Money Diary: A Civil Servant On £42,400

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last penny.

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This week: "I’m a 26-year-old civil servant living and working in Manchester. I’ve lived here for the best part of three years, minus a couple of months between leases last year, when I lived at home. I’m from Yorkshire and always thought I’d move to London for work after uni, but post-COVID spent more time in Manchester than I’d planned and fell in love with it! I live with one flatmate, who I met on SpareRoom. With regards to money, I swing from being extremely anxious about it and ‘f*ck it, I’ll never be this young and have this much disposable income again’. However, I do want to buy a flat someday and would love to go travelling in the next couple of years, so I’m hoping that tracking my spending for a week will highlight some areas where I can cut back a bit."

Occupation: Net Zero Governance
Industry: Government 
Age: 26
Location: Manchester
Salary: £42,400 (£35,500 base salary plus temporary promotion uplift of £6,900 p/a)
Paycheque amount: £2,569.45
Number of housemates: One, my flatmate, B.
Pronouns: She/her

Housing costs: £650 rent (my half, split 50/50 with my flatmate).
Loan payments: £250 credit cards, £175 repayment of surgery loan, £100 student loan repayment (deduced from my salary).
Savings: £300 in a Monzo savings pot, specifically for a holiday I’m going on in a few months' time.
Pension? Yes — I pay 5.45% and my employer pays around 29%. Bonus of the civil service! I also have a couple of very small pots from other jobs I worked at uni that I need to consolidate (once I learn how to do that!). 
Utilities: Electricity £55, Wifi £16.25, Water £25, Council tax £76.50 (all these are my half, split with my flatmate).
All other monthly payments: £60 nails, £40 wax (I budget these as part of my monthly spend as they are non-negotiables for me), £55 car insurance, £50 phone contract (this is for my mum’s contract too). Subscriptions: £10.99 Netflix, £17.99 Spotify, £29 ClassPass, £18.99 Gym.

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a one-year foundation course in a vocational subject straight after my A-levels. These fees were paid for by my great aunt and my mum — I think it was £6,600. I supported myself by working at a museum, doing vote counting for the local council and babysitting. I then did a standard three-year BSc (in a completely different subject — yes, I was indulged….) that I paid for via tuition fees and maintenance loans. My student loan when I finished university was £48,000, but now sits at closer to £70,000 due to interest rates, despite me paying substantial monthly repayments for the last three years. Throughout university, I worked at various retail stores to support myself, which was lucky as it meant I received furlough pay during the first COVID lockdown. I also received £100 a month from my grandmother during my four years of study.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money?
My parents were always quite polarised about my money. Due to his own upbringing, my dad was quite trigger-happy with spending, whereas my mum was much more anxious about finances. I never wanted for anything as a child, but whenever I asked for things, the answer would be 'ask Father Christmas for it' or 'if you still want it for your birthday...'. My mum also worked extra jobs every year to afford any holidays we took. My parents' differing attitudes to money came to a head when they divorced in my teens, and as the oldest child, I remember having a lot of conversations with my mum about what we could and couldn't afford. My mum is an incredibly hard worker and very selfless, so she still managed to support me and my sisters through university and into our twenties whilst taking on the mortgage for our family home solo.

I lived at home whilst doing my foundation course, and then over the summers at university. I graduated during 2020 and lived at home with my mum and sisters until I moved to Manchester with a friend in 2022. I also lived at home for a couple of months last year when our building was abruptly sold and our contracts were cancelled, before moving back to Manchester in the summer.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself? Does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I became fully financially responsible for myself when I moved to Manchester age 24. The exception was a couple of months when I lived at home, when I paid my mum reduced rent to help make a dent in my credit card outstanding balance.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I did a lot of babysitting and some café and bar work from the age of 15, which was mostly used to buy Topshop Joni jeans (IYKYK). My first proper job was at a children's museum in a town near to where I lived. I worked there on and off for five years, from Sixth Form through to university.

Do you worry about money now?
Constantly. Despite earning well, I have quite high outgoings. Living in a city and some unavoidable repairs to my car and laptop have left me with around £2,000 of credit card debt that I'm desperate to pay off this year. I also have a high monthly repayment for a surgery I had privately last year — while probably not the wisest decision financially, has transformed my quality of life and I wasn't getting anywhere with the NHS. I am due to pay that off fully in November 2026. I would like to get to a place where I can put the money currently being used to pay off debts aside in savings, so I can work towards travel and getting on the property ladder.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
As detailed above, my great aunt paid the fees for my foundation course (in her words, 'you're getting your inheritance money while I'm still here to see you enjoy it'). She was unable to have children of her own, so she's always been extremely generous to us and we're very close. I'm not expecting to receive any other inheritance.

7:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I snooze once and then roll out of bed, pulling off my mouth tape — the TikTokers raving about it drew me in. Face transformation: pending. I'm in a hotel in London as I stayed over last night after doing a big presentation at work.

8 a.m. — Shower, get dressed, make up etc. I have a message from NatWest saying I've gone into my overdraft by £37 due to a credit card payment and my car insurance payment. I log on and shift some money around and hope I've got enough to last until my expenses from this trip land in my account, probably early next week.

8:30 a.m. — Leave the hotel. I promptly take a wrong turn and get lost in Lambeth, becoming increasingly stressed as it gets closer to 9 a.m. I walk past a Gail's and stop for breakfast, as I've not eaten today. I can expense this through work.

9:15 a.m. — I make it to work in one piece and log in. My emails are pretty quiet as my presentation yesterday was a huge part of my workload. I soak up the quiet and get started drafting a readout of the meeting.

12:15 p.m. — Head out for lunch with my colleagues, who recommend a sushi roll place round the corner. It is delicious and I'm very pleased with my choice. I will expense this later.

2 p.m. — Coffee run. I get a cappuccino and a selection of coffees and hot chocolates for the team. My line manager very kindly pays for the whole team's drinks!

3:30 p.m. — Head off early to catch a train back up North. I pick up a chocolate & hazelnut pastry and a cup of tea at the station. I'll be hungry on the train otherwise, £7.20.

7 p.m. — Get home and have breakfast for tea of grilled halloumi on avocado toast, followed by a homemade cookie. I make the dough in batches and then freeze it in balls so I can have fresh cookies whenever as it makes me feel like I’m winning at life. Make a mental note that I need to do a food shop tomorrow. 

8:30 p.m. — Sort out my work bag and clean up the general mess I made trying to get out of the house early the other morning. My skin is looking a bit dull so I do an exfoliating face mask while watching a couple of episodes of Sex and the City. I’m trying to scroll less before bed, but not sure if watching TV instead of being on my phone is really that different?

10 p.m. — Sleep.

8:15 a.m. — Wake up. I gave myself a bit of a lie in as I’m working from home today. Get up and do skincare; The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid & Niacinamide with Simple moisturiser and SPF. I’m very lucky with my skin, so I don’t mess around with too many products — these have been my staples for a long time.

8:45 a.m. — Head out into the cold to get milk and strawberries so I can make porridge for breakfast, £4.65.

9:15 a.m. — Log into work and check my emails while eating my breakfast. Remember I have a meeting with my line manager at 10 a.m. to set my objectives — eek! I’m currently on a temporary promotion and have six months left in the role, so I’m keen to agree some clear and achievable goals while I’m still with the team.

10:30 a.m. — Break for a cup of tea and have a catch up with a work friend who is opposite to me in every way from the outside, but a person I’m very spiritually aligned with. I love when you stumble across people who surprise you. 

12:30 p.m. — Break for lunch and head to the gym. I’m trying to do 45 minutes of exercise every day, even if it’s just a walk — today it’s the stepper. My gym is next to the supermarket, so then do my weekly shop. I buy bananas, chorizo, halloumi, beetroot, chicken, eggs, fruit juice and some cleaning supplies, £22.50.

1:30 p.m. — Get back home and realise I’m 10 minutes late for a team meeting that I’m supposed to be chairing. I promise I’m not usually this disorganised! I log on and thank my lovely colleague who picked up my slack.

3:30 p.m. — Have an exciting meeting with colleagues. I come away with quite a few actions, but I’m excited to get cracking. 

5 p.m. — I wrap a few things up and log off. I’m exhausted and slightly worried I’m coming down with something. I run down to my building’s concierge to collect a couple of parcels for my flatmate and my new passport! I’m relieved it’s arrived. 

6:30 p.m. — I spend the evening watching SATC and make myself the ultimate girl dinner; brie on crackers with caramelised onion relish and pickles. 

8 p.m. — I really am not feeling well so get into bed early. Have a phone call with my boyfriend who’s driving home from a late night at work. 

9 p.m. — Sleep.

7 a.m. — I wake up with a splitting headache so message my line manager and set up my OOO. I get these semi-regularly and know the best way to cure it is sleep and lots of water.

11:30 a.m. — Wake up and feel better, but still a bit fragile. Potter around and make myself scrambled eggs on a bagel for breakfast/lunch. 

2:30 p.m. — Head into town to run a few errands. I post a couple of Vinted parcels and promptly spend my earnings on a hair clip for a friend, some cheap canvasses and watercolours for tonight’s date night with my boyfriend and a new lip liner, £16 total.

3:30 p.m. — I grab a drink on the way home, £3.35. I also get the tram back at the walk has wiped me out, £2.20.

6 p.m. — I head over to my boyfriend’s house. We’re having a special at-home date night (he’s a sports coach and so works most evenings and weekends). I give him a New York City travel guide I picked up in a charity shop a few weeks ago, he gives me a candle from Anthropologie. I bring the painting stuff I bought earlier so he orders pizza (and pays!) and we watch The Other Woman.

9:30 p.m. — M, my boyfriend, falls asleep on the sofa so we head to bed! I’m grateful for the early night after my shaky start.

6:30 a.m. — I wake up earlier to drive back to my flat to beat the traffic. I stop for petrol on the way, £15.96.

8 a.m. — I get back to the flat early enough to head out for a walk before work. It’s bright but windy and I’ve not got quite enough layers on.

9:15 a.m. — Back and log onto work. Post-big presentation, my email traffic has slowed right down, so I don’t have much to catch up on from yesterday.

1 p.m. — I break for lunch and head to the gym. I do 45 minutes on the stepper and get a good sweat on. Come home and make my go-to lunch for when I want something quick and easy; half an avocado with a tin of tuna, mixed with mayo and eaten in little parcels of seaweed. I add soy sauce and crispy onions — delicious! I manage a quick shower before logging back onto work. 

4:45 p.m. — Log off and realise my friend has been trying to get in touch with me; the cinema tickets we thought were booked for 5.45 p.m. are actually booked for 5.15 p.m.! I get changed in a hurry and head out, stopping at Sainsbury’s on the way for snacks, £4.89.

8 p.m. — We leave the cinema and head for a quick pint and a debrief, £3.50.

9 p.m. — Head home, wash face with the Tropic Smoothing Cleanser, then moisturise and hop into bed!

9 a.m. — Wake up and lie in bed for a bit, scrolling on my phone. Mentally plan an outfit for later; it’s my sister’s birthday and we’re going to a drag event. I’m slightly apprehensive about the amount of alcohol I know I’ll be drinking but hope my mum’s attendance will keep me in check…

10 a.m. — Make breakfast of porridge with peanut butter and strawberries. I never used to be a porridge girl, but discovering all the different possible toppings has been a game changer. 

11 a.m. — Head to the gym and do 45 minutes on the stepper.

12:30 p.m. — Home and realise I need to hustle — shower, curl hair, apply copious amounts of red lipstick and shimmy into the selected jumpsuit. My sister texts me and asks me to bring blister plasters, so I feel my lateness is justified. I hop onto a tram to take me part of the way, £2.20.

3 p.m. — The event is BRILLIANT, the performers are amazing and I paid for my bottomless drinks ticket last month, so it feels like a free afternoon! I take part in a bin bag fashion show and get robbed of first place. It’s really nice, now that we’re all older, that I can socialise with my sisters and get to know them as their own people. 

6:30 p.m. — The event finishes and I have definitely drunk too much. The sister who’s birthday it is is headed out with her friends, but I know that spells disaster for me and I could do with not spending the money, so my I head home, dropping my mum off at the train station on the way. We make plans to catch up later in the week. On the way back to my flat, my other sister and I stop at a corner shop and pick up an outrageously expensive bottle of Prosecco, £7.99.

8 p.m. — Get home and have a snack. My sister promptly turns around and heads back out with some friends and I fall asleep on the sofa.

3 a.m. — Wake up on the sofa absolutely freezing. Fill up my water bottle and get into bed but cannot get back to sleep. 

5:30 a.m. — Still nowhere near sleep and it’s now starting to get light. I give up and read Rivals. I’m about a third of the way through already. Thoughts of Rupert Campell-Black distract me from my tiredness. 

11:30 a.m. — I wake up and realise I must have drifted off a bit, any more sleep is a win at this stage! I get up and shower, get dressed and make scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast/lunch. 

1:30 p.m. — Head out to meet my friends, we’re going to the cinema again (twice in one week!). My friend has got the tickets, so I pick up some snacks, £6.74. 

4:30 p.m. — The film finishes (I think it might be my favourite one of the franchise) and we head to Nando’s. I order a chicken and halloumi wrap with peri-peri chips, £13.75.

6 p.m. — None of us are quite ready to go home yet, so we head round the corner for a quick pint. I get a Cloudwater Fresh, a surprisingly tasty low-alcohol beer, £4.50. 

7:30 p.m. — We head home. I stop via a convenience store on the way and pick up milk and some wire scrubbers, £2.75.

8:30 p.m. — Dive into bed with a cup of tea and finish Rivals — loved it!

9 p.m. — I FaceTime my partner for a bed and then head straight to sleep. 

8 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I get up pretty much straight away (for once). I jump in the shower and make breakfast, porridge with peanut butter and strawberries. 

9 a.m. — Log into work and kick off with a 121 with my line manager, followed by a call about a project we’re kicking off and then straight into a French lesson. I help run a language club that does online lessons for a very reasonable price and I’m trying to brush up on my A-Level French. It’s super hard, but I always enjoy going. 

12:30 p.m. — Break for lunch, I make roasted sweet potato with a halloumi, kale and pepper hot salad. 

1:15 p.m. — Back into work for a catch up about IWD.

4:30 p.m. — I log off a smidge early and get the tram into town to drop off some of my sister’s things before she heads back to uni, £2.20 for the round trip.

6 p.m. — Pack a bag and set off to squash. I go to a women’s squash training on Mondays that my partner runs, so it’s free!

8:30 p.m. — Finish squash and I’m SWEATY, but grateful for the runaround. Head back to my partner’s house and jump in the shower while he makes rice to have with the slow cooker chilli he made earlier. 

9:30 p.m. — We eat chilli and rice and watch Line of Duty. We’re rewatching it from the start and have almost finished the first season. 

10:30 p.m. — Bed!

"Honestly, this is probably quite accurate of what I’d spend in a week. I usually try to book things in and pay for them at the start of the month around payday as I’m usually a bit tight by the time we get to the end of the month. I’m also lucky that my friends have similar attitudes to me; they’ve bought cinema tickets for me this week so I’ll get them the next time and none of us stress about it too much. I have eaten out more than I would normally in a week, but I struggle to say no to spending time with friends and still see going out for dinner or whatever as a real treat. This is probably the area I can cut back in the most, especially if I ever want to build up some savings."