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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Today: A full-time front-end web developer who also works as a part-time restaurant hostess; she makes $55,000 per year and spends some of it on tickets to a Lolla aftershow.
Occupation — Full-Time: Front-End Web Developer | Part-Time: Restaurant Hostess
Industry — Full-Time: Web Development | Part-Time: Food & Hospitality
Age: 26
Location: Chicago, IL
Salary
Full-Time: $55,000 (before taxes) | Part-Time: Hourly minimum wage for Chicago
Full-Time Paycheck (2x/month): $1,746.78 after taxes
Part-Time Paycheck (2x/month): ~$259.86 after taxes
Industry — Full-Time: Web Development | Part-Time: Food & Hospitality
Age: 26
Location: Chicago, IL
Salary
Full-Time: $55,000 (before taxes) | Part-Time: Hourly minimum wage for Chicago
Full-Time Paycheck (2x/month): $1,746.78 after taxes
Part-Time Paycheck (2x/month): ~$259.86 after taxes
Monthly Expenses
Housing: $1,280 a month to rent a one bedroom in Logan Square by myself. The only utility that is included is water.
Federal Student Loan: $192
Personal Student Loan: $460
Medical Bill Payment Plan: $40 for the next five months
Housing: $1,280 a month to rent a one bedroom in Logan Square by myself. The only utility that is included is water.
Federal Student Loan: $192
Personal Student Loan: $460
Medical Bill Payment Plan: $40 for the next five months
All Other Monthly Expenses
Ventra Unlimited CTA Pass: $100
ComEd Electric Bill: ~$75 - $117
Comcast Internet & Cable Bundle: $82
Peoples Gas Bill: ~$50 - $75
Renters Insurance: $15
Vision Insurance: $30 — not covered by FT employer
Health Insurance: $0 — covered by FT employer
Medical Prescriptions: $0 — covered by FT employer
Dental Insurance: $0 — covered by FT employer
Savings: ~$60
Roth IRA: $330
Netflix: $15
Spotify: $10
Cell Phone: $0 — thankfully on my parents' plan
Sierra Club Donation: $15
Chase Freedom: $65 minimum
Amazon: $120 minimum
Capital One: $252 minimum, but I pay an extra $127 on top of that. The extra money comes from a lawsuit for damages that I received when I was a child. There is a maximum amount of money that I can withdraw each month. Although I really dislike using the award toward my credit card payments, the fact is that I'm in debt and do not really have a choice right now.
Ventra Unlimited CTA Pass: $100
ComEd Electric Bill: ~$75 - $117
Comcast Internet & Cable Bundle: $82
Peoples Gas Bill: ~$50 - $75
Renters Insurance: $15
Vision Insurance: $30 — not covered by FT employer
Health Insurance: $0 — covered by FT employer
Medical Prescriptions: $0 — covered by FT employer
Dental Insurance: $0 — covered by FT employer
Savings: ~$60
Roth IRA: $330
Netflix: $15
Spotify: $10
Cell Phone: $0 — thankfully on my parents' plan
Sierra Club Donation: $15
Chase Freedom: $65 minimum
Amazon: $120 minimum
Capital One: $252 minimum, but I pay an extra $127 on top of that. The extra money comes from a lawsuit for damages that I received when I was a child. There is a maximum amount of money that I can withdraw each month. Although I really dislike using the award toward my credit card payments, the fact is that I'm in debt and do not really have a choice right now.
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