full image - Repost: I’m 22F in LCOL Midwestern city, work in tech consulting for $53k, and this week I went holiday shopping! (from Reddit.com, I’m 22F in LCOL Midwestern city, work in tech consulting for $53k, and this week I went holiday shopping!)
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A glimpse into the life of a recent grad/early-career, lesbian-in-LDR, Midwestern gal.Section One: Assets and DebtRetirement Balance (and how you got there): $1.5k in a Roth IRA. I opened this in college and have been contributing sporadically ever since. This week I also open my 401k!Savings account balance: $4.8k in a HYSA. Most of this is my 2-month emergency fund, but I also earmark sinking funds here as well.Checking account balance: $644.16 in my "fun" checking account (aka what I use to pay off personal spending/variable expenses) and $1.3k in my "bills" checking account. Every time I get a paycheck, I immediately transfer money into "bills."Credit card debt: $0. I pay my cards off on time and in full every month. I have two cards:Discover It Student Cashback: $8.8k CLCapital One Quicksilver Card: $7.5k CLStudent loan debt: $33k in federal loans for a BA in Political Science and a BS in Education. I had a nearly full-tuition scholarship to a well-respected in-state public university. However, my parents had no savings for my education. Each year, I took out the full possible loan amount to pay for room & board, and my parents covered the remaining difference (around $1-2k). It was either student loans or community/no college, and going away to school allowed me to blossom independently, come out of the closet, make friends from all over, study abroad, etc. I'm not thrilled by the debt, but I'd like to say I made the most of it and undergrad truly expanded my horizons.Section Two: IncomeIncome Progression: I have been working in my role for just about 6 months. My salary is $53k and I was not able to negotiate.Main Job Monthly Take Home: $2914Section Three: ExpensesI use Monarch to budget my expenses. (RIP Mint)Rent: $850Renters insurance: $19Auto insurance: $169Roth IRA contribution: $75Savings contribution: $350.Student loan payments: $350 ($20 above the minimum to my highest interest loan, lol)Donations: No recurring donations but I volunteer with students (see below.)Electric: $60-$100 monthly.Wifi: $55Cellphone: On my parents' plan. They're booting me soon so I'm riding this out as long as I can.Subscriptions: $30, give or take. Random Apple charges I should probably cancel, and I pay for the family Amazon Prime membership... for now. That student discount won't last forever.Gym membership: $30Groceries: $250Gas: I budget $100, but always ends up being closer to $150 due to LDR travelNote: I am basically financially independent (minus the phone plan.) My parents both grew up in less-than-ideal homes, and while they truly broke so many cycles, I inherited intense money anxiety from them. When I was 11, my family declared bankruptcy. They are still married, but even after navigating that difficult patch, neither parent saves money. My mom is a big impulse spender and I try to veer the opposite way. I often feel jealous when I talk to other 22 year-olds who get help from their parents but I remind myself they don't owe me anything and being on my own builds character.Note pt. 2: I am in a LDR with my partner of 3 years. (More like medium distance - 2 hours away by driving). We do not currently live in the same city and have no plans to move in the near future; we're both focused on starting out our careers right now.My 7-Day Money DiaryMonday6:15am - Waking up after a holiday weekend is not for the weak. Yesterday afternoon I drove 5 hours from my family’s place to my new apartment, where I moved 6 months ago. I brew some tea and journal on my couch. Sporadic as the habit may be, I’ve been a journaler for 5-ish years and it helps clear my head. I am already decorated for the holidays, and sitting by my tree ($30 on Facebook marketplace!) in the early mornings is one of my favorite wintry feelings.7:00am - After a quick YouTube workout, putting away laundry, and Twitter scrolling, I head out the door. On the way, I call my childhood best friend W on my way to work. Gas is running low after Thanksgiving travel – eh, I’ll fill it up later.9:30am - I finish my 1st meeting of the day, then recap Wicked with my manager. While I get myself situated and catch up on emails, I snack on chocolate-covered peanuts. I see an email that I can now enroll in my company’s 401k after 6 months of service– nice! A 6% contribution will mean ~$244 per month and get my company’s 3% match. Of course, it also times up with Open Enrollment - extra 401k savings means I’ll need to decrease my HSA contributions so I have some cash to spare because things have felt tight since starting my student loan payments. I’ll do that later.12pm - Before lunch, I sip on some mint tea. I’ve been dealing with digestive issues and excessive gas and this helps prime my stomach for meals. TYSM to ancient Chinese medicine for this trick. Lunch is simple: frozen chicken vindaloo and garlic naan from Trader Joe’s plus peas for fiber. I’m rigid about packing my lunches, and almost always try for homemade, but I couldn’t be bothered to cook after getting home late from Thanksgiving. Re: the chocolate-covered peanuts because I love salty sweets. I start planning my family’s Christmas gifts while I eat.2pm - I have some meetings to close out my day. I enjoy the clients I’m working with which makes the job feel a little less like work. However, when this project ends in the new year, I’ll be adrift (or in consulting terms, on the bench). I’m still figuring out where I fit in a tech environment as a people person with a policy background, and so is my org’s leadership. I’m a procrastinator and I know I’m not taking full advantage of my bench time but I’m not even sure what that would look like. In the future, I see myself excelling in project management. As I dwell on my professional shortcomings, I snack on some Pop-Chips for a quick savory fix. 4:30pm - I head out of work and stop at Walmart to buy detergent and Mexican rice. Stores at rush hour are my nightmare but headphones help. Current podcast: new episode of Maintenance Phase. ($25.35)6:45pm - Turkey taco bowls for dinner! I caught up with my college roommate S while cooking. She rants to me about grad school. I load my bowl up with the fixings: sour cream, shredded lettuce, corn salsa from TJ’s, spicy salsa verde from a local cannery, and cheese. I eat dinner while watching St. Denis Medical (thanks to my GF’s Peacock). While I digest, I shop for new glasses because EyeBuyDirect texted me about a great sale. 2 new eyeglasses & some prescription sunglasses are now on my way, paid for using HSA funds! ($118.95)8pm – I call my dad to ask a life insurance question that came up while looking at open enrollment materials. We talk about Christmas presents and I start seriously considering dropping $400 to take my mom to see the Wicked tour because seeing it live is her dream. I try to finish my book club book ($0 thanks to my library card) but I’m really not feeling it. Laundry is my nemesis – I do some lazy tidying (aka folding and tossing clean clothes into my drawers).10pm – My 5am alarm has been set. It’s a little ambitious, but I hope to go to the gym and I add some cute motivational messages to help me in the AM. I fire off some texts to my college roommates (we keep in touch despite being scattered across the Midwest after graduation), bid goodnight to GF, and head to sleep.Total daily spend: $144.30Tuesday5am - Major snooze button action going on this morning.6:30am – After dodging alarms for the last hour and a half, I finally roll out of bed and drag myself to the gym, not even changing out of the hoodie/sweats combo I slept in. Whatever - going is better than nothing. I warm up on the treadmill then do some light strength training. I suspect I have ADHD because I get bored easily, and at almost everything, the gym included. Especially when my budget-friendly gym tends to be busy at all hours and waiting is not my forte. GF is a fitness aficionado who loves to give me pointers but it’s still not my thing. That said, I know lifting weights does wonders for women’s health, and I’m trying to get into the habit as a 20something.8am – Now showered and back at my apartment, I sit down for a cup of coffee & breakfast: chicken apple sausage and an egg. I also started my period, yuck. And crap, I’m out of pads… I forgot to buy more. I bring my last two pads for work today and decide I’ll stop for more later. My job is hybrid and we’re expected to be in-office 3 days a week, but it’s a small company, so I can bend certain rules a bit and come in later, which I decide to do today. I message my team that I’m going to take my 1st meeting from home then come into the office around 10.11:30am – In the office now and my second meeting is over: another hour of confusion. I work with data engineers and it’s all Greek to me. Most of my responsibilities include note-taking and documentation to support project initiatives. My mind wanders into other life commitments during the conversation and I jot down some personal to-dos in my email drafts.11:45am – I have a 1:1 with my manager where I ask about some tech acronyms that confused me during our meeting. We chat about their background in the public sector, which – sorry tech – is my true love at work as a policy grad. I brew some mint tea and snack on strawberry oatmilk yogurt with crushed chocolate peanuts sprinkled on top.12:45pm – S texts me about a Travel Tuesday deal for hotels. We have a trip planned this spring. I book it for the Marriott points (my half: $307) However, the REAL story is that in the spur of the moment, I apply for a Marriott CC with no annual fee because I thought I could reap the points on Marriott spend for this reservation…. Except I don’t get approved right away and instead all I get are 3 emails saying there was a hard pull on my credit. Welp. On the Discover card it goes. I should’ve known that I wouldn’t get an immediate decision, and applying for a new card wasn’t exactly in my financial plan, but sometimes the gung ho spirit of get-shit-done overtakes me (except it’s never the thing I should actually be working on). Re: ADHD diagnosis I should probably pursue.2pm – In my personal email inbox, I find an invitation to a retreat this spring for an org I’m a longtime volunteer with, all expenses paid,. Ooooo. Except my company’s PTO is ahem abysmal, and I want this to count as professional development time since it is technically a conference even if it’s not work-related. I quickly book a chat with my career coach (free service via a professional org I’m in) to talk this through. When my CEO stops by my desk to make small talk, I pretend like I’ve been on task all day. Pro of small company = lots of exposure to C-suite. Con = same exact thing because sometimes I’m not C-suite ready. I sip on turmeric juice as I try to lock in til 4:30.3pm — I send over my final review of a deliverable to my manager, then I forward them a cool service-learning opportunity for their daughter based on an earlier conversation of ours. In another life, I’m pursuing a similar social justice gig, but today, I’m stuck in a cubicle farm staring at Excel sheets because I have student loans to pay. A bout of period troubles hits me (iykyk) and suddenly I'm so hungry I’m lightheaded. I heat up a leftover taco bowl and dig in. I consider asking to leave early because of cramps but decide to be a big girl… and because I haven’t exactly been exemplary today. 4:30pm – I stop at Kroger for period supplies and because they have a sale on Ben and Jerry’s. ($19.67) On the drive home, I call my dad to discuss the retreat opportunity. He tells me I should do it even if it means burning through personal PTO. 6:30 – After rotting in bed for a while thanks to period cramps, I decide to skip my queer book club because I didn’t really like the book anyway. I text my book club pal that I won’t make it (turns out they aren’t going either) and instead head to TJMaxx for some Christmas shopping. I find perfect gifts for S and W – but I forgot my gift card! Oh well. I already had a Christmas sinking fund set up and I’ll be back eventually. ($60.88)8:30pm – My neighbor H texts me that her car is in the shop and asks for a ride. Along the way, I stop for gas and fill up my tank ($33.88). After heading there and back, we sit in her apartment and chat for a few hours. She was the first peer I met when moving here, and she’s given me a lot of tips and support on adulting.11:30pm – Woah. Up past my bedtime. I call GF to show her the presents I got for my friends, listen to a chapter of a new thriller audiobook, then head to sleep.Total daily spend: $114.43Wednesday7:45 – I catch up with a friend D over coffee. She drove 20 minutes to meet me and is newly engaged, so it was my treat. ($18.88) I sip on a maple spice latte and make a mess of my croissant’s flaky goodness while we ooh and aah over her dress and recap our Thanksgivings. 9:30 - Spotify Wrapped is out! I send my top artists to the group chat, as if anyone will be surprised that Good Luck Babe dominated my listening. While jamming to my 2024 Top Songs, I build a gift spending spreadsheet so I can keep track of the dents I’m making in my Christmas sinking fund. With $200 budgeted, I have about $130 left to spend.11am – Having a career coach is like having a therapist for your professional life. This is only my second session with her and it is on an as needed basis. Today, we talk through my conference invite and the best way to pitch it to my manager. I decide that even if they refuse to count it as PD time, I’ll take some personal PTO for it, because getting flown out to something as a 22-year-old feels too cool to pass up on. I set up 15 minutes on my manager’s calendar to discuss tomorrow.12pm – For lunch, I heat up Thanksgiving stuffing leftovers and pair it with some TJ’s sweet potato gnocchi. The period sweet tooth hits and what started as a scoop turns into half a pint of ice cream. While I eat, I listen to the newest episode of Bald and Beautiful.2pm - After tying up some project loose ends, I join a retrospective call on a milestone my team just completed. This is the first meeting of this kind I’ve been in since starting this job. I appreciate hearing people’s honest takes on what could’ve been done better, and I jot down some notes to myself. Being early-career and adjusting to corporate speak involves a lot of “oooh, I like that phrase, I’ll steal that for next time.”3pm - When I feel unfocused during WFH days, I pivot to light cleaning so I’m at least making somewhat good use of my time. I turn on a project management course to play in the background to play while I clean in case anyone decides to check my browser history. 4:30pm – This fall, I started volunteering with a local speech & debate team. I loved this extracurricular in high school so it’s been a great way to invest time into my community and use some of my non-tech muscles after work. I listen to & provide feedback on a few students then chat with the head coach, who gives me all the speech tea. When I mention my company’s upcoming holiday party, she tells me about a consignment boutique near my place. I check the hours and it’s open til 7, so I have time to make it tonight!6:55pm – I make a quick pit stop at the library with 5 minutes til close because my new book club hold is available. 7pm – Shopping time! The consignment boutique is cute but not in a pretentious way. To be honest: I HATE shopping. I have no patience for it. TJ Maxx (aka knick knack and home goods shopping) isn’t bad, but clothes shopping is a nightmare. They have some cute options, including a rack of Anthropologie and Free People options, but nothing that screams corporate-holiday-dinner. I’m glad I stopped by anyway because what a cool local option. ($0)7:45pm - For dinner, I have the last of my taco bowl then the other half of the ice cream pint. Not exactly the most balanced diet today but shit happens. While I eat, I watch an episode of Parks and Rec (shoutout again to GF for the membership).8:30pm - I join a virtual meeting for an org I volunteer with. It’s been on pause for the summer and fall, and it’s good to see everyone. I make a running list of to-dos for my new role and onboarding a new co-volunteer. After my call, I remind GF to avoid Survivor spoilers on Twitter – this is serious business.9:30pm – My mom texts about my Amazon cart. We still share a Prime membership, which means the cart ends up being full of 4 people’s random picks. I let her know she can get rid of it all because it was just gift brainstorming for friends. ($0)10:30pm – After some good ol’ phone time, I begrudgingly do the dishes, wipe down my kitchen, and vacuum its floor. I have an early morning tomorrow and they’re unfortunately so right about the power of waking up to a clean space.Total daily spend: $18.88Thursday7:30 AM: Alarm goes off. I groggily roll out of bed. My office uniform is usually on the casual end of business casual, but today I have a conference, so I dress up a bit. My patterned maxi dress was a Black Friday find – it’s giving art teacher chic, but still corporate acceptable.8:15 I drive to the office first, because today I’m meeting with my manager to discuss the conference opportunity. After our standup meeting, I hype myself up to really ~sell~ why they should let me attend. They’re excited for me– yay, good sign!-- but they have to elevate it to the C-suite for permission. To be expected. I throw on my jacket and head back home.9:30 – I meet my colleague Z in their parking lot. We’re carpooling downtown together. Z is always on time, so I quickly throw on a blazer in case I need to be dressier for the event. I get in the car, and we chat about the latest office drama—unpaid overtime, contracts ending, etc. Z is great company. It’s honestly nice to have someone else drive and I make sure to keep my Teams active just in case.9:00 AM: We arrive at the conference, which is honestly a little bougie. The venue is sleek, modern, the kind of place you only go for corporate events. Think glass walls, fancy coffee stations, very tech-bro vibes. I grab a matcha latte (free! Corporate perks FTW) and feel very high-powered as I walk to my first session. It’s a great opportunity to network, so I try to make small talk with the people sitting near me and say hello to my clients who are also in attendance.12:30 PM: Lunch time. It’s also free (seriously, can’t complain). Never mad about Jimmy John’s. Z and I swap her oatmeal raisin cookie for my chocolate chip one. ($0)2:00 PM: I’m sitting in a session on AI in education but my mind starts to wander. I’m not really learning anything new, just trying to make sure I’m keeping up with the conversation for future meetings. I scribble in my notebook and make some serious front-row eye contact. One presentation shouts out my current project – I hope this makes a good impression on my higher-ups in attendance.3:30 PM: Z and I grab another free latte for the road. ($0) She braves matcha for the first time and is unimpressed – more for me! During the drive back home, Z advises me on company holiday party attire. Thank god she reminded me because that’s next week and I have no idea what I’m going to wear. 4:30pm – When I get home, I call my mom and we chat about holiday shopping and when I’m heading home. Somehow the United Healthcare assassination comes up and we have different takes. We go round and round. She tells me I’m an insensitive Gen Z-er and I ask why companies get to decide who lives and dies. I’m exhausted by it. We end up arguing, and I end the call early, frustrated and annoyed. I shouldn’t have engaged in conversation.5:00 PM: I make a mental note to not call her tomorrow. Instead, I text my brother, who’s a freshman in college studying comp sci. Finals week is coming up, so I send him a quick “good luck” message. He calls me, and I end up giving him some advice on handling stress. He’s worried about failing one of his classes and I tell him almost all of my friends tanked a class at some point– it happens. Maybe it’s not great advice, but hey, at least I tried. 7:00 PM: After wrapping up my social hour, I immediately throw on sweatpants. I’m not really in the mood for anything too intense tonight, so I start watching old episodes of Parks and Rec while I eat some veg frozen dumplings I snagged at the international grocery store.Total daily spend: $0Friday8am: I’m working from home today, which means I can roll out of bed later and not have to worry about getting dressed up. I throw on a sweatshirt and a pair of leggings—because that’s basically my WFH uniform—and sit down at my desk with coffee in hand.9am: I send that recap email to my manager. It’s a quick check-in about our conversation yesterday and she lets me know she’ll forward it along.11:00am: I finally get around to calling my old friend C. It’s been months since we last spoke, and there’s still a bit of tension from our falling-out. (TLDR: reunion in our college town gone wrong including a night out cut short and a failed tailgate.) But I’m determined to move past it. We scheduled this call last week; the conversation is a little awkward at first, but we eventually get into a groove. I apologize for my part in things, and she does the same. Honestly, I feel relieved afterward. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed our friendship. I tell C that I’m going to start sending her memes again because it’s been a rough few months.2pm: The day is dragging on, so I decide to take a break and call my girlfriend. She’s working from home today too, so we often end up chatting, even though we probably should be working. We talk about everything—work drama, random thoughts, the latest news—and before I know it, an hour has gone by. Oops.3pm - I get myself back on track by putting in a load of laundry, clearing off my kitchen table (it’s a mess), and finishing up my last few emails. It feels good to be productive again, but the conversation was a nice distraction.5:30pm – For dinner, I stop by the grocery store behind my house to pick up some chicken chili soup. It’s my favorite comfort food when I’m feeling lazy. I also grab a box of saltine crackers because, let’s be real, soup is just better with crackers. ($6.89)6pm – As I head home, I call GF back, and we catch up on the latest Survivor episode. I swear, we both get way too into it. We debate strategy and cheer for our favorites (Rachel, Genevieve, and Teeny!).8:00pm – We remember the WNBA expansion draft results are out tonight. I’ve gotten really into the league this summer with my GF, and it’s something we enjoy together, even if it did hurt my bank account a little bit. Still, it brought us a lot of joy. 10:00pm – By now, I’m fully settled into my couch. GF and I stay on the phone for a while, chatting about anything and everything. Long-distance relationships can be tough, but we’ve found our rhythm with these virtual dates. They’re not ideal, but we make it work. When we finally say goodnight, I set out my clothes for tomorrow and set a series of alarms—because, you know, I’ll probably hit snooze a few times.Total daily spend: $6.89Saturday5:10am – Yawn. Tournament day. On early mornings, I need “defrosting” time to look at my phone so I budget this into my wakeup time. I get dressed, brew some coffee, then descale my electric kettle with vinegar and dish soap. I drive to school where I’m meeting the team.6:30am – After a round of Hellos and Good Mornings, we’re all settled into the bus. I start listening a fluffy sapphic romance during the hour drive. Pro tip: if you’re paying for Audible, see if your library offers Libby! Huge collection of audiobooks for free; the only catch is a brief wait depending on demand.8:45am – Caffeinated thanks to my thermos and the free coffee for coaches. I email my old speech & debate coach to update her on my new role and mentally prepare myself to listen to high schoolers talk all day.12pm – Lunch break in the tournament. I eat a cold piece of cheese pizza (controversial opinion, but I love when there's a gelatinous layer of cheese on top. It's the best). I spend some time crafting cute slides for the org I volunteer with. Thank you SlidesCarnival for the Canva inspiration! Another cup of coffee incoming.3pm – Shiiit. I realize I left my waterbottle in another meeting room. I trek back and awkwardly knock on the door to retrieve it. I've lost more waterbottles than I can count on one hand and I was not letting it happen again.6pm – The bus ride back includes some hype for the team; I love watching them succeed. This is my last speech event until mid-January due to the school break. While I truly enjoy helping the team, I’m secretly happy for the break. Volunteering not only keeps me busy, adds to my resume, and introduces me to great people, but it also prevents me from mindlessly spending money on the weekends.7pm – My downstairs neighbor, a retired professor, gifted two Nutcracker tickets to me & another young gal in our building. We meet up and head to the performance. Parking is free (shocking because event parking is usually a bitch), and even though we’re 15 minutes late, it’s a lovely show. I stare at the opera boxes and wonder what it would've been like to be a socialite in the Gilded Age,10:30pm – At the end of the night, I take off my makeup, shower, and cozy up in bed to work on A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, which I borrowed from another one of my neighbors. I need to make sure I return it before the holidays. Though the last thing I wanted to do was leave my apartment after the tournament, it was so nice to make a new friend that isn't from work. I text my neighbor about making some other plans to hang soon.11:15pm – Goodnight!Total daily spend: $0Sunday8am – I wake up and feel hungover. Not sure how I survived 4 years of party school but a 7pm ballet performance left me exhausted. I pour myself a large cup of coffee and confirm my plans for the day over text.9:15 – I stop by my coworker M’s place to pick her up for bagels. There’s a trendy shop downtown and I haven’t seen her in a while since we’ve been in-office on different days. On our way there, we stop for lattes ($4.98). 10am – Long line, but worth it. I devour my rosemary sea salt bagel with chili crunch cream cheese – DIVINE. I put chili oil on everything so this was a flavor combo come true. ($5.41). We run into a mutual friend at the bagel shop, yap for a few, then head out.11am – After dropping M back at her place (and stopping in to pet her cat), I sit down at my kitchen table for some Christmas card writing. I’ve never sent out holiday cards but especially after graduating, it feels like the perfect way to keep in touch with long distance family & friends.12:30pm – My neighbor H and I head to a queer craft market downtown. There’s a huge selection of screenprints, fiber arts, and edible treats all from local vendors. I buy two stickers for my younger brother ($5), an orchid cutting ($3), and a spider plant already in a gorgeous pot ($5). I had $15 cash so the money felt fake and I left the extra as a tip for the vendor. The spider-plant-vendor and I get to chatting about her business - we follow each other on Instagram when I get back home.1:45pm – We bump into friends at the market and grab a table to debrief their night out. Adjusting to life after undergrad has been bumpy, but these little moments of camaraderie and unexpected hangouts are my favorite. I feel lucky to have met so many cool people across the city over the past 6 months.2:30pm – I buy a vanilla butterscotch room spray that I know W will love; it’s the perfect addition to the spa day basket I’m putting together for her ($12.84).4pm – The rest of my Sunday is pretty typical. I plan meals for the next week, call GF, shower, and try to beat the Sunday scaries with more Parks & Rec.Total daily spend: $36.23Weekly Total: $320.63Food + Drink: $36.16Fun / Entertainment: $0Home + Health: $163.87Clothes + Beauty: $0Transport: $33.88Misc. Shopping (Xmas gifts + plants): $86.72Reflection: This is a pretty typical week in the life for me. I tend to spend more money on food and less on shopping, but the holidays have gifts on my mind! Though I get overwhelmed by all of my plans, investing in my social network has been my #1 priority after my move. I'm grateful that I've been able to make friends, get out of the house, and have some fun while also prioritizing budgeting and saving for my future.
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