WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances. 

Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week. If you’re interested, send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.

Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.

Last time around, we heard from a secondary school teacher on €68K living in the east of the country. This week, a technical program manager on €85K living in Dublin. 

I live in Dublin with my partner in a one-bed apartment. We’re currently renting while saving for a house and a family. We would love to buy in Dublin, but right now, it just seems way too overpriced for what you get compared to other countries. I’m from Munster and my partner is Mexican so we sometimes wonder about moving out of Dublin or even out of Ireland. I’d love to have kids, but I feel we need a more stable foundation first.

We both have good jobs so we’ve decided to enjoy our lives while we decide what we want to do next. I put €1,650 into a savings account each month, but occasionally I dip into it for specific occasions like holidays. Right now I’m trying to find the balance between saving money and living a nice life.

Occupation: Technical program manager

Monthly pay (net): €4,500

Rent: €1,200 – this is my half of the rent that I split evenly with my partner

Transport: €75 for a full tank of petrol once a month

Household bills: €120

Health insurance: €0 – paid for by work

Subscriptions: €20 – Netflix and Spotify (subsidised by my old job)

8.00am: I wake up and shower. I’m feeling very tired this morning because we drove back to Dublin from Munster late last night. That also means that we have no food in the house. I decide to run to Tesco to grab some food for breakfast. I get a banana, some milk and a pack of protein bars. (€6.75)

9.00am: I eat my breakfast and cycle to work. It’s only a 10-minute commute door-to-door and it’s free, so I can’t really complain. We also have nice coffee for free in the office so that’s my first port of call when I get there.

12.00am: It’s time for lunch. I already know this is one of my biggest expenses each week. I have the option to work from home most days but since the office is so close, I prefer to go there. That means I spend a lot of money on lunches. Today I go to Tang with my colleagues. It’s one of the few places you can get a healthy lunch that fills you for less than €10. I get a lamb wrap which is delicious. (€9.50)

3.00pm: I don’t have too many meetings today, so it’s a good chance to catch up on a lot of work. A few of my colleagues from other European offices are in Dublin for the week too, so the office is busier than usual. I get another coffee with the team.

5.15pm: It’s not that busy so I can leave the office pretty early. I cycle home and start cleaning the house and doing the laundry before my partner gets home.

6.00pm: It’s time to do the weekly shop. Dunnes, our closest supermarket, is a five-minute walk away so it’s an easy trip each week. We get enough food for the week which comes to €176. Split evenly it costs €88 each, which is not too bad.

7.00pm: After we’ve put the groceries away, I cycle to a gym 10 minutes away. We have a gym in our apartment complex that is free. It’s a great amenity, but the machines are somewhat limited and I prefer to get out of the house. I pay €99 a month for the bigger gym which seems crazy when I have the free option, but this one........

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