Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Occupation: Associate
Industry: Law
Age: 30
Location: Chicago
Salary: $180,000
Paycheck (2x/month): $5,130
Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,395. (I live alone in a small brownstone.)
Student Loan Payments: $0. (I got a full-ride scholarship to law school.)
Utilities: ~$100. (Varies, depending on how cold it is.)
Internet: $45
Cellphone: $80. (Work reimburses about half of this.)
Gym: $0. (Paid for by my work.)
Spotify: $1
Netflix: $0. (I use my boyfriend's account.)
Investments: $2,000. (I set up a monthly transfer to a brokerage account that's invested in index funds. I'm not eligible for a 401(k) at my job yet.)
Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
8 a.m. — I wake up late, skip breakfast, and take the L to work. $2.50
8:35 a.m. — Grab a latte on my way to the office. $4.35
12:15 p.m. — It's a slow day, but I just wrapped up a big jury trial and am slowly getting up to speed on a new case. I walk to a salad bar near the office for lunch. $13.32
7:25 p.m. — My slow day gets busier, and I end up staying later than usual to wrap a project. I take the L home. $2.50
7:50 p.m. — On my walk home, I swing by a CVS to buy a six-pack of beer, bacon, and yogurt. My boyfriend is staying over this weekend and I want to stock up on the essentials. $19.54
8:20 p.m. — My friend's new beau is in a band and I promised her I'd drop by to watch him play. By the time I get home, change out of my work clothes, and do my hair, it's late! I grab an Uber to save time. $7.17
8:30 p.m. — I get to the bar and pay the cover charge ($5). The band is surprisingly good and I have a great time catching up with my friend. I meet her guy between sets; he is her exact opposite and they are adorable together. I drink a couple of beers during the show ($12). $17
10:30 p.m. — After the concert, people are still hanging out, but my boyfriend texts me that he's already at my apartment. I don't want him to hang out without me for too long, so I hug my friend goodbye and catch an Uber Pool home. $4.31
Daily Total: $70.69
Flickr/Blondinrikard Fröberg
12 p.m. — Lazy Saturday in bed with the boyfriend. I make coffee, bacon, and toast (for him) and coffee and yogurt (for me). We stay in bed cuddling, listening to NPR, and chatting past noon.
1:30 p.m. — We decide to see Game Night and walk to a movie theater about a mile away. My boyfriend buys tickets online and I pay him back with cash. The movie is hilarious! We laugh the whole way through it. $14
4:45 p.m. — As soon as it's over, I realize I'm starving. We go to a nearby Nando's Peri-Peri, where we share chicken wings and a wrap and each have a glass of sangria. We split the bill. $22
5:45 p.m. — It's cold and rainy out, so we catch a bus back to my place. The weather is too crummy to leave the house again and we spend the evening reading, chatting, and drinking beers from my fridge. $2.25
Daily Total: $38.25
Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock
10 a.m. — I hoped for another lazy Sunday, but instead, my boyfriend drops a bombshell over breakfast: "Where do I see this relationship going?" because it turns out he doesn't see it going anywhere. My boyfriend of three years is breaking up with me. We spend an awful morning talking, crying, and sitting in stony, awkward silence. Finally, he suggests going outside to get some sun.
1 p.m. — We walk on the path along Lake Michigan and fall into our easy chatter. We're so comfortable and warm together; it feels like a normal Sunday for an hour or so.
2:15 p.m. — As we're walking back to my place, we pass by a grocery store. I need to stock up for the week and my boyfriend offers to help me carry the groceries. I buy LaCroix, cucumbers, yogurt, eggs, hummus, grapefruit, green onions, paper towels, and cleaning spray. $30.58
3 p.m. — As soon as we get back to my place, the awkwardness returns. He tells me he's holding me back from living my best life. I thought my best life included dating my best friend. I guess I was wrong.
5:30 p.m. — My boyfriend leaves. I tell myself I'm going to be fine but a few minutes later, I notice that he's removed all of his stuff from my bathroom cabinet and I start crying. I moved to Chicago a few months ago for work and haven't made any close friends yet. I feel very alone.
6 p.m. — I spend the evening in and finish reading a book on my Kindle (Tomorrow Will Be Different). Once I wrap up that book, I buy another one (How to Turn Down a Billion Dollars: The Snapchat Story). I can't bring myself to tell anyone what happened; I feel embarrassed that I got dumped. $12.99
Daily Total: $43.57
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