A Week In Columbia, SC, On A $176,000 Joint Income

How are you coping with trying to work from home during a pandemic? It’s been over a month since states began issuing stay-at-home orders. If you're still doing your job from home, how is it going? We want to hear your unfiltered thoughts and experiences here.

Today: a Senior Data Consultant who makes a joint income of $176,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on Grove.co cleaning supplies.

Occupation: Senior Data Consultant
Industry: Insurance/IT
Age: 33
Location: Columbia, SC
My Salary: $100,000+$10,000 bonus
Husband's (R.) Salary: $76,000+$5,000 bonus and $7,500 student loan repayment
Net Worth: $17,888
Debt: $213,000 student loans, $24,000 on cars
My Paycheck Amount (biweekly): $3,024
Husband's Paycheck (biweekly): $2,013
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $950 + $200 in utilities
Student Loans: $390 + $625 that R.'s work reimburses
Car Payments: $655
Daycare: $1,020
Dog Insurance: $75
Netflix/Hulu: $35 (BFF pays for HBO+, so we trade for Hulu)
Insurance (Car and Life): $375
Cell: $185 (gotta love unlimited data)
Internet: $60 ($50 credit from work)
Gym: $70 (discounted from R.'s work)
Savings: At least $2,000 (but really whatever is leftover)
401(k): 6% match for both R. and I into separate
Donations: $200 (matched through my company)

7:30 a.m. — N. (my two-year-old) and I wake up at 7:30 and make our way to the kitchen for breakfast (R. wakes up at 4:30!!! to exercise, shower, and drive 50 minutes to work; he also will take out the trash, or finish any dishes/switch the laundry before he leaves). She is a pro at helping me start my Nespresso and I trade her for a yogurt. We go to get dressed and have N. use the potty, as she is potty training. I had already been working from home before the COVID-19 madness hit, so this part of our routine is normal for N. I sit at my desk and check my e-mail to make sure there is nothing too pressing going on before we spend some time playing, and I see that our meal delivery service has been pulled out of our account for next week. N. was in daycare before the social distancing started and I would normally drop her off around 10 a.m. Now she is staying home with me full-time and I am also attempting to work full-time at a job I was just hired for a month ago — talk about bad timing! $56

2:30 p.m. — My husband, R., is unable to pick up most of the childcare slack, as he is a DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) and works at an outpatient clinic that is associated with a major hospital system. When the hospital first started making plans to deal with this crisis, he volunteered to be trained as a site manager. His clinic got majorly downsized, with most of the support staff being placed on furlough, so he has been doing his best to keep treatment going at his clinic while balancing duties at the inpatient center and the hospital. With this deficit in childcare resources (N. is too young to use the emergency on-site facility the hospital has set up for employees), I ended up finding a part-time nanny to come in during the week for three hours a day. She starts after N. wakes up from her nap and leaves when R. gets home, so I can have dinner ready. $40

8 p.m. — I have major guilt over having the nanny come, as I know we have a higher-than-likely risk due to R. bringing germs home, so I am a bit fanatical in him stripping down from his scrubs outside, changing his clothes, and keeping the house as sanitized as possible. She is a nursing student, so she does a good job as well at making sure there is as little exposure to germs as possible. Unfortunately, our housekeeper has diabetes, so I have canceled her services to minimize any risk she has from our home. I still send her a payment for her bi-weekly cleanings, so she doesn't miss the income, but I spend the evening picking up and wiping down surfaces. I also get some more hours in for work while R. does bedtime routine with N. Hubs and I go to bed at 11. $80

10:30 a.m. — We are lucky to live in a town that is full of great small businesses and a huge farmers market. Some of the vendors we would frequent on Saturdays have pivoted their services and are doing pick-ups or deliveries in an attempt to keep money flowing. One of my favorite long-term businesses owns a flower farm and she has been dropping off bouquets for me on my porch every week. Having fresh flowers in the house so often is a special luxury in the midst of this chaos. $25

12 p.m. — Right before N.'s nap, Lowe's comes by and delivers some very big orders we made last week (no money spent today). I have supreme mom-guilt for being home but not being able to give N. my full attention, so I have been trying to create a super fun environment where she can play in her own backyard (since parks are not open right now) and I can keep an eye on her while I am on conference calls or work outside. They deliver an assembled picnic table, a bunch of dirt and materials for our vegetable garden, and a playset that I will need R.'s help setting up. This will go nicely with the inflatable pool I picked up at Target.

6 p.m. — We get delivery dinner today so R. can help me put together the swing set. We don't finish before I have to log back on to work. At my work, we are extremely busy trying to update software to allow providers to submit claims and receive almost instant repayment for COVID patients. I work in data and reporting, so any time we have a one-off software push, I am expected to receive late-night requests to pull reports on how the testing went. R. calls it quits at 9 and tidies up the house before heading to bed with a book, while I keep at it until 11. $45

9:30 a.m. — I really want to get out of the house today and get some exercise, so I load N. up to go to a local coffee shop that I love that now offers curbside pick up. After we get our treats, I put her into her wagon and we stroll the neighborhood for several blocks. It feels amazing to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. $15

3 p.m. — I take a break from work to confirm my Grove.co order to make sure we still have plenty of cleaning supplies on hand. We were lucky and had a good stock of toilet paper and paper towels before the stores had a run, but with all my cleaning, things are getting used up quickly. $68.89

9:30 p.m. — Since it's Friday, I take the evening off work. I spend some time mindlessly scrolling through social media and see that my favorite local wine bar is selling bottles online. I buy two bottles of things that sound interesting, but unfortunately, I will not have a chance to drink them until the store is back open after the virus. $74

8 a.m. — It's Saturday, but both R. and I have to work. R. has elected to take N. with him and drop her off at his mom's for the weekend to shelter there since we both will be working tomorrow as well. I feel sad thinking about missing my baby for the weekend, but I know she will enjoy Nana's. R. stops for gas on the way. $23.12

12:15 p.m. — As I am checking my personal e-mail, I get a notice from my meal delivery service provider that they are canceling my order this week! I check, and they have refunded my purchase (+$56 from earlier), but I'm still stuck with trying to figure out what I will do for dinners next week! I loved this service not only because I did not have to shop for groceries or plan meals but also because they provided most of the ingredients pre-prepped so it saved on a lot of time that I don't have when making dinner for the family. I'm frustrated and text R., but he doesn't have any suggestions for me.

4:15 p.m. — R. gets home early and I call it quits as well. We finish putting the swing set together and do some work with the garden before ordering Chinese. It feels so good to stretch out on the couch with him, have a beer, and watch mindless TV. We go to bed a little early to enjoy adult time together. $25

10:30 a.m. — I'm not starting work until later today, so I am able to join the faux-brunch my friends and I are having on the HouseParty app. One of our favorite brunch places is offering a brunch package to go, which includes a mimosa kit, so we get giggly on camera and complain about our first world problems. I miss my friends so much. R. and I are really close to a great group of people and we usually have a social engagement once or twice a week, so this feels pretty amazing. $36.34

4:40 p.m. — One of my friends has been making masks for hospitals, and since the CDC offered new guidance, I ask to purchase some from her. She jokingly asks if she can trade masks for some of my Ativan (everyone knows in my group that I have generalized anxiety disorder and take it to sleep/for stress). I know she's not "really joking," so I send her money for the masks, and when I pick them up on her porch, I leave a few pills in a bag in their place. Most suburban drug deal ever! $20

5:45 p.m. — R. is home from his mom's with N. and we order her favorite pizza to celebrate. I have missed my girl so much, but have to admit that it did feel nice to have a break from constant toddler care. $20

9:30 a.m. — I wake up with a slight fever and immediately freak out. I call into work that I will be available by email only and I cancel the nanny for the day. I attempt to parent by couch and it does not go well. By her nap, I am exhausted, so I spend it mindlessly scrolling my phone and retail therapy myself a pair of very expensive silk pajamas. I figure I am about to get good use from them. $118

3:45 p.m. — R. is able to leave early from work, and he picks up the meal kits that I ordered earlier today. I was lucky to find a local company that basically provides the same service I was getting from my online company. He immediately takes over childcare and sends me to bed. I wake up from a nap to see (and smell) him cooking dinner with N. playing in the kitchen. He is the best. I eat in bed and then go back to sleep. $75

10:30 a.m. — Even though I am feeling much better and no longer have a fever (yay!), R. already told his boss he was going to take today off. I get to sleep in, but I still log in to work when I get up. He takes N. with him to do a curbside pick-up of some art supplies from a local art store and they spend the morning playing with those. $60

2:30 p.m. — Our lawn guy comes today to work on the front yard. He owns our local garden supply store, and he provides eco-friendly yard maintenance that we have been taking advantage of. $120

4:30 p.m. — I feel well enough to do a yoga workout from the Glo app I am trialing. I am able to stream to my TV and N. joins me for a portion of it. The way she says namaste is ridiculous. I make dinner for the family from one of the meal kits and we settle into our evening routine.