A Week In Philadelphia On A $63,602 Salary

Occupation: Teacher
Industry: Education
Age: 25
Location: Philadelphia
Salary: $63,602 (before tax).
Assets: Savings: $251,174.31; checking: $2,375.26; Vanguard: $108,769.81; IRA: $32,974.58; employer retirement account: $8,277.81.
Debt: $0
Paycheck Amount (Biweekly): $2,945 before tax (it’s normally $1,575 after taxes, retirement, union dues (1%), etc).
Pronouns: she/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $850 rent (I have two roommates in a rowhouse).
Monthly Loan Payments: $0
Utilities: Gas and electric were about $80 through the summer, but it is currently the winter so I’m assuming it will be more.
Wifi: $4 — my roommate works for an internet company.
Water: ~$10
Gym: $10
Car/Renters Insurance: $236 (my car got totaled and the new one is in my name — insurance is very expensive for a young person I have learned!).

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?
Yes, both my parents went to their flagship state school in the Midwest and I always pushed myself in school and wanted to go to college. My parents were much more frugal growing up and saved a lot for my college. My mom especially wanted me to have more opportunities to move away for college, as she was a first-generation student. They saved enough and I got about 70% of my tuition covered by need-based aid from my small liberal arts college. I worked in the summers and school year for spending money and covered the loans I received from the school via work study. I graduated in seven semesters and then got a master’s degree for teaching which I paid for with a settlement from being severely hit by a car during college.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Honestly not much until my car accident (age 18), which resulted in a substantial settlement as me and my parents were pretty much unable to care for ourselves for about four months. I broke my ribs, sternum, and neck. Once we received the settlement a few years later and we had much more spending money, I understood that my parents had been aggressively saving. We were always comfortable but much more modest than a lot of people I grew up around.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
Teaching Sunday school at age 14 for money, but it was only a few hours a week. I started working at a restaurant at 15, also to make my own money. Once I was in high school, I pretty much paid for any food/clothes/friend-related things, but my parents very much paid for things like school trips/supplies, shoes, books, meals out, etc.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Not really, but it was clear that a lot of my classmates were spoiled by their parents and had access to their cars, credit cards, and so on. Once I got to college and a lot of my classmates were from the coasts and old money, I then felt more insecure, but never actually had to worry.

Do you worry about money now?
No, but pretty much all of my savings account comes from having a near-death experience getting hit by a car and getting a settlement. I had saved about $7,000 before the accident, almost all the rest until I started my career came from the settlement. To be clear, had I not been in the accident, I would worry more about money: I would have debt and only saved what I can from a teacher’s salary. Because of the accident, I have no debt and a sizable savings account.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became financially independent when I started working as a teacher at age 23, one year after college when I completed my master’s. My parents supported me during my master’s as I essentially broke even on rent with a part-time job and food stamps.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
My aforementioned car accident settlement (I guess, but not a passive experience) and then my parents paying for my education. I got a $5 allowance weekly from maybe age 10 to 14 until I started working, lol!

10 a.m. — It’s the weekend! After a morning of laying and cuddling in bed, I go on a short run and then my boyfriend N. and I make breakfast — eggs and avocado toast, fruit — at home (I had bought the groceries last week). I’m a teacher and the mornings are rushed, so I like to eat eggs on the weekend when I have more time. N. then orders doughnuts online from a gluten-free doughnut place (my stomach sucks as a result of the car accident) which was $14.81 (but he paid). We go to pick them up; the special is coconut ube crunch and it is quite delicious.

12:15 p.m. — I go over to my union meeting, which is at a friend’s house! He provides lunch and I get to catch up with my friends. I guess technically my dues come out of my paycheck, but there’s no cost associated with this out of pocket. 

3 p.m. — After the union meeting, I go over to a friend’s to do some grading, watch Sex and the City, and hang out. Carrie irritates us as always due to her self-centered behavior. I do a little bit of grading to finalize the kids’ grades for first semester. One class actually only has two Cs — otherwise it’s all As and Bs, which I have never had before! Shoutout fifth period US history if you guys see this…

7 p.m. — N. and I scavenge for dinner but it’s actually pretty good. Sheet pan chicken sausage and cherry tomatoes plus gluten-free tortellini and pesto. I recently stopped being a vegetarian (optional) to accommodate for gluten free (mandatory post-car accident complications), and chicken sausage is my new fixation. 

9:30 p.m. — After making dinner, N. and I meet our friends at the bar to watch playoff football. I pay for our first round (my only round, lol) of drinks and two games of skee ball ($19.50 altogether, skee ball games are $1 each so it was $17.50 for two drinks). We then spend way too long discussing our favorite 2000s/2010s pop songs and singing them much too loudly. Home by 11:30 p.m. I eat a leftover doughnut from the morning and pass out. $19.50

11 a.m. — I sleep in, then lie in bed doing the crossword, reading the news, looking at Instagram. N. is still asleep. Then I do the gym+Aldi double whammy. I get a lot of baking stuff I am running out of (having people over to decorate cookies tomorrow for my half birthday/the holiday weekend). I am also making cinnamon rolls for them and want to provide some snacks. Also, I need my regular stuff: berries, string cheese, chicken, pasta/sauce, oranges, kale, turkey bacon, cucumbers, peppers, and hummus. I also stock up on paper towels and toilet paper because it’s cheapest there. Everything ends up being $72.14, which feels like more than normal but I remind myself about the paper products. $72.14

1 p.m. — I go to Giant to get gluten-free flour and icing because Aldi doesn’t have that (Giant is a block from my apartment). I rue the cost of gluten free and am annoyed about my stomach not working. I run into a student who is working there but he was busy so we don’t talk. Maybe next time I will ask for a discount? I speed walk home in the snow/rain/wintry mix and make an egg and avocado sandwich. $11.21

3 p.m. — E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES! It’s the division round of football playoffs so some friends and I go to a huge brewery for the game and it is standing room only. We stay for the whole game and I am captivated the whole time. Eagles win 28-22, but it felt way closer. I get two beers and we share some bar food, and my share is $22.45. Worth it for sure. $22.45

8 p.m. — Make sushi bowls for dinner for me, N., and a friend in from out of town. We are so tired but stay up talking a bit and then are in bed by 11 p.m.

9 a.m. — Three day weekend! I make coffee for me, N., and my friend. I immediately go to buy more Nespresso pods ($29.38). I never drink coffee alone but I do socially — I like the taste but never got a habit. After making breakfast for me, N., and my friend, plus starting the cinnamon rolls (sourdough from scratch), sugar cookies, and buttercream for friends coming over later for cookie decorating, I run back to Giant to get rock salt ($9.29) for my sidewalk. I don’t see any students, and on the way back see my neighbor literally salting with her tiny sea salt grinder from Whole Foods. I salt my walk and give the rest to her. I get back home and keep prepping for the guests. $39.97

12:30 p.m. — Party time! I have seven friends over for cookie decorating and we play Fishbowl, a Charades/Catch phrase hybrid where you come up with your own terms. It is my favorite game and I am highly competitive. My team loses by one, sadly. All the snacks, cinnamon rolls, and cookies are crushed, and people are out by 3:15 p.m. or so. I love a daytime get together, and now I have the afternoon to myself.

4 p.m. — This is what I call “a few hours on the couch.” I rotate between the sweater I’m knitting, some crosswords from a book N. got me last holiday season, watching The Wire, and some silly phone time. I have a ton of hobbies and can entertain myself for a very long time, which is something I got quite good at between recovering from my accident and then COVID-19 happening, both of which were less than two years apart.

7 p.m. — Leftover sushi rice and some Aldi frozen gluten-free General Tso’s chicken and a side salad for Girl Dinner. I enjoy the rest of the night reading a new biography of Ed Rendell (past mayor of Philly) and knitting a pair of mittens. While eating dinner, we get an announcement there is a two-hour delay to school because: weather!!!! I get to stay up a little late and watch a movie with N. (which even though he lives in Philly, we still do from our separate homes, lol). We used to be long distance and kept this routine when we aren’t having a sleepover but still want to be doing something together. I stay up a bit later to finish the mittens, and go to sleep around 11 p.m.

7:45 a.m. — Rise and shine! We have a two-hour school delay because it’s freezing out. I wake up, enjoy laying in bed for a while, get dressed, wash face, brush teeth, take my meds, etc. I have my everyday breakfast (get ready for lots of Greek yogurt, blueberries, granola mentions), and today read for a while because of the delay, then catch a ride from my coworker and get to school by 9:30 a.m. Normally, the day starts at 7:55 a.m. but I like to be at least 20 minutes early, especially at the beginning of the week. Thankfully it is the start of a new marking period so I don’t really have anything to grade, but there’s always something to work on.

1:15 p.m. — Lunch time at school. I have leftover chicken/rice, string cheese, Diet Coke, and an orange. I have had the latter three things every day for probably 90% of my career — I normally spread throughout the afternoon to keep my stamina up. I only have one class period left after lunch, and they are oddly enough the quietest most relaxed, which is very uncommon for last period. I review the MLK/gun control assignment for today in honor of MLK Day last weekend and gear up for the last class.

3:10 p.m. — I leave school, getting a ride again. It was a really chill day because so many students were out due to the weather. One thing I LOVE about the district here is how they would rather call a delay knowing it’ll be a fake day of school than proactively call for virtual so we could modify our plans! Yay, bureaucracy! I wait for N. to get off work (he works at an elementary school that gets out later) and go to pick him up, then we go to the gym and back to his house.

7:30 p.m. — N. and I make dinner — a tofu Brussels sprout thing from NYT Cooking (thank you mom for not charging me). N.’s roommate and his girlfriend are also over and we have a great time critiquing the Great British Baking Show bakes in our best accents. N.’s roommate gets tickets to the Sixers game next week for us ($11.25 for the nosebleeds) and I venmo him. N. and I hang out after that, reading/chatting until we go to bed a bit before 9:45 p.m., thanks to the melatonin we are getting a little too dependent on. $11.25

6:30 a.m. — Up and at ’em! I snooze a few times, then get ready and leave by 7:05 a.m. for work. I drive again because 1) cold and 2) I am at N.’s house which is not convenient on transit. I have a defrosted frozen muffin that I make in bulk and stockpile at his house for breakfast, and hit the road. The kids start a current events project this week to start the second semester before going on to the next unit (Industrial Revolution).

11:15 a.m. — This is my prep period, aka the one hour a day teachers have to grade, plan, do paperwork, play therapist to students, go to the bathroom, breathe, etc. I normally spend it checking off the first three periods of classwork that day if they had a deliverable (not today, thanks to the new project), so I do some planning instead. I try and plan my units a few months out and have a day-by-day spreadsheet calendar that is my religion. I have a new course this year, and am almost done making the materials for the last unit (current events in Black history) of the year. The hour flies by. 

3:30 p.m. — I leave work and stop at the grocery store to get some sundried tomatoes for a recipe tomorrow and also to kill time before meeting my friend. I go pick her up and we have some good gossip time. $4.91

4:30 p.m. — My friend and I go to a secondhand craft supply store where I get a spring-form cake tin, stationery, buttons, and a knitting needle to replace a lost one for a grand total of $16.14. What a bargain. We then move onto the Mexican restaurant next door for happy hour and split some chips, guac, and elote ($12.26 each after tip) before I drop her off. I head back home and decide that the guac might just replace my dinner tonight. $28.40

7 p.m. — I get home and hang out with my roommates watching the nature channel and knitting. After an hour or so I head upstairs to read. Whenever I get into a book, I really try and prioritize it because I can get into a reading drought easily. The past two years I’ve averaged between three and four books a month, but this year has been a slower start. I go to bed around 9:15 p.m.

6:30 a.m. — Awake again. I snooze once and am downstairs by 7 a.m., have yogurt/blueberries/granola, and leave at 7:10 a.m. to pick up my coworker (it is still freezing). The students are lovely today and work well on their current events projects. Needed a chill day.

1 p.m. — Lunch time again. I finish my lesson plans for next week and then work on the crossword. By the end of the week and end of the day, it is really hard to motivate myself to do more engaging work (like creating materials). To be clear, lesson planning = mandated by the district: we fill in a boilerplate template to explain what we are doing each day. This is after the fact for me because I rely much more on my aforementioned color-coded spreadsheet and Google Drive, but gotta jump through the hoops.

4 p.m. — What is the category for items that should be expensed but you work for a underfunded system? I stop at Michael’s Crafts next to the gym to get construction paper and pens for the classroom, because a colleague lent me a ton of paper and I said I would get him back. $14.83

6:30 p.m. — After making dinner with N. (the Marry Me chicken, but we are not married) (it was great though), I drop a jar of dulce de leche on my foot and it shatters. This sucks because my roommate just came back from Argentina and had gotten it to share, and I feel so dumb. I find it online and order a replacement ($11.96, but FedEx Uruguay is another $8). My foot is thankfully fine, due to slippers. Bad roommate moment. $19.96

10 p.m. — N. and I watch GBBO (Saku just got kicked off, sad), cuddle, hang out, etc and go to bed. Being a teacher has made me such a TGIF person; weekends hit even harder as a teacher, not a student.

6:30 a.m. — Actually haul myself out of bed because I need to catch the bus today! I am getting happy hour with my work best friend after work so I don’t want to be tethered to my car. Yogurt/granola/blueberries and out the door by 7 a.m. $2.50

11:15 a.m. — Start reviewing the students’ “End of the Week Quiz”. Every Friday, they get a writing prompt with no notes (I do give them a word bank) and 15 minutes to complete the task — about a paragraph, maybe two for some of the big nerds. The prompt generally has to do with reviewing the content from the week, but this week I list the next four units for the rest of the year (Industrial Revolution, World Wars/Great Depression, Cold War, social activism) and have them list what they know for each plus a question about each topic. This is so I can see how much background they have going in. The answer? Not much about the Cold War, that’s for sure!

4 p.m. — I go to dinner/happy hour with my work friend (turned very good real friend) plus her roommate at a Belgian pub. I get some chicken tenders, fries, and a sour beer ($33 after tip). We split dessert, talk for a really long time and then brave the cold home. As soon as I get in the door, I turn right around and join my roommates on their way to a friends’ apartment to hang out and have a craft night. TGIF!!! $33

9 p.m. — My roomates and I get home after going to the friends’ place. It was fun, but we didn’t know many people, there so we kind of kept to ourselves and left early. Oops. Sometimes I get too into “no new friends” mode, but that’s a problem for another time. N. comes over and we fall asleep — I have mandatory work training at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow (SATURDAY) morning. Evil. We read and go to sleep.