Location: Newcastle – salary: £24,000 – lives with others
Working as a paralegal in the North East, Jamie describes themself as an “excessive spender” who is trying to build an emergency fund. This week’s Money Talks looks at the outgoings of a sociable young professional, including everything from cocktails and croissants to boring buys like bin bags.
The week at a glance
Age: 22
Location: Newcastle
Annual salary: £24,000
Living situation: House share
Current commitments: Rent
Main money goal: Emergency fund
General attitude toward money: “Excessive spender”
Jamie’s spending diary
Sunday
£40 – food shop
Monday
Coffee (price not specified)
Monday – Friday
£9 – transport (metro to work)
Tuesday
£3.75 – lunch at work
Wednesday
£6.45 – lunch at work
£7 – dinner out with friend
£2.75 – bin bags
£13 – taxi to work
Thursday
£6 – coffee and croissant with friends
£3.45 – lunch at work
Friday
£6.75 – lunch with friends
£7 – cocktail with friend
One off buys this week
£66 – new dress
£54 – new coat
Total weekly spend
Total for the week: £228.40 (ish)
Weekly reflection
Most purchases this week were impulse buys, excluding transport costs. When asked what surprised them about this week’s spending, Jamie said: “Buying lunch outside and taxi.” Outside of their normal routine, Jamie explained they’d avoid spending on taxis and instead rely on public transport. Making their own lunches would also be a change Jamie wants to implement going forward.
Compared to a typical week, they called this week “normal, with maybe less expenditure.”
Looking ahead, Jamie wants to build “mindful spending”, i.e growing an emergency fund to fall back on if ever needed n
Nothing was skipped this week because of money, and the only unexpected purchase was the new dress.
Want to get involved?
Fill out the form below, with the option for all entries to remain strictly anonymous or with a pseudonym if you prefer.
From students to professionals, we want to see how real young people earn, spend, and save – so please answer as honestly as you can.
The log will take about 10 minutes to complete. Figures may be lightly edited for clarity and style.
