What I Spent This Week as a Marketing Consultant & Freelancer Making £58K

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): £4,000 on average (monthly income between £2.2 - 6.3k before tax)

‍Do you share expenses with someone? Yes, my partner

What is your overall monthly budget?

• ‍‍Household Essentials - £115
• Subscriptions - £32
• Gym Membership - £180
• Travel - £112
• Insurance - £120
• Groceries - £350
• Savings - £600
• Investments - £200
• Dog - £380 (includes dog care 4x a week when we're both working away)
• Credit Card - £400
• Mobile - £60
• Eating Out / Social - £150
• Nails - £45

My partner and I split out our finances slightly differently, as she earns around 2-3X more than I do and she owns our home. We have tried to split expenses evenly, based on each of our incomes, so I pay 1/3rd and she pays 2/3rds of our overall household expenses. She pays the mortgage and household bills, then I pay for the household contents/items, food, insurance, the dog and appliances.

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

I run my own business and I'm a consultant, so my take home pay differs each month. I roughly have £1- 1.5k left each month, depending on the month which I'll either put in my pension, savings account or investments/stock market.

Dependents (if any): 0

My Relationship with Money

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

‍No. I was always told to spend within my means and put some money aside for a rainy day. In general my family didn't like talking about money.

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

‍It was a telephone marketer. I was 18 and had just moved to the UK. I needed a job to be able to pay rent and bills. It was minimum wage, but a great organisation and focus on developing their employees. It was a great first job to have, especially when moving countries - as I didn't know anyone and I was able to meet a lot of new people and make friends.

Did you worry about money growing up?‍

No. I lived with my grandparents for a large part of my life. They never liked to talk about money.

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

At 18, when I first moved to the UK. My first job was paying min wage, but I worked hard and have built up my finances over the last 5 years.

I got into debt about 8 years ago, as my then landlord gave me 4 weeks notice to move out, as he was selling his apartment. I ended up moving into an apartment that was a much higher monthly rental, as there were limited options where I was working and I had just taken a job on a lower wage, as I moved sectors.

I ended up putting a lot of my monthly expenses on a credit card and could only pay the min off each month. After a year, I had just under £15k of debt and I knew I had to look for a new job and find a cheaper place to live.

After moving to a new organisation and moving into a houseshare for a year, I was able to pay off my credit card and then start saving money. I now have a financial safety net, if anything happens or things at work are quieter. It's so important for me to be finance independent.

Do you worry about money now?‍

Off and on. I think when you run your own business, even when things are going really well, you are always mindful of your pipeline and how much money you have in the bank. Every time I do, I try and remind myself of the fact that I do have a safety net and I try and always make sure I'm securing 2-3 new opportunities for my pipeline, whilst delivering existing projects.

What is your biggest money regret?‍

Not investing in the stock market earlier. I think I've been quite risk adverse investing money, with only really saving money within a high interest account. I just started investing 2 years ago, but smaller amounts, as I was setting up my business and needed liquid assets.

If I'd started investing sooner, I know I'd be in a better financial situation.

What financial goals are you working towards?‍

Growing my pension and investing more for long term financial security. My partner and I want to move into a house in the next 3-5 years, so I want to have at least £100k towards a deposit.

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

I don't think I have one. I take inspiration for people who are financially savvy, share insight into investing and saving to help others and support them in growing their financial confidence and income.

Reflections on My Spending Habits:

Generally quite good. It's the run up to Christmas, so buying gifts for friends isn't the norm. I tend to work from home 3-4 days per week, so I save a bit more money this way. We have a dog walker once a week, when both of us are out of the house for the day with work.

What I Spent in a Week

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Day 1 – Monday: £0
• £0 - I worked for home and already had groceries in the fridge

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Day 2 – Tuesday: £77.44
• Face cream - £33.60
• Sainsburys grocery shop - £43.84 (2-3 days worth of food)
I worked from home, so didn't pay for travel.

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Day 3 – Wednesday: £26.30
• Travel - £5.80
• Wagamama's - had lunch with a friend - £20.50

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Day 4 – Thursday: £6.35
• Yoghurt & Fruit from Sainsbury's - £6.35
Worked from home, so didn't spend any money on travel.

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Day 5 – Friday: £163.31
• Travel - £8.90
• Hotel Chocolat - £70.96 (Christmas gifts for Friends)
• Waitrose - £27.75 (3x Proseccos, gift for Friends)
• Matcha Latte - £5.70
• Dog Walker - £50

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Day 6 – Saturday: £28.44
• Travel - £8.90
• Sainsburys - £4.54 (Fruit)
• Winter Wonderland - £15 (2x Mulled Wine)

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Day 7 – Sunday: £35.95
• Sainsburys Shop - £35.95 (roughly 2-3 days worth of groceries)

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Total Weekly Spend: £337.79