyone always asks me for advice on my skincare routine and what to buy. I pick out a really nice moisturizer that is priced very well that I know she will like. I wish I could buy her one at a higher price point because she’s my mom and deserves the world, but it’s just too far out of my price range, so I make it work with a gift I know she will still enjoy and won’t break me. $19.12

8 a.m. — I get to work cutting another video for my client. When I finish that I make a TikTok for fun on my personal account. I then have a mini panic because I think my hair is in desperate need of a cut and colour. I spiral down the internet saving photos of beautiful women with amazing hair as reference photos for my next hair appointment. I ask my mom if my Christmas present could be her paying for my hair — she lives in a lower-cost area where a nice salon would be reasonably priced compared to the NYC prices I have to deal with. I usually dye my own hair (taught myself at 19 how to bleach and dye!) and have a friend in beauty school cut my hair, but it’s nice every once in a while seeing a professional to get it done and fix all the little colour mistakes I make.

12 p.m. — I list a few items on Depop I don’t wear anymore. I try to research a YSL coat I lucked out thrifting for $10 in the summer — it’s cute but I’d rather sell it and make the $800 I think it’s worth. I don’t want to list through Depop as I don’t want them skimming off my profit (that’s MY rent money!), so I see if there’s a way to list it on eBay or Craigslist without the selling fee attached. I don’t figure it out: I get distracted by my own ADHD brain and get sucked into a different hole on the internet and forget my original mission. Tomorrow, perhaps.

2 p.m. — I buy another Christmas gift for my sister. I know I’ve already bought her the socks (a cute pair of coquette-style high ones), but it’s not enough. I had signed up for updates from the Star Trek shop for coupons, knowing she really wanted a certain phone case from there, and they have a 30% off sale. I know she will love it. $30.13

2:15 p.m. — I buy a large pack of toilet paper for my apartment. We split it four ways, so I will be mostly reimbursed once I Venmo-request them. I always buy the toiletries for my apartment because I monitor when we are running low and have an Amazon Prime account so I do not pay shipping — plus we get to have large items like toilet paper and paper towels delivered to our door, instead of having to carry them across Brooklyn. $31.56

3 p.m. — I meet my content creator friend to help her film a social media series I help produce. This is unpaid and just fun right now. The show is new and we are looking to gain an audience and work out all the kinks before we approach sponsors. It is freezing cold but it looks better to film outside because it is a “man on the street” style of content and the production value of NYC as our backdrop is unmatched, so we suck it up and manage to wrap gathering content in under an hour.

4 p.m. — I buy a drink and some fries at a wine bar with my colleagues after filming with them. We have someone on as our guest, which is unpaid and just done for free (and for fun hopefully!), so you usually go get a drink or dinner and chill a bit after. I did pick up the $40 check to pay for myself and our guest as a thank you for being on the show, but he insists on buying his own drink and venmos me the money for his. $26

6:35 p.m. — My friend comes over and we film an episode of our podcast. The premise is we open a bottle of wine and yap about pop culture news for 30 minutes. I got her hooked on my fave brand of wine (the $17 one), so it’s what we almost always drink when we film together. I hope to one day get sponsored by a drink company, so we always are drinking on camera to make product placement easier once we look to start gaining revenue from the show. We have only done around four episodes so far, so it’s still in the working out the kinks phase, but this is my MAIN fun thing I would love to turn into my full-time job. I am good at this and it really is just my dream to have fun creating entertaining and insightful content for the masses. This also functions as a way for me to stay social and ~fight~ my depression. I regularly schedule content shoots with my friends and guests and this keeps me going while I hunt for a sustainable check/day job with healthcare. $17

9 a.m. — I get hit with an automatic payment from Apple for $9.99. Not really sure what it’s for but I’m pretty certain it has to do with extra storage I bought — or possibly the monthly fee I pay toward Pod Save America/Vote Save America. Prime Video also hits me with an automatic payment. (Both included in monthly expenses)

10 a.m. — I make a few changes to the videos my clients requested, but otherwise have a very light day of working. I do a bit on the podcasts I filmed last night, then just watch that Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy on Netflix. I apply for a few jobs and scroll through Indeed and LinkedIn looking for more.

5 p.m. — I get the subway to Soho because I have to drop off some mics my content creator friend left at my house when we filmed the other day. She has to film an interview with this DJ in Chelsea and doesn’t have time to run back to Brooklyn after she gets out of her day job at 7 p.m., so I have to run the mics to her. I’m too scared to jump the turnstile because of the heightened police presence. $2.90

6 p.m. — I get the subway home after dropping off the mics, stopping off to buy a jug of orange juice on my way home. I have been craving OJ so much this past week and have been starting my days drinking a few glasses in lieu of coffee. $6.20

10 a.m. — I get to work crafting a video for a client and finish it in a couple of hours. My depression is really kicking my ass today so I don’t get out of bed or do anything besides watch TV with my cat. I search TikTok for advice on what to do to help me through “bad days” and still be productive. I screenshot a bunch of advice I do not take.

3 p.m. — I get a notif for BOGO tacos from one of my favorite vegan spots, so I order four tacos from Uber Eats. I decide to make that the food I will eat that day: four tacos eaten slowly through out the day. $20.30 

7 p.m. — I was supposed to see Wicked with a friend tonight, but she cancels, so I stay in and save the $ (I had already seen it opening day anyway and written a review on my blog!). 

10 a.m. — I buy a Christmas gift for my dad. He is playing in a lot of golf tournaments this year — on Fourth of July, Memorial Day, patriotic holidays like that — so he had requested on his Christmas list polos/hats that were red, white, and blue or patriotic in some sense to go with the theme. I buy him two nice quality golf caps that have the American Flag on them but are two different colours, so he has some variety. I get annoyed shopping for these items because so much American gear has “45” or Trump stuff on it. $26.59

11 a.m. — I finish editing one of the podcasts we shot the other day. It only takes me around an hour or two so then I have the rest of the day to be lazy, keep an eye on my inbox, cook food, read my very overdue library book, check out my Spotify Wrapped and otherwise pick out my outfit for an event later. I can feel my depression and anxiety creeping in at having to go out later, but I’ve already committed to this and will force myself outside!

6 p.m. — I meet my friend when she gets off work in Soho, where we board a train again to get across Manhattan to the event we are attending. It is a very well-known NYC content creator’s birthday party. I am so excited to see what’s in her swag bags. (It ends up being expensive full-sized perfume, nice lotions, premium coffee packs, an energy drink, basically things from brands that sponsor her/her party.) $2.90

7:30 p.m. — I buy myself and my friend a canned pineapple margarita drink at a liquor store before we head to the event. We are not sure if it’s an open bar situation, and want to pregame a bit before we walk in and possibly have to drop $19 on cocktails. I pay for her because she is completely out of money but gets paid tomorrow. $9.80

8:30 p.m. — Once we’re in, I don’t pay for any drinks (it’s not an open bar but the bartender chooses not to charge me 🤷‍♀️) and the photobooth is free too, so I get a ton of fun photos with my friends. It’s a successful night of fun and the girl who hosted the event actually tricked out my swag bag with the best stuff because we were “the life of the party” — aka the people going hard dancing to the DJ all night. (We were fans of this DJ before the event and had seen them at Gov Ball). Honestly, my anxiety creeps in a bit and I’m not my usual bubbly self — I don’t make any new friends or try to network with other creators, which I am disappointed about, but I am still glad I get to dance to some Charli XCX at fun event space!

1 a.m. — I take the train home from the event, and walk home in the rain. $2.90

8 a.m. — I order an acai bowl to my house. I am not that hungover, but I feel very drained and am not in the mood to cook, and I have to turn around another podcast I’m editing today, so I need to lock in. $22.66

9 a.m. — I pay rent (included in monthly expenses). I always pay within the first few days of the month. There’s technically a late fee if it’s not paid on the first, but my landlord has never enforced it and I’ve been here three years and never given him trouble or paid later than a week, so I know I’m good. 

12 p.m. — My lack of sleep and screen fatigue catches up with me. I am worried I’ve caught a cold after the walk home in the rain last night, so I take a nap. 

5:30 p.m. — I get up to cook vegetable fried rice with (vegan) chic’n with my roommate. After we eat, I spend  the rest of the evening playing with my cat and having a very chill night.