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 an administrative officer on €55K living in Dublin. This week, an IT consultant on €76.5K living in the southeast of the country.

I am 61 years old and currently living in the southeast of Ireland in a rural bungalow in a managed development with a mix of radiation and air-to-air heat exchange electric heating. I work in Dublin, but have the option of working from home some of the time. I try to commute by train where possible to keep my carbon footprint down, but the train service is not very frequent and the quality of the trains on the Rosslare-Dublin line has dropped from older intercity standards to bone shaker self-propelled’s in the last 18 months.

I moved out of Dublin over 15 years ago and enjoy the countryside, especially the seaside, and do not want to go back to living in the capital. I never smoked and gave up drinking as a bad habit about 30 years ago, which is a big budget saving.

I enjoy outback holidaying and have travelled to all continents except Antarctica for work and holidays. I enjoy life and am grateful that I live in a relatively safe, temperate and prosperous country, being very cognisant of the deprivation caused by climate change, aggressive expansionism and wasteful consumerism in other less fortunate jurisdictions. I try to balance living life with cutting back on excesses.

I take family life and social justice seriously, adapting as we learn more about our impact on others and our planet. I have always worked more than the minimum and tried to work at things that benefit society rather than destroy our environment.

Occupation: Consulting and information technology

Location: Live in the southeast and work mostly in Dublin

Monthly pay (net): €3,030 (note: pension contributions are set to max allowable level for tax and best way to save with no temptation to splurge)

Train tickets and station parking: €260

Luas and Dublin bus: €40

Car loan: €313 (less than one year left)

Car insurance, road tax, servicing and maintenance: €100 averaged monthly over the year

Household bills: Electricity – €140 (averaged), broadband – €50, phone bill – €20, alarm monitoring –........

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