Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.
This week we're with a 27-year-old single mum to a 3-year-old. She lives in a small terraced house in Devon which she bought before her daughter was born.
"I work part-time in the NHS for around 30 hours a week. My contract only stipulates I work 16.5 hours a week which attracts an unsocial payment enhancement of 21%/25% which I top up each week with flat rate overtime. This is a lot easier to fit around my childcare, although I often end up working less desirable shifts like lates and weekends. I don't get the additional annual leave so I'm not paid if I'm not working.
I'm very savvy with my money but I make sure my daughter and I have what we need. I tend to save pockets of money so I can take my daughter on mini trips around Europe."
Industry: NHS ambulance service
Age: 27
Location: Devon
Salary: Last year I earned £14,100 so it will be similar this year. It's different every month but works out to be about £1,090 take home monthly after tax, NI and my NHS pension. I get £80 per month in child benefit and £240 tax credits and her dad transfers me £350. It was agreed he would pay a little more than he needed.
Housemates: My daughter "A"
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: Mortgage £400
Utilities inc internet: £200
Petrol for work and dropping off A: £80
Phone bill: £6
Savings for any car issues/insurance/tax etc: £100
A's savings account: £10
Food/groceries/nappies: £30 a week and A eats two days a week at school which is £4.40
Other: I also have a Tesco credit card which I use as a debit card to score extra points for days out. It's interest-free and I pay whatever the bill is at the end of every month.
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Day One
6.15am: The school holidays have started so A will be home with me today. I'm pretty tired as I worked a late on Friday and finished just after 2am before working an early (7am) on Sunday and spent the entire evening cleaning, so I'm trying to catch up. I try and placate A with some YouTube on my phone, which allows for an extra 30 mins in bed. Eventually we get up and have cereal and milk and tea. A gets dressed and watches TV while I shower and do my admin (shave and wash my hair!).
8am: It's nearly two hours later by the time I've done everything, made the bed and mustered the energy to get dressed and sort my hair. I go downstairs and play with A then get her to watch TV while I cut the grass and sweep up outside.
10am: I decide we need food so we head to Tesco to get some and fill up the car. Tesco has a pair of denim shorts that catch A's eye so I buy them. Reduced at £3.50. Get home and put the shopping away by which time it's almost lunch so I give in and make us ham sandwiches with cucumber and we share a bag of crisps.
1pm: We've cleaned up and I decide to take A to the canal. I make us some juice and take some flapjack. We are there for a couple of hours and return home around 3.30. £3 in petrol.
4pm: Sit down with A for a bit then make tea which is spag bol. She has some strawberries for pudding and I get her ready for bed so I can veg out and use my laser hair removal, which is saving time on shaving!
Total: £6.50
Day Two
6am: I throw the phone to A and manage an extra hour of sleep. We both go downstairs for breakfast. I shower and get ready in a lot less time today.
8am: We watch TV, then head to the park for an hour.
10am: We come back and watch some TV until lunch. Afterwards I put A in her pram and we go on a three-mile uphill walk. I try and run when I can but she's not at school at the moment and my parents are on holiday so I'm walking with her instead.
2.30pm: My friend comes round with snacks and we all play for a bit and eat. He leaves a few hours later and I prepare our tea which today is chicken curry. There's loads left so I freeze two small pots for A and a big one for me.
6pm: We finish our tea and clean up so I jump in the shower with A to get her ready for bed and me for a date. I'm meeting him at 7.30 so I get dressed and ready and drop A at my brother's.
7.30pm: I drive to meet my date (£5 round trip) but he pays for all the drinks. Date goes well (second date arranged!).
10.30pm: I'm home to pick A up as my brother has work early and so do I.
Total: £5
Day Three
4.45am: I wake up to get myself ready for work and take A to my sister's. I drop her off and drive to work for my 7am shift.
7am: I always take my own food to work so I don't spend money on sandwiches, pasties, etc even though we get discounts in some places.
12pm: Lunch! Today, I've got my leftover curry in a flask with rice, a yoghurt with fruit, honey and seeds, a bag of crisps, rice cake, piece of Soreen, and a pack of nuts and berries. We get free juice and tea and coffee. I have a good day at work but am exhausted and head home to pick A up from my sister.
7.20pm: I'm only working one rota day this week as my parents are on holiday and it's difficult to get childcare as my brother and sister work and my friends all do shift work like me. Thankfully A is fed and bathed and we get back to mine at 8.15. I put her straight to bed and make myself some beans on toast.
9pm: I shower and head to bed myself.
Total: £0
Day Four
6.43am: Wake up and we lie in.
7.30am: We have breakfast and I jump in the shower and wash my hair. A has got herself dressed and destroyed the house while I got ready. I hoover up from the last couple of days of breakfast and tidy the house.
9.30am: I drive into town (£5) to take my friend to get her nails done and for lunch for her birthday. We park for free by A's dad's old flat. My friend and her boyfriend are super kind and generous to us and I wanted to treat her. A shares a large cooked breakfast that I ordered and the nails and food and drink come to £38.49.
12pm: We mill around the shops as my friend is having a party and wants an outfit. I pop into a charity shop and buy A some shorts as the ones she's wearing keep falling down (£3).
1pm: We head back to the car and I drop my friend home before heading home with A.
4pm: I sit down for half an hour then make us sausage rolls, cream mash, sweetcorn and spaghetti. A has a yoghurt for pudding and I have an Aldi cheesecake and pretend to her that it's a normal yoghurt. It doesn't work and she eats half.
7pm: I put A to bed but she's resisting like the French and doesn't get to sleep properly until 9pm. I watch some things on TV and chill out drinking tea before I head up around 10pm and realise I should have gone far earlier.
Total: £46.49
Day Five
6.15am: A wakes early and I want to cry. She's immediately hungry so we have breakfast and I stick the TV on for her and lie down until 7.30am. I go and get showered and help her get dressed.
8.30am: It's late once I've got us both ready, made the bed and sorted her hair which is down to her bum and extra knotty this morning. I make and pack some lunch for us as we are going to the zoo for the day! It's £8 for a round trip and free to get in as I've used some Tesco vouchers.
10.30am: We get there and A is immediately hungry and needs to eat everything in sight. I distract her by taking her to see the bears. About an hour later she wants a Mini Milk so I buy one and a tea, which comes to £1.80.
2.30pm: We go to the park at the zoo for 15 mins before heading home.
4pm: We get home and unpack and heat up some leftover spag bol from the freezer for A with pasta. My friend is coming round for fajitas so I'm not eating with her. I try and get her ready and in bed for 7pm so I can start cooking and...it works!
7.45pm: When my friend arrives, tea is on the table and I've done most of the washing up! Success. We eat and A wakes up at 9 and demands my friend play in her shop and read her a story – to which he obliges. She goes back to bed an hour later and he leaves at 11.30. I go straight to bed and don't even shower.
Total: £9.80
Day Six
6.27am: I'm absolutely shattered. I give A my phone and she watches YouTube for an hour. I get up at 7.30 and we have breakfast. A gets dressed and I shower and get ready.
8.30am: I set about cleaning the house while A ruins it behind me.
11am: I take A for a wander up town to the charity shops. She finds a book she likes for 50p and a tractor for £1. She's happy. We go for a walk around the back lanes and then for a trip to the park.
1pm: We get back for lunch and I realise A hasn't once asked for food. I have a leftover fajita and A has an Aldi special cheese dunker with carrot sticks and strawberries. We spend the afternoon in the garden and I cook us a chilli for tea. I'm going on my second date tonight so set about getting A and myself ready. My brother is babysitting again so I wash my hair and dry it quickly and drop A round to meet the guy.
7.15pm: We go for food (I've eaten but I keep it quiet haha!). I pay for a round of drinks (£9) before dropping him home (£6 in petrol). It was a success again!
10.45pm: I pick A up from my brother and head back to mine.
Total: £16.50
Day Seven
7.15am: Wake up. Result. Get breakfast and showered and eventually ready by 9.
9am: We are going to the beach later for a BBQ so I walk down to the shop to pick up the essentials. I buy two BBQs, some utensils, sauce, cheese and some veg for veggie and halloumi kebabs. The lads are bringing rolls, meat, snacks and another couple of BBQs and we'll all take our own drinks. I have some leftover paper plates and napkins and a pack of halloumi in the fridge. £9.50
11am: I warm up some sausage and beans from a tin and give it to A while I sort the food. We are ready by 12 so play in the garden and pack our bag ready to leave.
2.30pm: Get to the beach and meet two of my friends and we chat and mess about until the others arrive. £7 round trip. We start the BBQ and eventually eat about 4.15. It's a beaut of an afternoon and we chill and play on the beach and I relish the amount of people who A can pester instead of me! Bliss.
6.15pm: People start to leave. Me and a couple of others stay until 7pm then walk back to the car. I drop my friend home before heading home to mine.
8pm: We both jump in the shower and I get A ready for bed and she goes straight to sleep. I unpack our things and head to bed for 9.30 after watching a bit of TV and browsing eBay. I spot a pair of Topshop shorts I want and offer £4.50 plus £2 postage and win. I've got a late shift tomorrow so I hope for a lie-in... It's not going to happen.
Total: £23
The Breakdown
Food/Drink: £33.79
Entertainment: £1.50
Clothes/Beauty: £38
Travel: £34
Other: £0
Total: £107.29
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