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WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week. If you’re interested, send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.
*Last time around, we heard from an administrator on €35K living in the Midlands. This week, a financial administrator in the west of the country. *
I’m a single mother living in the west of Ireland with my children, who are national school-age. I don’t save as much as have a ‘rainy day fund’, where all my savings and what I put aside for the big yearly expenses, as well as any emergencies, is combined.
I love getting into the outdoors, such as hiking and camping. I also really enjoy cooking, reading and working out.
I make use of Revolut pockets to help me with my budgeting. I get paid once a month, and then receive a top-up weekly from social welfare.
I divide all the day-to-day expenses into the relevant Revolut pocket, and then I throw a portion of what’s left into my rainy-day fund.
The remainder acts as an account buffer for any surprise expenses. The bulk of my bills and expenses come out at the beginning of the month, including rent.
Occupation: Financial administrator
Age: 31
Location: West of Ireland
Monthly Income (wages + social welfare + child benefit): Approx. €3,500
Transport: €100 but can sometimes be more
Rent: €1,200
Household bills: €239.08
Phone bill: €14.99
Groceries: €500
Subscriptions: €75
Medical expenses: €180
Trips and treats: €200 (this covers any days out, coffees, bits with the kids, a takeaway, etc.)
Extracurricular: €150
School: €370 spent on school uniforms and supplies this month. I’ll buy the remaining smaller bits and pieces like school shoes in August, but all the big things are out of the way. This is a once-off expense each year.
Childminding: Varies a little during the summer, but during the school term, it costs around €200 per month.
Clothing, shoes, etc: Bought as needed for the children and monthly costs can be anywhere between €30 to €150 depending on how much needs to be replaced, any growth spurts, and whether a seasonal wardrobe is needed.
Remainder: Tucked into the rainy day fund to cover a mixture of savings and yearly expenses (yearly expenses such as car insurance, repairs, NCT, tax, household oil, TV licence, Christmas, birthdays comes to around €285-300 set aside each month).
7.45am: I wake up and grab a quiet coffee while the kids have a bit of a sleep in. I wake them up and help them with breakfast. I’m making the most of not having to be out the door by 8.30am in time for school!
9.00am: I start work. I work part-time as a financial administrator, and am lucky enough to be entirely remote during the school holidays. The kids play or sometimes watch a movie while I work through the accounts during the holidays.
1.00pm: Log out of work, then make lunch for myself and the children. Today we had some simple PB&Js.
2.00pm: I have a few phone calls to get through this afternoon to sort some personal admin.
3.00pm: I spend some time chatting with the kids, playing with them, etc. They help water the flowers. We also spend some time tidying the kitchen together.
4.00pm: I need to buy some new jeans for one of the kids as they’ve had a growth spurt this summer, so I order some online after quickly sorting through the wardrobe (€20 including postage).
5.30pm: We start making dinner. The kids want to help with chopping vegetables today, which requires a lot of supervision, but they’re always more excited to eat dinner afterwards.
7.00pm: Begin the bedtime routine with the kids, which typically includes a bath, PJs, a small bedtime snack, and a story or song.
8.00pm: The kids play, read, or colour quietly in their rooms while I finish cleaning up the house.
8.30pm: I do 30 minutes of my exercises.
9.00pm: A quick shower and then I crash. I spend a bit of time reading, relaxing and chatting to my friends online, and then head to bed by 11pm.
Today’s total: €20.00
8.00am: I overslept slightly today, so I make my coffee while getting the kids up and ready.
9.00am: I start work. Today is a pretty heavy day, so I put on a movie for the kids while I get as much of the focus work done as I can.
1.00pm: I log out of work and then make us all lunch. Today we had simple sandwiches again.
2.00pm: After lunch, I rest for a little while and supervise the kids as they play. They wanted to play in the garden today.
4.00pm: We get ready to head out, as I’ve decided homemade slaw would be fun. I grab some veggies and extra milk (€4.56).
5.00pm: We make and eat dinner, then spend some time cleaning up.
6.00pm: I take the kids to the playground for a little while, and they run around playing with the other kids. We head home so we can begin the bedtime routine around 7 pm.
7.00pm: The kids have a quick snack, and I begin the bedtime routine.
8.00pm: A friend comes over for the evening, and we have a catch-up and watch a movie.
11.00pm: I have a shower and get ready for bed.
Today’s total: €4.56
7.45am: I make myself a coffee while the kids are getting their cereal. Everyone gets dressed and ready for the day.
9.00am: I start work. Today isn’t as heavy as yesterday, so I’m able to fly through most of the work. I take a quick break at 11am and make another coffee and get a few drinks ready for the kids.
1.00pm: I log out of work, and we start getting ready to head out! We’re meeting friends for a family day out today, and we’re all pretty excited.
1.30pm: Head out the door, jump in the car and get ready for the drive!
2.00pm: The kids are having a great time playing with each other, and I’m enjoying getting out of town for a while. We buy a few knick-knacks while out, and they want to check out the farm animals (€43).
3.30pm: We stop for some drinks and a coffee (€14.80). All these expenses come from the treats pocket in Revolut. After that, the kids continue playing.
5.00pm: We head home. Everyone is pretty tired after the day, so I pick up a takeaway (€34.58). We eat it at home while watching some TV and chatting about the day.
7.30pm: The bedtime routine got pushed back today as we were home late, but everyone had a great time.
9.00pm: I do 30 minutes of my exercises, have a shower and then crash for the night.
Today’s total: €92.38
8.00am: It’s another basic morning involving coffee, getting the kids up and dressed and getting ready for work.
9.00am: I start work for the day. I make a second coffee pretty early on as I’m still feeling tired from the day before.
1.00pm: I finish work, and we have sandwiches again. We eat them most days for lunch because they’re quick and easy when everyone’s hungry.
2.00pm: I catch up on any cleaning I didn’t do yesterday and then take the kids to play on the swings.
3.30pm: We start making dinner pretty early today because we’ve decided on a roast chicken. The kids love helping to cook, but it adds some extra prep time. The kids spend some more time playing in the sitting room, and I sit on the sofa with a warm drink chatting and answering their many questions while we’re waiting for things to be ready.
5.45pm: We sit and eat dinner, then re-clean the kitchen.
7.00pm: We start the bedtime routine at the typical time.
8.00pm: I spend the evening chatting to some of my friends online and showing the old photos I found of myself when cleaning one of the drawers in the kitchen out during the week!
11.00pm: It’s shower and bedtime at this point. I’m feeling pretty tired towards the end of the week.
Today’s total: €0.00
8.00am: One more morning of the prework routine before the weekend, and I’m pretty excited about a lazy morning tomorrow. Breakfast is cereal again, and I have my usual coffee.
9.00am: I put a movie on for the kids and head to work. It feels pretty quiet today, which is normal for a Friday, and I catch up on anything I missed during the week.
1.00pm: I log out of work with the full Friday feeling. I make lunch (sandwiches again!) and then start the planning for the laundry so it’s all done by Sunday.
2.00pm: The kids decide to play dress up with my heels. We all have a laugh. They resume playing with their toys shortly after, and I start on some of the laundry. I also make a head start on some of the other housework that needs doing.
3.30pm: The kids want to do some colouring, so we get out the arts and crafts box. They proudly show me their drawings over the course of the next while.
5.00pm: I start making a quick and easy dinner this evening. We eat together and then do the usual cleaning up and getting the dishwasher on.
7.00pm: I start the bedtime routine, but the kids are pretty wired for the weekend so they stay up late tonight, fighting bedtime.
8.00pm: I order the shopping to be delivered for Saturday, and the kids give their opinions on what snacks we should buy for the week ahead (€122). I replaced a lot of my cleaning supplies this week as they were running out.
9.15pm: I do my workout for the day.
10.00pm: I finally get to crash for a bit and shower. I watch some TV before heading to bed myself. Notice some subscriptions came out of the bank today by direct debit (€12.99).
Today’s total: €134.99
9.30am: Nobody was awake today until about 9.30am, so we got to start the morning nice and slow. I had two coffees to start me off, and then watched some cartoons with the kids while they had cereal.
10.30am: The kids went upstairs to get dressed, and I did the same. This took much longer than usual due to the insistence on a PJ day.
12.00pm: The shopping arrives and we put everything away before making lunch. This is another thing they kids still love helping out with.
1.00pm: The kids are heading to their friends for a playdate today. They get picked up by another mum which is lovely. I make the most of the quiet house and do some cleaning, and then get started on some dough for cinnamon rolls before sitting down with a quiet coffee.
3.45pm: The house is back to being its typical noisy self. The kids help me finish making the cinnamon rolls. We also decide to make cookies after dinner. We have a weekly movie night on a Saturday, which the kids are allowed to stay up late every week for.
4.30pm: One of my friends calls over and helps make dinner. This gets eaten and we also all make cookies together in preparation for the movie.
6.30pm: The kids race upstairs to get their PJs on and we set up the coffee table with snacks, including the cinnamon rolls and cookies. We start the movie around 7pm.
9.00pm: I start the kids’ bedtime routine and then head downstairs to hang out with my friend for a while. She’s staying over tonight. I’m always grateful that my child-free friends are happy to adapt to my life as a single parent, as it would get lonely otherwise. I also get great support from my friends with their own kids.
Today’s total: €0.00
9.00am: Everyone is up late again after the late night and we have another very chilled morning. The kids watch cartoons with breakfast again and I chat with my friend when she wakes up.
1.00pm: We make some lunch and then head out to the playground for a few hours. We sit on the grass chatting while the kids run around with other kids, before coming back over to show us their many handstands.
3.30pm: We head home. My friend heads away, and I settle in for the late afternoon and evening with the kids. They have a big drink and snack when they get home.
5.30pm: I make a curry for dinner, and the kids help to chop the onions. Everyone eats, and then we clean up again.
7.00pm: I start the bedtime routine at the usual time to prepare for the working week again. See another subscription came out of the bank today by direct debit (€15.99).
8.00pm: I finish the cleaning up, prepare for the week and then crash for a while. The kids play quietly upstairs until they fall asleep.
10.00pm: I grab a shower and get pretty cosy for the remainder of the evening.
Today’s total: €15.99
What I learned –
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