I live in New York City on a $90,000 salary — here's what I spend in a week
The INSIDER Summary:
- A woman who is a social media manager for an apparel company lives in New York City and makes $90,000.
- She and her boyfriend live together and each pay $1,288 in rent.
- She spends most of her money on food, alcohol, and transportation.
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.
Today: a social media manager who makes $90,000 per year, and spends some of her money this week on a matcha latte and an embroidery pattern.
Occupation: Social Media Manager
Industry: Apparel
Age: 26
Location: New York, NY
Salary: $90,000
Paycheck (2x/month): $2,200
Monthly Expenses
Housing: $1,288 for my share of the rent in an apartment I live in with my boyfriend. The full cost is $2,575 (utilities included).
All Other Monthly Expenses
Digit: $3/month. The app automatically takes money out of your checking account, and puts it into a secure account in the app. Basically, if I don't see the money, I won't spend it.
DealRay: $10/month. The service alerts you to the best flight deals. I really should delete it though, because with my full-time job, I'm rarely (never) able to take advantage.
Internet: $50/month
Credit Card: $1,300. I put everything on my credit card (gotta get them points!) and usually pay off the bill in its entirety every month. The total is usually $1,300 per month — sometime more, and sometimes less, depending on the month.
Transportation: $121 for a monthly MetroCard pass
Phone Bill: $40 for my portion. I'm still on a family plan with my mom and sisters (and my mom never forgets to Venmo me every month to pay!).
Prescriptions: $150. Right now, I am taking two medicines that my doctor prescribed. One of them is stupid expensive (about $125), but I will hopefully be off of it soon.
Day 1
Pauline Mak/Flickr
8 a.m. — My periods are REALLY bad because of the medicine I'm taking (sorry, guys), so I call my boss and decide to work from my couch for the day. The loss of blood overnight makes me feel gross, and I skip breakfast; my boyfriend makes me coffee instead.
11:55 a.m. — I get hungry and am craving a croissant. I don't want to move much, so I run across the street and get the last plain croissant they have. I ask them to pop it in the microwave for five seconds, because if you thought regular croissants were good, you haven't tried one that's heated up. I run back home and eat it on my couch while checking email. $3
2 p.m. — Look through my mail pile and find a $10 coupon for alcohol delivery. I really don't drink much, but Aperol spritzes are my fave, and I figure I shouldn't let this coupon go to waste? Accidentally schedule the delivery for the next day instead of today, so I guess my at-home cocktails will have to wait. Still excited, though! $25.32
7 p.m. — After basically not moving except to use the bathroom all day, I take a nap and feel a million times better. I decide to go for a walk with my boyfriend. We just moved a month ago, so the neighborhood is still new. We run into a friend on the street who invites us along for a drink at a bar he is going to. There's a happy hour margarita special for $5. My boyfriend buys this round because I bought our rounds over the weekend.
8 p.m. — Need to get a few things for the apartment, and because the BF got my margarita, I get the random stuff we need from the corner bodega: soda water, cranberry juice, sponges, and paper towels. $21
Daily total: $49.32
Day 2
Brandon Day/Unsplash
9:30 a.m. — Feel a lot better today and get breakfast at work. I buy a small iced coffee and an apple because I have a jar of peanut butter at my desk. My office has a partially subsidized cafeteria, so I usually buy breakfast and lunch at work. (Bad habit.) I also buy a coffee almost every day because my office doesn't have a coffee maker. $3.75
11 a.m. — I buy a mattress cover that I really should have purchased months ago. The one I pick has a high rating and costs a little more money, but it's on Prime and I don't have to pay for shipping! $27.95
12:30 p.m. — I brought lunch to work for once, although I practically bit my boyfriend's head off last night when he started to finish the chicken and Brussels sprouts we made for dinner. He didn't eat it, so I was able to bring it with me!
7 p.m. — It's such a nice day out and work is pretty slow. I convince my boyfriend to hop on the train from Brooklyn and meet me at the office so that we can walk across the Brooklyn Bridge together! We don't go out that much, but we're trying to be summery while the weather in NYC is still nice. We find a happy hour oyster place in DUMBO. I'm so hungry after my measly apple and chicken today, and I order fries and happy hour mac and cheese. Worth it. $45.20
7:30 p.m. — Almost done with our three-mile walk home, and I really need to go to Duane Reade to stock up on pads and tampons. This period is killer, and it doesn't look like it's ending anytime soon. Why are these things so expensive?! $14.78
Daily Total: $91.68
Day 3
Nick Hillier/Unsplash
9:30 a.m. — Coffee and an apple again. My peanut butter is almost gone; I'll need to stock up soon. My work coffee card is at the ninth punch! Only one more to go until I can get a free, fancy drink. Should I just buy two coffees today to speed this up...? Probably not. $3.85
11 a.m. — Pay off my monthly credit card bill, and that's not even all of it. It's unusual, but I have an outstanding balance this month — $900 — because of the move last month. I could pay it off, but I don't want to right now. I will get to it in two weeks when I'll pay off half; then I'll pay off the rest in another month.
1 p.m. — Lunch time! Usually cafeteria lunches are $7 or $8. This time, I get cucumber, hummus, and popcorn. I'm still not feeling like myself and I'm not that hungry. Plus, I found my boss's stash of "don't be hangry" raw mixed nuts, and I ate a bunch not too long ago. It was surprisingly filling but also bland. I need my roasted, salted nuts, please. $4.75
3 p.m. — My coworker and I were asked to do a really weird work project, so we're meeting outside the office to talk about it. The nearby café has "pastry happy hour," which means pastries are half-off after 3 p.m. We get there in time, and I get a chocolate croissant and an iced espresso. I put a ton of milk in my espresso and get yelled at by the barista because, technically, I just made my own latte without paying for it. I knew that's what I was doing — but I think $5 for a cup of milk and one shot of espresso is insane. I didn't want that much milk anyway. I make a mental promise to not do it again — and to stop being so miserly. $4.90
5 p.m. — The internet bill is $64.55, but I sort of split it with my boyfriend and end up paying $50 this month. I Venmo him the rest before I go home. This move has really messed up my internet billing. I have a feeling I'm missing a bill somewhere, but I will deal with it later. I really hope I don't get a late fee...
7 p.m. — My sister is in town, and my dad gave her $50 for food, so we get tacos, plantains, and a margarita to share. She's not 21, and her fake ID is actually mine from years ago, so we can't go anywhere to get a drink together. It's so nice out and it's really great spending time with her. After dinner, we sit on the couch and watch Hairspray. She's leaving in the morning, so I say goodbye and go to sleep.
Daily Total: $13.50
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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