A Week In Austin, TX On A $50,000 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.

This week: a self-employed clinical mental health therapist who makes $50,000 per year and spends some of it on a $85 pizza outing!

This Money Diary was written in the summer of 2025.

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Occupation: Clinical mental health therapist (self-employed in private practice)
Industry: Healthcare
Age: 28
Location: Austin, TX
Salary: $50,000
Joint Income/Financial Setup: Our joint income is $150,000. My husband P. and I operate on a fully joint financial setup. Every paycheck goes into our shared accounts, and all of our expenses and investments come out of those. We don't separate things by percentage or halves. Instead, we see all of it as our money. We also own a small business together with variable revenue.
Assets: $101,000 between us in savings, P's 401k, and joint investments. We share everything and pay off cards twice a month.
Debt: $110,000 ($84,000 for my student loans and $2000 for my car loan to be paid off in four months' time. $24,000 in P's student loans).
Paycheck Amount (2x a month): $7500 between both of us. Changes are variable based off our small business and client cancellations from my private practice.
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $2034 (rent for an apartment).
Loan Payments: $500 for my car loan; $904 for student loans (combined).
Copilot: $13 (we use it to track our expenses)
Netflix: $0 (my mom pays it)
Car insurance: $118
Hulu: $0 (my sister pays it)
HBO: $10
Canva: $12.95
Apple Music: $23.80
LinkedIn: $32.36
WSJ: $10
Google storage: $12.14
Phones: $0 (our parents pay for them and we're incredibly grateful, and will ride that train until we're booted off!)

Other recurring monthly expenses
Monthly wax: $55
P's haircut: $60
Dog food: $85
P's bi-weekly therapy: $70
My therapy: $0 (expensed by my business)

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, as an African immigrant, it was expected of me to either become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. The majority of my extended family are all college-educated and high achievers. I had my heart set on becoming a doctor, but after battling depression mid-college, I secretly decided to pivot to psychology. I ended up getting my Master's degree in counseling and couldn't be happier, and my family is now supportive. I paid for it all through student loans.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
Growing up in Africa for a part of my childhood, I always thought we had more money than we actually did. However, it wasn't until I was older that I realized we had a lower cost of living in Africa. My mom made enough money for us to be comfortable and her job got us a lot of nice perks. When we moved to America, we really didn't have any money due to increased living expenses, and my mom only having access to entry-level jobs. My mom always talked to me about finances because I always wanted very expensive things that we just couldn't afford, so most of our conversations were all about spending and living within your means. She also talked to me a lot about getting an advanced education, so I could have a good-paying job.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was a modeling job where I got paid $100 to walk the runway for a fashion designer. I always wanted to be a model. I loved it, but at that time, the body positivity movement had not hit yet and I was about 15lbs heavier than they wanted me to be. I wasn't willing to make that change for more jobs. We had to move cities so I stopped modeling. After that I started babysitting in the summers. I also worked at a department store as a sales rep in high school.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I did worry about money when we immigrated to America. We only shopped in thrift stores and times were hard. My mom worked multiple jobs to keep us afloat, and we didn't have a lot of money to do much outside of putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our heads. My mom was always honest with me about our situation and what we could afford. Sometimes she would tell me she felt bad for not being able to buy me the things I wanted.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes, I still worry about money, especially living in Austin. It's such a fun city and very health-focused, which is great for my career, but it's so expensive. I don't know when we'll be able to afford a house here and if it's sustainable to really have a family here. Also, as a member of a collectivist culture, I know that soon, I'll need to contribute money to take care of my mom and I am eager to do so, but with inflation, sometimes I worry how I will be able to juggle all of that. I'm so very grateful for my husband's income. However, I'm impatient for my practice to fill up so I can earn more. I'm still slowly building my private practice and my goal is to double, if not triple, my current salary, but I know that it'll take some time. I'm hoping by then, my money worries might ease up.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
At the age of 18, when I went to college. Sometimes I felt like a burden even though my mom never made me feel that way. I just felt bad that she had to spend money on me, so I think that's why I took out more loans than I should have so I wouldn't have needed to rely on her. Thanks to our emergency fund and investments, we do have a bit of a financial safety net but it does feel very small to me — but I know it's enough to last us at least a couple months.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Lol! Besides the few coins of interest from our HYSA, no inherited income. Our parents did pay for two-thirds of our wedding, which we were very grateful for. 

9:30 a.m. — I struggle to roll out of bed after snoozing my alarm multiple times. We just came back from a two-week trip abroad and the time difference is making it hard to readjust. I do my minimal morning routine — read Bible, moisturize, and drink water. I'm excited to be back, but not excited to resume work. I always ask my clients in this scenario how we can integrate their vacation persona into their day-to-day. I guess, for me, today that looks like spraying my vacation perfume on my work clothes and letting the fragrance jog my memory and cheer me up. P. woke earlier than me and made us some green kale smoothies and my packed lunch. I grab my smoothie to go, give P. a kiss, and head to the office.

2 p.m. — I only have three sessions today, which is nice for a first day back to help me slowly transition. I anticipated I'd be on the struggle bus, so before our trip, I tried to schedule a lighter start to the week. Some might call it thinking ahead; I call it burnout anxiety. I do love that I get to set my own schedule because I work for myself. I break for lunch after my first session. I eat some sweet peppers and hummus, an orange, and an RXBAR. This is a sad lunch and I look forward to ordering groceries later. 

4:30 p.m. — Wrapped up my in-person session and decide to head home to take my last virtual session. I love my office but I love being at home more lol. We use our second bedroom as office space and P. usually lets me take my evening sessions in there while he watches TV in our bedroom. I fight Austin traffic, which I will say I'm proud of myself for getting more confident on the road. These drivers will bully you into submission and I'm no longer scared of them! (okay, sometimes). 

6:30 p.m. — Done with work for today. Woohoo! I missed my clients and I feel truly honored to be trusted to hold space for such resilient human beings. I catch up with P. about our day while he preps dinner, we're down to our last dinner meal before needing to buy groceries. He makes steak, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. So yummy. Very grateful to have married a man who's confident in the kitchen.

9 p.m. — I clean up the kitchen after dinner while P. and I yap the evening away — he tells me how excited he is for football season to start soon. I internally mourn the loss of attention this will mean for me, and think perhaps I can find a new hobby to preoccupy myself. P. and I share a lot of the same interests, but football is one I just can't seem to comprehend, even after being with him for a while. I plan our weekly menu and place an order to pick up groceries for the next day. I order fresh fruit for parfaits, kale and spinach for smoothies, fresh salmon, Greek yogurt, lemon arugula salad (obsessed!), sourdough bread, avocados, rotisserie chicken for lunches, raw shrimp, roasted seaweed (for sushi rolls), eggs, almond milk, and a protein snack mix for B. I love the freedoms of being in America, but the price we pay to eat clean and healthy here is bonkers! $163.10

11 p.m. — I'm a bit of a night owl, so I call my mom. She works nights and is up to chat. Spend 20 minutes on the phone with her. I miss her and sometimes feel sad that she lives so far away. But we just spent two weeks with her on vacation, which was nice. After yapping some more with P., I shower and get ready for bed. Goodnight prayer and kisses at 12 a.m. 

9 a.m. — I hit snooze only today (okay progress!), and get out of bed to get ready to go to a cafe to network with a fellow therapist that I reached out to. I'm still in the early stages of filling out my caseload, so no clients today but I do have a couple of professional meetings and errands. No time for the Bible this morning (sorry, Big G) because I'm running behind. I quickly get dressed, take my vitamins, and head out the door. P. is in a work meeting so I text him goodbye.

10 a.m. — I meet with my colleague and she's such a delight. She encourages me in my salary growth aspirations as she is currently making double what I make, and she gives me some great advice. The therapist community in Austin is so supportive and uplifting, and it's really nice to connect with like-minded people. I wasn't planning on ordering food but the vitamins I take make me nauseous if I don't eat with them, so I guess this is the cost of not waking up on time. I order a breakfast sandwich that has a hashbrown INSIDE the sandwich and I’m here for it ($12.45 expensed). My colleague and I exchange business cards and part ways.

12 p.m. — I head to the post office to mail out some gifts we got on vacation for our loved ones. Not going to lie, I'm kind of anxious to step foot in there and wish my mom was with me. I've been to the post office like five times in my life and each time I never know what to do! The immigrant struggle of not quite being sure of how to maneuver in certain spaces still gets me. Today I decide to own my incompetence and march straight to the desk and sheepishly ask for help. The worker laughed at my nervousness and kindly helped me out. She was sweet. After spending what felt like AGES at this, I mailed four packages. I clutched my pearls at the total and asked if USPS has always been this pricey. I get laughed at again. Oh well. $51.19

1 p.m. — I stop at the grocery store to pick up my groceries and schedule my first session with my new therapist while I wait. I've been looking for my own for a while and finally found someone who can incorporate faith into our work, AND take our insurance. I'm excited to begin work with her. Self-care and preventing burnout is really important to me, and I want to be able to practice what I preach. 

2 p.m. — Back home, P. helps put groceries away and I'm feeling exhausted and lie down on the couch to rest, and end up taking a 30-45 minute nap. This is really exciting for me because I can't nap on demand. My brain is always sooooo active. Perks of international time travel tiredness, I guess. I'm proud and feeling refreshed. I freshen up for my mentor meeting and P. is sweet enough to drive me, as he also wants to get out of the house.

3:30 p.m. — Meet with my mentor who is my former professor. She taught me everything I know and has been one of my biggest supporters and safe spaces since day one of grad school. I give her a gift I got her from my trip and catch her up on the highs and lows of my practice. We talk about me pursuing a PhD (shivers!). She's a big advocate of that, but understands my hesitation (price, stress, me being allergic to textbooks). I leave with lots to think about but feeling poured into and loved.

5 p.m. — Head home and talk with P. about his upcoming birthday party. He likes to be low-key, but I encourage him to get creative about what he wants. He comes up with a great idea so I make his birthday invite on Canva, and send out the invitations on Partiful. I love planning events and get really energized by it. 

7 p.m. — Time for Bible study! I'm a part of a small Bible study with some great women. It's virtual but still a great way to connect and share faith and wisdom. I leave feeling encouraged and more connected to God. During the call I eat yesterday's steak leftovers. 

9 p.m. — I share my Bible study reflections with P. and then we talk budgeting and venue for his birthday. We've been saving for it, but will need to scrounge up some extra coins from future paychecks to make up the difference. All of it is feasible. Our tiny apartment is looking like it'll be too snug for the party, which is disappointing. We talk about how we can't wait to buy a house big enough for all of our hosting and event dreams. We get ready for bed, prayers, and goodnight pecks by 11 p.m.

9 a.m. — Wake up, read the Bible, moisturize, freshen up the bedroom, and drink water. I clean the bathroom and put on my work 'fit for the day. I make avocado toast for P. and I. I prep for my three sessions today and then register for an upcoming conference. I look into an upcoming couples therapy training, it'll cost $1000 and although it sounds great, I need to think more about it before I pull the trigger. Fortunately, I've been saving since I started my practice last year, so I do have the funds. 

11 a.m — I wrap up and prep to head into the office. I pack a lunch of rotisserie chicken with lemon arugula salad, carrots, cucumbers, and hummus, with an orange.

4 p.m. — I had a cancellation, so I leave work early and head home. They canceled 30 minutes before, so they still got charged my full fee. It's hard to enforce but it's important to keep the boundary. I struggle with the Western concept that time is money — but in this capitalistic society, it feels like I don't have a choice. These student loans ain't gonna pay for themselves.

6:30 p.m. — Our friend E. comes over for dinner. P. makes all three of us a juicy salmon with the lemon arugula salad. We all catch up and discuss the state of the world, E.'s upcoming international move, and our hopes for America. We give E. a gift we got her from our vacation and she's very happy. We all yap until 11 p.m. and then E. leaves. I'm grateful for friends who feel like family. We're spent, so shower and get ready for bed. Prayers and goodnight kisses at 11:30 p.m.

7 a.m. — It's ovulation week, so I wake up surprisingly early with Big Ovulation Energy and realize I need to exercise. After all my hard work, I attempt to begin my day. I don't feel focused enough to read the Bible (sigh, the woes of an ADHD Christian). I'm trying to read it in a year; some days the story is full of rich drama, great lessons, and gasp-worthy moments, but other days, like today, it reads like dry historical fiction (no shade to the authors). So instead of forcing it, I say a prayer and answer emails and messages and move along. P. and I drink green smoothies for breakfast and eat berry yogurt parfait drizzled with honey and granola. No clients today as Thursdays are my catch-up/professional development days. I don't know what to do with myself and nothing on my to-do list sounds appealing, so I laze around for the rest of the morning.

1 p.m. — This day is draggggging. I decide to do some more professional development research around couples therapy. My caseload is seeing an influx of couples with betrayal trauma, and I'm surprisingly really energized by this population. I'm inspired by the courage of couples willing to do this work. I order a book on my Kindle by an infidelity therapist and begin reading it. Such interesting information! I have found my to-do for the day. $12.00 (expensed)

6 p.m. — After a deep dive into all things betrayal, my brain is mush and I close the laptop for the day. I eat salmon leftovers with P. and share with him my newfound knowledge. Sometimes I feel bad for him that he's married to a therapist — poor guy can never escape these conversations. Perhaps football season will be a good break for him. We clean up after dinner, both shower and go to bed early. Prayers and goodnight smooches by 10 p.m.

7:45 a.m. — It's Friday! And my busiest day. I wake up with a pep in my step. I have six hours worth of sessions today. I listen to worship music while I put my makeup on, and a linen outfit I love. My therapist uniform for the summer is linen everything. P. makes me a Nespresso to go and packs my lunch while I get ready. I'm such a slow person and his help getting me out the door is so appreciated. I grab an RXBAR for breakfast to go with my coffee and give him a kiss goodbye as I head out for the office.

2 p.m. — I break for lunch. Phew — it's been nonstop and I scheduled back-to-backs so I'm STARVING. I eat a rotisserie chicken Caesar salad for lunch with sweet peppers and hummus. I catch up on notes and stretch before my last two sessions. 

5 p.m. — I'm DONE! Can you imagine having to spend six hours talking to six different people while remembering everything they've ever told you, simultaneously reflecting back in real time their emotional affect and interpreting their words? All while scanning, assessing, analyzing, and writing down notes about relevant details?! Yeah, my brain is fried for the day but I love love love my clients and am very proud of their growth. I water my office plants, pack up, and I head home to rest.

6 p.m. — Oh wait…it's date night. I get home and change into something casual. P. and I are trying a new New York-style pizza place tonight and I wish I had more energy to be excited, but at least I'm eager for the food. We get there and there's a one-hour wait — gotta love Austin. I'm too tired and grumpy to protest, so I entertain myself by people watching with P. We finally get seated and food comes out fast. The pizza is TO DIE FOR. Definitely worth the wait, but still shocked at these gosh darn Austin prices! We order a cider to share, a full pie, a Caesar salad, and gelato. For a whopping $85. It was some of the best pizza I've had, though, so I was not upset. $85.00

10 p.m. — We go home and I make a beeline for the shower and get in bed IMMEDIATELY. After being talked at all day, it can be hard to make space to talk to my husband. He's very understanding, and honestly, he's my best friend and I find that even after the longest of days, it's always easy to yap with him. I'm blessed. We decide to finally start the new season of Wednesday. It seems creepier this season. Was it always this spooky? I fall asleep after the episode, while P. stays up to watch TV. 

9 a.m. — I wake up still feeling drained from yesterday's work. I decide to spend the morning in bed and catch up on social media. P. heads out to a sports bar to watch the football game. He's very excited and I'm happy for him (and still mourning the loss of attention), but we both agree that having our individual interests and friendships are healthy and meaningful. I use the time while he's gone to catch up on the phone with my mom and sister. I'm not feeling hungry after yesterday's carb fest, so I eat applesauce for breakfast and rest on the couch.

3 p.m. — P. is home and sad because his team lost. Somebody should start a support group for fans of losing teams; they could really use a tender space to process. We decide to go to Trader Joe's to pick up some flowers and fresh eucalyptus leaves for the shower. TJ's flowers last for almost two weeks. We love them! $20.00

5 p.m. — We drive around for fun while scouting houses for sale and then we go home and eat pizza leftovers. We decide to stay in for the rest of the day and watch The Truman Show. I've never seen it and I really connected to it. I spend the rest of the evening reading Reddit reflections about the movie (because duh, what else do you do after a good movie?) This concept of not accepting the world given to you is the heart of the immigrant story. We leave what we know as familiar in hopes for better in a new world. It's one of the bravest and most terrifying things anyone can do. I chat about this with my husband — he's American but has a beautiful open mind and world view.

10 p.m. — We relax for the rest of the evening and go to bed. Prayers, goodnight kisses and asleep by 11 p.m.

8 a.m. — Today is the Lord's day! We wake up and get ready for church. I make us avocado toast with eggs and chicken sausage for breakfast and Nespresso coffee for both of us. Sometimes it's hard to focus in church but coffee and a full stomach help. We're in the process of finding a church home, and it's been hard. We both have 'church hurt' and are praying for a place where we find belonging and a seasoned community of believers. We got invited to this church by a friend and are excited to check it out.

10 a.m. — We head out in our Sunday best and still arrive five minutes late. Sermon is timely and worship is uplifting. We are open to coming back! We leave church and drive around the church's neighborhood and look at homes for sale. GASP. Home prices are coming down?! God is real. For the longest time, three-bedroom houses in Austin used to cost at least half a million dollars. Now, these same houses are around $300k! We've only been here for a few years and this is the lowest homes have ever been. Perhaps homeownership is in our very near future after all. 

1 p.m. — We go home and do our weekly check-in, and we talk about our relationship satisfaction, budget, and community building. This has become a staple for us and keeps us on the same page. We scrounge up leftovers from the week and eat for lunch. Then P. takes a nap while I do my business accounting for work.

4 p.m. — We go to a friend's birthday party at a beer garden. P. buys a beer for $8. This friend is a therapist, so I get to network with all her therapist friends as well. It doesn't feel like work because everyone is so chill and friendly. I get more great advice on how to scale my practice and exchange business cards. Always so grateful to be surrounded by such empowering women entrepreneurs! We eat cake and then head out. $8.00

7 p.m. — P. and I make garlic shrimp pasta for dinner. Usually he doesn't like me to sous chef because he's a very particular cook, but I really wanted to cook the mushrooms how I like them lol. We eat dinner and chat about home ownership. By next year we would have saved $20,000 towards a down payment. Will it be enough?! Only time will tell. As for now, we're grateful to be in a position where we can save and still enjoy our fleeting youth. 

10 p.m. — We yap some more about his birthday, talk about our week, and get ready for bed. I don't get the Sunday Scaries but I do get the ‘Sunday Sighs'. Sigh, to think this time last week, I was on vacation and now I have to go back to work for the man, except in this case, the man is myself. Owning my practice is a blessing but sometimes, a girl just wants to vacay forever. Perhaps I will spray more vacation perfume before bed to get me pumped, perhaps not. I shower, read a feel-good book, say prayers, and lock goodnight lips with P. 

"We did okay! It definitely could've been worse. We don’t eat expensive pizza often, and I definitely do not go to the post office much, so it is a little bit higher spend week. I do realize that we spend a lot on food and not entertainment, so I would like to start investing time at concerts and comedy shows around Austin. So we will have to see if we can financially make it work."