A Week In A UK University Town On A $15,000 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.

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Today: An American graduate student studying in the UK who makes $15,000 per year and spends some of her money this week on nachos.

Friendly reminder: We won’t be publishing Money Diaries on December 25th or January 1st. Happy holidays!

Occupation: Graduate student
Industry: Higher education
Age: 23
Location: A university town in the UK
Salary: $15,000 (projected for this year from part-time jobs and internships)
Net Worth: $587.60 (checking: $2,684.21; savings: $22,858.26; Roth IRA: $27,080.12; brokerage account: $6,789.81)
Debt: $60,000 (My parents loaned me money for my current degree. We haven’t discussed exact repayment terms just yet, but I do currently plan to pay it all back within three years to align with my brother’s undergraduate timeline. More on this below.)
Paycheck Amount (1x/week): $200–$300
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses
Dorm: ~$800 (Housing in a student dorm is billed as a weekly cost, so this varies. It doesn’t include food. That’s charged separately every term.)
US Phone: $35 (paid for by my parents)
UK Phone: $18.41
Spotify: $11.65
UberOne: $0 (My Capital One SavorOne credit card covers this; normally $9.99)

Annual Expenses
Chase Sapphire Preferred: $95
Capital One Venture X: $395
Immigration Health Surcharge: $940 (This is a one-time fee I paid to access the NHS, the National Health Service.)

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?
Yes, 100%. Both of my parents have advanced degrees and were the first in their families to attend any form of higher education, so it was not a question of whether or not I would attend university, but where. They attended school outside of the US, so their ability to help me through the college application process was limited. Luckily, I attended an excellent public school, had many friends who knew what they were doing, and have an extremely Type A personality, which helped me immensely.

My parents started saving for school in a 529 plan when I was born, and my university provided ample need-based financial aid. Since my parents made undergraduate education (at the best schools we could get into) an expectation in our house, they felt responsible for paying for our degrees after any scholarships and aid we received. If I have a family, I will do the exact same thing because it help allowed me and my brother to shoot for the stars when it came to colleges. I’m now in a one-year master’s program in the UK that I almost didn’t start because of the personal cost and my fear of taking out loans, given all the horror stories I’ve read. My parents didn’t want this to be a limiting factor because of how much they value education; though they can’t afford to pay for it outright, they are loaning me the money to pay for my degree. I’m returning to the US after this year to take a corporate job I’ve already landed, so I should be able to pay them back within two or three years of graduating.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents have always been very frugal people, so most of our conversations about money revolved around saving money for emergencies. I didn’t receive much of an education about finances directly, but I was aware that my parents had things like a mortgage, retirement accounts, and life insurance. I’m really interested in personal finance, so before starting college, I did an entire course to educate myself and be as set up for living on my own as I could be.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first real W-2 job was an internship within my state’s judicial system. It was pretty basic office work, but I got to listen to a lot of podcasts and music on the job! Where I went to school, families were optimizing their kids’ résumés from birth, so I got this summer job to improve my résumé. My parents didn’t actually give me access to any of the money I earned from my summer jobs until I got to college, which I have mixed feelings about, but this probably ensured I didn’t waste all my money on fast food and clothes (which I did during undergrad anyways).

Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes and no. My father grew up somewhat in poverty, and that mindset was reflected in our household. He would always compare how much things would cost to how many loaves of bread he could buy with that amount (with one loaf somehow remaining constantly at $1 to this day). I was told “no” all the time for things like snacks and toys, though my mother would occasionally go shopping with me and hide purchases from my father. This kind of restriction, though, meant that when one of my parents lost their job during the recession, I didn’t feel the impact. We would visit one of my parent’s home countries every year, which I later found out was paid for by my mom’s family during some difficult times. Ultimately, there was always money for necessities, school activities, and anything my parents thought would help my brother and I academically, so I never felt too worried.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes, but I feel guilty about it. I opened a Roth IRA when I was 18 and have been consistently trying to max it out. It actually stresses me out when I find out my friends don’t have retirement savings. However, I’m a big saver who also likes to spend, especially on little treats. In college, I worked every semester (sometimes multiple jobs) to pay for my life but was able to save a lot of money with high-paying corporate summer internships and working full-time during a COVID gap year. I’m worried right now about minimizing spending, especially because I’m trying to avoid draining my savings account, but I’m trying to enjoy this next year fully before I start working. Many of my friends in my master’s program are here on scholarships, which can be a bit frustrating when we have different spending habits but want to do things together. And, because my brother is also in college right now, I’m worried that I’m being too much of a burden on my parents since this degree isn’t really “necessary.”

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I’m not financially responsible for myself yet. Even though I’m paying my parents back every single cent, I probably would not have felt comfortable taking this opportunity if it weren’t for their financial support. I’m also still on their health insurance in the US, though I paid for healthcare in the UK, and they have still kept me on their phone plan to allow me to keep my American number. Ultimately, they are my financial safety net, but they have never made me feel bad about it.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No. It will hopefully be a long time until my parents pass, and I believe any inheritance from any of my grandparents would go to my parents directly.

Day One

7:30 a.m. — I open my eyes, thinking it’s still too early to be awake, but I’m rudely reminded by my alarm that it’s time to get up. I can never leave my bed without curling up for at least 10 to 15 minutes, so it’s almost 8 a.m. before I’m vertical. After some quick skincare and bugging the girl who is hogging the hallway bathroom, I’m ready to go. Someone’s milk spilled inside one of our kitchen’s tiny mini fridges. I grab the last of my Greek yogurt and top it with honey, raspberries, and granola. It’s pouring rain outside, so there’s no way I can bike to class. A 25-minute walk with my yogurt in hand and my trusty rain jacket it is.

9 a.m. — I get to my developmental economics lecture and settle in for the next two hours. Today, we’re talking about the history of colonialism and developmental outcomes. In the middle of my lecture, the booking for my college’s weekly formal dinner opens, and my friends and I all rush to get tickets. A three-course dinner for less than the cost of one entrée at a restaurant? I’ll take it. It’s $12.58, but I won’t be charged until the end of this term. We’re super lucky that the meals here are affordable.

11 a.m. — My dining hall is closed until 12:30 p.m., but our environmental economics lecture starts soon, so all my classmates head to Tesco to grab a quick lunch. For the Americans who have never heard of “meal deals,” this is life changing. I get a chicken-peanut wrap, a chocolate protein bar, and a passionfruit-mango smoothie for a steal. I scan my Tesco club card and save myself $0.62! We take our food back to the lecture hall since it’s raining outside and have a fun lunchtime conversation. $4.20

12 p.m. — Even though I’ve taken environmental economics before, economics lectures make me so tired. I don’t know how I majored in this in undergrad. In the middle of class, a guy I hooked up with last week texts me, sending me spiraling. I stop paying attention to the lecture to interpret his message with my friends.

2:30 p.m. — I grab coffee with someone who I went to undergrad with. We didn’t know each other well then, but it’s nice to connect with people who I share something in common with while I’m in a foreign country. We have a super nice conversation and learn more about what we were like in college and now. $4.20

4 p.m. — I rush off to an interesting talk related to my degree with my classmates. The internet stops working, so I pay really close attention. I even manage to ask the first question to the guest speaker, which I never do!

6:30 p.m. — My classmates and I hunt around for dinner. We get rejected from the first dining hall we try because none of us is in that college, so we have to sneak into another one. I end up having an okay dinner of a vegetable and lentil “sausage” roll. Since I’m eating outside my college, I have to pay right away. $3.94

7:45 p.m. — After dinner, it takes me another 25 minutes to walk back to my dorm. After a brief miscommunication with the hookup guy, I go over to talk. We decide to be friends rather than give things a shot, mostly because I have pretty rigid boundaries regarding friends versus love interests. The huge ball of anxiety in my stomach dissolves, and I know right away this is the best choice. I then immediately go over to my friends’ dorm to tell them everything.

9 p.m. — B., another American girl I’m friends with, stops by for a quick chat. I recap the boy situation. I really like her and hope we can get to know each other better, especially since we have so much in common. It’s crazy how fast cliques form, even as a grad student. The internet magically comes back on, and I put in an order for two sizes of an Anthropologie dress. I’m going to a wedding next spring, and I like to plan far in advance. Plus, I’ll get to wear the dress in the meantime. Since I’m returning one of the sizes (or potentially both if I hate them), how much money I’m spending doesn’t quite hit me yet. I then take a long “everything” shower, do my nighttime skincare, and curl up in bed to listen to In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, which is about to expire on Libby. I go to sleep around midnight. $348.76 (refunded on day six)

Daily Total: $12.34

Day Two

7:45 a.m. — Again, I’m up earlier than I want to be. My environmental economics professor decided to add on an additional lecture since we’re apparently behind on lessons. I get dressed at a snail’s pace, do my skincare, and head down to the kitchen. I guess I’m out of yogurt, so I grab a protein bar and two plums before heading out toward town on my bike while listening to indie rock music to get pumped up for Friday morning class. After some trouble finding the building holding our ad-hoc lecture, I sit down in class to eat my breakfast and listen.

11 a.m. — We all rush to our dissertation research class that’s held with other graduate students from the rest of the department. Naturally, I spend the lecture doing a reading for my discussion class later today because I didn’t get it done last night. The paper isn’t too long, so I move on to doing work for my part-time job.

1 p.m. — I make my way home to have a quick lunch. I had planned to have a girl lunch, but a friend of mine gave me leftover pizza after class! I have two slices and a can of tuna for protein. I then pick up hairspray from a friend to do my hair for a special dinner my college is hosting this evening.

2:30 p.m. — While listening to the new Bad Bunny album, I put on makeup and do my hair for the dinner. It’s kind of unfortunate timing because there’s supposed to be a group photo taken but it’s meant to rain. I’ll be sprinting from class to the picture in the rain at 5:30 p.m., so I tie my hair up in a silk scarf, grab my clothes and laptop, and head out to bike. It starts pouring rain two minutes into my ride! I abandon my bike by some bike racks and start speed-walking to class. When I arrive, I immediately get roasted for looking like an old grandmother in my hair scarf.

5 p.m. — I sprint out of class and manage to change in the bathroom at my college. After a quick hair fix and lipgloss, I’m ready for our group picture in the dining hall. We have to listen to an academic lecture before going for drinks and then sitting down for dinner in the dining hall. We start with a salad with feta cheese, followed by a really nice roast chicken with potatoes, and end with a delicious chocolate tart with passionfruit sorbet. My tuition dollars are really paying off.

10 p.m. — The rest of the night is so chaotic. We go to our college bar, where a friend sneaks me alcohol he brought to avoid buying anything. We try to mobilize the group to go out, but then I end up DJing a party in a college common room. Alcohol appears out of nowhere, and people start doing shots from a musical instrument (I’m speechless). I’m immediately taken back to my freshman year of college.

1 a.m. — We head back to our dorms, which are a 25-minute walk away, to keep the party going. More DJing, more drinks, more mess. I stumble back to my room around 3 a.m., shocked that I lasted this long and that I managed a no-spend day.

Daily Total: $0

Day Three

12:30 p.m. — I set this alarm assuming I’d be awake earlier, but here I am waking up with a full face of makeup from last night. It takes me an hour before I’m able to crawl down to the kitchen to prepare a little miso soup, eat a Babybel cheese, drink an off-brand Italian soda, and pop a bag of popcorn. I know this isn’t healthy, but any real food options are either too expensive or too far away. I get it together enough to call my college friends to hear about their nights back in the US, which were somehow even crazier than mine!

3:30 p.m. — Three friends stop by at different times to debrief the night before. While visiting, I clean my room because a college friend, A., who is in the UK, has plans to visit for the rest of the weekend. Just as I’ve finished inflating an air mattress for her, A. texts me to say she’s coming tomorrow morning instead. After more rotting in my bed, I manage to get into the shower to finally wash my face. I then finish up some work for my part-time job that I was meant to do this morning.

7 p.m. — I head to a friend’s dorm for a pizza party! It’s her birthday today, and she has invited some friends from the college to have dinner. I bring a bottle of wine I bought last week to share with the group. We have charcuterie, pizzas from a place in town, salad, and a beautiful birthday cake. We play games and have a wonderful evening together.

10:30 p.m. — I say goodbye to everyone at the party and make the quick walk back to my dorm. I’m so tired, even though my day started only 10 hours ago, and I spend the next hour scrolling TikTok and catching up with friends from home before going to bed.

Daily Total: $0

Day Four

8:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off, and I feel refreshed for the first time in a while. It’s freezing in my room since the heater is acting up, so I don’t actually get out of bed for a long time. My friend is delayed in coming, so I can’t go too far away. I make some more instant miso soup and have another Babybel cheese. I’ll wait for her to arrive, so we can have a proper meal. I settle into bed to get some work done for my job and classes.

12 p.m. — A. arrives! I’m so excited that she’s here and to catch up with her. She drops off her stuff in my room, and we walk to town to get brunch. We split a shakshuka and an incredible loaded bagel while talking all about our recent boy drama. $14.12

1:30 p.m. — A. treats me to a chai latte because I’m hosting her for the next two days. We then walk over to the camera store where I had dropped off a roll of film to be developed last week. I pay and immediately start reminiscing when I see the pictures from the trip my family took together this summer ($14.67). After, we stop by Anthropologie, where I look for more formal dresses but strike out. Then we go to Next, so I can order three dresses I saw online. Same deal as the last dresses: I’ll return most of these, so the cost isn’t hitting me hard ($343.61, refunded on day six). $14.67

3:30 p.m. — We walk all across town, seeing all the sites. It’s freezing outside, but we walk to a street that has a bunch of thrift stores. We go into one store that doesn’t look promising, but we both find a few pieces we like. I get an oversized sweater and a cute going-out top. $14.37

5 p.m. — A. wants to get her nails done before she leaves for a two-week trip, so I sit with her for an hour. We then catch the bus back to my room to avoid the 45-minute walk. We’re freaking out about the bedbug situation since they’ve migrated from Paris to London, so we sit on the very edge of the bus seats. $1.96

6:30 p.m. — We change into our new thrift clothes (yes, I know we should wash them), and head to a Mexican restaurant to meet friends. There’s not as much Latino food in the UK as there is back home, so I really savor these nachos and empanadas. They also have buy-one-get-one-free drinks, so A. and I get coconut margaritas and passionfruit caipirinhas. We have a student discount, so I pay for the bill and everyone sends me their portion. I’m very into credit card points, so this is a big points score for me. It’s $28.88 for my portion of $213.40. $28.88

9 p.m. — We have high hopes of continuing the night, but everyone is dead on their feet after dinner. We go back to my room where we get ready for bed and try to find something to watch. We start with White Noise but just can’t seem to get into it this late at night. Then, we switch to Criminal Minds and pick a random episode. I firmly believe Season 3 has the best cast, so this is a delight to rewatch.

11:45 p.m. — We “go to bed” at this time, but we are both cold and can’t get comfortable. After some giggling a bit after midnight, we manage to get some sleep.

Daily Total: $74

Day Five

8 a.m. — Our day starts bright and early because we have plans to go to the sea! We laze around since my heater didn’t turn on again this morning, and it’s way too cold to get out from under the covers. We eventually pull ourselves together to get dressed and get in A.’s car. We stop by a coffee shop to get some caffeine and a hearty breakfast. I order a latte and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on toast. I didn’t anticipate the salmon being cooked in with the eggs, but it’s not half bad. We climb back into the car and set off for an hour-long road trip, during which I carefully curate the mood while A. does the hard work of driving on the left side of the road. $11.86

11:30 a.m. — We arrive in town with zero plans and immediately beeline for the thrift stores (called charity shops in the UK because they support individual charities). A. finds an awesome skirt, and I score a super cute black velvet dress ($4.28). Compared to my university town, I’m loving the selection here because it hasn’t been picked through by hundreds of more stylish girls. Unfortunately, the high street has several charity shops, and I’m supposed to be on a budget, but we spend the next hour or so going into a ton of stores. I find a great men’s sweater in a dark olive color that will be a staple for the cold ($9.29). $13.57

1:30 p.m. — Shopping makes us hungry, of course. We grab takeaway from different places — a brie, bacon, and blackcurrant sandwich for me — and sit by the pier. The sandwich is odd but tasty, and we just people watch. These are the kinds of adventures I was hoping for when I decided to do my master’s degree abroad! $8.50

2:30 p.m. — After lunch, we pop into other random stores. A. stops to buy water from Sainsbury’s, and we head back to the car. We get back on the highway and drive 30 more minutes to the ocean, where we take fun pictures pretending to be wistful amongst the dark clouds rolling towards shore. We don’t stay long because rain is certainly on its way, and we start on the drive back to school.

5 p.m. — A. is gracious enough to take me to Aldi to pick up Greek yogurt because I desperately need to stop paying for breakfast. I also have a few dinners this week where I need to bring my own bottle of wine, so I grab a Portuguese red and an Italian white I’ve never heard of. $16.85

6 p.m. — We have to do a quick turnaround once we get back to my dorm because we’ve arranged to have dinner with my friends to say goodbye to A. There’s a sushi place that has great student discounts, so we walk the 30 minutes into town. Once we get there, we send the waiters into a frenzy because no one knows exactly which dishes qualify for the discount, so we just order and hope for the best. Some rolls, sashimi, and fried chicken later, I pay a whopping $15.86. I’m astounded by how cheap it ends up being! We head to a gelato shop after, but I say no to end my food spending for the day. $15.86

8:30 p.m. — We get back to my room to watch another episode of Criminal Minds and eat some lemon sorbet that A. bought at Aldi earlier. I also try on one of the Anthropologie dresses that arrived and call my parents for their opinion. My dad compares me to Morticia Addams, so back to the store it goes. It ends up being a short night for both of us because A. is getting up early to drive to the airport tomorrow.

Daily Total: $66.64

Day Six

5 a.m. — A.’s alarm goes off, scaring me awake. I say a quick goodbye and go right back to bed.

7:30 a.m. — My early alarm goes off in an attempt to get up and be productive, but I quickly close my eyes and sleep some more.

8:30 a.m. — I’m finally awake and force myself to stand up. Before I even get a chance to wash my face, I walk over to the laundry room to start two loads ($5.38). I then grab myself yogurt with granola and the last two plums from my cabinet and take them upstairs to my room. I start painting my nails and doing my part-time work in between coats. An hour later, I switch my clothes to the dryer ($2.68) and get back to work. $8.06

11 a.m. — I have class in an hour, so I actually start getting ready after I pick up my dried clothes. I brush my teeth, do my skincare, figure out my schedule for the rest of the day, and package up the dress I need to return. I get a text that the dresses I ordered from Next have arrived in store, so I hope I can work on getting these refunds ASAP. I’ve been in desperate need of a new phone case and tempered glass screen protectors since I dropped my phone while riding my bike last week, so I go on Amazon and order them. $17.57

12 p.m. — I take way too long getting ready while listening to my new audiobook, Really Good, Actually, and I have to speed to get to class. We’re having small group discussions for environmental economics about an assignment we submitted yesterday. The doctoral student leading the seminar is talking at breakneck speed, but I really enjoy the discussion and hearing about what other people wrote. A small group of us gets lunch at another college because our dining halls are pretty far away. I have some kind of chicken curry with broccoli and have to pay right away because I’m not eating at my own college. We then head to our statistics lecture for this afternoon. $5.68

4 p.m. — After class, I set on a journey to recoup some of the money I’ve spent this week. I return the dresses to Anthropologie ($348.76 goes back on my card), then I go to Next to try on the dresses that came in. I FaceTime my mom from the dressing room, and she tries to convince me to keep the summery one that’s too casual for a wedding (this is where my bad habits come from, people), but I put my foot down. One of the dresses, though, is gorgeous, and I keep it (it’s $154.35 so $189.26 goes back on my card). After recouping most of the money I spent, I head to Urban Outfitters and try on clothes I don’t need. I refrain from buying anything, but I need to stop walking into stores. $154.35

6 p.m. — The past week has been so chaotic that it’s been a while since I’ve eaten in my college. I grab beef cannelloni and mushroom risotto, and a blackberry tart. I’ll pay the $6.70 on my next term bill.

7 p.m. — I have an hour-long meeting for my part-time job and then rush over to a different college with some friends to reel. We’re going to a Scottish social dancing club, and we learn some traditional dances that are done in big groups of pairs. It’s much harder than it seems, and after two hours, I’m exhausted. I skip the pub and go back home.

11 p.m. — Skincare, laying in bed ignoring my reading, and lights out!

Daily Total: $185.66

Day Seven

8:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off, but I somehow end up falling back asleep.

11 a.m. — Now I’m actually awake, but my body feels exhausted. I go downstairs to make a cup of ramen and eat a Babybel cheese. I also eat a whole carton of raspberries because they’re going mushy, and now I really need more groceries. I then put on some comfy clothes and head to class.

1 p.m. — I go to my environmental law class, where I struggle to stay awake. I take careful notes, but it’s a bit hard for me to grasp some of these legal concepts because I’ve never studied law before.

3 p.m. — I get back to my room and pop popcorn because my brunch meal didn’t do it for me today. I then join an interesting Zoom call and listen in while I get ready for dinner tonight.

6 p.m. — My friends and I head over to town early to attend a vigil for the people of Gaza who have died in the last week. It’s pouring rain and incredibly somber, but it feels important that we attend. The vigil lasts only 45 minutes because of the intense weather.

7 p.m. — We go to the college for drinks and then head into the dining hall for our weekly formal dinner. We have to bring our own wine, so we have five people and five bottles. What could go wrong? Dinner is delicious: a potato and cheese croquette, chicken with mashed potatoes, and sticky toffee pudding. I’m starting to really love these nice sit-down dinners that give us all a time to chat and make new memories.

9:30 p.m. — We move back to a common room to have post-dinner drinks. Though we don’t get as rowdy as we were on Friday, I must talk to 10 different people over the course of the next few hours. It’s a really fun vibe, and I don’t even notice that most of the people in the room head home!

12 a.m. — Before I know it, it’s midnight, and the small group left is keen to move to another function. There’s not much going on in town, and as soon as we enter a bar, I know I need to go to bed because of my early class in the morning. I ride my bike home and fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow, not even bothering to take off my makeup.

Daily Total: $0

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