A Week In New York On A $850,000 Household Income

Occupation: Strategic finance associate
Industry: Tech
Age: 26
Location: New York
Salary: $145,000
Household Income & Financial Setup: My husband (Z.) and I have recently combined finances post marriage. Our joint income is $850,000, and we contribute 70% of our individual monthly incomes to our joint accounts, and keep 30% for separate accounts. We are keeping everything pre-marital separate. For this diary, I largely only tracked my own spend unless I was together with Z., or noticed his spend. He’s generally a pretty low-key guy, so I have probably captured most areas of his spending this week.
Assets (Mine): Tax-advantaged accounts (401(k), Roth, HSAs, etc.): $210,000; brokerage accounts: $180,000; rental property: $150,000; home: $140,000 (my half of the equity); emergency fund: $30,000; jewelry and bags: $20,000; Bitcoin: $6,000. Z. has additional assets like his investments, cash, an extra property, but it’s unclear to me what they exactly total up to. He has no debt.
Debt: We have ~$900,000 left on the mortgage, of which I am responsible for half.
Paycheck Amount (Bi-weekly): $5,500
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $2,500, including mortgage and HOA fees.
Utilities: I expense these since I work from home and company provides as a benefit.
iCloud Storage: $2.99
Spotify & Hulu: $11.99
Amazon Prime: $11.58
Netflix: Z. pays.
Cat Expenses: ~$50 (subscriptions/payments for food and insurance)
Credit Card Fees: $52 (my half, split 50/50 with Z.). This is for lounges, travel perks, and higher cash back on restaurants, since we eat out a lot.

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?
Yes, my parents saved up 529 plans for my sister and me. I went to an in-state college and was able to graduate debt free. There’s definitely a heavy emphasis on education in my culture. I’m considering getting a graduate degree but the cost of it makes me second guess myself.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Mom was very frugal, very good at budgeting and saving. Dad emphasized spending money on things that made lifestyle better. Being immigrants to the U.S., I definitely grew up with a scarcity mentality. We rarely ate out, and we saved everything, but it all felt OK to me at the time, because I didn’t compare my family too much to others on the financial side.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
Tutor in high school for extra spending money! It was a good use of my skills and paid decently well at $20 an hour, so it worked out.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes, all the time. My parents constantly fought and my mom moved in and out of living with my dad, so things felt tight all the time and very unstable. It felt like money was a means to freedom and deciding things on your own terms.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes, I used to work in a much higher-paying field, but took a pay cut to switch industries into something that I find much more sustainable and interesting. I lowered my earnings power, but it felt worth it to switch into a lifestyle that I felt suited me and my personality in the long run. I don’t worry too much on a day-to-day basis because Z. and I have good joint income, but I do feel ambitious and want to raise my earnings power through promotions and start some fun side hustles. The aforementioned industry switch is also why I have a good chunk of net worth saved up. I think on longer horizons now than I did a few years ago where I worried about the near term. Now, I think about when we will be able to afford a bigger house and children, as well as what types of trade-offs we will need to make.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
During college I was responsible for living expenses outside of rent and tuition. After I graduated I became fully financially independent. I think my family would allow me to live with them if I really needed to.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes, my mother gifted me a rental property, and my grandmother left me $20,000 when she passed. My husband gave me half of the condo we live in when we married, and now I am contributing to the mortgage as well.

9:30 a.m. — Wake up for the day and cuddle my cat. Do my normal skincare routine: Beauty of Joseon toner, Torriden hyaluronic serum, Hado Labo moisturizer, Biore sunscreen, and then pour myself a coffee and log in to work from home. I spend the first 15 minutes catching up on industry and general newsletters, then start working. Today is a bit of a stressful day because there are a lot of deliverables due, and it’s a shortened week.

11 a.m. — I have a 1:1 with my manager where we discuss prioritization of deliverables this week, as well as brainstorm on datapoints and methodology on an analysis we’re supporting for a cross-functional partner. Afterwards, I eat some leftover soup and rice for lunch and take a quick break.

1 p.m. — I make good progress on a key deliverable throughout the afternoon, have a meeting with a new executive, send out a few more messages on Slack, and then log off for the day. I notice a bunch of white hairs growing on my head again, so I buy vitamin gummies from Amazon, even though it is sadly probably due to genetics. $15

6 p.m. — I eat leftovers that I packed from the office yesterday, and then go to a yoga class in my building. It feels nice to stretch it out, and a great way to decompress my spine. Z. gets home and we catch up on our days, then head down to the building spa. I sit in the sauna for 20 minutes while hubby chills in the hot tub. Don’t feel brave enough for the cold plunge today.

10 p.m. — Z. and I watch a few episodes of Silicon Valley. I have a magnesium and then fall asleep.

9:30 a.m. — Wake up and cuddle my cat. Do the normal skincare routine and then walk downstairs to the grocery store to grab a few bottles of Starbucks iced coffee for the fridge. Once back home, I pour myself a coffee and get logged in. $15

1 p.m. — Today is a day where we are trying to push a key reporting pack out the door, so I am heads down trying to complete a piece of work for it. To be honest, this particular piece of work is super boring and the least interesting part of my job, but it’s something that I only need to do once a month for a few hours, so I just put up with it. I take a quick break for lunch — Z. went out and bought wonton soups so I eat that. $30

5 p.m. — Send out the reporting pack to my manager’s manager and then start catching up on other workstreams. I make a prioritization list for next Monday, and make sure that the cross-functional teams are aligned on it.

6 p.m. — Have a few bites to eat and then head out to the pickleball courts ($2.90 for the subway and $7 for the LIRR). The commute is pretty long — ~1.5 hours — so I read Babel by RF Kuang on my commute. Play two hours of doubles ($45.10), where I focus on footwork and ball placement, and generally have a great time, then commute home. $55

11:30 p.m. — Get home, have a ramen as a snack, take a magnesium, and then relax and go to bed. Z. is out to karaoke, so I chill until he gets home. He gets home around 1 a.m., pretty drunk and super cute looking. I give him a kiss and then we go to sleep.

9 a.m. — It’s the weekend, yay! I wake up from the sound of the apartment above dropping something on the floor. Cuddle my cat, give my hubby a kiss, pour myself a coffee, and chill on the couch for a bit while Z. keeps sleeping. This might be meta, but I read the Silicon Valley Money Diary joint $904,000 diary and am so impressed at the many things the lady accomplishes throughout the day. It’s wild how different life looks with kids.

10 a.m. — I cuddle my furball and stare at my overgrown gel nails and think to myself that I really need to go to the salon, but don’t want to go outside in the cold, and don’t want to pay, so I don’t. Z. wakes up so I give him a kiss, and then he goes out to lunch with friends (he probably spends ~$50 for his portion of food). I also work on booking hotels with points for our honeymoon at year end. $50

1 p.m. — It’s a nice day, so I bundle up and take my bike to meet my friend for coffee! We catch up on our lives. She gets an avocado toast; I pass on getting anything at the café. Then I bike over the bridge to take a tennis lesson ($95) with my friend, and then bike home after. When I get home, I see boba in the fridge so I drink a yummy grape slushy. Z. probably spent $20 to get it delivered. $115

6 p.m. — Our friend is hosting dinner in K-town, so we head out to the local grocery store to pick up ice cream bars to bring over ($26.20). We choose four different types so that everyone can try a lot of different flavors, and then get the subway over ($2.90). Dinner is super tasty, and it’s great to meet new people. We play card games after dinner, and I have a lot of fun. $32

12 a.m. — Hubby and I subway home a little past midnight, I take a magnesium and then fall asleep a little past 1 a.m. $5.80

9 a.m. — I wake up naturally, cuddle my cat and give Z. a kiss. Roll out of bed and pour myself a coffee and do my usual skincare routine, pick up the mail and packages, then take my bike out the door to a few overdue appointments. First I get a facial where I get a phenomenal lymphatic massage and really painful extractions. Then, I bike over and get my brows threaded and upper lip waxed. I’m a regular at these spots so I tip a little over 20% in cash. $127

12 p.m. — I get home and prune and water the plants. Z. has gone grocery shopping while I’m out and he makes lunch — delicious butter seared scallops and marinated air-fried chicken wings with rice. I clean up after lunch and then we both chill out. I online shop a bit for Z.’s upcoming birthday and decide to get him a nice watch for a little over $1,000, but will wait to purchase until closer to and see if there is a sale. $40

2 p.m. — I get the subway to my friend’s apartment to record our very first podcast episode together ($5.80, including the return journey). We yap for two hours, and generally have a great time. Then we divvy up workstreams and brainstorm on podcast names. When I leave, I buy a book on Kindle to read on the train ($15). $20.80

6 p.m. — Z. and I go to the spa. I read my book in the sauna and cold plunge for a little bit, then head back upstairs and work on organizing our podcast idea for a bit, then chill out. Z. makes a tasty dinner of ramen with some additions like beef and fried eggs, and orders some dessert. I eat some fruit for dessert instead. Z. peels and cuts a mango for me, yummy.

9 p.m. — I chill in bed, take a magnesium, drink an Olipop, and watch The White Lotus. Sooooo good. Halfway through I ask Z. if he thinks we would ever be a stereotype featured on the show. He laughs and says we are normal. I finish booking our hotels for Japan with credit card points. Hubby buys groceries online. $150

9 a.m. — I wake up and cuddle my cat, then get ready for the work day and bike over to the office. Today is also another stressful day because we have a ton of activity in go-to-market and I am the business partner supporting them in decision making. I work cross-functionally with a bunch of teams on analyses that we are bringing to the executive team for go/no-go decisions tomorrow.

12 p.m. — Quick break for lunch, where I eat some yummy and healthy Indian food with my coworkers, and then I get back on the grind. Keep working on the same analyses.

5:30 p.m. — I bundle up and bike home, then keep working on analyses. Z. comes home and we eat dinner together — I eat leftovers I packed from the office while he eats noodles. Then I hop on another call to discuss two large and urgent projects with my manager and my manager’s manager. We align on our messaging and takeaways going into the cross-functional meeting with the exec tomorrow. I send out a few more messages and write up action items for tomorrow morning, then log off for the day. Z. peels me a mango and I eat it.

7:30 p.m. — My eye is bothering me and I suddenly remember that I need to buy contacts solution because border control threw mine out, so I order 10oz and a 2oz on Amazon ($15, using FSA funds).

8:30 p.m. — I head out and take the subway to play a few rounds of volleyball with my friends (my friend paid for me). This is my first time playing in a super long time. I generally have a great time, the group isn’t too intense, and I leave a bit early and subway home to go to bed at a reasonable time. $5.80

11:30 p.m. — I get home, take a magnesium, drink an Olipop, cuddle my cat, and go to bed. I also remember to buy ibuprofen and tampons on Amazon ($33.44, paid for with my FSA). Z. is off for a late-evening gym session.

9 a.m. — I wake up, cuddle my cat, get ready for the workday and bike over to the office. I make my morning coffee and keep working on analysis for exec review, and send out a separate reporting pack to the executive team. I order sushi rolls for lunch (covered by work) and pay a bit extra for the fatty tuna out of pocket. $3.86

12 p.m. — Eat lunch while in back-to-back meetings for three hours. We align on legal terms for a special situation, make decisions on how to move certain deals forward, work with product on a new plan rollout, and sit in a cross-functional alignment meeting.

3:30 p.m. — I bike home to finish the rest of my workday at home. Kitty is thrilled to see me and sits in my lap while I work. After the sprint in the last few days, I take some time to get organized on action items and next steps for each of the workstreams I’m staffed on. There’s a massive project that is going to require prioritization in the next few days, so I post my managers to make sure they’re aligned on order of priority for my workstreams.

5 p.m. — I wrap up the workday, since we’re still waiting for data on things and I can’t get projects started until we get the data. Then I listen to a webcast on macroeconomic conditions going into 2025 for personal knowledge, and unpack the groceries that got delivered. The guy delivers a balanced set of puts and takes on anticipated economic and investing variances going into 2025.

6:30 p.m. — I lay in bed, kitty purrs on my chest, and I order snow crab pasta, marinated chicken, glutinous rice, and some sides for me and Z. Hubby gets home and we go to the spa. I sit in the sauna and read Clash of Kings, feeling a bit like my mind is swirling around because of all the work and meetings from today. We get our food and eat together. $155

9 p.m. — Z. and I watch a movie together. I brush my teeth, take a magnesium and go to bed.

8:30 a.m. — I wake up before my alarm, and since I have a busy day today, I decide to get up early. I cuddle my cat, do my makeup, and bike into the office. Make myself a coffee and then get to work, preparing analyses for a big upcoming meeting and preparing my speaking notes for our meeting with the exec team later today.

12:30 p.m. — I have a 1:1 with my manager where we talk about progressing current workstreams, adding a headcount to the team given my workload, and timing of my promotion. I leave feeling OK about general feedback which was positive, but feeling impatient, too. I grab lunch in the office and join the monthly full-company meeting where the exec chats on firm strategy. I leave the meeting to keep preparing for the remainder of meetings and tasks for the day. I’m in back-to-backs for most of the afternoon, and feel satisfied with my presentation at the executive meeting.

6 p.m. — I pack up vegetables and protein leftovers from the catered in-office lunch to eat as my dinner, and then bike home. I scarf down my dinner and then head out on my commute to the tennis courts. Because the commute is 1.5 hours ($2.90 for the subway and $7 for the LIRR), I read my Kindle and respond to Slacks on the way there. $9.90

8 p.m. — Get to the courts and play two hours of doubles. We’re practicing as a team for play-offs, so I practice with my usual partner. We play pretty well, round-robin style with other teams, and win two sets, lose one set. I didn’t think too much about areas to improve today and just played my usual style. $40

10 p.m. — I commute home with a few other tennis players (because LIRR has peak versus off-peak pricing, it was cheaper on the way back). Chat with my tennis partner on our commute home about life aspirations, mental health, and other random topics. Get home, take a magnesium, clip my cat’s nails with Z., and go to bed. $7.90

“Overall, this was a pretty low-key week of spending, with no major purchases. Recently I’ve been working on keeping our household expenses down by lowering the amount of times we eat out each week, which is also a pro for health reasons. Reading this back, it definitely sounds like work was very busy this week, more so than usual. Since this diary was written, I’m happy to announce that I received a 10% raise, which feels satisfying!”