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 looking for readers who will keep a money diary for a 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 banker on €92K living in Dublin. This week, a chemist on €52K living in Munster. 

I am a young woman living in Munster working in a pharmaceutical company. I work as a chemist and my working schedule is over a four-shift cycle, meaning I work two days (7am-7pm), two nights (7pm-7am) and have four days off. Maybe this diary will be a different read as I bring you through my night work! I think I’m a pretty good money saver. I’ve always made a conscious effort to put something away each month since I started working. I also put money straight into my pension pot each month through my company as they match contributions – money I don’t see in my bank is money I don’t miss.

My partner and I were fortunate enough to have purchased a house at the beginning of the year, and currently pay €1,900 per month for our mortgage on a four-bed detached house. We know how tough the housing market is and has been over the while, and financially, deciding between a new build and secondhand house was a tough decision for us to make. But at the end of the day, we decided to go for a secondhand home for the benefit of a front and back garden. We are definitely still in the renovation and jobs here-and-there process, so some months a lot more money is spent on home bits, which is needed and that’s ok.

I’m usually quite good at preparing meals for work which is a huge money saver, but of course there’s always days when I can’t walk past that fry-up in the morning or I’m a bit lazy the night before. I do have a desperate sweet tooth and it definitely contributes to my spending habits! One area I do want to see how the week turns out is definitely our grocery shopping. We do spend a lot of money on food and litter for two cats, and it looks like a stray has chosen us as his caretaker so add a third outdoor cat on to that.

For paying bills, we use a joint bank account. We both put €1,500 per month into the account and have done since beginning to save for a house deposit. We are lucky to be able to put this type of money away as it is just us, but we worked hard to get where we are in both of our jobs so early in our careers. We pay for all our monthly bills, groceries, mortgage and big house purchases out of our joint account. Individual accounts are for our own purchases. To get a bit more insight into our situation, my partner works in a similar job function with a similar salary.

Occupation: Chemist

Age: 27

Location: County Cork

Salary: Base €52,000 Shift Allowance €24,500 Annual Bonus €5,000 = €80,000 p.a

Monthly pay (net): €4,400 (varies depending on overtime)

All expenses for the house are paid from our joint bank account – we both put in €1,500 per month:

Mortgage: €1,900

Household bills: Bins – €35, Combined Life Assurance - €46, home insurance – €42, pet insurance – €24, electricity bi-monthly – €100-€150, Wifi – €30, Ring doorbell – €3.99

Groceries: Varies, maybe €300

Subscriptions: Sky/Netflix – €28, Disney – €13.99, Spotify(household) – €12, Prime – €6.99

Oil: Tank topped up as needed

My own personal monthly expenses:

Petrol: €120

Phone bill: €65

Health insurance: Paid by employer

Nails: €60

Car Insurance: €52

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Personal Credit Union savings: €1,000

***

6.00 am: I wake up early, feed our two cats (two six month olds that could genuinely eat a horse), have a quick snuggle, get ready for work, make my partner a coffee and head to work for 7am. I live close to the plant so a 15-minute drive is fantastic in the mornings.

6.50 am: Arrive at work, get the previous night shift handover with my colleagues and go for morning tea.

9.30 am: Head for breakfast after catching up on emails and splitting the work up for the day. I was too lazy to make my breakfast last night after the cinema (Hamilton’s 10 year anniversary was on the big screen – priorities!). I forgot to send my sister money for the cinema ticket so I Revolut her before she comes looking for it with added interest (€12). I grab some porridge and a slice of brown bread from the canteen (€1.32). Our canteen is subsidised which is handy. After breakfast, it’s back to the lab.

11.00 am: I leave work for an unexpected dentist visit this morning to check up on some teeth causing me a whole world of pain. My permanent retainer wire got bent on........

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