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Today: a vice president working in data technology who makes $250,000 per year ($400,000 when combined with her husband) and spends some of her money this week on Cetaphil.
Occupation: Vice President Product Development
Industry: Data Technology
Age: 31
Location: New York, NY
My Salary: $250,000
My Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $6,000
My Husband’s Salary: $150,000-$175,000 depending on overtime
My Husband’s Paycheck Amount (2x/month): ~$3,000-$3,500
Gender Identity: Female
Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: $3,160 for our 15-year mortgage, including HOA/maintenance. We just bought an apartment last year, and this is way cheaper than rent was. We also pay $100 for parking — my husband has to drive to work.
Loans: $50,000 for a securities loan (which we took out to buy our apartment). We paid off $20,000 in student loans about five years ago. I got a scholarship.
Spotify: $15.99 (My hubs, my BFF, and my sister-in-law are also on it.)
Netflix: $12.99 (We share with my in-laws in exchange for their HBO.)
Cell Phone: Covered by work
Health Insurance: Covered by my husband’s work.
My Husband’s Gym: $199
My Gym: $80 (with corporate discount)
Peloton Digital: $21.22
iCloud Storage: $2.99
Probiotics: $35 via Amazon Subscribe & Save
Additional Expenses
Amazon Prime: $107/year (My dad is also on the account.)
Car & Home Insurance: $700 every six months
Day One
6:10 a.m. — Alarm goes off. A few months ago I transitioned from sleeping with the phone in the bedroom to help with my mental health, so I got one of those digital alarms that slowly emits light 20 mins before your alarm goes off to wake you up "naturally." I prefer this to the feeling of being woken up from a full on coma, so I guess I like it? I put on workout clothes in the bathroom to not wake up my husband. I chug a glass of water, brush my teeth, put in headphones, and head out to the gym. I check emails and Slack on the 5-minute walk over, and answer a few. I do a 30-minute HIIT run on the Peloton app on my phone. This app is so good — great playlists, feels like you are in class, and it’s nice to not think and sprint when she tells me to. I finish off with some stretching and core.
7:15 a.m. — Home, showered, and make a smoothie (banana, frozen blueberries, lots of spinach, frozen mango, gluten-free oat milk, a teaspoon of coconut oil, and collagen peptides) while my hair dries. Sip on it while I pack my lunch and snacks. ( I meal prep on Sundays for the full week.) My husband, B is still sleeping, so I blow dry my hair in the living room. It took me years to not get annoyed that he sleeps in, and get over the fact that our schedules differ so much, but he is working 24 hours tonight. Apply makeup, get dressed, kiss B goodbye, and run to the train.
8:15 a.m. — Get to work, drop my loads of Tupperware in the communal fridge, fill up my water bottle, and make a coffee from the office machine. I love the quiet before my team starts trickling in, so I get started on a presentation I am working on for the executive team next week regarding strategic decisions we have to make about our roadmap and my recommendations. After about an hour, I head to the kitchen to microwave my oatmeal with almond milk and add some strawberries. I like to eat in the kitchen in the morning for 10 minutes to socialize a bit.
1:30 p.m. — After a full morning of meetings with no breaks, I finally have a 30 minute window to pee, refill my water, and eat my salad and two hard boiled eggs. I am so hungry I think I forget to chew. I catch up on emails, check in with a few team members, and see a text from my husband. He’s at our accountant’s to file our taxes and had a question regarding my W2. I am so thankful he is handling this stuff. When we got married we had a very honest conversation about how we would "split the chores," and anything that requires mid-day meetings is much easier for him to schedule around. We pay the accountant $200. I take my apple to my next meeting. $200
3 p.m. — I go out for coffee with a girl on my team to talk about some company changes (we’ve had some people leave the company unexpectedly) and wanted to assess how she’s feeling about everything. She’s one of my best performers, and I want to make sure she knows how much we value her. I get an Americano with steamed almond milk and I enjoy every single sip. ($8.45 expensed)
6:30 p.m. — We have a work event tonight where we’re hosting a bunch of clients for drinks and a fireside chat ( that term makes me gag). I still have stuff to do, and I don’t want to go, but I think it’s important people see me support our company and going to these things (especially because one of my favorite coworkers planned this thing!). My husband is also working tonight, so I am not exactly eager to get home to an empty apartment. I call an Uber with a coworker, and head over. I plan to leave in an hour. ($12.11 expensed)
9 p.m. — I stayed at the event longer than I wanted, and I’m exhausted from "being on." I stop at CVS on my way home to grab Cetaphil Gentile face wash (classic) and impulse buy some Dairy Fee Coconut Milk Ice Cream. I eat it while I finish up some emails. $15.52
Daily Total: $215.52
Day Two
6 a.m. — Same deal — alarm, chug water, gym. I do a 45-minute total-body workout with tons of squats. My boss starts slacking me this early. I turn my phone on Do Not Disturb until after my workout. This 45 minutes is all I get to myself all day, so I like to turn my brain off. I try and not think about work for the remainder of my gym sesh.
7 a.m. — Make and drink smoothie, pack lunch/ snacks, put on makeup, and get dressed. I’m presenting to a group in a big meeting today, so I wear my "power outfit" — which is a combination of black jeans, a black silk top, and my higher heeled brown booties. I am Type A (shocker) and I pick my outfits out the night before to make my mornings easier.
9:30 a.m. — Eat my hard boiled eggs and office coffee while responding to emails, and prep for a few meetings later today.
2:30 p.m. — Get out of a really frustrating meeting where no one can decide on anything. I had prepped prior to make it run as smoothly as possible, but I work with some really tough personalities, and it’s not that unusual to have lots of raised voices. I am constantly in awe that some of the higher-up men act this way, and unfortunately there’s not much I can do about it. I try and shake the feeling that they wouldn’t treat me this way if I was a man. I take a walk around the block to cool down. Text B a Michael Scott meme, and my mom. My mom immediately writes back sweet things with about 10 emoji hearts. Makes me smile. Moms are the best. Get back to my desk in a better mood and inhale my salad
8:30 p.m. — Finally leave work because my stomach is growling so much I can’t focus anymore. I walk the mile or so home while listening to No Limits podcast. I either listen to inspiring women CEO type podcasts or true crime podcasts, which is kind of weird, but it helps me take my mind off work. Get home, hug and kiss B. I really miss him when he’s gone for 24 hours! I heat up dinner (I made Tex Mex chicken in the crockpot this week, and it is amazing!) and we eat it while re-watching an episode of the last season of Game of Thrones to prep for the new season.
10 p.m. — Nighttime routine: I use Simple makeup remover wipes, wash my face with Cetaphil, spot treat with some Differin, Kiehl’s recovery eye cream, and Kiehl’s nighttime serum under my Tula moisturizer. B and I have sex and talk a bit in bed. We’re been "trying to conceive" for the last 6 months. We talk about how annoying it is all our friends got pregnant right away and also how terrifying it is. I have no idea how I am going to handle it and my workload. We talk about what it would take to get a night nurse. I have no idea how I will be able to do my job on no sleep, and my husband gets literally 2 days of paternity leave. Try not to think about it and conk out.
Daily Total: $0
Day Three
7:25 a.m. — Alarm goes off. Today is a rest day, and I savor every extra minute of sleep I can get. I pretty much have the same routine, just sans smoothie. I hop in the shower to rinse, apply my Tula illuminating serum, Tula day cream, Kiehl’s eye cream, makeup, go over a few pieces of hair with the straightener, and I’m out the door. On rest days I like to walk to and from work to get me energized and enjoy my Crime Junkie podcast on the way.
8:30 a.m. — Office coffee, a KIND Bar, and emails. One of our C Levels is in early, so we chat for a few minutes about work and his upcoming trip. When I first became a manager a few years ago, I thought the chitchat was useless and a waste of time. I thought that all that mattered was the work you put out. Now I realize it’s just as important to play the game and have those relationships. I had to teach myself this and constantly remind myself daily. It’s a work in progress.
12:30 p.m. — One of my favorite coworkers (same level, different department) asks if we can go to lunch to talk. I ask a few team members to reschedule our 1:1s for later in the day to make time, and we head to a place down the block. We both get iced teas, I order a Cobb salad but make so many changes to it due to my allergies it’s more like a pile of lettuce and eggs. She orders soup and a wrap. Food is okay. We vent about work, and then she drops the bomb shell — she’s leaving the company. I should have known something was up. I am more upset than I thought I would be, but her new gig sounds awesome so I try to focus on how happy I am for her. $52.44 with tip, expensed. She uses her card because she can.
7:15 p.m. — Head out a little earlier because it’s my friend’s birthday, and I am taking her out for sushi. Happy hour is until 7:30 so we quickly order apps (edamame and tuna tartare) and wine to start. We then get a few rolls to split and chat about life. Most of my friends are spread out across the country, so I don’t have many friends in NYC, and it’s so nice to see her. The bill comes, and I cover it. We’re both exhausted and head home before 9. $93
11:15 p.m. — Lying in bed, and I can’t fall asleep. B is working again and work is on my mind. I decide it’s unproductive to just lie there, so I go into the living room and work on my laptop for 30 minutes. I also make a long list of everything on my mind, and start separating it into actual to-dos for the next day and random shit. This is my biggest life hack — getting it all on paper is the best thing for my mental health. I head back to bed and fall asleep immediately.
Daily Total: $93
Day Four
6 a.m. — Alarm goes off, and I feel like I got hit by a truck. I’m sore, tired, but it’s FRIDAY! The cortisol from this week is catching up to me, so decide to take it easy at the gym today. I do a few arm and ab circuits at a much slower pace than usual. Working up a sweat does wonders for my mood, and it really wakes me up.
7:15 a.m. — You know the drill: Smoothie, pack lunch, do my hair and makeup. B gets home this morning, and I want to see him before I leave, so I distract myself by doing the dishes and cleaning up around the house until he walks through the door. I give him a big hug, we chat for a few minutes, and I sprint out the door.
10 a.m. — There were tons of fire drills the second I stepped in to the office today, so I am just getting my coffee and breakfast now. I eat oatmeal and drink coffee while running between people’s desks. Our sales team is freaking out, so I shoot out an email to give my team air cover while they resolve it. We recently switched data cloud services, and this new one has all sorts of issues. I make a mental note to escalate this later today, and run to my morning meetings.
2 p.m. — Eat my prepped salad in the kitchen. Today it’s Trader Joe’s Southwest mix, and I am pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I get a notification that our credit card is due in a few days I text B. With our mortgage and loan, I am constantly stressed out about it, so I tell him to make a huge payment from our savings. We talk about how much we think we need in the emergency fund. I want to pay off our loan ASAP so we just have the mortgage to worry about, but I also don’t need to be reckless. I get quarterly bonuses, and I start doing the math on when I think it will hit our account. B tells me not to worry, and I am again reminded how great he is.
7 p.m. — IT’S FRIDAY!! I practically skip out of the office. I want to make a homemade pizza tonight, so I stop at the healthy bodega by us and get Daiya dairy-free cheese. I have a TJ’s cauliflower crust and sauce at home, as well as canned olives. I think about the melted fake cheese the entire walk home. $5.99
8 p.m. — Pizza is made, and we rent Free Solo on Amazon while we eat. It’s an insane movie. Really well done. My palms and feet sweat the entire time. After it’s over, I am disgusted with myself ( why am I so sweaty!? lol) so I jump in the shower. B does the dishes, wipes down the counter, and tidies up. Get yourself a man that can do both! We "try" another time, and fall asleep immediately after. $3
Daily Total: $8.99
Day Five
9:30 a.m. — I wake up naturally (I LOVE WEEKENDS! NO ALARM!), and I’m shocked with how long we slept. We clearly needed it though! I love Saturdays when B is off, and we get a full day together, so we take our time, cuddle in bed and plan our day. We want to go look at lighting today. We’re in desperate need of updating our lights in the kitchen and hallway but we can’t find anything we like. We get up, and B makes us a French press coffee and gluten-free pancakes with some mix we have while I get dressed. It’s the perfect morning.
11 a.m. — It’s the first sort of nice day in NYC, so I relish this by throwing on sneakers, jeans, a sweater, and my leather jacket. I am ready to not be wearing a parka. After doing some window shopping and checking out West Elm and some other super trendy but way too expensive stores in Flatiron and not finding anything, we decide to head to the LES to check out some lighting stores we found online. We take the bus, and pay for B’s fare. He drives for work, so he will rarely have a MetroCard. $2.75
1 p.m. — The lighting stores had too many choices and were crammed to the brim and it was sort of stressful. I don’t have anxiety, but that store made me feel anxious. We take the bus home. I am cold. I guess I was too quick to ditch the parka. I come home and change into five layers. We’re starving, so make "bowls" for lunch with whatever we have left in the fridge, which becomes a combo of butternut squash, chicken apple sausage, rice, and zucchini. I douse it in hot sauce. $2.75
4 p.m. — After lounging on the couch with our iPad/phone looking at other lighting options, we decide neither of us wants to go anywhere for the rest of the night, so we discuss dinner. B is craving Italian, and I decide I want to make homemade chicken cutlets, so we head to the more expensive grocery store down the block to get ingredients. I find cooking therapeutic and fun, which given my food allergies I sort of had to learn. I get two packs of thin-sliced chicken breasts, gluten-free breadcrumbs, and OJ. I have pasta and tomato sauce at home (I buy in bulk online from Thrive Market and always have that in the pantry). $22
6:30 p.m. — I remember I have leftover Daiya cheese and melt it on top to make "chicken parm." It is so good. B and I are dead silent while eating, which is a sign it must be amazing. We then settle on the couch to snuggle and catch up on True Detective. I take in how nice it is to have him home on a Saturday.
Daily Total: $27.50
Day Six
7 a.m. — B’s alarm goes off because he has to work today. He jumps in the shower and gets ready while I drift in and out of sleep. He comes in to kiss me goodbye, and I remind him to take the snacks I left for him on the counter. I am sad, but drift back into a super light sleep.
8:30 a.m. — I am actually up now. I take my time getting up, and then go into the other room to get my phone. I bring it back to my bed (that’s why weekends are amazing) and I leisurely scroll through Instagram. I try and unplug when B is home on the weekends, so I have a lot to catch up on! I also see I have several emails, so I finally get up, throw on leggings and an oversized sweater, make myself a French press, and get some work done.
10 a.m. — Finish working and start making a list for Trader Joe’s. New York decided to be winter again today, so I put on more layers. I decide to make sweet potato black bean chili, since it will be spring soon and want to take advantage of my slow cooker. Trader Joe’s is a long walk from my apartment, so I call my best friend on the walk over. She lives a two-hour flight away, and I miss her. Trader Joe’s is packed, so I hang up the phone so I can focus. It’s like the Hunger Games in there. I buy: spring mix, romaine, kale-and-broccoli slaw mix, red bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli florets, avocados, sweet potatoes, pre-cut onions, berries, bananas, green apples, 3-pounds ground turkey, canned tomatoes, canned corn, canned black beans, 2 dozen eggs, almonds, dried mangoes, oatmeal, cauliflower gnocchi, and 1 bag of restaurant-style chips. $133.44
11:30 a.m. — Come home starving and make breakfast tacos with 2 scrambled eggs with hot sauce and sautéed spinach and wrap in a corn tortilla and douse in TJ hot sauce,
3:45 p.m. — Spend the rest of the day meal prepping while listening to podcasts: I prep the chili for the slow cooker and then put it in the fridge. (I will turn it on before work in the morning); make my salads for the week; hard-boil eggs, pan fry the gnocchi, and store with tomato sauce. I also snack on some cucumbers, banana chips, and an apple while cooking
4:30 p.m. — I leave the dirty pans for B — I cook, he cleans — but I run the dishwasher with the smaller bowls/ plates. Head to the gym to reward myself for finishing cooking. I do a 45 minutes Peloton interval run, take my time stretching after. I love being able to take my time.
6 p.m. — Shower and eat pasta and homemade cutlets while watching the last episode of You on Netflix. So creepy. Lonely boy is back at it again! I call my mom, clean up around the house, and do some work. My two-year-old niece Facetimes me. We sing a bunch of "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" and "Baby Shark," and talk about her day. Apparently she ate chocolate for dinner. She is the absolute best, and I love her. We blow kisses, and then I wish her good night.
9 p.m. — I get ready for the week: check the weather and my calendar, mentally prep what I need for the next week, and lay out my outfit for tomorrow. I also do my to-do list ritual and make some reminders to get a birthday card for my sister-in-law, and text B for a bit. I head to bed early and read the last few chapters of Bad Blood (obsessed with this story after listening to The Dropout and can’t wait for the documentary!) before conking out.
Daily Total: $133.44
Day Seven
6 a.m. — It’s raining and cold, and it’s the most Monday-est Monday but I remind myself that I never miss a Monday. I also slept really well last night so I don’t really have any excuse. Throw on my workout outfit, chug water, put on some jams, and head out.
7:15 a.m. — Lower body circuit today: deadlifts, squats, glute bridges, and abs. Come home, smoothie, shower, morning routine timed to the minute. Luckily, I don’t have to wash my hair today. I take the slow cooker out and turn it on. It should be done by the time B gets home.
8:15 a.m. — B texts me he is going to be late, so I don’t wait for him and head into work. I prep for my team weekly meeting at noon while drinking office coffee and eating my hard boiled eggs.
1:30 p.m. — I eat lunch on a break between meetings, and chitchat with coworkers. One of my coworkers is in the process of buying a townhouse in the burbs, so we commiserate on the insane process that is becoming a first time home owner.
6:30 p.m. — Today was rough. Another few tense meetings, and I am super frustrated. A project my team has been working on for months got put on hold today for no good reason and a few team leads "need more time to think it over." They clearly haven’t been listening for four months. Ugh. B texts me that he is home and exhausted. My office is pretty empty at this time, and I don’t think I will be super productive in this mood. I walk home and listen to some throwback jams to get my head right. I walk in the door to B who is SO HAPPY to see me, and it makes me smile. All is right in the world.
8:30 p.m. — Chili turned out pretty good, but I could use more tomatoes next time. B and I watch some old episodes of The Office to cheer me up, and B falls asleep on my lap. After a few, I wake him up and head to bed.
Daily Total: $0
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