A Week In New York City On A $86,000 Salary

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Occupation: Product Manager
Industry: Technology
Age: 24
Location: NYC
Salary: $86,000 + $15,000 annual bonus
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $2,428

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,150 (I currently live with my college roommate in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan.)
Student Loan Payment: $150
ClassPass: $145 (90-credit membership)
Spotify Premium: $15 (My brother and my ex are both on it, but I don't charge them.)
401(k): $430 with a 100% match
Dental Insurance: $12
Health Insurance: $122
Commuter Transit Card: $75
Vision Insurance: $7.50
Utilities & Electricity: $30-45
Wifi: $25
Cell Phone: $0 (I'm still on my parents plan!)
Pet Insurance: $32 (for my family's dog)
My Parents' Car Payments: $950 (I lived at home rent-free for a year and a half after college so I paid our two car payments to compensate. Once I moved out, I realized that I was still able to afford this, so I've decided to keep paying indefinitely.)

10 a.m. — Stayed out fairly late for a friend's birthday last night, but I still manage to wake up with only a mild hangover. Make brunch for my roommate (smoked salmon toast with home fries), and she picks up iced coffee for us. This has become a summer weekend ritual, and I'm loving it!

1 p.m. — Head out to catch up with a close friend. It's nice out, so we pick up coffee from Eataly and head over to people-watch at Madison Square Park. $3.25

2:30 — A couple of other friends join us, and my friend brings out her pup. We spend a few hours talking and soaking up the sun, and I can't help but get her pup a Pooch-ini, which is a dog-friendly custard that Shake Shack sells. I love watching dogs eat ice cream — it's really the cutest thing ever. $4

6 p.m. — My hangover somehow manages to get worse, so I head home and nap for a bit before making pasta at home for dinner. Need to cure this hangover before heading out tonight!

10 p.m. — My friend's brother and his friend recently moved to NYC, so we decide head out as a group to Williamsburg for a night out. I take the L over with my roommate using my subway card.

11 p.m. — We head over to Freehold, and one of the guys buys us all the first round because he recently got promoted (yay!). There's a skeeball machine, and I exchange $5 so that the group can play. I lose both my games, as usual. $5

3 a.m. — My roommate buys my next drink, and we get a third drink for free from the bartender. The bar is super crowded, and my roommate and I end up waiting quite a while for our third drink, but we're good sports about it — which is probably why we got the drinks for free. I call an Uber to take us home. $13

3:30 a.m. — I have a sudden craving for taquitos, so we ask the Uber to drop us off at 7-11. Unfortunately they don't have any, but we stop by Papaya Dog and get a fish filet sandwich and Philly cheesesteak with fries. I pay. Best. Drunk food. Ever. We also have the pleasure of listening to our drunk neighbor fight with an older lady next door, who apparently walked over to his apartment and poured water on his head for being too loud while she was trying to sleep. $9.50

9 a.m. — Wake up and walk over to Penn Station to head to my parents' house for the day. They live only an hour away from the city, so I try to visit as often as I can. I'm pretty close to my family, and I really don't want my parents to hit that mid-life empty-nest slump.

12 p.m. — My hangover is begging for soup, so I take my dad's car out to Panera and pick up a soup and sandwich combo for lunch. I sneak my pup some bites of cheese while watching Netflix. $10

2 p.m. — Parents are back from running errands, so my mom and I go to get mani/pedis at a nearby nail salon. She treats and even includes a 10-minute foot massage for me! What a nice way to recover from a busy weekend.

6 p.m. — I was going to sleep at my parents', but realized I have super early morning meetings tomorrow, so my parents offer to drop me off in the city. I get coffee for us ($6), and we're off! We get dinner at a nearby restaurant (my parents pay), and pick up groceries (they generously pay again). $6

8 p.m. — Meet a friend and walk over to an 8:30 p.m. candlelit yoga class at Yoga to the People. The instructor is kind of strange, so I spend most of my time there stretching as opposed to actually doing the poses. It's a donation-based class, so I drop a $5 into the basket as I leave. My friend picks up an acai bowl, and we chat in front of The Bean for a bit. $5

9 p.m. — Spend the rest of the night doing work at home. I get a bit hungry and make myself a smoked salmon toast. I love smoked salmon.

7 a.m. — A lot of people I work with are located in London, so I often have early and busy mornings that slow down throughout the day. Today, I have meetings starting at 7:30 a.m., so I bring a yogurt from home and walk over to work. Moving to an apartment 15 minutes away from my job was possibly one of the best decisions I have made in my young adult life.

12 p.m. — I packed a light lunch of pre-prepped quinoa patties, but I get hungry and end up going to a Japanese market next door to pick up some food from the hot bar. $4.25

4:30 p.m. — Dip out of work early to take a HIIT class before going to our corporate kickball game. My manager is really flexible about work hours, and I really appreciate that he places more value on getting work done than staying for X number of hours per day.

6 p.m. — Get my butt kicked (in a good way). Walk over to LES, which is where our ZogSports kickball league plays. I don't play as much as a lot of the other folks, but there's a homeless guy who usually comes and watches us, so I befriend him, and we do joint commentary throughout the game.

8 p.m. — We all head over for post-game drinks, and I buy fries and chicken tenders for the group. I get mildly irritated because I've noticed that it's always the same people that quietly duck out when it's time to pick up pitchers and food for the group. Cheap people are the worst. $15

9:30 p.m. — Walk home, shower, and get ready for the rest of the week. We have an important client meeting on Friday, and I feel like I'll be working longer than usual.

6:30 a.m. — Wake up and make myself a smoked salmon toast for breakfast. I really truly love smoked salmon, but I'm eating it more out of necessity because my roommate doesn't like it and I don't want it to go bad!

12 p.m. — Have another busy morning, and end up eating my packed lunch (roasted cauliflower and brussels sprout salad) at my desk.

5 p.m. — Head out at 5 p.m. for another HIIT class, and get my ass kicked again. Pick up Liquiteria (my ultimate weakness) and head over to meet a friend. $10

6 p.m. — We're both hungry after our smoothies, so we head into the Popeye's across the street from her apartment. So satisfying. I pay. $10.50

7 p.m. — She buys me a coffee and we walk around Union Square because she has to make a few returns. I head home at around 8 p.m., shower, and pass out around 10 p.m. after catching up on the latest episode of The Bachelorette. Is anyone else sad that Ryan got no airtime and was eliminated way too soon?

6:30 a.m. — Early morning again. Guess what I had for breakfast? (I finally finished the pack!)

11:45 a.m. — Had a really frustrating morning at work because my network password expired and locked me out of my computer for approximately three hours. I'm annoyed because it means I'll have to catch up on missed meetings and work later today. I finally manage to get my computer fixed and head out to pick up Cava for lunch with my coworkers. $11

2 p.m. — The England vs. Croatia game is going on, and a couple of coworkers head over to a bar to watch. I manage to make it to the bar by halftime, and another coworker who recently won a FIFA bracket buys us all a round. Sadly, England loses.

5 p.m. — The workday is technically over, but I know that today's going to be a long night. I make it my goal to finish all my work in the office today so that I don't have to bring my laptop home. I only ate half my Cava, so I have the rest of it for dinner and get crankin'.

8:50 p.m. — Finally leave the office with my work husband, a married gay man in his 30s whom I adore. He always works crazy hours, so this is the norm for him. We live near each other and walk home together. Right before we reach my apartment, we decide that a wine night is in order. We share a bottle of wine, a cheese board, and appetizers, and spend a few hours catching up on life. We have really fulfilling conversation about values, love, and family. He generously pays and walks me home.

11 p.m. — I get home and am glowing from how a long night at work turned into such an enjoyable evening. I live for moments like this.

6:50 a.m. — Wake up a little late, so no time for breakfast today. Head into the office by 7:30 and immediately hop on morning calls.

8:45 a.m. — Decide I can't wait until lunch to eat — I head over to a nearby bodega and pick up an egg white omelette for breakfast. $6

12 p.m. — I was going to get sushi for lunch, but my coworker tells me that all Mcdonald's sandwiches are $1 today if you order through their app, and I am a sucker for their Filet-O-Fish. I get a sandwich and small fries and eat with my coworkers in our cafeteria. $2

5:30 p.m. — Leave work at 5:30 to go to another HIIT class. I fell off a treadmill two weeks ago (I know) and skinned my knee, so I couldn't take too many classes for a while. I'm playing catch up on all my missed classes now.

7 p.m. — I am inspired by the Filet-O-Fish I had today, and buy a basa filet on my way home. I coat it with breadcrumbs and make fish filet for dinner. I also roast beets with goat cheese and have a few more quinoa patties. $3.50

6:30 a.m. — Bring a yogurt to work and have it in the office while taking morning calls. I'm a little nervous about our client meeting today, so I do preparation reading and clean up Powerpoint decks throughout the morning.

2 p.m. — The meeting went okay, and I'm glad that it's over with. I'm a little deflated though, because it was one of those meetings that reaffirmed how employees in large corporations have little power and autonomy to make decisions. I eat the roasted sweet potatoes/beets that I packed for lunch while chatting with a coworker about weekend plans.

3 p.m. — End up spending most of the afternoon planning out my upcoming Australia trip this fall. It's my first time headed down under, and I'm super excited. I've committed a full two weeks with my best friend, and although it'll be a costly trip, I'm sure it'll be so worth it.

4 p.m. — Head out for a coffee run with my work husband and another teammate. We're all super close, and try to squeeze in at least two coffee runs a week. I pick up the tab this time — feeling thankful that my work husband treated me the other night and my teammate went to our HQ upstate to cover me for a boring meeting earlier this week. $12

5:30 p.m. — Head out to a row class nearby. I forget to bring water, so I buy a massive boxed water for $3. Pretty expensive, but eco-friendly I guess. $3

7 p.m. — My friend invites me to a rooftop happy hour, so I shower at the gym and take an Uber ($3, thank god for 50% off!) over to midtown. I buy us our first round of drinks, and am pleasantly surprised that drinks are only $11 apiece on a Friday night. $29

9 p.m. — I meet new friends and we head over as a group to get food. It's Friday and all the restaurants are bustling, but we manage to find a Chinese restaurant that doesn't have a long wait. We order a bunch of noodles/dumplings/meat dishes, and my friend generously picks up the tab.

11:30 p.m. — Head home and plan out my outfit for a concert I'm going to tomorrow. I want to wear my new tube top.

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