Another year has come and gone, and honestly, we’re ready for 2023. But before we move into a new, ambitious year (Jupiter is about to enter Aries, which means success is on the horizon for us!), we here at Money Diaries are excited to take a look back at what 2022 brought us. We checked in with your favorite diarists, from the millionaire lawyer who bought the Dior bag of our dreams to the content strategist that got laid off, got a new job, and got COVID all in one week. Ahead, some of our favorite diarists tell us how they’ve been doing since they wrote their Money Diary.
Don’t see your favorite diarist here? Leave your faves in the comments for potential follow-up diaries next year!
Interviews have been edited for clarity and length.
Life Update:
“Since writing my Money Diary, our financial situation has not changed much other than my husband getting a bigger year-end draw than we expected, which we have put towards savings/investments. Looking towards next year, we are preparing for some big financial changes as we are transitioning our girls from their local private school to a bigger private school that is further away — tuition/after-school care/busing will cost us $80,000 a year (instead of the current $50,000). This cost will balloon closer to $100,000 once they are in the upper school, which has us re-evaluating whether moving to the suburbs and utilizing the free (and very good) public schools is the right decision. It’s definitely a better financial decision, but we’re still considering all of the other factors such as access to cultural institutions, restaurants, and diversity.”
Life Update:
“Lots of things have changed since my money diary was published! My financial situation has improved immensely thanks to a number of changes.
Right after I wrote my Money Diary, I was finally approved for food stamps and this has honestly changed my life. I went from practically starving to actually eating healthy, substantial meals. I was also hired for a full-time library assistant job where my yearly salary is now around $34,000 after taxes. I was sad to leave my old job at a larger more well-known museum, but the new job pays me SO much more and has benefits like health insurance and tuition reimbursement for my master’s program, so it’s 100% worth it. Reputation, unfortunately, can’t pay the bills.
I also moved into a new apartment in DC with my wonderful boyfriend who offered to go 60/40 on rent and other household expenses since he makes significantly more than I do. My rent went from $1,075 a month living with a roommate who didn’t like me to $950 living with my favorite guy. I’m truly so happy.
Now that I have a new job and pay less in rent, I officially can say I no longer need food stamps! For now, I’m focusing on finishing my last few semesters of grad school and saving 20% of each paycheck. I’m extremely grateful for all the kindness from people who read my diary and hope to do a follow up diary in the new year.”
Life Update:
“Since my diary was published, we have welcomed our third baby and second daughter into the family. Our financial expenses have increased as we expected and planned for — we have raised the pay for our nanny, started 529 plan contributions for our newborn, and are no longer renting out the apartment over our garage.
Last month, we moved my husband’s grandmother into the apartment because she could no longer afford her place due to a large rent increase and fixed income. We also spent $28,000 on installing a ramp and expanding doorways in the apartment to make it more accessible as she ages. For now, we are enjoying being a family of five, getting to spend more time with the kids’ grandma, and we are planning an anniversary trip to Morocco for early next year.”
Life Update:
“The week I did my Money Diary turned out to be one of the most stressful weeks of my life with my position being eliminated, having to jump straight into interviewing, and then catching COVID and having to cancel Christmas with my family. Since then, I’ve discovered that I love my new job. It’s a way better fit for me than my previous position and I love the people I work with. A couple of months in, they gave me a $3,000 raise, bringing my salary to $103,000.
I’ve also been super appreciative of my coworkers who cut me a lot of slack when I had a rough few months this summer. My boyfriend broke up with me out of nowhere and then my beloved grandmother passed away. I’m really grateful for all the support that I had to get me to this point. I went through a really, really hard few months, but have recently been feeling better and much more like myself.”
Life Update:
“Since my diary, a lot has happened! In terms of work, I just hit my one-year anniversary at my job this week and got a 5% raise bringing my compensation to $68,250 plus I’ll get an end-of-year bonus, which should be around 10-15%.
In terms of my apartment, I resigned my lease in August and my rent only went up $90 from my COVID deal, thankfully. I also negotiated another six months of free utilities, so I’m enjoying that while I can.
In terms of life, I’m continuing to happily live my partner-free aro/ace life (wasn’t mentioned in my diary, but I talked about it in the comments). My trivia group has been dominating, we currently have $700+ in gift card winnings. I was also diagnosed with really severe anemia so I had to get iron infusions. I’m so thankful I have health insurance — without it, my infusions would have cost $12,000!”
Life Update:
“Since my Money Diary, I have had a few big changes. A few months ago, I bought my first condo! It was a tough market at the time and took a few months, but I ended up in a great place that I really love. I even managed to get in while interest rates were low, so I’m super happy about that. I’m also very pleased to report that I have just one year of student loan payments left! This is probably even more exciting than buying my first place, sadly. I’m looking forward to having that extra $4,000 a month.
Most importantly, we are patiently waiting for my boyfriend’s visa application to be approved. It’s probably going to be a long wait. We have been able to see each other in the meantime and my mom has even made the trip to Morocco with me, which was a fabulous time for all of us. All in all, things are looking good!”
Life Update:
“After writing my Money Diary, I traveled to Europe for four months to teach English and live with a host family. My Spanish improved a TON and I was able to continue my freelancing gig to have some travel money and pad my savings for when I got back to NYC in the summer.
I spent a few months stressing about getting a full-time job and eventually found one at a nonprofit that allows me to continue writing (without the hectic planning and stress of freelancing). I also have health insurance and 401(k) — it’s exciting to have benefits for the first time! I’m currently focusing on contributing money to my investment/retirement accounts and hope to do some more passion project writing when I can.”
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