Here’s a weekly spending diary from Greg*, who is trying to save every penny for a big upcoming trip and keep frivolous spending to a minimum. 

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Current life situation: Living at home with parents, currently saving to go to Canada on a working holiday visa in August, planning to stay there for up to two years. 

Income: £2,600 per month

Expenses:  £500 per month

Savings: At least £1,000 per month (trying to save as much as possible at the moment and very lucky that I’m in a position to do so)

Sinking Funds: Around £200 per month (Petrol, Small upcoming trips/stag dos, birthday gifts)

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A Week of Spending

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Monday: I’m lucky enough to work from home five days a week at the moment, so I don’t have any travel costs. My office is about two hours away by train, and if I go in (maximum one day per month), the commute is covered by work, so there is nothing to pay then either! I worked till 6pm, then headed over to my girlfriend’s house, picking up a £1 scratch card for us each on the way (a fun little tradition we have every now and then). As we’re trying to save up for our big trip in a few months, we made dinner at home to save some cash. 

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Tuesday: I'm working from home again! It’s a lot easier for me to save money on food and eat healthier as I can cook all my meals as and when I need to, which helps with my budgeting. After work, I went to the gym, which I try to do at least four or five times weekly. My membership is only £25 per month, so it works out really cost-effective for me. 

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Wednesday: On Wednesdays, I play football with a group of mates from school. It’s only £5 to enter the ground where we play, so it's another very low-spending day. 

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Thursday: I’ve been taking Spanish lessons once a week for the last couple of months (£20 per lesson), and I’ve been really enjoying it! After learning on Duolingo for the last year or so, I thought it was time to upgrade. 

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Friday: Another quiet night! Once I’m in the habit, it’s easy to make all my meals at home and not spend as much on meals out/takeaways. After dinner, I went to the gym and watched a film at home. 

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Saturday: I spent most of the day with a group of friends, doing an inflatable obstacle course. It was a great day out - £20 for the course, £15 for lunch and about £15 for drinks. 

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Sunday: My girlfriend and I went to the cinema, which we do a lot as we both have a Cineworld Unlimited card — it's only £19 a month, and we definitely get our money's worth! We grabbed a drink on our way in — £5. 

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Total spend for the week: £85 

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*Names have been changed for anonymity purposes.

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