A Week In Western Massachusetts On A $21,000 Salary

Occupation: Graphic Designer
Industry: Marketing
Age: 22
Location: Western Massachusetts
Salary: $21,000
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $890 (Sometimes I freelance and make more, and the hours at one of my jobs varies.)
Gender Identity: Woman (she/her)

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $337 for my portion (I live with my boyfriend and two housemates. We all pay evenly.)
Electricity/Propane: $60-$200 (It depends A LOT thanks to New England weather, this month it was $200 and that's the most it's ever been. In the summer it's only like $60.)
Loans: $0 (I went to University on a full-ride and bought my car with extra scholarship money)
Car Insurance: $109
Phone Plan: $45
Freelancing Invoice Service: $19
Planet Fitness Membership: $20
Netflix: $9
Spotify/Hulu: $5 (still have a student plan)
Health Insurance: Covered by my mom's for now.
Savings: NONE. I know, slay me. But I'm working on it.

7:20 a.m. — My alarm goes off but I simply can't get out of bed. My boyfriend, M., is so warm next to me, plus two of our cats are holding down the covers and our room is SO COLD. We have a huge sliding door right next to our bed which on the upside shows our beautiful view of an endless field, but on the downside lets in a LOT of cold air. I snooze for an embarrassingly long amount of time.

8 a.m. — I finally crawl out of bed and get changed in front of the space heater (not a joke). I put on high-waisted jeans and a striped long-sleeve that I wore yesterday (I don't care). I go to the bathroom to start my morning routine when a cop knocks on the door and says we need to move our cars for the plow. I'm literally about to leave but I still have to deal with it. I wake up our housemate whose car also has to move. My routine goes out the window.

8:20 a.m. — Scraping ice off my boyfriend's car SUCKS. He's been letting me use his car since mine is currently dead and hanging half out of our driveway. I couldn't get it worked on over the holidays and so she's been there since before Christmas. Once I get the car cleaned off to the point I can see safely, I am on my way to work. I stop at Dunkin' and get an iced coffee with Girl Scout cookie flavoring, a bagel with cream cheese, and a donut for later ($7). I also put on my No. 9 primer and mascara at a red light. $7

9:05 a.m. — Just a little bit late but it doesn't matter because the office is dead AF. My boss is on vacation as is half the office and it's also an early day because it is NYE. I get to work on some extremely simple tasks and then work on some social graphics for a client.

11:30 a.m. — My friend stops by to say hello! I don't think this has ever happened in my three years at this job. My office is super quiet and so usually if anyone comes by, we just talk in the hallway but today it's dead and I have hardly anything to do, so I invite him in for a coffee. He is visiting home from Atlanta where he is a professional dancer and he leaves again tomorrow, so I am super happy that he made the effort to see me at work. We plan to see each other at a party tonight that his sister (my high school best friend) is throwing.

1:12 p.m. — I was planning to not take lunch, but I'm bored with nothing to do and just hungry enough that I guess it is worth it. I get a salad from Stop and Shop plus a Red Bull and Almond Joy ($8.50). I also call my boyfriend to check in about our dinner plans tonight. He's in a bad mood because of stressful work stuff, so I just tell him that I love him, and we can figure it out later. $8.50

2:55 p.m. — It is almost time to leave and I'm so glad because I feel a bit of a headache coming on. I slept really poorly last night (most nights lately because of our old cat that has become a nightmare) and all I want to do is get in bed with my chilled sleep mask. Then, right as I'm about to leave, I realize I should do my payroll now since I have tomorrow off. Two weeks ago, I was sick on payroll day and forgot to submit mine leading to missing a paycheck. My mom loaned me $300 for rent because I was freaking out about it so much, but it turns out I would have been fine which is wild to me! Broke, but fine. However, I cannot risk making that mistake ever again. When I do leave to go home I have to stop for gas. $7

3:30 p.m. — I get home and both M. and I are in not the best of moods. I can tell he feels bad about wanting to stay in on New Year's, but for some reason doesn't believe that I also want to stay in. We debate going out for dinner as we had originally planned. Eventually, we both decide to think about it later and just put on a movie instead. We pick Aristocats and smoke a bunch of weed snuggled on the couch.

8 p.m. — After the amazing movie (It was one of my favorites as a child), I get in bed and promptly fall asleep.

8:45 p.m. — M. wakes me up, hands me a coffee/Kahlúa cocktail with whipped cream and peppermint, and says we are going to dinner. I am so refreshed after my nap that I actually agree and even want to go to my friend's party that I had already told her I wasn't going to go to! Magical.

9:30 p.m. — After a shower and body scrub, I am totally revived. Naps truly are magical. We continue to debate where to eat as I get ready. I put on a shiny long sleeve dress from Forever 21 (I got it during their going-out-of-business sale for a Roaring 20's event that M. and I put on a few days previous but it works for tonight as well), black tights, and booties. I also throw on hoops, a chunky necklace, and my makeup. M. looks nice as well in a striped button-down with a tie. During this process, our housemate and his girlfriend get home and recommend a restaurant.

9:45 p.m. — We get to the recommended restaurant and it is perfect. M. gets one of the specials, a lobster pasta dish and a drink that I do not like. I get a Bee's Knees and a squid ink pasta dish that is amazzzzzing. We split the bill and leave very full and with high spirits. $45

10:50 p.m. — We arrive at my friend's house and I have a glass of wine from the bottle I brought. We chat and smoke some weed with my best friend, K., who is there and my dancer friend who visited me at work. Then it's back in the car and we're on our way downtown.

11:30 p.m. — We park and drink some wine and moonshine before putting the bottles in my purse and walking into the town center where the ball drop is. A group of some of our favorite people meet us there and we have a great time dancing and taking hilarious photos. Somehow in my 22 years, I had never been at a ball drop, so it is actually a nice moment.

12 a.m. — Very romantic kiss with M. He picked me up and spun me around and I don't care if that is cheesy.

12:20 a.m. — We go to a nearby bar that is really two bars connected, one is classy and the other is more of a sports/dancing bar. I'm stressing a little that they might check my bag and see the wine and moonshine, but they don't! While M. orders me a Lemon Drop, I go to the bathroom with my friend, B., even though I don't really have to pee. Turns out she didn't have to pee either and she just gives me some blow in the bathroom. Lit. It also turns out a guy at the bar bought both M. and I drinks while I was gone after originally almost yelling at him because he thought he was getting cut in line. Score! And my drink is delicious.

1:30 a.m. — M. and I leave the classy bar and go dance in the other one. I love dancing with him. For a while in the fall we were going dancing every weekend, but it's been less lately because of the cold. And we've been trying to party a little less. Right as I am paying for us to each get a drink, the lights go on. We find our friends and chug our drinks (vodka tonic for me and PBR for him) at the door. $13

2:15 a.m. — After the bars shut down, we walk as a big group to a friend's house for a party. I have a great time even though there is a girl there who I absolutely hate, and I wish I could fight her. But M., B., and I have a rule that if we get in a fight, we have to pay $20 to the group. B. gives me more blow and the girl I hate pushes me as I'm coming out of the bathroom, but I keep it cool. I finish my bottle of wine and we share the moonshine with the party. Our group of friends slowly gets smaller and eventually, we walk back to our car. B. comes with us and decides to spend the night rather than Uber home.

4:20 a.m. — We get home and stay up chatting with B. for a bit eating crackers with brie and some leftover wings I made last night. We almost watch Monsters University but decide it's better to go to bed. B. sleeps on the couch and M. and I crawl in bed. We fall asleep immediately.

9 a.m. — I wake up and actually feel fine which is a nice surprise. B. got picked up by one of our friends who was passing by so she is already gone. I get some water and go back to sleep.

12 p.m. — Wake up again feeling not quite as good but still fine. I text my best friend, K., and housemates about getting breakfast and we decide to go to a local spot.

1:30 p.m. — M., K., our housemate and his girlfriend, and I all go out to breakfast and our friend B. meets us there. I order a spicy bloody mary that is bomb and a breakfast sandwich that is less bomb. The waitress brings me an iced coffee that I didn't order but I tell her I will drink it anyway. Coffee on the house! $17

2:30 p.m. — Back at home, M. and I go on a cleaning spree because the house is trashed. We hosted Christmas Eve and Christmas for our families, plus had a friends Christmas party. I don't want to host again any time soon! I take out the trash and recycling and put miscellaneous things away while M. does the dishes and unloads the dishwasher.

3:30 p.m. — We watch Phineas and Ferb on Disney+ and I smoke a bunch of weed to relax. Then one of our housemates gets home and we start the new Star Wars tv show. It's pretty good even though I've never been a huge Star Wars girl. I prefer Harry Potter.

5:45 p.m. — M. and I pull ourselves off the couch and go to his dad's best friend's house for homemade pho and some family time. His brother is in town as well as the two friends who are hosting and it's nice to see them. We enjoy some good food and a few glasses of rosé.

8:15 p.m. — Finally back home to snuggle up on the couch to watch The Office and smoke some more weed. I love having the day off! After about an hour, K. shows up to watch TV with us for a bit because in the morning she has to fly back to Florida where she goes to school. We watch The Mandalorian. Baby Yoda is SO cute.

11:20 p.m. — Wow it is way later than I thought. I hug my friend goodbye and get in bed with M. We planned to go straight to sleep but end up getting a little carried away... ;) I fall asleep around midnight.

7:20 a.m. — I wake up before my alarm and attempt to keep sleeping but our old lady cat won't stop harassing me. We have three cats, one is 17, one is 1.5 and one is six months. The last two are mother and child, we just couldn't give her littlest baby away! The kitten hops onto the bed to cuddle and I do not have the power to resist a few more minutes under the covers.

8 a.m. — I finally fight my way out of bed and throw on some thick black tights, a leather skirt, a black wide-sleeved top, and knee-high black boots that M. got me for Christmas. Then to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face with my No. 9 cleanser, plus the rest of my morning routine which consists of The Ordinary products. I'm a big fan. My housemate is throwing up in our other bathroom, poor guy. He and his girlfriend went to a work party last night that had an open bar. It happens. I finally kiss M. goodbye and get out of the house at 8:30.

8:40 a.m. — Dunkin' stop once again. I get a Thin Mint cold brew and a bagel with cream cheese ($5). Both are exceptionally good; I don't know why. I listen to The Daily for the car ride which I have been meaning to start listening to. I'm usually more of an Up First and This American Life kinda girl. $5

9:08 a.m. — I'm a little late because I also had to stop for gas on the way ($7), but it's fine. I don't even have anything in my queue. My boss gives me a side project that is just creating a Lightbox of images for our boss to review. Busy work. $7

10:30 a.m. — I finish up the Lightbox and have a quick coffee break. Our HR lady apologizes to me for my payroll mess up which is nice, but I still know that she could have sent in my hours when I was out sick. But it's okay because now I'm going to get a big paycheck on the seventh and put a bunch of it into savings. Looking on the bright side of things! Then my boss gives me a very, very large internal project that I'm already exhausted just thinking about. But at least I'll be busy.

1:45 p.m. — I surface from my work because I suddenly realize it's past lunchtime and I am very hungry. I go to Stop and Shop and get two frozen burritos that I eat at my desk. Bad habit, I know, but I feel guilty taking extra time to eat when I've already used time going to the store. $4

4:10 p.m. — Leaving work in the best mood because I am officially going to MIAMI. We're not buying the tickets now because apparently, they might drop in a few days, but I am thrilled. It's gonna be me, B., another girl, O., and P.! I couldn't be happier. My friends and M. are all also friends because we all grew up in the same area. I just want to clarify that because otherwise, it might sound like I'm dragging him along on a girl's trip. On the way home I pick up M. from the same house we had dinner the night before with his family and have a bit more pho for good measure.

5:30 p.m. — We stop for paper towels at CVS on the way home ($7), but have to hurry because AAA has come to tow my poor dead car to my mechanic. Gosh, I hope that she turns out alright or just needs a new battery... $7

7:30 p.m. — I spend a long while in bed with two of my kitties before M. drags me out to watch The Mandalorian because he's sick of playing video games with our housemate.

9 p.m. — We have a small dinner of grilled cheese with arugula and some peppers dipped in ranch. We watch the final episode cuddled on the couch and head to bed around 10.

12 a.m. — Just kidding. We stay up hanging out in bed for a while which ends in us having sex. Ayy gettit.

9:30 a.m. — Forgot to set an alarm so I wake up a little later than usual which is actually nice. Mondays and Fridays I work either from home or sometimes from our office if I feel like some structure. And sometimes I just spend them however I like. Since we just got past the holidays, I have a lot of chores to catch up on. But first, we stay in bed cuddling for another half an hour. I had bad dreams last night that involved M. so we talk them over (you know when you wake up angry??) and then I head to the shower.

10:15 a.m. — I take a body shower and do my skincare routine of The Ordinary products followed by a moisturizer. M. jumps in the shower while I do that and then we both change into workout clothes. We putz around quite a bit and I have to locate a receipt that I thought I had lost and so we don't leave the house until a little before noon.

12:45 p.m. — We head to Target first for some granola bars (M. pays) and then do a 45-minute workout because we are both feeling the holiday slump hard. We were in a good routine for a while going to the gym a few times a week, but since Thanksgiving, we've barely been going at all. We promise each other to go tomorrow and head back to Target (it's in the same mall as the gym) for trash bags and M.'s deodorant and M. pays again.

1:20 p.m. — We shoot back to our house to change quickly. I throw on a sweater and leggings with booties and grab the shoes that M. needs to bring back to the store where I bought them. Then we head to get some lunch on the way to our shared office. M. and I work at the same small marketing start-up (my other job is at a marketing company that is not at all a start-up, but they are both part-time gigs), which is mostly remote, but we do have a small office that is pretty nice. We get lunch from a local spot before heading in. $9

2 p.m. — We both clock in and do some work together, and then sort out one of our client's social media for the upcoming month. I also hear back from my mechanic that it was just the battery of my car and it's going to be okay! And it's only going to cost me $160.

4:30 p.m. — We both clock out and head to the mall to return M.'s shoes. I got him two pairs for Christmas but the Nikes were too tight. We leave half an hour later with a pair of Adidas running shoes instead. They are a bit more expensive, but he pays the difference. Then we head to Forever 21 because it's in the mall and everything is on sale and I can't help myself. I leave with a pair of bell-bottom pants that I am absolutely wearing tonight for only $6! And M. surprises me in the car as we are leaving with a necklace. What a treasure. $6

6 p.m. — M. drops me off at my mechanic on our way home and I pick up my car good as new. Besides the fact that I still need an oil change, I have an engine light on, and my driver's side window is stuck up (it used to be stuck down), but so is the life of an older car. I'm very grateful. $160

6:30 p.m. — Quick stop at the liquor store for a bottle of Bacardi! I end up getting a handle because it's the same exact price as a 750 ml bottle ($20) and M. will pay me for half later. Back at home, M. makes me a drink and we join our housemate and his friend in shooting some fireworks in the backyard. Then they leave (we may or may not meet up with them later) and I begin the prep chicken to cook for dinner. $20

7:30 p.m. — Turns out the chicken is bad. Such a bummer. My mom drops by and M. makes me another drink while we decide what to do for dinner now. I also do my makeup and change into my new pants with a sheer turtleneck over a black tank top.

8:30 p.m. — After hanging out some more (you wouldn't believe how much time we spend just hanging out) we decide on a local Italian spot because they have a new Scampi pizza that looks amazing. I get gas on the way ($16) and also a bottle of orange juice to use for chaser ($4). $20

9 p.m. — The scampi pizza is ammmmazing. M. gets a Rolling Rock and I get a vodka tonic as well ($20 for my part including tip). After eating we head down the street to see a local band we know play at a brewery. We split a beer. M. buys the beer to pay me back for the PBR I got him on NYE. $20

10:30 p.m. — We swing by a local bowling spot to look for our housemate, but he isn't there, so we head to a party M. had originally wanted to go to.

1:30 a.m. — The party was pretty big and very fun with live music in the basement and people hanging out everywhere, but it's time to go home. We've been sharing our handle and orange juice and made quite a dent. As M. and I are leaving, our friend B. calls and says she can't find her car and thinks it was towed. We double back to pick her and our other friend up, it looks like we'll be hanging out some more after all.

2 a.m. — They convince me to also go pick up our other friend who had already left the party. He's someone I've known since I was about 13, but we've never been very close since he's a little bit bad news.

3 a.m. — Our housemate, P., who I don't think I've even mentioned yet so far asks us to be quieter via text. She hasn't been around because she's been sick. I keep checking on her, but she's mostly been with her parents. We move everyone into our bedroom and continue drinking. B. breaks out the coke and I buy a line against my better judgment ($5). M. looks half asleep tucked under our covers in bed. $5

5:30 a.m. — Our friends finally go to sleep and one of them decides to walk home, which is insane. It's a five-mile walk and it's very cold and dark out. We even have a guest room, and of course Uber exists, but he insists. M. and I put on our matching sleep masks and pass TF out.

9 a.m. — Wow, I am dying. I wake up to get some water and find that B. is also up. We found out last night (after talking with the police) that her car was just parked in a different lot than she had thought. Absolutely ridiculous. I give B. and our other friend who spent the night a ride back to B.'s car. I stop for Dunkin' on the way home and get an iced coffee and two bagels with cream cheese ($7) but can't manage to eat the bagel yet. $7

11 a.m. — I'm trying to sleep with an ice pack on my head, but everything is terrible. I throw up the iced coffee, which is very unpleasant, and then fall asleep again.

1 p.m. — M. and I get a bit frisky despite feeling like death. Afterward, I eat a few bites of my bagel which is the worst bagel I've ever had in 22 years of existence. It's burnt to shit and very cold. I eat a quarter of it and then give up.

2:30 p.m. — I'm feeling slightly better, so I venture for a shower. It goes well, albeit very slow. I don't do my full skincare routine but do moisturize. Then I put on M.'s black Adidas tracksuit bottoms and a black cropped hoodie and join M. in the living room. P. (Our housemate who has been sick) is up! I lay on the couch with my ice pack and we watch Monsters University. I eat the rest of my horrible bagel.

6 p.m. — The movie somehow made me feel much worse and I think I might throw up again. I get back in bed and M. and I debate what to do about dinner. After talking about it for waaaay too long (I'm feeling sicker by the second) he agrees to order pad thai for pick up along with a coconut soup and spring rolls. I give him $12 in cash for my half. While he is gone, I fall back asleep. $12

7 p.m. — Our other housemate comes home and wakes me up right before M. gets back with our food. I feel so much better after my nap, it's a miracle. What I have learned from this MD so far is that naps are always the key. And then the food just makes me my old self again. P. is watching One Strange Rock and so we join her while we eat. Our other housemate leaves again because he wants to party, and we definitely don't.

9:30 p.m. — P. goes to bed and I head out to the store for eggs, bread, and frozen mango ($6). When I get back, we eat the mango with some whipped cream and watch the first half of the second Star Wars movie. We head to bed around 11 and I decide I'm not drinking for a week. I wish I could say these sorts of hangovers are rare for me, but they aren't and I hate it so much. Clearly, it's time for a change. $6

9 a.m. — I wake up and M. and I listen to the past few days news on First Up and cuddle in bed. I hate the U.S. government and I can't help but feel like this assassination is the start of something really, really bad. I feel guilty for having missed the news until now and I know that when I was in school that never would have happened. I've always been very politically minded but since I graduated I've been in a bit of a slump. I was an English major with a focus on creative writing, but I haven't even written anything in six months. The news does not help me get out of bed, but we plan out our meal prep for the week and play with our kitten.

11 a.m. — I clean up the kitchen and start breakfast while M. showers. I make scrambled eggs with yellow pepper, jalapeños, cheese, and salsa on toast. They are so good — I am the queen of eggs.

1 p.m. — After some putzing around, M. and I go to the laundromat and put a load in the wash ($8). I pay and M. will cash app me later. Then we go to the gym for a good hour. I wish I enjoyed doing my arms more, but I absolutely hate it. I'm a leg girl all the way. I also notice that our trash service bill went through. Everyone will venmo me later but for now, I pay ($33). $41

2:30 p.m. — We head back to the laundromat and switch our wet clothes to the dryer ($4). Then we head to ALDI's to do our week's shopping. We get a lot of things so it's hard to keep track. We get peppers, olives, hummus, crackers, prosciutto (it's so cheap there), yellow squash, a lot of broccoli, a spinach arugula mix, corn tortillas, a family pack of chicken thighs, a huge things of steak, two boxes of pasta, red sauce, teriyaki sauce, salad dressing, half and half, shredded cheese, green beans, seeds for salad, and cucumbers. I think that is all, but I may be forgetting something ($65). I pay and M. will cash app me later combined with the cost of our laundry. $69

4 p.m. — We stop into Target to look for plastic food containers but everything is expensive, so we don't buy it. Then we pick up our dry laundry and head home.

5 p.m. — After putting away the groceries, I start to prep for lunches. We've tried to do meal prep before to varying degrees of success, but this time it actually feels manageable. M. has more errands to do so he runs back out and I get started. I get peppers, chicken, and squash in the oven and am starting a chicken stir fry with all my veggies prepped and rice and pasta cooked when M. gets back and we have to race out to dinner with his dad.

6:40 p.m. — We get there a bit late because I was not ready to go but it's fine. We eat delicious ramen with his dad, sister, her boyfriend, and the two family friends who are still visiting. The food is so good as usual and M.'s dad pays which makes it all the better. They all share some treehouse beers, but I refrain.

8 p.m. — We race back home because M. has someone coming over to pick something up from him. I finish the chicken stir fry with broccoli, mushrooms, and teriyaki sauce and then make egg muffins with leftover veggies in some and prosciutto, arugula, and spinach in the others. M. helps.

9 p.m. — M. and I get in bed and fold laundry while we watch South Park. I feel like I'm getting a cold, so we call it an early night and fall asleep around 10:30.

7:30 a.m. — I am definitely sick. I slept very badly and continue to snooze for a while. All three of our cats are in bed with us which is a nice treat.

8 a.m. — I take a Dayquil, get in the shower and then do my morning routine. I put on a pot of coffee while I get dressed and blow dry my hair. I throw on a pair of stretchy blue jeans, a gray sweater, and my usual black booties. I also put on my No. 9 primer, fill in my brows, and put on mascara. It's snowing, so I throw on a hat my grandma knitted me as well and go out to clear off my car.

9:30 a.m. — I'm off to my weekly therapy session with two little egg muffins and a mug of coffee. I listen to The Daily on my way. The roads aren't too bad, though I do have one slightly scary moment where my brakes don't work on an icy bit.

11 a.m. — Out of therapy. It's a very good, fairly light-hearted session which is a nice change from last week. I tell her about this Money Diary and how it has made me think more about how I use my time. There are things I've been meaning to do for months that I just can't seem to get around to. I guess it's time to think about where my energy is going a little more. But I do feel that I am on the right track. I finish the episode of The Daily I was on and start the most recent episode of The Receipts, which is by far my favorite podcast. Those women give me life.

12 p.m. — I get home and play with the cats until M. is showered and ready to go to the office. Mondays we usually work together either from home or from the office together. We both wear a lot of hats at the start-up. It can be a bit disorganized and frustrating sometimes mostly because of our boss, but we like to work together.

1 p.m. — We get to the office where our boss is interviewing a potential intern. I set myself up at one of the co-working shared desks and get to work. I also eat the packed lunch that I made yesterday, chicken with squash and yellow peppers over pasta. Then I switch over to a website design for one of our clients, and after that some social media ads, and after that, I begin a logo design for a new client.

6 p.m. — I'm starting to feel much sicker because the Dayquil probably wore off a while ago and I always feel sicker in the evening. I wrap up my work and see if M. is ready to go.

7 p.m. — Back at home, we start cooking steak and I have mine on a salad of arugula and spinach with red pepper, jalapeño, and avocado with a homemade lime and cilantro vinaigrette. It's absolutely amazing. M. has his in tacos and we share bites. While we are eating, I catch up with our housemate, P., and then our really good friend and her boyfriend, Y., shows up. He's been on a long road trip and we haven't seen him in months so it's nice to catch up.

8 p.m. — Our other housemate comes home with his girlfriend and her coworker and proceeds to slap a wine bag and set off fireworks. I turn down the wine bag and sip my sleepytime tea. After they leave to go bowling, M., P., her boyfriend, and I settle down on the couch to watch the movie 21. After knowing what a total creep Kevin Spacey is though, everything he says seems incredibly nasty and suggestive.

11:40 p.m. — The movie is finally over (there were many pauses because we were talking, etc.) and I am up way too late. I had sort of expected to fall asleep during the movie because I took a Nyquil and smoked a lot of weed, but I guess I was having too good of a time. M. and I head to bed and snuggle up with our kitties.