A Week In Denver On A $164,000 Household Income

Occupation: Editor
Industry: Hospitality
Age: 38
Location: Denver
Salary: $44,000
Joint Income & Financial Setup: $164,000 — but my partner W. and I don’t share finances. We have one credit card that we put purchases on that we agree to split, and then we pay that credit card through an account that we only add enough money to in order to pay off the credit card.
Assets: Savings/checking (cash): $23,000; brokerage investment account: $37,000; HSA: $46,000; rollover IRAs: $27,000; Roth IRA: $120,000; SEP IRA: $25,000.
Debt: $0
Paycheck Amount (once a month): ~$3,000
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $174. W. handles the mortgage; I pay them 10% of the mortgage each month so they can pay a bit more than the required monthly payment, and then I buy our groceries and take care of all utilities.
Loan Payments: $0
Internet: $50
Car Insurance: $33 (split with W.).
Electricity & Gas: ~$101
Water, Recycling, Trash: ~$70
Spotify: $12.94
Streaming Services: Family members share their streaming subscriptions to Apple+, Disney+, etc.
Health Insurance: Comes out of W.’s paycheck.
Phone: $16 (annually).

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?
Absolutely. I went to a pretty nerdy high school, so it felt like the one and only option was to go to college. I went to a four-year state university and graduated a semester early. I received a small scholarship, my grandmother paid for my first semester, and then my parents paid for the rest and I was responsible for paying rent and living expenses by working a job while attending school.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
I don’t remember talking too much about money growing up, but I do remember how cool I thought it was when my mom got into the stock market. She bought some shares of Coca-Cola and started watching the financial channel. It was fun to watch her get so excited about this newfound hobby of hers. At some point in my early 20s, my mom gave me a Suze Orman book, which was a great initial stepping stone towards making smart financial decisions.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was working in one of the food halls my freshman year of university. I was responsible for cleaning tables and sweeping as well as swiping students’ IDs at the entrance. The money earned in this job went towards my tuition.

Did you worry about money growing up?
A little bit. One thing I remember is glaring at my younger sister when she would order something expensive on a restaurant menu. I think it’s because I got a feeling that my parents sometimes spent more than they should have shopping, eating out, and getting fancy food like chocolate croissants from a local bakery every Sunday. I was a little worried about money growing up, because although I felt we were okay financially for the most part, sometimes it felt like we were spending too much.

Do you worry about money now?
I don’t worry exactly, because I’m in a pretty good position and I’m a good saver. However, I wish I made more and had better benefits from work.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
It was a gradual process of taking on more expenses, but in college I started handling my rent and living expenses myself through an hourly job working at a breakfast restaurant. I stayed on my mom’s insurance until the age of 26 and did return home after college for about six months before moving in with my current partner.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
I have not, but I have always been generously supported by my parents whenever I needed help. For example, in addition to handling my college tuition, they also purchased my first car and my first couple of laptops for me when I was in college.

7 a.m. — I wake up on the couch instead of in bed because my dog had a bad tummy last night, so it was easier to sleep near the back door to let him out occasionally to eat grass. I make some coffee and check emails for a while. My partner, W., makes me a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with leftovers and homemade pickled red onions for breakfast.

8 a.m. — I log into work from home. I work part time and only go into the office about once a week. This morning involves emails, one meeting, and writing.

10 a.m. — I take a break to finish up some personal tasks and have a banana for a snack. I invest some recently transferred money in my brokerage account into a small-cap ETF. I check my compost pile outside and add some snipped up banana peels and cilantro stems. Then I let my dog gnaw on the spent pork butt bone from the weekend and catch up on some reading, enjoying the nice spring day on the patio.

11 a.m. — Back to work through early afternoon. I have toast and roasted red pepper hummus, raisins, a granola bar, and a sparkling hop water for lunch. I get pretty peckish when writing.

3 p.m. — I pop in a library movie that’s due back — The Room Next Door. It’s pensive and quiet and puts me into a lull of a sleepy afternoon. I help W. make another batch of spicy pico de gallo salsa by destemming cilantro for them. Nice to have a fresh batch for snacking. Then I take my dog out for his daily walk while listening to a podcast episode about how skyrocketing rents across the country, coupled with stagnant wage growth, are creating a homeless epidemic. Cheery stuff.

6 p.m. — W. and I bike to the library to pick up some holds and stop by a Free Little Library on the way home that’s supposed to have some free native wildflower seeds. They’re out, so we’ll have to find the next closest location for this giveaway.

7 p.m. — I shower while listening to a podcast that my suburb puts on about local events and history. Afterwards, I make myself a bowl of leftover brown rice with hot sauce and Parmesan. I dive into my new library books (Let’s All Keep Chickens!: The Down-to-Earth Guide to Natural Practices for Healthier Birds and a Happier World by Dalia Monterroso, The Witch of the Forest’s Guide to Earth Magick by Lindsay Squire, The Hidden Life of Trees: A Graphic Adaptation by Peter Wohlleben, Fred Bernard, and Benjamin Flao, and lastly, Finance for the People: Getting a Grip on Your Finances by Paco de Leon) while W. watches The Curse on TV.

8:30 a.m. — I wake up way late, which feels like it’s going to throw off my whole day. I also have a slight headache and a tense neck. I think I was clenching my teeth all night and having intense dreams. This happens occasionally, unfortunately. W. has made scrambled eggs for breakfast. I make some coffee and slowly wake up. I read Finance for the People with my coffee and it’s hard to put down to get a little work in.

11 a.m. — I bike to the dentist to get an old filling replaced. $59.30

11:30 a.m. — After the dentist, I go to the grocery store and get two tubs of yogurt, a fresh-made organic green chile corn chowder soup and a tortellini Tuscan soup, sweet tea for W., 20 cocktail shrimp with tartar sauce, hamburger buns, two loaves of cinnamon raisin bread, a half gallon of organic soy milk, two onions, four avocados, and two salad kits. $33.29

2 p.m. — When I get home I make the blueberry feta salad kit and add arugula to it to make it bigger. W. cooked some more brown rice while I was gone, so I have some with melted Parmesan and hot sauce. Then I fit in some work and make some calls — one to make a vet appointment for my dog and another to talk to my mom about our upcoming trip to Scotland! I’ve never been and am very excited about it. Then I feed my dog and have some Biscoff cookies while I look up some trip ideas.

6 p.m. — I take my dog for a walk. We spend some time out on the patio when we get back to enjoy the last light of the day. W. makes me a BBQ pork sandwich. Then I squeeze in a bit more work, since this day was not a productive one. To finish up the day, I continue reading Finance for the People with a blue raspberry pop seltzer until 10 p.m., when I head to bed.

7 a.m. — Wake up, make coffee, and check personal emails as well as my pay stub. Today is payday! Then I get to work with a short stack of buttered cinnamon raisin toast. Emails, editing, writing.

10 a.m. — Start a load of laundry and then get back to work. My lower back is really achy today. I hope it’s because of my period, which has been a rough one this week. Bloating, fatigue, and achiness. I’ve had sciatica before that got cured with acupuncture, but I really hope it’s not that again. I also do “doo duty” — picking up my dog’s number twos in the backyard before I mow the front and back. It’s always quite the workout and I come in for several breaks to avoid getting overheated.

1 p.m. — W. and I split the Tuscan tortellini soup. It’s really good. I get back to work with a seltzer and a couple Biscoff cookies. When I finish around 4 p.m., a thunderstorm starts rolling in, so I enjoy the rumbles with a book on the patio and a snack of chips and hummus.

6 p.m. — W. and I ride bikes to the neighborhood brewery. We split a pretzel and order a couple of beers. We don’t stay for a second round because the live music is super loud and we’re next to a very animated guy speaking very loudly about politics. (The total is $21.37 and we use our joint credit card, so I pay half.) $10.69

7 p.m. — The dog and I go for a walk. It’s the perfect time for it — fresh from rain and the sun is setting, casting everything in an orange glow. You can hear kids playing everywhere, and the purple irises are in full bloom. 

8 p.m. — W. made a Caesar salad and guacamole while I was gone. We eat the guac with chips and talk about different articles in the most recent issue of our local newspaper. We are such adults, aren’t we?

9 p.m. — Time for a quick shower. Then I read while W. watches random stuff on TV. We stay up late watching the beginning of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and then go to bed around midnight.

9:30 a.m. — W. and I head out on bikes to a volunteer appreciation party held by our city in a park alongside the major creek that runs through our suburb. It’s an amazing event! We each get a free baseball cap and stickers along with two food/drink tickets each. We split an iced six-shot espresso drink and three breakfast burritos. We’re stuffed and so grateful for the awesome suburb we live in.

11 a.m. — We leave the park and stop by Walmart on the way home. I drop an old pair of glasses off at their vision care center for recycling. W. spends ~$30 for some oil and a new oil filter for an oil change for our car. They like doing their own oil changes with their dad.

12 p.m. — We arrive home and string up our hops. We have some hop plants in the backyard that come back every summer. They need to be “strung up” so they have something to climb up. We do some weeding while we’re out there, trying to get rid of the bindweed that is always a losing battle, but if we can eliminate it from going to seed as much as possible, I consider that a win. It’s hot out, so we eventually head in to escape the midday sun.

3 p.m. — A friend sends me a link to a Spotify playlist — it’s a mashup of her and my songs. I decide it’s time to get a premium subscription again, so I sign up anew (covered in monthly expenses). I need to convince W. to get a subscription with me, so we can do the Duo subscription eventually.

6 p.m. — W. requests I cut their hair. They’ve had me cut their hair forever and I don’t mind, but I feel like you can probably tell. I run the Roomba on the kitchen floor when we finish and make a stack of cinnamon raisin toast for myself.

7 p.m. — Time for the doggo’s walk. We go down to the valley-like park near the house. I’m afraid mosquitoes will be bad since there’s some stagnant water in the culvert, but it’s fine. He gets a lot of good sniffs in as I enjoy having Spotify once again!

8 p.m. — I shower and then hide some tiny treats around the living room for the pooch’s favorite game, Find It. It’s fun to watch him get so excited and problem-solve. The rest of the night is spent reading and listening to music.

7 a.m. — Wake up, feed the doggo, and make some coffee. I take some time to go through my neglected personal inbox and do some reading. I also put our portable battery outside to charge up with a portable solar panel. I mostly use it to charge my old phone that depletes its battery quickly.

10 a.m. — Bike to an estate sale in our neighborhood that a friend is going to. She’s starting a furniture refinishing and reselling hustle and picks up lots of stuff — an old trunk, embroidered chairs, a giant hanging mirror, and some vintage coffee carafes. I find an oscillating fan we can use in the living room, so we don’t have to move the one we already have around from room to room during the hottest days. We bike back home and meet our friend there, since she’s delivering our fan to us. We have some cold seltzers and she tells us all about her new reselling venture. She leaves us with some of her favorite corn tortillas, which is perfect because we were going to stop by the store to get some for a family visit planned for later in the day. $6.50

12 p.m. — W., the doggo, and I drive to my family’s house 45 minutes away. We take a random assortment of beers, tortillas, and salsa. W. helps grill up some beef for tacos on the deck. We have cake for dessert and then hang out for a bit talking about house issues and future trips we’re planning. My parents always pack up a really nice to-go bag of leftovers and other foods for us, which I’m always so happy to take home. We stop for gas on the way back home and use the joint credit card to get $29.30 worth of gas, so my half is $14.65. $14.65

6 p.m. — I take the doggo out for a walk after a storm passes through. Then I read a graphic novel for a while while listening to music. My tummy feels a little weird so I eat some leftover Spanish rice.

8 p.m. — I retire to the den for the evening to watch Nathan For You with W. We have some hazelnut and coconut chocolates before heading to bed around 10 p.m.

6:30 a.m. — Get up and have some coffee, per usual. I do some reading and organize my to-do list for the week, then I log into work. I break later in the morning to invest some cash I just put into my brokerage account. I put it into a mid-cap index ETF. W. breaks out the cocktail shrimp and we split it for a quick breakfast together.

11 a.m. — Late morning, I have some coconut chocolates and Doritos. Probably not best to start the week off with junk, but they’re tasty and I’m feeling oddly energized. My family has a road trip coming up to a national park in Colorado. I take more time than I realize reviewing the map and plotting out a rough initial itinerary to share with the family. I love planning trips — finding random places to visit along the way and getting to know an unfamiliar area. I reluctantly get back to work afterwards.

4 p.m. — Wrap up work and go lay on the couch for a bit. I have a serious case of late-afternoon sleepies. Maybe it’s all the house jazz I played during my last few hours of work. I go feed the pooch his dinner, give him a vitamin, and accompany him outside with a plan to read and fall asleep in the hammock. But the neighbor doing yardwork inspires me to get up and pull some more bindweed flowers to keep it from its absolute takeover of our backyard.

7 p.m. — W. and I take the dog for a walk. When we get home, I brush his teeth and give him a rawhide chew, which he proudly parades around the living room for a while.

8 p.m. — I give W. a foot massage as we watch TV until we head to bed.

7 a.m. — Wake up and get the bike packed up to ride to the bus station to go to work for my in-office day. It’s a cloudy morning, with rain having fallen overnight. The ride is misty and I promptly get quite wet but make it in one piece and catch up on news items during the bus ride in.

8 a.m. — Stop at the CapitalOne Café for coffee. With it being so rainy and dreary, I go for a mocha instead of my usual latte. It tastes like exactly what I need. Half off with my CapitalOne credit card, but still $5 with tip. Walk to the office and start work. $5

1 p.m. — I head to a nearby bar with a couple of coworkers to discuss some new developments. I end up ordering two beers, which I soon realize is probably one too many for work hours. But oh well, it was good to hash everything out with colleagues. $20.66

3 p.m. — After heading back to the office to retrieve my things, I head to a nearby restaurant for a falafel wrap. $14

4 p.m. — I catch the bus back to the station, from which I bike to a brewery to meet up with W. and their brother for a beer fest volunteer orientation. We get one free beer on the house and our volunteer T-shirts for this coming weekend.

7 p.m. — W. and I bike home. So glad to be home after a very long, wet day. I put some water on the stove immediately to make a heaping portion of pasta with truffle tomato sauce. Then head to bed.

Conclusion
“I think I did pretty well. I usually record all my purchases, so that part wasn’t new, but the action is always helpful for keeping spending in check. I think I’ll keep to my usual routine of taking a packed lunch to work once a week to avoid takeout, which is just so much more expensive than ‘brown-bagging it’.”