A Week In Los Angeles On A $137,000 Joint Income

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 wildlife biologist who has a $137,000 joint income and who spends some of her money this week on flowers and tequila for a friend’s birthday.

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A Note From Our Diarist: This diary was written prior to the current fires in LA starting; otherwise my week would probably have looked quite different. As a biologist in southern California, I have learned a lot about the importance of fire regimes for our native vegetation. There is a delicate balance between wildfires and the ecosystem, which has tipped dangerously in one direction due to population increases, mismanagement of habitat, and habitat loss. I urge everyone interested to read more about the topic; the California Native Plant Society is a great resource. I am sending warm wishes to any readers who are affected by the fires, and the hope that this will be over soon. 

Occupation: Wildlife biologist
Industry: Environmental
Age: 27
Location: Los Angeles
Salary: $67,000
Joint income: My boyfriend makes about $70,000 a year. We live together, and we split finances 50/50. We don’t have any shared accounts or a super defined way of splitting bills — we split rent/utilities etc. in half, and then total up groceries, cleaning supplies, dinners out at the end of the month and make sure the cost is about equal for each of us. Usually I do all of the grocery shopping (because I love grocery shopping, lol) and my boyfriend usually buys any food out at restaurants and other expenses.
Assets: Checking account: $7,500; HYSA: $8,050; Roth IRA: $5,780; 401(k): $2,020 (I contribute 6% of each paycheck, but get no match from my employer). I am not sure exactly how much my boyfriend has in retirement/savings. He is a freelancer, so has no employer benefits or 401(k). We both opened Roth IRAs earlier this year after my parents suggested I open one. He currently has very little in savings as he was unemployed most of last year due to strikes in his industry (film industry).
Debt: $0
Paycheck amount (2x/month): $2,100
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: $1,650 for my half of the rent on a two-bedroom apartment. This includes water, electric, trash, and a tandem parking spot.
Loan payments: $0
Health insurance: $200 (through my job).
Medications: $35
Auto insurance: $157
Wi-fi: $55 (my half).
Spotify and Hulu: $11.99
Apple iCloud storage: $2.99
Gym: $27
Phone: $108
Netflix and Max: $0 (my boyfriend pays).
Savings: $400 a month to my HYSA (this amount is automatically withdrawn from my checking account to my HYSA each month. I use YNAB, so I am usually saving more per month than this, but the $400 is specifically for my “emergency fund” as opposed to dollars I put towards saving for specific things in YNAB).

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, it was expected that I go to college. I went to an in-state school for my undergrad. I got a scholarship that partially paid for my tuition, and my parents paid for the rest. The scholarship was merit-based; if I hadn’t gotten it, my parents would have been able to pay for all of my college costs. They paid for my housing, food, and all other expenses. I also got a master of science, and attended two and a half years of a PhD program (which I eventually quit due to a toxic advisor and a realization that academia wasn’t for me). I did not have to pay tuition for either grad program, and got a stipend for both (about $1,000 a month during the master’s and $2,500 a month during the PhD). My parents helped me pay for my rent and all other expenses my stipend did not cover during this time.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents did not have many conversations about money with me growing up. They would often talk about immigrating to the US from a European country in their late 20s with little money and no job prospects, and how they worked really hard to be where they are now. But most of these conversations were focused on the importance of working hard and doing well in school, not so much on the money aspect. Since I have been working at my first real job after grad school, they have been having more conversations with me on how much I should be contributing to retirement accounts and savings etc., which has been really helpful.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job (not counting being a TA or doing research in grad school) is the job I have now. After quitting my PhD, I moved in with my parents (I was living in another state for the PhD) and took about a month off just doing nothing. I did not really plan to quit the PhD — it was a build-up over time and one day I had a bit of a breakdown and realized I just couldn’t do it anymore — so I had no real plan of what I was doing next. I then began applying for environmental consulting jobs (my degrees were in ecology and conservation biology, and my research was focused on birds) and my current job is the first one I got.

Did you worry about money growing up?
No. I grew up in a bubble — my parents had/have well-paying jobs, and so did (or at least I assume) all of my parents’ friends. Only when I went to college did I really encounter people who were not well-off.

Do you worry about money now?
I worry a lot about topics related to money, but not money directly. I am not worried about not having enough money to survive or in an emergency etc. I do worry a lot about the thought that I have wasted the money and opportunities I’ve been given. When I chose my major in college and what direction I wanted to go in, the earning potential of the career was something I never considered. I was just really passionate and loved nature and birds. But now that I have come to realize how well-off my parents are compared to the average person, I am really worried that I will never be able to reach the same level. My boyfriend similarly chose a career of passion (in film). I feel worried a lot that I am going to be reliant on my parents’ help for the rest of my life, and that I will never be able to give that same level of financial support to my future children.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I would say I am still not financially responsible for myself. I currently pay all my own bills (or my half of the bills I split with my bf). But I know if anything ever happened or I needed money for anything, my parents would help me out. My parents also frequently buy me things, for example, taking me to Costco to stock up on items.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Aside from all the ways my parents have paid for my expenses, no. I assume I will receive an inheritance in the future, but that is not something I want to think about.

Day One: Monday

7 a.m. — I wake up and quietly get dressed while my boyfriend, M., sleeps. He sets his own work hours and usually gets up around 11 a.m. I try to go for a walk every morning before starting work, usually while listening to a podcast. Today is the release of Starbucks’ holiday drinks, so I stop by and get my favorite drink: an iced peppermint mocha (don’t judge me, I can’t help my love for Starbucks and Christmas). I head back to the apartment and make breakfast quickly — avocado on sourdough toast and a kiwi — before starting work. $6.59

12:30 p.m. — M. is up and making breakfast while I work on my computer. We both work from home — my desk/office is in the living room and he uses our second bedroom. I have an easy day today, just working on a report summarizing the results of some field work I did last week. It has been a little hard for me getting used to the difference between grad school and having a real job. Sometimes my job seems so low-stress, I get anxious that I am doing things wrong and it shouldn’t be this easy. M. and I realize we are out of toilet paper and decide to walk over to Trader Joe’s to buy some. M. pays ($11). I resist the temptation to get anything else, and decide to wait until later this afternoon to come back alone. I love grocery shopping, and Trader Joe’s specifically, and love walking down every aisle. M. does not share this love with me, and always wants to get in/out as fast as possible — hence why I usually go grocery shopping alone.

4:30 p.m. — I’m basically finished working for the day and decide to walk back to Trader Joe’s for our weekly groceries. I get bread, eggs, avocados, chickpeas, spinach, broccoli, squash, blueberries, kiwis, breakfast sausages, salmon, chicken thighs, pumpkin bread mix, and some flowers. Trader Joe’s flowers really are the best, they last so long. Today I get sunflowers! I walk outside and immediately regret how much I bought. It’s only a 10-minute walk home but I’m not sure I’ll make it. I call M. and he drives to pick me up. $109

7 p.m. — I make salmon and rice for us for dinner, and prepare my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow: smoothie and sandwich. M. goes back to working and I head to bed early because I have an early field day tomorrow.

Daily Total: $115.59

Day Two: Tuesday

4:30 a.m. — I force myself up when my alarm goes off, and make a coffee to go with our Nespresso. My job is about 50% field work and 50% working from home, writing reports and doing data analysis. Today I am doing a burrowing owl survey, which requires me getting to the field site in question before sunrise. The site is about an hour away with no traffic (thankfully there is none this early). I grab my smoothie and sandwich from last night and head out. I realize I’m almost out of gas and stop to refill ($53). This will be partly reimbursed by work — I submit a monthly report of how many miles I drove for work and get back $0.75 per mile. $7.95 (after reimbursement).

10 a.m. — I take a little break from my survey to finish my smoothie and eat my sandwich. A little early for lunch but I am starving. The field site I’m at is in a relatively remote area, and it’s really big. I have to walk throughout the whole site, documenting the plant species and looking for any signs that burrowing owls use the site or have active burrows. So far nothing, but I have seen lots of other birds!

2:30 p.m. — I finally finish up assessing the whole site. No sign of any burrowing owls, but there is suitable habitat present. Tomorrow I will write up a report about the survey. I am exhausted at the thought of the drive home and stop by Coffee Bean for an iced coffee. Coffees out are definitely my spending weakness. I have been trying to limit it to once a week but it’s only Tuesday and I have already failed. I drive back, which ends up taking two and a half hours due to rush hour traffic. I get paid for my drive time after 30 minutes, and I get paid time and a half for overtime, so lots of overtime today — I bill 13 hours. $4.15

8 p.m. — I make it home and M. has dinner waiting for me: sheet pan roasted chicken thighs and broccoli with a teriyaki sauce! A very welcome sight. I shower quickly and eat dinner. M. then goes to meet some of his friends at a bar while I pass out in bed. I was originally planning to go with them but I am too tired.

Daily Total: $12.10

Day Three: Wednesday

8 a.m. — I wake up feeling tired. I skip my walk and just make a coffee and breakfast — a veggie omelette. I get started on my report for the day. I randomly get invited to a Teams meeting, which ends up being a whole company meeting. My whole company is remote, and I have never met anyone I work with in person. I basically never interact with other people — I get assigned tasks and projects and occasionally have meetings about projects, but I don’t know any of the people at my level. I think it’s fine for my first job after my career transition, but it’s a little depressing. I think I would prefer at least some in-person office time to at least get to know my colleagues and actually learn things from other people. The meeting ends up being about switching to a new time entry system, very exciting stuff.

1 p.m. — I take a break from work and walk to the gym with M. We do separate workouts and then meet up at the end to walk home. M. gets a smoothie at the gym on our way out — I pay as he didn’t bring his wallet. We head home, shower, and get back to work. $7

6 p.m. — Wednesday night is date night for M. and me. We have been picking a new recipe each week to cook together. This week is pork schnitzel with pickled onions and German potato salad. M. picked up the ingredients we didn’t have earlier ($17). It turns out really good!

8 p.m. — We head to our dance class. Neither of us is a good dancer or has any dance experience, but we thought it would be fun to try ballroom dancing together. This is our fifth class and it is not really getting any easier, lol. It is definitely fun but I think we are the worst couple in the class ($25 per class, paid for by M. when we signed up). Then we get home and watch our favorite show: The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. To anybody reading this — RHOSLC is peak reality TV and everyone should watch. We head to bed and I feel so grateful to get to do all of these things with my favorite person. M. and I have been together for seven years but due to my grad school, a lot of it has been long distance. It has been so nice to actually live together.

Daily Total: $7

Day Four: Thursday

7:30 a.m. — I get up and go on my walk. I talk with my grandparents on the phone (they live in another country and it’s the evening, their time). I really miss them; I wish I could visit them more often. I get back and M. is up, which is surprisingly early for him. I make breakfast sandwiches for us. We both start working.

1 p.m. — I take a break from work and make a salad for lunch. I have a lot to do today, and I have plans with friends tonight so I need to try and finish early. I have been working on a portion of a much larger report, and I haven’t gotten as much done as I think I should have by this point. I have been procrastinating on finishing it all week, I’m not sure why. Extreme procrastination was a problem I had near the end of my time in grad school, when I was working on my qualifying exams. Something about working on such a big report reminds me of that. Definitely not a good habit to carry over. I try to journal about why I am procrastinating before counting to five and starting — a technique my therapist told me about, which really helps.

6 p.m. — Done working, and my three friends come over for a movie night. M. has plans with some of his friends so he says hi to everyone before heading out. I make lemon pasta for dinner (previously purchased ingredients). One of my friends brings a bottle of rosé, which we all share. We watch The Devil Wears Prada and then make the pumpkin bread I got from Trader Joe’s earlier in the week.

10 p.m. — M. gets back and we convince him to watch High School Musical with us, which he has somehow never seen?! My friends leave and M. and I head to bed. I feel full after seeing my friends and watching comfort movies — I’m so glad the four of us live in the same city now.

Daily Total: $0

Day Five: Friday

6 a.m. — Another field work day; this time it’s a little closer so no need to get up as early. I make coffee and a smoothie to go. I stop and get gas on the way to the field site ($23). £3.45 (after reimbursement). 

2 p.m. — I finish my survey. It was pretty cool — I found an active badger den! It was my first time ever seeing a badger so I was very excited, but it’s a problem for the project I was doing the survey for. The active den is directly where construction will happen, so the project will either need to be changed in some way or we will have to try to relocate the badger. Overall a nice field day; I saw a lot of birds, too. I’m a little tired but feeling glad that bird-watching and looking for animals is part of my job. I drive home and somehow miss traffic. It only takes 45 minutes!

7 p.m. — I meet one of my best friends for dinner. I haven’t seen her in a while — she is in the middle of a medical school residency and extremely busy. We go to Night + Market, a Thai restaurant near her apartment. I get a mojito and sweet potato massaman curry — delicious. We split the bill in half. $45

11 p.m. — After dinner she gives me a bottle of wine as a present. At first I am very confused as to what the present is for, but then I notice the label, which has a picture of us and asks if I will be her bridesmaid! I of course say yes and start crying. I am so happy for her and so excited for her wedding! We have been friends since undergrad, and she is my first friend to be engaged. I have a problem with happy crying and try to pull it together. We go back to her apartment and watch some of the newest Love Is Blind season and drink some of the wine. I walked to the restaurant but don’t feel safe walking back alone now that it’s dark, so I get an Uber home ($12). M. is still working when I get back and hugs me quickly before getting back to work. He has an urgent edit to make on something before Saturday evening. I head to bed. $12

Daily Total: $60.45

Day Six: Saturday

1 p.m. — I have a nice lie-in. I love doing field work, but I honestly hate mornings. I would be more on a schedule like M.’s if I had a choice — although today he is already up (college football is on and he is obsessed, lol). One of his friends is over and they are watching their college team play. M. hands me an iced mocha and croissant he got me earlier from the coffee shop on our street (he paid, it was approximately $12). I eat while watching some of the game, and then head out on a long walk. I don’t dislike football, but I am not as invested as M. and his friends are, and I love my walks.

3 p.m. — I get back and two more of M.’s friends are at our apartment to watch football. I decide this is the perfect time for some baking: lots of willing people to eat what I make! I love baking — my mom is a really good baker and taught me a lot growing up. She would often make bread and puff pastry and cakes from scratch on the weekends. I decide to try making tahini chocolate swirl bread. We have leftover tahini from a recipe we tried last week, and I know one of M.’s friends, L., is a huge foodie and will appreciate this interesting flavor combination. It turns out okay; honestly I think the tahini flavor is overpowered by the chocolate. M. and his friends say it’s amazing, although I think they would probably say that anyway. I convince L. to take the remaining slices home.

10:30 p.m. — It’s my friend K.’s birthday. I head over to his apartment before we go out to celebrate. We are going to a club, and I am excited — it’s been a few months since I’ve actually gone out dancing. I stop and get tequila and flowers for him on the way (peonies, his favorite). We have some shots before we go out. His boyfriend is friends with the club owner so the table/bottle service is free as a favor/birthday present. I feel very fancy; I’ve never had a table at a club before and free drinks! We have a great time dancing, and I meet some of his friends I’ve only seen briefly before. K. and I met in a different city, where we were both in the same master’s program. So glad he ended up moving to LA! $37

2 a.m. — I start to feel tired, and call M. to come pick me up. He comes inside to say hi to everyone and wish K. a happy birthday, then we go home. M. makes me chicken tenders and we watch The Great British Bake Off before heading to bed.

Daily Total: $37

Day Seven: Sunday

10:30 a.m. — I wake up with a headache — it’s been a while since I drank that much. I chug water and Advil. M. is still sleeping and I make breakfast sandwiches for both of us. He wakes up, we eat, and decide to drive to Malibu State Park for a walk.

12 p.m. — We get to the state park and pay for parking ($10, I pay). We go on an easy “hike” which has beautiful views of the ocean. I take some pictures of plants to ID later (yes I am a nerd). $10

5 p.m. — M. and I get home and take a nap. M. watches football while I plan out the next week — I have a weekly planner where I color-code my days/activities and plan out workouts etc. I’ve been trying to go to the gym three times a week, but it didn’t happen this week. On days I have field work I’m usually too tired afterwards to go to the gym. Maybe next week will be better. We make roasted chickpeas with veggies and salmon for dinner, one of my favorite easy dinners. I make a smoothie for tomorrow morning.

Daily Total: $10

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