Money Diary: A Mid-Month Week Packed with Plans
Money diaries have long been one of my favourite things to read online. We’re all secretly nosy, but as the Cost of Living crisis continues, I think it’s empowering to be more savvy with our money and financial outlooks, and to understand how our peers use their money. I’ve previously written a handful of money diaries, each focusing on different types of week, and this time I’m focusing on a mid-month week packed with Valentine’s and Palentine’s plans.
Right now, I’m focusing on saving and investing (after pulling out of buying my first property), while enjoying myself and learning to manage special occasions on a budget.
Monday 12 February
7am
Off to the gym! I’m a PureGym member and pay monthly with a handy 10% discount through work, so I always see this as a free activity. I average 16 workouts a month, which makes each session approximately £1.30. Bargain. My gym also provides free parking.
8.45am
Arrive home to WFH for the day. I’m in a great rhythm of doing my weekly shop with the help of a proper list, which has hugely reduced the need to ‘pop to the shops’ throughout the week. I make a quick breakfast of garlic mushrooms and spinach on a toasted English muffin.
11am
Pop downstairs to make a post-meeting cup of tea. I love a mid-morning tea break and phone scroll. Notice I’ve been accepted for a small blog job (including a link to an existing post on my DA45 website), so I’m pleased there’s a bonus £65 winging its’ way to me!
5pm
Log off from work and immediately get to packing up & Chai orders from the weekend and today. It’s been slow since our Lunar New Year campaign ended, but we’ve got exciting new things on the horizon. Since I spent my weekend celebrating Chinese New Year, I didn’t have time to do my Sunday reset and pick groceries up, so I nip to Tesco for my weekly shop (£12.50).
7.02pm
Famously a smidge late, but I’m meeting my friend Sian for our monthly accountability ‘meeting’. It’s more of a coffee catch-up paired with some goal-setting and checking, and I love it! I pick up some food (£7.89), and we discuss our goals and set some short-, medium- and long-term tasks so that we’re prepared for them.
In: £65
Out £20.39
Tuesday 13 February
7.30am
Hop in the car to drive to work. I’m in the office twice a week, which works perfectly for me. After a hectic weekend, it slipped my mind to do a full charge on my EV car on Sunday but I have just enough to get to work. Park in a charging bay, ready to load up!
12pm
Lunch break with the gang. I always take a packed lunch with me – it’s often just leftovers, but I’m committed to eating whole foods/less processed food at the moment, and this is my favourite way to do that.
2.55pm
Without fail, I need a 3pm snack whenever I’m at the office. Mosey on over to the vending machine after the big team meeting for my now-infamous pack of McCoy’s Ridge Cut Salt & Vinegar crisps (85p).
4.03pm
Back to my car, which has been slowly recharging on one of the 7kw ports all day. I pay £1.53 on my PodPoint app for a full charge, and then zoom off home!
4.25pm
Home!! Crash out on the sofa with a book. In 2024, I’ve committed to a book-buying ban, and I’m already amazed/horrified at how much I’ve ‘saved’ by not spontaneously purchasing new books at the drop of a hat. @joy.margot shared an Instagram post with me where a bookstagrammer tracked how much money she saved by relying on libraries for a year. Lord help me.
In: £0
Out: £2.88
Wednesday 14 February
6.30am
It’s Valentine’s Day!!
My boyfriend works night shifts and I leave for the office at 7.30am, so we’re doing a before-sunrise, doorstep gift swap and then we’ll be celebrating together at the weekend. This year, I picked up a box of Cutter & Squidge treats for him (£32.49, but paid for them last month) – slightly pricier than usual baked goods, but they’re delicious and I love supporting Asian women-owned businesses.
7.31am
Get in the car to drive to work. I’m really appreciative of our flexible hours and I tend to make use of this by starting early on my in-office days, which means I beat the rush hour traffic and save a good 30-40 minutes’ drive.
7.53am
Arrive in the good part of the car park and haul all of my things up to my desk. Packed lunch, MacBook, reusable cup, pencil case… How on earth I’d carry this every day in the before times is beyond me. I always start the day with a big tea – complimentary in the office, of course.
12.30pm
Lunch break. It’s quieter in the office today, and everybody is stacked so my packed lunch, Kindle and I are off to find a spot to recharge and enjoy a quiet hour away from the desk. Today’s lunch? Fish-fragrant aubergine and tofu with rice.
3pm
My fortnightly 1-1 meeting with my manager has been rescheduled, so I’m trekking over to the vending machine for another pack of McCoy’s Ridge Cut Salt & Vinegar crisps (85p). Decide that I’ll try and give up this vice next week.
4.14pm
Time to drive home via the Royal Mail Click & Drop box. I’m looking forward to reading beside my Valentine’s roses, and being annoying and oversharing on Instagram, but not before sending another batch of & Chai orders.
4.40pm
Arrive home and hop straight in the shower. Lay on the sofa contemplating life and why I must always think about what to make for dinner. In the end, I decide on roasted cauliflower and chickpeas with hummus and some lentils.
In: £0
Out: 85p
Thursday 15 February
6.55am
Since I had a few leftover days of annual leave to take, today is a random day off for me. I’d saved a handful to use for my apartment move, but now that that’s down the pan, I’m sort of excited to just enjoy some quiet days to myself. Even so, I’m up early to hit the gym.
7.26am
Arrive at PureGym again. It’s an upper body day for me, so I push through my workout before rounding it off with a core finisher and some cardio (incline walk accompanied by a Taylor Swift album and some reading on my Kindle app).
9.15am
Hometime! Get in the shower immediately, and then think about breakfast. Who am I kidding? Time for another English breakfast muffin topped with avocado, cherry tomatoes and caramelised onion.
10am
I really struggle with doing nothing – this is the worst part of being an ex-freelancer! I cosy up on the sofa with Milo, a book and some lo-fi music for a little while.
11.30am
A freelance job has come up, so I think I’ll work on that today, rather than have it suck up part of my weekend (£300 day rate). I still take on the odd copywriting and editing job here and there, because the Cost of Living crisis continues and salaries don’t hit the same.
12.15pm
It’s time for lunch! Rustling up a quick quinoa salad, before I take a dog walk with my sister.
3pm
Continuing my day off, I’ve got a daytime nail appointment booked in! My nail tech is based a few towns away, and my sister has our car today so I catch an Uber to the station (avoiding the hour-long walk!; £8.42) and book a return train ticket (£4.80).
3.30pm
My three-weekly nail appointments are a sacred time in my diary. An hour and a bit phone-free, enjoying a good ol’ chinwag and indulging in some self-care is the best. Sadly I missed the chance for Valentine’s nails this year, but this set will be the ones I have for my birthday. I opt for cherry red French tips with girlhood bow accents (£30).
5pm
After a 15-minute walk to the station and then a nifty train back, my sister picks me up. Tonight, I have plans with friends, so I try to top up my introvert fuel with a cup of tea and some reading under a blanket.
7pm
My friend picks us all up to drive down to our local theatre. We’re seeing a drag show! She is eligible for free parking, as she works for the council, so we all make use of this and tag along. Pick up a Pepsi round for us all (£7.50).
In: £300
Out: £50.72
Friday 16 February
6.46am
Up and at ‘em for the gym. I really think my gym membership is one of my best monthly investments. I go so regularly that the cost is totally worth it, and I get better physical and mental health from it too. Today is my usual heavy glutes and cardio day, something I like to get in before the weekend (because I know I’ll definitely get my nutrition in!).
8.45am
Back home and hop for a speedy five-minute shower before a WFH day.
12pm
I’ve booked an eyelash extension infill appointment on my lunch break. It’s a 25-minute appointment and I get to have a good ol’ catch-up with my lash tech (£35). Afterwards, I walk home and reheat leftovers for a quick lunch.
3pm
Taking a short afternoon break to make a tea and scan through my personal emails. My giffgaff phone ‘bill’ has come out – £10 for a month of unlimited calls and texts and 20GB data. I also spot another backlink opportunity for Daisybutter and process that quickly (£65).
4.46pm
We always finish early on a Friday, so I’ve wrapped up work, tidied my desk – a non-negotiable for me – and am packing my bag for a weekend at my boyfriend’s. It’s our Valentine’s celebration, so I’m packing for all sorts of eventualities!
6.30pm
My boyfriend and I decide to order dinner in, as we’ll be out tomorrow and we’re both pretty exhausted from the week. He’s made a reservation for our meal tomorrow, so I pick up tonight’s Thai takeaway bill (£56.02).
In: £65
Out: £101.02
Saturday 17 February
7.45am
After a lie-in, my boyfriend and I make breakfast at home as usual. I used to be such a brunch in London girlie, but laziness has helped me save a lot of money!
9.15am
My boyfriend is taking us out for a surprise morning out to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We drive to Shepreth Wildlife Park, where he’s booked us an aardvark feeding and meeting experience, and the funds go directly to their conservation.
2pm
Today is also my boyfriend’s Mum’s birthday! So we zoom back to take her out for lunch at a local Korean restaurant. I pop the car on charge, albeit on a weekend tariff (£4.33). Almost all of the family are here, and we split the bill to cover our own meals and hers (£22.80).
4.12pm
Home briefly after lunch. We decide to head out for a sunset-ish walk to help lunch go down, and spend a little more outdoorsy time together. Country walks are truly our go-to weekend activity these days – and it’s completely free!
8pm
We make it to a local town for our Valentine’s dinner. The restaurant is called Eight, an independent place focused on supporting local. Dinner is delicious and, again, my boyfriend kindly covers our bill.
In: £0
Out: £27.13
Sunday 18 February
8am
Our usual Sunday morning ritual: breakfast in bed. After a long week, this is blissful and I always look forward to this moment. My boyfriend works night shifts, so weekends are especially precious and slow.
10am
To the gym again! After a lot of eating, we make sure to get in our usual weekend workout. Afterwards, we run errands and pick up groceries (£21.36). Next, a jaunt to the library to return some books. I don’t spot anything new that catches my eye, so it’s onwards to the car wash (£7.50). Owning a white car in the winter is… fun.
1.30pm
Take my family out for a Sunday roast as they’ve done so much for me lately, and it’s nice to spend some extra time together (£71.71) for the four of us.
4pm
Back home, and I’m settled with my journal and MacBook for my usual Sunday afternoon routine. I have so much to document and ponder this week, so I decide to type it all out first and then capture it in my notebook afterwards. Next, I’ll go through my emails and plot it anything important to my bullet journal future log for the week. Nothing much going on, bar our belated Galentine’s celebration next weekend! I raise an invoice for the freelance job I completed earlier in the week, then pitch to a few brands for some blog work.
In: £0
Out: £100.57
Week in Review
In: £430
Out: £303.56
This was a far spendier week than usual. I tend to only have one thing booked in per week, but this week I had lots on: beauty appointments, a coffee, Valentine’s… Next week is quieter, so it’ll balance itself out, but I still feel a little worried and almost guilty. However, it was also a great week for side hustles, something that I’m focusing on throughout 2024. I’m also determined to kick my vending machine habit, and replace that with some fruit or something!