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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 we're with a woman who, post-credit card debt, has just bought her first house with her partner and is over the moon.
"I’ve just bought my first house with my partner, and we made the decision to leave London (CRAMPED!) and move down to Brighton (SEA!). I never thought this would happen as 18 months ago, I was nearly £14,000 in credit card debt, had an overdraft I had set up camp in, ran out of money every month and had my head completely in the sand about my situation. I also never thought I’d qualify for a mortgage as my credit rating was terrible, but here we are, many difficult and embarrassing conversations and habit changes later. I must also clarify that the deposit for our house was my partner’s money from a previous house she sold. Although my salary is higher than hers, I have no savings to speak of so please don’t think I stopped buying avocados in February and by November I had a house deposit. I am extremely fortunate that she had the deposit and then everything for the house is split 50/50."
Industry: Communications Manager
Age: 35
Location: Brighton
Salary: £66,000
Paycheque amount: £3,686
Number of housemates: One, my partner
Age: 35
Location: Brighton
Salary: £66,000
Paycheque amount: £3,686
Number of housemates: One, my partner
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £950 for my half of the mortgage (ouch, yes, but still cheaper than what I was paying to rent in London)
Loan payments: £600 – my partner paid off the last £6k on my credit card out of her deposit money to fast-track us being able to get a mortgage, so I’m paying her back monthly
Utilities: £120 a month for water, gas and electric, council tax, broadband, insurance and TV licence
Transportation: £450.80 for a season ticket into London
Phone bill: £12
Savings? £0 right now as we get the house up and running but going forward it’ll be £100-150 a month into a Premium Bonds account
Other: Netflix £5.99, Spotify £14.99 (I pay for a family account for my partner and family members to use rather than all five of us paying £9.99 a month)
Loan payments: £600 – my partner paid off the last £6k on my credit card out of her deposit money to fast-track us being able to get a mortgage, so I’m paying her back monthly
Utilities: £120 a month for water, gas and electric, council tax, broadband, insurance and TV licence
Transportation: £450.80 for a season ticket into London
Phone bill: £12
Savings? £0 right now as we get the house up and running but going forward it’ll be £100-150 a month into a Premium Bonds account
Other: Netflix £5.99, Spotify £14.99 (I pay for a family account for my partner and family members to use rather than all five of us paying £9.99 a month)
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