What My Salary Gets Me: A 30-year-old on $70,000, living with her partner and kids.

Mamamia’s What My Salary Gets Me asks Australians to record a week in their financial lives. Kind of like a sex diary but with money. So not like a sex diary at all. We still find out the best-kept secrets though. We discover what women are really spending their hard-earned cash on. Nothing is too outrageous or too sacred.This week, a 30-year-old from Sydney shares her money diary.

Age: 30

Salary: $70K + super

Job: Working in PR. 

Housing: Living with partner and kids.

Watch: Simple budgeting with a banana. Post continues below.

Outgoing Monthly Expenses:

Transport (Uber, Opal, and Fuel): $280

Eating Out: $160

Shopping (Clothes, electronics, online, gifts other): $800

Health Insurance: $165

Phone: $87

Music instruments and subscriptions: $191

Fitness Membership: $20

Therapy: $154

Groceries and Rent: $1200

Savings for Parents: $2200

Lifelong Savings: $9500

Holiday Savings: $400

*Note that these spendings are from my personal everyday transactions account. I have another joint account with my partner which we use for shared expenses- some of which are mentioned below.

Monday- Day One

I get up at 8am, drop the kids off to school, then head to work. 

On my way into the office, I buy a skimmed latte, $3.54. I make toast with the bread provided at work and I've brought my own lunch from home, like a good girl. 

At around 4pm, I decide I’m in the mood for some hot chocolate so I buy myself one, $3.54. My travel to and from work costs $8.96.

Daily Total: $16.04

Tuesday - Day Two

I get up, drop the kids the kids at school then drive to pick up some coffee and breakfast for my partner and I, $19. 

I park for five minutes thinking I’ll get away with it but I get a parking ticket! $115!

Later that night (to self-soothe), my partner and I order takeout from a Lebanese restaurant for $55.99. Fortunately, I have a $50 Uber gift card which I use so we only pay a total of $5.99 for our meal. 

Daily Total: $139.99

Wednesday - Day Three

On my way to work, I pick up a free latte as I had stamped out my 10 coffees on the cafe’s loyalty card. 

On the way home from work, I see a fundraising post supporting the cause of asylum seekers in Australia and I donate $21.80. 

The kids have football practice that evening and my partner wasn’t feeling too good so I Ubered to fetch them, which cost $21.98. 

My work travel costs $8.91. My partner and I also pay $160 to have our house sprayed for bugs.

Daily Total: $212.28

Thursday - Day Four

I work from home and eat all of my meals in my house which means I spend $0!

Daily Total: $0

Friday- Day Five

$43.90 is debited from my account for my Fitness Passport (a government fitness pass for select gyms around Sydney). 

I head to work and pay $3.54 for my skimmed latte and $4.00 for a blueberry muffin (because it’s Friyay!). 

My partner and I order another round of Uber Eats for $27.49 and I pay $1.37 as a tip to the driver. My work travel costs me $22.20.

Daily Total: $102.50

Saturday- Day Six

Our friend and her kids came to visit, so we all grab some coffee and breakfast together - our friend pays! 

On the way home I buy a few groceries we need, $7.50. 

Daily Total: $7.50

Sunday - Day Seven

It's a rainy day so we take the kids to a climbing place in Alexandria and pay $64.00 for the two of them. 

As I scroll through my phone, I see that my friend has designed some Beirut merch and all proceeds were going to the Lebanese Red Cross so I buy a jumper for $52.34.

Daily Total: $116.34

Weekly Total: $594.65

Reflection: 

Wow did I spend more than usual this week!

First of all, I’m not usually such an active donor but with the disaster in Beirut and the plan to re-open Christmas island, I thought some of my bucks were due.

Also, I usually aim to order takeout once a week. But, given the unpredictable mini-catastrophe of the parking ticket, I self-soothed with food. To give myself a pat on the shoulder, I have to say that I am getting better at utilising gift cards and loyalty cards which ultimately help decrease my daily expenditure.

Feature Image: Getty.