A Week In Flint, MI, On A $62,700 Salary

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Occupation: Registered Nurse
Industry: Healthcare
Age: 27
Location: Flint, MI
Salary: $62,700
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $1,800

Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: $1,200 split with my husband ($600 each)
School Tuition: $2,726 for the semester
Car Payment: $385
Car Insurance: My husband pays for both of ours.
Health Insurance: $80
Sephora Now: $10
Apple Music: $10
Netflix: $12.99 (I pay for Netflix, and my brother pays for Hulu.)
401(k): 6% of my paycheck with company match
Savings: $500 from each check goes into my credit union account, which I don't touch. My car payment is the only thing that comes out of the account. The rest goes to savings. I have about $27,000 in savings right now.
Donations: I donate $20 a month to the Humane Society, which gets automatically deducted from my paycheck.
Utilities: ~$150 split with my husband
Cell Phone: $100 (My husband's phone is paid for by his work, so I'm on my own plan.)

7:45 a.m. — Alarm goes off. Happy Halloween! I recently switched from working 12-hour night shifts at a hospital to nursing in an office setting. While I'm happy not to be working nights and weekends, I'm definitely not a morning person. I snooze until 8 a.m. and rush out the door by 8:25.

9 a.m. — Start my work day. I keep oatmeal at my desk and make a cup of free office coffee, which is gross.

1 p.m. — Lunchtime! I heat up some leftover broccoli pasta from earlier in the week. I try not to buy food at work during the week so I can save money to go out for dinner over the weekend. There are leftover sandwiches from a meeting up for grabs, so I snag a sandwich, too.

5:30 p.m. — I leave work, fill up my gas tank, and pick up some pizza my husband, L., already paid for. Eating pizza at home and watching scary movies is our Halloween tradition. $38

10 p.m. — We live in a small neighborhood without many kids, but this year we have a group of trick-or-treaters, yay! We still end up with a ton of candy that we'll eat way too much of. L. and I watch Hocus Pocus and Scream and drink two bottles of Witches Brew wine, a spicy red wine made by a Michigan winery. Then we pass out with our pups.

6 a.m. — The dogs are stirring, and I have to go to the bathroom. I get up, feed them quickly, and belly flop back into bed. Alarm goes off at 8 a.m., and I quickly get ready, make some avocado toast, and throw a pork loin, potatoes, and carrots into the slow cooker for dinner tonight. I kiss L. goodbye. He's still in bed. I think someone may have had too much wine and candy last night — ha!

9:30 a.m. —I get an iced Americano. $3.50

1 p.m. — More leftover broccoli pasta for lunch. I sit in the break room and read Crazy Rich Asians. I really want to finish the book before I see the movie, and I'm loving it so far.

7 p.m. — Home from work! I beat L. home, so I feed the pups and let them outside to do their business. It's raining, so we don't play outside for too long. A contractor comes over to check out our master bathroom and give us a quote for renovating it. I hope the quote won't be over $8,000!! We moved into our house a year ago and have been wanting to redo the bathroom because it's terribly small and outdated. We eat our slow cooker meal, and it's delish!

9 p.m. — I do a Beachbody On Demand workout in the basement, take a shower, drink a protein shake, and work on a homework assignment while L. plays Mario Kart. We used some money we still had from our wedding to buy a Nintendo Switch a few weeks ago. (We thought it would give us something to do at home so we wouldn't go out and spend money.) Then it's bedtime!

8:15 a.m. — Yes! It's Friday! I quickly get ready so I can leave a little early to get an iced coffee from my favorite local coffee place. I usually treat myself on Fridays. $3.83

6 p.m. — Home from work! L. and I are feeling really lazy tonight, so we decide to go pick up some Arby's for dinner. We rarely eat fast food, and Arby's curly fries are just so damn good! I pay. Then we catch up on this week's American Horror Story. I really like this season, but it's a little slow right now. L. goes to bed at 9:30 because he has to wake up early to go tailgating tomorrow. $17.02

12 a.m. — I stay up late watching Letterkenny, a hilariously weird Canadian show.

10:30 a.m. — I meet my mom at Old Navy to buy some new work clothes. I find some good stuff, but while I'm in line I notice my wallet isn't in my purse. I panic and run out to my car to find my wallet on the pavement outside my car door with nothing missing. Whew, talk about being #blessed. I buy a sweater, jeans, a cute faux suede moto jacket, and a dress. $124

12 p.m. — I buy a coffee, and we walk around perusing Joann Fabrics for bit, but I don't buy anything. Then we grab lunch at Qdoba and my mom treats. Thanks, Mom! $2.85

5 p.m. — After lunch, I go visit my grandparents. I love them — they're my favorite people. They give me some allium bulbs to plant that will hopefully bloom in the summer. (Alliums are awesome flowers that look like they're straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.) Then I go back to my parents' house to see my dad. My dad works in the auto business and got laid off for a few weeks since the industry is pretty slow right now. He used to get laid off all the time when I was a kid, but it really worries me now because my mom is retired, and if he gets laid off for too long, they could lose their health insurance.

8 p.m. — I get home and watch the Michigan game from the warmth and comfort of my couch with my snuggly pups. Then I make a grilled cheese and butternut squash soup for dinner — yum! L. gets home at 8 p.m. At around 10:30 I pass out in bed, and L. isn't far behind me.

9 a.m. — Typical Sunday routine of coffee and Pioneer Woman on Food Network. She's my hero. I do a Beachbody on Demand workout while L. roasts coffee. We're huge coffee nerds. The best flavor comes from roasting your beans right at home!

1 p.m. — I go outside to plant my allium bulbs, and then we tag team attack all the leaves in our front yard. We get a solid three full bags done. Then I head inside to shower, and we go to Costco for some grocery shopping. We get Kirkland Prosecco (the best and so cheap!), apples, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, steak, butternut squash ravioli, and laundry detergent. We also smash a bunch of free samples. L. picks up with bill. Gas is pretty cheap at Costco, so I top my car off. $21.25

3:30 p.m. — We stop at our local grocery store to get some non-bulk items: ground turkey, sweet potatoes, bananas, salsa, tortillas, boxed scalloped potatoes, shredded cheese, protein muffin mix, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, sugar, vanilla ice cream, and red wine to go with our steaks. There's also a wine tasting stand, so we try two free red wine samples, and dang — the lady gives generous pours. I pay this time. $69.37

7 p.m. — We grill steaks, roast Brussels sprouts, and bake scalloped potatoes for dinner. It's delish with our wine. Then we snuggle up on the couch and watch football. L.'s fantasy football team is sucking, so we watch a few episodes of The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix, and I get super creeped out because I'm a wuss. Bedtime at 11!

9 a.m. — I'm taking the morning off of work because I have a doctor's appointment, so the pups and I enjoy an extra hour of sleep and cuddles.

10:45 a.m. — At the gynecologist's office for my 10:45 a.m. appointment, but of course they don't call my name until 11:30. Grr. I had an abnormal Pap smear almost two years ago that showed “precancerous cell changes.” Thankfully it was caught early, and I had a small procedure to remove the suspicious cells. My doctor has done a Pap smear every three to six months since to continue to monitor me. I feel so thankful to have access to healthcare, and it breaks my heart that some women don't have access to basic preventative care. Resources like Planned Parenthood are so important. A simple Pap smear could potentially save a life by preventing a future cervical cancer diagnosis! Get yo' Paps ladies! I pay my $25 co-pay and make an appointment for six months from now. $25

1 p.m. — Pick up some Jimmy John's and get to work to finish out the day. I leave at 5:30 p.m. $8.79

8 p.m. — Make a random dinner of tilapia, mac and cheese, and sweet potato fries. Then I play Mario Kart, watch Monday Night Football, and pass out around 10ish.

7:45 a.m. — Typical morning routine — snooze until I'm almost late and am out the door by 8:25 a.m.

6 p.m. — I go to my fave local coffee shop ($2.89) and work on a paper for school for an hour before heading to my friend's house. Every few months all of my nurse friends meet up for a “dip night,” where everyone brings a bottle of wine and a different dip to eat. Sweatpants and messy hair encouraged, and no men allowed. I bring $2 Aldi wine from home and mini cupcakes from the grocery store since I'm heading to the party from work ($3.99). $6.88

11 p.m. — Dip night was awesome as always. Loved catching up with all my friends I don't get to see much anymore. When I get home, L. is already passed out in bed. Ugh, I'm going to be tired tomorrow, but it's worth it!

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