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).
Daily total: $41.35
Sunday – Day Three.
Working yet again! I buy another espresso and muffin and it’s somehow cheaper today? ($9.50). For lunch my boss brings in sushi rolls and buys me a second coffee. Work is long and slow. For dinner my boss and his wife take me out for pizza and wine and they pay.
Daily total: $9.50
Monday – Day Four.
It’s my day off, but I still rise at a reasonable hour to go meet a friend for coffee and matcha slice ($9). We decide to walk to the National Gallery and wander through the free galleries. I walk her back to the train station and bid farewell. I do a little shopping and buy a pair of Calvin Klein underwear from a department store. With 40 per cent off plus my $10 store credit they cost only $7. I stop by a very trendy burger bar on my way home and order a combo ($19.50). I eat it once I arrive home and watch The Real Housewives of New York. Then I call my sister and lay on the couch gossiping for about an hour. I eat leftover pasta for dinner that my friend made.
Daily total: $35.50
Tuesday – Day Five.
I buy a coffee and banana bread before work ($7.50). I have an odd craving around lunchtime for a schnitzel, which I get from a nearby café ($13.9). For dinner I go to a Japanese restaurant with friends for katsu and matcha ice-cream ($23.45). Tomorrow is my day off, so I stay up late applying a Korean face mask and watching a documentary about America’s disappearing middle class.
Daily total: $44.85
Wednesday – Day Six.
I wake up about 11am and go to a Krispy Kreme for coffee and doughnuts ($7.95). My housemate is home sick with the flu, so I walk around the city to be alone with my thoughts and stop in at my favourite Italian restaurant for a second coffee and lasagne ($25). I wander to Tiffany and Co to window shop and get a ring polished (complimentary service). I come home and do some online shopping, and promptly order a camel-coloured coat I find on sale ($150). I eat a can of flavoured tuna for dinner, and for dessert I have a few pieces of chocolate and a cup of tea.
Daily total: $182.95
Thursday – Day Seven.
I head to work and grab my usual espresso and snack ($9.00). I visit a client’s office in the afternoon, but get so carried away with my tasks I skip lunch. For dinner I cheat and go to a fast food restaurant ($11.95). Later in the evening I walk to my nearest supermarket and buy a small punnet of blueberries ($3.75).
Daily total: $24.70
Weekly total: $380.95
Reflection: I’m a little embarrassed by my spending. I’m not a confident cook, so I clearly spend an exorbitant amount on eating out. I often have to dip into savings, overdraft or ask my parents for extra money. I tend to buy more high end clothes and cosmetics, but I buy much more sparingly than my friends. I live in the Melbourne CBD so I walk almost everywhere. It definitely saves me a lot on transport and it’s great exercise.
Mamamia’s What My Salary Gets Me series drops every Thursday. Want to share a week in the life of your bank account with us (anonymously of course, no judgement here)? Send us your Money Diary to submissions@mamamia.com.au
Read more:
- What My Salary Gets Me: A 34-year-old on $21,400 a year, who has hardly any daily expenses.
- What My Salary Gets Me: A 29-year-old public servant with a mortgage and a 6-figure salary.
- What My Salary Gets Me: A 24-year-old journalist who earns $55,000 a year.
- What My Salary Gets Me: A single mum living in Brisbane with three-year-old twins.
- What My Salary Gets Me: A 23-year-old student pharmacist who earns $51,000 a year.
- What My Salary Gets Me: A part-time physiotherapist who spent almost $2000 in a day.
- What My Salary Gets Me: A 36-year-old project manager who spent $3795 in one week.
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!