A Week In Minneapolis On A $69,000 Salary

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.

Today: a youth librarian who makes $69,000 per year and who spends some of her money this week on flowers for a friend.

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Occupation: Youth librarian
Industry: Public library
Age: 30
Location: Minneapolis
Salary: $69,000
Assets: Checking account: $1,538.88; HYSA (emergency fund): $6,878.57; HYSA (long-term savings): $20,126.77; HYSA (travel): $5,006.99; home equity: $38,650; 403(b): ~$15,000, plus ~$6,250 from previous employers (I really need to combine these old accounts…)
Debt: $1,989.59 left in student loans! $181,000 remaining on my mortgage, with a 6.75% interest rate.
Paycheck Amount (every 2 weeks): $1,940
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $1,800, which includes mortgage, insurance, and taxes. Technically, my mortgage is $1,586.41, but I pay extra every month to lower my principal. I purchased my house in October of 2023, so my interest rate is much higher than I would like — I’m hoping to refinance when rates improve.
Loan Payments: $190 to my remaining student loans.
Internet: $40
Hulu/Disney+/Max Bundle: $31.79. My parents pay for Netflix and my brother pays for our Spotify family plan.
Human Rights Campaign: $5
Google One Storage: $1.99 — I pay for this with my Google Opinion Rewards money.
Utilities: $92.05 for trash and water, roughly $45 a month for electric, and gas varies depending on the month. This winter has been cold, so I’ve been averaging ~ $150/month.
Savings: I put $200 into my travel fund, $200 into my emergency fund, and 20% (~$390) into my long-term savings fund.
Car Insurance: $206 (every six months).

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Absolutely, both my parents have undergraduate degrees and there was never a question that my brother and I would go to college. I did well academically in high school, and when I was in 9th grade, my father got laid off, so my family made significantly less money. This meant that I could get considerable financial aid, especially from private schools. Both my brother and I attended private universities out of state because they were financially better options for us. My parents paid some of my tuition and paid to rent most of my textbooks. I got some grants and loans in addition to the aid my school gave me and had an on-campus job that went towards tuition. I lived on campus all four years, so room and board were included with tuition. I was lucky enough to get a lot of financial aid in undergrad, so I left with about $19,000 of student debt. When I went to grad school in 2019, I won a few scholarships, which allowed me to take out only $6,000 in grad school loans. I paid those off a couple of years ago. I will also say, the pandemic helped a bit in that all my interest froze, so I was able to make an even bigger dent by paying off my loans through 2020 and 2021.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents instilled in my brother and me that saving was of the utmost importance. When we started getting allowance, it became a weekly ritual to go to the bank and deposit half of it. Our bank had special savings offers for kids, so I used my savings to get short-term bonds and CDs. My parents didn’t focus as much on how we spent our money; we were allowed to spend the rest however we liked. After a rather unfortunate trip to Claire’s resulted in me coming home with a handful of ring-watches that quickly lost their luster, I learned to be more thoughtful about how I spent my discretionary funds. During the recession, when my father lost his job, I knew that things were tighter, although I didn’t feel much of a difference; my mom would still buy us treats at the Target food court, and if my parents ever worried about paying bills or getting food on the table, they didn’t show it. That being said, my family had always been thriftier than my friends, and even before the recession, my parents were conscious of living below their means.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I was a cashier at T.J. Maxx in high school. My dad was tight with the manager since he shopped there all the time, and when we were younger, my brother and I would help her shelve things while my dad browsed. From elementary school, she would joke that she needed us on her team; on my 16th birthday, I brought in my resume. When my brother turned 16, he also started working there. Just like with my allowance, I saved a large chunk of my paychecks and used the rest for extra spending money. When I went to college, I used some of my savings primarily as fun money since my college wages went straight towards tuition. I remember feeling guilty that I had to ask every customer if they wanted to sign up for the T.J. Maxx credit card since my mom made sure we knew how detrimental credit cards could be if used irresponsibly.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I don’t remember worrying about money growing up. I always felt taken care of. Even when my dad lost his job, we had everything we needed. I had friends with bigger houses, who wore mall brands and got cars when they turned 16, but their families had always seemed flashier, so it didn’t change how I viewed my family’s finances.

Do you worry about money now?
Honestly, not really. I’ve always been a saver and anytime an emergency expense has come up, I’ve had the funds to cover it. I also trust that if anything were to happen to me financially, my family would have my back. If I needed it, my parents and my brother would lend me money, let me move in, anything.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I would say that I became financially responsible after college. I did a service year that covered living costs and provided a small monthly stipend. When that ended, I juggled two part-time jobs while renting an apartment with roommates. My parents still cover my phone bill, though. My dad refuses to accept money for it from my brother or me. I think it makes him feel like he’s still taking care of us.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes, my grandma passed away a couple of years ago, and my parents got some money in her will. They gave my brother and me $5,000 each. I put mine in my long-term savings fund. This was also around the time I moved back to the Midwest, and my parents gave me my dad’s old car since I didn’t have one and would need to drive to work. That car died a few months in, and they felt so bad that they offered to purchase my replacement. I found one on Facebook marketplace for $5,000, which they paid for.

Day One: Thursday

5:35 a.m. — I am up to go to the bathroom. Today is my late start, and last night was Afrodance, so I’m not inclined to do a workout. Instead, I make the most of my morning by doing my Duolingo in bed. I’m learning French because my brother and I recently purchased tickets to see the F1 qualifying in Monaco! Since I’m already on my phone I do my NYT games too. I’m devastated when I don’t get Xonnections. How could I not realize Slide, Mule, Mary Jane, and Flat were all shoes? I love shoes!

9:30 a.m. — After breakfast, I finally finish the shirt I’ve been making. I went all out on this one; I even made fabric buttons the Renaissance way. I try to sew on my buttons while watching Drive to Survive, but I switch to YouTube because those races deserve my full attention. Since I’ve finished my project, I decide to go to a local fabric store before work and pick out some denim for a pair of trouser jeans. I’ve been on the hunt for years at this point, but since the thrift gods have not seen fit to bless me with that particular bounty, it’s time to take matters into my own hands.

10:15 a.m. — I swing by the U to drop off the snowshoes I borrowed for a cabin trip with friends last weekend (I paid when I picked them up so it’s free). Time to head to the fabric store!

11:30 a.m. — I love the fabric store — not only did I get a compliment on my outfit — I’m wearing a thrifted pair of tan wide-leg flared trousers, my Oscalito ribbed black tank, a floral button down from the Kilo shop in Athens, and my dad’s old brown felt fedora (there will be comments on this later, lol) plus a thrifted gray wool herringbone coat that I think of as my “Fantastic Beasts Coat” because Newt Scamander would wear the shit out of it) — but I found my fabric! It’s a nice heavy-weight dark wash. I’m hoping it’s 100% cotton, although the label doesn’t specify anything beyond denim… I also take a moment to swing by the linen selection — I have a pants pattern that I think would look fantastic in a black linen. I stay strong and just buy my denim. $29.98

3:15 p.m. — After setting up my March Mathness book display, doing some program prep and ordering, and meeting with a community partner about our summer programming, it’s finally time for lunch. Unfortunately, I left my lunch on the counter at home. Ugh! I hit up the Asian grocery store since I need curry paste and coconut milk for my chickpea curry anyway. I don’t find lunch food, but I get a six-pack of Buldak ramen to keep in my locker for the next time I forget lunch. I also snag a Pandan Twist in the checkout lane because grocery shopping while hungry means I can buy whatever I want. $15.21

3:45 p.m. — I have a T Life code for a free chicken sandwich from Wendy’s, so while in line at the grocery store, I frantically download the Wendy’s app. I get a small fries to go with my sandwich. I manage to squeeze in a few pages of my book, Know Your Station by Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas, before my lunch ends. $3.03

4:20 p.m. — I get a message from my mom asking me to call her about my tax forms. I still file with my parents’ accountant — I guess she’s also my accountant, even though I no longer live in the same state. I brought most of my forms with me the last time I visited, but forgot my property tax information. I scan the doc I think she might need and email it, but also promise my mom I’ll check my mortgage portal after my tween program wraps up.

6:30 p.m. — All done with my program. I tried March Mammal Madness today. They weren’t as into the brackets as I had hoped, but we had a lot of fun discussing different animal matchups and looking up the unusual creatures on the bracket. Who would have guessed a bandicoot just looks like a mouse, but pointier? One of the library youngsters hilariously joked that the fur on their coat made them look like a target on my safari excursion (I told you there would be comments about the hat; this was the second safari joke of the day). I log into my mortgage portal, immediately find my 1098, and send it to my mom for tomorrow’s tax appointment.

8:30 p.m. — Home! I toss my new fabric in the wash for a quick rinse, along with a silk skirt I thrifted years ago and a pair of my grandpa’s army fatigues. I’m hoping to dye both of them on my day off tomorrow. I get ready for bed and finish Know Your Station. Fantastic! Also, I loved the author’s note at the end. I turn off the lights and go to bed at 10:15 p.m.

Daily Total: $48.22

Day Two: Friday

5:20 a.m. — I am up again. Is this my body telling me it’s ready for daylight savings? Regardless, my soul is not, and it’s my day off, so I try to go back to bed.

5:45 a.m. — I’ve failed at sleep, so I do my Duolingo in bed. Once I finish my unit, I doze off a bit more before finally dragging myself out of bed for a workout at 7:30 a.m. I refuse to pay for a gym membership, so YouTube is my personal trainer. Today, I do an Afrobeats workout from And8 Fitness. It’s not my favorite, but it gets my heart rate up.

9:30 a.m. — After I’ve stretched and eaten breakfast, I put on the wedding episode of Love is Blind Minneapolis (I usually just watch recaps, but since this season is on my city, I’m tuning in for the whole thing) and start the dyeing process. Thank god Sarah didn’t marry Ben! And while I was completely gobsmacked, I’m also glad Virginia said no to Devin. Trust your gut, girl! Though, I have to say, the people they cast on this season do not represent the Minneapolis that I know…

2 p.m. — Now that I’ve showered, eaten, and hung up my freshly dyed skirt and pants, it’s time to walk to the grocery store for the last few ingredients for my curry. I throw on my dad’s old jeans, my mom’s vintage white button-down, and some thrifted sneakers. It’s a bit normcore for me, but my cobalt blue trench saves the day. Plus, my silver hoops and wash-and-go add a bit of flair. I pick up a couple of onions, a lime, spinach, and a small piece of ginger. I also swing by my neighborhood library to drop off Know Your Station. It was due back yesterday, but I HAD to finish it. Librarians, we’re just like you! $8.20

5:30 p.m. — After putting on some Broadway vinyl to sweep and vacuum, I make my curry. Once I’ve eaten, I browse my patterns. I find some potential contenders for my jeans and realize I have the perfect pattern to make a matching vest!

9:30 p.m. — I’m wiped, so I do my nightly routine and crawl into bed.

Daily Total: $8.20

Day Three: Saturday

6 a.m. — Now that I have the idea for a matching set in mind, I wake up and browse buttons online. Duluth Trading Co has some that look very high quality, but I’m not sure I want the matching set I make to advertise another company… Etsy has some beautiful options, but they’re more ornate than I want. Jo-Anne’s is going out of business — I browse their stock in hopes of a deal, but the reviews are mixed. No worries, I won’t buy any today. It’s just good to know what’s out there.

6:45 a.m. — After browsing, I get ready for work. Tonight is my friend E.’s birthday party; it’s Margaritaville-themed, so the dress code is tropical. I end up in a Pinterest-inspired outfit that takes a few tries. Once I realize the bright contrast is what I like about the image, I end up in thrifted blue and yellow striped silk pants, and a bright purple silk shirt (also thrifted), plus a vintage navy blue vest on top for warmth that I’ll remove for the party. My burgundy loafers help tie in the purple shirt. All in all, today’s look screams corporate clown.

12 p.m. — I finally eat the lunch I forgot on Thursday. It’s nothing exciting: oatmeal with cinnamon and apples. I get my Duolingo in for the day while I eat.

2:45 p.m. — One of my coworkers brought doughnuts! I have a cream-filled one to pep me up for the rest of the day.

5:15 p.m. — I’m running low on gas so I fill up before the party (the gas station by work usually has the best price). $19.67

5:30 p.m. — I run to the grocery store to pick up flowers for E. Since I’m so close to home, I decide to pop in to arrange the flowers in a vase instead of bringing E. a bouquet she’ll have to handle herself. $20.70

6 p.m. — I leave destruction in my wake as I scamper off with the freshly arranged flowers, wearing bright green flats which feel more tropical than my loafers. I feel a headache coming on, but I forget to take a Tylenol before I go.

9:30 p.m. — Home after karaoke. I’ve still got a bit of a headache and also frozen toes (I should have known better than to aim for tropical footwear at a Minnesotan garage party). I get ready for bed and set an alarm for 7 a.m. because there’s nothing worse than waking up on daylight savings to find out that you’re late for work.

Daily Total: $40.37

Day Four: Sunday

6:55 a.m. — I beat my alarm by five minutes! I’m wearing my freshly dyed skirt, an embroidered T-shirt I picked up in Barcelona, my leather jacket that I thrifted because it looks like something a musketeer would wear (it has a slightly puffed sleeve and a high collar), and my round-toed moto boots. I remember an IG reel I saw recently and put my hair in a half-up, half-down with a ponytail on either side and I braid my bangs so they frame my face. I feel very cute and very me.

1:15 p.m. — Duolingo over lunch. I also look through the community education spring catalogue. I will definitely be signing up for Afrodance again and maybe boxing. I was taking boxing before I moved back to the Midwest, and I felt so strong.

2:15 p.m. — My first task back from lunch is to file an incident report. Everyone was okay; thankfully, it was just a computer that was damaged. Gotta love being in charge.

5:30 p.m. — I get home and stuff my face with cheese and crackers while I call my brother since we haven’t chatted in a while.

6 p.m. — I get a Venmo request from my friend for my portion of the Airbnb and food from a recent cabin trip. I transfer money from my travel fund to my direct deposit and make the payment while I change to go for a walk. While we chat, I browse Facebook marketplace and finally reach out to a seller about a couch I’ve been eyeing for months now. They want $3,800, but I don’t want to pay over $2,000. I make my offer and they counter with $2,900 — CASH. That will not be happening, so I politely decline. My brother agrees that it just wasn’t meant to be. $181

10:40 p.m. — My brother and I decide it’s time for bed, so we hang up, and I do my nighttime routine.

Daily Total: $181

Day Five: Monday

7 a.m. — I wake up and make my grocery list in bed. I like to do my big shop for the week before work on Mondays. Then I get ready. Today, I put on a brown, black, and cream animal stripe dress with puffy sleeves and a matching belt, black loafers, and sheer black socks. I put on the Love is Blind reunion while I make breakfast.

9:05 a.m. — I lose track of time getting angry at the Love is Blind reunion. Looks like I’ll be hitting up the grocery store on my way home instead.

1 p.m. — I got a lot of weeding (removing damaged or non-circulating books) done this morning! I’m always surprised at the amount of damage done to easy nonfiction. I eat my lunch while watching Lyn Moore recaps on YouTube, then I do my Duolingo for the day. I also text my friend who is considering buying a house this spring/summer. She asked me for info on down payment loans since I got a small one when I purchased my house. Sadly, the one I got doesn’t cover her neighborhood but I tell her I’ll do some research.

6:25 p.m. — I make it to the grocery store, but because I’m there after work, they don’t have everything I need. I manage to get most of the things on my list: butter, milk, lettuce, taco seasoning, ground beef ( I wanted ground turkey but they were out), refried beans, kiwis, tomatoes, bread, and some things that weren’t on my list: Reese’s brownie mix, cinnamon Graham Crackers, chocolate almond milk, vegetable oil (for the brownies). I miss out on eggs, salsa, and mushrooms. Then I go home and eat some cinnamon Graham Crackers before Spanish class. $45.58

9:15 p.m. — Home from Spanish. This was probably my favorite class so far! We took time to just chat in Spanish today which was great. I hope the rest of our classes are more like this one!

Daily Total: $45.58

Day Six: Tuesday

6:50 a.m. — I wake up and lounge in bed scrolling FB marketplace for home decor and doing my Duolingo.

8:40 a.m. — I finally get out of bed and make myself Nigerian pancakes (a slightly sweet, slightly spicy onion pancake) and bacon for breakfast. I use cassava flour instead of wheat flour since I’m low on the latter, and I don’t love the texture change.

11 a.m. — After a slow morning drinking tea and cackling at Lyn Moore’s reactions to the Twilight series, I finally put on some leggings, sneakers, a sweatshirt, and my tan trench coat to walk to my doctor’s office to drop off some library event flyers. They have a new parent group and wanted to share more free events with their participants.

12 p.m. — Since I’m already in workout gear, I do a quick 20-minute IsaWelly Pilates workout.

6 p.m. — After showering, detangling my hair, watching more YouTube videos, baking brownies, and making taco meat, it’s time to head out for trivia night. I bring the Reese’s brownies with me, of course. My pirate shirt and freshly dyed fatigues make their debut! I pair them with my hoop earrings (because I’m a pirate, duh!), a brown leather belt (thrifted), and my chunky brown clogs (thrifted). I feel like a little stowaway, ready for a life of adventure at sea. All I’m missing is a cap to hide my identity — instead, I put my hair in pigtails to keep things cute and quirky.

9 p.m. — Home sweet home! Somehow, we got second place tonight, even though everyone spent most of the game talking. Not sure how it happened, but I’m pleased, because our newest winnings bring our gift card pool up to $90! Next week, we’ll get pizza and pitchers for the table. I’m not a beer fan, so I just drink water at trivia and sniff my friends’ drinks when they’re particularly interesting. I get ready for bed and start The Empress of Salt and Fortune. I’ve had it out from the library for weeks now, but today I saw a review that bumped it to the top of my TBR.

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven: Wednesday

7 a.m. — Up and at ’em! Today, I try out an old sweater vest from my dad’s closet. I’m inspired by a beepworld video I watched yesterday and pair it with a teal babydoll dress, burgundy tights, chunky clay earrings my friend made me, and boots. It’s not my favorite outfit, and I’m still not sold on this sweater vest, but I’m glad I tried it.

12 p.m. — I eat my curry for lunch and do my Duolingo.

6:30 p.m. — I get home and throw together a taco salad for dinner. Then I change for Afrodance.

7:15 p.m. — I leave for dance — somehow class always takes it out of me. You would think that five weeks in, it would be easier. I love that it’s a challenge and our class is forming into a little community. I show off pictures of my pirate shirt and everyone oohs and ahs. I think registration is open, so I’ll probably register for the next session tomorrow.

8:45 p.m. — I get home and hop in the shower after downing a cup of chocolate almond milk. Before bed, I take a picture of my Aldi receipt for Google Opinion Rewards and get $0.11.

Daily Total: $0

The Breakdown

Conclusion 

“The weekly total is less than I thought it would be. While I was recording, I kept thinking it was a strange week, full of unusual expenses like the cabin trip, birthday flowers, and fabric. It was a bit of a relief to see that it still wasn’t excessive, especially because the trip came out of my travel savings anyway. It was also a good reminder that while I like to do my research, I can still be a bit  impulsive if I think it will get me a deal. I’m thankful the FB marketplace seller wasn’t willing to budge on the couch. In hindsight, I’m not sure I wanted to spend that amount on it, I just thought it was cute and wanted to feel like I was getting it for half off. Overall, I’m pleased with the way I spend my money, but it might be useful to go back to tracking my purchases more closely like I did in my early 20s (and like I have for this diary). There was absolutely a time when I would have known my weekly total off the top of my head because every cent would have been accounted for in my budget spreadsheet. As I’ve gotten older I’ve shifted towards more of a mental tally — like, ‘This is roughly what groceries should cost me a week,’ but I don’t think as much about my other purchases. Now that I have one job that more than covers my bills, I’ve gotten a bit lax with tracking my spending, but I think keeping a closer eye on things brings a good amount of perspective.”

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