A Week In Austin On A $100,000 Salary
A lawyer in Austin celebrates her 30th birthday and visits her fiancé in Atlanta.
Job: Lawyer
Location: Austin, Texas
Age: 30
Number of Roommates: 0 (fiancé lives in Atlanta, so we are doing the LDR thing until he can move back)
Salary: $100,000. I get quarterly bonuses of anywhere from $2k-$5k depending on my profitability that quarter at my firm. I pretend like these aren’t part of my comp since I can’t expect them. I typically use most of the extra bonus money to make large payments on my student loans, so it’s almost like I don’t even get them.
Paycheck (2x a month): $2,656.07, after auto-deferring 5% to my 401(k) ($189.08 and my employer matches up to 4% which is $150).
Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,460
Law School Loans: $1,500
Utilities (Electricity, Cable, Internet, etc.): $160
Transportation: $50 (Monthly Gas)
Phone Bill: $0 (work pays)
Yoga 10-class pass: $160
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime: $0 (fiancé pays)
Spotify: $9.99
Car Insurance: $372 every six months
Day One
6:30 a.m. — Yoga class ~$16, but I already paid for my 10-class pass this month.
8:30 a.m. — I make a protein shake at home for breakfast and drink it on the way to work.
11 a.m. — In honor of my 30th birthday last week, I go to the doctor to establish a primary care physician and get routine blood work done. Co-pay $20.
12 p.m. — On the way back to work, stop by the mall to treat myself because Kendra Scott does half-off any item during birthday month.$64.95
12:15 p.m. — Pass by Madewell and end up treating myself some more — I now have buyer’s remorse. $254.95
1 p.m. — Eat lunch at my desk. Luckily, the work fridge always has sandwich stuff for emergencies.
7:30 p.m. — Groceries from Whole Foods. I don’t need much because I’m going out of town this weekend: $51.90
8 p.m. — Eat Whole Foods sushi for dinner.
Daily Total: $407.80
Day Two
9 a.m. — Free breakfast tacos and coffee at work.
1 p.m. — Eat leftover breakfast tacos for lunch at my desk since I was out so much the day before for my doctor’s appointment (and shopping).
6 p.m. — Rush to three-hour training for my volunteer work as a child advocate; forgot to eat dinner and training doesn’t end until 9 p.m.
9:30 p.m. — HANGRY. Get home and eat canned soup and watch Netflix before bed.
Daily Total: $0
Day Three
9 a.m. — Eat breakfast at my desk from groceries bought earlier in the week.
1 p.m. — Lunch at my desk, also from groceries bought earlier this week.
7:30 p.m. — Friends are in town visiting Austin so we meet at a trendy new restaurant. They pick up my dinner.
9:30 p.m. — I pick up their drinks at the hotel bar when I drop them off. $15
Daily Total: $15
Day Four
9 a.m. — Breakfast at my desk
1 p.m. — Eat lunch at desk with snacks scrounged from work because I’m leaving a bit early to catch a flight to Atlanta.
2 p.m. — Surprise fiancé with a cupcake delivery to him in Atlanta via Postmates.$17.66
6:30 p.m. — Flight to Atlanta to visit for the weekend (used 25,000 miles plus $11.20).
9:30 p.m. — He picks me up from airport so I avoid having to taxi or Lyft.
10:30 p.m. — Late-night drinks and appetizers for dinner at favorite bar in Midtown Atlanta. Typically when we go out, he pays when I visit him; I pay when he visits me.
Daily Total: $17.66
Day Five
10 a.m. — Go for a run at the park, then protein shake at home.
1 p.m. — He wants my input on new clothes for him so we head to the mall and I abstain from buying things for myself.
1:30 p.m. — Coffee at the mall. $3.46
3 p.m. — Late lunch at the foodcourt; he buys.
8 p.m. — Meet up with friends for dinner and drinks at a few different bars in Inman Park, Atlanta. $76
2 a.m. — Lyft to go out and back home; fiancé pays.
Daily Total: $79.46
Day Six
We stay in all day and watch football, order pizza delivery for lunch, and eat leftovers for dinner. $18.90
Daily Total: $18.90
Day Seven
6 a.m. — Early morning flight back to Austin; take MARTA (Atlanta’s public transit) from his apartment to the airport to save him from having to drop me off and getting stuck in rush-hour traffic. $2.50
9:30 a.m. — Pick up Thai food at the Austin airport to take to work for lunch. $10
10 a.m. — Pay airport parking; then drive straight to work. $37.51
8 p.m. — Work late; order tacos and eat at desk. $10
Daily Total: $60.01
Editor’s Note: This diary has been corrected to include the correct spelling of Inman Park, Atlanta.
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