I’ve always kept £1,000 in my current account. It never goes up, and it never goes down, and I’m constantly checking my balance to make sure I’m not eating into it. I find it incredibly hard to save. I’m currently earning £19,000 a year as a communications intern at London Metropolitan University, from where I graduated last June.

Life was actually easier as a student because the loan covered most of the bills, and the £400 net a month that I earned from a weekend job in a shoe shop could be spent on going out. Looking back, I didn’t have a care in the world then, and could spend £300 a month on clothes if I wanted to and still put money by.

I still have a Saturday job, but I can only manage a five-hour shift on top of my full-time work, so the net earnings from that are only £100. That’s my indulgence money so I can buy a new pair of shoes or a treat. The salary from my internship covers food and rent. I share a flat with two others and pay £510 a month for my share plus £90 in utilities bills. My dad gives me £100 a month towards my tube fares, which add up to about £150 a month.

I no longer go out regularly and get really drunk, as I did as a student – I go to the pub once a week and have two or three glasses of wine and I limit meals out to one or two a month. I’m a terrible cook, so a lot of my money goes on “meal deals” to take to work. I often skip dinner and snack on fruit and health bars to save money. I have eczema, so I avoid bread and dairy products, and spend £40 a month on creams. Luckily my boyfriend is a good cook and I eat at his place three times a week.

I’m trying to plan a holiday with my boyfriend, but I don’t want to touch that £1,000. I have a saving mentality for a rainy day. I’ve never owned a credit card because I like to pay my bills immediately and keep track of my spending. I have an iPhone 6 which I bought off a colleague for £125, paying in £40 instalments and the contract costs £35 a month, although it often goes over because the wifi in our flatshare doesn’t reach my bedroom.

I’ve started freelance writing which has earned me £325 in the past six weeks and I’m hoping that when my internship ends in September there may be a job at a higher salary. I would love to earn £24,000 so I could live comfortably and not have to work a six-day week.

I think that money equates to happiness. I dream of earning enough to afford a nice new outfit without worrying about it and to get my own place, which will be difficult in London. I want to make my career in the capital but I fear I will be priced out of the property market. I have to move every year, whether I like it or not, because the rental contracts are for 12 months. When I started renting I shared a flat with my two best friends, but they couldn’t afford it so moved away and I had to find new flatmates.

I feel frustrated because my generation has lost out on the benefits my parents enjoyed. I have a £48,000 student loan to pay off and don’t think I’ll ever do it. Home ownership is unaffordable and good jobs are harder to find.

However, I’m really positive about the future because I know this current situation isn’t going to last forever. It might be stressful now, but I’m working my way up and I’m proud of myself for sticking it out.

We are keen to hear how you spend it: maybe you’re a “squeezed middle” just about coping financially; someone who has invested wisely; or a young adult saving furiously for a home. If you would like to appear in this column, contact spend.it@theguardian.com