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WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on TheJournal.ie that runs on Wednesdays and Sundays and looks at what people in Ireland really do with their cash.
We’ve asked 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.
Last time, a 30-year-old software developer on €77,000 wrote how he balanced an active social life with saving and investments. Today, a 32-year-old HR manager in Sligo walks us through his week which involves saving for Christmas.
I’m 32 and live in Sligo where I work for a large manufacturer as a HR business partner.
I used to work in Dublin but I made the move back home to Sligo two years ago. The cost of living and property is much more expensive in Dublin, but I spend more on transport in Sligo because I need a car to get around.
I own an apartment in Sligo, which would never have been possible in Dublin. My mortgage comes to €540 per month which I know is much cheaper than Dublin rent.
Most of my financial goals are long-term. I would like to buy health insurance but other priorities just keep coming up. I want to continue saving for a pension in the hope that I may be able to retire before 70! The idea of buying a second property is also appealing although a very long way away.
Outside of work I enjoy eating out, going for drinks, spending time with family and friends, reading and going to the gym.
Occupation: HR Business Partner
Age: 32
Location: Sligo
Salary: €45,000
Monthly pay (net): €2,850
Mortgage: €540
Mortgage protection: €15
House insurance: €10
Management fees: €85
Pension: €270
Car loan: €255
Petrol: €170
Car insurance: €60
Car tax: €23
Electricity: €100
Phone bill: €55
TV and broadband: €85
TV licence: €13
Medical expenses: €200
Groceries: €200
Subscriptions: €10.99 Netflix, €9.99 Spotify, Gym €19
Savings for Christmas: €42
Savings for holidays: €200
General savings: €200
This week my expenses were relatively high, so my extra spending came out of savings.
***
7:30am: My alarm goes off and I struggle to get out of bed - no matter how much you love your job, Monday is Monday! By 8:10am I’m showered, changed and fuelled by coffee, ready for the day ahead (or at least the drive to work).
8:30am: I arrive at work and spend the morning with my head down.
11:00am: Time for a cup of tea and something to eat. I’ve never been good at eating in the morning so I’m trying to make sure I get something into me before noon. Today it’s a bowl of porridge.
1:30pm: Lunch time. Our canteen in work offers free food which is a great perk. Today there is a carbonara on the menu which I can’t pass up.
3:30pm: The day is nearly over, but I’m flagging so I skip out of the office and grab a takeaway coffee in the local shop (€2.50). I could grab a cup of the instant coffee in work but in all honesty it tastes like muck!
5:30pm: I leave the office and drive into town. I need to grab a few bits of clothes for work. I pick up a few bits in Penneys (€45.60) and pay for parking (€3).
7:00pm: I get home and make myself a chicken curry. There’s plenty left over so I’ll get tomorrow out of it as well. I’m wrecked after all of today’s excitement and settle in for a quiet night of TV.
10:00pm: Lights out
Today's total: €51.10
7:30am: My alarm goes off and I get up for and get ready for work. I leave the apartment at 8:10am and arrive in the office by 8:30am. It’s amazing how much of your life you get back when you are not commuting in and out of a city centre.
10:30am: It's break time so I grab some tea and porridge again. To mix things up I put a spoonful of honey in it!
1:30pm: Lunch time. On the menu today is chilli con carne which I grab with some salad.
5:00pm: I leave the office after a busy day and head to the gym for a swim to dust off the cobwebs.
6:30pm: I grab a few bits in Tesco on my way home from the gym (€4.40). Once I’m home I eat the rest of yesterday’s leftover curry and do some laundry and ironing – who says I don’t lead a rock and roll lifestyle?
9:00pm: I catch up on some TV and head for bed around 10:30pm.
Today's total: €4.40
7:30am: I get up and get ready for work and I'm in the office by 8:30am.
10:30am: I have a quick bowl of cornflakes to keep me going for the morning.
1:00pm: It's lunch time and today the canteen has poached salmon and garden vegetables – when I think about how much money I used to spend grabbing a sandwich it sends shivers down my spine.
3:30pm: Looks like this afternoon is going to need a jolt of energy so I pop out for another one of those cheeky coffees from the local shop (€2.50).
5:00pm: I leave the office and head home. I’m having a friend over for dinner this evening. We're both decent cooks so we take it in turns to have each other over for dinner.
6:30pm: I cobbled together a caprese salad and chicken alfredo - not the most complex thing in the world but decent, hearty food. My friend brings a bottle of wine with her which is more than welcome.
9:30pm: My friend leaves and I do a spot of clean-up and catch a bit of TV before bed at 10:30pm.
Today's total: €2.50
7:00am: I get up, shower and get ready for work. I’m a bit earlier than usual as I want to be in the office by 8:00am to get stuck into something quite heavy while the office is fairly quiet.
10:30am: The morning has flown in! Time for a little break with a cup of tea and my trusted old friend - a bowl of porridge.
1:30pm: Lunch time! I have chicken korma today which is lovely as always and cost me nothing!
5:00pm: I leave work and head to the gym. I’ve been really lazy this week, so I make up for lost time by doing an hour of cardio. I’ll be back tomorrow to do some weights, I promise…
6:30pm: After finishing in the gym I head to Dunnes Stores to do my weekly grocery shop. I know I might be crucified for admitting to doing my shopping somewhere that’s not Aldi or Lidl, but it suits me well and their €10 off when you spend €50 makes it worth my while. This week I need to buy laundry detergent and cleaning supplies as well as my weekly shop, so I spend €61.12 where I would normally spend €45.
7:30pm: I'm back home and I put the shopping away and make a stir-fry with oyster sauce. I relax for the evening and watch some TV before bed.
Today's total: €61.12
7:30am: It’s Friday!!! Usual routine and arrive into work at 8:30am.
10:30am: I grab a quick break and have some tea and porridge.
1:00pm: It's lunch time. On Friday it’s usually something fun and a little unhealthy. Today it’s pizza – I am very happy.
4:00pm: I’ve worked extra time so I’m treating myself to an hour off today to catch up on some life admin.
4:30pm: I get a haircut (€13 plus €5 tip). Considering I would pay €20+ for a cut in Dublin this feels very reasonable.
5:15pm: I treat myself to a decent bottle of wine (€13.99) and a sharing bag of crisps (not for one I swear) for €2.50.
5:30pm: I arrive home and reheat yesterday’s stir-fry. I would normally go out on a Friday but it’s been a long week and I skip the after-work pints and chill out at home with my bottle of wine and some cheese before bed.
Today's total: €34.49
11:00am: I’m being really self-indulgent today and have a lie-in. When I eventually get up, I make myself a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel – this is what weekends are made for!
12:00pm: I catch up on some reading. I love reading, but I’m terrible at making time for it so I’m challenging myself to read a book every two weeks.
3:00pm: I pop over to my friend’s house and stop for petrol on the way (€59.76). We catch up for a while and head out to dinner later. It’s my treat as it’s their birthday soon and I don’t see them nearly enough. Dinner and drinks for two comes to €90.40 – it seems expensive but we had three courses and a bottle of wine.
11:00pm: I head home and watch Netflix for a while before bed.
Today's total: €150.16
9:00am: I wake up and catch up on some housework. The stuff dreams are made of!
11:00am: I head to the gym and do some weights. I’ve been very bad this week – maybe I need a gym diary instead!!!
2:00pm: Mam and Dad come to visit. It’s been a while since I have seen them properly so it’s nice to catch-up. I nip out to the shop and pick up a bottle of wine (€10.49). I do a roast chicken which takes up a good chunk of the afternoon.
5:00pm: We eat and they leave shortly afterwards. I spend the rest of the evening getting ready for the week ahead and relaxing in front of the TV.
Today's total: €10.49
What I learned:
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Even if I was a trillionaire I’d have no interest in things being gold plated, I love the rest of it though
Everything about the man is fake, including his gold plated plane. You know his daddy left him almost 200 million and casinos, all of which he destroyed and blew in bad investments. He is technically broke apparently, owning billions but at that level of debt you are better off owing billions than thousands like the rest of us. Why do beautiful young girls throw themselves at him I wonder, because of his hair?
Sometimes I think the world would be a much better place without religion in it. The animals who abducted these beautiful girls don’t deserve life. Actually no, they are not animals, animals are more caring and intelligent.
Errrrr ok….
And sneaky topic switch of the week goes to…
Is the dolly bird gold plated i wonder? (i mean the girl in the video not Helena)
Wtf has religion to do with Trump’s appalling lack of taste? But as you have switched topic… Have you seen what some animals do to their young? Treating Boko Haram like animals or calling them that is a mistake. They are human beings and their behaviour should be a reminder to all that we are all just a few steps away from inhumanity, whether through ideological extremism or rage or lust or pride or greed etc etc Personally I reckon northern Nigeria should be sterilized with enough radiation to make it uninhabitable for 200 years. Bring on the tactical nuclear weapons.
Oops…sorry people. I inadvertently copy and pasted a previous comment I left on another piece about the kids kidnapped in Nigeria….sheesh, tough crowd.
@Inigo I’m more of a silver girl, cheap and cheerful…like myself
@Helena do you have a silver tongue?
The fawning, sycophantic, red carpet welcome, at 8.00AM on a cool Monday morning at Shannon Airport, complete with dirges, harp and fiddle was tasteless, ugly and embarrassing. Could they not have conjured something more subtle, discreet and nuanced than a gauche gypsy circus?
And Myles Duffy has just announced that he will create hundreds of jobs in Clare.
I’d say Trump specifically requested them.
“…tasteless, ugly and embarrassing.” Trump in a nutshell.
As for all those jobs, Tom… Check Jobbridge, Trump’s advertising there already.
Hundreds of jobs.. yeah. Well, they’re off to a great start
Luxurious private jet, gold plated seat belts, billions of dollars and he’s trying to hire staff through JobBridge for his new resort in Co Clare…..disgraceful!!
If you are so offended here’s a whacky idea: don’t apply for the job. Problem solved.
I have a job Tom so I’m ok…..
You probably think it’s perfectly fine for this billionaire to hire people who will receive their social welfare along with €50 a week from Mr Trump…..it’s disgraceful, hire people and pay them a decent wage….it’s not like he hasn’t got it!!
Go Tom the capitalist w*#@&$r……
Better than doing absolutely nothing with life.
Yeah Danny because that’s the attitude we should have….lets make all jobs part of the JobBridge scheme to make the rich richer…..sure why would anybody want to get a job with a dexent wage??
*decent
Trump won’t be paying them a red cent! The €50 top up comes from taxpayers which means Trump’s getting free bar staff and cleaners under the insulting guise of an “internship”.
Do you really think he has any involvement in the HR practices I his country.
Just like any legal immigrant, any foreign investor will take advantage of every scheme they can find when setting up in Ireland.
Mick,
Nobody’s suggesting making all jobs a part of jobbridge scheme and obviously everyone would like to get a job for a decent wage. I don’t quite get that argument of yours
Unemployed and those that are not on fas training now have an additional OPTION (Yes it’s an option) of getting some extra experience on the top of the trainings they already completed and their current experience.
Let the unemployed chose for themselves.
@Daisy, You’re right. Theres not a single reason why a taxpayer would have to pay that additional €50. Let the new employer pay that and perhaps paying half of the sw payment wouldn’t harm them either.
Well Danny, I believe that a better option for the unemployed would be to have jobs available that pay a decent wage rather than exploit the unemployed with a JobBridge scheme…..
And by the way Danny, that was sarcasm…not an argument….
Mick, those are beautiful slogans but the problem is that there is no jobs…. an option of plenty of well paid jobs does not exist. We need options for unemployed that can be provided today, any suggestions?
If there are no jobs than how are all these people getting employed through jobsbridge Danny? Do you thing the countless employers offering internships are doing so merely to up skill the unemployed? The fact is business need this work to be done and plenty of jobs have been downgraded from actual jobs to jobsbridge internships to save employers paying a full weeks wage. How anyone can stand over this is shocking to me and I’m sure if you personally were in the position where looking for work you’d be outraged as well.
There obviously are jobs if they are already advertised…..the problem is they are being run under the JobBridge scheme…..now don’t get me wrong, I know it is not feasible to pay a barman, cleaner, waiting staff etc.. 50k a year but I do believe that €9 – €12 per hour for these jobs depending on the job would aid us on our road to recovery a lot more efficiently than through JobBridge…..it would also give those who get the jobs a better standard of living….
I just do not agree with a foreign billionaire who has bought a “resort” for pittence (compared to the evaluation last year) getting staff for free effectively when he has the finances to pay a decent wage and help the economy….
@Robert – Spot on, I totally agree!!
Actually no. By purchasing the hotel and resort he is keeping a huge amount of people employed in employment plus a large amount of local suppliers to the hotel in business. Why don’t you ask these people what they think instead of assuming you already know. Their delighted someone has invested and it hasn’t gone empty like so many other hotels have in the country. Such pontificating from people who don’t even know the situation on the ground.
Mick I take it you have never been to Doonbeg! The golf links has created 100′s of jobs in the area – from working there, supplying the club & tourism in the area. Lahinch GC has benefitted from Doonbeg as has the whole area!
Meanwhile, down in Mississippi, plantation owner Festus Calhoun is explaining to his new slaves the value of gaining “experience” cleaning his house and picking his cotton.
Unfortunately for Festus, he still has to clothe, feed and house his slaves. Jobsbridge makes no such demands on their slaveholders. Jobsbridge participants have to do all that themselves.
All the billions he has and he still hasn’t sorted his wig out……
“Your fired”
Gold plated Billionaire and still manages to look like a Healy Rae !
“You’re”
Please stop giving this eejit so much airtime!
Bet ya still can’t smoke in the jacks though…nice bit of equipment all the same.
The plane’s not too shabby either
Meanwhile back in the real world, 21,000 people die of hunger every single day.
Well that is capitalism for you the rich get richer and the poor get poorer .
Who cares? People die every day. It’s the way of the world. Get over yourself.
That’s from over population, not capitalism. Take it up with the Vatican who continuously promote no contraception usage in some of the poorest countries in the world. In the Philippines the average family has 4 kids, in a country where you’d be lucky enough to be able to feed 1 and the church tells its millions of followers that they’ll burn in hell if they use a condom.
Well if they don’t buy food what do you expect?
Great example of the 1%,s lifestyle.
She’s nice looking entertainment alright
Please stop giving this eejit so much airtime!
Lannister, I bet he s**ts gold.
Is it true that Michael Noonan offered to dance suggestively for Trump yesterday???
- Such fawning and scurrying from our political rats, too sad to be comical.
And how many jobs have you created?
Tom pull up your pants. You’re embarrassing yourself.
I for one welcome our new overlord.
Welcome Donald, Welcome !
Proudly serving our corporate masters!
We’ll he can’t take it with him, no pockets in a habbit ;-)
Why the red carpet for this man. Here you go again , tipping the forelock to developers and speculators . Nothing changes in this country.
Shroud no? I think nuns have pockets.
Is a habbit something hobbits wear?
I agree with scald bag it is all too embarrassing and pathetic the way politicians have rolled out the red carpet in a meet and greet. Ever since the fantastic Queen Elizabeth visit this government is gone mad on clapping themselves on their hospitality and the chance of a camera shot . Mr trump is way too extravagant and flashy to make his visions for Dun beg make any financial sense or have any high chance of success.We simply don’t have the population size or footfall to make it work at the level he will need to operate at to try and turn A profit. Yet again the government is looking for the developers easy money . The Americans must be laughing at us as he can walk away if the whole thing bellies up with our cap doffing government subsidising his investment . We meanwhile would get left with another gold plated trump business . I hope before money changes hands in subsidies that his business success V failure rates are looked at. Fine if he takes a risk himself but not us again especially not the gold plated type.if I was a dragon I would be out at this stage .
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts……
Poor aul DOB only has a Gulfstream maybe FG could give him more business/money to up grade to a B757.
Have a look at properties over £10m on the web. All of them decked out in gold. Seriously bad taste and lack of class and imagination.
Yer wan is cute though….
Cheap looking..A billionaire shame no one told his accent
Huh?
Look up BBC panoramma about his carry on in Scotland. .well worth a look
Just goes to show that money can’t buy you class…. and no I’m not jealous (much)!
This country should be ashamed of itself, I thought we might have grown up but we’re still just forelock tugging, hand wringing peasants.
Embarrassing.
Tony Stark has more class.
Imagine having your own personal little screen for your seat when flying across the Atlantic. We can but dream …
Typical Irish attitude here. Everyone’s jealous of his success haha
He’s so classy, in the worst sense of the word.
I do hope he gets into a spat with one of our favourite Irish billionaires though, would be very entertaining to see two men with incongruous hairdos going head to head.
Hey look! A pretty nice entertainment system…and a large LCD screen in the back ground… ;)
On a serious note, the welcome festivity was pure cringe. The leprechauns were missing…
Guys you are all jealous, he’s a billionaire, he can do whatever he wants and wear whatever he wants and have a shit ass hair do too! For sure, all of us ejits talking shite on this arnt going to bother a billionaire. I’d probably hold plate everything too, I’d have the air hostess’s gold plated.
When I came of the plane from Boston all I was just greeted with was a Westlife poster.
shane filan would appear in person for a €5 theses days if you’d asked.
shane filan would appear in person for a €5 these days if you’d asked.
You’re…. a plonker
What harm is he doing? Let him on spend his money as he sees fit.
If people get employment from jobs bridge so be it. How many jobs do any of you create?
How many jobs has Trump created?
Who cares if he has no class, worth billions etc… is he not creating a few jobs in this country? Still lots of people out of work so a chance for a few people to get back working. Can only be a good thing.
Not so far. He’s created a Jobbridge “internship” that won’t cost him a penny. It’s scams like this that keep Shredded Wheat Headed Trump in gold plated toilet paper.
some focking laugh if it crashed
Well, he’s got all the money in the world, but there’s one thing he can’t buy… … …a dinosaur!
Charming. I bet you won’t find a Vertigo angustior in that gold plated bathroom.
Same taste in decor as in hair
This is good example if where our country is at right now…. 1845….evening squire!
Get a job ye bums!
Should keep the name Doonbeg …..
keep them out away from your lovely island . you regreat it.
Meh!! Compared to the SaudI kings 747 ,ol Don is really slumming it and picked that plane up on the cheap at Lidils.
Donald Trump has got class and style, I’ll give him that.
CLASS warfare and a bad hair STYLE!
From the previous comments I take them as proof that the Irish are a nation of begrudgers
Does the young one come with it?
Gold*
have your say