ASSETS AND DEBT
Retirement Balance: ~$28k in a Vanguard 401(k) from an old job; ~$14k in a pension with my current job (I contribute 10% and my employer contributes 13%, but this balance only reflects my contributions)
High-yield Savings: ~$8k
Regular Savings: ~$800
Checking Account: Varies...I usually put all of my expenses/purchases on my credit card and pay it off either in full every month or more frequently based on how my statement end date and balance reporting date interact. I don’t like to carry a large balance in my checking account.
Student loan debt: ~$113k. I consolidated for PSLF and at this point don’t know exactly what $ amount is from what degree, but this is primarily from law school with a relatively small portion leftover from undergrad. I got a decent scholarship for undergrad and close to a full ride for law school.
INCOME
Monthly Take Home: $4185 (unless there are three paydays in a month, as I’m paid every other week)
Pre-tax Deductions…
Retirement: $622.40
Health Insurance: $98.80
FSA: $125
Transit Pass: $95
Employer-paid benefits cover the rest of my health insurance, vision and dental, life insurance, and disability insurance.
EXPENSES
Rent: $950 for a 2-bedroom apartment.
Savings Contribution: ~$1200 (mostly to HYSA - I have a savings account linked to my checking account that I keep a small balance in mostly because I don’t want to close the account.)
Student Loans: $61 (This is goofy...it was previously significantly higher, and I just recertified my employer and reverified my income, so I’m expecting that it will be significantly higher again when that goes through. I’m making qualifying payments for PSLF, and whether my payment is $61 or way more than that, it’s manageable, and I consider myself lucky to have a job with a qualifying employer that pays well and that I mostly like.)
Donations: This is kind of a hodgepodge. I’m a (cheap) ACLU member with a $55 annual donation. I’m also a Friend-level member of the Cleveland Museum of Art, which is $125 for two years. Beyond that, I do one-off donations randomly throughout the year to organizations based on which dumpster fire seems to be the worst at any given moment, and I donate to political campaigns randomly as well. The most recent example of this is $25 to Elizabeth Warren a couple weeks ago. I also try to donate my time - specifically, about 4 hours a week is spent in a mentoring program through a local organization, and in campaign season I try to canvass on a regular basis. (For the midterms, I did a shift or two probably every other Saturday...not that you would know it based on the Republican almost-sweep of statewide offices in Ohio.)
Gas and Electric: Varies wildly by season, but on average around $150 together
Wifi: $45.99 (feels like a scam but my options are limited)
Phone: $94.24 for my iPhone installment payments and plan (also feels like a scam)
Netflix: $9.71
Hulu and Spotify: $10.79
NYT (online and crossword): $7.47
Amazon: $119/year
Credit Card Fee: $95/year (this is the first year that I’ve had to pay the fee, so the jury’s still out on whether or not I think it’s worth it)
CSA: $300 for 20 weeks
Indians Season Tickets: ~$6,500 for a full season for 4 tickets (This was initially a shared expense, but for this season for a variety of reasons it’s an individual expense - this season is paid off.)
Day 1 (Monday)
6:20 First alarm goes off...I’m at the apartment of the guy I’m seeing (R.) and I’m trying to curb my bad habit of sleeping in more when I’m at his place. We both snooze for a bit. Eventually he gets up and starts packing (he’s going out of town for work this week), and finally I get up too.
7:30 We leave his place and stop to get coffee on the way to my house. We both get cold brew, he gets a cinnamon roll, and I get some kind of vegan morning muffin that is delicious. It’s his turn to pay. He drops me off at home.
8:00 I quickly get ready...it’s a quiet week at work, so I put on jeans and a casual top, pack up miscellaneous lunch stuff, use a Neutrogena face wipe, TJ’s hyaluronic acid serum, CeraVe moisturizer, and some makeup (CoverGirl bb cream, Glossier cloud paint, Maybelline mascara, Pixi brow pencil and Boy Brow). I’m out the door just in time to catch a bus to work. I read (The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes - so far, so meh) and listen to music (mostly Lizzo) on the bus.
8:45 Run into one of my favorite coworkers on my way in, and we chat for a bit. We haven't seen each other in a while and it's nice to catch up.
9:00 I settle in and start work...I realize that I left some things at home (that I very ambitiously brought home with me on Friday with the best intentions of doing a little work over the weekend), so I take that as a sign that I should work on a different project. I finish my coffee and resist the urge to make a cup at work. I don’t resist the urge to finish off a bag of cashews in my desk. I see an email that someone brought in scones for a colleague’s birthday, so I have one of those as well.
11:00 Apparently this is going to be a weird day for me, food-wise. I snack on some TJ’s crispbreads with goat cheese. I also take a break and order Boy Brow and Brow Flick from Glossier - I’ve been basically out of Boy Brow for a while but haven’t pulled the trigger to reorder...I’m intrigued enough by Brow Flick to finally do it. $32.40
12:30 I have some books on hold at the library, so I head out to pick them up. It feels like it’s been gray in Cleveland for ages, so the sunshine is very welcome.
1:30 Someone comes in to ask me a question about a project I’ve been working on for months (after I inherited it from a former coworker) that I thought was finally off my desk...his question is one that I had months ago and was brushed off by other people, but hearing someone else ask the same question has me rethinking the whole thing and kind of derails my afternoon. I snack on some cherry tomatoes and try to get back on track.
4:50 I head out and walk to take the train to the house of the boy that I mentor once a week. At his house, I’m informed by his older sister that he’s in the hospital. I get some details from her and make plans to visit him later this week, and head home. A lot got lost in translation, so I’m not really sure how worried I should be, which means that I’m pretty worried.
5:45 I stop at the grocery store on the way home and pick up lemons, heavy cream, and sugar snap peas. $7.97
6:30 At home, I turn on music and start making dinner: lemon linguine with fresh pasta (bought not made...I only wish I was a fancy pasta bitch) and a green salad with CSA veggies. It is perfect and one of those meals that makes me wish every meal could be like this as I’m eating it. I turn on the Bachelorette after I eat and sort of half-watch...so much cringing. (I don’t pay for cable because it’s 2019, but my dad gave me an old pair of rabbit ears he had hanging around, so I am able to watch some network tv: I mostly use this for The Bachelor(ette), Jeopardy, Meet the Press, and sometimes the Today show when real morning news via NPR feels too heavy.)
10:00 I lounge around for a little bit, start listening to Lovett or Leave It, and then get ready for bed. I watch the season premiere of Younger and then pass out.
Daily total: $40.37
Day 2
8:30 I have a vague memory of waking up at 7:30, but apparently my body had a different idea because I get up at 8:30...I’m usually on the bus by now...I quickly call an Uber, get dressed (I’m wearing a dress today to try to will the universe into sending warmer weather - one of my favorite midi-length sort of polka dot dresses with a long fuzzy cardigan and white Keds), brush my teeth, put on a little makeup, make a smoothie, and run outside. (The Uber was far away, I promise I had plenty of time to do this while waiting.) My Uber driver is very chatty and very pleasant. $9.80 with tip
9:00 I get to work, check in with my secretary who went home sick yesterday, and get settled in. I drink my smoothie (a peach, a banana, a few strawberries, many blueberries, chia seeds, coconut milk, and a couple handfuls of spinach) and drink a La Colombe draft latte can that I threw in my lunch bag.
11:00 I realize I haven’t had any water yet today (unusual) so I fill up my bottle. I also send my boss an email confirming that it’s okay that I work from home tomorrow. I work from home probably once every six months or so, usually if I have an appointment or something at an inconvenient time. This is the case for tomorrow - I have a dentist appointment (that I have no memory of scheduling) at 11:50, and it’s right down the street from my apartment. Honestly, I’ve been daydreaming about trying to work from home more because I tend to be more productive.
12:00 Lunchtime! I definitely sometimes feel (at least at work) like I’m just counting down the minutes until my next meal. I have a repeat of last night’s pasta and salad dinner at my desk and even though I’m at my desk and it looks beautiful outside, it is the opposite of a sad desk lunch. I do a little online window shopping (I have a few things in my shopping cart at Aerie and Everlane...my common practice is to put things in my shopping bag and visit them periodically until the siren song becomes too much and I eventually order them, OR I change my mind about them and empty the cart.)
4:30 I can’t take it anymore and head out. Also, it’s a beautiful day and I didn’t really take a lunch break so I feel a deep need to just get outside. I take the bus straight home.
4:45 At home, I go back and forth between gardening and cooking, listening to podcasts as I work (Here to Make Friends, Pod Save the People, Pod Save America, and Fresh Air)...I do a little weeding and pruning and put some plants in containers. I also boil corn (and use my corn cob tool thing for the first time), make quinoa, roast some potatoes, and make coconut collard greens (I throw in the rest of the spinach I have as well.) I have some quinoa and greens with two fried eggs and some sliced dried thai chili pepper for dinner with a grapefruit seltzer and eat outside on my porch. I also make brown butter chocolate chip cookies for a coworker’s birthday tomorrow, and I eat too much dough/too many cookies in the interest of quality control. At some point, I talk to my mom on the phone for a few minutes.
9:00 p.m. I clean up the kitchen and get ready for bed with skincare - Neutrogena cleansing oil, toner, serum and a few drops of a facial elixir from a local brand (it’s basically an oil blend), and moisturizer) - and brushing and flossing. I fall asleep to Schitt’s Creek.
Daily total: $9.80
Day 3
4:45 No idea why I’m up this early, but I embrace it, first by laying in bed and scrolling through Instagram while listening to NPR, and later by making coffee and having some with cookies and a book on the porch. Eventually I decide I should start getting ready, so I come inside and turn on the season premiere of Good Trouble. I remove my nail polish that was chipping and weirdly discolored (I ordered my favorite Essie shade on Amazon because I’ve been unable to find it in any stores, but I’m thinking maybe I won’t do that again…) and put on some Nail Envy. A little dry shampoo, a little skincare and makeup, two slices of Gouda cheese, and I’m ready to go. I read more and listen to the Women in Pop Spotify playlist on my way to work.
8:30 I settle in to work...I’m only going to be here for a few hours, so I knock out a few small things while I’m here. (I never heard back from my boss, and I remembered that it’s my coworker’s birthday and I had committed to making cookies, so I decided to come in for the morning.)
11:10 I head out to the dentist appointment. This is just a routine cleaning, so it doesn’t take very long, it’s pretty painless, and I don’t owe anything.
12:45 I go across the street to get a cold brew from a new coffee place I’ve been meaning to try - it’s meh - and I eat a purse Larabar, fully negating the clean teeth feeling. $5 with tip.
1:00 I’m in the market for a new bike, and I’m close to the bike shop, so I stop in. The guy working is super helpful, and I end up test riding two models...I like them both a lot, and of course I like the one that’s more expensive significantly more. He gives me a card with his info and the info for both bikes, and I make plans to come in and give the preferred bike another try with some adjustments. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for AGES but thanks to a combination of terrible weather, a busy schedule, and anxiety, I’m just now getting around to it. I walk home, sweaty and happy.
1:45 I heat up the leftover greens and quinoa, reapply sunscreen and put on a hat, and eat on the porch while listening to Keep It. I do some work and continue snacking on buffalo pretzel thins and the potatoes I made yesterday. I also snack on about half a sleeve of Thin Mints.
6:15 I’m kind of drowsy, so I call an Uber to take me to my ceramics class. $6.90 with tip.
6:30 Class goes fairly well! This is the third session of classes I’ve taken in a row, but this is mostly handbuilding, which is new for me, so it’s been an interesting journey. I paid for the class months ago.
9:00 It’s beautiful out and I’m feeling more energized, so I walk home. I talk to my dad for a bit on the walk. At home, I immediately shower and get in bed with my book, a seltzer, and the rest of the buffalo pretzel thins. I fall asleep reading.
Daily total: $11.90
Day 4
8:00 Apparently I forgot to set alarms...I wake up from a bizarre and sort of terrible dream for the second time this week. I’m kind of foggy, so I slowly get up and start getting ready for the day: I turn on NPR, make a quick salad and dressing for lunch, have some iced coffee and cheese and thin mints (breakfast of champions), brush my teeth, get dressed, put makeup on, don’t put much effort into my wild hair because it’s drizzling, and run out to the bus. I listen to music and read on the bus per usual.
8:45 Get in and settled at work...I see two empty tupperware containers on my desk, and I’m glad the cookies were a hit yesterday.
9:45 I make myself a cup of (crappy) work coffee. I share a tiny Keurig with three other people and I hate everything about it but still use it every so often.
10:45 I take a break to snack on some cucumbers and scroll through Twitter and unsurprisingly end up regretting it. I have some baseball tickets for sale on Stubhub, so I check on them and make sure they’re priced okay.
12:10 I have my salad for lunch...unfortunately, the goat cheese I was going to add to it that I had in the work fridge has turned, so no cheese for me. I remember that I had two slices of cheese for breakfast and decide it’s probably for the best, aside from the food waste. I had forgotten how much I love fresh corn in summer salads. I also have two TJ’s crispbreads.
2:15 I have a box of raisins out of what I think is mostly boredom. This is pretty quickly followed by more crispbreads, and another box of raisins. I’m having a tough time focusing on pretty much anything, and I’m in kind of a foul mood but can’t pinpoint why.
4:45 I head out and walk to CVS to see if I can find something fun to take my mentee. I end up with three boxes of candy, a bottle of the aforementioned Essie that I haven’t seen in stores in ages, and two bottles of the B12 vitamins I take (I ran out a few days ago and I haven’t been to CVS since, and even though CVS is generally expensive, the vitamins are basically always buy one get one free or half off.) No luck as far as a toy or game. ($22.22) I get on the bus and end up getting off a few stops before the hospital to go to a dollar store - success! I should’ve just counted on this to begin with. I get Uno, a Spiderman coloring activity book, and a box of crayons. ($9.07)
5:45 I mostly avoid getting lost and make it to his room. He seems pretty good (although understandably bored), and he is excited by the candy and the Uno. We play for a bit, and talk for a bit, and then a magician stops by to do a few tricks, which he LOVES. We make plans for me to visit again on Monday.
7:30 I get back on the bus to head home. One bus transfer and one hour later, I’m home! And exhausted. I take the trash out, take a quick shower, and then make dinner: Velveeta shells and cheese with steamed broccoli and a lot of Frank’s. Shells and cheese is a reliable comfort food for me. Love that liquid gold. I eat about half and then put the rest in a container for lunch tomorrow. I also decide to make some cold brew with a Starbucks kit that my mom gave me a while ago. It has a vanilla fig flavor packet, which is something that I would usually throw away because I like my coffee to taste like coffee, but she loved it and we have pretty similar tastes (when it comes to coffee and a lot of other things), so in the jar it goes. I’m a little bummed when I read that it’s supposed to steep for 24 hours (I don’t know why I’m surprised because when I make my own cold brew I let it steep for 24 hours…) I was counting on Friday morning cold brew, but it’ll have to wait.
10:00 I read for a bit and pass out pretty quickly.
Daily total: $31.29
Day 5
7:40 I’ve ignored my first few alarms, but it’s time to face the day. I get up, boil water for coffee, and eat a Larabar. I feel like really leaning into the casual part of casual Friday, but I’m meeting up with my cousin for a lunchtime lecture thing, so I put on high-waisted skinny jeans (Target’s finest), a vintage pale pink short-sleeved button-up blouse with a sort of scalloped detail, and my Everlane loafers. I also make an effort to actually tame my hair by straightening a few pieces, and do my normal skincare/makeup routine. Because the lunchtime thing will take up more than an hour, but I’m still planning to leave at my normal time, I call an Uber. The driver and I talk about how much some neighborhoods have changed and how many silly expensive new residential properties are going up everywhere. $9.52 with tip.
8:30 The first thing I see when I walk into my office is a tiny spider climbing up a web onto a beam. I don’t do well with spiders, and I know that I’ll only be thinking about when and how he’s going to land on my head and won’t be able to concentrate, so I go off in search of something to get him with. I come back with a sad-looking broom, and after climbing up on a cabinet I realize I can’t deal with it, and a coworker kindly offers to do the deed. Once the spider is taken care of, I take advantage of the broom and tackle some cobwebs that I’ve noticed for a while but have been out of reach (I work in an old building and we have very high ceilings and some weird internal architecture - basically, ideal conditions for cobwebs and probably respiratory problems.)
9:00 It’s payday, so I transfer money to my HYSA and pay my credit card bill. (I basically put everything on my credit card because I’m addicted to reward points, and then pay it off periodically - not immediately after I purchase things, but I time it around my statement date and the date that the bank reports to credit bureaus so that I’m never carrying a huge balance.)
11:00 I eat my leftovers with a generous amount of Cholula on top because that Larabar was not enough to hold me over.
11:45 I head over to the location of the lecture, check in, and save a seat for my cousin. Turns out it actually is a luncheon, so I supplement my mac and cheese brunch with a lovely salad with teeny vegetables on top, some rosemary foccaccia, and a vegan chocolate coconut raspberry dessert thing. I also have a cup of coffee because I have no self-control. The event is about the state of the Great Lakes - there are three speakers and we agree afterwards that two were pretty great and one was less great.
1:30 Back at work, and counting down the minutes until I can leave again because it’s so nice out!
4:45 I head out...at home, I change and freshen up a bit, and then I take an Uber to R.’s house. $10.08 From there, we walk to my friends’ house and get another Uber from there to the game. $7.56 with tip.
7:30 At the game...my friend buys me a beer, R. buys me a veggie dog, later my friend buys me another beer, and I buy myself a mushroom melt. $2.50 We win!
10:30 Lyft back to my friends’ from the game, and then R. and I walk back to his place. $12.68 with tip
Daily total: 42.34
Day 6
8:30 I wake up, kiss R. goodbye, and head home. It’s a quick walk, a 20ish minute bus ride, and a 10-minute walk and then I’m home. At home, I try some of the cold brew (it’s not great, and one of the bags breaks so I have to strain some grounds out.
11:30 My mom picks me up and we head to pick up our CSA shares. I also get a bag of radishes. $1.50 As per tradition, we stop and get iced coconut water lattes. They also have oat chocolate cookies and I can’t resist. $11.10 with tip.
12:45 My mom drops me off at home. I put away veggies and then start cleaning/organizing/doing laundry. My sister is coming to stay with me for a bit, and I’m using it as an excuse/reason to sort through some things and (hopefully) get rid of some stuff.
3:30 My dad picks me up and we head downtown to the game. He gets a beer and brat for himself and a water and peanuts for me. Later, I get us both waters. $9.00
7:30 We win again! Dad drops me off at home. I do a little more laundry and tidying, and then I make burrata with snow peas from Smitten Kitchen. (It’s SO GOOD. Highly recommend.) I eat while watching season 1 of Fleabag. I also have some chocolate chips because balance. I switch over to Schitt’s Creek and end up passing out on the couch.
Daily total: $21.60
Day 7
7:30 I wake up on the couch and immediately go brush my teeth. Then I make coffee and scrambled eggs. I watch a little of the Today show, do more laundry and organizing, and then watch Meet the Press.
11:00 I turn on Schitt’s Creek, update this diary, and eat more Red Hot Blues than I should. (Side note: this is a thing that I’m pretty sure I learned about from Money Diaries...they are delicious and addictive.)
12:00 I head outside and do some gardening. I finally get everything in the ground that I’ve been meaning to, and it’s looking pretty good!
1:30 I shower, paint my nails, eat a big salad, and get dressed/put on makeup and sunscreen. R. picks me up and we go to his place and he calls an Uber from there.
4:00 We meet up with two of R.’s friends. It’s a beautiful day outside and the people-watching is excellent. I get a grilled cheese and a couple beers. R. and I also split two pina colada drinks because they come in a pineapple and we are easily tempted. We take turns buying drinks. $20
7:00 Our friends drove, so we all head back to R.’s place. We hang out for a bit before deciding that pizza is in order, so we go to a place nearby. I order a pizza to share and beers for R. and me. $29.36 with tip.
8:45 We say goodbye to our friends and R. and I walk back to his place. We watch an episode of The Sopranos and I make it through most of the episode before falling asleep on the couch, so we head to bed.
Daily total: $49.36
| Weekly Total: $206.66 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Food and Drink: $74.93 | Clothes and Beauty: $54.62 | Entertainment: $11.50 |
| Home and Health: $0 | Transport: $56.54 | Other: $9.07 |
Reflections: I think this was a decent week for me, and fairly normal. I was very aware before doing this diary that Uber/Lyft are one of my spending weak spots, so that was not really a surprise to me, but I’m still a little disappointed in myself. In fairness to myself, I’m saving money by not driving/having a car, but still. Also, slightly troubled out that the weekly spend ends in 666...
Submitted July 06, 2019 at 04:30PM by JarvIsland https://ift.tt/2xvPpnG
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