Welcome to Spending Notes, where we do a weekly deep dive into how our readers spend their cash.
Today, an engineer who makes $100,000 a year in Los Angeles, California, U.S., lets us into his week’s expenses.
Occupation: Engineer
Age: 34
Location: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Salary: $100,000 (approx. $3,800 per pay period)
Day One
Living in LA has its perks, especially as an engineer. I get to enjoy the beach life while doing what I love the most. I also get to spend time with my favorite people whether it’s at my place, a bar, or even a wax museum in Los Angeles to see famous celebrity wax figures like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. I get discounts from Travelin’ Coupons, and off we go. They donate 10 percent of their proceeds to the Student Youth Foundation, so that’s really nice of them. So even though it was a slow Monday at work, I got to have fun with some of my closest buddies at the Hollywood Wax Museum.
Total: $25.44
Day Two
It’s Tuesday after work, and I got busy looking for decorations to give my new house a tropical feel and good fortune. I found a website where they ship houseplants straight to your door, and I got caught up reading their post about money tree plant care before committing to buying one. Money trees can give life to a home, and I enjoy being surrounded by positive energy and good luck, so I thought this could be a good way to decorate my home. I just bought four money tree plants and a couple of other indoor plants to fill up the different rooms in my house.
Total: $236.87
Day Three
I enjoy eating in the city after work, so that’s exactly what I did today. I checked out some restaurants in town, and a French one caught my eye. I’m at home changing and now I’m going to drive over there to savor some delicious food. I met my friend Y. at the restaurant out of nowhere, so we got a spot at the bar and chatted the night away.
Total: $43.20
Day Four
LA woke up rowdy today. I woke up extra early because someone’s car alarm went off and they took hours to turn it off. I’m asking to work from home today because, in all honesty, I lack rest and will not be able to deal with my chatty coworkers today. I order some sweet potato tacos from a nearby shop and it gets delivered just in time as I take my lunch break. My workday ends and I’m simply staying home and resting. Hopefully, I get more hours of sleep tonight.
Total: $16.94
Day Five
It’s Friday and despite having rested last night, I’m not going to go out tonight. I might actually invite some of my friends to spend some time at my place. I just clocked out and am ready for the weekend. The energy levels are low, but I just called a couple of my closest friends and they’re on their way now. I just stopped at the grocery store to purchase some finger food and drinks for the gathering tonight.
Total: $74.23
Day Six
It’s Saturday morning and I’m headed to the beach where I’ll do my morning jog. The morning is pretty chilly at this time of year, so it’s getting a bit hard to breathe while jogging. Nonetheless, I just finished my jog and am headed back home. I have a great runner’s high right now, which is perfect for doing chores at home.
Total: $0.00
Day Seven
Finally, Sunday is here, and it’s the perfect time to relax and enjoy the last day of peace before heading back to the wild world of engineering.
Total: $0.00
Total for the week: $396.68