Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.
This week: "I am a 23-year-old university student living in Aberdeen. I’m about to enter my fourth and final year, which I’m both excited and nervous for, especially as the current pandemic has thrown everything out of whack and I have no idea what to expect come September. I was shielding from March until June, however as I don’t receive a student loan over the summer and my family aren’t in a position to help out, I’ve had to make the choice to go back to work. After a lot of job hunting, I have started a brand-new job this week as a support worker. This is a field I’ve never worked in before and I’ve got so much to learn, so I’m feeling quite out of my depth. I feel like I have a good understanding of money: I prioritise saving as much as possible and I have a weekly budget that I try my hardest to stick to."
Industry: Health and social care
Age: 23
Location: Aberdeen
Salary: £10.30 per hour. I also have a student loan (£522pm) and bursary (£181pm) for nine months of the year, however I haven’t received these since May.
Paycheque amount: I’m not sure as I’m yet to receive my first paycheque. I am also on a zero hours contract so this will vary month to month.
Number of housemates: Two, however they are both away just now visiting their families and aren’t due back until September.
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Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £800 rent, split equally between me and my flatmates (£267 each).
Loan payments: No loan payments (yet). While I do have a credit card, I only use it for day-to-day purchases and pay it off at the end of each month.
Utilities: Gas and electricity £58.93 (£19.64 each), Wi-Fi £25 (£8.33 each).
Transportation: £5. I am part of a car club so that I can have access to a car as and when I need it. I also have to pay for the time that I have the car, but this is calculated per individual use.
Phone bill: £36.79. I’m very proud of this figure as I managed to get the iPhone 11 (my first ever new generation phone) through a mix of student discounts and getting a 'good as new' phone (one that was returned to EE within the 14 day cooling off period).
Savings? I have a few different ‘pots’ of savings and I’ve been actively making saving a priority for the last three years. Pot 1: £1,541. This is travel savings, I’m planning on visiting Australia when I finish uni so I have been adding around £300 each month for the last year, however when COVID hit I ate through my emergency fund and have been living out of this pot since May. I’m hoping to be able to replenish and add to it over the next few months.
Pot 2: £1,936. My mum died when I was 15 and left some money for my dad, my siblings and me, this is part of the amount she left me which I keep in a stocks and shares ISA. I have been meaning to add to it but I haven’t quite gotten around to it yet.
Pot 3: £4,806. This is some more of the money my mum left for me, it’s in a Lifetime ISA so that I can save for a house. I’m aiming to buy within the next five years and my plan for this financial year was to establish a monthly sum to transfer, however COVID has delayed my plans.
Pot 4: £2,599. There’s around £1,000 of the money my mum left me in here plus bits and pieces I’ve added over the last three years. I don’t really know what this pot is for, it’s in a crappy ISA and not really doing anything. I’m considering moving it into my Lifetime ISA but after how financially rocky this year has been it feels like a nice safety blanket to have easy access to if needed.
I also have £2 in a tattoo pot and £2.29 in a Christmas presents pot, both of which I raided before dipping into my ISAs to tide me through lockdown.
Other: £4.99 Apple Music, £3.99 Amazon Prime, £6.99 Office 365 (I get this free from uni but I have to pay extra for all the cloud storage I use), £5.99 Disney+. I also pay annual subscriptions to Headspace £50, LifeCycle £9.49 and SleepCycle £24.99, which are all paid in January.
Day One
8.15am: Wake up already late to visit my sister (H) and her family in Glasgow, it’s my niece’s (A) 2nd birthday. I make a mad dash for the shower and afterwards pop a Starbucks blonde espresso pod in my Dolce Gusto, which H got me for Christmas last year. I quickly wrap A’s present, which I ordered last week, down my coffee and throw my water bottle, purse and keys into my backpack before leaving to pick up the car.
8.55am: Forgot my phone, leg it back to my flat then begin the journey back to the car.
9.10am: Reach the car only to realise that I forgot to charge my phone last night and it’s dead. Don’t have time to go home so I decide to pick up a new charger on the way down to Glasgow.
10.30am: Stop off at the big Tesco Extra in Dundee as I’m bursting for the loo and the car needs petrol. Thankfully, the car comes with a card so I don’t have to pay for petrol but I pop into Tesco and pick up a meal deal (egg and cress sandwich, Fridge Raiders and a Starbucks iced cappuccino), a Baby Shark birthday card for A and a phone charger, which I find ludicrously expensive compared to what I would usually pay on Amazon. I consider not buying it but I love playing music in the car and I need to check H’s postcode so I can pop it in the sat nav later on. £11.50 (the phone charger alone was £7!). I drink the coffee and eat the Fridge Raiders in the car but I know my sister has food planned so I save the sandwich for later.
12.45pm: Finally reach H’s house! I swear every council in Scotland has decided to do roadworks today, so it took about an hour longer than usual to get here. It’s strange not being able to give my sister a hug and say hello but we’re trying our best to follow lockdown rules so I give the dog lots of cuddles and pats instead. My sister’s dad and his wife arrive a few minutes after me with their two dogs and presents for A. My niece unwraps her presents and is delighted (thank god!) with the wooden truck and cars I got her. I also say hello to my 5-month-old nephew, who I haven’t seen since he was born due to lockdown. He’s so big now! I’m exhausted so I have another coffee.
1.30pm: A is gleefully running around playing with her new toys and birthday balloons. Her language skills have really come along since I last saw her and it’s fun having little conversations with her now; we mainly discuss Paw Patrol and her balloons. My sister’s husband pops his head out and we chat for a while but he’s working from home and has to get his head down again pretty quickly. H brings out crisps and some cheese and tomato pastry swirls which she made herself. They’re delicious and I eat three while A puts her hands all over them and reminds me that the food on my plate is mine. Kids, eh?
3pm: My cousins come around for a visit and my sister’s dad and wife leave. My cousins are from Australia and have been working here for two years but with the way things are currently they’ve decided to head back home. They’ve brought a bag of food with them that I can take to Aberdeen as they won’t be able to use it up before their flights. We all chat about COVID and the effect it’s having on our lives and I have yet another cup of coffee. My baby nephew sicks up on me, which about sums up the feelings I have about the pandemic, too.
4.45pm: My brother arrives and we move the makeshift party into the garden. A has a great time climbing up her slide and running around in the grass. We all sing A "Happy Birthday" and give her her Paw Patrol cake. A starts saying "Happy birthday A" to herself and everyone that will listen. The dog almost eats the cake as we try to take socially distanced family photos and A attempts to pry Chase the police dog from the cake. She doesn’t succeed and we all eat some very handled cake. My cousins leave shortly afterwards, I think this will be the last time I see them before they return to Australia but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to visit next year.
6pm: We’re all feeling peckish and decide to order Domino's. It’s 50% off and H very kindly pays so I have a few slices of pizza and get a doggy bag of leftovers. As much as I don’t want to, I leave shortly afterwards as I have a long drive home and I have to be up early tomorrow for work.
9.15pm: Home! I’m feeling hungry so I eat the egg and cress sandwich from earlier and check out the food my cousins gave me. There’s lots of goodies including a full bottle of nice olive oil and popcorn kernels – popcorn has been my lockdown food obsession so I’m super happy! The money for the car comes out of my account and it’s a little more than I was expecting. £56. The more I consider it though, it seems about right: I travelled over 300 miles and it limited the number of people I came into contact with, which was my main reason for booking the car in the first place as usually I would have taken the bus.
11.50pm: Spend time adding food to my tracking app, making sure my Fitbit app updated properly and adding my thoughts and feelings about the day to the Daylio app. I also meditate for 10 minutes with Headspace, which I paid for at the start of the year. I usually do these things every evening but over lockdown I got out of the habit so I’m trying to re-establish my little evening routine again.
Total: £67.50
8.15am: Wake up already late to visit my sister (H) and her family in Glasgow, it’s my niece’s (A) 2nd birthday. I make a mad dash for the shower and afterwards pop a Starbucks blonde espresso pod in my Dolce Gusto, which H got me for Christmas last year. I quickly wrap A’s present, which I ordered last week, down my coffee and throw my water bottle, purse and keys into my backpack before leaving to pick up the car.
8.55am: Forgot my phone, leg it back to my flat then begin the journey back to the car.
9.10am: Reach the car only to realise that I forgot to charge my phone last night and it’s dead. Don’t have time to go home so I decide to pick up a new charger on the way down to Glasgow.
10.30am: Stop off at the big Tesco Extra in Dundee as I’m bursting for the loo and the car needs petrol. Thankfully, the car comes with a card so I don’t have to pay for petrol but I pop into Tesco and pick up a meal deal (egg and cress sandwich, Fridge Raiders and a Starbucks iced cappuccino), a Baby Shark birthday card for A and a phone charger, which I find ludicrously expensive compared to what I would usually pay on Amazon. I consider not buying it but I love playing music in the car and I need to check H’s postcode so I can pop it in the sat nav later on. £11.50 (the phone charger alone was £7!). I drink the coffee and eat the Fridge Raiders in the car but I know my sister has food planned so I save the sandwich for later.
12.45pm: Finally reach H’s house! I swear every council in Scotland has decided to do roadworks today, so it took about an hour longer than usual to get here. It’s strange not being able to give my sister a hug and say hello but we’re trying our best to follow lockdown rules so I give the dog lots of cuddles and pats instead. My sister’s dad and his wife arrive a few minutes after me with their two dogs and presents for A. My niece unwraps her presents and is delighted (thank god!) with the wooden truck and cars I got her. I also say hello to my 5-month-old nephew, who I haven’t seen since he was born due to lockdown. He’s so big now! I’m exhausted so I have another coffee.
1.30pm: A is gleefully running around playing with her new toys and birthday balloons. Her language skills have really come along since I last saw her and it’s fun having little conversations with her now; we mainly discuss Paw Patrol and her balloons. My sister’s husband pops his head out and we chat for a while but he’s working from home and has to get his head down again pretty quickly. H brings out crisps and some cheese and tomato pastry swirls which she made herself. They’re delicious and I eat three while A puts her hands all over them and reminds me that the food on my plate is mine. Kids, eh?
3pm: My cousins come around for a visit and my sister’s dad and wife leave. My cousins are from Australia and have been working here for two years but with the way things are currently they’ve decided to head back home. They’ve brought a bag of food with them that I can take to Aberdeen as they won’t be able to use it up before their flights. We all chat about COVID and the effect it’s having on our lives and I have yet another cup of coffee. My baby nephew sicks up on me, which about sums up the feelings I have about the pandemic, too.
4.45pm: My brother arrives and we move the makeshift party into the garden. A has a great time climbing up her slide and running around in the grass. We all sing A "Happy Birthday" and give her her Paw Patrol cake. A starts saying "Happy birthday A" to herself and everyone that will listen. The dog almost eats the cake as we try to take socially distanced family photos and A attempts to pry Chase the police dog from the cake. She doesn’t succeed and we all eat some very handled cake. My cousins leave shortly afterwards, I think this will be the last time I see them before they return to Australia but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to visit next year.
6pm: We’re all feeling peckish and decide to order Domino's. It’s 50% off and H very kindly pays so I have a few slices of pizza and get a doggy bag of leftovers. As much as I don’t want to, I leave shortly afterwards as I have a long drive home and I have to be up early tomorrow for work.
9.15pm: Home! I’m feeling hungry so I eat the egg and cress sandwich from earlier and check out the food my cousins gave me. There’s lots of goodies including a full bottle of nice olive oil and popcorn kernels – popcorn has been my lockdown food obsession so I’m super happy! The money for the car comes out of my account and it’s a little more than I was expecting. £56. The more I consider it though, it seems about right: I travelled over 300 miles and it limited the number of people I came into contact with, which was my main reason for booking the car in the first place as usually I would have taken the bus.
11.50pm: Spend time adding food to my tracking app, making sure my Fitbit app updated properly and adding my thoughts and feelings about the day to the Daylio app. I also meditate for 10 minutes with Headspace, which I paid for at the start of the year. I usually do these things every evening but over lockdown I got out of the habit so I’m trying to re-establish my little evening routine again.
Total: £67.50
Day Two
5.03am: Wake up to the seagulls caterwauling outside my window. They roost on the rooftops all around me and the babies are just beginning to fly so they’re extra noisy. I try to fall back to sleep but my mind is already racing with questions about today as it's only my second shift, so I just lie quietly in bed until a slightly more reasonable time.
5.45am: Can’t lie still any longer so I pop on a 10-minute meditation which helps me relax a little and start the day feeling very pleasant.
6am: Head for a shower and actually remember to use my facial cleanser and toner for once. I then make a coffee and get dressed. My porridge goes into the microwave and I clean the few dishes that are sitting in the sink. I add chia seeds, a banana and peanut butter to my porridge and stir it all in together. I then make up my packed lunch, which I meal prepped a couple of days ago, so I just have to throw food into smaller containers. I relax in the living room for a while and catch up on the news while eating brekkie. I don’t really feel up to reading about COVID so I read about the new Stonehenge discovery instead.
7.15am: I head to the bus stop and catch the bus. £2.70
8am: Arrive at work. I was feeling quite nervous this morning but as soon as I get in the building I relax and chat with some of my new co-workers. One of them I met during my first shift but the other two I don’t know. They all seem really nice and friendly. I am told I’m supporting the same person I was during my first shift in the morning and then I’m moving to another building this afternoon to help as they’re short-staffed. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be but I’m happy to go and meet some more colleagues and residents. After getting the service user ready for the day I spend the rest of my morning reading over their case file to ensure I know everything I need to best support them.
2pm: Move over to the other building and go through a whirlwind of meeting everyone and learning about the person I’m going to be supporting. They exclusively use Makaton to communicate, which is a form of sign and symbol language. I know some bare bones signs already from a volunteering role I had as a teen, which seems to be enough to get me through our initial introductions. I’m pleased to know that another support worker will be with me as this person requires 2-to-1 support.
4.30pm: The support user decides to go to their bed for a while which gives me a chance to eat my lunch. I’m famished! I have wholewheat pasta with chorizo, sweetcorn, veggies and a creamy tomato sauce, an apple, some veggie sticks with caramelised onion hummus, and a couple of squares of raspberry dark chocolate. I read through a Makaton sign book as I eat and practise some new signs that the client uses.
8.45pm: I get to leave slightly early as the nightshift staff have already arrived. I would have to wait 45 minutes for my bus so I follow Google Maps to one that is slightly further away but will get me home by 9.30. It’s around a kilometre walk to the bus stop and I end up getting drenched in the rain. I have a very soggy ride back to my flat. £1.70
9.25pm: Disaster! I slip and fall on the rainy pavement a few metres from my front door and feel a shooting pain lance up from my ankle. I sit on the cold wet ground for a second as tears spring from my eyes. Somehow I manage to pull myself together enough to hobble to my front door and climb the two flights of stairs to my flat. I sob for a minute before gathering myself together and grabbing an ice pack and the leftover pizza from yesterday for dinner. I’m pretty sure I sprained something as I didn’t hear or feel a pop and although my ankle is already swollen, as is part of my calf, it’s not turning purple or anything. I sulk in my bed for the rest of the night with an ice pack strategically balanced on my leg while watching the first episode of Marvel’s Runaways on Disney+.
Total: £4.40
5.03am: Wake up to the seagulls caterwauling outside my window. They roost on the rooftops all around me and the babies are just beginning to fly so they’re extra noisy. I try to fall back to sleep but my mind is already racing with questions about today as it's only my second shift, so I just lie quietly in bed until a slightly more reasonable time.
5.45am: Can’t lie still any longer so I pop on a 10-minute meditation which helps me relax a little and start the day feeling very pleasant.
6am: Head for a shower and actually remember to use my facial cleanser and toner for once. I then make a coffee and get dressed. My porridge goes into the microwave and I clean the few dishes that are sitting in the sink. I add chia seeds, a banana and peanut butter to my porridge and stir it all in together. I then make up my packed lunch, which I meal prepped a couple of days ago, so I just have to throw food into smaller containers. I relax in the living room for a while and catch up on the news while eating brekkie. I don’t really feel up to reading about COVID so I read about the new Stonehenge discovery instead.
7.15am: I head to the bus stop and catch the bus. £2.70
8am: Arrive at work. I was feeling quite nervous this morning but as soon as I get in the building I relax and chat with some of my new co-workers. One of them I met during my first shift but the other two I don’t know. They all seem really nice and friendly. I am told I’m supporting the same person I was during my first shift in the morning and then I’m moving to another building this afternoon to help as they’re short-staffed. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be but I’m happy to go and meet some more colleagues and residents. After getting the service user ready for the day I spend the rest of my morning reading over their case file to ensure I know everything I need to best support them.
2pm: Move over to the other building and go through a whirlwind of meeting everyone and learning about the person I’m going to be supporting. They exclusively use Makaton to communicate, which is a form of sign and symbol language. I know some bare bones signs already from a volunteering role I had as a teen, which seems to be enough to get me through our initial introductions. I’m pleased to know that another support worker will be with me as this person requires 2-to-1 support.
4.30pm: The support user decides to go to their bed for a while which gives me a chance to eat my lunch. I’m famished! I have wholewheat pasta with chorizo, sweetcorn, veggies and a creamy tomato sauce, an apple, some veggie sticks with caramelised onion hummus, and a couple of squares of raspberry dark chocolate. I read through a Makaton sign book as I eat and practise some new signs that the client uses.
8.45pm: I get to leave slightly early as the nightshift staff have already arrived. I would have to wait 45 minutes for my bus so I follow Google Maps to one that is slightly further away but will get me home by 9.30. It’s around a kilometre walk to the bus stop and I end up getting drenched in the rain. I have a very soggy ride back to my flat. £1.70
9.25pm: Disaster! I slip and fall on the rainy pavement a few metres from my front door and feel a shooting pain lance up from my ankle. I sit on the cold wet ground for a second as tears spring from my eyes. Somehow I manage to pull myself together enough to hobble to my front door and climb the two flights of stairs to my flat. I sob for a minute before gathering myself together and grabbing an ice pack and the leftover pizza from yesterday for dinner. I’m pretty sure I sprained something as I didn’t hear or feel a pop and although my ankle is already swollen, as is part of my calf, it’s not turning purple or anything. I sulk in my bed for the rest of the night with an ice pack strategically balanced on my leg while watching the first episode of Marvel’s Runaways on Disney+.
Total: £4.40
Day Three
5.55am: Wake up with a very swollen and sore ankle. I consider calling in sick as I shower, dress and make coffee but calling in sick on my third shift seems like a terrible idea so I suck it up and take some paracetamol and ibuprofen instead. Make up lunch, then have the same breakfast as yesterday and listen to the news from my Alexa (another gift from H) before I have to leave.
7.30am: Almost miss the bus as I can’t walk as fast. Make it just as the driver starts to close the doors. £2.70
8am: Find out I am going to be working with two service users today as we are short-staffed, one I have been working with already and the other is new. I spend the morning darting between the two.
1pm: Have lunch at a reasonable time today, the same pasta dish as yesterday and an apple. I don’t feel very hungry so I leave my hummus and chocolate for later.
3.30pm: A key snapped off in the lock and I’m locked into a service user’s flat. I do my best to keep them calm as a locksmith comes to fix it, however they do not like new people and become very stressed.
5pm: Locksmith finally fixes door and I can leave. I return to the other service user and make their dinner, then my manager shows me how to fill in all of the daily forms that must be completed. I can’t believe how many there are, although they all serve an important and specific purpose.
9pm: Finish up and attempt to follow Google Maps to another bus stop but get hopelessly lost in a new-build estate. End up walking back to where I started and catch the bus from there. £1.70
10.10pm: Home and I make a quick open-faced sourdough with cheese, chicken and tinned tomatoes which I heat up in the oven until it’s a crispy, gooey loveliness. I also down a huge glass of peach diluting juice as I barely had any time to stop today and I’m feeling quite dehydrated.
11.20pm: Curl up in bed and watch YouTube videos on my phone until I fall asleep.
Total: £4.40
5.55am: Wake up with a very swollen and sore ankle. I consider calling in sick as I shower, dress and make coffee but calling in sick on my third shift seems like a terrible idea so I suck it up and take some paracetamol and ibuprofen instead. Make up lunch, then have the same breakfast as yesterday and listen to the news from my Alexa (another gift from H) before I have to leave.
7.30am: Almost miss the bus as I can’t walk as fast. Make it just as the driver starts to close the doors. £2.70
8am: Find out I am going to be working with two service users today as we are short-staffed, one I have been working with already and the other is new. I spend the morning darting between the two.
1pm: Have lunch at a reasonable time today, the same pasta dish as yesterday and an apple. I don’t feel very hungry so I leave my hummus and chocolate for later.
3.30pm: A key snapped off in the lock and I’m locked into a service user’s flat. I do my best to keep them calm as a locksmith comes to fix it, however they do not like new people and become very stressed.
5pm: Locksmith finally fixes door and I can leave. I return to the other service user and make their dinner, then my manager shows me how to fill in all of the daily forms that must be completed. I can’t believe how many there are, although they all serve an important and specific purpose.
9pm: Finish up and attempt to follow Google Maps to another bus stop but get hopelessly lost in a new-build estate. End up walking back to where I started and catch the bus from there. £1.70
10.10pm: Home and I make a quick open-faced sourdough with cheese, chicken and tinned tomatoes which I heat up in the oven until it’s a crispy, gooey loveliness. I also down a huge glass of peach diluting juice as I barely had any time to stop today and I’m feeling quite dehydrated.
11.20pm: Curl up in bed and watch YouTube videos on my phone until I fall asleep.
Total: £4.40
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Day Four
8am: Wake up, remember it’s my day off and fall back asleep.
11am: Wake up feeling more refreshed and grab a breakfast of maple and pecan cereal and another big glass of peach diluting juice. My head is a little sore so I vow to drink plenty of water today to make up for yesterday. Watch more YouTube as I eat breakfast.
2.30pm: Guess I fell asleep again as I wake up to my door buzzer going off. I swear I don’t sleep this much usually, it’s just that this has been the most active week since March and I’ve only been getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night. I go for a shower, dress and walk to Halfords to collect a bike I bought last week with the intention of cycling to work.
3.20pm: Pick up my bike and also buy a bike lock and a year of bike care. £32
3.45pm: Make it home with my new bike. I had to stop halfway to take my inhaler as my asthma flared up and I’m now rethinking cycling to work next week. Heat up the last of my chorizo pasta and decide to try the cycle route before my next shift to see how it goes and take it from there. I would really like to cycle to work as I feel quite uncomfortable taking the bus at the moment and it would cut costs.
6.05pm: Feel snacky so decide to try making popcorn on the stove. I add a few too many kernels and the pot overflows but it tastes great and I’ll definitely be trying this again. I also have an apple and toss the last two bananas into the blender and make a banana milkshake. I watch Runaways on Disney+.
7.25pm: Have a look through Amazon for a bike helmet and find one with a light on the back that has lots of good reviews. £18.89
10.45pm: Feel exhausted so head to bed.
Total: £50.89
8am: Wake up, remember it’s my day off and fall back asleep.
11am: Wake up feeling more refreshed and grab a breakfast of maple and pecan cereal and another big glass of peach diluting juice. My head is a little sore so I vow to drink plenty of water today to make up for yesterday. Watch more YouTube as I eat breakfast.
2.30pm: Guess I fell asleep again as I wake up to my door buzzer going off. I swear I don’t sleep this much usually, it’s just that this has been the most active week since March and I’ve only been getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night. I go for a shower, dress and walk to Halfords to collect a bike I bought last week with the intention of cycling to work.
3.20pm: Pick up my bike and also buy a bike lock and a year of bike care. £32
3.45pm: Make it home with my new bike. I had to stop halfway to take my inhaler as my asthma flared up and I’m now rethinking cycling to work next week. Heat up the last of my chorizo pasta and decide to try the cycle route before my next shift to see how it goes and take it from there. I would really like to cycle to work as I feel quite uncomfortable taking the bus at the moment and it would cut costs.
6.05pm: Feel snacky so decide to try making popcorn on the stove. I add a few too many kernels and the pot overflows but it tastes great and I’ll definitely be trying this again. I also have an apple and toss the last two bananas into the blender and make a banana milkshake. I watch Runaways on Disney+.
7.25pm: Have a look through Amazon for a bike helmet and find one with a light on the back that has lots of good reviews. £18.89
10.45pm: Feel exhausted so head to bed.
Total: £50.89
Day Five
7.20am: Wake up to the seagulls making a ruckus but I’m feeling heaps better than yesterday.
8.30am: Make coffee, do some life admin, pop a wash on and clean the kitchen. I decide to try out a breakfast recipe I found on Pinterest for cinnamon apple quinoa and in the process figure I may as well try making my own almond butter too. The apple quinoa goes well but I can't get my almond butter to turn into a paste, even though I’ve followed the recipe exactly. Eventually I try adding a spoonful of coconut oil and it finally becomes a nice gloopy consistency.
10.55am: Shower, dress and have another coffee as I text my friend (M) about plans for tonight. I’m going round to her flat to watch the latest StarKid musical and to repot some plants that are desperately needing bigger homes. Her flatmate offers to come and pick me up and as my ankle is still sore, I gladly accept.
11.45am: I take chicken and salmon out of the freezer and then head to Lidl to do my weekly shop. I get apples, bananas, peppers, cucumber, limes, an avocado, spinach, nectarines, a seed mix, onions, leeks, broccoli, vegetable stock, a couple of tins of tomatoes, eggs, frozen peas, Alpro yoghurt, lactose-free milk, two packs of antibacterial wipes and two bottles of wine. I remember reading an article about how the South African wine trade is in the pits because of COVID so I make sure that one of my wines is from there. £31.25
12.25pm: Pop into Sainsbury's on the way home as I couldn’t find any lactose-free cheese in Lidl. £2
12.35pm: Return home and put food away then hang my washing on the clothes horse, listening to My Brother, My Brother and Me podcast as I do.
1.30pm: FaceTime my dad and make the same sourdough sandwich as yesterday for lunch.
4.20pm: Begin meal prepping and can’t find my block of cheese anywhere. I hunt through the whole flat and have the dawning realisation that I left it at the Sainsbury’s self-service checkout. Pop down to the shop and feel very silly asking the guy at the till if he’s seen my block of cheese. Thankfully, he remembers it and lets me take another one. I feel like such a muppet and my face is beetroot red, for once I’m glad for the masks so he can’t see. I can now make a start on meal prepping for the week.
6.30pm: Finished meal prepping. I’ve made salmon with basil pesto and veggies, chicken with ‘Spanish’ quinoa and a tomato sauce with veggies, and a quinoa ‘mac’ and cheese with broccoli, leeks and peas. I have some ‘mac’ and cheese for dinner before getting ready for tonight. I carefully bag up the plants I’m taking with me and pack my inhaler, toothbrush and the wines into my backpack. At the last minute I also add my water bottle.
7pm: M and her flatmate drive me back to their place. I meet their lizard, who is incredibly cute, and even get to hold him! We repot all of our plants and attempt to watch the musical but end up drinking, chatting and singing along to musical numbers all night instead. Like all good students, we mix our spirits and end up having apple vodka, Sourz, dark rum and wine throughout the night.
4am: We decide to go to sleep and I cosy up on M’s couch under the largest, softest blanket I’ve ever felt.
Total: £33.25
7.20am: Wake up to the seagulls making a ruckus but I’m feeling heaps better than yesterday.
8.30am: Make coffee, do some life admin, pop a wash on and clean the kitchen. I decide to try out a breakfast recipe I found on Pinterest for cinnamon apple quinoa and in the process figure I may as well try making my own almond butter too. The apple quinoa goes well but I can't get my almond butter to turn into a paste, even though I’ve followed the recipe exactly. Eventually I try adding a spoonful of coconut oil and it finally becomes a nice gloopy consistency.
10.55am: Shower, dress and have another coffee as I text my friend (M) about plans for tonight. I’m going round to her flat to watch the latest StarKid musical and to repot some plants that are desperately needing bigger homes. Her flatmate offers to come and pick me up and as my ankle is still sore, I gladly accept.
11.45am: I take chicken and salmon out of the freezer and then head to Lidl to do my weekly shop. I get apples, bananas, peppers, cucumber, limes, an avocado, spinach, nectarines, a seed mix, onions, leeks, broccoli, vegetable stock, a couple of tins of tomatoes, eggs, frozen peas, Alpro yoghurt, lactose-free milk, two packs of antibacterial wipes and two bottles of wine. I remember reading an article about how the South African wine trade is in the pits because of COVID so I make sure that one of my wines is from there. £31.25
12.25pm: Pop into Sainsbury's on the way home as I couldn’t find any lactose-free cheese in Lidl. £2
12.35pm: Return home and put food away then hang my washing on the clothes horse, listening to My Brother, My Brother and Me podcast as I do.
1.30pm: FaceTime my dad and make the same sourdough sandwich as yesterday for lunch.
4.20pm: Begin meal prepping and can’t find my block of cheese anywhere. I hunt through the whole flat and have the dawning realisation that I left it at the Sainsbury’s self-service checkout. Pop down to the shop and feel very silly asking the guy at the till if he’s seen my block of cheese. Thankfully, he remembers it and lets me take another one. I feel like such a muppet and my face is beetroot red, for once I’m glad for the masks so he can’t see. I can now make a start on meal prepping for the week.
6.30pm: Finished meal prepping. I’ve made salmon with basil pesto and veggies, chicken with ‘Spanish’ quinoa and a tomato sauce with veggies, and a quinoa ‘mac’ and cheese with broccoli, leeks and peas. I have some ‘mac’ and cheese for dinner before getting ready for tonight. I carefully bag up the plants I’m taking with me and pack my inhaler, toothbrush and the wines into my backpack. At the last minute I also add my water bottle.
7pm: M and her flatmate drive me back to their place. I meet their lizard, who is incredibly cute, and even get to hold him! We repot all of our plants and attempt to watch the musical but end up drinking, chatting and singing along to musical numbers all night instead. Like all good students, we mix our spirits and end up having apple vodka, Sourz, dark rum and wine throughout the night.
4am: We decide to go to sleep and I cosy up on M’s couch under the largest, softest blanket I’ve ever felt.
Total: £33.25
Day Six
9.30am: Wake up but don’t hear M or her flatmate moving about so I down my entire water bottle and laze about under the soft, soft blanket. I pick up the Hamilton biography by Ron Chernow and read it until I hear some movement.
10.30am: M’s flatmate is up and we chat for a while. They forgot that the gas man was coming to check their appliances, so we hang out in the living room until he’s gone. M comes to join us shortly after the gas man arrives.
12pm: Arrive home and pop all my plants back in their rightful places. I heat up some quinoa ‘mac’ and cheese and eat a nectarine. I down another bottle of water and eat lunch while watching yet another episode of Runaways. I still feel hungry after lunch, so I have the last two packets of crisps.
2.30pm: The hangover hunger is real so I make some more stovetop popcorn. I see that one of my courses for uni has finally provided the reading list and watch as everyone in the big English group chat comments on the titles. We have two 600+ page books and the rest are 250-500 pages so I’m definitely going to have to make a start on them soon if I want to have a hope of knowing what’s going on next semester. I also get an email from the uni explaining how blended learning is maybe, perhaps going to work. Looks like all lectures will be recorded and put online and there might be face-to-face seminars. Maybe. It all seems very up in the air.
4.30pm: Feel a bit tired but don’t want to drink coffee as I’ll never get to sleep tonight. End up napping instead.
5.45pm: Buzzer goes off and it’s my bike helmet.
8pm: Realise I’m practically out of toilet paper at the worst possible moment (guess when!) so make a hurried trip to Sainsbury's to pick some up. Also see that there’s a new mint Maltesers buttons so pick up a packet to try. £5.10
8.30pm: Heat up some salmon with pesto, green veggies and couscous. Try the new buttons while I wait, they’re pretty good and I’d probably get them again. I remember that I have an exam due today for an online course I’m doing on mental health so sit down to complete that.
10.45pm: Submit exam, take inhaler, brush teeth and head to bed.
Total: £5.10
9.30am: Wake up but don’t hear M or her flatmate moving about so I down my entire water bottle and laze about under the soft, soft blanket. I pick up the Hamilton biography by Ron Chernow and read it until I hear some movement.
10.30am: M’s flatmate is up and we chat for a while. They forgot that the gas man was coming to check their appliances, so we hang out in the living room until he’s gone. M comes to join us shortly after the gas man arrives.
12pm: Arrive home and pop all my plants back in their rightful places. I heat up some quinoa ‘mac’ and cheese and eat a nectarine. I down another bottle of water and eat lunch while watching yet another episode of Runaways. I still feel hungry after lunch, so I have the last two packets of crisps.
2.30pm: The hangover hunger is real so I make some more stovetop popcorn. I see that one of my courses for uni has finally provided the reading list and watch as everyone in the big English group chat comments on the titles. We have two 600+ page books and the rest are 250-500 pages so I’m definitely going to have to make a start on them soon if I want to have a hope of knowing what’s going on next semester. I also get an email from the uni explaining how blended learning is maybe, perhaps going to work. Looks like all lectures will be recorded and put online and there might be face-to-face seminars. Maybe. It all seems very up in the air.
4.30pm: Feel a bit tired but don’t want to drink coffee as I’ll never get to sleep tonight. End up napping instead.
5.45pm: Buzzer goes off and it’s my bike helmet.
8pm: Realise I’m practically out of toilet paper at the worst possible moment (guess when!) so make a hurried trip to Sainsbury's to pick some up. Also see that there’s a new mint Maltesers buttons so pick up a packet to try. £5.10
8.30pm: Heat up some salmon with pesto, green veggies and couscous. Try the new buttons while I wait, they’re pretty good and I’d probably get them again. I remember that I have an exam due today for an online course I’m doing on mental health so sit down to complete that.
10.45pm: Submit exam, take inhaler, brush teeth and head to bed.
Total: £5.10
Day Seven
5.05am: Wake up to my alarm blaring. Shower, dress and make coffee. I pack my lunch for the day while my porridge cooks and then add chia, seed mix, almond butter and banana once it’s cooked.
6.15am: Head to the bus stop. I had wanted to cycle but as I’ve not checked out the route I take the bus instead. £2.70
7am: Arrive at work and find out who I’m supporting. Both the service user and the other support worker are new to me. The morning is a little tough as the service user displays some challenging behaviour because they don’t like new staff and I’m obviously very new.
10.30am: I read through the service user’s support plan and have a short conversation with them. They seem a little wary of me still but much more relaxed than earlier.
1pm: Have lunch at a reasonable time but open my lunch bag to find that my sauce has leaked everywhere. I clean up then have my chicken with quinoa and veggies. I also manage to grab an apple and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate orange.
4pm: I sit down with the other support worker to look over the daily forms. It’s a nice refresher and I feel much more confident about filling these out myself in the future.
7.59pm: Leave work and miss the bus by a hair’s breadth. Hang out at the bus stop as the next bus is in 30 minutes and it’s a nice night. My data has run out on my phone so I content myself with reading the only Kindle book I have on my phone. It’s about different forms of rhetoric and I learn a bunch of new names for things I didn’t know had names.
8.30pm: The bus doesn’t show.
8.40pm: Still no bus.
8.50pm: I would have been better walking home at this rate.
8.59pm: Finally, the bus appears. I try not to appear too grumpy as I clamber aboard. £1.70
9.30pm: Make it home and pop some quinoa ‘mac’ and cheese in the microwave to heat up. I eat a few more Maltesers buttons while I wait. Watch the last two episodes of Runaways season one while I eat dinner. I still feel hungry so I have a nectarine and make some popcorn on the stove.
11.45pm: Head to bed and once again watch YouTube videos while I fall asleep.
Total: £4.40
5.05am: Wake up to my alarm blaring. Shower, dress and make coffee. I pack my lunch for the day while my porridge cooks and then add chia, seed mix, almond butter and banana once it’s cooked.
6.15am: Head to the bus stop. I had wanted to cycle but as I’ve not checked out the route I take the bus instead. £2.70
7am: Arrive at work and find out who I’m supporting. Both the service user and the other support worker are new to me. The morning is a little tough as the service user displays some challenging behaviour because they don’t like new staff and I’m obviously very new.
10.30am: I read through the service user’s support plan and have a short conversation with them. They seem a little wary of me still but much more relaxed than earlier.
1pm: Have lunch at a reasonable time but open my lunch bag to find that my sauce has leaked everywhere. I clean up then have my chicken with quinoa and veggies. I also manage to grab an apple and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate orange.
4pm: I sit down with the other support worker to look over the daily forms. It’s a nice refresher and I feel much more confident about filling these out myself in the future.
7.59pm: Leave work and miss the bus by a hair’s breadth. Hang out at the bus stop as the next bus is in 30 minutes and it’s a nice night. My data has run out on my phone so I content myself with reading the only Kindle book I have on my phone. It’s about different forms of rhetoric and I learn a bunch of new names for things I didn’t know had names.
8.30pm: The bus doesn’t show.
8.40pm: Still no bus.
8.50pm: I would have been better walking home at this rate.
8.59pm: Finally, the bus appears. I try not to appear too grumpy as I clamber aboard. £1.70
9.30pm: Make it home and pop some quinoa ‘mac’ and cheese in the microwave to heat up. I eat a few more Maltesers buttons while I wait. Watch the last two episodes of Runaways season one while I eat dinner. I still feel hungry so I have a nectarine and make some popcorn on the stove.
11.45pm: Head to bed and once again watch YouTube videos while I fall asleep.
Total: £4.40
The Breakdown
Food/Drink: £41.85
Entertainment: £0
Clothes/Beauty: £0
Travel: £120.09
Other: £8
Total: £169.94
Conclusion
"This week had a few big spends that I usually don’t have, like the car to Glasgow and getting new bike gear. I also took the bus way more than I have in the last three years but that cost will hopefully reduce to zero once I start cycling to work. This week was definitely more than I would usually spend. I try to stick as close to my budget as I can, however there are obviously some weeks (like this one!) where I end up going over. It has been strange for me to live out of my savings as it’s something that I’ve never had to do before, however it’s also shown me that the time and effort I’ve put into building up my savings has been worth it and I feel that, with a new job, I have a renewed focus on saving first, spending second."
Food/Drink: £41.85
Entertainment: £0
Clothes/Beauty: £0
Travel: £120.09
Other: £8
Total: £169.94
Conclusion
"This week had a few big spends that I usually don’t have, like the car to Glasgow and getting new bike gear. I also took the bus way more than I have in the last three years but that cost will hopefully reduce to zero once I start cycling to work. This week was definitely more than I would usually spend. I try to stick as close to my budget as I can, however there are obviously some weeks (like this one!) where I end up going over. It has been strange for me to live out of my savings as it’s something that I’ve never had to do before, however it’s also shown me that the time and effort I’ve put into building up my savings has been worth it and I feel that, with a new job, I have a renewed focus on saving first, spending second."
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