What I Spend In A Week: The 25 Year Old Marketing Coordinator On $34.5k

This time around, David let us be a fly on the wall to his weekly spending.

The 25 year old Marketing Coordinator refuses to give up looking after his own happiness when money’s tight. He tells us all about that in another blog. Give it a read here.

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If you’re new here, this is what to expect:

💙 we'll introduce you to David*

💙 he'll give us a run through of his week

💙 we'll give him some personalized money tips (psssst: they're for you, too)

Btw, with over 4 million users and a 4.6 rating on the App store, Cleo's pretty much the best budgeting app around. So you’re in safe hands. 💅

Let’s get into it.

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*Oh, and David’s not his real name. ‍

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David’s details

Pronouns: He/him

Location: Upstate NY

Yearly Salary: $34,500

David’s monthly expenses

Rent: $725 (I share a one bedroom apartment with my gf Britney. She pays $725, too)

Savings: I put $200-$250 aside as soon as I get paid. I dip into it if I need to later on.

Credit Cards: Don’t have one.

Gym: $24.99

Car insurance: $250

Electricity: $300

Streaming: Me and Britney split these. I cover Hulu and Paramount. She covers HBO.

We use my family’s Netflix and Prime video accounts.

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David’s week in numbers

‍Monday

I get up at 6am and get ready to drive to work. On my way, I stop at my local 7/11 for a $2 coffee (I love coffee, but I only buy branded or local at the weekend for a treat).

I have a packed lunch at work. In the evening, I go to Aldi and spend $50 on groceries. I like to lean shop as I think it saves money - I only buy what’s needed for over the next couple of days.

Then I get gas ($25). I have a psychological barrier about spending more than that. Idk, I feel like I’m spending less by doing it in smaller chunks.

Monday’s total: $77

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Tuesday

7/11 coffee ($2) on the way to work.

The only thing I spend from there is $1.50. That’s for the vending machine at work. I forgot my lunch, and the machine’s prices haven’t been updated in, like, a decade.

Tuesday’s total: $3.50

(legend)

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Wednesday

Getting predictable now but…7/11 coffee ($2) . I also grab a cookie and some ramen for later ($5).

On the way home, I put $20 more gas into my SUV. That’s $45 on gas and it’s only wednesday. At the gas station I buy sandwiches for dinner ($20).

My girlfriend’s still at college, and I work overtime most days, so we get home kinda late and often then go back out to do more work, so we can’t always find the motivation to cook.

When I’m done with the day, I buy a dog bed for my new puppy ($20).

Wednesday’s total: $67

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Thursday

7/11 coffee ($2)

That’s it. That’s the day.

Thursday’s total: $2

(side note: we hope David had his coffee, pulled a sickie, and went back to bed).

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Friday

As soon as I’m awake, I pay my car insurance, that’s $250 a month. Hulu also comes out ($7).

No coffee today, just to keep 7/11 on their toes.

I head to Aldi and top up on another $25 of groceries.

Friday’s total: $282

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The weekend

Finally.

On Saturday, me and Britney head to our favorite (and only) local coffee shop. The total comes to $11. Still cheaper than Starbucks.

I put another $20 of gas into my car.

On Sunday, we just chill with our dogs.

In the evening we get some Chinese take-out. $21 each.

I know what you’re thinking: we didn’t do anything majorly exciting for our days off. Sometimes we’ll drive somewhere nice and go hiking, but right now gas prices are too high to do that a lot.

Weekend total: $41.

The week’s total spent: $465.50

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Here's a few personalized tips and tricks from us, to you and your money 💙

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As promised, we’ve put together money hacks for David. If you can relate to his spending, stick around.

If you can’t, meh, stay anyway. Your break between TikTok scrolls hasn’t lasted long enough yet.

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The money moves we love to see 💅

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🧋That 7/11 morning routine? That’s a keeper

For $10 a week, it’s the perfect way to start each morning for you. Choosing something you’re going to enjoy consuming over hunching over an instant cup of coffee courtesy or a stingy workplace is healthy as hell.

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💰 Your doing the whole saving thing right

Great job. Transferring money into your savings as soon as you get paid tricks you into thinking you never had it to spend in the first place. You’re a genius.

Plus, even if you gotta dip into your savings at the end of your pay period, you’re still a well-intentioned King.

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Try these small changes. They could make your money go a long way 💙

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#1 Pay less for gas

Let's talk about that psychological barrier of yours.

Whether you fill up your gas once a week, or give your SUV a slurp every hour, it’s gonna hurt.

So you might as well replace your mini visits with two full-tank fills a week.

Here’s the trick: consider making those two days Monday and Friday mornings.

We have 5 more ways to save on gas prices right here. Mwah.

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#2 Make your weekly grocery shop cheaper

It sounds like you and Britney are super busy people. So you’d probs benefit from a grocery subscription service.

We’ve been having a think about how you can get the best parts of those subscription services 💅for free 💅.

Check this out to spend less on your groceries next week.

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#3 Take a break from the streaming costs

I don’t wanna take away your happiness David, but do you need…5… streaming accounts?

Save your cash with this money hack:

For the next 6 months, here’s how you’re going to use streaming services for free, including Apple TV, Hulu, Amazon Prime; the whole party.

In fact, there’s two of you. So switch between your emails and make that free movies and TV for a year. ‍

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Want a go? 🤙

If you’d like to speak to us about your money, go ahead and hit me up at alex.s@meetcleo.com. It’s $60 for your time, and as anonymous as you’d like it to be.

Wherever you’re at with your money, keep going. You got this.

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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 💙

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