How Much A Designer Spends In A Week In New York City

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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. Each week, we ask a millennial woman how she spends her hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last cent. (Thanks New York Mag for the inspiration.)

The first step to getting your financial life in order is tracking what you spend — to try on your own, check out our guide to managing your money every day. First up, a designer who eats her feelings — and goes on back-to-back dates.

Illustrated by Abbie Winters.

Industry: Creative
Location: Lives in Brooklyn; works in Midtown
Salary: $65,000
Age: 27 Monthly Expenses:
Loan Payments: $185.61
Rent, utilities, and internet: $1,373.89
$10.40 gym (monthly — I wish I could say I actually go regularly, but I don't)
$40.76 for gym annual fee

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Day One

8:30 a.m. — Bought a coffee and a pastry from Konditori. I get coffee there often because it's just across the street from me. $5.25 10 p.m. — I worked late and didn't feel like cooking or eating healthy, so I order in buffalo wings and a large pizza. $28.74

Total: $33.99

Day Two

8:30 a.m. — Free latte from Konditori because I filled up my loyalty card! Yay. 12:30 p.m. — It's a busy day at work, so I order Chop't. $13.13 8 p.m. — Leftover stir-fried greens from over the weekend, plus leftover pizza for dinner.

Total: $13.13

Day Three

11 a.m. —Coffee and an avocado toast sandwich to eat for lunch from Hole in the Wall, the Australian coffee shop near my work. I should get the avocado toast for lunch more often. It's so cheap and good. $10.00 7:30 p.m. — I grab dinner with a friend. Ramen and a winter root vegetable dish from Ramen by Mew, on the cheap because there's a special —$5 for each bowl of ramen! $10.00 9 p.m. — Bought two cocktails at The Up & Up, one for me and one for my friend to celebrate her (belated) birthday. $34.49

Total: $54.49

Day Four

9:30 a.m. — Had a cup of the nasty free coffee at work. 1:30 p.m. — Leftover Chop't salad. 8 p.m. — Leftover pizza. 8:30 p.m. — I order a mini fabric steamer on Amazon because I got new curtains, and they're too long to steam in the shower. Plus not all clothes come out wrinkle-free after a shower steaming, so it'll definitely be useful for that. $29.99 9 p.m. — I've been pretty unhappy and inundated at my job lately, so I impulse buy a beauty treatment on Gilt City. Oops. $59.00 12 a.m. — A guy I'm seeing wants to hang out, so he sends me a Lyft. I wouldn't usually stay up so late on a school night, but I'm trying to make the most of any time I'm not at work, and he has his adorable dog, who he shares with his ex. 1 a.m. — We do some cocaine. I don't know how much drugs are supposed to cost, but I heard coke is pricey. I just did a line because it was offered, and I was drunk. The alcohol was free, too.

Total: $88.99

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Day Five

9:30 a.m. — Nasty office coffee again.

2 p.m. — DIY tacos leftover from a catered meeting for lunch. 8 p.m. — I order wings and a veggie burger for dinner. I used to not be able to get good buffalo wings when I lived on the Upper East Side, but I moved to Brooklyn in August, and I've been indulging. $16.16

Total: $16.16

Day Six

4:30 p.m. — Sangria and pizza from Fornino with a guy friend who lives near me. $28.95

5:30 p.m. — My friend's "buddy" gets back from vacation the next day, so he needs to buy condoms from CVS. I go with him and pick up some cleaning supplies and disposable razors. $31.86 6 p.m. — I grab 12 six-ounce cans of cat food and a toy for the kitten. $23.70

Total: $84.51

Day Seven

12:30 pm — First date latte from Sweetleaf. Free. 2 p.m. — We head over to brunch at Trix. He's really nice and just moved to Brooklyn from rural Virginia. He literally grew up on a farm, and I was his first date since moving to NYC. I don't think he knows that first dates aren't usually on a weekend. It was refreshing to not have to pretend to be less available than I actually am. 7:30 p.m. — I finally run out of pizza (my roommate's houseguest had some), so I heat up a Zhongzi (meat, peanut, shiitake filled sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf) that my grandma made and gave me the last time I visited home. 9 p.m. — Order a paperback copy of Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng on Amazon. $10.66 11 p.m. — Spontaneous first date beer at No Name Bar. Different guy. We had been talking for a while, but hadn't met up because his schedule is nuts. I usually wouldn't go out so late before a workday but I wasn't feeling ready for work yet so I decided to go. I think he may have been a little drunk already. The conversation was pleasant enough, but he mentioned that he's short-tempered , which is a deal breaker for me, so I doubt we're going to hang out again.

Total: $10.66