A Week In Columbus, OH, On An $80,000 Salary

Occupation: Software Engineer
Industry: Banking
Age: 33
Location: Columbus, OH
Salary: $80,000 base + $5,000-$10,000 bonus + $2,400 in yearly child support.
Net Worth: ~$206,000 (savings: $5,000, 401(k): $84,000, pension: $12,000, investment account for my daughter: $2,500, house: $230,000 value, car: $11,000 (paid off) minus debt).
Debt: Mortgage: $126,000, 401(k): $8,400, credit card debt: $2,500, student loan: $800.
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $2,443.27
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: $910 (I bought my house five years ago and live with my daughter, H., and adult nephew, S.).
Credit Card: $280
Student Loans: $0 (deferred).
401(k) Loan Repayment: $220 (deducted from paycheck).
Electricity: $310
Phone Bill: $260 (this covers me, my daughter and an adult niece who does not live with me).
Gas: $104
Streaming Services: $94
Car Insurance: $91
Online Telehealth Service: $79
Home Warranty: $62
Water Bill: $50 (paid by my nephew).
Internet: $40 (paid by my nephew).
Gym: $24
401(k): $500 (I contribute 7% and my company matches plus an additional 3%).
Daughter's Investments: $100
House Savings: $100
Vacations Savings: $800
Daughter's Weekly Allowance: $25/week
Gymnastics: $266 (quarterly).

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
My family had a very successful business when I graduated high school in 2007 so the plan was for me to take over that business. Unfortunately, there was a recession and they were forced to close the business. I took a few classes here and there, hence the student loans, but I never finished. I fell into my current career kind of by accident. I do not have a degree and I completed a boot camp that was fully paid for by my company. I attended full-time for 12 weeks, I was paid my full salary during training and was immediately placed in a role upon completion.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I was raised solely by my mother along with my siblings. There were zero discussions about money. My mother was very irresponsible with money and struggled at times. However, my grandpa was really involved and most of what I know about finances I learned from him. He didn't make a special effort but we often had general discussions about saving, debt and general investing.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I got my first job at 13 at a sandwich shop. I got the job because that's when my mom stopped giving me an allowance, buying my school clothes and paying my phone bill. Once my siblings and I were able to work, we were expected to take care of the majority of our own expenses. My siblings helped one another as needed and our grandparents would give us odd jobs also so we could make extra money. I have always had a job since.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I probably should've worried but I didn't. I never wanted much as a kid. My older siblings always made sure I had what I wanted or needed. There were times when our utilities were cut off or we were evicted but it was only when my mom was being stubborn and didn't want to ask my grandparents for help. I always knew my grandparents would be there and do what they could for us.

Do you worry about money now?
I do worry about what I would do if I lost my job but in general, no.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I moved out when I was 17 and have been on my own since. I know if I needed to, I could move in with any of my siblings and/or my mother. They wouldn't be able to help me much outside of providing me shelter. In addition, I expect to care for my mother when she is no longer able to work.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No. I do not expect to inherit anything.

7 a.m. — Wake up, do my morning TikTok scroll, wake up my daughter, H., brush her hair, pack her lunch, brush my teeth and pick up my nephew, N. H. has the option to eat all three meals at school but we normally pack lunch. She eats breakfast there every day and dinner when it's something she likes. I drop them both at school and immediately head back home and lie back in bed.

9:15 a.m. — I only get dressed on in-office days and today is a work-from-home day. I log on for my morning meeting. Grab a Monster Ultra, take my daily vitamins and get to work. I watch The Real Housewives of Miami while I work.

10 a.m. — I have an intro meeting with a counseling service to be added to their practice. Since I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy six years ago, I have had an issue with alcohol, which is apparently very common. Luckily my employer will cover five sessions with a therapist yearly. Once I receive my appointment email, I see I was not scheduled with the clinician I expected. I chose this practice because I wanted a Black woman therapist and the clinician I have been scheduled with is not. I shoot them an email and request to be scheduled with the correct clinician. Then I get back to work.

3 p.m. — My ex, K., calls. I ignore it. He texts that he wants to pick up the last of his things from here and I cannot deal. I immediately feel nauseous and don't want to deal with it. I ignore the text and hop on a call.

4 p.m. — My egg lady texts me that she has three dozen eggs for me this week and I realize I forgot to pay her for the five dozen last week. I Cash App her. $15

6:05 p.m. — My daughter texts me to see where I am. Oops, I lost track of time. I pick up H., drop N. off and then head home. I'm sad about K. so I make myself a vodka and soda, get in the tub and zone out. K. texts me at some point and I start to cry. I call my sister and she makes me feel better. I get a text that my prescription is ready. I call my nephew, S., who lives with me, and ask him to pick it up on his way home. He agrees. I also remind H. to clean her cat's litter box before it gets too late.

8 p.m. — My daughter says she is hungry. I make pork chops, rice and green beans while watching The Help on Hulu and arguing with K. via text.

9:30 p.m. — S. brings me my prescriptions that he picked up for me and has dinner with H. I eat in my room, zone out on TikTok and have another vodka soda. I'm asleep by 10. H. has a bedtime routine, which she always follows without any prompting from me.

7 a.m. — Get up, put away last night's dinner and pack H.'s lunch. I take my vitamins then wake H. up. I flat iron her hair, get dressed and then drop H. and N. off. Today is an in-office day so I have to get dressed. Today I am wearing jeans, a sweater and red and black Jordan Ones.

9:15 a.m. — Get to work, have my daily meeting and daily Monster Ultra, then go to pick up my eggs from my egg lady. I store them at my desk for now. $6

11:30 a.m. — I'm stuck on an issue and get frustrated so I take a brief walk around the office to clear my mind. Text my sister while I walk and complain about work.

12 p.m. — I get an email from my home insurance company and see that the repair they are recommending does not take care of all the damage. I send the estimate to my roofing contractor to review.

5:30 p.m. — Head straight home, H. goes to her dad's today for dinner so he picked her up already and N. was picked up by his brother today. I stop to get a poke bowl for dinner ($16). I also grab H. and I bubble tea for later ($14). $30

7 p.m. — My niece texts and asks me for $30 because she is hungry. She is 18 and in school so I help her when I can. $30

9:03 p.m. — H. gets home so I log off for the day. I pack H.'s lunch, iron her clothes for tomorrow and redo her hair. I straighten her hair every few months and keep it straight for one to two weeks. Other than this, it is normally braided and mine is always in braids.

10:10 p.m. — Finally done with H.'s hair and I wrap it. She still has laundry to do and her hair took longer than planned. She will have to stay up past bedtime. I fold my laundry while watching TV. H. finishes her chores, does her bedtime routine, gives me kisses and we both go to bed.

7 a.m. — Wake up and do my normal morning routine. I curl H.'s hair today per her request and she makes me laugh when she wants help choosing her perfume for today. H. loves to smell good and look good. She has a strong sense of self and personal style. I love seeing her accessorize every day and watching her morning routine. Today is another office day so I have to get dressed. Today I am wearing jeans, a company tee, a black hoodie and black Nike 270s.

9:10 a.m. — Get to work and immediately log onto my morning call. Have my daily Monster Ultra and get to work.

1 p.m. — My sister calls me so I go for a walk and talk to her.

5:30 p.m. — Leave work and head to a networking event. I eat egg rolls and a BLT there.

7:30 p.m. — Get home. S. picked up H. from her after-school program. H. gets homework help and dinner at this program all for free. I am so grateful for it. I talk to her for a bit about her day and she fills me in on all her elementary school drama. Then she consults me about her outfit for tomorrow. I then log back on for work.

8 p.m. — My ex, K., calls and we have a long talk and then he drops by unexpectedly. We talk but ultimately it's the same issue and reaffirms I made the right choice. While we talk, I eat the rest of my poke bowl from yesterday.

10 p.m. — H. comes down to say goodnight and ask me to add ice cream to the grocery list. Kisses then off to bed for her.

11 p.m. — K. leaves and I head to bed. He proceeds to call me and is angry because of what we talked about. Then hangs up on me. I go to bed.

7 a.m. — Wake up and do my normal routine. Today is a home day so I head back home after dropping the kids off.

8:30 a.m. — Log on for work and immediately check on some outstanding requests and work on getting approvals. K. texts me an apology for last night and asks me if I want to go to the movies tonight. I say maybe.

9:10 a.m. — I am hungry. I have a piece of ham and then drink my daily Monster. I have not been eating breakfast or lunch for the last week. I gained about 60 pounds since I started dating K so I have been prescribed medication to help with my binge eating and it has taken away my desire for food mostly.

2:30 p.m. — I head to Chipotle for lunch. I get the new quesadilla. $10.50

4:30 p.m. — Another nephew texts and asks me for money for food. This happens a lot with my nieces and nephews and I normally say yes. $30

5:40 p.m. — I grab gas. H. is at her dad's this weekend so I don't have to pick her up. $43

7 p.m. — My sister drops by with her kids. We talk about some family drama while I play with the kids. When K. texts to see if I'm ready, my sister leaves. He picks me up and we talk about nothing and pretend there was no breakup. We see Creed III, he pays.

11:30 p.m. — Home from the movies. I invite K. in. We end up having amazing sex and then immediately going to bed.

9 a.m. — Wake up and scroll TikTok.

11 a.m. — K. is up and I am hungry so we order Thai food from a local place. He goes to pick it up and he pays.

12 p.m. — We eat and then watch The Last Of Us. We then have sex for an hour. Afterward, we are both exhausted. K. showers then heads home and I go immediately to sleep.

4 p.m. — My sister calls and wakes me up. We talk for hours about the family drama, our mutual weight gain, our relationships and plans for our kids to hang out next week.

6 p.m. — I text K. to see what his plans are. Then I run to Kroger to grab a bottle of Tito's vodka and a 12-pack of seltzer water. $43.44

10 p.m. — K. comes back over to watch TV. We watch a fight on pay-per-view (K. pays), drink a bit and fall asleep by 1.

9 a.m. — Wake up and scroll TikTok. I remember to take my vitamins this morning even though I'm a bit hungover.

12 p.m. — K. leaves and I order a brunch of shrimp and grits and one salmon taco for delivery. $23

1 p.m. — My sisters call and we have a three-way call and talk for hours. We talk about our family drama, make jokes and pick on each other.

5 p.m. — Watch Netflix all evening.

9:30 p.m. — H. gets home and I attack her immediately with kisses. She tells me about her weekend and gets ready for bed. She tells me she forgot her only pair of running shoes at her dad's and she has running training tomorrow. I ask her to text her dad and ask him to drop them off. Her dad does not speak to me so all communication goes through her. She is 10 and it sucks that we cannot communicate but 90% of the time we have no reason to communicate. She is in bed by 10. I fall asleep sometime afterward.

7 a.m. — I am awake and do my normal routine. H. asks me to take her to the bank after school to get cash to buy her dad a gift. I check her account and I agree to grab the cash while she is at school.

9:15 a.m. — Log on for morning stand-up, grab my daily Monster Ultra and immediately review my work from last week. It looks good to go so I submit the changes for approval. While I wait, I log into Mint. I check my budgets, categorize my transactions and see how much I have to spend on groceries. I pay off my main credit card from the last few days of purchases.

11:50 a.m. — Almost time for my counseling appointment. Quickly make a protein shake for lunch. My obesity doctor wants me to get in 80 grams of protein per day while on this new medication and I have not been doing great.

1 p.m. — Finish my initial consultation with the counselor. I really like her and I am happy with my choice. We schedule a follow-up and I'm looking forward to it.

3 p.m. — Meet with my mentor to discuss my career. We also talk about my struggles with my current team's culture. My mentor is also a woman in tech so she understands my struggles. H. texts me that her dad brought her shoes.

5 p.m. — I am done with work so I handle some admin tasks. I schedule an appointment for H. to get her hair braided later this week. I place an order for a food scale and meal prep containers on Amazon. $24.54

6 p.m. — Pick up the kids, drop off N. and then head home. Once home, H. and I work on this week's grocery list and meal plan. I recently began working with a nutritionist (telehealth service paid monthly) because I want to provide healthier choices for H. Her suggestion was that H. and I meal plan together. I place our grocery order for pick-up. $75

7 p.m. — Take H. to the bank to get cash for her dad's birthday. We then head to Walmart to get H. a shirt for spirit week at school. H. pays from her allowance. We stop at KFC for me ($5.79) and McDonald's for her ($5.79). $11.58

8 p.m. — H. eats while I clean the kitchen and make quinoa for meal prepping. Take out chicken tenderloins to thaw for tomorrow. We are in bed by 10.