Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.
Today: a PhD student who makes $37,000 per year and who spends some of her money this week on pub appetizers at trivia.
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Editor’s note: This is a follow-up diary. You can read the original diary here.
Occupation: PhD student
Industry: Education
Age: 32
Location: Northern California
Salary: $37,000 stipend + approximately $10,000 summer pay; $5,000 side hustles.
Assets: Retirement accounts: $64,004; personal investments: $19,169; HSA: $6,635; I bonds: $5,574; checking and savings: $2,000 (my savings took a major hit recently due to moving to go back to school and needing to pay first month’s rent, last month’s rent, etc. I’m currently working on building them up again. Most of my personal investments can be accessed easily at this point, so I have that available for emergencies as well).
Debt: Student loans: $33,585.
Paycheck amount (1x month): $4,111 (our stipends are pre-tax).
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: $850 (includes utilities and internet).
Loan payments: $0
Paramount+: $13.77 (I’m currently trading this with a friend for Netflix; I’m also on a joint plan for Spotify with some friends and we exchange years paying for it).
Phone: $70.84
Roth IRA: $650
Personal investments: $50
Savings: $1,000 (currently split between travel sinking fund and emergency fund).
Tax savings: $300
Apple+ storage: $2.99
Regal Unlimited: $23.99
Renter’s insurance: ~$15/month (I’m still getting this set up).
Donations: I vary this throughout the year but it’s usually about $50-$100 per month.
Annual Expenses
Credit card fees: $1,397 (I promise I get WAY more than this in benefits).
Democratic Socialists of America dues: $27
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Nobody else expected me to go to college but it was an expectation I had for myself. I grew up in an unstable home and was moved into foster care as a youth. Nobody in my family had attended college and I was basically told it wasn’t for people like us. I, however, felt that the surest and quickest way out of the difficult life I grew up in was through a college degree that could take me anywhere, and I worked towards that goal throughout my schooling. Most of my undergraduate degree was paid for with scholarships but I ended up needing to take out about $15,000 for study abroad. I paid this off partially through payments but also with teacher forgiveness. I then took out about $45,000 in loans for my master’s and was putting all my extra money into paying them off until the pandemic hit; at that point, I had been learning a lot more about finances and understood the benefits of investing that money instead. I will continue slow-paying these loans once the SAVE Plan forbearance is over and I have reinstated my emergency fund.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I had no financial education growing up. My family was low-income and I knew this, but nobody ever spoke of money except during arguments about how little there was. I learned what not to do by watching my parents and extended family, and learned to budget on my own. I have held a job pretty much since I was a child and paid my way for most things.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I “worked” babysitting and other small gigs (like raking leaves) until I was of legal working age (14 in my home state). The day I turned 14, I went and applied for a job at a local coffee shop. I used this money to pay for things like food, books for school, clothing, sports equipment, field trips, and anything fun I wanted.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes, constantly. I did not have any role models who had a positive relationship with money and I was terrified of not having enough. I was responsible for buying my own food and anything else I needed from when I was 14. I worked as much as humanly possible in high school, including holidays because they were paid at a higher rate.
Do you worry about money now?
I try really hard not to. I had a scarcity mindset for many, many years that caused me to live with a lot of stress. Since then, I have worked on adopting an abundance mindset, where I constantly remind myself that I have always been able to make enough to cover my needs. I have learned a lot about budgeting, saving, investing, travel hacking, etc. to stretch my money and it’s worked. I’ve been able to travel and do most things that I enjoy while still saving for the future.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I officially became financially responsible for myself when I turned 18. My safety net is my savings and investments, and my friends. I have made good friends over the years, and I would always have somewhere to go if it came to it (as would they!). I have on occasion lived with friends when I was between leases.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
When I was between the ages of 18 and 21, I received about $500 a month from the foster care system. This money was pivotal for me, as it allowed me to have some breathing room during my studies. I still barely scraped by, but it would have been so much worse without that money.
Day One: Monday
7:11 a.m. — Wake up before my alarm. Normally I get up around now, but I’ve had a couple of long weeks (I had to work the past two weekends), so I’m still making up for lost sleep. My first meeting isn’t until 10 a.m. today so I had planned to sleep in a bit. Pretty soon after, the garbage trucks come to empty all of the dumpsters in the apartment complex so it isn’t very restful anyway.
8 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I get up. I head downstairs and start frying two eggs while I eat a banana. I also pour orange juice and make pumpkin spice tea because #fall (if you dislike “basic” things, here is your warning to turn away; over four types of pumpkin spice are consumed this week. I am who I am). I look up a brownie recipe on the internet and get started on that because my friend’s birthday is today and I want to drop them off for her when I head in for my morning meeting. I listen to my Spotify daylist during this, which is “hopeful napping morning.” I AM hopeful and I do want to nap, thanks Spotify.
9:30 a.m. — The brownies are finished; I take them out and run to get ready really quickly. I do an abbreviated skincare routine (CeraVe cleanser, Thayers toner, CeraVe moisturizer with sunscreen), brush my teeth, and put on a navy Quince jumpsuit and blue flats. I have been trying to turn to sustainable yet affordable brands and Quince was highly recommended, so that’s what most of my clothing is right now. (Please share other recommendations — especially for undergarments, because Quince does not have them. I tried Pact but am not loving it.) I grab the brownies and some cookies from the weekend and head to the university for my 10 a.m. meeting. I drop the baked goods off in a different part of the building and make it to my meeting right on time.
11:45 a.m. — I meet my friend to collect the dishes from the baked goods, then head home to make lunch (a hummus bowl with tomatoes, cucumbers, toasted pine nuts, pepperoncini, and balsamic vinegar glaze, and a cherry lime seltzer that I make with my SodaStream) and jump on a Zoom meeting. When the meeting ends, I finish cleaning up from lunch and head back to the university. I print out articles that I need to read for class this week, read, and do discussion posts.
3:30 p.m. — I head to the chiropractor. It’s a different person than usual, so I’m caught off guard at first. When my appointment is over, I head to the building my next meeting is in and do readings while I wait. On my walk I call a friend who recently started a master’s program after over 10 years out of school — she’s struggling a bit. I give her some advice and try to cheer her up. I head in for my meeting; in between the points I need to participate in, I study random facts for trivia tonight. We have a new team and we’re determined to improve, especially because I had a ~meet-cute~ at trivia last week and am working my magic on the guy.
6 p.m. — The meeting ends and I head directly to the restaurant that hosts trivia. Most of my team couldn’t make it today and it’s a struggle. We get only one question right per round for the first three rounds, but do well on the last two; my meet-cute even stops by to help for a few minutes but we don’t end up needing him. Throughout the game, I have three slices of pizza (two margherita and one cheese), a draft cider, and a Diet Coke ($28.09). The grocery store is next to the restaurant we go to for trivia, so I walk over and get oat milk on the way home. My roommate is with me and pays because I paid last week. I head home, do my skincare routine (CeraVe cleanser, Thayers toner, Naturium retinol, and CeraVe nighttime moisturizer), brush and floss my teeth, read Minka Kelly’s memoir, Tell Me Everything, watch one episode of Emily In Paris, and fall asleep by 10:30 p.m. $28.09
Daily Total: $28.09
Day Two: Tuesday
7:30 a.m. — Alarm goes off. I was up briefly earlier but fell quickly back asleep. I get up and go downstairs to eat a banana, fry two eggs, and have orange juice (high pulp, not from concentrate. Probably should have mentioned those details yesterday, it’s important to who I am). I’m still a bit sleep-deprived from last week, but forced myself to get up on time because I’m doing some volunteering this week. My Spotify daylist this morning is “comforting sweater weather early Tuesday morning,” which feels right.
8 a.m. — I volunteer talking to people for two hours. I take a few breaks to refill my PS tea and get a few steps throughout. After my last call, I do my skincare routine, brush teeth, etc. and then work on this diary for a few minutes before jumping into a training for my research position. When the first section of the training is finished, I switch to a reading for one of my courses and complete the required discussion post.
11:45 a.m. — I’ve finished one reading so I’m at a good natural stopping point. I head downstairs to make lunch: I cut up some bread I made over the weekend and mix it with garlic powder and olive oil, then air-fry it to make croutons and throw together a salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, parmesan, olive oil, and lemon juice (I also drink a homemade seltzer). I clean up and then go upstairs to work on assignments for my statistics class. I submit a quiz for my class as well as a reading assignment I have.
1:35 p.m. — I get dressed in non-WFH clothes (Quince black bodysuit and black overalls) and head to a meeting with an advisor for one of my projects. After the meeting, I go to my office to work on readings, because I have another meeting at 5:30 p.m., and it doesn’t make sense to leave campus between now and then.
4:45 p.m. — I head to Target on the way to my meeting to get supplies for an after-school club I teach at once a week. We’re doing Halloween-themed science experiments this week! I check out and head to a meeting on campus that’s essentially our graduate school version of student government. They have free food but this week isn’t quite as good or ample as usual. I have a vegetable kebab, crudités, and a mushroom pastry thing, plus a brownie and a cookie. $30.31 (expensed).
7:30 p.m. — When the meeting ends, I chat with a few friends from other departments and then head home quickly to change into workout clothes. I run to the climbing gym to meet a couple of friends (including the guy from yesterday. Let the courting commence). When we finish climbing, I head home. I take a very quick shower, brush and floss my teeth, and do my skincare routine (all while listening to my daylist: “journaling bard Tuesday night”). I usually meditate every morning but missed yesterday due to making the brownies and today due to the phone banking, so I do a short meditation on the Balance app and then head to sleep.
Daily Total: $0
Day Three: Wednesday
7:15 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I wake right up and do a quick meditation. I cook two eggs for breakfast and have it with orange juice and a pumpkin spice hot chocolate (you were warned). This morning’s daylist is a little too pumpy for an early, slow morning, so I put on one of Spotify’s coffee shop playlists instead.
8 a.m. — I head upstairs and get ready for the day. Today’s outfit is a Quince bodysuit and navy linen pants. I do my skincare routine, brush my teeth, and head to class. Our class ends early because the professor’s daughter is sick. This is the first time we’ve been let out early and I use the time to work on my Money Diary for a little bit while checking in with some of my friends that are in the course. When I’m done, I head home to make lunch. I throw together another hummus bowl, finish a bag of potato chips, and drink a seltzer. I eat, clean up, and lay down for a bit to nap.
1:45 p.m. — Get up and head to the after-school club that I work at. Today we do chromatography and test out which liquids dissolve candy corn most rapidly. The kids love it, which is the most important part. As soon as the club ends, I head right back to campus for a meeting. This is a meeting for one of the projects we’re working on, which involves a few people from outside of our department. Thus far, they have been challenging to work with, and I’m feeling unsure about whether I should continue with the project. I leave feeling a bit defeated and unappreciated.
5:20 p.m. — The meeting ends and I call someone to vent on my walk home. I get home and cook black bean tacos with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and homemade pico de gallo. I watch Gilmore Girls while I cook. Afterwards, I head right to the climbing gym to meet the same friends and climb for a couple of hours. We stay a bit later than planned because I end up meeting and talking to a few new people. We’re perilously close to my bedtime, so I head home and take a quick shower, do my skincare routine, brush my teeth, read Tell Me Everything for a few minutes, and fall asleep by 11.
Daily Total: $0
Day Four: Thursday
8:45 a.m. — I let myself sleep in because I’ve been feeling so tired this week, but I still wake up before my 9 a.m. alarm. Head down and make a blueberry smoothie, then start making cheesecake for a friend’s birthday party tomorrow. It’s no-bake, so it needs to sit for about 12 hours and I won’t have time later. I check my Hinge matches and messages while the KitchenAid works, and listen to my daylist (“wistful power pop Thursday morning”).
10:20 a.m. — The baking takes longer than expected (as it always does for me). I run upstairs to get dressed (plain blue shirt and flowy pants), do my skincare routine, and brush my teeth. I head to a fellowship advising meeting on campus. After the meeting, I walk to a Subway on campus, because I used my lunch prep time to make the cheesecake and didn’t have any leftovers. This is going to end up being a high-spend day because I have an event later, too. I bring my lunch to a 12 p.m. meeting I have for a group I’m in and then head to class at 1 p.m. $8.94
2:40 p.m. — I have a break between this class and the next one. I walk to Starbucks with my classmates and am still a bit hungry since I haven’t eaten enough protein yet today, so I get an Impossible breakfast sandwich and an iced pumpkin cream chai (this was before I realized I should have been boycotting Starbucks… It’s hard to keep up sometimes). I load $20 onto my Starbucks card to pay for it. We get our food, return to the building our class is in, and wait in the room for class to start while chatting about our love lives. Several of my friends have been married or with their significant others for years, so they greatly enjoy our dating stories. They are extremely invested in my meet-cute, and I aim to please. Class starts and we power through. $20
4:50 p.m. — Class ends and we head to a local pub for another trivia event (the Monday one is weekly, this one is for a special event). The trivia happens to be themed to a country that I studied abroad in, so I’m hoping we have an edge. My meet-cute from the other trivia shows up to join us as well (four days in a row…does this bode well? We shall see). I end up getting maybe a little too enthusiastic (people who talk about not showing their true personality when they’re early in the dating stage? Could not be me. I don’t think I’m capable of that) but I think he enjoys himself. We come out victorious, winning $100 for the group. I buy a pitcher (hard cider) and split it with my friend; she covers food (we have all of the greasy pub appetizers). $38
9:30 p.m. — I head home and talk to my roommate about the night; I mention my overenthusiasm and that I don’t know how it was received, but I realize I wouldn’t want to date someone who doesn’t appreciate my energy. Frankly, it’s not going away. I get ready for bed and fall asleep by 11 p.m.
Daily Total: $66.94
Day Five: Friday
8 a.m. — I sleep in a bit again and get up right when my alarm goes off. I make breakfast of eggs and orange juice and prep lunch: pasta with olive oil, pine nuts, basil, and garlic. I call it “deconstructed pesto.” I also shred some parmesan and cut a lemon to bring with me to add later. I listen to my daylist while prepping (“drained labor Friday morning”).
9 a.m. — I head to the university to meet with some classmates and get work done. We work on one of our assignments while discussing my ongoing love saga. One of my friends has a parent visiting, and they stop by and share the details. Right before noon, I heat my lunch up and head to another meeting. I eat my pasta during the meeting and grab a couple of snacks they have (chips for now, some chocolates for later). I head to my office to try and read a book for a book club later, but too many people stop by to chat, and I don’t end up getting any reading done. I head to the book club at 2 p.m.
3 p.m. — Book club ends and I head home to take another nap. I am still getting caught up on sleep and will be staying out later than I normally do tonight. I nap for about an hour and a half, then get up and do a Yoga With Adriene video. When I finish the video, I put a potato in the air fryer to make a “baked” potato and let it cook while I do an everything shower. I pour some wine and watch Gilmore Girls while I finish cooking and dressing my potato, then I eat and clean, before getting ready to head to the party.
8 p.m. — A number of people ended up canceling last minute, so it’s a bit smaller and more intimate than planned, but I think my friend still enjoys it. We have wine, hard seltzers, pizza, and cheesecake and talk about love, life, and learning (I had a professor who would always refer to talking about the three Ls, which I love). We end up heading home around 11 p.m. I do my skincare routine and brush my teeth immediately, and fall asleep by midnight.
Daily Total: $0
Day Six: Saturday
7:15 a.m. — I wake up but I keep trying to go back to sleep because I definitely did not get enough last night. I eventually fall asleep for a bit and finally get out of bed at 9:20 a.m. I go downstairs and eat a banana while making fried eggs and home fries for breakfast. I drink a few glasses of orange juice and make a chai latte with Trader Joe’s instant chai latte mix. I watch Gilmore Girls while I eat.
10:13 a.m. — I meditate, brush my hair, and put casual clothes on before jumping on a 10:30 a.m. Zoom meeting for one of my extracurricular groups. I drink my latte during the meeting, then head upstairs and finish getting ready before heading to an in-person meeting for the same organization at 1 p.m. Then I head out to canvass for a candidate in a nearby special election — it’s a swing seat and the polls do not look promising.
7:15 p.m. — I run home to change quickly and head to a pool party. I have a vegetarian burger and hot dog, several beers, and some type of premixed pumpkin spice alcoholic drink that is way better than I expect. (I don’t normally drink this many times in a week but I’m still new here and making friends, and this week has been busier.) The party is nice; the apartment complex is very fancy and it’s nice to get to meet some students in other departments. Mine is a bit insular and it isn’t always easy to meet other people.
10:55 p.m. — I walk home from the party. When I get home, I read, watch an episode of Gilmore Girls, do my skincare routine, brush and floss my teeth, and I’m asleep by 12:30 a.m.
Daily Total: $0
Day Seven: Sunday
8:18 a.m. — Wake up naturally, watch the last half episode of this season of Emily In Paris. I go downstairs and eat a banana and leftover maple-glazed walnuts I made last week while cooking eggs. I do my morning routine and then clean up after breakfast. I head to the grocery store and get tampons, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, orange juice, cream cheese, bagels, dark brown sugar, a small bottle of strawberry milk, and an instant pasta thing, since I’ll only have a short break between canvassing to eat. On my way in the door, I hit the frame with the eggs and break two of them 🙁 I start to make a salad but realize the bread I put in the freezer yesterday already had some mold, so I make black bean tacos instead. I clean up and head out to canvass. $42.24
4:15 p.m. — I run home during our hour-long break from canvassing and make the pasta and a cherry seltzer. I eat while watching Gilmore Girls, clean up, and then head right back to canvass again. We finish shortly before 8 p.m. and I head home. I wanted to work out but am too tired, so I read, watch GG, and eventually head to bed early.
Daily Total: $42.24
The Breakdown
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