Occupation: Junior Analyst
Industry: Lobbying (but I'm not a lobbyist)
Age: 22
Location: Arlington, VA
Gender Identity: cis-female
ASSETS AND DEBT
Retirement Balance: $1250 in a Roth IRA – My company doesn’t let us have a 401k until a year in so I opened a Roth IRA – this is what I’ve accumulated since starting my job in June.
Savings Account Balance: $6120 ($5500 in an emergency fund, $570 in a loan repayment account, and $50 in my “fun” savings accounts).
Checking Account Balance: $1900
Credit Card Debt: $0 (I pay off in full every month)
Student Loan Debt: $3800 – Loans covered almost all of my tuition, my parents covered my living expenses, and I worked to pay for everything else.
INCOME
Monthly Take Home: $3248
I have $30 deducted for my health insurance and $14 for my dental / vision insurance before taxes.
FIXED EXPENSES
Rent: $947.50 – My roommate and I split our two-bedroom apartment down the middle.
Savings contribution: $400 to my emergency fund, $500 to my Roth IRA, $380 to my loan repayment account, $100 to my “fun” savings account.
WiFi: $15 – split 50/50 with my roommate
Cellphone: $0 – my company pays
Spotify: $10
Dollar Shave Club: $6
Metro Pass: $81
Gym Membership: $93 (but paid ahead for three months at a time)
Therapy: $80
VARIABLE EXPENSES
Electric: I set aside $100/month, but the bill is somewhere between $15-$100 usually. This is our first year in this apartment so we’re not sure what to expect in the winter.
Groceries: I set aside $200/month. I count bottles of wine or even if I want to grab a snack during work towards this. I’m working on changing my mindset to “food comes from the grocery store” and not from going out so this works for me. This budget usually lets me host a few friends for dinner / snacks + drinks each month, let’s me experiment with new recipes, and lets me pitch in for shared things like spices and pantry staples.
Toiletries / Other Necessities: I set aside $100/month. This includes things like needing to add more money to my metro card, buying toilet paper, medication, etc.
This leaves me about $350 of “discretionary spending” per month.
DAY 1
4:40am – I wake up feeling super refreshed. I had some dental work done yesterday and was prescribed Xanax for my dental anxiety. It made me extremely lethargic, so I was in bed by 8:30. I had my alarm set for 5am so I decided to kill some time on YouTube. My phone didn’t charge last night so I put it on airplane mode and hope it gets to a decent amount before I need to leave.
5am – I get dressed for work, grab my razor and some deodorant, and brush my teeth. I put on my jewelry and grab an extra towel to use after I shower at the yoga studio.
5:20am – I grab my headphones, and head out for the metro station. I have to stop by my office if I don’t want to pay extra to rent a yoga mat because I left it there yesterday.
5:45am – I get to the office, grab my mat, and the clothes I had brought for yesterday’s class that I ended up not going to, and head to another metro station to go to class. I could walk 15 minutes but crossing the traffic circle is a pain and it’s early.
6:10am – I make it to the yoga studio and pay for my pass. I’m getting back into hot yoga after a few years off. The studio owner suggested the 6-month pass but I couldn’t afford the ~$600 pass up front so she offered to split it for me into two payments. $287.50
8:10am – I’m done showering and getting dressed and head to my office.
8:35am – I get to my desk and my office mate R. is already there. I put my things down, make sure there aren’t any immediate needs and then grab a diet coke from the kitchen (our office has complimentary beverages!). I also grab the PB&J I brought for lunch yesterday and didn’t eat and eat that because hot yoga has left me super hungry.
10am – I start my series of conference calls. I don’t really need to be on them, but my boss wants me to be in the loop. I take notes in our shared OneNote notebook.
12:45pm – One of my calls ends early and because I ate what was supposed to be my lunch (and because we got paid today!) R. and I go to a pizza spot near our office. It’s also bumpin’ and I’ve been super curious. $10.51
2pm – I finish my lunch while on my last call of the day and grab another diet coke. Someone from my office comes by and asks me the status of a proposal. I tell him I’m just starting it and he tells me it’s due today – before my supervisor is basically out two weeks. I put my headphones in and get writing – it is mostly copy and pasting from past proposals.
3:30pm – I stop by my supervisor’s office to get more direction on the proposal. He tells me not to worry and to just copy and paste anything that seems relevant. He then spends half an hour stressing (his wife is due to have a baby around the same time as most of our deadlines and client visits). I talk him down which seems strange and we mark some checkpoints in the next month to plan for when he’ll be out. I also make the case to my supervisor that I need an iPad to better do my job. We talk through office politics a bit and he approves it! He sends an email to HR requesting it on my behalf.
5pm – I head out of work and metro home. Instead of walking straight home, I stop by Safeway and get sriracha, jalepenos, chili ramen (it’s one of my vices), limes, bread, and bananas. $17.53
6pm – I put away the dishes from yesterday. I usually do this in the morning if I’m going straight to work but they’d piled up today. I wash the dishes left in the sink, take out some of the recycling, and then sit down on my couch to chill / unwind a bit.
9pm – My housemate B. gets home and we chat about our work days a little while sitting on the couch. I’m more tired than I should be so I floss and brush my teeth and then head to bed.
Day 1 Total: 315.54
DAY 2
6:30am – I wake up to my alarm and lay in bed for a while and mess around on my phone.
7am – I get out of bed up, make a PB&J, grab a banana, make some ramen and hop in the shower.
8:40am – I get to work, get a diet coke, R. tells me about some issues with her roommate that are really stressing her out. In the kitchen I realize a colleague has brought more tomatoes and peppers from his wife’s garden, I grab some mini sweet peppers – nom!
11:40am – I eat my PB&J at my desk and the decide to walk to Trader Joe’s to pick up some Carmelized Onion Dip, chips and two bottles of red wine. R. decides she also needs a break and we go together. $15.93
3pm – I talk through the next two weeks with my boss since he is expected to be out of the office. He seems pretty stressed, but I think he’ll feel better when he gets back and there’s significant progress on some key projects.
4:45pm – My office mate asks me if I want to go out for a drink / something to take her mind off the roommate situation. We decide to go to Teaism and I order us two iced tea drinks. $6.60
5:45pm – I get to my 6pm hot yoga class.
7:30pm – Hot yoga class ends, I take a shower and text R. to make sure she’s okay. She says she got caught in a weird situation and asks to come over for a drink / to get her mind off of the situation.
8:30pm – I catch up with her at the metro station and we walk to my apartment together. I pull some walnuts and peanuts to snack on and open the first bottle of wine.
2am – We’ve killed two bottles of wine, and R. decides that she’d like to crash on my couch. I grab her pillows and blankets and then head to bed. I cancel my 9am yoga reservation and sign up for the 11am class instead.
Day 2 Total: $22.53
DAY 3
9am – I wake up and make tea for R. I make myself a quick breakfast and we hang out briefly. My roommate was gone on a volunteer shift last night so we make sure to be quiet since she’s sleeping now.
10am – I pack my yoga bag with a towel, clothes to change into, and a towel for the shower. We both head out to the metro.
10:50am – I get to my yoga class, change and put my stuff away
12pm – Yoga class is over. My studio has fresh in-season fruit after the weekend classes – today is chilled watermelon – exactly what I needed.
12:45 – My FWB E. is supposed to come over tonight to cook a dinner and hang out. I stop by Safeway and pick up a head of broccoli, limes for cocktails, a bottle of sparkling wine, an orange, a head of garlic, and peanut sauce. $25.13
1pm – I make it back to the apartment and put a load of laundry in the washer. Hot yoga has produced a lot more towels than usual to wash.
3pm – E. texts me and tells me he might have to cancel. I get pretty disappointed since I haven’t seen him in two weeks and did just grab a bunch of groceries.
4pm – E. texts me to tell me that he definitely will have to cancel but his reason seems serious and personal so I don’t push it. I grab my clothes out of the drier and take a half hour nap – I’m exhausted from last night!
6pm – I make myself a quick dinner of toast, peanut butter, and banana. I text a friend to see if they’d like to Facetime and catch up. I make myself a margarita and give him a call.
7pm – I mess around on YouTube, work on my MD from yesterday.
9pm – I’m exhausted so I decided to call it a night. I floss and brush my teeth. Then, E. calls me drunk. We chat for a bit on the phone. He asks if we can cook lunch tomorrow. I tell him I have to ask B since it’d be in the middle of the day.
Day 3 Total: $25.13
DAY 4
7:30am – I wake up and realize that I need to be out the door in half an hour to make it to the 9am class. I decide it isn’t happening and change my reservation from 9am to 11am.
8:15am – I lay in bed, text B. (yes while we’re in the same house), catch up on social media and reddit and overall mill abound. B says E can come over since she has plans outside the house all day. I text E. to let him know.
9am – I get out of bed and make myself some ramen. B. and I drink coffee and eat breakfast together on our couch. She invites me to a kink workshop her work is hosting – I agree to attend to support her.
10am – I pack my bag and head out to the metro station.
1pm – I make it back home from yoga and clean up my room and some of the common areas.
2pm – E. comes over. B., E. and I chat for a bit before B. heads out. B. and I cook a vegetable stir fry with peanut sauce and rice. We also open the bottle of sparkling wine.
8pm – E. heads out, I make myself a quick dinner.
10pm – I floss and brush and head to bed.
Day 4 Total: $0
DAY 5
6:30am – I wake up and ask my Google Home to play me some smooth jazz while I lay in bed. I’m not sure why I continuously feel so tired in the mornings even when I get enough sleep.
7am – I pop out of bed – I’m super excited for this week at work. There’s a lot of tangible projects and I get to research some interesting technology. I set a pot of water to boil and hop in the shower.
7:15am – I’ve set some ramen to cook, put away the dishes from last night, and turn my computer on to start going through my emails. I also make a PB&J for lunch.
7:35am – I get dressed for work, choose my jewelry, pack my bag with yoga clothes + towel, my lunch, and a banana.
8:05am – I head out to work on time!
8:35am – I get to work, say hello to R. and we walk to the kitchen together to get her coffee and me a diet coke.
10:30am – I’ve been working away on a proposal and realize that I’m super hungry. I grab the onion dip from Friday from the fridge and eat it with some leftover chips.
1pm – I grab my PB&J from the fridge and another diet coke.
1:30pm – I’m done eating my lunch at my desk and grab my toothbrush to go brush my teeth in the bathroom.
2pm – I’m walking around the main office and run into a colleague. I haven’t really talked to him much since our clients don’t overlap but I had a question about a proposal we’re both involved in and he sent me some great reference material. He’s also super friendly!
4pm – It’s been really productive and I’m having a ton of fun working on this! R. and I chat a bit about the news in our field and discuss if we want to include it in the newsletter or if it’s too political.
5pm – I head out of the office and walk towards my yoga studio. I stop into CVS to see if they have any electrolyte tablets. I don’t find any.
5:15pm – I get to my studio super early for my 6pm class. I change, put away my things, and sit down on one of the couches to read a book my boss got me about the field. I’m trying to finish it before he gets back from vacation but it’s extremely dry.
7:30pm – Class ends. Phew! That was a super hard class. I really like this instructor but I felt like the room was 200 degrees. I leave class right when the final Savasana is called because I haven’t really been able to control my breath for the last 30 minutes. I hop in the shower to wash my clothes and rinse my body.
7:45pm – I pack my bag and eat my banana on my way to the metro.
8:30pm – I get home, put some water on the stove for pasta, and unpack my bag. I hang my clothes to dry and brush out my hair.
9:45pm – I finish eating dinner – spaghetti with garlic and white wine sauce, brush my teeth, floss, and head to bed. I realize I should hang my laundry up from Sunday but decide that’s a problem for tomorrow me.
Day 5 Total: 0
DAY 6
6:30am – My Google Home finally wakes me up with quiet music!
7am – I wake up, shower, pack my lunch, make myself ramen, pack my bag with yoga clothes. I dump my clean laundry on my bed looking for something and figure that’ll convince me to hang it up this evening.
8:20am – I pound my head at a metro reload station trying to figure out how to use my transit benefits for the millionth time.
8:45am – I get to work and ask R. if she’d like to get our morning caffeine. We walk over to the kitchen and chat. She tells me about a friend she saw after a long time and we talk about how we’re both tired for some reason.
9am – I ask our office manager for help mailing a specific kind of letter and learn some good information. I write it down so I don’t have to ask her again.
12pm – I have my sandwich for lunch and look around for the HR person for help with my transit benefits. Turns out, she’s out of the office today. After lunch, I brush my teeth and drink more water.
5pm – I head out and stop by CVS again – I buy some toothpaste for my desk and some more floss for home. $10.75
5:20pm – It’s pouring out. I zip up my bag, open my umbrella and walk the last five minutes to the studio. I was doing so well until I stepped in a giant puddle! I get to the studio, change into my yoga clothes, and sit in one of the comfy chairs to read my company-bought Economist. I’m trying to read at least a few articles a week.
7:15pm – Class was great although this instructor didn’t give a lot of cues and I saw a newer student struggling which made me sad. I clean my mat, take a quick shower, and eat my banana on the way out. I try to use my transit benefits again on my way home and they don’t work. I get an email that $20 was auto reloaded to my card. I give my mom a call on the walk home – we’ve never been close and haven’t talked since a fight two weeks ago. I realize she probably won’t be home but want her to know I tried. $20
8pm – I get home, say hello to B. who I wasn’t expected to be home this early yay! She hops in the shower since she just got home from martial arts and I make a quick stir fry using leftover ingredients from Saturday. I microwave the frozen rice, spill about half of it when I realize the bowl is hot and enjoy an awesome meal.
10pm – I floss and brush and head to bed.
Day 6 Total: $30.75
DAY 7
7am – I hop out of bed, shower, make ramen, and sit on the couch with my cold water and some YouTube.
7:30am – I make a PB&J, try to get ready, and hunt high and low for my nail clippers so I can deal with this broken pinky nail.
8:10am – I am heading out way later than I should be but at least this god forsaken nail has been dealt with.
8:45am – I get to work, R. and I get our morning caffeine fix, and then I get to work on a presentation.
11am – R. and I decide to take a trip to Trader Joe’s. Both of us ran out of our onion dip and I want to try the garlic dip. It’s really nice to have office snacks and not need to pack a ton of food every day. But if I have too many, I’ll go through them too fast. $9.91
2pm – I grab my PB&J and eat it at my desk while looking at graphics for the presentation.
4pm – R. and I both seem to be over work and end up chatting about Tulsi Gabbard.
5pm – I head out of work and get to the yoga studio way too early. I change into my yoga clothes and mess around on my phone. R. and I just finished talking about how we should read the Economist more and here I am on reddit.
7:30pm – I hop out of class, grab my second towel, clean my mat and hang it to dry, take off my wet clothes, and get into the shower. I have ten minutes to look presentable enough for the bar I’m going to with a friend. I check my phone as I’m drying my hair and see a missed call from my mom. I get dressed, blow dry my hair quickly, and change back into my work clothes. I text my friend A. that I’m going to be five minutes late.
7:50pm – I get to the bar and get a seat at the bar. I text A. to let her know and she tells me she’s still ten minutes away. I order the Gin Brulee – gin based with lots of citrus, an egg white, and topped with dark chocolate shavings that are melted with a torch. It tasted like a citrus chocolate marshmallow.
8pm – A. gets there and orders a mezcal-chili drink – it’s so good to see her. We briefly debate if we’re going to migrate to get dinner afterwards or if we want a second round here. We like the vibe and decide we can find food elsewhere. We order the truffle oil fries.
??pm – We order a second round – I ask for something with absinthe and green chartreuse that isn’t a Last Word. I get a Corpse Reviver 2 riff that’s exactly what I was craving. A. order a Gin Blossom off the daily specials menu.
??pm – A regular at the bar is working with the bartender to make the specials for next week. They bring us a round – it’s fantastic. It’s pink (yay!) and has tequila, chili powder, lime, St. Germain and some other ingredients the bartender was kind enough to mention but I didn’t quite catch.
11:15pm – We pay our tab. We debate taking a lyft but we’ve both spent more than we had intended and we walk to the metro together. We happen to catch the last train going our way (seems a little early but we’re glad we got on). B. texts me to let me know that she’s going to be out early in the morning and might need to shower before me. I ask if she can boil some water for me before she heads to bed. $60
12am – I get home, put my yoga clothes out to dry, and make some ramen. I added too much sriracha but I guess that’s what I get for being over confident while intoxicated. I debate not brushing my teeth but talk myself into it in exchange for skipping flossing. Brush and head to bed!
Day 7 Total: $69.91
Food + Drink: $145.61
Fun / Entertainment: $0
Home + Health: $298.25
Clothes + Beauty: $0
Transport: $20
Other: $0
This was a pretty high spend week for me. I don’t usually buy memberships to yoga studios and usually only spend ~30 in groceries per week. But, since I was hosting, it was higher. I tend to spend more in the week I get my paycheck and usually tend to do one expensive bar / restaurant trip per pay period. I'm working on doing this during the second week of my paycheck though since I tend to feel kind of strapped. If you don’t count the yoga membership, my biggest expense is food and drink which I’m not surprised by at all. Entertainment in the DMV isn’t difficult to find for free so I tend to spend most of my money on bar trips. I do need to work on fixing my diet, but I'm trying to make one change at a time to be more sustainable.
Edit: I wrote down the wrong take-home since my savings are deducted before I see my check. Thanks /u/GordonAmanda for catching that - that was a really silly error.
Submitted August 22, 2019 at 04:34PM by The_Empress https://ift.tt/2MvCTOv
No comments:
Post a Comment