Money Diary: A Policy Advisor On £40,000
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.
This week: "I'm 29 and live with my fiancé in Auckland, New Zealand. We were living in London for the last three years and while all of our friends were starting to buy houses and plan weddings, we decided that this was likely our last chance for a big adventure before settling down. So we packed up our life into two rucksacks, spent eight weeks travelling in Asia and then landed in New Zealand at the start of 2025. We knew going into this that we would only be here for two years, so while here we're really trying to get out and see as much of this beautiful country as possible, although it is getting to winter now, so that has dialled back a bit. I was able to get a similar job to the one I was doing in London, working in the New Zealand civil service on planning and environmental policy. I also got a fair-sized pay rise when moving here. The cost of living (except groceries) is cheaper than London, so we're trying to capitalise on extra disposable income and put away as much as possible for both travelling in NZ and for our wedding which is booked for summer 2027 in the UK."
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Occupation: Policy advisor
Industry: Government
Age: 29
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Salary: £40,000
Joint income: £80,000. Prior to moving we split nearly everything equally, S would pick up extra bits and pieces of fun money as he earnt more but since moving to NZ, we only opened one joint bank account that both salaries are paid into so we share everything now.
Assets: £12,500 in a help-to-buy ISA that my parents set up for me. My partner has £15,000 inheritance locked away in a two-year high-interest ISA and about £9,000 in a Help-to-Buy that should reach £12,500 by the time we move back home and want to buy a house. We also have about £6,000 in an ISA earmarked for our wedding.
Debt: N/A
Paycheque Amount: £1,145 fortnightly.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Monthly Housing Costs: £1,235, includes water (split between me and S).
Utilities: £35 wifi, £71 electricity — this is for both of us, so I pay half of this.
Number of Housemates: One — my fiancé, S.
Monthly Loan Payments: £113 student loan. I have to do this manually as I currently live abroad and it is a pain.
Pension: I don't pay into a NZ pension but will rejoin the UK civil service pension scheme when we move back in two years' time.
All Other Monthly Expenses: £36 monthly SIM-only plan (for both of us), £134 monthly joint gym membership (this is so expensive, but the gym has a pool and is very close to our flat so I really make the most of it), £20 fortnightly wonky veg box.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a four-year integrated master's in chemistry, with an industry year, using Student Finance England for the course fees. Doing an integrated master's is great as course fees are included in your "first degree", so you don't have to self-fund the master's, unlike most post-grad master's degrees. My student loan didn't quite cover my rent, so my parents kindly helped top that up and then, jointly with my grandparents, sent me a £70 per week for food, going out etc. I am eternally grateful for this as it meant I didn't have to work while studying. During my industry year, I was paid so they didn't have to send any money for that year. They haven't asked for any of this back (despite my offering), so I have vowed to do the same for my children in the future. I then went on to do a PhD. I was paid a £17,000 tax-free stipend for this, so I was mostly independent except for my phone contract and Spotify account.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Up until recently the only money conversations we had were to not get a credit card or buy anything on finance as that means debt which is bad. More recently my dad has got the pension bee in his bonnet and brings up starting a private pension regularly!
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I joked with an older friend that her Saturday job in a bakery was the dream job and two weeks later, she had got me a trial shift. I started at 14 and worked there on Saturdays until I moved out for university — picking up extra shifts when home in the uni holidays. The best part was the bakery was closed on a Sunday so the lovely owners allowed us 'Saturday girls' to take home the leftover cream cakes that wouldn't last until Monday, my family LOVED it.
Did you worry about money growing up?
I never felt that we had money issues when I was younger. We were told to wait for Christmas or birthdays if we ever wanted new stuff and we never went out for dinner or got takeaways, but I often thought this was just my parents being strict! Now I'm older, through conversations with my mum, I've realised how much they must have struggled, but they did an amazing job of hiding it from us. They always prioritised experiences, like gigs, cinema trips and holidays over material goods and random treats, which made my childhood really special. My grandparents lived in Spain for a period of my childhood, so we spent a fair few summer holidays at their villa, which my brother and I loved. On reflection, this must have been a great way to take us on holiday every year for relatively little.
Do you worry about money now?
I wouldn't say I worry, as I feel we are in a pretty good position financially. But I do constantly think about money — should I buy that coffee, is this the cheapest brand of yoghurt in the food shop, do I really need this new top, always looking for the bargain etc. My dad and grandpa have definitely passed down the frugal Yorkshire mindset and years of being a student and then living on a low salary in London have only reinforced that in me. The only time I break out of it is when eating out, haha!
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I'm not sure I can say that I am. I'm incredibly lucky that my parents set aside money for me to buy a house and they pay for my Spotify subscription (and until we moved abroad my phone too). I'm also very aware that I don't have to pay the single tax, and I'm very fortunate that S earns a good amount too. I know that my parents and grandparents would help out without hesitation if we ever did fall on hard times, which is very reassuring.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
My parents have been gradually setting aside money in an ISA (and later transferred this to a help-to-buy ISA) since I was little, without which buying a house in the next few years would be impossible! Both my parents and S's mum have indicated that they would like to financially help out with the wedding, however we haven't sorted the details with them yet.
Industry: Government
Age: 29
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Salary: £40,000
Joint income: £80,000. Prior to moving we split nearly everything equally, S would pick up extra bits and pieces of fun money as he earnt more but since moving to NZ, we only opened one joint bank account that both salaries are paid into so we share everything now.
Assets: £12,500 in a help-to-buy ISA that my parents set up for me. My partner has £15,000 inheritance locked away in a two-year high-interest ISA and about £9,000 in a Help-to-Buy that should reach £12,500 by the time we move back home and want to buy a house. We also have about £6,000 in an ISA earmarked for our wedding.
Debt: N/A
Paycheque Amount: £1,145 fortnightly.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Monthly Housing Costs: £1,235, includes water (split between me and S).
Utilities: £35 wifi, £71 electricity — this is for both of us, so I pay half of this.
Number of Housemates: One — my fiancé, S.
Monthly Loan Payments: £113 student loan. I have to do this manually as I currently live abroad and it is a pain.
Pension: I don't pay into a NZ pension but will rejoin the UK civil service pension scheme when we move back in two years' time.
All Other Monthly Expenses: £36 monthly SIM-only plan (for both of us), £134 monthly joint gym membership (this is so expensive, but the gym has a pool and is very close to our flat so I really make the most of it), £20 fortnightly wonky veg box.
Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
I did a four-year integrated master's in chemistry, with an industry year, using Student Finance England for the course fees. Doing an integrated master's is great as course fees are included in your "first degree", so you don't have to self-fund the master's, unlike most post-grad master's degrees. My student loan didn't quite cover my rent, so my parents kindly helped top that up and then, jointly with my grandparents, sent me a £70 per week for food, going out etc. I am eternally grateful for this as it meant I didn't have to work while studying. During my industry year, I was paid so they didn't have to send any money for that year. They haven't asked for any of this back (despite my offering), so I have vowed to do the same for my children in the future. I then went on to do a PhD. I was paid a £17,000 tax-free stipend for this, so I was mostly independent except for my phone contract and Spotify account.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Up until recently the only money conversations we had were to not get a credit card or buy anything on finance as that means debt which is bad. More recently my dad has got the pension bee in his bonnet and brings up starting a private pension regularly!
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I joked with an older friend that her Saturday job in a bakery was the dream job and two weeks later, she had got me a trial shift. I started at 14 and worked there on Saturdays until I moved out for university — picking up extra shifts when home in the uni holidays. The best part was the bakery was closed on a Sunday so the lovely owners allowed us 'Saturday girls' to take home the leftover cream cakes that wouldn't last until Monday, my family LOVED it.
Did you worry about money growing up?
I never felt that we had money issues when I was younger. We were told to wait for Christmas or birthdays if we ever wanted new stuff and we never went out for dinner or got takeaways, but I often thought this was just my parents being strict! Now I'm older, through conversations with my mum, I've realised how much they must have struggled, but they did an amazing job of hiding it from us. They always prioritised experiences, like gigs, cinema trips and holidays over material goods and random treats, which made my childhood really special. My grandparents lived in Spain for a period of my childhood, so we spent a fair few summer holidays at their villa, which my brother and I loved. On reflection, this must have been a great way to take us on holiday every year for relatively little.
Do you worry about money now?
I wouldn't say I worry, as I feel we are in a pretty good position financially. But I do constantly think about money — should I buy that coffee, is this the cheapest brand of yoghurt in the food shop, do I really need this new top, always looking for the bargain etc. My dad and grandpa have definitely passed down the frugal Yorkshire mindset and years of being a student and then living on a low salary in London have only reinforced that in me. The only time I break out of it is when eating out, haha!
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and does anyone else cover any aspects of your financial life?
I'm not sure I can say that I am. I'm incredibly lucky that my parents set aside money for me to buy a house and they pay for my Spotify subscription (and until we moved abroad my phone too). I'm also very aware that I don't have to pay the single tax, and I'm very fortunate that S earns a good amount too. I know that my parents and grandparents would help out without hesitation if we ever did fall on hard times, which is very reassuring.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income?
My parents have been gradually setting aside money in an ISA (and later transferred this to a help-to-buy ISA) since I was little, without which buying a house in the next few years would be impossible! Both my parents and S's mum have indicated that they would like to financially help out with the wedding, however we haven't sorted the details with them yet.
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Day One
6 a.m. — S's alarm goes off and I try but fail to roll back over to sleep, normally I get another 30-40 mins snoozing but not today. Noticing I'm awake, S brings through a cup of tea like the gem he is while I catch up with messages from the UK and read my Kindle.
7 a.m. — Get dressed for the gym and head out for an early morning workout.
8:20 a.m. — Back home, showered and starting work with my standard breakfast of homemade granola, yogurt, a sprinkling of vanilla protein powder and defrosted frozen berries (raspberries this week). Fruit, especially berries, can be SO expensive here so buying a frozen bag and defrosting a few overnight is by far the most cost-effective way to make my favourite breakfast.
11:30 a.m. — Finished an interesting cross-agency meeting and grab a cup of tea and a little Anzac biscuit that I made yesterday for a morning snack.
12:10 p.m. — Pop out to the shops to grab some beauty essentials that I've been holding back on buying while we have been trying to recoup a bit of our financial buffer after moving. Pick up some tights, toner, blush, body scrub and CeraVe SA body cream to try to get rid of my keratosis pilaris, £38.40. I've never tried overly hard to get rid of it before, but I've read that it takes a bit of trial and error to get the right products for your skin and I want to make sure I don't feel self-conscious about it at our wedding.
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12:50 p.m. — Make a quesadilla for lunch back at my desk and get back into work.
2 p.m. — Fill in an expense claim for my employer's wellbeing allowance scheme. We can apply for up to £200 reimbursement of health and wellness related costs per year, including a gym membership! We pay for a shared membership so I'm hoping that this doesn't cause too much confusion in the expense process.
4:30 p.m. — Clock off from work and do a bit of my paint by numbers before cooking some tea for S and I. A quick and easy carrot and parsnip puff pastry open tart with little roasted potato cubes.
6:30 p.m. — Head out to book club. I joined a book club when we moved here after never being part of a book club before and have loved the welcoming environment, meeting new people and chatting about books (this month was Yellowface)! Just drink tap water as I'll be having weeknight drinks with work on Thursday.
9 p.m. — Home and cups of tea in bed while reading the Great Granny Webster (not a book club read). Learnt at book club that there is a massive backlog on next month's book (The Salt Path) at the library, so buy it for my Kindle, £4.99.
Total: £43.39
Day Two
6:40 a.m. — Managed to roll over and snooze this morning. Scrolling and message catch-up with my morning cuppa.
7:15 a.m. — Shower, makeup, pack my bag and eat the normal breakfast of yoghurt, granola and berries with a glass of OJ.
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8:10 a.m. — Hop on the bus listening to the Sean Penn episode of the Louis Theroux Podcast, £2.05.
8:40 a.m. — Arrive at work, grab a glass of water and get stuck into writing a procurement plan and emailing paper authors to let them know our quality assurance panel is assessing their paper.
10:30 a.m. — Make a cup of tea in the office to enjoy with another Anzac biscuit, get distracted by a team calls and the tea goes cold before I manage to eat my biscuit.
12 p.m. — I love that people in my current office love an early lunch, none of this waiting around until 1 p.m., which really suits my hungry tum! There is also a great culture of going to the kitchen rather than eating at your desk and taking the full hour, much better than my experience in UK civil service departments. Leftovers from last night for lunch.
1 p.m. — Catch up on a couple of briefings that went up to the minister this week, both are over 25 pages, so this is quite the task!
2:50 p.m. — Afternoon slump hitting hard, so pop out to buy some sweets (or lollies as they're called in NZ) for the office lollie jar, £4.77. Walk past a cafe and treat myself to a flat white to keep me going through these dense papers, £2.30.
4:45 p.m. — Bus home and straight to the gym with S, £2.05.
7 p.m. — Gym done, back home for shower and hair wash, and soon I'm wolfing down mac 'n' cheese that S added Quorn chicken pieces to for extra protein.
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8 p.m. — Watch on Race Across the World while S does some marking for school. Honestly, if I could go on any TV show it would be this one in a heartbeat...just got to decide who I would do it with.
9:45 p.m. — S finally finishes marking so we snuggle up in bed and read for a very short while before dozing off.
Total: £11.17
Day Three
6:10 a.m. — Not doing a very good job of snoozing on a morning! The only benefit is I get a good hour of reading and phone catch up with a cuppa from S before needing to get in the shower.
7:15 a.m. — S informs me he's bought tickets for the rugby on Saturday,£9.50. Shower, dressed, makeup, standard granola breakfast and pack my bag for work.
8:05 a.m. — Head out in the rain to catch the bus, listening to Off Menu on the way, £2.05. Get into work slightly soggy and get started on addressing comments on a policy paper I wrote.
11 a.m. — Morning tea break with a homemade granola bar.
12:30 p.m. — Leftovers for lunch and meet with a newly formed office social committee to try and get some more social events off the ground.
1:30 p.m. — Catch-up with other advisors in my wider work area, we meet every few weeks to stay in touch with other work that is going on and act as a support network and sounding board. Being based at a different office to the majority of other people in my work area, I really appreciate these catch ups as it can feel slightly isolating when you're not bumping into colleagues and getting those ad-hoc check-ins.
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4:30 p.m. — After a few more meetings and an afternoon of paper reading, I head home. Listen to the new Leon Bridges album on the bus, £2.05. Film my Waffle Wednesday when I get home, this is something I saw on Instagram and started doing with my two besties when I moved to NZ and we have been LOVING it. It's such a great way to keep up with each other's lives, and share what's been going on and how you're feeling — can't recommend enough! I'll watch their videos tomorrow due to the 11 hour time difference.
5:30 p.m. — Feeling mentally drained and incapable of making meal decisions, but S steps in and does all the work, making broccoli and Quorn peanut butter noodles so I just have to do the washing up.
8 p.m. — Get into bed early with a cup of tea, biscuit and the Nintendo Switch. My friend recently recommended Spiritfarer as a cosy, easy game and I have been loving it! I didn't grow up playing games so my skills with the controls are not the best, but I really enjoy playing so games like this are perfect!
10:15 p.m. — Finish off the evening reading before lights out.
Total: £13.60
Day Four
6:50 a.m. — Fell back asleep after the 6 a.m. alarm. S brings through a cup of tea, which I drink while scrolling before hopping in the shower and commencing my normal office day routine.
8:05 a.m. — Bus to work, very glad it isn't raining today as the first bus was full and drove past us, £2.05.
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8:40 a.m. — Get stuck into more policy paper edits and read some analysis a colleague sent overnight. I am 100% a morning person, so I try to capitalise on that by getting all my hard thinking done early and keep the easier tasks for the afternoon slump.
9:30 a.m. — Impromptu Teams call with some seniors about a workshop we have later today with another agency. We are writing a joint briefing with them and need to decide our position as an agency before the meeting and then hopefully we can convince them that our approach is the right one!
10:30 a.m. — All staff meeting interrupted by the arrival of press and ministers to my office for a media announcement. I agreed I'd support ferrying people around so leave the all-staff to help set up. Watch the press release from the back of the room.
12:45 p.m. — Press conference is all wrapped up and I am starving! Sadly I am too late to join the office waiata (māori song) practice that I usually join on a Thursday, so just heat up my second mac 'n' cheese leftover portion and scoff down my lunch.
4 p.m. — Final meeting of the day, really constructive workshop with the other agency with the outcomes we wanted.
5:20 p.m. — Workshop done and head downstairs to post-work drinks. We just meet in the break-out/kitchen area and bring our own drinks and nibbles. I bought a bottle last week and there's always more drinks than people so I just have a few glasses of fizz from the joint drinks pool.
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6:30 p.m. — Leave the office and immediately get on the bus, feel very smug as last week I left the office and watched a bus drive past me, £2.05.
7 p.m. — S has made crispy fake chicken wraps, coleslaw and tater tots so I plate up and join him for a sofa dinner. He had to pick up some bits from the shops for this, £6.40 for my half. This is such an unusual week as I normally do the majority of the cooking, but I can't say I'm complaining.
8 p.m. — Load the dishwasher and wash the last bits. Do some of my paint by numbers to relax while S marks exams. I love doing creative things but find I'm often too tired to think of something I want to create so a detailed paint-by-numbers fills this void, quietens my overactive brain and prevents me from mindlessly scrolling.
9:45 p.m. — Flop into bed and fall asleep fairly quickly, I find office days are way more productive but take it out of me.
Total: £10.50
9:45 p.m. — Flop into bed and fall asleep fairly quickly, I find office days are way more productive but take it out of me.
Total: £10.50
Day Five
7:30 a.m. — Put on my gym clothes in preparation for later, make some granola and eat while watching some YouTube videos.
8:45 a.m. — Crack open my laptop and get going for the day, emailing out reminders to people for a review panel I volunteer on.
10:15 — Take a mid-morning break to read the money diary from this week and snack on an Anzac biscuit and a feijoa — this is not intentional but is potentially the most kiwi snack I could have prepared! Feijoas are a super popular fruit in NZ that apparently aren't commonly eaten elsewhere. I had never heard of them before moving here and the jury is still out on whether I like the tangy pineapple/guava/strawberry flavour mash up.
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12 p.m. — Head out to the gym on my lunch break, do 10 minutes on the stairmaster (nothing gets me sweating quite like it) and an ab workout. A man sees me doing a side plank and starts asking me about it and copying me, much to the amusement of his personal trainer. I feel slightly awkward as my side plank is terrible but it is a funny interaction and a reminder of how friendly Kiwis are.
1:15 p.m. — Home, shower and hair wash done and I whip up an elite freezer lunch of some frozen dumplings, a paratha and some of the tempura seaweed rolls with stir-fried glass noodles inside (the most elite of the frozen asian snack IYKYK), dipped in a soy sauce, crispy chilli oil and homemade vinegar sauce.
3 p.m. — Call with someone about the procurement I'm trying to do followed by an end-of-the-week quiz with the other advisors in my team. I don't know if it is a hangover from online COVID forced fun or something that went on prior, but people in my agency love an online quiz.
5 p.m. — S arrives home with his colleague/friend, A and the three of us walk round to a nearby brewery for beers and burgers with the rest of his department as a bit of a leaving do for a student teacher. We get three beers (they don't serve pints in NZ which S still hasn't gotten over) and a burger each, £31.
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7 p.m. — All S's colleagues head off so we walk across the road to a different bar with 40(!!) beer taps. Get three more beers each and have a good natter before calling it a night, £18.
10:30 p.m. — Flop into bed and immediately fall asleep.
Total: £49
Day Six
5:30 a.m. — S struggles to sleep with a hangover so he gets up and goes through to the sofa to nap with the TV. I thankfully roll over and fall back asleep.
8 a.m. — Wake to S asking if I want a cup of tea, contemplate rolling over again but decide to join him on the sofa.
8:30 a.m. — Grumbling tummies demand bacon sandwiches and more tea, make those and eat, watching this week's Taskmaster absolutely howling at everything Jason Manzoukis does.
11 a.m. — Drag S out of the house and to the gym for a hangover-curing workout. 10 minutes rowing them a leg workout and sweat all the beers out (that's how it works right!?).
12:30 p.m. — Showered and ready for our afternoon of activities, hop in the car to a birria taco place we have been wanting to try out since moving here. Order one of everything to share — two birria tacos, a quesadilla, birria ramen, chips and dip and two Cokes, only £15 for my half of the feast!
1:30 p.m. — Drive back home and grab my library book to return. Leave the car, walk to the library (support your local library guys!) then walk up to Eden Park and grab a drink in a pub near the ground. A beer for S and a marg for me, £7.50 for my half.
3:30 p.m. — S's colleague and family are also going to the rugby so meet us in the pub. Get another beer for S and a G&T for me, £5.60.
4:30 p.m. — Walk over to Eden Park to watch the rugby. Grab some chips (or hot chips as the Kiwis call them) and two cans, £6.80 for my half. RTD (ready to drink) cans are really popular here, I try a Canadian whisky and ginger beer and S gets a normal beer.
5:20 a.m. — Half time, S picks us up two cans of RTD alcoholic lemonade to try, £5.50 for mine.
3:30 p.m. — S's colleague and family are also going to the rugby so meet us in the pub. Get another beer for S and a G&T for me, £5.60.
4:30 p.m. — Walk over to Eden Park to watch the rugby. Grab some chips (or hot chips as the Kiwis call them) and two cans, £6.80 for my half. RTD (ready to drink) cans are really popular here, I try a Canadian whisky and ginger beer and S gets a normal beer.
5:20 a.m. — Half time, S picks us up two cans of RTD alcoholic lemonade to try, £5.50 for mine.
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6:30 p.m. — Game is finished, it was the first time we've been at a game the Auckland Blues won, so that was fun! Walk over to a pizza place and share two super delicious pizzas (a salami and nduja one, and a confit garlic, bacon and hot honey one) and some olives. I get a glass of red wine and S has a beer, £25.30 for my half.
7:45 p.m. — Roll home and watch an episode of the new series of Clarkson's Farm and the final two episodes of Friday Night Dinner with a cup of tea.
10:30 p.m. — Climb into bed feeling bloated and very sleepy. Two meals out was indulgent today and I'm feeling it. Healthy home-cooked meals all week next week!
Total: £65.70
7:45 p.m. — Roll home and watch an episode of the new series of Clarkson's Farm and the final two episodes of Friday Night Dinner with a cup of tea.
10:30 p.m. — Climb into bed feeling bloated and very sleepy. Two meals out was indulgent today and I'm feeling it. Healthy home-cooked meals all week next week!
Total: £65.70
Day Seven
7 a.m. — Wake up and can't get back to sleep so I sneak out and bring my phone back into bed while S snoozes. Decide to make a list of all the Booker Prize winners since I was born and challenge myself to tick them all off — luckily, I've ticked off eight already.
8:20 a.m. — S wakes, I bring in tea and we read until tummies start grumbling.
9 a.m. — Have porridge watching Gogglebox and make the meal and shopping lists for the week.
11 a.m. — Drive over to one of the climbing gyms we like, get petrol on the way, £44. We bought 10 climb punch passes last month so this climb is pre-paid. We gave bouldering a go after it was included in the Olympics and fell in love with it! I'm really not very good (I like to blame it on a two-year hiatus but it's likely just my lack of upper body strength or coordination lol). But the beauty of climbing is there are routes at all levels so you can complete climbs and feel a sense of achievement even at the beginner level!
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1:15 p.m. — Arms and fingers are on fire and energy is gone so we call it a day. Stop in at the supermarket on the way home and brace myself for the world's most expensive food shop! Pick up apples, bananas, broccoli, herbs, panini bread, blue cheese, feta, milk, Greek yog, eggs, tinned chickpeas, beans and tomatoes, rice, cream, crisps, frozen blueberries, tortilla chips, puff pastry, chipotle sauce and dish sponges, £37.50 for my half. The crazy thing is this felt like a cheap shop! Not sure I'll ever get used to the price of groceries in NZ — get me back to Aldi!
2 p.m. — S makes panini's for a late lunch then showers and straight into joggers for a cosy afternoon.
3:30 p.m. — S cracks on with some work for school while I alternate between reading The Salt Path for book club, playing Spiritfarer and finishing the Wolf Hall BBC show.
6 p.m. — I make a paneer curry while we catch up with S's family on FaceTime. Sunday evening in NZ is the best time for catching up with friends and family in the UK so we normally have at least one call.
7:45 p.m. — Sit down to watch Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. I've never seen this but I'm a big fan of Wayne's World so I'm sure it'll be a hit. Snack on popcorn and some Whittaker's chocolate (absolutely elite, already know I'll miss it when we leave).
9:30 p.m. — Confirmed, Bill & Ted is hilarious! Finish the eve off with brews and reading in bed.
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Total: £81.50
The Breakdown
Conclusion
"Recording my spending was a fun exercise and really highlighted how much tea we drink! I'm not surprised in the slightest that food and drink was my most expensive category, but it is our favourite thing to do so that is unlikely to change any time soon. I doubt I'll keep up with recording my spending in this detail, but I do generally keep a close eye on our bank account so that's unlikely to change. I do need get better and remembering to transfer any leftover money into the ISA at the end of the month to make it work harder."
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