Money Diaries: A self-employed illustrator living in the west of the country |
WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week. If you’re interested send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.
Last time around, we heard from a quality and compliance officer on €42K, saving for a mortgage. This week, a self-employed illustrator living in the west of the country.
I’m a 27-year-old, self-employed illustrator living in the west of the country. I share a four-bed house with my boyfriend and two other people. We all split the rent and bills four ways, and I use one room as an office.
I have been self-employed for three years, and in that time, I haven’t made any routine around my savings. But I have about €8,000 put away. I am very careful with how I spend my money: I buy most things second-hand, cook from scratch and repair my stuff as much as possible. I’m starting to think about putting money away in a pension or potentially investing it, but I haven’t a notion of where to begin with the latter.
My boyfriend and I like to spend our time outdoors, and we both prefer to do things ourselves to save a bit of cash. Other than rent, our main expense is the two vehicles we share – a 15-year-old car and a 21-year-old van. He does all the maintenance and repairs, saving us a significant amount in garage costs. Our landlord is also happy for us to carry out repairs on the house. We like to see this as ‘’practice’’ for when we have our own home.
Eventually, we would like to buy in Co Clare, and look forward to either building our own home or renovating an older property. But for now, we’re doing our best to live our twenties to the fullest before getting bogged down in mortgages and bank loans.
Occupation: Illustrator
Monthly pay (net): Changes drastically from month to month – sometimes €1,500, other months €4,500
Transport: €120 diesel
Health insurance: N/a
Subscriptions: Spotify – €11, Community Action Tenants Union membership – €5
9.30 am: Wake up. I was working all day Saturday, so I’m taking it easy this morning. Snooze in bed for the next hour.
10.30 am: Scrounge around for some breakfast. We do the ‘big shop’ on Monday evenings, so the cupboards are bare. Make a coffee and read my book til 12 pm.
12.00 pm: Admin work in my home office.
3.00 pm: Finish up admin work. I take my lunch to the local park. It’s a homemade quiche that I made yesterday with odds and ends of last week’s veg. My boyfriend is working from home today and has made me a coffee when I get downstairs.
5.00 pm: Back at my desk after a lovely sunny walk. I will spend the next hour focusing on marketing and making content for my website and social media.
6.00 pm: Work done for the day, I head off to the shops to buy food for the week........