A Week In Vermont On $13.50 An Hour Plus A $400 Monthly Allowance

Occupation: Teaching Assistant
Industry: Early Childhood Education
Age: 22
Location: Vermont
Salary: $13.50/hour and my parents send me $400/month
Net Worth: -$17,400 (I have $2,600 saved and $20,000 in debt)
Debt: Debt: 20,000 (student loans)
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): Varies, I'm usually scheduled for 32 hours a week, but typically end up working more
Pronouns: She/they

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $400 (my half, my partner pays the other half)
Loans: Delayed to 2021 due to COVID
Spotify: $4.99
Savings: $100 to savings automatically from checking every Friday
Health Insurance: $0 (on Vermont Medicaid)

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 parents always wanted me to do whatever I wanted, but I wanted to go to college. I went to a pretty bougie college in the midwest and got considerable financial aid and scholarships. My parents paid what was always described to me as an affordable price. My mom also promised to pay back my loans, but I'm hoping in a few years to pay those back myself.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents have had their own moderately successful businesses and are homeowners, but we're still pretty broke. As a kid, I learned about lines of equity, savings, investments, and the value of property. I was always worried about money, and my mom (from the age of 5) has always taken the time to calm me down using terms I didn't understand but always interpreted as "we're broke, but we'll always be okay."

What was your first job and why did you get it?
Cashier at a health food store in Brooklyn. I think I got it because I was a cute girl. I worked hard there, I skipped my prom to work there.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Always!

Do you worry about money now?
Always. But I need to not be so hard on myself.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
22ish. My parents give me a $400 allowance every month (!!!), which is my safety net and will eventually have to be applied to my loans. I'm so appreciative of the money and I put it into my savings pretty much every month. I know if I ever have an emergency I have a good line of credit and my parents to call on.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Lol no. My abuelito in South America has some absurd amount of mystery money, so maybe I'll get that.

6:30 a.m. — Wake up and get ready for work. I am covering for a coworker today so I get to work a full day (I usually do a split shift), though I did work the whole day yesterday. I am very excited for the extra hours and the extra responsibility. I prepped my meal last night and throw it in my bag and zoom out the door. For breakfast, I have eggs and some berries on the side.

7:30 a.m. — Work starts. I am a preschool teaching assistant. The day starts out well and ends well. My supervisor is my classroom lead teacher and we had kind of a rough patch last week, but we're doing better this week. I am currently working in person. I live in Vermont which has extraordinarily low COVID-19 numbers. I feel as safe as possible, considering. My colleagues and I all wear masks, but the children don't. I work with kids ages 1-6.

1:30 p.m. — Rest time. I try to do some finance/budgeting on my iPad while the kids sleep. Unfortunately, I have lots of kids waking up early today. Sigh. Maybe it's for the best, I'm frustrated with my budget lately! I am realizing I truly live paycheck to paycheck, even with the extra income from my parents. I am actively trying to save more and be conscious with my money and blah blah blah, but it's hard when you make so little! Sometimes it feels impossible.

4:30 p.m. — Work ends. I head over to a local brewery to meet my significant other, R., to grab drinks and bar food to celebrate him getting a poem published. I treat him to drinks and bar food. We order one stout, one “Oktoberfest” beer, one big pretzel with cheese sauce, and one order of onion rings. This is a good chunk of my eating out budget for October, which is supposed to be $80 per month. But it's a treat! You aren't published everyday. $35.66

6 p.m. — I hop onto a Zoom call for professional development. It's our last book club meeting for this book we have been reading with local childcare providers. I studied history and sociology in college and just kind of wound up being a preschool teacher when we moved to Vermont, so I acknowledge the need for continued education. I sometimes worry I made a mistake with this job, but I love working in the field and with my kids. I want to work with families in some form in the future. I'm from NYC so I hope to move back next year with my s/o and figure out a job there. I'm mostly saving for that move, which is super far away but I'm sure will be pricey. My saving goal is $5,000 by the end of this job.

7:30 p.m. — Meeting ends, didn't engage much. R. makes us a dinner of ravioli and brown butter sage sauce. It's not very good, but it can't be helped sometimes!

10 p.m. — We clean up our cooking stuff/organize for tomorrow. We snuggle up and catch up with Lovecraft Country.

6:30 a.m. — Wake up and get ready for work, I'm in a bad mood this morning for no reason. I have cereal and some berries for breakfast.

7:30 a.m. — I head into work, start my day. Good start! Everyone is in a good mood, except me! Watch out.

9:30 a.m. — My split shift starts and I head home. I live walking distance from work, which is great, because I am from NYC and never learned how to drive. But first, I read in the park for a bit. I'm currently reading 1Q84 because I love Murakami and am a freak.

11:30 a.m. — R. works remotely, so after his conference we go out for lunch. We grab a bite downtown since we're tired of leftovers and want to hang out. I buy myself a wrap and a smoothie. I cheat and add it to my coffee budget for the month. $18

12:30 a.m. — Back to work for the second half of my shift. I cover my coworker's room while he takes a break. He works with the older kids and is feeling very drained.

4:30 p.m. — I walk downtown to pick up some photos I got developed at a local store. It starts to pour and the store is closed. I have a few tragic moments in the rain and then call R. to get me. I've started taking film photos here. I think it's a good way to document my time here. I'm hoping it won't wind up being an expensive hobby. Let's see!

5 p.m. — R. heads out to do laundry and I reschedule a phone call with my mom because I have dance in an hour.

5:15 p.m. — Dance class gets canceled. I was looking forward to the class this week, but at least I get to save $25. I don't call mom, too tired. I marinate in front of the TV till I start making dinner.

6:30 p.m. — Dinner is ready, R. is still out doing laundry. I'm not a very good at cooking, I cook chicken and kale in apples. I take a few bites of undercooked chicken but survive.

8 p.m. — Go to bed early because I want to get up at 5:30 and run.

6:30 a.m. — I said I was going to go for a run today but I have lots of errands later and I'm usually pretty pooped from work so I wind up not going. I miss the availability of a gym in college and the ability to workout whenever. During the past six months I've had phases of taking care of my body and working out. Living with R. is great because he works out a lot and it motivates me to also be active. I have cereal for breakfast.

7:30 a.m. — Work, poopy diapers, books, songs, “twucks.”

9:30 a.m. — I go home for my split shift and put away laundry while R. works in the living room.

11 a.m. — I have a lunch of leftover pasta. Boring, but can't eat out every day (or can you?).

11:30 a.m. — I head out to pick up my photos and a volunteer application at a local rehabilitation center. I'm eager to see what the field looks like and if I can fit into it! Plus, I'm excited to help out my new community. They don't have any physical applications but I leave my info to set up a time to call or email. I hope it all works out!

11:58 a.m. — The photo center opens at 12, so I stop at a local thrift store to kill some time. I see an ugly-cute shirt-sweater combo — it has jewels and zebra print. Hideous. I love it. $6

12 p.m. — I stop by the photo center and the photos aren't ready yet. I realize I need to get on the chill Vermonter vibes and wavelengths. I'm so uppity, I need to take a breath sometimes.

12:15 p.m. — I grab a coffee before heading back to work and finishing my work day. $2

4:30 p.m. — Home! R. and I go grocery shopping. We split the cost. Grocery shopping while hungry is dangerous territory, but I still keep it within my budget. R. and I split the cost of groceries (the total was $114, so I Venmo him $57). $57

5:30 p.m. — I call my mom while R. makes dinner. Mom is going to visit soon, hopefully! With COVID-19 and Vermont quarantine guidelines, it's hard for me to schedule a visit to her without breaking the rules. During this call and looking at the calendar I realize that October has five Fridays, which is when my automatic transfer is to my savings. I budget (and try) to save $400 dollars every month, so I skip this week's $100 transfer.

6 p.m. — Dinner and chatting with R. about our days. Best part of my day is being with him.

6:30 a.m. — Wake up and have a big breakfast of eggs and spinach. R. usually makes breakfast when he gets up with me.

7:30 a.m. — Work! Chill day at work, minimal injuries. Email my boss my time card since Monday is a holiday and that's when they are usually due.

4:30 p.m. — Meet R. at home and we walk downtown to pick up my photos. HAR HAR on me, the place only provides negatives because they don't have the facilities to create 4x6s from a whole roll of film. I'm bummed, but the guy is nice and offers to make me a contact sheet and email it and then will let me make prints of a few photos for a fair price.

5 p.m. — We get some beers nearby. R.'s treat! I think he saw how anxious I was about the photos and asking the guy questions. Sometimes things like that shake me up. I appreciate the gesture.

7 p.m. — We get home and our ground turkey for dinner isn't defrosted yet. Rats! We drive uptown for takeout and get burritos. It's frustrating to have to get takeout when we have food at home, but you can't eat frozen turkey… or can you? $9.59

9 p.m. — Watch some TV, smooch, go to bed.

8 a.m. — The days I get to sleep in past 6:30 feel like such a blessing. We have a big breakfast of eggs, bread, and spinach.

11 a.m. — We meet up with some of R.'s acquaintances for a hike.

4 p.m. — Five hours later and we are home. It was a steep, rocky, treacherous three miles up. Holy shit. But it was nice meeting new people and new young people around our age! It's been weird entering the “real world” and making new friends. Thankfully, Vermonters are friendly, helpful folx.

5 p.m. — I shower and unpack from the hike. Neither of us wants to cook tonight after that doozy of a hike. And we are out of some shower stuff.

6 p.m. — We order sushi and run to Walgreens to pick up some stuff before the food is ready. We get toothpaste, body wash, and body scrub. I sign up for a Walgreens card while we're there and we get a dollar off our purchase. Noice. $20.68

7 p.m. — Food arrives. Sushi in a landlocked state is as good as it sounds, but it hits the spot after our day. He knocks ten off what I owe him for the food from the “home” stuff I bought us at Walgreens. I Venmo him or dinner. I'm slowly reaching my eating out cap! $10

9 p.m. — We hang out, have some drinks at home to unwind, and tune into a friend's livestream.

9 a.m. — Whew, slept in! What a treat.

10 a.m. — I have a light breakfast of some berries and cereal. Text with my mom for a minute.

12 p.m. — R. and I go to a local orchard and farm. We are planning on making an apple pie tonight and want to get some pumpkins for carving. We opt for the reusable bag option which is $5 more than the typical medium apple bag option. I pay. $20

1 p.m. — We finish apple picking and wander around the farm in the sun. We keep joking that “it's the last nice day.” We go into the store and pick out a pumpkin each, some seasoning for burgers tonight (we're finally going to make our turkey burgers), and a half dozen apple cider donuts. R. pays for this, it's ~$20 so we call it even!

2 p.m. — We stop by Aldi and pick up some stuff for dinner and the next few days. We break a pickle jar while there, brine goes everywhere. No injuries though! We get feta cheese, artichoke hearts, cabbage, ravioli, butter, eggs, and some other things. R. pays and Venmos me half. $25

2:30 p.m. — R.'s cousin stops by for a sudden visit. We walk around downtown with them and do lots of window shopping. R. and I get on line for a local place for lunch and we wait, wait, and wait. My mood fades, my energy melts. I'm exhausted and slowly things are becoming overwhelming. I can recognize when my anxiety attacks are starting now. Noises and lights become overstimulating, I start story-making, and my own skin becomes constricting. I chuck my wallet at R. so he can get food for him and his cousin.

3 p.m. — I make it home and cry for a moment. I cry over spending money this week, feeling infinitely guilty for eating out, for enjoying my day when I should have been saving and doing my homework. I cry while I make myself ravioli (extra salty) that we bought with the intention of having for lunch. R. pays me back right away for his lunch and reminds me his leftovers from yesterday are in the fridge.

4 p.m. — R. and his cousin stop by the house and hang out for a while. I'm feeling better after some food and time alone and in my house. I think about how I can save if I can budget right. R.'s cousin leaves.

6 p.m. — R. and I make dinner of the godforsaken turkey burgers and an apple pie from the apples we picked. We enjoy our dinner and chat. He agrees we spent a lot of money on takeout this week and that we can do better in the future. I slip into my own mind again, thinking about money, crunching numbers to see how much I spent this week. I'm honestly nervous to add my total from this week and see where the money went. We talk about this and about our goals for next week. We both agree we want to eat out less and I have a personal goal for myself to not eat out all next week.

8:30 a.m. — No work today because it's a holiday. I get dressed and go for a run. I stop by a farm stand that's “pay what you can,” I take a small thing of kale and three very tiny peppers. Reflecting on this I feel awful. I should have paid, I didn't plan to grab anything so I didn't bring my wallet. I should go back later this week to donate.

9:30 a.m. — Shower and find R. reading a book. We agree to make pancakes this morning. R. doesn't have the holiday off, but is working from home so hangs with me throughout the day.

10 a.m. — The pancakes are a big success — we use some leftover brown rice flour from an experiment and they turn out pretty flat but good! We discuss what we want to do today in regards to chores.

11 a.m. — Dishes done and chores started! Cleaning has always felt really good for me to clear my mind and reset my space. It's a tangible accomplishment for me that validates the hard work I have put into creating and maintaining my space.

1 p.m. — Cleaning done and we both sit down and do some work. I make some calls and even schedule a dentist appointment. I just joined Vermont Medicaid and the receptionist I speak to is really nice and as a clinic they are used to it. My mom, whose insurance I was on, was furloughed due to COVID-19 so I recently lost my insurance. A few weeks ago I saw my old dentist (outside of Vermont) who had to fix some work they did and when she offered a cleaning I told her I had lost my insurance and couldn't afford it. Her response was “I hope you have a good toothbrush.” So, I'm thankful to have found a dentist who is more empathetic to my situation.

2 p.m. — Our neighbor invites me over to look at some clothes she wants to get rid of. I take a dress, beret, a new pair of Uggs (!!!), and a pair of running shorts. Thanks, girl! She doesn't have a car so I offer to drive over some of the stuff she wants to donate later this week.

3 p.m. — R. and I go to a hardware store to get some goods! We pick up a cleaning solution, a compostable sponge, steel wool, and trash bags. H venmos me immediately for half. After our conversation about money, I think he saw how my anxiety really spiked. $15

4 p.m. — I sit down with a beer and binge the Haunting of Bly Manor. Happy day off, ya'll!

6:30 p.m. — I log onto my Zoom class for some professional development, sit back with my beer in a mug, and enjoy my class. Cheers to the week!