
Mamamia’s What My Salary Gets Me asks Australians to record a week in their financial lives. Kind of like a sex diary but with money. So not like a sex diary at all. We still find out the best kept secrets though. We discover what women are really spending their hard-earned cash on. Nothing is too outrageous or too sacred. This week, a 21-year-old working in admin/retail in Melbourne, Victoria, shares her diary.
Age: 21
Industry: Administration/Retail.
Salary: $42,300 per year.
Housing: Renting a two-bedroom city apartment which I share with one housemate.
Assets: Jewellery from my partner ($2,100) and a few designer bags.
Debt: $17,283 of HECS.
Regular expenses:
Rent: $1300 per month.
Stan: $0, I use my boyfriend’s account.
Hayu: $0, I’m doing a free thirty-day trial.
Internet: $30 per month for my share.
Gym: $0 (my apartment building has a gym).
Other less regular expenses:
Electricity: We get our bills quarterly but I’ve only moved in recently, so I haven’t had a bill yet.
Main savings account: $600 per month.
Shopping fund: $600 per month.
Watch: The optimal salary for happiness. Post continues after video.
Friday – Day One.
I wake up late and skip breakfast. I live a short distance from my workplace, so I grab a latte on the walk to work ($4.50). I eat lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant with a colleague and it’s my turn to pay ($37.60). For dinner a friend cooked me pasta. My partner is overseas working at the moment and I miss him a lot!
Daily total: $42.10
Saturday – Day Two.
I work most weekends, but it’s just me in the office. I buy an espresso shot and a muffin on my way to work to perk me up ($11.90). I decide to take a late lunch and buy a footlong from Subway and eat it alone in the breakroom listening to a podcast about The View ($12.45). I sip on water throughout the day as I seldom snack. For dinner I meet a friend at a Thai restaurant and order veg pad thai ($17).
Top Comments
A $17000 HECS debt, an overdraft and designer handbags. An interesting combination.
Imo, a few designer handbags is better than dozens of cheap ones. It's ok if she can make those few designer handbags last several years. Some friends I know still using theirs over a decade later. Great investments in the long run.
How about just owning one or two cheap ones? It's what most people do. If you're going to invest in handbags, it's best not to use them (resell value better if they're not used).
So much packaging going into landfill with all this take away!