A Week In Los Angeles, CA, On A Joint $131,000 Salary

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Occupation: Executive Assistant
Industry: Higher Education
Age: 33
Location: Los Angeles, CA
My Income: $27.29/hour (~$56,000 annually)
My Fiancé's Salary: $75,000
My Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $1,336.69
My Fiancé's Paycheck Amount (Biweekly): $1,648

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $400 (I manage the property that we live in and my compensation is reduced rent. In L.A., this has meant the ability to pay down a lot of debt, afford an adult vacation that doesn't include traveling to see family, and build a three-month emergency fund.)
Student Loan Payment: $105 for one private student loan and $236 for a public student loan
FSA: $8.34
Health Insurance: $35
Work Parking: $41.50 (I try not to think about the fact that I have to pay to park at work.)
Car Insurance: $160
Home Insurance: $17
Internet: $50
Electricity: Ranges between $110 in winter and $280 in the summer. (Damn you, global warming.)
Gas: $25
Dental Insurance: $0 (This is paid for by my employer.)
Cell Phone: $80 for both my fiancé and me. We use Cricket and are committed to buying our phones and not upgrading until they die.
HBO & Hulu: $27 (We share with our family and mooch off my mom's Netflix.)
Transportation: $70 for my fiancé's TAP card. (We paid off our car this year.)
Therapy: $250 ($125 per visit for two visits a month)
Retirement: $367.37 (My fiancé, N., also contributes 11% of his paycheck to his 401(k).)
Gym Membership: $32
Fitness Classes: $100
Fun Money: I budget out $200 from each paycheck to spend on everything from clothes to coffee to makeup, and transfer the rest to our joint checking account so that I'm accountable to someone else (and don’t spend it).
Savings: I typically commit $750 to savings and N. commits about $1,600, which we are using for an emergency fund that eventually will go toward saving up to have a baby.

5:20 a.m — My alarm goes off at 5:20. I'm working out with my personal trainer this morning. I snooze and will my eyes to open. My backup alarm goes off 10 minutes later. I'm surprised to see my fiancé, N., is already up and playing video games in the living room. (He says he couldn't sleep.) I make myself a cup of chai tea and complain for the next 45 minutes about not wanting to work out before I leave. I eat two light string cheese sticks in the car.

7:30 a.m. — I finish my workout and get ready in the locker room at the gym. I work out at the gym on campus, so the rest of my commute is a 10-minute walk to my office. I make myself a pita sandwich from leftovers from a catered training yesterday. It's super yummy, and best of all, free.

10 a.m. — I take a break and place an order on Amazon for a few things on my to-buy list: a manual can opener (our electric one broke), measuring spoons, and Olaplex. I am hoping the Olaplex helps. About a year and a half ago I had a bleach catastrophe at a learning salon and my hair basically turned into bubble gum and broke off. I have been trying to grow it out from a pixie cut for the last year and have taken a break from bleach, but I really miss being blonde! $57.06

11:30 a.m. — I order subs for my boss and pay ($20). She pays me back immediately. I get irritated because the delivery person can't find me for 15 minutes. I eat a boring late lunch of office leftovers including chicken, hummus, and pita bread. What can I say? It's free. ($20 expensed)

2 p.m. — I answer emails and work on reimbursements. I'm bored but I know I need to crank out at least another hour of work. I have a piece of chocolate cake stored away for later and tell myself that I am just bored and not hungry, so I don't eat it…yet.

3:30 p.m. — I request my medical records from a hospital that I had surgery at a couple years ago. I am feeling constantly tired and want to check to make sure my health history isn't causing my fatigue. I snack on way too many coconut curry chips

4:30 p.m. — I leave for the day and mostly avoid traffic on the way home. I am paid hourly and my boss doesn't like to pay me overtime, so I don't feel guilty when I leave early. When I get home, I take a power nap for 45 minutes and start a load of laundry. I text N. to switch the clothes over to the dryer when he comes home.

6:30 p.m. — I leave to walk to my Junior League meeting, since it's a mile away. The meeting is mostly just a get-to-know-you hangout in our neighborhood, and heavy snacks are provided. I eat two slices of Domino's pizza and delicious buffalo dip.

9 p.m. — I get a ride home from another member who lives down the street and since I am tired, decide to get ready for bed. My nighttime routine basically consists of me washing my face, brushing my teeth, and putting lotion and socks on my feet. And trying to remember to take my meds and putting my Invisalign in before I get into bed. I need to buy a new nighttime face cream but have been too cheap to do so yet.

6 a.m. — Ahhh why? My alarm goes off and I snooze it. I end up laying in bed for almost another hour. I make a cup of chai tea and look for something to eat for breakfast, but come up short so I head out the door. On the way out the door, I kiss N. goodbye and wish him a good trip. He has a short work trip and will be back on Friday, so I am flying solo for the next few days.

8 a.m. — I make it to work on time and finish up my leftovers from Monday. A nontraditional breakfast of pita, shawarma, and garlic sauce. I plug away on a few reimbursement requests, which makes the morning fly by.

10:30 a.m. — I check in with my friend to confirm movie plans for later on this week. We are both still free, and both sans partners for part of the week, so I purchase two tickets for Thursday to Crazy Rich Asians at iPic for my friend and me. $64

12:30 p.m. — I make lunch out of snacks and eat a sad lunch at my desk. Today it's a vanilla Pure Protein shake, and a maple donut One bar. I remind myself that I should eat more vegetables and that I need to go grocery shopping at some point. I have set up an appointment to program our call box and the time frame they quoted is between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. I cross my fingers that it's toward the latter end so I can get as much work done as possible.

2:30 p.m. — I leave work early to get our car washed before heading home. We currently have a car wash subscription, but I realize it's really not necessary, so we're canceling. When I get home, I eat the piece of cake from yesterday. I meet the call box technician and he explains how I can program the call box in the future. I take video of him doing so so I can reference it later. I pay him for the programming and will write this expense off on my taxes. $194

6:30 p.m. — I head out to a Junior League training on Conflict, Competition, and Collaboration. The training isn't that great, but I meet a woman from my neighborhood who is also a new member, and we really click. We exchange numbers and make plans to grab coffee soon.

9 p.m. — I drive home, check my mail, and get ready for bed. I spend about 20 minutes reading on my phone. Earlier this year I deleted my Facebook and Instagram accounts, which has helped me avoid wasting too much time on my phone, especially in the morning and late at night, and has also proven helpful for my mental health.

5:30 a.m — I pull myself out of bed to workout. I am tired and the only reason I make it out of bed relatively quickly is because I know my trainer will be waiting for me at the gym in an hour. I listen to This American Life and eat two pieces of string cheese on the way to the gym, which is only 20-minute commute at 6 in the morning.

8 a.m. — At work, I make myself breakfast of a half cup of coffee with a pump of Coffee-Mate creamer, plain Greek yogurt, a plum, and honey. Work is very uneventful and I look around online for a while before digging into my to-do list.

12 p.m. — N. and I have been talking about going to Hawaii for years and finally purchased our tickets last week for a trip this winter! I find an Airbnb for $120 a night. After double checking with N., I reserve it and put down half of the payment. Then I make microwave a TJ's frozen meal for lunch and eat at my desk. $550.50

3:30 p.m. — I start to get hungry, and find leftover hummus and pretzels followed by coconut curry chips. A weird and unsatisfying snack. My boss is in meetings all afternoons so I unsuccessfully try to clear my inbox to stay busy.

6 p.m. — I meet my friend at the theater and we grab apps (mac and cheese fries) at the attached bar before heading into our movie. I am so glad I splurged on the reclining seats that include a blanket. We both order dessert to eat during the movie (ice cream cookie sandwich for her and s'mores cake for me). She pays since I purchased our tickets.

9:30 p.m. — The movie was so good! I can't remember the last time I was in a movie theater, and make a mental note to go more often. I validate my parking and head home. I'm tired, but my Amazon order arrived today and I want to sleep with Olaplex in my hair! I flip through a few emails and write my (almost) nightly gratitude list. I send it off to my friends, who send me theirs as well. $3.30

6 a.m. — My first alarm goes off and N. isn't around to annoy, so I hit snooze for the next hour. I finally pull myself out of bed when I realize I have to wash my hair. I grab a LaCroix and make it out the door by 7:05. I listen to the Bad With Money podcast on my way to work and call my mom on my walk through campus. She's booked a ticket I found ($100 roundtrip!) for her to visit me in December while N. is in China for his “Bachelor Trip,” which in reality is just him and a friend exploring Shanghai together.

7:25 a.m. — I arrive to campus slightly late. I show up at my volunteer shift and they are inundated with volunteers being trained. I grab two nut and fruit packs and get a cup of coffee as I get through my first task.

9 a.m. — I find out that my second task of the day is essentially monitoring a room and I have an hour of downtime, so I hammer out work emails and sign up for another class through ClassPass. (I am using a free trial month.) I message the women in Junior League to ask if anyone wants to come to a class with me, but there are no takers.

10:30 a.m. — I browse Amazon and save a couple pairs of sweatpants in my cart, but I decide not to buy anything, reminding myself that I only have about $100 in fun money to last me the next ten days.

12:30 p.m. — I am starving but am supposed to go directly to another volunteer shift. I ask to eat lunch instead, and they have more than enough volunteers, so I am free. I grab my free lunch of turkey sandwich, fruit, farro salad, and Nutter Butters. My boss stops by and I actually get face time with her for the first time since Tuesday.

1:30 p.m. — After several weeks of being too lazy to walk the 10 minutes to the gym during the day, I cancel my membership so I can reallocate the $50 monthly fee to ClassPass instead. I am currently working out with a trainer and once my sessions are over I'm not sure if I will keep working out with him or save that money for other goals instead. My trainer offers an education discount of $30/hour session, which is hard to beat.

5 p.m. — I head out of work, grab my change of clothes, and head to a Yin/Yang yoga class. I barely make it on time because of L.A. traffic, but am happy to get a workout in. The class is a little weird — the instructor brought her guitar and sang at the end. When I leave class, I find out that N.'s flight was cancelled, so he won't be home until tomorrow. I am bummed that I won't see him tonight but happy that it buys me extra time to live my foul bachelorette frog life (a.k.a. leaving my things all over the house).

6:30 p.m. — I get home and make myself “dinner” out of pretzel chips, hummus, LaCroix, and a quarter of a chocolate bar. Another reminder to meal prep and grocery shop. I also cave and buy the Money Diaries book because let's be honest, I know I am going to love it. An hour later, I decide it's as good time as any to start Insecure. I binge three episodes before my computer dies and I head to bed. $13.38

9 a.m. — Yassss! Saturday. I make oatmeal with cranberries and top it with honey from my dad's bee farm. After I eat, I scramble to pick up all of the shit that I have left around the apartment and shower. N. gets home and I am so excited to see him. I smother him with kisses.

10 a.m. — N. is hungry because he didn't eat breakfast and is craving a bagel. I want to get steps in, so I head to the grocery store. I pick up a few other staples to get us through the weekend including a frozen pizza, garlic knots, and $20 for quarters to start our laundry. $45

11 a.m. — I return home and start laundry. (I wash while N. folds/puts away.) N. eats brunch and I eat a Cashew Cookie Larabar. We watch half of Kindergarten Cop. Believe it or not, I have never seen it before!

12:30 p.m. — I get a call from one of my tenants that there is a homeless person in our garage. I find out that he stole a tire pressure gauge from one of my tenant's vehicles, and then threw it at a neighbor who confronted him. I see the person in front of our building and tell him that he can't enter our garage and he flips me the bird. I call the cops and feel shitty about the situation.

1 p.m. — I have plans to get a pedicure with my friend. She picks me up and I get a latte ($5 plus $1 tip). Sadly we have to try three nail places before we find one that is open and will take us, and we get split up at the salon. We take time to catch up while our nails dry and she asks me to go over my bachelorette plans for Palm Springs next weekend and takes on some planning responsibilities, which I am so grateful for. ($31 for my pedicure with tip.) $37

3 p.m. — N. and I have sex and it is good. We have been trying to aim for more than one time a week, but we always end up being tired after work. I guess this is just where we are in our lives.

6 p.m. — N. and I try to go out for a dinner date at least once a week. It's his turn to pick and he chooses an Indonesian place nearby. We order kroket, nasi lemak, and nasi goreng jawa fried rice. $55

7:30 p.m. — I FaceTime with my mom and find out my parents' German Shepherd is having puppies! There are five so far. They are cute but whiny, and frankly, it seems like a lot of work. After catching up with my family, I settle further into the couch and finish the first season of Insecure and N. heads out on an ice cream run. $10

9 p.m. — I do a little clean up around the house and wipe down the kitchen countertops. I also iron a few shirts that I want to try to consign. Last month I made about $50 by consigning items at a local store, which I ended up spending in-store on a vintage beaded dress for an unknown future occasion. I love the 50s/60s aesthetic and am slowly cultivating a collection of beaded silk pieces. I head to bed around 10:30 and N. tucks me in and then stays up a couple more hours playing video games.

9 a.m. — I wake up to a text that my parents' dog had 11 puppies! I FaceTime them and warm up the rest of the leftovers from our date last night and share with N.

10:30 a.m. — N. and I both decide we are tired and go back to sleep. We wake up again at noon.

12:15 — We head out to therapy but stop at Starbucks on the way. I get a tall PSL with an extra shot and N. gets a grande java chip frap (no whip). I hate the long drive, but love our therapist. Our relationship is so strong because we put in so much effort, including going to therapy twice a month. $9.22

2 p.m. — The session is helpful, though per usual, I cry about work. We talk about my job and how it's disappointing and draining. It's really helpful to talk about how our individual goals/hopes/disappointments/dreams affect our relationship. We pay out of network ($125).

3:45 p.m — I meal prep — hard-boiled eggs in my Instant Pot and a big batch of tuna salad with leftovers from the fridge (celery, onion, mayo, salt and pepper) that I can take it to work for lunch tomorrow. N. has free meals and snacks at work so I only need to worry about feeding myself.

5:15 p.m. — I pack my car with Goodwill donations, mostly clothes and old homeware items. I used to shop at Goodwill all the time, but now that I make more money and am busier I don't do it as much. I wear a size 14/16, so it's harder to find things that fit.

6:30 — I take a meditation class through ClassPass. The theme of the meditation is Autumn Equinox. I briefly drift off during the class but finish by focusing on the question: “What do you want to harvest for the rest of the year?” — a question that I need to think about more.

7 p.m. — I ask N. if he wants froyo and he texts me back that he needs it. So I head to my new favorite spot, The Bigg Chill. The texture of their froyo is unlike anything I have ever tasted. I get the honey Greek yogurt with cookie dough and mochi. $15

7:30 p.m. — I come home and start watching Phenomenon. I guess I'm into 90s movies right now. I eat half my froyo and save the other half for tomorrow. N. unloads the dishwasher and sweeps our floors. I read the first couple of chapters of the Money Diaries book before turning in for the night at 9.

6:30 a.m. — I roll out of bed after hitting the snooze button at least twice. I shower quickly and make a chai tea and eat a cherry pie Larabar.

7 a.m. — Yesterday the tire pressure light in our car made itself known and it's worrying me. N. takes the car in to make sure our tires are fully inflated and don't have a leak. Allegedly they don't, so we don't have to buy a new tire today. N. and I share a car, so I catch a ride from a colleague/friend who lives a couple of blocks away. I could Lyft, but she saves me $20 and we get to catch up!

8 a.m. — I get to work on time and start working on a to-do list for the week. I find that when I take an hour to make a list, my whole week goes better and I don't miss as many details.

9 a.m. — N. has a dentist visit today and gets a report that he has very healthy teeth. I roll my eyes since this is the first time he has been to the dentist in over five years for a cleaning! I guess he is lucky/genetically blessed. Our insurance pays for dental, so it's free. I get hungry and grab a snack of plain cottage cheese.

10 a.m. — I make a few calls for my apartment. One of my tenants has a bug issue that needs to be addressed, so I call pest control and make an appointment for tomorrow. A transient person has been breaking into our apartment and stealing our mail, so I also ask our handyman to order new locks for the mailboxes.

12:30 p.m. — I make myself a sandwich from the tuna I prepared yesterday.

2 p.m. — I take a break to check my bank account and read a couple of articles on NPR and Buzzfeed. I snack on two hard-boiled eggs. It's not a very exciting food day.

5:30 p.m. — I heat up a Lean Pocket and eat that at my desk. (Don't hate, it's actually really good.) I have my first Human Resources class tonight, which I am taking using my professional development funds. Around 6, I leave my office and walk 20 minutes across campus to class. The weather is gorgeous and it's about as fall-like as L.A. will get. Sadly this is my only form of exercise today.

9:30 p.m. — N. picks me up and we head home. It's nice to catch up on the car ride. He was asked to create and present more trainings on diversity and inclusion at work, which he is very passionate about. I tell him about my class, which is mostly good. I find out I need to buy a book, which I wasn't planning on, so I add that to my to-do list for tomorrow.

10 p.m. — I eat the rest of my froyo and watch an episode of Insecure before brushing my teeth and heading to bed.

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