Monthly Expenses Rent: $2,000/mo for my portion of rent on an apartment shared with my partner and cat, changing to ~$2,065 per month (1/2 of non-principle expenses + all of principle for new condo) Car Loan Payment: I don’t have a car, but occasionally borrow my partner’s Student Loan Payment: paid off, owed ~$50,000 at grad school graduation at 28 Electricity: <$25/mo in the summer, ~$60/mo if it’s cold Transportation: work pays for my transit pass, so this averages <$50/month Internet: $25 Credit Cards: paid off every month, generally $800-$2,000 Cell Phone: Provided Car & Renters Insurance: ~$30/mo 401(k): $1542/mo + $242/mo match from employer Dental/ Vision/Life/Health Insurance: $33/mo Health Savings Account: $295 (maxing out with employer match) Gym: 109/mo

I’d like to get to the RE part of FIRE by 50 or 55. My job is pretty stressful (as it should be for how much they pay me) and I may want to get back into politics (a previous career of mine). Because it’s fairly far off, I’m not making more concrete plans, aside from saving ~$8,000/month.

My partner and I consider this a forever thing, but have chosen not to get married, do not plan on having kids (we may get another cat), and keep separate finances. We split expenses like eating out, groceries, pet supplies, and travel 50/50, but split our rent more proportional to our base salaries – I earn more, so I pay more. I am buying the condo alone (don’t buy property together if you’re unmarried!), so he will pay me rent. We decided to evenly split the interest, HOA, taxes, and insurance, while I will additionally pay all the principle, since that is basically savings for me and seemed fair to him. He has less interest in retiring early.

Monday, August 20 – Total: +$10,000

7AM – Didn’t sleep well (because of the asshole downstairs neighbor), so I hit snooze one too many times. Dry shampoo, ponytail, and a string cheese for breakfast as I walk to work.

12PM – I did manage to remember my packed lunch today, leftover pizza and tasty fruit (rambutan!) for the win!

3PM – I remember to deposit the unexpected and very generous housewarming check from my parents. It feels weird being a full grown, independent adult and still getting money from Mom and Dad, but they would take it personally if I turned it down. It should cover a lot of the little projects I’d like to do. Income: +$10,000

7:15PM – Catch a late class at Orange Theory (so expensive, but I actually go so I don’t waste money), then cook stir fry at home.

Tuesday, August 21 – Total: +84.86

9AM – Pick a few things off a friend’s baby registry online. It seems like all of my friends are in the baby phase lately. Cost: -$91.14

2PM – Finally scarf down leftovers from dinner with more fruit after meetings running until 2. Make myself a DIY mocha with kitchenette coffee and hot chocolate.

3:30PM – Get a call that a cooking class I’m registered for in the Fall is cancelled. While I was looking forward to learning more about pickling and preserving, it gives me back $176 in my entertainment budget. Maybe I’ll sign up for that running group I was considering? Income: +$176.00

5:30PM – Another Orange Theory class (gotta get in my 8/month!), then snacking and packing (or: cleaning out the fridge/pantry) at home to prepare for the move next week.

Wednesday, August 22 – Total: -$248.99

6:15AM – Wake up to a phone call that my grandmother is doing poorly and immediately go into family crisis mode. Look into buying a last minute plane ticket to the Midwest, but hold off until we have more details.

7:30AM – Drive my partner’s car to work (while eating string cheese) so I can make it to an appointment later. Parking at work is pricey, but since I drive so rarely, work will reimburse me. Out of pocket: $17.16, Cost $0

12PM – More leftovers and fruit. Yay!

3:30PM – Doctor’s appointment with a specialist, but since I haven’t met the deductible of my HDHP, it’s out of pocket. Cost: -$223.70

6PM – Finish off the leftovers before heading out to meet up with friends for a birthday. Buy a couple of drinks ($17.75), but manage to resist the food truck. Have to pay for parking, too ($7.54). Cost: -$25.29

Thursday, August 23 – Total: -$8959.71

7AM – Have an email confirming my condo loan signing for the afternoon, along with the amount due at closing. Scramble a bit clearing my calendar and making arrangements with the bank, but I feel ready. Walk to work (while eating string cheese), then celebrate a good first meeting with an “office mocha”.

10AM – My sister calls about my grandmother again, it’s really not looking good. My parents are out of the country on vacation, but my mother really wants to see my grandmother one last time, so I look into how I would get grandma a device that can facetime. It would be ~$100, which is entirely worth it for my mother’s happiness. The nursing home ends up working out an alternative, but I’m glad that I can comfortably spend as much as I need in situations like this.

12PM – Checking emails over a lunch of pre-packaged Trader Joe’s curry (not half bad), I can’t resist an email from the local bookstore about an event for a chef that I love. Spend $51.75 on seeing him speak + getting an autographed copy of his cookbook (on fermentation, so it kind of balances out my cancelled pickling class!) Cost: -$51.75

3PM – I head to the bank to pick up a cashier’s check before going to meet my escrow agent ($8,830.03 closing costs + the down payment). It’s the largest check I’ve ever held. My agent will be splitting his commission with me, which will cover closing costs, but I won’t get that until a few days after close. Since the down payment is really more of a transfer, I don’t count it towards my spending. Cost: -$8,830.03

4:30PM – Turns out the address is spelled wrong on all the loan docs, so I can’t finish signing and will have to try again on Monday. They still keep the giant check. Sigh.

6PM – I eat my feelings for a bit at home, then pick up packing material for the move ($51.55), and flowers ($21.38) for my partner before heading to the airport to pick him up. I pay for parking ($5) so I can surprise him at baggage claim. Cost: -$77.93

Friday, August 24 – Total: -$34.47

4:00AM – Drag myself out of bed to pick up a friend at the airport (I am a great friend). Definitely don’t get there early enough to park and go in to meet her.

4:45AM – On the drive back to our house, we spot a brushfire and call the fire department. Feels like the entire state is ready to burst into flames.

7:45AM – After an unsatisfying nap, I scurry around the house, packing my lunch, packing for the weekend in Portland with my friend, and also remembering to take cookies for the staff meeting I’m running today. I pick up milk ($2.49) on the way in, because what are cookies without milk? Cost: -$2.49

11AM – Staff meeting with cookies goes over well, but it’s also banana split day at work, so we rally the team to go get free banana splits. Good thing this is a money diary, not a calorie diary.

1PM – I snack on my lunch, but I’m not that hungry. I save some for the car trip to Portland.

2P – My friend picks me up at work in my partner’s car, I take over driving and we head out, trying to beat Friday afternoon traffic. A coworker tags along, since he’s heading in the same direction.

4:30P – Traffic has been brutal. We’re only halfway to Portland, but stop and get gas ($25.98), because I think the car has a really small tank. My friend buys me cheese puffs, since we talked about how car trips require cheese puffs. Cost: -$25.98

6:30P – Get the coworker dropped off and we settle into my brother’s guest room for the weekend. My brother’s partner suggests we walk to a nearby thai place for dinner, which my friend insists on paying for. I get extra rice ($6.00) when we learn that the curries we ordered didn’t come with rice. Cost: -$6.00

Saturday, August 25 – Total: -$52.00

8A – we wake up and get ready to run (the reason we came down to Portland in the first place). My brother and I are playing support for my friend doing a 30-mile trail run, jumping in at some places, giving her water and snacks at other places. It takes most of the day, but I’m so proud of her!

7P – after some well-earned showers, we go out to Mexican to celebrate. I refuse to let my friend pay for her own dinner after all that effort.Cost: -$52.00

9P – Early to bed. I’m exhausted and I only ran 10 miles of it, can’t imagine how my friend is feeling.

Sunday, August 26 – Total: -$65.00

7:30A – Up early so I can try mountain biking with my brother’s partner. I cram some bread and a piece of bacon in my mouth before we get in her electric car (no gas!) and head down south of Salem.

9:30A – We get to the trail system and pick up a demo bike from a local mountain bike shop. Between that and borrowing a lot of things from my brother’s partner, I don’t have to buy or rent anything to try out mountain biking for the first time.

1:30P – We wrap up our ride with a post-ride beer before heading back to Portland. I only fell once! Now I wonder if my road bike needs an expensive friend.

3:00P – It’s traffic-y as we drive back. Starving, we order some barbecue to pick up on our way back to the house. I buy as a thank you to my brother and his partner for being such wonderful hosts ($65.00). It tastes amazing. Cost: -$65.00

6:00P – My friend and I head back to Seattle, stopping for froyo, gas, then dinner along the way. She buys all three as a thank you for supporting her long run and driving all weekend.

Summary

Home buying/moving expenses: $8881.58

Transportation: $38.52

Food and Dining: $125.49

Entertainment: $69.54

Gifts: $112.52

Health: $223.70

Income: $10,176

Total Spent: $9451.35

Net Income: $724.65

This is obviously far from a normal week for me, but it should stabilize my housing costs in this HCOL market. I spent a lot of time looking for houses and reading about home buying, so much so that by the end of it I was too tired of it to really do some of my research and negotiation on lenders, closing costs, movers, etc. It means that I probably spent way more than I needed to, but ultimately, I’m happy with the outcome and plan to live in the place for a long time and hope to never do this again.