Welcome to Money Diaries, where we tackle the ever-present taboo that is money. We ask real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we track every last dollar.
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Today: a university student and piano teacher who makes $38,000 a year and spends some of her money this week on the Nintendo Switch game, Moving Out.
Occupation: University Student / Piano Teacher / Hospitality Worker
Industry: Music / Hospitality
Age: 22
Location: Carnegie, Melbourne
Salary: $38,000
Net Worth: $3,000 ($11,000 in savings, $3,400 in my rent account, $6,400 in my emergency fund, $20,000 in shares, $3,600 in my super, $1,600 in my spending account.)
Debt: $43,000 in HECS/HELP debt
Paycheque Amount (Monthly): About $3,000/month, but my pay fluctuates a lot because of the work I do. Piano teaching gives me $1,800/month tax-free, which goes down to $0 on school holidays. My pay from my hospitality job is about $700 to $1,300 a week.
Pronouns: She/Her
Industry: Music / Hospitality
Age: 22
Location: Carnegie, Melbourne
Salary: $38,000
Net Worth: $3,000 ($11,000 in savings, $3,400 in my rent account, $6,400 in my emergency fund, $20,000 in shares, $3,600 in my super, $1,600 in my spending account.)
Debt: $43,000 in HECS/HELP debt
Paycheque Amount (Monthly): About $3,000/month, but my pay fluctuates a lot because of the work I do. Piano teaching gives me $1,800/month tax-free, which goes down to $0 on school holidays. My pay from my hospitality job is about $700 to $1,300 a week.
Pronouns: She/Her
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Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,195. I rent a one-bedroom unit by myself that’s on the old side. My bathtub is yellow, if that gives any indication. The total area is 36m2, which gives me just enough space for all my belongings.
Electricity: ~$30
Water: ~$5 every three months
HelloFresh: $130 for two boxes/three meals/two people. I use a coupon for this to bring down the cost.
Phone & Data Plan: $30 for unlimited calls/texts and 42GB of data.
Disney+: $3
Google Storage: $2.49
MacAfee Security: $8.33
Kogan Plus: $89 a year. It was actually a total accident, but I cancelled it for next year, at least.
Savings: I use the bucket method and always put at least 15% of my income into an emergency account and 10% into stocks. This month, I’m putting an extra $150 away for general savings. Since I’m a self-employed music teacher, a portion of the money in my emergency account will be added to my super fund.
Electricity: ~$30
Water: ~$5 every three months
HelloFresh: $130 for two boxes/three meals/two people. I use a coupon for this to bring down the cost.
Phone & Data Plan: $30 for unlimited calls/texts and 42GB of data.
Disney+: $3
Google Storage: $2.49
MacAfee Security: $8.33
Kogan Plus: $89 a year. It was actually a total accident, but I cancelled it for next year, at least.
Savings: I use the bucket method and always put at least 15% of my income into an emergency account and 10% into stocks. This month, I’m putting an extra $150 away for general savings. Since I’m a self-employed music teacher, a portion of the money in my emergency account will be added to my super fund.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes. I have a Bachelor of Science and a Cert IV in Allied Health Assistance. I took out a HECS loan for the Bachelor's and the TAFE course was free. I'm currently studying a Graduate Diploma of Music and I’ve borrowed more government money for this. I'm also enrolled in an online psychology course that I paid $71 for out of pocket. It's a requirement for the Master’s degree I plan on doing next year. Despite all these qualifications, I don’t plan on using either my Bachelor's or my Cert IV in the near future. It’s good to have a backup, I suppose.
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Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Growing up, my parents always emphasised the importance of financial stability. I was never taught exactly what to do with money, just to have a well-paying job that would cover everything. I find that talking precisely about money is a bit taboo in the older generations, so I learnt more about money management from talking with my cousins and coworkers.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My current job (piano teaching) was my first proper job. After finishing school, I started teaching at the suggestion of my piano teacher. I VERY begrudgingly put up an ad on the internet and procured some students, but now I love it. I consider myself very lucky to find an occupation I genuinely enjoy, and I plan on continuing for as long as I can. I started working because I pretty much had zero savings and going out with friends is expensive!
Did you worry about money growing up?
Not really. My parents shielded my sister and me pretty well and most of their conversations would fly over my head. My dad lost his job a few times, but my parents managed these situations pretty well. Growing up, I’d say my family was very middle class. My parents were educated immigrants who came to Australia with their life savings and young children in tow. They did their best to provide for my sister and I with as many opportunities as possible.
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My sister and I had a private higher education that my parents afforded with scholarships. I was very aware of my status as a scholarship student, versus full-fee students. By attending a private school, I definitely noticed the disparity of wealth between public and private schools. From this experience, I truly learnt the power of money.
Do you worry about money now?
For the near future, no, because I have savings. I believe I live a basic lifestyle and I’m happy with that. I have the luxury of not having kids or chronic illnesses that would add to essential expenses.
I’m confident in my ability to make money. If I suddenly lost one of my jobs, I could easily get another one. Nowadays, I don’t stress if I don’t get rostered at work or when the school holidays come around. I just enjoy the time off.
Regarding the long term, I’d rather use my money now to enjoy myself, rather than save for a house deposit. Because who knows where I’ll be in five years. We take it for granted that there will ‘always be a next time’.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I think I am responsible with my money. Since graduating high school, I’ve kept track of every cent I’ve earned and spent on a spreadsheet that is updated daily. I also keep track of any tax deductibles and have charts of all my investment growth over the years.
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I wouldn't say I'm financially independent. Although I pay for my own expenses, I depend a lot on my father. He bought my car for me and pays for all associated expenses. He also pays for my health insurance and transfers me $500 a month to help with rent.
My financial safety net is my stock portfolio, or if worst comes to worst, my parents.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes, I receive dividends from my shares and I reinvest these where possible. The cash I receive is a negligible amount, less than $100 a year. I know I said I’m not saving for a house deposit, but I’d like my shares to contribute to it one day. I also have a high-interest savings account linked to my brokerage account, so I get about $30 a month from this.
Day 1
8:30am — I wake up to my alarm. I follow the same morning routine most days — a little scroll on TikTok before getting out of bed, drink as much water as possible, and remove my retainers. I go to my kitchen and feed my Siamese fighting fish, Ryan, who lives on my kitchen bench. For breakfast, I have a toasted slice of rye sourdough bread. I eat that with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast. While I’m eating, my cousin from Montreal Facetimes me. She's 13, but we get along really well. Today, I have my very first class of the semester — a guitar class. I lose track of time talking to my aunt and cousin, so I have to get ready in a rush. My hair looks a bit greasy so I pop some dry shampoo in it.
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9:43am — I get on a tram that goes to Melbourne Uni. The tram stop was about a 15-minute walk from my unit. My Myki is preloaded with money, so I tap on and $2.30 is deducted. Even though fare-evading on trams is really common in Melbourne, I always tap on. I have a concession card, so my fare is affordable. The max daily cap is $4.30, and I don’t want to risk getting a fine.
11:10am — I end up taking three trams to uni — don’t ask me how or why. On the way, I top up my Myki ($20) and end up being late to class. Thankfully, I'm not the only one who's running late. I'm really not used to taking trams, if you can tell. $20
1:10pm — I meet up with a distant cousin who's come to study here. He shows me around his student accommodation. Everything is so modern and state-of-the-art, which is a big contrast to my unit. After our meet-up, I take the tram home. I read an article saying there'll be another $250 electricity bonus coming in the next few weeks. I'll be applying for that as soon as it opens. I nap on the tram, clutching my bag.
3:15pm — I get home and steam some homemade frozen dumplings and a frozen jumbo giant dim sim for a late lunch.
4:00pm — I leave to teach a student.
5:05pm — Arrive home. I turn on the hot water in my fuse box so I can shower later on. I save a lot on my electricity bill by manually turning my hot water on and off. If I leave it on all the time, my water will come out boiling hot as well. While waiting for the water to heat up, I do my dishes and organise my schedule for uni. One of my helix piercings is irritated, so I change the jewellery out, as well as a couple more piercings in my right ear. Changing piercing jewellery is always time-consuming. I hop in the shower after.
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7:36pm — For dinner, I steam some frozen homemade kimchi dumplings. I also have another dim sim as they're one of my favourite foods. After eating, I take my daily fish oil and iron supplement. I’m also craving something sweet, so I have a giant Creme Egg. After dinner, I open my laptop and do some psychology study. It's an online course and video based. This is separate from my uni course, but it's a requirement for the Master’s degree I'm interested in.
8:10pm — I head to my parent’s place. It's less than a five-minute drive from me. I visit pretty often to study, play piano, game, drop off my laundry, or to get my petrol refilled. I don’t have WiFi at my unit, so I can’t stream lectures and my parents don’t mind me dropping in to use their internet. Tonight, I’m playing It Takes Two, a two-player game online with my friend, K. They moved to WA last year for work, so this is a way for us to spend time together while being apart. I eat some of my parent’s ice cream while I play. After gaming, I take my laundry and head back to mine.
10:05pm — I get home and start my night routine — writing in my diary, winding down on my phone/YouTube, stretching and some basic skin care.
11:30pm — Lights out.
Daily Total: $20
Day 2
7:52am — I wake up on my own. I have most of the day off today.
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8:20am — I find a MASSIVE rat dropping in the kitchen — not great news. I do a Google search on pest infestations and take everything underneath the sink out. I discover old mice droppings on the bottom of the shelf, and an opening around the sink pipe that leads to outside, where the pests must have gotten in. I call my best friend S. because this is not what I was expecting this morning. I also find a fully grown snail under the sink that's somehow still alive. I take it outside and put it on a leaf. I clean up all the droppings and wipe everything down. To fix the hole, I get a leftover wall-patch and plaster and get to work. I already know how to do this because I had to fix a hole in my bathroom a few weeks ago. S. stays with me on the phone the whole time as if I’m on a hotline. After that whole mess, I eat my breakfast — toast with hazelnut spread and a banana.
10:30am — After the whole debacle and many tears and screaming, I calm myself down by repotting some aquatic plants into one large pot. These live under my showerhead in a bucket. My shower head leaks from time to time and the sound of water dripping on ceramic drives me nuts. The plants dampen the sound and liven up my bathroom.
11:33am — I drive to the local library. I plan to study with their free WiFi. I send an email to my real estate agent about the rat and mice droppings and the hole.
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12:45pm — For lunch, I get a pork bahn mi ($9), a mini sausage roll ($1.50) and a dim sim ($1) from a Vietnamese bakery. I pay cash to avoid surcharges. My real estate agent gets back to me and offers to send a handyman. I know this is what I'm owed, but I'd rather fix it myself in my own time. My schedule is so packed that I doubt I can spare half a day for someone to come, plus I want to butter them up, so my rent doesn’t get increased. I let them know that I'll fix it myself and will reach out if this doesn't work. $11.50
12:55pm — I get a bubble tea from ShareTea ($6.70), I also pop into Woolies to get some rat poison ($8.00). $14.70
2:20pm — I drive to the nearby Officeworks to do some printing ($21.10). I also print some photos of my pet budgie ($0.45). He passed away in December and I want to hang up some pictures of him at home. I head back to mine after. $21.55
3:35pm — I head off to teach two students.
6:15pm — I get an email from my hospitality job saying that we’re getting a pay raise for weekend work, and we'll be getting back paid too! I'm so excited. I also transfer some money over to my friend's partner as they bought some child/pest locks for me through their Amazon Prime account ($16). $16
6:43pm — Dinner time! It’s more frozen kimchi dumplings. After dinner, I have a sing and strum session on my guitar, then shower.
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8:10pm — My friend K. calls while I'm doing my night routine. We buy some games that we plan to play online together. We both get Moving Out on Nintendo Switch ($11.23) and Portal on PC ($2.18). $13.42
9:25pn — K. and I hang up and it's light out.
Daily Total: $77.17
Day 3
5:50am — My alarm goes off. I have work at 7:30am this morning and the sun isn't even out yet.
6:10am — Breakfast is toast with feta cheese and a banana.
7:17am — I've taken a wrong turn on the drive to work so now I'm ten minutes late. I park in the staff parking and take a Panadol because I'm not feeling great. I tend to get headaches if I’m sleep deprived. I also put tape over my ear piercings. I have 16 in total, and I have to cover 12 of them.
7:20am — I swipe into the building, get my uniform and change. I'm going to be 15 minutes late. This is the first time I've been late for this job, and I hope they don't mind too much. My start time becomes 7:45am — that’s almost $9 lost because of a wrong turn. Siiiggghhh.
10:09am — I get sent on my 15-minute break. I go to the staff breakroom and have a piece of toast with strawberry jam and a mocha. I work in events and today we're hosting a conference. I help make sure there are enough plates, cups and glassware for everyone. When the patrons come out on their breaks, I serve them tea and coffee.
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2:40pm — I get my 30-minute break very late. I'm so exhausted, I've poured multiple cups of hot coffee on myself and didn’t even flinch. I go to the staff buffet restaurant for lunch. I'm so hungry, I instinctively only grab carbs and meat. I get some pasta with cream sauce, chips, sausages, and money bags for lunch. I also get a cup of postmix orange juice. Every shift we’re entitled to one meal at the staff restaurant, so at least lunch is taken care of today. I check my shifts for next week and I only have three, which is a good number. I decide I'm going to work a maximum of three shifts a week during semester.
5:00pm — I finish work and tap out of the staff parking — the fee is deducted from my pay ($6). I have a student this afternoon, so I drive straight from work to the house. I call my best friend, S., on the way to stay awake. $6
6:51pm — Finished teaching! On the way home, I stop at Macca's because I'm craving calories. I get an Angus burger, a double cheeseburger and a McFlurry that I get for free with my Maccas points. $15.20
7:00pm — I get home, feed Ryan and eat my dinner while watching YouTube in 144p (to save data). It's the start of a new month, so I transfer my month's earnings into various buckets. 10% into a high-interest account that will go to stocks, 15% to my emergency fund and about $150 to general savings. The Angus burger was way bigger than I was expecting, so I put the McFlurry in the freezer. I take a shower and start my night routine.
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8:00pm — K. calls me and we chat a little. Then it’s lights out at 8:30pm.
Daily Total: $21.20
Day 4
4:30am — My alarm goes off and I haaaatttteee it. I check my payslip that came in late last night and see the pay raise. It's honestly less than what I was expecting because there was so much talk about it at work, but I'll take it.
4:46am — Breakfast — toast with hazelnut spread and a banana. I get dressed quickly, grab my McFlurry from the freezer and leave home just after 5am.
5:25am — I get to work and it’s still dark out. I eat my McFlurry as I get ready and go to my post. The McFlurry improves my mood so much.
8:35am — 15-minute break! In the breakroom, I toast two slices of bread and put peanut butter on top. Today's shift is on breakfast — I just top up beverages and help clear tables. I get told off by a senior manager for having my phone in my pocket. I can’t remember the last time I was told off for having a phone on me — it feels very high school. Management is instilling a new rule that phones can’t be on us when working and they’ve provided lockers to put them away. However, I'm against this because these lockers are far away from the breakrooms, so I'd lose more than five minutes of my break just to retrieve my phone.
12:00pm — Six hours down and we're finished! Today was actually really easy — the hardest part was the start time. I go to the staff restaurant and grab a banana to take home.
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12:50pm — I meet up with a friend who works in the area for a quick lunch. I get a foot-long meatball Subway that is way more expensive than I expect ($16.95). Some seagulls start swooping me and my friend, trying to steal our food. One even touches my sandwich with its feet, so I end up needing to throw away a few bites. Seagulls are so vicious. $16.95
1:35pm — I tap out of the staff parking. $6
2:04pm — I get home, take a nap and shower.
4:00pm — I leave to teach piano. I have two students this afternoon.
6:07pm — I go to my parents to pick up some laundry and parcels — baby latches from Amazon and a Shakuhachi case. My HelloFresh box has also arrived. I switch the delivery addresses between my home and my parents so I can use the same discount code twice. I’m planning to stay at my parents' place for the whole evening to get some study done. I also transfer my friend for an online concert that we're watching together next weekend — we split the cost two ways. $40
6:18pm — For dinner, I grab a microwave meal (satay chicken with rice) from my parents' fridge. My older sister still lives at home and she gets these for free from work. I chat with my grandma while I eat. I respect her so much — she’s the strongest woman I know. She raised three kids on her own and has been disabled for the past 30 years, yet she remains so strong. To wind down, I watch How I Met Your Father and have some ice cream.
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7:53pm — I check my Flybuys account and all my bonus points from last week have landed! I order a $50 Coles gift card with my points.
8:30pm — I leave my parents’ house and call my best friend. I get home and boil some eggs for an egg salad sandwich tomorrow. I put some bread out to defrost and pack some snacks for tomorrow.
11:35pm — Lights out.
Daily Total: $62.95
Day 5
7:35am — My alarm goes off. I prepare an egg salad sandwich to bring to uni for lunch. I eat the rest of the salad with two slices of bread and a yoghurt for breakfast.
10:08am — I arrive a bit late to Shakuhachi class, which is a type of flute. I purchase a Shakuhachi ($260), as well as a book and CD ($20) from the tutor. $280
12:00pm – Shakuhachi class wraps up. I unfortunately have no natural aptitude for this instrument. For lunch, I eat my sandwich, a small can of beans, fruit in a jelly cup and an oat bar. I study while waiting for my next class: Indonesian Gamelan Ensemble, at 1:15pm.
3:16pm — Class wraps up. It was so much fun. I'm excited to get more ensemble experience in this unit and learn more about non-western music.
3:43pm — I take a tram to Melbourne central. I have work again at 5pm this afternoon. My work is in the city, so I’m going straight from class to work.
3:56pm — I see a new sushi place that is doing a three rolls for $9 deal. I get two chicken rolls and a vegetarian roll. I walk to a tram stop that will bring me close to work. $9
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4:35pm — The tram line is cancelled so I speed walk to work and swipe in. My job involves a lot of walking and I’m annoyed that I’ve already walked over 2km just to get to work. It’ll just make my shift harder. God, I hate trams. I’m running a little late, so I don’t have time to put my phone away in the lockers — into the pocket it goes! I hope the managers aren’t working at night.
8:10pm — I get sent on my 15 and get a hot chocolate from the break room. My arms are so sore from carrying drink trays. The trays only weigh about 3-4kg, but tonight, we had to hold them out in front of us for over an hour. On my break, I receive a notification saying that my mum transferred me $300 as a good luck gift for my uni course. Money has been an issue with us in the past, so I really appreciate her helping me out without me asking. This covers the cost of my new Shakuhachi. I send her a thank you message.
11:00pm — We get let off at six hours. I go to the staff restaurant and eat dinner with a new friend. I get way too much food — rice with chorizo, bruschetta with feta cheese, fresh tomato and pesto sauce, a spring roll and fried noodles. I have some orange juice to drink. Since I’m not on break, I have time to visit the dessert bar. I take some caramel mousse, a brownie and one piece of rock melon to balance it out. After eating, I grab a banana from the restaurant to take home. My dad’s agreed to pick me up every Friday from work so I don’t have to Uber home, which saves me about $30. While waiting for my dad to pick me up, I call my best friend. I'm exhausted as this job is really laborious. I was talking to a co-worker about the number of steps we do at work. I don't have my health tracker activated so I have no clue, but she told me her tracker normally shows up to 20,000 steps in a shift!
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12:15am — I get home and I do my night routine. I skip the shower and it's lights out around 12:45am.
Daily Total: $289.00
Day 6
8:00am — My alarm wakes me up. I have two students this morning. Both students are beginners so there's not much brain power needed, but definitely a lot of patience. I skip breakfast this morning.
11:07am — I get home from piano. For lunch, I make a HelloFresh meal — mac and cheese with truffle oil. I add in my own bacon too. While I'm cooking, I eat some Oreos and prawn cracker crisps.
12:05pm — Lunch is ready! I watch YouTube while I'm munching. I check up on emails and organise my income/expense spreadsheet. I buy two tickets to a comedy show ($117.95) as one of my friends has agreed to come with me. I pay for both tickets because my friend agreed to shout dinner that night. I’m also trying to sort out an issue with the electoral commission — I keep having my mail addressed to an old tenant, even though the address should be registered under my name. It’s all very confusing. $117.95
12:50pm — My cousin from Montreal calls me randomly. I chat with her while I change my sheets, tidy the unit, fix the hole under my kitchen sink and clean Ryan's fish tank. After our call ends, I take a shower and nap. When I wake up, I heat up leftover mac and cheese for an early dinner and munch on some more Oreos. I forget how addictive they are.
4:51pm — I arrive at the staff car park. I’m feeling worn out, so I take a Panadol. Per the no phone rule, I very sadly put my phone away in the lockers provided. I start at 5:30pm today.
8:05pm — On my 15, I get toast with jam and butter (butter is a luxury in the breakroom) and a hot chocolate. Today I’m working a wedding. The bride and groom are from a neighbouring island to where my family is from. The cultures are really similar, so it was nice to see everyone appreciating the music and the dances. I’m phoneless on my break, so I find one of my friends and sit with her. Maybe we'll be more sociable without phones!
10:25pm — Dinner time! I’ve learnt to eat at any time with this job. I retrieve my phone from the locker, which robs me of five minutes of my break (yes, I am that petty). At the staff restaurant, I get lamb tagine, steamed veggies, spring rolls, chips, rice and kidney bean curry. Once I finish eating, I don't have enough time to put my phone away, so in the pocket, it goes. The managers don't work during the night, so I doubt I'll get caught.
12:30am — Finish work! After getting dressed, I wait for the bus to take me to the staff car park. It's provided free of charge by the company at nighttime/early mornings, which is really considerate of them.
12:59am — I tap out of the staff car park. $6
1:26am — I arrive home, night routine and it's lights out at 2am.
Daily Total: $123.95
Day 7
9:22am — Sleep in! I have a banana for breakfast. I also have ice cream, because why not?
10:00am — I start cleaning — wiping down the benchtop, doing the dishes, toilet scrubbing, sweeping and vacuuming. After cleaning, I back up my files on a passport hard drive and I practice some guitar for uni.
11:10am — Early lunch of leftover HelloFresh. I have two students at 12pm — one beginner and one advanced.
2:04pm — I go to my parents’ house after teaching to drop off a week's worth of laundry. I have a St John Ambulance duty tonight and my uniform is still at my parents. St John’s is volunteer work I’ve been doing for the past five years. It involves fortnightly training, attending events and providing first aid if needed. I eat some ice cream and homemade shortbread while getting some study done.
3:48pm — Time for a very early dinner. I warm up some biryani that my uncle made — it smells delicious! It's inspired me to make it more often. My dad gives me some fruits and eggs to bring home.
4:00pm — I get my St John uniform and return to my unit to get proper shoes. I decide I'll change at the venue because it's way too hot to be wearing pants. My shift tonight is actually at a musical, which is cool. I leave my car at the train station and take the city loop to Her Majesty's theatre, where Mary Poppins is playing. Musicals are normally quite a chill shift, so we basically get to enjoy a free show!
9:43pm — Musical finished! We ended up having one patient during the show so I couldn't keep track of the story, but the choreography and singing was amazing. My St John duty partner very kindly offers to drop me off at the station where I left my car. In true Melbourne weather fashion, it’s now pouring rain and freezing cold.
10:23pm — I get home and warm up the last of the truffle mac and cheese as a late-night snack. I prepare some snacks to bring to uni tomorrow. I do a bit of cleaning, take a shower, night routine and it's lights out at midnight.
Daily Total: $0
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