Money Diary: A Front Of House Worker On £18,058

Editor's Note: Totals have been converted from EUR to GBP and are correct at time of writing.

This week: "I’m 29 years old and currently live in Paris, where I work for a group of indoor bouldering gyms. Having studied languages at university, I’d always wanted to move to France and immerse myself fully in the language, so when I was offered a multifaceted reception/coaching/events role in a group of climbing gyms in Paris, I knew that it was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. I left my job in higher education and moved to Paris in 2022. It’s been an all-around brilliant experience, bringing together many of the things I love: languages, cultures, climbing, movement, working with people and being part of a team. It’s been an invaluable way of finding a sense of community in a place that would otherwise have felt intimidating and overwhelming. Three years on, I’m more fluent than I ever have been in French and I’ve grown to love the city, but I’d be lying if I said the financial reality of a low-paid customer service role wasn’t starting to grind on me. I'm slowly starting to feel out next steps. Whether I secure a new role here in France or back in the UK, I would like to have more disposable income moving into next year."

Occupation: Front of House
Industry: Indoor bouldering
Age: 29
Location: Paris, France
Salary: £18,058.91
Joint income: N/A
Assets: None
Debt: None
Paycheque Amount: Around £1,378.28
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Monthly Housing Costs: £615.92 rent
Utilities: Around £68-86 for internet, water, gas and electricity and home insurance.
Number of Housemates: Three.
Monthly Loan Payments: £12 for my postgraduate loan.
Pension: A very small amount went into a South Yorkshire pension scheme whilst I worked in higher education between 2019-2022.
All Other Monthly Expenses: £76.49 Navigo pass (monthly travel), £28.42 mobile phone network.

Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a BA in French and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield. I didn't ever consider the possibility of staying on to master's level, but I fell in love with academia and had some really brilliant tutors who suggested I look into postgraduate study. I continued to do an MA in French Studies. I was awarded a £10,000 postgraduate scholarship, having achieved a 1st at undergrad and due to coming from a postcode where there is a significant level of deprivation and a lower than average participation in higher education. I took out a postgraduate student loan on top of this. I had part-time jobs throughout my time at university, too. Midway through my master's degree, I experienced burnout followed by a period of severe depression, and so I changed my course from full-time to part-time. My scholarship plus my student loan and a part-time wage was just about enough to get me through the two years of study and rent.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I grew up in a low-income, working-class family. Struggling to make ends meet and having to scrimp and save is an all-permeating kind of stress that I absorbed growing up. I sometimes wonder to what extent I might be perpetuating a scarcity mindset and placing limiting beliefs on myself, convincing myself that I will never earn a comfortable salary, for example, or that it will be extremely difficult for me to do so. The main things I remember being told as I started to become more financially independent were to not live beyond my means and to never take out a credit card. My family made sure to never have any debts, and they instilled this in me. Growing up, we didn't go on family holidays and couldn't go on any of the fancy school trips that everyone else went on, but my parents did all they could so that we could go to a good secondary school and enjoy a range of extra-curricular activities. I think I've definitely carried the ethos to pursue what I love despite financial hardship with me through life, and I owe that to my mum and her sheer determination. My education, career and life decisions have been very much shaped by what brings me happiness and fulfilment, rather than financial gains. It hasn't always been easy, but I have no regrets, even if I am feeling ready to make a change and strive for more financial stability now.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was at McDonald's when I finished sixth form. I got the job to start earning my own money in the summer before moving to uni. Each time I came home from uni for the holidays in first year I'd be maxed out in my student overdraft and would work full-time at McDonald's to get back up to zero in my account, before heading back to uni and getting my next instalment of student finance. It was an exhausting grind but we were young and wild, making the most of our first taste of independence. I wised up gradually over the years to come, working part-time jobs in Sheffield alongside my studies and partying less.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes, not so much through primary school as those were simpler, happier times, but definitely throughout secondary school where comparison and judgement was rife.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes. The only time I was able to save money was throughout the pandemic when I worked in higher education. I spent most of the lockdown back home with my parents and they kindly didn't ask for any rent as I was still paying my rent in Sheffield (they just expected help with chores around the house). I had a full-time salary coming in and I managed to put away a whopping £5,000! I used this money to pay for driving lessons and buy a car once lockdown was over, which I would never have been able to do otherwise. I often refer to my car as my lockdown baby. At the moment I live from payday to payday and I have no savings or emergency funds. Any unexpected or additional expenses risk pushing me into the red. Last year, for example, I had to renew my visa (now necessary to work in France post-Brexit), which set me back €225. Prior to that, there was an undetected leak in the attic of our house share, which cost us €120 each (!) to get fixed and to pay off the sky-high water bill. I've had a number of climbing injuries which have required fronting certain costs. Life happens, but when things are already tight and something unexpected comes up, it adds an unwelcome layer of angst and stress.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I moved out of my parents when I was 18 and moved to Sheffield for university and haven't looked back since. Over the years there have been times I'm a bit tight for money or I've dipped into my overdraft, and every blue moon my parents will send me a hundred quid or so just to top me up a bit. My dad has also paid for my car insurance and the odd house share deposit. I know there's a real stigma around accepting financial help from family and people make a point of wanting to be fiercely independent. For me personally, since experiencing severe depression and recovering from it, my view on accepting money from family has changed. My family don't have much, but since my sister and I have both moved out, they don't have many expenses either. They know I don't live beyond my means and understand that my salary is a tough one to work with, given the cost of living these days. I'm just glad to still be here and so are they. I see their occasional help as an expression of their love and support for me. I hope to be able to pay them back one day and support them when they are older.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
I was awarded a £10,000 postgraduate scholarship. I also received a £500 International Placement Bursary during my undergraduate degree. This went towards accommodation and living costs whilst working a season as a lifeguard in France during the summer of my university year abroad.

11 a.m. — Woke up and snooze for half an hour before getting up. Today is one of my days off work this week.

12 p.m. — Hydrated, made coffee and ate a chausson aux pommes, left over from my boulangerie run yesterday. Read a bit more of Hot Milk by Deborah Levy in bed with my morning coffee.

1 p.m. — Pop a light wash on and head out to do a big shop at the supermarket down the road. I try to go at least once a fortnight to stock up on essentials, especially when I need toiletries, as the express supermarkets just around the corner are far too expensive. I spent £34.60 on bread, milk, cheese, butter, rocket, beetroot, potatoes, pesto, tinned mackerel, a couple of healthy ready meals, Quorn escalopes, a box of tissues, sanitary pads and shower gel. I also needed to buy a charger as mine broke last week. I've gone a whole week managing to charge my phone at work and keep it on aeroplane mode most of the time, which I actually enjoyed as it forced me to stop using my phone unnecessarily. But tonight I'm heading out into Paris and I don't particularly want to get stranded with no battery, so I finally bought a new one for £12.88 in the hope that it's better quality than the last.

2 p.m. — Back home, shopping away, settled down to do a bit of work on my current writing projects.

3 p.m. — Made some dinner (yes, I'm northern... for me it's breakfast, dinner, tea!) Scrambled eggs on toast with a rocket and tomato salad on the side.

4 p.m. — Make a cuppa and get back to my projects. I'm working on a couple of submissions and also need to rehearse the poem I'm planning to read at Spoken Word Paris this evening.

6 p.m. — Time to get ready before heading out. I started attending open mic evenings towards the end of last year and it has been a lifeline. I'm ready to move on from my current job, but have been finding it difficult to secure the kind of role I would like to move on to. Putting my energy into writing projects and submissions and regularly performing my poetry has been a great way to meet new people in the city and keep me buoyant in my current situation. It's also a great low-cost activity, as the events I attend are usually either free or donation-based.

8 p.m. — Arrive at open mic, sign up, then order a pineapple juice at the bar for £3.01. I stopped drinking alcohol a few years ago which generally makes a lot of things cheaper than they used to be.

10 p.m. — The guest performer tonight was hilarious. He mentioned a childhood memory of everybody getting in the swimming pool in their pyjamas and the Brits in the room erupted. British references hit on a whole new level when living abroad!

12.30 a.m. — Home for a late tea. I bang a spinach and ricotta cannelloni ready meal in the microwave and follow it up with a bowl of porridge and blob of Nutella, then off to bed!

Total: £50.49

10.30 a.m. — Get up, hydrate, make coffee and two slices of jam on toast, watch a bit of Netflix in bed.

12.00 p.m. — Get ready to head to work early to do some planning and work on my projects. Pick up some vitamin C with zinc en route as everyone around me is dropping like flies: £13.70! I plucked up the courage to ask the pharmacist what the average price is for vitamins in France and where to find cheaper ones, explaining that in the UK vitamins can be bought in the supermarket for significantly less. Moments like these I miss big Tesco.

12.30 p.m. — Coffee number two, free as I work here! Sign up for a new bilingual open mic event in a few weeks time, which was advertised as free but somehow cost £0.69 to book online. I added a £2.58 donation for the organisers because I feel like it's the decent thing to do if I'm not in my overdraft. Lined up a couple of other events to attend too. Plenty to look forward to in the writing scene!

2 p.m. — Pre-work climbing sesh. One of the perks of working in the climbing industry in Paris is there's an agreement between all the gyms in the city which allows us to climb anywhere for free. We usually stick to our own gyms as we have a lovely community of regulars and we prefer our route setting, but it's nice to have a change of scene once every while and not have to pay for it.

4.20 p.m. — Grab a tuna mayo sandwich before starting my shift, which is included in my food allowance at work. I try to eat a maximum at work as meal allowances are taken off our salaries and it reduces my spending outside of work.

4.30 p.m. — I'm on the late shifts this week, so start late afternoon and finish just before midnight. Evenings are mainly reception and bar. I don't really like working so late, as I often feel out of kilter and struggle to eat regular, healthy meals. We have a good laugh on the team though and our regulars are lovely.

5 p.m. — Pay £136.97 for flights home in two weeks' time as I received an invitation for an interview in the UK today. Despite browsing on a private tab, the prices somehow jumped within the space of five minutes. I was momentarily fuming, but it won't break the bank at the moment, so I manage to let go rather than ruminate. It's the first interview I've been offered after several straight-up rejections over the past year and something tells me I need to go for it. Flying home for interviews is not sustainable (financially or environmentally), but I've managed to wangle three consecutive days off so I can stay with family and make a bit of a home visit out of it. If I'm not successful for this particular role, I'll need to think about negotiating online interviews in future, or even just pluck up the courage to quit my current job and move back to the UK in order to conduct a more thorough and logistically easier job search once there.

7 p.m. — Cracked and had a slice of banana and chocolate cake. Free food.

11.45 p.m. — Home, had a salad and slice of toast whilst watching Netflix. I don't like eating late, but also don't like going to bed hungry after training. In an ideal world I would master meal prep, taking a healthy, filling tupperware to work with me, but I am yet to see the day.

8.30 a.m. — Dragged myself out of bed early. I'm meeting the guest poet from Monday night for coffee in the 19th, which is on the other side of Paris.

10.30 a.m. — Get to Mardi Cafe early to grab a table and catch up on a couple of emails, £5.17 for a chai latte. I then pay £8.18 for another round of coffees, given we had lots to talk about and he bought the first round.

2 p.m. — Home for dinner. Scrambled eggs on toast with salad. Repetitive but wholesome.

6 p.m. — Work. Ate a mushroom sandwich and had a ginger beer later in the evening (included in food allowance).

11.30 p.m. — Home. Didn't sleep particularly well last night and after getting up early this morning, I'm exhausted. Have some hot milk and a slice of chocolate cake I brought home from work, watch a bit of Netflix, then get straight off to bed.

12 p.m. — Big lie-in needed this morning. Got up after snoozing a bit.

12.30 p.m. — Hydrate, have a coffee and do a bit of reading.

1.30 p.m. — Make a tandoori mushroom salad for dinner.

2.30 p.m. — Arrive at work early to get some training in. I'm enjoying projecting the black routes at the moment. Realise that the knuckle I caught on the wall in my Tuesday session has since got infected. There weren't any doctors appointments available before next week, so I hope it doesn't get much worse in the meantime.

6 p.m. — Work. Eat a small portion of chilli con carne with rice and a cookie (or two) for pud.

11 p.m. — Stay late after work to have a drink (a Symples infusion for me, included in allowance) and play games with some colleagues and regulars.

12 p.m. — Another big lie-in today. Get up, hydrate, have coffee, then get ready to head straight to work to get another climb in.

2 p.m. — Pre-work climb. Still feeling yesterday's session in my arms, so it was a bit of a struggle. Probably could have done with doing some yoga or swimming instead, but I'm trying to not to spend too much at the moment. At least I got moving!

4 p.m. — Post-climb egg and bacon sandwich (free as leftover from yesterday) followed by coffee and a slice of chocolate banana cake.

6 p.m. — Work.

11.30 p.m. — Stay after work for one of our route setters' leaving do. I drank a Citron Guava Perrier and then a Symples Detox, before yamming another leftover sandwich (tuna this time) and a cookie from the batch that was going around, £5.60.

12 p.m. — Big lie in (again), needed after two late nights in a row. Even though I don't drink anymore, a late night and party energy still does me in! Today is my second day off of the week, and I'm in need of a good rest.

1 p.m. — Nip out to get some bits from the big supermarket. Milk, pastries, coffee pods, toilet roll and washing machine capsules, £21.35.

2 p.m. — Had a coffee and a couple of pastries whilst reading on the doorstep. It's still cold, but the sun is out today and I like sitting on the doorstep to have a mindful moment and to appreciate the garden.

3 p.m. — Spend the afternoon doing some cleaning and sorting. Put a dark wash on, sort the bins out, clean my bedroom and the bathroom, organise some bits and bobs and start to make a little inventory of all my belongings in preparation for moving back to the UK at some point in the coming months.

6 p.m. — Make tea. A Quorn escalope, scrambled eggs with grated cheese sprinkled on top and a rocket salad on the side.

7 p.m. — Had a spontaneous writing session. Wrote a poem that I plan on performing at my next spoken word event. Send off a poetry competition entry, too.

8 p.m. — Finish writing, jump in the shower to warm myself up, then do a beautiful 30-minute full-body yin class on YouTube.

9 p.m. — Prep a couple of to-dos for my writing projects, which I will crack on over the next week. I feel like I haven't really looked after myself properly the past couple of days, staying late after work and not eating proper meals, so I've enjoyed a cosy day at home cleaning and having a bit of a reset.

9.30 p.m. — Have a nice catch-up with my maman on the phone, then make a cup of hot milk and have some chocolate digestives whilst watching a bit of Netflix.

7 a.m. — Up at the crack of dawn. It's these kinds of shift patterns that are a killer. Working late every day of the week, enjoying a single day off, and then bam! Up at 7:30 a.m to work a hefty 8:45 am-8:30 p.m. shift at the weekend.

8.20 a.m. — Arrive at work a bit early after a brisk walk. Perch on the terrace for a coffee and leftover pastries from yesterday.

8.45 a.m. — Long day today, but nicely broken up with a couple of climbing inductions and a proper break.

1 p.m. — Had a bowl of porridge with honey on my break and read a bit more of Hot Milk.

6 p.m. — Flagging. Eat a Clif bar to keep me going.

8.45 p.m. — Home and showered. Made a soy-glazed mixed pepper salad and a Quorn escalope for tea, followed by a slice of chocolate banana cake from work. Watch a bit of Netflix, then off to bed.

Conclusion

"I'd say an average week for me is 100-150 Euros, but a week's spending can quickly jump up if I'd like to pay for yoga classes, for example, or treat myself to a theatre trip or lunch out on a day off. The main things that I'm struggling with most at the moment are eating and training. I eat unhealthy stuff at work because it's free and part of our allowance, rather than spending a bit more on healthier options and making my own food to bring to work, as this would require even more stringent budgeting. I also find it nearly impossible to eat at regular times due to my shift patterns. I'd like to make more of an effort moving forward to make low-cost, healthy meals at home and try to learn how to batch cook. Similarly, I'd like to strike a better balance between climbing, swimming and yoga, which is difficult for the same two reasons: being off kilter due to my shift patterns and being more tempted to climb given it's free. My main objective this year is to transition into a new role which is better paid, with more regular working hours, which in turn will allow me to (re)-establish a healthier lifestyle. Beyond the day-to-day, I find it difficult to commit to plans in advance given my lack of disposable income. A friend of mine is getting married in Bulgaria this summer, and I'm currently wincing at flight prices. I'm hoping that I secure a new job before long and that cheaper flights become available between now and when I need to book. I'm by no means embarrassed about my financial situation, but it's tiring having to discuss differing lifestyles and views on money with others, especially when there's a hint of judgment or comparison."