Money Diary: Summer starts, investing routine and wedding season
How quickly these bi-monthly money diaries roll around is always a surprise and mystery to me. One moment I’m reflecting on saving before a big trip, and the next I’m trying to get myself back on track after said big trip. From weddings to investing, the week I captured has got a bit of everything.
Thursday 5 June
I’m in the office today and I’m feeling exceptionally tired. Because we were away for two weeks, I think I’m still adjusting to being back in the office and how my energy drains when I’m around a lot of people. I make a matcha at home, using the matcha we brought home from Kyoto. A Substack subscription fee arrives in my account as I leave the house (£5.22).
Pop to the street food stall in the colleague restaurant for lunch, as I didn’t make anything to bring for once. There’s a delicious vegan fish and chips, so I choose that (£5). Trying to avoid snacking throughout the day, so it ends up being a fairly low-spend day.
Well, that is until I get home. I’m taking Eddie away for his birthday at the end of the month and the hotel we’re staying at doesn’t have an EV charger, so I’m going to hire a car for the weekend. After shopping around and realising car rental websites are really badly made and hard to navigate, I’ve hired us a car (£84.60)!
In: £5.22
Out: £89.60
Friday 6 June
Working from home today, and I’m loving it. Drizzly, mizzly rain on the windowpanes, all my office equipment at my disposal… I popped to the gym this morning to check off another Shreddy workout from my programme, and happily used my free parking.
Lunch is some udon noodles in a very watered-down miso broth, with oyster mushrooms and some tofu. Can you tell I’m still missing Japan?! I hunker down for another busy afternoon of work before signing off at my usual 4.45pm on a Friday, and drive to the next town over for a nail appointment. It’s my brother’s wedding tomorrow, and my nails are in pretty bad shape after our travels. I plump for a baby pink chrome to easily match my wedding guest dress, especially since I have another wedding to attend in a fortnight’s time (£33).
Drive home to enjoy our usual Friday night takeaway night. It’s Eddie’s turn to treat, so I chow down and then spend a little time packing our overnight bags!
In: £0
Out: £33
Saturday 7 June
It’s the day of my brother’s wedding and we’re all so excited. Thankfully, one of my best friends is kindly looking after my dog, Milo, for the day, so we can save on kennel costs. I drop him off first thing in the morning and then return home to put my dress on and head down to London.
First up is the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. Since I’m the eldest sister, I give a red envelope each to the bride and groom (£100). Next, well, you know how a wedding goes!
In: £0
Out: £100
Sunday 8 June
The morning after Jonny’s wedding, our immediate families head out for brunch after checking out of the hotel. Although everybody gets together at a wedding, you really don’t see much of each other, and it was lovely to all be together for a meal and debrief the magic of the day before.
After lunch, we head home. I pick Milo up from my bestie’s house, before a trip to the supermarket for the weekly shop (£22.85). A Substack paid subscription payment comes in (£4.17).
In: £4.17
Out: £22.85
Monday 9 June
It’s a gym and work-from-home day for me, so I’m hoping it’ll be a no-spend day too. Start the day with a weightlifting workout, followed by the 12-3-30. Yep, that’s back in my rotation. Get home and shower, before having a Pret croissant for lunch – a leftover from yesterday’s post-wedding breakfast that my brother hosted.
Start perusing wedding notebooks (duh) after work and realise I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. Decide to watch another episode of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives instead, and then make some dinner. Tonight, I fancy a little pasta alla norma. Receive another Substack payment as I potter and do my skincare routine (£5.80).
In: £5.80
Out: £0
Tuesday 10 June
In the office today! And I have a packed lunch plus plenty of fruit and snacks, so I’m aiming for another no-spend day. I make a tea in the kitchen before settling down to start work for the day.
Lunch is leftovers from last night. I’m trying to reset a little after our Japan trip, with smaller portions and lighter meals in general. Pasta is light, right? The gang head to pick up snacks and I join them for a walk, but decide against picking anything up myself.
After work, I have plans with my best friend. I drop my work bag off at home, get changed into comfies and then drive to her place for an evening of catching up, pottering and making plans for the summer. A dream. Then, we both decide we’re too lazy to cook and order in from our favourite takeaway. My meal deal is £12!
In: £0
Out: £12
Wednesday 11 June
Since we have a big departmental meeting on Friday, I’ve switched my in-office days around this week, and I’m working from home today. First, I head to the gym for another Shreddy workout. Then, I return home for a breakfast bagel at my desk while I sift through emails and write my daily to-do list.
It’s another busy day at work, and I can hardly catch my breath. I make a simple miso udon with tofu and kale for lunch before powering on with two big projects that I took on on Monday. I’m grateful to work from home and tackle this conceptual work, as it’s SO difficult to stay focused in a noisy office environment.
After work, I catch up with my finance tracker. This is usually a Sunday job, but I completely forgot to update it then. I realise that, because we were abroad, I forgot to transfer money into my investing account this month. Pop £250 into my Trading 212 account and funnel some of the cash into the ETFs and other stocks I invest in. Then, Wolf of Wall Street mode over, I settle on the sofa with a book and some Japanese snacks. Perfect.
