Money Diary Bartender On Long-Term Sick Leave

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’m a 28-year-old bartender living in Northamptonshire with my parents. I moved home after I’d finished my master’s with a two-year plan to save enough for a house deposit. Unfortunately, these past few years have been awful in terms of unexpected situations: being on and off furlough for a year, having to deal with an abusive relationship in between, and now I’ve been on long-term sickness for around seven months. It’s been frustrating as I’m never ill and it’s taken me so long to get any answers. This week I’ve finally been able to get a return date for work but I will be on reduced hours. It’s been a tough couple of years but it’s made me incredibly grateful that I can live at home while saving for a house deposit. It’s also helped me out massively with childcare as I’m a single parent. My financial goal for the next year or so is to save enough to be able to afford my own house but also to get some financial security behind me just in case something unexpected crops up again."

Occupation: Bartender
Industry: Hospitality
Age: 28
Location: Northamptonshire
Salary: I average around £11,000 a year salary and around £5,500 in benefits but as I’ve been on sick leave for the majority of this year I’ll be lucky to hit £8,000 from working.
Paycheque amount: £1,023 (currently made up of SSP, tax credits, child benefit and child maintenance).
Number of housemates: Four: my parents, D and K; brother, T; and my 6-year-old daughter, A.
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: I pay my mum £160 a month.
Loan payments: I don’t earn enough to pay back my undergraduate or master’s loans.
Pension? I pay in 5% of my salary and my employer pays in 3%. This is currently on hold as I’m on SSP.
Savings? Around £13,000 in various savings accounts, mostly regular savings accounts.
Utilities: £0
All other monthly payments: I’m lucky that my dad still pays my phone bill. £2.49 iCloud Storage, £15 A’s savings, £25 A’s gymnastics classes. Subscriptions: £15.99 Netflix (my friend pays me £5 towards it), £4 Now TV, £9.99 Spotify. £79 Amazon Prime, £26 Lightroom photo editor (yearly).

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?

I took out a student loan for both my undergraduate law degree and my criminology master's. My parents contributed in my first year and I had a job from my second year onwards. I also got a yearly bursary from the uni of £2,400 and in the third year I got a massive increase as I was a single mum and a student.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?

We never really spoke about money when I was growing up. My parents wouldn’t let on about any money problems and I kind of grew up thinking we had a lot more money than we did as I always went on holiday and had all new things bought for me. It’s only as I’ve gotten older that my parents have told me that they had to sacrifice a lot so that me and my siblings never went without. They even went on holiday once with no money and only managed to pay for things when they won some money on the lottery.

If you have, when did you move out of your parents'/guardians' house?

I went to uni when I was 20 and came back during the holidays. I moved back fully when I was 24 and still live there now.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?

I would like to say I am but my parents do still contribute a fair bit towards my life, which I’m incredibly grateful for. I think the only time I was ever properly financially responsible would have been my second and third year at uni but even then my parents still paid for certain expenses.

What was your first job and why did you get it?

My first job was when I was 20 and it’s with the company I still work for now. I got it for a summer job and as it’s a pub chain I was able to transfer to one in my uni location when I went back.

Do you worry about money now?

I’m always worrying about money and if I’ll ever be able to afford to buy my own house and live comfortably. The last three years have been particularly difficult and they've shown me that you really have to be prepared for anything.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?

No.