Money Diary
Good morning everyone! Today's post is going to be a bit different- I'm going to recap a week in my life and share exactly what I spent and what I did. This is one of my favorite columns to read on Refinery 29 - it's fascinating to see how other people live and how people choose to spend money.
This week was December 16 - 22. It was interesting because I was heading on vacation and also enjoying my last week of work for the year. Here's how the week went!
5:30 - Wake up, get ready for work and take out Selma. It snowed a bit overnight!
6:30 - Get to work. Dan usually drives me to work, which is super convenient. This morning I almost got hit by 2 different drivers who weren't paying attention - just a reminder to always be alert when walking downtown!! At work, I make some coffee, fill my water bottle, and eat my breakfast (biscotti and a pear)
11:30 - Lunch! It's been a slow day at work so I feel even more hungry than usual. Today I have a salad and eggplant Parmesan that I made last night and eat at my desk. So good!
3:30 - Still a slow day (all of my meetings got cancelled and most of my coworkers started their end of year vacations today), so I head out and catch the bus home ($2.50 with my bus pass). I read on the way back - currently reading Something in the Water.
4:15 - Make it home, take Selma on a walk, put away last night's dishes, and grab a quick snack (leftover pancakes from yesterday's breakfast). Around 5:15, I head to the gym to try out a new spin class!
6:30 - Great class, and I feel like I got a great workout! I start to roast some marinated portobella mushrooms and onions in the oven, cook rice, and heat up Cuban-style black beans. It's taco night!
7:00 - Food is ready, so Dan and I eat while watching Breaking Bad. I'm re-watching the series before watching the follow-up movie that recently came out, and I'm about halfway through.
8:30 - Light yoga to help stretch out and relax followed by a shower. I'm working through Yoga with Adriene's December playlist and it's been great for relaxation. I also make a cup of my favorite sleep tonic, which is basically a warm smoothie and is so good. I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and this seems to help.
10:00 - Sleep!
Daily total - $2.50.
5:30 - Same morning routine. I slept really well last night!
This week was December 16 - 22. It was interesting because I was heading on vacation and also enjoying my last week of work for the year. Here's how the week went!
Monday
6:30 - Get to work. Dan usually drives me to work, which is super convenient. This morning I almost got hit by 2 different drivers who weren't paying attention - just a reminder to always be alert when walking downtown!! At work, I make some coffee, fill my water bottle, and eat my breakfast (biscotti and a pear)
11:30 - Lunch! It's been a slow day at work so I feel even more hungry than usual. Today I have a salad and eggplant Parmesan that I made last night and eat at my desk. So good!
3:30 - Still a slow day (all of my meetings got cancelled and most of my coworkers started their end of year vacations today), so I head out and catch the bus home ($2.50 with my bus pass). I read on the way back - currently reading Something in the Water.
4:15 - Make it home, take Selma on a walk, put away last night's dishes, and grab a quick snack (leftover pancakes from yesterday's breakfast). Around 5:15, I head to the gym to try out a new spin class!
6:30 - Great class, and I feel like I got a great workout! I start to roast some marinated portobella mushrooms and onions in the oven, cook rice, and heat up Cuban-style black beans. It's taco night!
7:00 - Food is ready, so Dan and I eat while watching Breaking Bad. I'm re-watching the series before watching the follow-up movie that recently came out, and I'm about halfway through.
8:30 - Light yoga to help stretch out and relax followed by a shower. I'm working through Yoga with Adriene's December playlist and it's been great for relaxation. I also make a cup of my favorite sleep tonic, which is basically a warm smoothie and is so good. I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and this seems to help.
10:00 - Sleep!
Daily total - $2.50.
Tuesday
6:30 - Stop at Starbucks on the way in to work. I have a free drink that expires on Friday, so I order ahead for a Venti Caramel Brulee Latte with soy milk. Anytime I order flavored lattes I get half of the pumps, which helps make it much less sweet. I also fill up my bus pass with my commuter benefit card (money is taken from my paycheck pre-tax to be used for public transportation).
11:30 - Meetings over lunch, so I eat while I listen in. Same lunch as yesterday.
12:15 - Meeting gets done a little early, so I head to the cafeteria to read my book for a bit and also grab a Dr. Pepper ($2.25)
4:00 - Take the bus home ($2.50). Normal routine of walking Selma, dishes, catching up shows. Just realized that the new season of Project Runway started! I also do a quick yoga flow.
5:30 - Dinner tonight is easy- leftover Olive Butterflies (farfalle pasta, goat cheese, olive tapenade, grape tomatoes. Simple and delicious).
6:00 - It's trivia night at Wexford Pub! It starts at 7 but seating can be tight so we head out early and meet up with a few friends to play. The pub is in Whole Foods and has a great selection of draft beers and bottles. I pick up two bottles of holidays beers which totals $4. We end up getting 7th place but it was really fun!
9:30 - Dan and I are super hungry so we make the genius decision to stop for Chick Fil A- I get fries and try their new mac and cheese...yummy ($5).
10:15 - Back home and get ready for bed!
Daily total - $13.75.
7:30 - I work from home on Wednesday, so I got to sleep in. Once I finally make it out of bed, I take out Selma and feed her, then make a breakfast burrito for myself with the leftovers from Monday and some eggs. I also make some Dunkin' White Chocolate Peppermint coffee- delicious and seasonal.
7:30 - I decide to work from home again. I have a lot of meetings over the phone, and it's much easier to concentrate when I'm not in the office (we have an open office environment, so it can get really noisy and distracting). It also snowed a ton overnight, so I get in a little morning "workout" by shoveling!
7:00 - So hard to wake up today and Selma is very snuggly this morning! I eventually get out of bed and make my coffee, another breakfast burrito, and log into work. I'm greeted by a ton of emails and last minute requests. Guess I'll keep busy on my last day before holiday!
11:30 - Meetings over lunch, so I eat while I listen in. Same lunch as yesterday.
12:15 - Meeting gets done a little early, so I head to the cafeteria to read my book for a bit and also grab a Dr. Pepper ($2.25)
4:00 - Take the bus home ($2.50). Normal routine of walking Selma, dishes, catching up shows. Just realized that the new season of Project Runway started! I also do a quick yoga flow.
5:30 - Dinner tonight is easy- leftover Olive Butterflies (farfalle pasta, goat cheese, olive tapenade, grape tomatoes. Simple and delicious).
6:00 - It's trivia night at Wexford Pub! It starts at 7 but seating can be tight so we head out early and meet up with a few friends to play. The pub is in Whole Foods and has a great selection of draft beers and bottles. I pick up two bottles of holidays beers which totals $4. We end up getting 7th place but it was really fun!
9:30 - Dan and I are super hungry so we make the genius decision to stop for Chick Fil A- I get fries and try their new mac and cheese...yummy ($5).
10:15 - Back home and get ready for bed!
Daily total - $13.75.
Wednesday
11:30 - Head out for a snowy run with a friend. I haven't run outside since my marathon, so this was a big deal! We ended up doing 4.5 miles and had a great chat. Once I get home, I do a killer 5 minute ab workout using the Nike Training app, then heat up some Eggplant Parm for lunch!
4:00 - Log off of work (another slow day thanks to holidays) and take a shower, then eat the leftover Olive Butterflies. Dan gets home too so we chat.
5:00 - Head over to a friend's house. We're going to a concert tonight, and she makes some tacos and I bring beer! Another friend joins as well, and we head out to Jergel's to see Chase Rice.
10:00 - Concert's over and it's snowing like crazy! The concert was great- two local country acts to open followed by Chase. I like country music but don't know a ton of songs, but I enjoyed it a lot! The most exciting part was when one of my friends (who's a HUGE fan) got pulled up on stage and Chase serenaded her. During the show I bought a beer and also bought one for my friend who organized the tickets and show ($11). Fun night! I end up going to bed around 11:00 and fall right asleep.
Daily total - $11.
4:00 - Log off of work (another slow day thanks to holidays) and take a shower, then eat the leftover Olive Butterflies. Dan gets home too so we chat.
5:00 - Head over to a friend's house. We're going to a concert tonight, and she makes some tacos and I bring beer! Another friend joins as well, and we head out to Jergel's to see Chase Rice.
10:00 - Concert's over and it's snowing like crazy! The concert was great- two local country acts to open followed by Chase. I like country music but don't know a ton of songs, but I enjoyed it a lot! The most exciting part was when one of my friends (who's a HUGE fan) got pulled up on stage and Chase serenaded her. During the show I bought a beer and also bought one for my friend who organized the tickets and show ($11). Fun night! I end up going to bed around 11:00 and fall right asleep.
Daily total - $11.
Thursday
9:00 - Quick break to make something to eat- breakfast burrito with random stuff in the fridge and some coffee.
2:30 - Finally able to take a break, so I make a quick salad and grab some water. I also do a quick yoga video to stretch out the cobwebs I'm feeling.
4:00 - Meetings are over! I also got a nice surprise from my manager that I was free to work from home on Friday as well and I also got a recognition award at work, so overall it was a pretty solid day. I also remember to pay for Selma's dog registration for 2020 ($8).
5:00 - Head to a local bar for a coworker's going away "Bittersweet" Hour. He just announced earlier in the day that he was leaving, so it was definitely a shock to me! I end up staying for two beers and have some food, all of which is paid for by his company (he was a contractor for my team), then head home. All I have to pay for is parking, which is $5 for the hour.
8:00 - Relax for the rest of the night, including another episode of Breaking Bad, then fall asleep nice and early.
Daily total - $13.
5:00 - Head to a local bar for a coworker's going away "Bittersweet" Hour. He just announced earlier in the day that he was leaving, so it was definitely a shock to me! I end up staying for two beers and have some food, all of which is paid for by his company (he was a contractor for my team), then head home. All I have to pay for is parking, which is $5 for the hour.
8:00 - Relax for the rest of the night, including another episode of Breaking Bad, then fall asleep nice and early.
Daily total - $13.
Friday
11:30 - Make it out for a quick gym break. Our gym has been INSANE lately, so I'm hoping to avoid the lunch crowds and get in a quick last minute workout before our trip.
12:15 - Success! A friend recently recommended a treadmill app full of workouts, and I tried out a "medium" effort 30 minute workout. It was so hard! Every 2-3 minutes I had to adjust the speed and maxed out at 10 MPH which was both scary and exhilarating. I finished up with the Nike Training Quick Core Crush workout.
2:30 - Last meeting of the year and then it's time to log off and get a quick shower.
3:30 - Head out to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I offered to pick up some stuff for my sister and brother-in-law on my way up to visit them, and also pick up a few snacks for the plane ride for myself. The total is $18.50.
4:00 - Hang out and play with my nephew! I also feed him for the first time which was a funny experience (he kept falling asleep and holding my hand very tightly as he drank from the bottle). My sister orders some pizza and we have a glass of wine from the Pittsburgh Winery (we're all members of the winery club, and last time I went I picked up all of the wines from the winter box).
7:00 - Make it home! Clean up the house a bit and finish packing for the trip. I also pay off my doctor bill which is $20. Finish up around 9:00 and SLEEP!
Daily total - $38.50.
3:30 - Head out to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I offered to pick up some stuff for my sister and brother-in-law on my way up to visit them, and also pick up a few snacks for the plane ride for myself. The total is $18.50.
4:00 - Hang out and play with my nephew! I also feed him for the first time which was a funny experience (he kept falling asleep and holding my hand very tightly as he drank from the bottle). My sister orders some pizza and we have a glass of wine from the Pittsburgh Winery (we're all members of the winery club, and last time I went I picked up all of the wines from the winter box).
7:00 - Make it home! Clean up the house a bit and finish packing for the trip. I also pay off my doctor bill which is $20. Finish up around 9:00 and SLEEP!
Daily total - $38.50.
Saturday
3:45 - Up at the crack of dawn to head to the airport! Our flight is at 7:00, so we want to get there by 5. We end up leaving our house a little before 4:30 and head out!
5:15 - Breeze through security (thank you TSA Precheck) and head to the Club Lounge. Dan uses a travel card since he travels for work a lot, and one of the perks is access to lounges. The one in Pittsburgh is nice, and we grab some food and mimosas. I also make a flat white to help me wake up a bit.
7:08 - Take Off! I sleep pretty much the entire flight.
9:20 (central time) - Land in Dallas. We have a short connection for our next flight so we head over and grab drinks while we wait. I get a gingerbread latte from Dunking ($3.50)
11:15 - A few delays later, we're off the ground. I get a ginger ale during beverage service and also snack on some food I brought. During the flight I read and also watch episodes of a new show I downloaded on Netflix- Blown Away. It's a glass blowing competition and really interesting.
12:00 (pacific time) - Land in Las Vegas and head to the car rental! The line is long and it takes us about an hour and a half to get through, but we're finally on the road and heading east.
2:00 - Stop about halfway for lunch/early dinner. We go to Cafe Rio, which is a Mexican chain in the southwest. I have the daily special- fish tacos- which are delicious! I also have a (virgin) pina colada for my drink ($9.50). Soooo good.
5:45 (mountain time) - Arrive at our hotel! It's cute and has a log cabin feel. It's completely dark out so we can't see any of the mountains, but the drive up was spectacular. After we get checked in and drop off our stuff, we walk around the town we're staying in and head to get food.
6:15 - This town is officially the cutest, with Christmas decorations everywhere and quaint little shops all around. We eat at Zion Brewing Company, where I have one of the best brown ales I've ever tried, chimichurri fries, and a sampler of their seasonal IPA ($15). There's also live blues music and the atmosphere is great!
8:00 - Stop at a market on the way back. There's not much selection, so we grab trail mix and gummies for our hike tomorrow ($6). Head back to the hotel and crash.
Daily total - $34.
So, for the entire week I spent $112.75. This was definitely one of my more busy and social weeks, so I'm happy with that! Plus, I didn't go out for lunch or dinner (minus our travel day) which I think helped out.
How much do you usually spend in a week?
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