HOW I SPEND My Money is a series on The Journal that has looked at how people in Ireland handle their finances since 2018.

Over the past eight years, 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 – which means that sometimes, when we are waiting for diaries to be written and sent to us, a gap emerges (yes, they are always from real people, a question we get asked a lot).

Usually on weeks like these, we publish an article asking readers to contribute. But this time, we thought we’d try something different and look back at the first ever Money Diary we ever published in 2018. 

It was written by a woman working as a customer advisor in a bank that was saving for a deposit for a mortgage. Have a look back and see if you can spot any cost differences from eight years ago compared to now. 

And if you’re interested in keeping your own diary, let us know by email: money@thejournal.ie.

Occupation: Customer advisor in a bank Age: 29 Location: Wicklow (living with parents and commute to Dublin) Salary: €30,000 Monthly pay (net): €1,998

Monthly expenses Rent: €0 Household bills: €160 Transport: €160 on petrol. We drive to the Luas and have found some cheeky free parking. I have a bus and Luas tax saver ticket that runs at about €95 a month. Phone bill: €25 Health insurance: €0 Groceries: €200 (approximately) Subscriptions: Netflix (€10.99), Apple Music (€9.99)

We’re currently trying to save for a deposit for a mortgage and luckily in a position that we can live with my parents. It’s rent-free, but I think they’re trying to get rid of us faster. Collectively we’re saving around €1,600 a month, about €700 from myself and the rest is covered by my other half.

5:15 am – I do shift work and this week I am working 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, so we have the joy of a 5:15am alarm. Being totally honest, I........

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