Written by Alex Scott
On June 23, 2022
Plus, the easiest tips around for money hack newbies
A lot of adults live with their parents. Hey, if it’s an option for you, it’s a great way to save money.
But what happens when more years at home doesn’t equal more money in the bank?
You’re about to see a week in the life of Beth, a 23 year old Financial Analyst living with her family in Chicago. Beth’s salary is $82k, but she’s struggling to hold onto her money. Read more about those struggles in this week's Money Feels.
Stick around to see Beth’s spends, and the tips and tricks that we, the best money app around, have put together for her, you, and anyone else who needs them.
Name: Beth* (*not really. You know the deal by now)
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Chicago
Job: Analyst
Industry: Finance
Yearly Salary: $82,500 (25% goes to taxes, and 31% to Beth’s 401k)
Pay check amount (biweekly): $1550
Savings: $1,000
Rent: $0. She lives at home
Utilities: $0
Subscription products: Gym ($190)
Monday
My parents were out of town. This was a public holiday, so I had the day off work and didn’t want to do anything.
I was in charge of feeding my younger sibling and cousin who lives with us. I didn’t feel like cooking so we ordered sushi and fried chicken ($100).
Monday’s total: $100
Tuesday:
Back to work. I work Monday - Thursday in the office. They only require us to come in 3 times a week but I normally do 4. Home gets crowded, so I prefer it there.
Instead of buying a coffee on my way, I made one at home. Gotta save that money.
In the afternoon, I spent $44 on a pair of sunglasses I had been wanting from The Real Real (my fav app). I mainly use the app because I just like to look at the clothes. This time though, I had a coupon, so I got the glasses cheap.
I also grabbed a $1.12 fountain drink at McDonald’s as a pick-me-up during work. I go here because it’s cheaper caffeine than a $7 coffee from Starbucks.
After work I went to Trader Joes ($40) to get ingredients for tomorrow’s lunch. I like different food than my family, so I buy my own groceries. They normally eat mine too. I don’t pay rent, so it’s totally fair.
I need to get better at making lunches at home. When I work remotely, it’s easy to make lunch. I can sleep in until 8am and make lunch in real time. When I have to get up and do the journey to work (about 40 mins), I find it way harder.
Tuesday’s total: $89.12
Wednesday
I’ve been trying to sort out somebody’s will. I didn’t want to spend money on an attorney, so my friend’s mom reviewed the will for me as a favor. Me and my dad agreed I should get her a nice gift, so I gave her some flowers ($150).
I had a bad day at work. So I went to Sephora and bought some skin care products ($60). The store is right by where I work, so I always go there if I’ve had a tough day. I’m a member though, so I had a $10 off coupon. I got a discount and points, at least..
Wednesday’s total: $210
Thursday
I woke up and needed to go to the office, but my car had an expired ticket (I do get the train to work, but I have to drive to the train station).
My sister was out of town, so I took her car. I put a tiny bit of gas in there just so the light would go off and she wouldn’t know I’d used it. ($15)
On the way home from work, I bought donuts from a local store ($8). They were for my cousin and me, it was National Donut Day, so why not?
I also grabbed some more groceries ($21) because my family ate my leftovers from Tuesday.
Thursday’s total: $44
Friday
Friday was another day at the office.
For lunch, I went to Chick-Fil-A ($12). I have rewards so I can get points and free meals. I got free fries this time. I grabbed 2 fountain drinks from McDonald’s: one for me, one for a colleague ($2.98).
In the evening, I went out for drinks with a friend from high school. She paid for my drink ($0😎). I hate Ubering, but I knew I’d have alcohol, so I spent $20 on a ride there and $40 to go home.
Friday’s total: $74.98
Saturday
I didn’t spend anything on Saturday. I did run 7 miles though.
Saturday’s total: $0.
Sunday
I was supposed to do a Catch Me If You Can workout class in the morning. I woke up so sore from Saturday’s run that I had to cancel. That’s a $12 cancellation cost.
Sunday’s total: $12
Beth’s weekly total: $530.10
💛 Keep being you
Beth, you’re so obviously a super caring person. You look after your sibling, cousin, and aunt, and help out your parents on weekends. You’re doing literally the most. Don’t be hard on yourself about overspending sometimes.
Money is there for when you need it. And right now, it seems like your big monthly expense is going to Texas to see your aunt. Quality time with family > having enough savings to move out.
🎫 We see you, Loyalty card Queen
Don’t love that you go to Sephora when you’re sad ☹️
Do love that you’re wiping your tears away with your loyalty card 🕶
P.S. If you’re reading this and wondering where the hell anybody said Beth was sad-girl-Sephora-shopping: look no further. When you’re done with this blog, go learn about Beth’s relationship with money.
You mentioned money hacks don’t come up on your fyp. So go get ‘em! Once you’ve found a few you like, the almighty algorithm will bring more. For now, here’s some follow suggestions:
💙 @meetcleo (obviously)
🧳 @erikakullberg (for travel hacks)
🛍 @addison.jarman (for Amazon hacks)
📈 @herfirst100k (for all things saving & investing)
Every week, we update our page with new money hacks, reviews, and guides on financial stuff. It’s literally our job to make you feel less stressed about money, so we put a lot of effort into it.
Based on your week in spends, here’s a few articles to start out with:
🌯 Next time you want to take your cousin out for free food
🍔 Next time you want free food for yourself
📦 If you want to sell some stuff for extra cash on Ebay
Make your monthly trips to Texas a little more manageable by making a few simple decisions along the way. Here’s how to get the cheapest flights in 2022.
You can get chrome extensions that apply coupons automatically when you’re surfing the old world wide web. See if you like any of these:
🍯 Honey (discounts)
🌏 Ecocart (free shipping)
💵 Rakuten (cashback on orders)
Hope all of this helps.
If you’d like to speak to us about your money, hit me up at alex.s@meetcleo.com or make an account on UserInterviews to find our survey there. (Psssst, that site is a great way make some fast cash anyways, even if it’s not our survey you wanna do). Our rate is $60 for your time, and we don't use your real name, obviously.
Wherever you’re at with your money, keep going. You got this.
Enjoy this post? Def give it a share or send it along to a friend. You never know, it could make a big difference. And of course, if you want to try the best money app in the world for free, just hit this link right here.
Big love. Cleo 💙