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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
This week: a librarian who makes $49,992 per year and spends some of it on seaweed chips.
Occupation: Accessioning & Collections Manager, a.k.a. Librarian
Industry: Academic Libraries/Special Collections Libraries
Age: 28
Location: Atlanta, GA
Salary: $49,992.229. My husband's is $56,800.
Paycheck (1x month): $2,900; my husband's is $3,400. My husband is also a librarian. He has been there longer and is in a slightly different rank than me, so he makes more. We don't separate expenses at all. Our paychecks all go into one account that we use to pay for everything. I manage our finances and pay all of our bills out of the one shared account that we have. If we go out, whether together or separately, we spend from that same account. We have a shared spreadsheet to manage our budget.
Industry: Academic Libraries/Special Collections Libraries
Age: 28
Location: Atlanta, GA
Salary: $49,992.229. My husband's is $56,800.
Paycheck (1x month): $2,900; my husband's is $3,400. My husband is also a librarian. He has been there longer and is in a slightly different rank than me, so he makes more. We don't separate expenses at all. Our paychecks all go into one account that we use to pay for everything. I manage our finances and pay all of our bills out of the one shared account that we have. If we go out, whether together or separately, we spend from that same account. We have a shared spreadsheet to manage our budget.
Monthly Expenses
Housing: $1,515. My husband and I rent a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with hardwood floors in a complex that has a lot of amenities and is about three miles from where we work. Our rent is higher than average for Atlanta because of the neighborhood in which we live and our proximity to an elite university.
Housing: $1,515. My husband and I rent a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with hardwood floors in a complex that has a lot of amenities and is about three miles from where we work. Our rent is higher than average for Atlanta because of the neighborhood in which we live and our proximity to an elite university.
Loan Payments
Student Loans: $300
My Husband's Student Loans: $600
Car Loan (Joint): $268.72
Student Loans: $300
My Husband's Student Loans: $600
Car Loan (Joint): $268.72
All Other Monthly Expenses
Water & Sewer: ~$30
Trash & Pest: $24
Car & Renter's Insurance: $121.73
Cell Phone: $162.55
Gym Membership: $155 for dance studio membership
Health Insurance: $99.18 for medical, dental and vision (pre-tax)
FSA Contribution: $125 pre-tax
On-Campus Parking: $28
Retirement Contributions: $83.32 pre-tax (403(b)) and $83.32 post-tax (Roth) with employer match comes to $540.
Internet: $64.99, which includes HBONow
Hulu: $7.99
Netflix: $9.99
Gas & Electric: $80
Washer/Dryer Rental: $35.88
Credit Card: $1,200 (on a balance of $11,000)
Gift To My Mom: $100. We are helping out my mom financially. She was laid off about two years ago. At first she was unemployed and now she is underemployed, so we pay for her cell phone and give her $100 every month to help out.
Vacation Savings: $75
School Savings: $125
Christmas Savings: $100
Vet Savings: $175
Haircut Savings: $100
Water & Sewer: ~$30
Trash & Pest: $24
Car & Renter's Insurance: $121.73
Cell Phone: $162.55
Gym Membership: $155 for dance studio membership
Health Insurance: $99.18 for medical, dental and vision (pre-tax)
FSA Contribution: $125 pre-tax
On-Campus Parking: $28
Retirement Contributions: $83.32 pre-tax (403(b)) and $83.32 post-tax (Roth) with employer match comes to $540.
Internet: $64.99, which includes HBONow
Hulu: $7.99
Netflix: $9.99
Gas & Electric: $80
Washer/Dryer Rental: $35.88
Credit Card: $1,200 (on a balance of $11,000)
Gift To My Mom: $100. We are helping out my mom financially. She was laid off about two years ago. At first she was unemployed and now she is underemployed, so we pay for her cell phone and give her $100 every month to help out.
Vacation Savings: $75
School Savings: $125
Christmas Savings: $100
Vet Savings: $175
Haircut Savings: $100
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