Welcome toMoney Diaries , where we’re tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We’re asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.
Today: a nanny who makes $23,000 per year ($95,000 when combined with her wife) and spends some of her money this week on Clif bars. Trigger warning: This OP mentions stillbirth. If you are experiencing anxiety or depression as a result of child loss and need support, please call the National Depressive/Manic-Depressive Association Hotline at 1-800-826-3632 or the Crisis Call Center’s 24-hour hotline at 1-775-784-8090.
Occupation: Nanny
Industry: Child Care
Age: 38
Location: Portland, OR
Salary: $23,000 approximate +$72,000 (wife’s salary)
Paychecks: Mine is weekly and varies depending on how much I work, and my wife’s is $1,886 biweekly.
Gender Identity: Woman
Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,375 for our two-bedroom house
Car Loan: $200
Student Loans: $550 for both of our loans
Credit Card: $500 (We’ve been paying off this credit card aggressively for the past few months. We used it to finance our baby-making. We also have a small balance on our other credit card that we’re paying off, since we bought a vacuum. We normally carry a $0 balance on this card, though.)
Phone Bill: About $130 for both of our phones
Internet: $57.95
Utilities: About $115
Netflix: We got gift cards for Netflix when we went to The Ellen DeGeneres Show last year. We won’t have to pay for Netflix until July.
Hulu: $5.99
Amazon Prime With HBO: $0 (We use my cousin’s login.)
Car & Renters Insurance: $135
Day One
7:45 a.m. — I wake up after dozing for a bit. My wife’s alarms went off at 6:20 and 6:40. I don’t usually work on Mondays and Fridays lately, so I don’t have to get up super early. I lie in bed for 20 minutes checking IG. Then I get up, feed the cat and dog, and do the few dishes that are in the sink. I do at-home yoga every morning, and today I do a 45-minute video. After that, I make French press coffee and eat some Greek yogurt with berries and granola for breakfast while watching an episode of Jane the Virgin. I then get dressed, brush my teeth, throw my hair up in a topknot (my go-to hairstyle), and do simple makeup (face powder and mascara). I take the pup for a walk and get ready to go run some errands.
11:30 a.m. — First stop is Target. I get Clif bars, cotton rounds, conditioner, disposable gloves (we have to give our cat thyroid medicine twice a day in his ear), paper towels, wet food for the cat, a Mother’s Day card, and a birthday card for our friend. $81.11
12 p.m. — Next stop is New Seasons Market, a local grocery store. I get a California sushi roll, a kale salad, mac ‘n’ cheese, a lemonade, decaf coffee, lotion, granola, and natural gummy animals (my wife loves them). $40.47
1 p.m. — I get home and eat the sushi I got with some chips and salsa for lunch while watching Gilmore Girls. (I’ve seen every episode like 12 times, but I still love it so much.) I then clean the bathroom while listening to Pod Save America. Afterward, I take a much-needed nap (not really, but still). When I wake up, I get ready to go by packing snacks and dinner for later (I’m babysitting tonight) and let the dog out.
3:15 p.m. — I go to the post office to mail out a package to my cousin. She accidentally had her wedding invitations sent to her old address here in Portland, and I told her I would grab them and send them to her in NY. She’ll pay me back later. $14.35
4:30 p.m. — Head to our perinatology (high-risk OB) appointment. I’m 22 weeks pregnant. Our daughter was stillborn at 26 weeks back in 2017, so we’re being monitored very closely this pregnancy. It took us almost a year to get pregnant again (hence the high credit card balance).
4:45 p.m. — While waiting for the doctor, I order my shirt for the Pride parade we march in every year. I get a white shirt that says in rainbow across the belly, "You’re looking at a Rainbow." $23.70
5:30 p.m. — Wifey heads to Trader Joe’s from our appointment. She gets dried mango, Chicago-style popcorn, chicken Caesar salad, some popped BBQ chips, and two carnitas burritos. I head to my babysitting gig. It’s for my wife’s old boss, and I adore her. She’s also pregnant, so we chat for a bit about the joys of pregnancy before she and her hubby head out to a date night. After I feed the kiddo and play for a bit, I put him down for the night. I eat my dinner (mac ‘n’ cheese and kale salad) while watching the Netflix movie Someone Great — I love Gina Rodriguez. The parents get home around 11, and I head home. I use a face wipe, brush my teeth, and take out my contacts. I read a chapter of Nicole Chung’s All You Can Ever Know in bed before passing out. $19.44
Daily Total: $179.07
Day Two
6:30 a.m. — Alarm goes off and I get up, let the dog out, feed the animals, and do the few dishes in the sink. I do a quick 15-minute yoga video before jumping in the shower. After I get out, I slather my whole body with Alafia’s coconut-and-vanilla lotion (I’m trying to keep stretch marks at bay) and do my face routine (toner with witch hazel and moisturize with First Aid Beauty moisturizer). I make coffee and my lunch for the day and take the dog for a quick walk before leaving for work.
7:45 a.m. — I eat my Clif bar and listen to Armchair Expert on my commute. I stop and fill up my tank on the way. $31.80
8:30 a.m. — Normally, I only have a one-year-old until 1 p.m., but today the other family I nanny for is dropping off their three-year-old as well. At 1, we go pick up the one-year-old’s big sister from preschool and head to the park.
3:30 p.m. — I’m done with work and head to a shoe cobbler to get my Birkenstocks resoled. I waited too long on my last pair, and they were beyond repair. Not making that mistake again! I then head home, and the wifey is not far behind. We take advantage of the nice weather by taking the pup for a long walk. $45
5:30 p.m. — While my wife, S., makes dinner (teriyaki shrimp, jasmine rice, and green beans), we watch The Office and I book us an overnight on the Oregon coast for my birthday this summer. After dinner, I shower, condition my hair, and exfoliate with Lush’s sea-salt exfoliant. I get out, moisturize my body and face, and put Miss Jessie’s MultiCultural cream in my hair. We then watch How I Met Your Mother, as neither one of us wants to pay close attention to whatever we’re watching. This is, like, the sixth time we’ve watched the series. While half-watching, I fill out my ballot for the school-board election. Here in Oregon, we have vote by mail, and it’s awesome. A few weeks before the election, we get a booklet with all the candidate bios so we can do research. We head to bed around 9:30 and fall asleep listening to an episode of The Office. $142
Daily Total: $218.80
Day Three
6:15 a.m. — Get up and let the pup out. S. decides to take a mental-health day and work from home, so the pup goes back to bed with her. I feed the animals, do the dishes, and do a quick yoga video. Then I get dressed, brush my teeth, and put on simple makeup. I start a load of laundry before I leave. Then I head to work, eat a Clif bar on the way, and listen to Sooo Many White Guys. Phoebe Robinson is the best. So fucking funny! Today for work I have two preschoolers. I take them to school and then head home for a bit before picking them up around noon. At 3, when the parents get home, I head home to hang with S.
5 p.m. — I head out to tonight’s babysitting gig and stop by my favorite Thai place on the way to grab some shrimp pad Thai for dinner. The parents get home around 10, and I head home, take a quick shower, and read for half an hour before I pass out. $15.50
Daily Total: $15.50
Day Four
6:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I roll over and immediately get a huge cramp in my left leg. Oh, the joys of pregnancy! I get up and do the usual (feed animals, dishes, and yoga) and then get dressed, brush my teeth, and do simple makeup. I make coffee and my lunch and take the pup for a quick walk.
7:50 a.m. — Leave for work a bit early so I can stop at one of my favorite coffee shops on the way to work. I get a cheese Danish and listen to Queery on the way. Get to work and hang with the babe. $4.25
9:20 a.m. — We stop at the post office to mail out my mom’s Mother’s Day gift and then head to Story Time. I love it because I’ve met a queer couple who bring their daughter as well. I’m done with work at 3:30. $14.20
3:30 p.m. — I head to New Seasons on the way home to grab some fruit to make fruit salad for our home group tonight. Our church is amazing, and we have a really large community of queer folks there. Our home group is almost all queer folks, and it makes my heart so happy! S. meets me at church, and we’re there for about 2.5 hours. We get home around 9 and fall asleep to an episode of The Office again. $24.28
Daily Total: $42.73
Day Five
7:15 a.m. — Get up so I can say goodbye to S. before she leaves for work. I do the usual (animals, dishes, yoga) and then make coffee and Greek yogurt with berries and granola. I eat while watching Riverdale. Walk the pup to the local library to drop off my ballot and then get ready for my dentist appointment.
11:45 a.m. — I stop at a thrift store on the way home from the dentist to look at their maternity section. I find a jean skirt, shorts, and a pair of black platform sandals. $14.50
12 p.m. — I stop by Target on the way home. Your ass tends to grow when you’re pregnant, and I need some bigger panties! I also get some baby wipes. We use them to clean the cat’s ears every few days. $21.70
12:30 p.m. — Stop by Burgerville and get some lunch. I get an original cheeseburger, asparagus, and a strawberry lemonade. When I get home, I get a message from a member of this group that I belong to that helps BIPOC with disabilities and chronic illness with whatever they need. She needs me to help her run some errands today, so I eat quickly and go pick her up. $8.35
2 p.m. — While we’re out and about, we swing by Fat Cupcake to get cupcakes, and I get a gift card for my sister-in-law for Mother’s Day. $29.75
3 p.m. — Drop her off and swing by New Seasons to grab a few things. I get coffee for S., Greek yogurt, frozen berries, a cucumber, a kale salad, and a Mother’s Day card for my sister-in-law. Get home and throw a load of laundry in the washer before I lie down for a quick nap. When I get up, I put the clothes in the dryer and head out to grab our dog’s best friend. When I get home, S. and I take the pups for a long walk. $24.62
7 p.m. — I sign us up for an infant safety/CPR class. We then watch The Office while S. makes dinner (pesto and kale pasta with goat cheese). Afterward, I take a quick shower and then we watch Wine Country. Head to bed around 10 and fall asleep listening to The Office, per usual. $85
Daily Total: $183.92
Day Six
6 a.m. — Get up and let the dogs out. Do the usual (feed everyone, dishes, and yoga) and eat the usual (Greek yogurt with berries and granola) while watching Jane the Virgin. Then I get dressed, brush my teeth, do simple makeup, and pack our bag for Doggie Dash (a fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society). Head out around 8:30.
9 a.m. — Get to the waterfront park and pay for parking. We do the walk and wander around the festival getting lots of treats for the pups. Get home around 11:30 and lounge for most of the afternoon. $7.25
4:15 p.m. — I head out to bring the dog home and babysit for the family he belongs to. On the way, I swing by New Seasons and grab a few things. I get a veggie wok for dinner, bacon for breakfast tomorrow, and guac. While I’m babysitting, S. heads to our friend’s house for her birthday celebration. I babysit for a few hours and then head over there, too. We head home around 10 p.m., and I shower quickly before bed. The Office to fall asleep. Can you tell we love The Office?!? $14.55
Daily Total: $21.80
Day Seven
6:45 a.m. — I get up before my alarm and do the usual. After getting ready, I make my coffee and head out to grab the preschoolers I nanny for to bring them to church with me. It’s Mother’s Day, and S. wants to stay home. It’s a hard day for both of us, and she doesn’t really want to see anyone. After church, I drop the kids off and head home.
11 a.m. — On my way, I swing by New Seasons to grab some lunch for us — a salad from the salad bar for me and a turkey sammy for S. I also get a few apples, some granola, and a small bag of chips. After we eat, we hike to the top of a small mountain near us. We scattered some of our daughter’s ashes there, and we hike up to her spot a few times a year. We get home and eat some chips and guac while watching SNL, and then S. starts dinner. She makes breakfast for dinner (cinnamon rolls, eggs, and bacon), and we eat while watching How I Met Your Mother. $22.12
6:45 p.m. — It’s Game of Thrones time! It’s the second-to-last episode of the series and — what the fuck?!? I stress-eat another cinnamon roll while we watch. I then shower and do the usual moisturizing. I read for a bit before passing out.
Daily Total: $22.12
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