What I Spent This Week as a Communications Specialist Making £72K

Ever wondered how others really manage their money?

In the A Week in My Wallet series, we share it all, because talking about money shouldn't be off-limits.

Every week, an anonymous member shares a week of their spending: no names, no filters, just honest stories about life's everyday financial choices.

Ready to join the conversation and help make money talk less taboo? Share your own story via our form here.

Monthly Take-Home Pay (after tax): £4,185

‍Do you share expenses with someone?

‍The other half. He pays the mortgage and utilities, I pay for our fun money (groceries, date nights, coffee subscription). It works out at about £1,000 each.

What is your overall monthly budget?

‍‍I follow the 50/30/20 rule but in practice it ends up being around 50% savings / 30% needs / 20% wants.

• Needs = £1,287 which covers monthly contribution to the household £1,095, pet insurance and vet subscriptions £146, a super cheap phone plan with £1.50 and vehicle tax £23.17.
• Wants = £996. From that I pay myself £700 spending money for meals out, shopping etc and an additional £279 for my Third Space membership. Expensive but worth it especially if you do a lot of reformer Pilates. This amount also covers Spotify family account @ £16.99 and my Apple storage £0.99.
• Savings = £1,900 (post tax) or £2,200 (including salary sacrifice pension contributions). £1,000 goes to maternity fund, £1,000 into stocks and shares and £300 as salary sacrifice into my pension.

Amount left each month after essentials (to spend, save or invest): £2,898

Dependents (if any): 0

My Relationship with Money

Growing up, did your parents or guardians educate you around money?‍

Growing up my family didn’t have a lot of money. My mum had a lot of credit card debt and that put a lot of strain on my parents’ marriage.

Seeing that from an early age shaped my relationship with money, I always tried to save as much as I could and learned to budget from social media.

When I was made redundant I received a good payout and that helped me get onto the property ladder and build up equity. I don’t think I would have been able to afford a deposit without that payout and I certainly wouldn’t have received much help from my parents.

I also pushed myself to job hop and each time have been able to increase my salary by 15–25%.

What was your first job and why did you get it?‍

18 to earn spending money when I went to uni.

Did you worry about money growing up?‍

All the time. As I said, mum had issues with credit card debt and it caused a lot of fighting between my parents. I tried hard to not be in the same circumstance myself when I grew up.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?‍

I left home straight after uni at 22 and have been financially responsible for myself ever since. I feel comfortable now because of the safety net I’ve created for myself but I could never rely on my parents.

Do you worry about money now?‍

I don’t worry about money but I do think about it often. I have a budget, track my investments regularly on a big spreadsheet, map out money goals and hold a monthly finance meeting with my other half. I find that putting structure around money helped me not dread looking into my bank account and be focused on my savings goals.

What is your biggest money regret?‍

I wish I started investing regularly sooner. Even if just £20 a month. Instead I was putting in £500 and then forgetting about it for years so it took a lot of time to see progress.

What financial goals are you working towards?‍

My partner and I have been trying to start a family so I currently have a maternity fund which at some stage could potentially be used for IVF. Longer term we want to buy outside of London so will be saving a big deposit for that.

Who is your financial role model (if any), and why?‍

Myself – I’m really proud of how far I’ve come.

Reflections on My Spending Habits:

Certain days look so spendy but others are so frugal. I often feel guilty for spending money so my activity makes me feel conflicted. I do rely on buying small little treats to pick me up – they work!

What I Spent in a Week

‍

‍Day 1 – Tuesday: £25.95
• £8.90 to commute to work
• £3.90 for a matcha at Blank Street because I had a difficult day and needed a little pick me up
• £3.85 at Waitrose grabbing ingredients for dinner
• £9.30 is the daily cost of my gym membership

On the days when I’m in the office I try to bring my lunch from home. It’s otherwise so easy to spend £15 just on lunch in central London. My office also offers free fruit and has a great selection of tea and coffee so that helps keep my costs down. I went to the gym after work for a reformer class, sauna and swim.

‍

‍Day 2 – Wednesday: £28.95
• £6.40 to head into London after work
• £13.25 for an M&S picnic for me and my friend
• £9.30 is the daily cost of my gym membership

This was a working from home day so it was off to the gym for a lunchtime yoga class. In the evening I took the train into London to meet a friend for a picnic. It was her birthday recently so getting a few picky bits while I watched her unpack her birthday gift was my treat.

‍

‍Day 3 – Thursday: £5,042.56
• £7.88 at Bayley & Sage for Italian biscuits for another friend’s birthday
• £6.40 at Postmark on two birthday cards for more friends’ birthdays
• £5,000 transferred from one account into another premium account (I do this monthly to avoid paying a fee but still keep the benefits)
• £2.50 to park at another gym location
• £16.48 at WHSmith to buy two books because I was feeling sad and needed something to read at the gym spa while I tried to relax
• £7.95 at Bayley & Sage again for cream and leeks for my dinner
• £9.30 for daily gym membership cost

‍

‍Day 4 – Friday: £9.60
• £8.40 on after-dinner gelato
• £1.20 at Sainsbury’s for baking supplies

Another working from home day and my other half paid for dinner. I baked us cookies and bought gelato after dinner.

‍

‍Day 5 – Saturday: £94.51
• £8.90 travel into central London
• £85.61 treating my mum to lunch at Dishoom

‍

‍Day 6 – Sunday: £15.10
• £15.10 for the most incredible French pastries for breakfast

My mum was visiting so this is an unusual and luxurious treat but wow did we love it.

‍

Total Weekly Spend: £5,216

‍