A Brooklyn-Based Social Producer Uses Her Klarna Card To Save Almost $300 This Week

7 a.m. — Big fan of an early weekend morning. I head directly to the kitchen and power up my coffee machine. I spend an ungodly amount on the pods for this thing, which is a big upfront cost, but it actually saves me so much money. 

11 a.m. — One thing about me? I romanticize *everything*. My boyfriend is over for the weekend, and we enjoy the dropping temps and drink our fall-flavored coffee in the backyard. Our dog is very happy with this idea. 

3 p.m. — We spend the rest of the day on the couch and enjoy the fact that we don’t need the air conditioner on. I do some online window shopping for some home items, but I don’t actually place any orders. 

6:30 p.m. — I’m good about cooking during the week, but weekends are usually takeout dinners. My boyfriend and I are in the mood for different things, so he orders Chinese and I opt for my favorite lamb biryani from the Indian place down the street. $18.83 

8 p.m. — A. & our pup head home to their place and I tuck into a book for an hour or so and get to sleep early. 

6:30 a.m. — I work from home on Mondays, so my day starts similarly to yesterday. Work days feel so much less daunting when I have a couple hours to myself before I have to log on. I drink coffee, watch one of my vlogger girlies, and scroll a little. 

10 a.m. — Therapy! And coffee #2.

3 p.m. — Work is passing by in a blur of meetings and deck slides that I’ll definitely (unwillingly) see in my dreams tonight. 

4:30 p.m. — I take a stroll to my new favorite grocery store. I’m set on making the first pot roast of the season tonight despite the fact it should already be in the oven by now. I grab ingredients for the roast, a few essentials for the week, and a few fun items (apple crisp probiotic sodas and a cinnamon babka) that are not remotely essential. $64.32

8 p.m. — I eat a later dinner than usual (worth it) and wind down with my evening ritual of cross stitching and a show before getting into bed with a book. 

8 a.m. — Today is an office day, so after a coffee and breakfast at home I begin the commute via train. My neighborhood looks so cute right now and I take pictures of all the fall decorations on the brownstones and send them to my best friend back home. $2.90 

8:45 a.m. — Stop by a coffee shop despite telling myself I wouldn’t. I grab a large latte and a snack. $9.03

12:30 p.m. — I completely forgot to bring the leftovers I packed up for myself, so I have to get lunch out. I would’ve skipped the latte if I’d known. I grab a couple of onigiris because they’re filling and cheap ($8.64). I pass by the bookstore and I can’t help myself… I treat myself to a book I’ve had my eye on. Are you sensing a pattern here? $37.11 

7 p.m. — I have dinner plans tonight with a friend in the West Village. Something about this time of year has me craving a cozy Italian spot, and we both order pasta and a couple martinis. I fight the devil on my shoulder telling me to take a cab and I hop on the train instead. $95.69

9:30 p.m. — Straight to bed! 

8:45 a.m. — Back to the office. I remember my leftovers this time but on the way to work ($2.90), I still spring for the coffee, because I really need the emotional security a latte brings me. $8.89

12:30 p.m. — On my lunch break I revisit what’s in my cart from my online window shopping sesh a few days ago. I’m looking to switch up the rug in my living room (also, can we talk about why rugs are SO expensive?!). I found a beautiful one I really love, but I’m struggling to pull the trigger on a bigger purchase, especially after yesterday’s spending.

Big purchases make me nervous. I didn’t grow up in a family that used credit cards much, and I’ve always been cautious with them. I have one with a low limit, and I’m not exactly great at keeping the balance down — so raising my limit or opening another card isn’t something I’m interested in doing. That’s why I love the Klarna Card — the debit card that gives me two ways to pay: 1) in full like a regular debit card, or 2) I can plan a purchase and choose to pay later. Even better: There aren't any annual fees and there wasn't any impact to my credit in order for me to apply.

5:15 p.m. — Work goes by quickly today and I head home. I pay the train fare, and on the way home I stop in my local branch of the library to pick up a couple holds. $2.90

7:30 p.m. — After dinner, I sit on the couch; I just can’t stop thinking about the rug. After thinking about it, I decide it's the right time to get it. I use my Klarna Card to plan a purchase and pay later, so I don’t have to pay in full right at this moment. Making purchases this way feels more natural, comfortable, and responsible because I feel more in control of my spending. And because I can plan a purchase that's as big as this one, it gives me time to figure out if I actually want it (the answer in this case: Yes. Yes, I want it). $387.33 ($96.84 today)

9 a.m. — A surprise to no one, a latte is secured on the way to the office ($2.90). It's finally cool enough to wear the new fall clothes I got recently, and my outfit — a deep green short-sleeve sweater, dark wash barrel leg jeans, and leopard print flats — has me in an excellent mood, even when the train (inevitably) has delays. $8.89 

12:30 p.m. — I have a really successful client presentation and the good vibes of today continue. Perhaps even more exciting is that the office provides lunch today and I have delicious (free!) Cuban food. 

4:45 p.m. — I head home. $2.90 

6:30 p.m. — The pot roast is no more. I don’t have many groceries, and I don’t want to buy any before I’m gone for the weekend, so I dig in the cabinets and make boxed mac and cheese and a tuna melt. It slaps, honestly. I work on my cross stitching project and watch a vibey ‘90s movie before crawling into bed around 9. 

8:30 a.m. — I’ve made it to Friday, a WFH day. I’m out of cream for coffee, so I walk to the bodega to grab some. $5.97

2 p.m. — After wrapping up work, I do my Friday tidy. I realize I’m almost out of surface cleaner and order another one (Fall Leaves scent, of course). I see there’s a matching hand soap and grab that, too. $11.21 

4:30 p.m. — We’re spending this weekend at my boyfriend’s place. We live in the same borough, but it still feels like a long-distance relationship. The train commute is brutal (1.5 hours and two transfers), so I always spring for a cab. We all have vices and this is one of mine. $33.42

6 p.m. — A. lives across the street from one of our favorite easy takeout places, so we walk over together to pick up our mobile orders. He pays. 

7 p.m. — After we eat, we play a video game together (a new thing for us lately) and watch a few episodes of TV. I go to bed before him and read until I fall asleep. 

9:30 a.m. — We wake up later than I’m used to and lay in bed even longer. Once we’re up, we split up: I walk our dog while he picks up coffee across the street (my treat). $12.40

12:45 p.m. — Our closest couple friends live close by, and we meet them in the park for an outside hang. We stop to grab a bottle of wine on the way. Afterwards, we take the bus home. $24.39

3:30 p.m. — I’m sleepy after the park hang and the glasses of wine, so I take a cat nap on the couch with the dog (A. doesn’t nap). When I wake up, it’s time to think about what to eat, again. I think that’s basically what being an adult comes down to: figuring out what to eat, ad infinitum. We don’t want to spend money on takeout, so we jazz up some ramen we have in the cabinet.  

6 p.m. — I love that the sun is going down earlier and that the vibe is already right for movie watching at 6. This time of year, I crave old scary movies, and we turn on a classic. 

9:15 p.m. — We hang out for a couple hours longer and I head off to bed with my book, getting a few chapters in before I drift off. 

“This is a pretty typical fall week of spending, leaning into the coziness of the season. I did spend more than usual on the rug purchase, but I planned for it and used Klarna to make it feel more manageable. My spending style is about balance and enjoying life responsibly. I’ll spend on things that bring me joy and have long-term value, like the rug, but I’ll happily have boxed mac and cheese the next day. I don’t mind that I spend on little things like a coffee in the morning because it genuinely makes me feel better about whatever I have to tackle that day. I am certainly not the most frugal person I know, but I’m cautious and responsible where it counts. This week’s spending confirms that I spend money to build a life that feels warm and lived in, which is exactly how I want to use it.”

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