Money Diaries: A Summer Week on a Salary I Pay Myself

July 30, 2020

Finally.

Occupation: Uhhhhh

Industry: uhhhhh

Age: 29.5

Location: Austin

Salary: Ummm

Net Worth: $---------

Debt: I don't have debt.

Paycheck Amount: N/A

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Monthly Expenses

Rent: I don't pay rent but I work on my property all the time. I redesigned the landscape, transformed the interior and exterior. I add value by working on the garden, xeriscaping, cultivating fruit trees and flowers, planting stuff, and developing the property as much as I can. $200

Utilities: I don't pay utilities. $0

Internet: I don't pay internet. $0

Savings: For the last few months, I've been saving about $2k a month. Normally, I don't. $0

Mobile: I don't pay for my cell phone but my sister asked me to contribute. About a week ago, I told her I would chip in but haven't paid anything yet. $0

Streaming Services: Currently using a free trial of HBO which I won't use past the first bill. I share Netflix with the homies and get Kanopy through the public library. I have Spotify Premium through a family plan. I don't have Amazon or Prime...I'm anti-Amazon, I don't use it at all and never have. $0

Student Loans: Paid. $0

Health Insurance: I have health insurance but don't pay for it. $0

Car Insurance: It's lumped in with my parents who cover my siblings and I. $0

Gym: $0. If I want to use machines, I use a key my brother gave me to the fitness center of his old apartments. He no longer lives there but the key still works...it's not electric. It's 10 minutes away by car and everyone is under quarantine so I never go there but I wish I did. I own my own weights as well and I'm eager to lift. I'll probably start this week. I work out outside or indoors on my opalescent Manduka PROlite purchased back in 2016. I started doing free YouTube workouts...Really loving it..$0

Retirement: I'm opening a Roth IRA this week but I haven't made any contributions to it. $0

Construction: I'm making a back house on the property. It will cost $1000 per month for the next 4 months. Interior design, furniture and decor not included.

Business Fund: $50 a month going to entrepreneurship and new ventures.

Self-Care + Vacation Fund: I'm starting to put $100 away per month for myself to use whenever I want on whatever.

Day One.

1am - Stayed up late reading "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy," by Jenny Odell on my Libby app, which I get free access to through the public library. Love this book so far. I have a couple others on "My Shelf" -- a feature of the app which shows all my loans.

3am - Check into Sanvello. I have free premium membership due to COVID-19 until January 2021. I'm enjoying it. I use many mental health apps but this one is nice and incorporates CBT-based tools right on the offset.

3:30am - I induce sleep with Headspace. A lot of people do this now. I have free premium access to Headspace as well...and I'm going through phases where I use it a lot and use it a little. I like it, I'm going to keep using it. Headspace Move dropped last last week focusing on moving meditation and I really want to try it. Headspace gave away this access also due to COVID-19.

Noon, 12pm - I wake up at 11-something but made pourover and started my day later, not glancing at the clock til it was well after noon. This isn't typical. Often, I don't sleep past sunrise but when I have it in me, I do. I guzzle my coffee glued to the computer for the rest of the day. According to the calculation, my coffee costs less than $1 per day...but right now, since it is a blend of gifted beans, and I didn't even buy the cream, it cost me nothing. Even my coffee mug was free. I write and push stuff to my blogs all day.

5pm - Two weeks ago, I began making use of Digital Wellbeing on my Google Pixel 2 XL, a phone I've had since 2016 but broke a couple days ago. Just the screen. In ten million places. Digital Wellbeing allowed me to set timers on all my apps and basically I don't waste time anymore on my phone on social media or anywhere else really. My phone disturbs me much less. I break at 5, check the phone, and meet up with my friend and his family for dinner. When they're in the country, we do this every day.

8pm - Practice. I give soccer lessons, so I tear myself again away and meet up with my player who lives down the street. We walk to the park and play soccer for an hour and 30 minutes. I get home before 10.

10:30pm - Sit down to chill for the first time all day.

11:30pm - Shower and get in bed. Stay up on my phone for a few hours...reading "Pain Studies" by Lisa Olstein, and browsing the web.

3:00am - Fall asleep at last.

Daily Total: An estimated $1,000 to replace my phone :( If I just replace the screen ~$250. If I downgrade, $500.

Day Two.

12:30pm - Powering up. I'm a regular, it's the pourover with cream...my Chromebook. I spend hours researching business and investment opportunities. I am an entrepreneur and work with partners as well. It's stressful when I'm on the phone til 3pm and my attention is divided. I try to chill for a couple hours. My friend's mom and sister bring sweet yummy drinks from an Austin shop, much tastier than my utilitarian brew.

6pm - Thunderstorms, I'm supposed to train another player at 7pm but predict our practice will get rained out. I spend some time outdoors in my secret garden. I come inside and take the plunge, opening a Roth IRA and investing it all in index funds. I use Libby to put a hold on "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing." $3000

7:30pm - It's Friday night! I just relax, returning Snapchats from five weeks ago. I eat spicy soup with my friend and his family.

11:00pm - I travel to my parents house to spend a week there. I arrive and go through both my rooms slowly and carefully, looking at everything...all my books and paintings. My brain is playing memories in my head.

1:00am - I read "The Importance of Being Earnest," by Oscar Wilde. I do a little writing and acting. I invent some amazing comedy, come up with amazing ideas for shows, cartoons and films. I'm loving the creativity...I should have recorded the whole event.

4:00am - When I start trying to hit the hay, I do a 20min Goodnight meditation on Headspace. I fall into a dreamy asleep.

Daily Total: $3000

Day Three.

2pm - Saturday. Peel myself out of bed lol. I look great! While I was sleeping, my sister bought donuts from a well-known haunt. She was gone by the time I woke up. I open my mouth and pour a milky cup of instant coffee down my throat. My grandma and mom are watching Punjabi movies and I'm excited to watch a Hindi film next. I check all my mail and do the necessary recyling and sorting. I eat some kadhi, a delicious Indian dish.

8pm - I get some craft-ish beers from the grocery store and cat food for my honey, who is spending the week with me here at my parents. I eat dinner with my family. By the night, we're all chillin. $20

1:00am - Alone time.

4am - Finally sleep.

Daily Total: $20

Day Four.

12pm - My cat wakes me up at 7am but I camp til noon. I do the milky frothy sugary coffee I always do when I'm here. I read til about 5pm and then have dinner: a classic daal, rice and dhai plate, a Punjabi meal recognized commonly as lentil soup, rice, and yogurt. It's gingery and hot. I'm happy.

5pm - I start catching up on a course I'm taking towards a freecodecamp certification. I make another milky coffee to get lit while.

8pm - Codeacademy gave me a free Pro membership due to COVID-19 so I log on and start doing my program. I eat some Godiva chocolates, mess around on my phone which hasn't so much as chirped all day, and break for an hour of restorative yoga at 11pm.

12am - In a notebook, I set some goals and define them. I spend some time thinking, and then draw in a sketchbook.

2:00am - I meditate til I fall asleep.

Daily Total: $0

Day Five.

6am - There are a blitz of notifications on my phone I check and have to address. I meditate and move through the morning slowly. I owe some work and correspondence. It's Monday, so I get to it.

11:30am - Milky coffee time. Listening to music. Drawing.

2:00pm - I try Headspace Move Mode, I really like that. After I have a cup of tea, I'm on the phone, doing computer work til the evening. I break in the middle for half an hour of restorative yoga and at the end for an hour more. Why didn't I do this all my life? Then, I sit with a pen and paper to write my thoughts.

10pm - Dinner, and stay up til I fall asleep.

Daily Total: $0

Day Six.

7am - Cat keeps me awake.

2pm - I put my book down I'm ready to meditate. I end up sleeping til it's dark and stay up til 4am doing stuff. Or did I do nothing?

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven.

11am - I wake up, meditate, my friend calls and we spend the afternoon together on the phone. Next, I bust into Codeacademy. I'm having second thoughts on the interactivity...I don't have the attention span...I visit the documentation sites for everything instead. I learn much more by reading than from watching or trying to follow along with stuff.

3pm - Restore with restorative yoga. My body needs me. I notice my funds are transferring around so I just check out what's going on in all of my accounts for a while.

5:00pm - Sister comes over and we're all kicking it. Her baby Jelly is due in one week! I got that baby so many gifts already. After a while, I have a snack with tea, return to reading and end up watching computer science lectures.

Daily Total: $0

Weekly Total:$4020.00