Money Diary: Freelance Writer in Hertfordshire on Changeable Income

Following the blinding success of my last money diary entry, I thought I’d introduce the feature — lovingly borrowed from refinery29 — as a regular instalment on Daisybutter. My identity as a small business owner has been one I’m happy to embrace (yet not be defined by) and it’s clear to see that it’s what my readers are interested to hear about too. Money, what we earn and how we spent it, is one of modern life’s last taboos and I’m keen to try and kick it to the kerb with this series. That being said, I won’t divulge my earnings, I’ll simply keep it real in terms of Jesus-my-paydays-are-irregular and hopefully share an insight into living the life I want to on changeable and sometimes unstable income.

06:00 – £200. I set up a Direct Debit months ago to instantly transfer the maximum amount I could to my Help to Buy: ISA account. It’s one of the smartest moves I’ve made, but also worries me as I don’t always have a huge amount of money in my current account.

08:24 – £1.80. It’s taken seven months but the cost of dairy-free milk is something I’m finally used to. £1.80 for my favourite Oatly Barista Oat Milk. I decided to switch to dairy-free milk on the first of January and am hoping to cut out all dairy next.

09:30 – £67. Transfer the money for our Airbnb to Ghenet. We’re going to Margate to celebrate her 30th birthday and I can’t wait!

12:04 – £2. Pop back to Sainsbury’s on my ‘lunch break’ to pick up more paperclips and other office stationery.

12:21 – £2.15. Take my own cup to Costa for a sneaky afternoon flat white. The 25p discount is a great initiative and I’ve already got into a great habit of taking my KeepCup with me wherever I go. Also, I’m genuinely addicted to using the Costa Card app and watching the points stack up! Technically I could’ve got 3 flat whites for free by now but, like I said, it’s so satisfying having the points in the app.

14:00 – +£1950. I receive a payment (on time!!) from a new client who’s invested in my Complete package, which is a monthly retainer and they’ll have me as a full-time writer, just not in the office. Make note to self to refresh my rates soon. Ugh, it’s just such an icky task…

17:30 – £0. Head to an impromptu gym class. I’ve found it tough to motivate myself lately and I’m hoping adding some new classes to the mix might change that. It makes sense to try more as all of the classes are included in my £25.99 monthly membership.

19:22 – £0. Dinner at home. Endlessly thankful that my parents don’t make me buy my own food shopping (although I tend to buy my own ingredients for lunch when I work from home). In Chinese households, it’s normal for the entire family to eat a sharing dinner and my parents would probably be super offended if I didn’t eat with them! That being said, it isn’t always easy to eat a filling vegetarian meal at home…

IN: £1950

OUT: £272.95

Let me know your thoughts on this month’s money diary entry! What would you do differently? Any recommendations for me?!

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