
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 24-year-old Executive Assistant tells all.
Age: 24
Occupation: Executive Assistant
Salary: $70,000 + super (paid monthly)
Additional Income: $4,000 (paid weekly)
Relationship Status: De-Facto with partner of 18 months
Given my partner and I budget together for our living expenses and our future, I will include him in this too.
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Partner’s Age: 28
Occupation: Internal Transportation Liaison
Salary: $70,000 inc. super
Additional income: $10,000 (paid weekly)
Combined monthly income: $8,850 approx.
Monthly expenses:
- Groceries: $600 ($150 a week)
- Rent: $1,600
- Gym Membership: $80
- Car repayment: $600
- Petrol: $520
- Public transport: $160
- Phones: $250
- Internet: $100
- Netflix: $10
Combined assets: None.
Saturday – Day One.
6:00am wake up this morning, much to my partners misfortune, and I get to the gym ASAP for my workout. Gym membership is $80.00 per month, which deducts from our billing account on the 1st of each month. Today is the 11th so I’m in the clear today!
By 7:30am I’m home for breakfast which consists of oats, almond milk, a banana and a coffee from my Nespresso coffee machine. All this is covered in our weekly grocery bill, so today it’s free.
From 9:00am – 11:30am I teach dance classes in a neighbouring suburb, I earn $100 for the 2.5 hours (#hustle). Classes only run during school terms, so I work about 40 weeks of the year for this particular studio. I top up with petrol on my way to the studio which costs me $40.00.
Top Comments
Am I the only one who can't make sense of this maths? How are they left with $1,236.50?
"Our “friends” have passed comments about how lucky we are to both be paid monthly. We are not lucky. We have worked hard and earned promotions."
...Do they? Being paid monthly sounds like a nightmare since no other payments are monthly. And with a salary of 70k, there can't have been too many promotions to feel smug about. And why are their "friends" in inverted commas?! This is such a weird high horse to be on.
As a flippant carefree youth exploring my boundaries. I loved getting paid by the month.
Week 1: I was a King.
Week 2: I was a Prince
Week 3: I was wondering why the King abdicated
Week 4: Goodness me, I'm a common pauper associating with the riff raff.
It was exciting, but alas, it was a bit of a roller-coaster at times.