A Week In Fayetteville, AR, On A $58,614 Salary

Occupation: GIS Analyst & Quality Control Coordinator
Industry: Utilities
Age: 25
Location: Fayetteville, AR
Salary: $58,614.40 plus overtime
Paycheck (Biweekly): $1,331.75

Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $350 for rent (after split with my fiancé)
Car Payment: $228.07

All Other Monthly Expenses
Fiancé's Student Loans: $250 — totally voluntary. My college education was paid for with a mix of in-state tuition, scholarships, grants, and my parents, who helped more than one kid. They're badass and I hope to do the same for my children.
Electric: $37.25 (after split with my fiancé)
Water: $27.28 (after split with my fiancé)
Internet: $37.50 (after split with my fiancé)
Cell Phone: $53.79 (after split with my fiancé)
Car Insurance: $80
Vision Insurance: $10.38
401(k): $615.46. My employer matches 200% up to 5% of my salary contributions
Roth IRA: $157.80
Savings Account: $500
Company Charity Campaign: $10
NPR: $20
Southern Poverty Law Center: $20
Oxfam: $20
Planned Parenthood: $20
Netflix: $9.99
Hulu: $0 (fiancé pays)
HBOGo: $0 (parents' account)
Amazon Prime: $99/year
Birchbox: $10
Fitness: $13 per exercise class. (I buy in bulk to lower the cost.)
Credit Card Debt: $0. I use my credit cards for every purchase to earn points and cash back, and pay my bill in full every month.

6:15 a.m. — Wake up to my alarm, which is about five minutes fast. My friends make fun of the fact that every clock in my house is wrong, but it doesn't bother me. I enjoy the extra morning time and prefer believing I've slept longer. Before getting up, I take my temperature for my birth control app. About to finish my period so temperature is lower than usual; bring on the red days! Get up and feed my precious pup, let her outside, and start the coffee. Proceed with my morning routine of putting in my contacts, charcoal and normal brushing my teeth, mouthwash, and applying a homemade oil cleanser, apple cider vinegar and lemon toner, and moisturizer. I'm still on my period, so I take out and clean my menstrual cup. Let the pup back inside where she proceeds to gulp down the rest of her water. Fill it back up and give her some pets, she's a good pup. Get changed, reset the alarm for my fiancé, and kiss him goodbye.

6:45 a.m. — A kitty recently showed up on our porch and we've decided to keep her. She's meowing at me while I'm pouring my coffee into my to-go cup, filling my water bottle, and putting lunch (dinner from last night) in my bag. I figure she's hungry because her bowl's empty, but poor thing got diagnosed with worms and my fiancé has been feeding her a mixture of wet and dry food. Give her some pets and let her know he'll be up soon. Leave my house and start my commute. NPR and coffee coast me through my drive.

7:15 a.m. — About to arrive at work when my gas light comes on. I get off at my office exit and fill up. I only need to fill up once a week and my gas is super cheap because I drive a hybrid. $18.36

7:25 a.m. — Arrive at work, put my lunch in the fridge, and head to my office where I've got blueberry bars for breakfast. A few months ago, I started breaking out around my mouth. When the breakouts lasted for months and throughout my cycle, I looked up various reasons and discovered dairy. When I cut dairy from my breakfast (overnight oats with coconut milk, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, and fruit), my breakouts stopped. I've been meaning to sort out something else to eat besides these individually packaged bars, but life has been crazy! Mentally add that to my to-do list for this weekend. Plug in my headphones and turn on my almost finished audiobook Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo (so good). Tackle a design update our plant manager requested this morning.

9 a.m. — It's Halloween (muahaha) and I get a text from my sister-in-law in our family group chat with a picture of my niece in her costume. Am quickly reminded she's the cutest little being in the whole world and officially cannot wait to see her and the rest of my family for Christmas!

11 a.m. — Finish the update, email the new map and documents to the essential parties, and begin a second design update requested by the plant manager this morning. Get an email with the finalized quote from our wedding caterer. Some of the quantities and selections are incorrect, so I quickly edit the quote and send it back signed, requesting confirmation that we're all set on the changes. Finish my audiobook and start one of my favorite podcasts, How I Built This. I pretty much love everything Guy Raz! TED Radio Hour is another favorite.

12:30 p.m. — Heat up my lunch, which is homemade mac and cheese with spinach and steamed cauliflower dyed green for holiday spirit! Eat and continue working at my desk.

1 p.m. — Finish the podcast feeling incredibly inspired. This episode was about Whitney Wolfe, the founder of Bumble, who left Tinder due to sexual harassment. She went on to create Bumble as a haven for women in the dating world and workplace. If I weren't happily engaged, I'd totally download the app. Girl power, man! Oh shit, realize I have a meeting, quickly fill up my water bottle and head over.

2:30 p.m. — Leave meeting, print some maps, and run into a few coworkers I haven't seen in a while. We spend time catching up, which is always nice.

3:30 p.m. — Finish second design update and leave work! My hours are really flexible. I choose to work from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm without a lunch break because I would rather miss traffic and be home with my love and pets!

4 p.m. — Get home, feed the animals and let them outside. Change, fill up my water bottle, and put on my favorite YouTube yogi, Lesley Fightmaster! She's very sweet and makes you set intentions before practices, and always gives a quote at the end.

4:40 p.m. — Feeling good! Let the animals back inside and hop in the shower. After, I fill up the sink with hot water for dishes and proceed to chop garlic and onion for tonight's dinner, Greek lemon and chicken soup! It's incredibly tasty and easy, and definitely a go-to comfort meal on chilly days like today. Toss the garlic and onion in the heated pot with olive oil to sauté, saving the onion ends and skin for veggie broth. Begin to wash the dishes from last night (unfortunately, we do not have a dishwasher), then add chicken breasts, chicken stock, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and one zested lemon to the pot to boil. Finish the dishes and set up the coffee for tomorrow.

5:45 p.m. — With my fella home, I finish the soup adding couscous, the juice of the zested lemon, and feta cheese. We settle in on the couch and watch the third episode of Stranger Things.

6:45 p.m. — Oh my gosh, that was so good and stressful! Currently sitting here feeling so sorry for Will and a little peeved at Bob's advice. I remind myself that he doesn't know the whole story. Our friends are playing a show tonight at a local bar. Sadly, part of my costume got lost this weekend at the Halloween party, so we dress as Deadheads instead because that's such a stretch for us ;) Fiancé puts the leftovers in containers for lunch and washes the pot.

7:20 p.m. — After an incredible parallel parking job by yours truly, we arrive at the show and see a bunch of people we know. We grab drinks (a beer for him, gin and tonic for me, fiancé pays) and catch up with all our lovely friends.

8:30 p.m. — Decide to head home after another round of drinks, dancing, and merriment! Fiancé pays!

10 p.m. — Home in bed, contacts out, big ole glass of water on my nightstand. Start cuddling with my fur babies and fiancé before falling asleep. What a lovely day!

6:20 a.m. — Routine same as usual, except the kitty attempted to snag food from our dog's bowl while she was chowing down. Not the best idea, but fortunately nobody was hurt. I weirdly feel hungover. Fill up my coffee but decide to stick to the water on the way to work.

7:15 a.m. — Arrive at work and realize I'm out of breakfast bars. I walk over to the grocery store and on my way, hit my head on the same branch I literally ALWAYS hit my head on. You win branch, you win. Pick up my bars, avoid the gloating branch, and get back to work! $3.12

8 a.m. — Caught up with coworkers on their Halloween festivities while returning to the office. Everybody is working hard and constantly in and out of the office for fieldwork, so it's nice to say hi and reconnect. Sit down, eat my breakfast, and get to work on our weekly construction updates.

9:45 a.m. — Get approached about an issue with our digital maps so I work quickly to resolve it. I don't want to slow crews down! Finish weekly updates and summarize and share our progress with the essential parties. Since no one is editing our design geodatabase, I decide to do some maintenance, which is always better with a podcast: How I Built This again it is! I honestly feel like my fiancé and I will own our own business one day. Both my parents are entrepreneurs, and my fiancé and I are hardworking and diligent. It's gonna happen!

10:30 a.m. — Finish maintenance and return to my current design project. I get an email from our manager with an amazing opportunity, but I wait like a minute to respond because I don't want to seem too crazy or desperate. Happy dance in my chair after saying yes!

11:15 a.m. — Fill up my water bottle and catch my reflection in the mirror. The flare-up I've been feeling from my cheesy weekend is making an appearance. CHEESE IS ALWAYS WORTH IT, I tell myself. I grab almonds from my desk and snack.

12 p.m. — I'm starving so I warm up my leftover soup. After much back and forth, I get the official finalized quote from our caterer. Yay! Something checked off our wedding list.

1:30 p.m. — Fill up my water bottle and am so proud of myself for consuming so much water today! I'm still battling this headache though, and wishing I had some lavender to ease the pain. Realize I have Excedrin in my draw and take one before I finish catching up on How I Built This episodes. After, I decide to stream old episodes of "The Big Fat Quiz" on YouTube. I love British television and comedians: Richard Ayoade, Noel Fielding, Jimmy Carr, Russell Brand. I think it's that beautiful mixture of self-loathing, intelligence, and complete lack of censorship that does it for me.

3:30 p.m. — Leave work, woot woot!

4 p.m. — Get home, feed the animals, change, and start a load of laundry with some homemade detergent. It's a beautiful day outside, so I take my doggo for a walko! Dog is officially acting ridiculous: so many smells, so much joy! I let her walk part of the way without a leash, and she's everywhere and anywhere all at once.

4:40 p.m. — Home. I open all the windows and doors because the weather is glorious. Move my laundry into the dryer and put a new load in the washer, then I turn on some yoga. During this entire flow, the kitty is bouncing off furniture and wrestling inanimate objects. She then runs full sprint into the guest bedroom door. My spastic animals are cracking me up today!

5:20 p.m. — Finish my yoga practice just when my love comes home. We kiss and catch up while I fill the sink for dishes. Proceed to wash dishes, set up coffee, and cook a dinner of roasted tomatoes stuffed with quinoa, spinach, and garlic. My fella puts on Widespread Panic from their Halloween run in Vegas. Nothing I love more than jamming out in my house on a beautiful day with the breeze coming through! My fiancé empties our scraps bin into the compost outside and continues working on a giant play-scratch house for the cat. (I find it incredibly sexy when he builds things! Especially sweet things for our cat who he loves and talks to so much.) Call my buddy who reached out yesterday but haven't spoken to in a while. We make plans to see each other Saturday.

6 p.m. — Load of laundry done, fold and put away the clothes. Transfer the second load to the dryer and water all the houseplants. My fiancé picks the last remains of our garden: jalapeños, tomatoes, and tiny bell peppers. Dinner is ready! We load up our bowls, grab a beer for him, red wine for me, and settle into the couch for Stranger Things.

6:30 p.m. — Dinner was delicious but I'm still starving. I peruse our food cabinet for snacks even though we don't keep much beyond my giant stash of dark chocolate. Grab some chocolate and the last pack of peanut butter crackers (sorry babe) and inhale everything.

7:10 p.m. — Finish the episode (so intense) and fiancé gets up to shower. Typically, we shower together but we're off each other's schedules this week. I get a text from my good friend that she and her fella are coming to town this weekend. Exciting! I haven't seen them in forever. Turns out Saturday is the best day to visit so we agree on then. Damn, our Saturday is jam-packed with activities now. Instead of canceling on anything or anyone, I just plan on overextending myself. I want to see all the friends and do all the things!

7:30 p.m. — Fine ass fella gets out of the shower and is all dried off… Sexy, sexy time!

8:15 p.m. — Fella decides to play video games while I stay in bed, finish my wine, and begin reading The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

9:30 p.m. — Not ashamed of the fact that I pass out so early. I'm a grandma and enjoy my sleep! Also, I used to have sleeping problems as a kid and accidentally Pavlovian-conditioned myself to sleep with books and newspapers.

6:20 a.m. — Wake up but since we left the windows open all night, I'm a little chilly. I get changed in the bathroom instead and check the weather, which is supposed to be great again. Also have a cycling class today so I pack a bag for after work.

6:40 a.m. — Hit the road and hear on NPR that the Houston Astros won the World Series! I'm not a big sports fan, but after Hurricane Harvey, I'm so glad that Houston has something to celebrate. Just yesterday, a dude on NPR was discussing what a relief the Yankees were in the World Series after 911. I hope the Astros brought Houstonians some joy and relief after everything they've been through.

7 a.m. — Oh man: Now NPR is talking about Trump and the poor victims of the New York City attacks. This morning's news has been an emotional rollercoaster; those poor families.

7:15 a.m. — Get into the office feeling upset. I'm not religious, but was raised so. Send out a “prayer” and meditation to the victims and their families. Get another design update and search the internet to lighten my mood. Obama promoting the ACA enrollment worked!

8:30 a.m. — Listen to an interview with Full Frontal correspondent Ashley Nicole Black. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is a such great show, and it has a refreshingly feminist take on political satire. Finish design update, send out the necessary maps and documents, and return to my current design project.

9 a.m. — LOLOL but SAME to the internet's reaction to Beyoncé playing Nala in The Lion King! That whole cast is excellent!

12 p.m. — Fill up my water bottle, warm up my stuffed tomatoes, and send my fiancé a recipe for tonight's dinner: roasted eggplant, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts over cauliflower rice. I was a vegetarian for five years, so I prefer allotting meat to one meal a day. This means rotating between meat and meatless dinners. Some weeks, we have more meatless meals because veggies are awesome and don't fart out methane! Turn on Derek Trucks Band to sooth my soul.

1:45 p.m. — Get into my almond stash; guess those tomatoes aren't too filling… Head to a mapping meeting after, then continue designing my current project.

3:45 p.m. — Sign off my computer and change into my exercise clothes. Head to the studio, fill up my water bottle, and start pedaling!

6:30 p.m. — DOG ATTACK! I pull into my driveway to my happy pupper! Say hello to my honey, who's washing dishes, and pour myself a shower wine. All dried off and slathered with coconut oil, I decide to do my morning face routine. I should regularly do this at night but I'm useless once I sit my bum on the couch. Throw the sleeping bags from when backpacked two weekends ago in the wash and fold and put away the towels from last night!

7:15 p.m. — Grab my wine and the giant blanket I've been crocheting and settle on the couch. Turn on The IT Crowd and relax for the evening. My favorite episode, "The Work Outing," comes on. I have seen this show so many times and still can't help laughing uncontrollably.

8 p.m. — My love is finished with dinner so he joins me on the couch, where we turn on Stranger Things.

9 p.m. — Show over, so much stress released! Love finishes washing dishes and I put the food in containers for tomorrow and set up the coffee pot. More sexy, sexy time because damn. Afterwards, he heads to the living room to play video games and I cozy up in bed before falling asleep.

6:20 a.m. — Get up as usual but today's Friday! Best day of the week besides Saturday and Sunday. Before leaving the house, grab my reusable grocery bags. I need to grab fixings for tonight's “Our Parents Are Finally Meeting” dinner.

7:15 a.m. — Get comfortable at my desk hoping to finish my current design project. Coworker calls with a location issue and work with him to resolve it. Another coworker comes in with a mistake of theirs that needs immediate handling.

11 a.m. — Finally back to designing! Around noon, I heat up my leftovers and get back to work before another meeting at one. I'm back in my office by 2. and ready to buckle down before it's officially the weekend!

3:30 p.m. — Head to the grocery store and pick up a pork tenderloin, asparagus, a yellow onion, a lemon, bananas, and Monistat One because I'm pretty sure I have a yeast infection. $34.37

4:45 p.m. — Get home, feed the animals, and let them outside. Insert the medication, wash my hands, and quickly prepare dinner. I chose this meal because we had potatoes in the fridge that need to be used. Turn on the oven, dice the potatoes and onion and place them around the seasoned tenderloin. Toss the tenderloin in the heated oven and begin cleaning the kitchen.

5:30 p.m. — My fiancé gets home and decides to clean the guest bedroom carpet and sheets for a buddy who is staying with us this weekend. We were trying to leave for the dinner once my fiancé got home, but we found out today that our friend needed a place to stay. I turn off the oven and have a minor freak-out: I totally misread the diagram for cooking pork tenderloin and thought it was 20-35 minutes per pound — not the entire tenderloin. Bah, I thought I would finish cooking it at my parent's house. Fiancé grabs some craft beer and we hit the road!

6:20 p.m. — Arrive at my parents' house to a counter of booze. They're the best. We tell them my fiancé's parents don't really drink but they keep everything out anyways. My dad pours me wine as I turn on the oven and prepare the asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Future in-laws arrive with pie — and surprisingly accept wine. This should be a fun night! I lower the oven temperature and place the tenderloin and potatoes in with the asparagus.

7 p.m. — Take everything out of the oven and squeeze lemon over the asparagus. Dinner ready, us ladies and my fiancé head to the table. My father and future father-in-law are so immersed in conversation that they delay joining us. Good sign!

7:45 p.m. — Dinner ended up great with the pork not overcooked or dry. Hooray! My father teased me about potentially overcooking the meat and not preparing gravy. Who knew pork tenderloin needed gravy?! My father and I are the cooks in the family, but everyone loves the banter. I clean off the table and lovingly tell him he's a giant turd. Place the dishes in the glorious dishwasher, and grab the pie and spice bread from my parents. My mother brings out a bottle of champagne and very sweetly toasts us.

9:30 p.m. — After a truly wonderful night of introductions and conversations, we all leave my parents' house. There was even a number exchange for future walks and hangouts, which made me smile.

10 p.m. — Get home to our good friend kicking it on the couch. We all grab beers and end up in a deep spiral of comedic YouTube videos 'cause we're 12.

12 p.m. — Stumble to bed a little more intoxicated than intended!

8 a.m. — The amazing opportunity with my manager is today and I'm hungover. Go me. Feed the pets and let the pup outside. Hop in the shower and chug glasses and glasses of water. My love is snuggled up in bed, but I wake him because we have a tight schedule today and I need him packed and ready! Proceed to make greasy breakfast burritos to cure us all: bacon, scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt, sliced tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, and ALL the Cholula.

9:30 a.m. — Pack my bag for tonight because we're staying with friends, and I request the boys' opinions for my professional meeting attire. The decision is unanimous. I put makeup on to look even more professional. Usually, I don't wear makeup but since my sister taught me how to do it without looking like an alien, I've actually been enjoying it. I'm even experimenting (via Birchbox) for my upcoming nuptials. I invite our friend, but he's broke and just wants to hang at the house. We ask him to water the plants and take care of the kitty while we're gone. Hit the road with my fiancé and doggo!

10:50 a.m. — Fiancé drops me off at the meeting and heads to our friend's house to relax and let the dogs play. Fortunately, I'm feeling much better and am able to drink the coffee provided.

12 p.m. — Head to lunch with those in attendance. I'm not really hungry since I stuffed my face with breakfast burritos, but I order a small Italian dumpling soup and a small salad. My manager pays for everyone.

1:30 p.m. — A good friend (whom we happen to be staying with) picks me up on her way back from the gym and we cheerfully discuss the meeting. I'm so happy to have been invited and am enthusiastic about my future with this company. We park her car a few blocks away and walk to the theater. (Literally can only say that in an English accent.) We're a little late and my friend still needs to buy her ticket, but I bought mine and my fiancé's a couple of weeks ago.

3:30 p.m. — Play finished, we hang outside to discuss our thoughts. Personally, I loved it and felt very emotional since the message was so strong but the others weren't so enthusiastic. I'm stifling tears here, people!

4 p.m. — Razorback house tailgate in full swing! My friend and I aren't big sports people so we chat and drink kombucha on her porch while our fellas and friends watch the game. All the dogs run and play in the sun. Kombucha quickly turns to beer and more people show up to the house, rotating between watching the game and hanging on the porch on this beautiful fall day!

5 p.m. — The friend who I made plans with earlier in the week shows up and joins us in the beer drinking shenanigans. Go ahead and feed my pup so she can continue playing with her friends!

7 p.m. — Starving and buzzed, my fiancé, buddy, good friend, and I leave for dinner. My friend only had a couple of beers and is playing a show tonight, so he drives us to the restaurant. Everyone orders beers and we decide upon a caprese salad, garlic bread, and a large supreme pizza for the table.

8:30 p.m. — After an incredible meal with fine folks, we order two cannolis and ask for the check. I pay $37.63 for our half of the meal, plus a $7.37 tip. My fiancé calculated the tip and I'm frankly surprised it's so low. We both worked in the service industry and typically tip over 20%. Had I realized this earlier, I would have changed it! My buddy has to leave to get ready for his show, but we plan on swinging by to catch his set! $45

9 p.m. — Walk over to our favorite bar for beers and pool. Some of the old gang is there and it's so nice seeing them again! Another friend joins us for a couple rounds of pool before we end up chilling on the patio. My friend's boyfriend and buddy meet up and my fiancé pays for his beers and mine.

10:30 p.m. — About to head to my friend's show when our out-of-town friends reach out, wanting to meet at another bar. I feel bad about missing my friend's show but am still glad I got to see him! We walk over to the other bar where a crew of people are hanging out!

1:30 a.m. — Drunk, happy, drunk. My fiancé foots our tap all night and I have a feeling the price is brutal. (He thinks about 50 bucks.) We sloppily say goodbye to all the beautiful people and hop in an Uber XL. (So wish we had Lyft!) I ordered a car large enough to take everyone back to the house ($13.14 fare with a $4 tip). Pass out after chugging water, knowing full well my desperate attempt to avoid a hangover is futile. $17.14

9 a.m. — Oh my fucking god what have I done to myself?!?! I wake up to hear my babe puking in the bathroom, and stumble out of the guest bedroom for more water — only to find my friend chipper and cleaning her house HOW?! I sit at her counter and discuss the incidents of last night as well as her miracle condition. Apparently, she didn't drink as much as we did, or drank more water? Anyways, I'm super jealous right now and shocked because I thought we all threw down hard last night. Her boyfriend is hungover, so we're not the only ones! Fiancé stumbles out of the bathroom and back to bed. Doesn't want anything but more sleep.

10 a.m. — After lying useless on my friend's couch chatting, my friend suggests running to the gas station for hangover supplies. I try to give my friend money for yellow Gatorade for my boo and something carbonated for me, but she refuses. She's so sweet.

10:30 a.m. — Get back to her house with Gatorade, a Perrier Sparkling water, and a coconut water-fruit punch concoction. Apparently, my sister called my friend trying to arrange brunch. Since my fella and I aren't feeling well I call my sister and let her know we're a no-go. We pack our things and take off so our friends can get ready for brunch.

11:30 a.m. — Home and our buddy is just as hungover as we are! We're the most responsible group of people. I grab one of the bananas and suggest the fellas eat one too, and go lay down with the curtains drawn, making a grocery list for later today. Debate tackling my work breakfast issue but since I had to buy extra bars this week, decide to finish my stash and come up with something next weekend.

12:30 p.m. — Hop in the shower to wash this filthy hangover off me. Reheat the pork tenderloin, asparagus, and potatoes from the family dinner. Sit on the couch with the boys and explore new music. Julie Byrne, anyone?

1:15 p.m. — Clean the kitchen, fold and put away those washed sleeping bags, and start a load of laundry. A few friends stop by and drop off our chainsaw. We stand on the porch chatting, “ignoring” the limb of the Bradford Pear screeching against the roof. (It will be sawed off very soon...) Once they leave, we return to our pitiful existence and stream more Stranger Things!

3:30 p.m. — Head to the grocery store for this week's groceries: coffee, yellow onions, cauliflower, zucchini, lettuce, polenta, ground turkey, blueberries, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, avocado, garlic, lime, butternut squash, coconut milk, garbanzo beans and cannellini beans, fettuccine noodles, garlic bread, soy sauce, fish sauce, and two tubes of ice cream upon the fella's request. (We love the Talenti Sicilian Pistachio.) $91.11

4:20 p.m. — Get home and put away groceries. Sit around and listen to the fellas jam.

5:15 p.m. — Start cooking fettuccine with zucchini, garlic, and mushrooms in a red sauce for dinner. Add a salad topped with tomatoes, bell peppers, and sliced almonds as well as garlic bread. Plates full, we settle in for more Stranger Things! We've officially decided to binge watch the whole season because we're hungover and it's incredible!

8:45 p.m. — What a season! Everyone's impressed. I put away dinner for lunch but leave the dishes in the sink and set up the coffee. It's daylight saving time so we adjust the hour on the alarm clock. The extra hour of sleep after this hangover sounds so nice, but going to bed knowing we're about to miss so much daylight in the afternoons is rough.

9 p.m. — Cuddling with my dog, I notice a knotted circle on her head. When we went backpacking we noticed a circle in her ear but assumed it was from an ember because the hair around was fringed. Show my fiancé and buddy and proceed to google ringworm on dogs. (I had ringworm as a child so any circular rash is an immediate trigger.) We decide to make a vet appointment for her tomorrow. Fall asleep having to keep my beautiful baby girl off the bed.

6:20 a.m. — Wake up with the usual routine, but pack a bag for my cycling and barre classes today.

7:15 a.m. — Arrive at work and pull up my gynecologist and vet's websites. Plan on calling to make appointments as soon as each place opens. Unfortunately, the Monistat One, One Day Extra Strength didn't work well enough for me. I am due for my yearly checkup, though so the timing works out. Get busy on my current design project.

8 a.m. — Call my gynecologist and get an appointment for tomorrow morning as well as my vet and get an appointment for tomorrow evening. Good news!

9:30 a.m. — Finish my current design project. Now, I just need to create a set of map books and calculate the bill of materials. Coworker arrives with notes for a preliminary design. Apparently, we really need to finalize this design. This isn't really my fault, but I tell him I'll tackle the finalization as soon as possible.

11 a.m. — Finish the bill of materials and map books and send the information to the necessary parties. Proceed to calculate our leasing mileage and consumer data for this past month. Get an email from my manager requesting a similar data analysis.

12:30 p.m. — Realize it's lunchtime, and I heat up my leftovers from last week (veggie medley with cauliflower rice).

1:30 p.m. — Complete the data analysis for the leasing agreements and my manager. Begin the design finalization process.

3:45 p.m. — Sign off my computer and get changed into my exercise clothes. Fill up my water bottle and head to the studio!

5:30 p.m. — Wow that was a tough class! Feeling physically exhausted. Fill up my water bottle again and drive home, having to stop for gas. $19.03

6:30 p.m. — Arrive to my love washing dishes and defrosting the shrimp. Feeling really sweaty so I hop in the shower. Once finished, I toss our sheets and blanket in the washer to try and avoid contamination from the doggo and start cooking dinner. We're having creole shrimp with mashed cauliflower and roasted zucchini. Very yummy and comforting for the cold evening. Pour myself red wine to aid in the cooking process.

7:45 p.m. — Move the sheets and blankets to the dryer, finish dinner, and cuddle up on the couch to eat. Turn on the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

8:45 p.m. — Such a long day. I make the bed and decide to stay up and read The Lord of the Rings.

9:30 p.m. — My fiancé comes to the bedroom worried about a couple of spots on his belly — little red patches. We decide to have him swing by the doctor tomorrow and sleep with his shirt on. Fall asleep, a little more nervous about these skin issues!

1. Your Spending In Your State: We want to run one Money Diary from a different state each week. Want to rep your state? Submit here!

2. New Year, New Job: Many people start reassessing their professional goals in January — and that can include looking for a new profession. Submit your job search Money Diary here.

We love our friends, but sometimes things can get weird when money is involved. We want to know: Do you ever regret spending too much to keep up with your friends? Does money ever make things awkward? Let us know here, and your answer might be featured on Refinery29!