Current life situation: Living with my mum whilst I’m saving for my first property

Income: £3,600 per month (after taxes/ student loan / pension)

Expenses: £400 per month

Savings:

- Investments £200

- House Deposit: £1,200

- Holiday & general savings: £200

- Emergency fund: £100

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A Week of Spending

Monday: I took the tube to work (£7) - luckily I live in central London so my travel expenses are pretty minimal, even when I’m in the office. I grabbed a coffee and croissant for lunch (£7.50) and booked my mum an Uber to the airport when I get home (£60).

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Tuesday: Worked from home today so no travel or food costs, although I did pop out on my lunch break to pick up some groceries (£21.50).

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Wednesday: Back into the office today (£7) - I usually do 3 days in and then the rest from home. Opted for a Tesco meal deal for lunch (£3.85 with a clubcard) and then it was time for a few drinks after work with a couple of friends (£17.50).  

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Thursday: Another regular day in the office which means tube fare (£7) and a coffee on the way (£6.25). I spent the night in, after yesterday's drinks. Long gone are the days I could go for drinks every night after work - why do hangovers last at least two days now?!

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Friday: Back to working from home today - always a treat on a Friday. I did however go out for dinner and had a few too many bottles of wine with the girls after work. I paid for the Ubers and dinner (£206) but we will be splitting the bill for these between the four of us!

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Saturday: After a rather heavy night out, a day in bed was needed. I booked an appointment to get my eyelashes done for a friend’s wedding in a couple of weeks but had to pay in advance - £75.

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Sunday: After a long week, I decided some retail therapy was in order, so I may have slipped and fell into a couple of shops. I haven’t bought  new clothes for a while, so this was a little treat (£156), although I didn’t get round to trying everything on so there may be a couple of bits going back.

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After payday, I keep around £1,000 in my current account (a little more in busier months) and limit myself to that. I spent a little more than I usually do this week but I generally try to keep my spending as low as I can. At the same time, this is the time in my life when I will have the most financial freedom so I try not to restrict myself too much.

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With my current salary and the fact I don’t have any real expenses, I know I’m in a fortunate position - it’s just about balancing living my life to the full, while saving as much as I can!

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Total spend for the week: £420

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*Names have been changed for anonymity purposes.

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