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WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on TheJournal.ie running weekly and looking at what people in Ireland really do with their cash.
We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, how much they save if anything, and what they spend their money on over the course of one week.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes.
If you’d like to document your spending, or lack thereof and any lifestyle changes during this Covid-19 period, we’d love to hear from you. Send an email to money@thejournal.ie and we’ll be in touch.
Last week, we met a 29-year-old contract engineer in the pharmaceutical sector. This week, a 43-year-old software technician who lives with her nephew and is working from home.
I live quite close to Dublin city centre. I have been renting my apartment for the past 12 years, as it’s too hard to save for a deposit. I put €100 a month into savings, but I always end up dipping into this. I am so bad with money and it always seems to melt when I get it into my account every month.
With the lockdown, I am working from home and missing my work family. I am a very lively outgoing person and I’m missing my weekends out with my friends. I love to swim but pools are closed due to the lockdown, so I am getting out for walks during the day and again in the evenings.
My nephew normally lives with my parents but he is staying with me full-time during the lockdown as it would be too much for my parents as they are quite old and unwell so we’re doing anything to make their life easier.
Occupation: QA Software Technician
Age: 43
Location: Dublin
Salary: €35,000
Monthly pay (net): €2,346
Transport: €20 because of lockdown (it would usually be €80)
Rent: €800 (I get €380 HAP)
Household bills: €120 (Electricity and TV)
Phone bill: €20
Health insurance: Do not have it.
Groceries: €250 +
Car loan: €200
Car insurance: €56
Netflix: €7
Swimming pool: €25
AA: €16
Pension: €85, (my job pays another €85)
Counselling: €70
***
9.30 am: Working from home means I can get up later, but I am very late this morning. Quickest shower ever and straight to the PC set up in my living room for 10 am.
10.45 am: I grab a banana and cuppa for breakfast.
1.00 pm: I usually take 40 mins for lunch in the office but because I am at home, I am taking an hour (don’t tell the boss). I’m lucky enough that my parents live down the road, so I go down most lunchtimes with my takeaway tea and sit in the back garden and have a chat with them while they are in the kitchen. I’m not that hungry so I just have a bowl of bran flakes for lunch.
3.45 pm: Quick cuppa and a wagon wheel (lockdown has me eating SO much more).
5.30 pm: I finish work for the day.
7.00 pm: We have dinner which is steak pie, peas and mash.
10.45 pm: I watch the soaps, clean up and head to bed.
Today’s total: €0.00
9.00 am: Up and shower, have a cuppa and catch up on news etc.
9.45 am: Start work, it’s a bit quiet which is unusual. I am lucky to be in the sector I’m working in as it’s still very busy.
11.00 am: Breakfast at my desk is boiled eggs and toast.
1.00 pm: It’s my dad’s birthday today so I go to the shop and take out €70. I put €50 in a card for him and I need to get cigarettes €16 (I am trying to give up) and bread €2.70. Lunch is ham, cheese tomato and onion sambo.
3.45 pm: Cup of tea and some biscuits.
5.30 pm: I finish work for the day.
7.00 pm: We make homemade spaghetti bolognese for dinner, my nephew’s favourite. I let him watch TV for the evening, I clean up and head to bed for 11 pm.
Today’s total: €68.70
9.45 am: I am late again! I’m really not sleeping at all these days. I shower and straight to my desk and get to work right away.
11.00 am: I make some tea and toast for brekkie and have it at my desk.
1.00 pm: Go to my parents’ and sit in the garden with my takeaway tea, they are in good spirits which is great to see. Lunch is ham, cheese tomato and onion sambo.
5.30 pm: I finish work for the day.
6.00 pm: My nephew wants to make banana bread, so I head to Aldi to get the ingredients. And of course, pick up more food that I do not need. It comes to €24.57.
7.00 pm: We make dinner, which is a lovely simple grill of sausages, bacon, eggs and spice burgers. Delicious! I realise that I have left my baking tin in the office, so we can’t make the bread, so we settle for ice-cream wafers instead. We clean up and head to bed for 11 pm.
Today’s total: €24.57
9.00 am: Shower and have a cuppa and check news etc.
9.45 am: I get to my desk and get to work right away.
11.00 am: Tea and toast at my desk for brekkie.
1.00 pm: Head down to see my parents with my takeaway tea and sit in the garden and have the chats. Lunch is a ham and cheese toastie.
5.30 pm: Time to finish work.
7.00 pm: I need to go get petrol, and cannot remember the last time I did it. Also, I need to get milk as I forgot it in Aldi yesterday and also some cigarettes. It comes to €37.80.
8.00 pm: Go get some ice-cream (€5) and we take a walk down the coast.
11.00 pm: I clean up and head to bed.
Today’s total: €42.80
9.15 am: Thank god it’s Friday, but the weeks are flying by. I should be heading away on my holidays today, so I am very sad over that.
9.45 am: Get to work, I got a good bit of work done yesterday so might finish a bit early today.
11.00 am: I have my usual tea and toast at my desk. Must top up my phone, €20.
1.00 pm: Head out on a walk today. No lunch not feeling too hungry.
5.30 pm: I’m finished work for the day. Not in the mood for cooking so we have some frozen lasagne from the fridge. Head out to get a few beers for later, €10.
11.00 pm: I don’t drink the beers as I’m too tired. I watch TV for a while and head to bed , just wrecked.
Today’s total: €30.00
11.00 am: I get up and clean around and chill for a bit.
2.30 pm: Head down to my parents as I need to go get their shopping and get my own. I also get some cigarettes so mine costs €60.
5.30 pm: I get home and relax for a bit then have a shower. We have social distance bingo tonight in the apartment block I live in. It’s for charity. I haven’t done it before so it should be a good laugh.
9.00 pm: It’s €10 each for the tickets and I buy one each for me and my nephew. We have such a good night with bingo and music. My nephew wins €50.
1.00 am: Time for bed.
Today’s total: €80.00
11.30 am: Neither of us wakes up until now and we can’t believe it. We have a much later brekkie than usual of pudding and eggs.
4.00 pm: Head out on a walk for a bit clear the head.
7.00 pm: We get a Chinese takeaway, I was looking forward to it but it was not nice. It cost €13.
10.30 pm: I head to bed and can’t wait for Monday to start all over again!
Today’s total: €13.00
Weekly subtotal: €259.07
What I learned
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Paying 1500euro for a 2 bed in Naas :(
@Free Online Games:
Seems reasonable enough , depends on the occupancy rate
@Free Online Games: rent apartment/ rent house more expensive than mortgage & some Dublin people move to country cheap. Blame landlord greedy
@Brian Flavin: I’m about 2 months off mortgage approval and will be looking at roughly 660euro monthly repayments on the same place. Can’t wait!
@Free Online Games: best of good luck new house & move in two months time
@Free Online Games:
Well done , best wishes on the new gaff.
@Colonel Grant: Thank you Sir *Salutes Colonel* .
@Brian Flavin: They always have been. The only point they weren’t was during the recession where properties were rented at a loss. That was never sustainable and those losses were always going to be attempted to be recovered. The additional charges were also always going to be added to rent. People didn’t care when they knew the rent couldn’t go up but once they were applied people started complaining.
@Free Online Games: How long have you been there? Do you know what the rent was before you moved in? If you have any contact with previous tenants (e.g. for post) you should ask them and if it was increased by over 4% between tenants, you can take a case to the RTB which will find in your favour and they will owe you the excess rent. I took a similar case to the RTB and got my rent reduced by €300 plus they owed me the excess rent.
@Colonel Grant: “Seems reasonable enough” will you get on up the road its almost a month salary for most couples, hence they are left with feck all to save to get themselves deposit for a house. Its complete madness and its on the way to another crash, landlords will be left with empty places and have to foot the bill for such due to people just jumping ship and emigrating again. Better life elsewhere with cheaper rent… Nobody to blame but the government and themselves….
@Free Online Games: Time to bring in maximum rate per sq metre for rent prices
Its total greed and these accidental landlords crying there being forced out of the market mostly are in full time employment while someone else purchases a house for them and invests in their pension. Your heart would bleed for them.
@Daithi Ó Raghallaigh: if it’s so easy why aren’t you doing it
@Daithi Ó Raghallaigh: 52% tax and repairs etc and risky as some tenements don’t pay. Not worth it.
@ed w: bit like asking why I am not an astronaut. They just sit .don’t even fly the things anymore. So easy . BUT I’AM NOT ONE
@Sandra Fogarty Tormey: the tax experts saw otherwise https://www.taxback.com/blog/tax-and-irish-rental-income-what-you-need-to-know/
@Daithi Ó Raghallaigh: alot of people are still in negative equity and have struggled for years to keep up mortgage payments during tough times. Why not make hay when the sun shines because let’s face it the sun wont shine for long in this country.
Sure phek all be done about it now, the boys are off on their holidaybops… Great bunch of lads, Brexit looming and these lads take a few months off.
Try 12% increase in Kerry
The RPZs are having a “positive” impact on rental inflation alright. Since they were introduced as a temporary measure (since extended of course) rents have galloped along as supply contracted.
@Sean:
Did you read the article?
@Patrick Nolan: your mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries.
A bit misleading to suggest the rules have been broken if they don’t check the rules were followed. Maybe a quarter of landlords that stayed in the market did up the property allowing them to raise rent above 4%
Not surprising . No real chance of being hit with penalties
If only there was some measure we could take to immediately decrease demand for rental property until such a time that enough new rentals came on stream…..
Moved out of last house because it was been sold 7 months later was on daft for 464 over the RPZ allowed amount
@Derrick Ó Súilleabháin: did somebody buy it and do it up? Or is what you are saying they left it vacant for 7 months before deciding to rent it after no sale?
@Derrick Ó Súilleabháin: “being” sold not “been” sold. I’m not surprised you bring a hard luck story to this forum since your grammar is obviously not very good innit.
@Craic_a_tower: they did not do it up did sell it pictures on daft are exactly the way we left it and I live near by and pass it every day to work no skips no builder were there
@Sean: I’m sorry that my medical cerified dyslexia offends you . I think you should be more aware of people’s conditions before you try to be smart
Landlords & Builders are bad people.
This what happens when you have a weak government and a poor I love everyone leader
Been saying this for years. Link rent charged to tax levied on landlords. High Rent = High Taxes, Low Rent = Low Taxes. This would put downwards pressure on rents and encourage more Landlords into the market due to better returns.
It works for Employment Income why not Rental Income??
have your say