A Week In Cincinnati, OH On A $60,000 Salary

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 dollar.

Today: an application support analyst who makes $60,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on an embroidered Snoopy jean tote bag.

If you’d like to submit your own Money Diary, you can do so via our online form. We pay $150 for each published diary. Apologies but we’re not able to reply to every email.

Occupation: Application support analyst
Industry: IT
Age: 31
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Salary: $60,000
Assets: Checking: $1,252.55; savings: $528.02 (used to be higher but I was unemployed for almost a year and ran through this); 401(k): ~$18,000 (I should figure out how to log into that account); my partner and I bought a house recently so that’s $365,000 (minus what we owe).
Debt: $9,500 ($1,500 of student loans and the rest is credit card debt); mortgage: $315,000.
Paycheck amount (biweekly): $1,654.20
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: $1,050 (my proportional half of the mortgage and utilities).
Loan payments: $325 minimum (usually $650) for my credit card. Student loans are on hold right now.
Car insurance: I’m on my partner’s car insurance right now.
Health insurance: $55 (+ $175 to my HSA pre-tax).
Cell phone: $96
Apple storage: $9.99
CycleBar: $35
Podcast subscription: $8
Netflix: $16.88
Peacock: $6.46
Paramount+: $6.53
Amazon Prime: $16.16 (my partner pays for Spotify Premium and Hulu Live. We get HBO Max for free with our phone plan).

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, I was told growing up that I would have way more opportunities if I went to college. I went to community college for two years first and my parents paid for that. Then I got a bunch of scholarships and loans when I transferred to my four-year university. I was ashamed at the time but now I’m super grateful because I’m a couple payments away from being student loan-free.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My mom took care of all the finances in our household and would balance the checkbook. She taught me to pay off credit cards and to not let them get too high, and to save. We were probably lower middle class when I was younger. Now that I have adult money, I’ve lost some of those values and have been less responsible than I’d like to be.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked as a personal assistant to a local attorney. I got it because I needed to pay for gas and books for college.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Not exactly because I always had the basics but I do remember being jealous of the girls in high school who had the North Face and Uggs — I knew my family couldn’t afford those things so I never asked. But I never went without anything I actually needed.

Do you worry about money now?
Somewhat. I know I should be better about my spending habits so that worries me, but for now I feel okay since it’s just me and my partner and I’m confident I can get my credit card debt down soon enough. My savings account is abysmal right now though.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Honestly, I didn’t move out until I was 27. I was making significantly less than I am now and couldn’t afford it until then. I do feel I have a financial safety net in my parents and my partner and I recognize that it’s an immense privilege to have their support.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Not really, though I think the money my mom got when my grandma died paid for some of my student loans.

7 a.m. — Get a message from my manager at 6:30 a.m. that he’s adding me to a “semi-hot” issue. It’s the first major thing I’ve gotten to help with since I started this role so I get up and start getting ready for my start time of 8 a.m. I make toast and coffee and drink the coffee but am full before I can finish the toast.

12 p.m. — I have leftover chicken soup I made from when I got sick last Monday (it’s still fine, right?). I was going to do grocery shopping during lunch today but I feel nauseous so I stay home. I’m assuming it’s from the medicine I took this weekend since I injected it on Sunday instead of the usual time on Saturday.

6:30 p.m. — For dinner I have more chicken soup. My partner, J., was trying to get me to pick up burritos for dinner but I am trying to be better about my spending so I just make do with what’s at home.

8:30 p.m. — I settle in to watch Bridgerton. I was waiting for it to get close to the drop day of the new episodes to watch the first half of them. J. always interrupts me during pivotal moments in shows or books and this time is no different. Of all the times to talk, you want to talk NOW, during the carriage scene?! Sigh. I finish the episodes, shower and read until I get sleepy.

6:30 a.m. — I wake up on time today, which is great because I’m already getting Teams messages. I make breakfast (coffee and peanut butter with banana toast) and sit outside on my balcony to read and journal while I eat. I take the dog out for her morning walk and am back just in time to log in at 8 a.m.

11:30 a.m. — I found this recipe for potato and chorizo flautas that I have most of the ingredients for so I head to the grocery store for the rest. I get another potato, a tomato, milk, bread, lettuce, ranch dressing, hot sauce, and normal-size and large tortillas. I’ve been craving cookies so I also get some Chips Ahoy and Oreos. When I get home I make a wrap with the large tortillas and pre-cooked chicken packets from Costco. $55.46

4:30 p.m. — Finishing up for the day so I take my laptop outside and do some ~gardening~ from the balcony — it’s one of my favorite ways to de-stress. Once I can log off I get ready to take the dog out for her long afternoon walk.

8 p.m. — I’m still feeling the effects from my gardening so I decide to be productive and start making the flautas (really, I just wanted to peel potatoes). I regret this about 30 minutes in because it feels like it’s going to take forever. By the time I’m loading the dishwasher it’s 10 p.m. So much for going to bed early!

7:15 a.m. — Going to bed late definitely bit me in the ass and I have a not-very-productive morning. I make coffee and toast for breakfast and log in to work at 8 a.m.

11 a.m. — Have a virtual visit with the doctor I’m seeing, who is prescribing my semaglutide prescription. I tell her how sick I got from eating something very fatty this weekend and she decides to keep me at my current dose. She says she’s happy with how I’m progressing (as am I!) and doesn’t feel the need to up the dosage. I’m okay with that because I hate feeling nauseous. The total cost for this is $129 for the doctor visit and $299 for the meds but I pay for it with HSA money.

1 p.m. — Hungry enough to eat lunch now so I make the same wrap I made yesterday. It’s such a quick and easy lunch, I’m annoyed I hadn’t thought to make it sooner!

7 p.m. — Work was stressful for no reason today and I’m still feeling blah. I eat a couple of Chips Ahoy cookies and some chips and call that Girl Dinner Lite. I watch The Challenge and am super excited because they’ve finally gotten to the final and my favorite Challenger is still in the game. My partner comes home with leftovers from his office party and I take two bites of the two different pizzas he brought home, eat half a meatball from the leftovers and call that dinner.

10 p.m. — Forever trying to go to bed early so I can actually wake up in the morning. Typically failing. I read a little of Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter and go to sleep.

8:05 a.m. — I forgot I had a meeting at 8 a.m. today so I rush to make coffee and sign in. Looks like the pup is going to have to wait until all my morning meetings are done for me to take her for her morning walk. The mom guilt is heavy and I’m so annoyed with myself for accidentally sleeping in.

11:30 a.m. — Meetings ran long but I finally get off the phone and take my dog for a long walk. I come back and am not really in the mood to make anything to eat so I just have some Froot Loops for lunch.

5 p.m. — Leave for my 5:30 p.m. nail appointment. I don’t like being late and it’s rush hour. The girl who does my nails is also my friend and we have a good hour-long chat. She gives me some great advice on how to fix things with a friend I was feeling guilty about cutting off (I *may* have overreacted and her advice is to suck it up and apologize). Manicure comes out to $72 plus tip. $82

8 p.m. — I come home super hungry because Froot Loops is NOT a filling lunch. Luckily, J. has come home with more leftovers from another work dinner. I have some mashed potatoes, salmon and half a piece of dry chicken I cover in honey roasted BBQ sauce to make edible.

10 p.m. — J. and I go to bed together. This NEVER happens because he’s a night owl and I like to go to sleep early. We are both having trouble falling asleep so we find ~other things~ to do for a while instead. We should definitely go to bed at the same time more often because this is fun. We don’t actually go to sleep until 12:30 a.m.

7:10 a.m. — So much for waking up early! I get dressed and take the dog on her morning walk and feed her while J. takes his car to the dealership for an oil change. Once the dog is fed I leave to go pick J. up since he’s leaving his car there for the day. We stop at Bigby’s for coffee on the drive back home. I get an iced vanilla matcha and he gets a hot hazelnut latte ($12.54); J. pays for the coffee as a thank you for the ride.

12:30 p.m. — Get off the phone with someone who contacted me through LinkedIn asking about the coding program I recently went to. It was a good chat but I need to find something to eat before my lunch is over. I heat up some of the leftovers J. brought home last night and eat the rest of the mashed potatoes and a piece of salmon. I’m feeling extra social today so I FaceTime my mom while I eat. My next meeting is at 1:30 p.m. so I get off the phone with her at 1:15 p.m.

4 p.m. — I’m avoiding work so I go to the kitchen to eat a bite of some leftover Busken cake we have. I garden (this friend thing is making me anxious) and journal it out. I finish my work day doing the rest of these assigned security videos we need to watch.

5 p.m. — Hang out on my patio for a bit before I go back inside and lie down on my yoga mat for some quality floor time. Floor time turns dangerous because one of Instagram’s targeted ads gets me and I buy some Snoopy merch from this website I’ve never heard of (but seems legit). I’m such a sucker for Snoopy things and I get a tote, two stickers, a jean keychain and a Woodstock air freshener for my car. $64.90

8 p.m. — Not in the mood for real food so I have Froot Loops for dinner again. I watch Inmate to Roommate because the podcast I listen to is covering the first episodes of season 2. After I get through all the episodes I go to bed and try to read but I’m more tired than I thought and just go to sleep instead.

6 a.m. — Of course the day I can sleep in I wake up early — well, J.’s alarm wakes me up (shockingly, not him though) and I decide to get up for the day. I RSVP to a friend’s upcoming wedding and reply to a text from that friend I apologized to. Very relieved he replied because it was making me so anxious. I make toast and coffee for breakfast and sit and read for a bit (None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell). I love a quiet morning.

9 a.m. — I shower and as I’m brushing my teeth I scroll through Instagram. Someone I follow posted her favorites from Anthropologie because their sale items currently have an extra 40% off. I tell myself I’ll just browse but I end up with some earrings and a purse in my cart. Sigh. $61.38

10:30 a.m. — I drive J. to the dealership to pick up his car from the maintenance center. Instead of going home we go get brunch and although there’s a lot of people waiting outside (it’s Father’s Day weekend), we get lucky and are seated right away. We both get breakfast bowls and a hot beverage despite it being full-fledged summer now. $47.75 but J. pays.

2 p.m. — J. got new lube because we couldn’t find the one we had. I can confidently say it works great. After we’re done in bed we both fall asleep.

7 p.m. — Did NOT expect to sleep that long. This is why I don’t usually nap. I take my dog out for her afternoon walk and come back to heat up the rest of the breakfast bowl leftovers. I decide today is the day I’ll finally finish One Day on Netflix (I left off on episode 6).

12:30 a.m. — One Day wrecked me. I am sobbing throughout the final episode. I stay up a little longer to read while J. watches his show but it makes me sleepy so I just head to bed instead.

9 a.m. — Slept in today, finally. J. wants to go out for a Father’s Day breakfast (because being a dog dad counts, I guess) and he showers while I take the dog out for a morning walk. There’s a heat warning today so I have to do it now or it’ll be hot for her later.

10:30 a.m. — We get to the breakfast place and they tell us it’ll be an hour wait. I expected this because it’s Father’s Day but we actually only wait 20 minutes until we’re seated. I order a mango bellini I regret (and don’t drink) and a strawberry banana crepe and J. gets a cheeseburger and coffee. The bill comes out to $42.64; J. pays.

12 p.m. — Head to Costco even though it’s Sunday (brave, I know) but we need dishwasher pods and dryer sheets. We also end up getting Downy, eggs, turkey breakfast burritos, smoothie fruit packets, a hose and a trash can with a lid for the bathroom. The total comes out to $131.20 but J. pays.

3:30 p.m. — Go get pedicures with J. I haven’t gotten one all summer and it’s time. The lady doing J.’s toes notices that his cuticles need help so she offers to do his hands, too. With both pedicures and the manicure the total comes out to $100.53 plus tip. $120.53

4:30 p.m. — After pedicures we’re both hungry and I am craving a hot dog so we head to Longfellow since they have a two-for-$9 hot dog deal on their daytime menu. We each order a sauerkraut dog and to drink J. orders a dirty martini and I get an apple cider. The total comes out to $25.57 but J. has a running ledger with the bar so they take it out of that and he just tips with his credit card.

7 p.m. — A friend comes over to pick up some treats she requested from a recent trip to Chicago. She stays and chats for a bit, then once she leaves I heat up some Mexican rice we had in the fridge. After I’m done eating I go to bed and read a little bit before finally going to sleep. Monday tomorrow means an early start again!