Millennial Money Diary of a Human Resources Professional for September 2022

I don’t know about you but I love CNBC’s Millennial Money and Refinery29’s Money Diaries. 

Maybe it’s because I love to snoop but there’s something about learning how someone spends their money is interesting. I’d figure since I enjoy it so much, I’d share my monthly money diaries! 

Without ado, here’s my September 2022 money diary.

*I will not be posting any mortgage, loans, or credit card repayments. 

Week of September 1 – 3

• Strata payment – $294.93. I view strata payment as separate from the mortgage as it’s a living expense for me.
• RMT Massage – $107.80. I didn’t realize I already maxed out my healthcare benefits, so this was more expensive than I thought. The good thing is, I get a Health and Wellness spending account from work so I’ll be expensing this in December. 
• TransLink (public transport) – $10.00
• Starbucks – $5.83
• AliExpress – $12.97. I purchased a new Samsung S22+ for myself and my partner so I grabbed 2 phone cases. 

Total: $431.53

Week of September 4 – 10

• Superstore – $60.40
• Bubble Waffle – $16.29. I go to the office 2x a week and like to buy lunch to socialize with my colleagues.
• 7-11 – $3.15. An afternoon pick me up! 
• Educational Textbook Island – $25.72. I buy PDF textbooks… so, there you go. 
• Amazon Prime – $11.19
• Fido Phone Bill – $35.69. Slight discount from Rogers’ network fiasco. 
• Chefs Plate – $13.31. I also received a $15 cashback so technically this week’s Chefs Plate was free! I plan on doing a bigger blog post on how Chefs Plate is helping us save money during this high inflation. 
• Shoppers Drug Mart – $2.30.
• Lost in the 50s Diner – $39.82

Total: $207.87

Week of September 11 – 17

• Apple – $31.21
• TransLink – $10.00
• American Express – $12.99. The monthly AE fee went up this year.
• Sushi Garden – $47.24
• Cartems Donut – $8.10
• McDonald’s – $2.61
• TransLink – $10.00. I have an auto top-up set up so that’s why it’s recurring a few times a month.
• Rogers’ Mastercard – $198.88. I dub this a fee in my budget tracker but technically, I’m just helping my dad with some of his expenses.
• Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba – $19.77
• The Greta Bar – $23.52. This was a barcade so I loaded up my playing card with $20 worth of credits.
• The Greta Bar – $36.27. The food and drinks during work’s happy hour! 
• Stripped Wax Bar – $70.04
• Shoppers Drug Mart – $18.68. Had to stock up on prenatal vitamins, otherwise, I would’ve liked to set up a subscribe & save option with Amazon. 

Total: $489.31

Week of September 18 – 24

• TransLink – $10.00
• Spotify – $14.55
• Netflix – $18.47
• Home insurance – $23.54
• Chefs Plate – $37.17
• Sushi Garden – $46.30
• Pholicious – $12.59
• Starbucks – $9.84

Total: $172.46

Week of September 25 – 30

• Amazon – $8.95. Bought a pregnancy test but I think I might switch over to the batch of dipsticks instead. 
• Olive the Best – $79.99. A birthday gift for a bestie!
• E-Transfer fee – $1.50. Wished my bank had free e-transfers!
• AliExpress – $33.00
• NameCheap EasyWP renewal – $48.88

Total: $172.32

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Reflections:

Honestly, this is one of the better months I’ve had this year. I was super close to keeping my spending under what I had initially intended but a few things happened this week that just made me go ever so slightly: (1) I went to the office 3x a week and (2) since working remotely, it was the first time that my HR team got together in person so we went out for a team lunch.

My goal in October is to reduce the number of restaurants. Sometimes, even with a prepped line, I like to go out for lunch to socialize since I don’t go to the office much.  

Enjoyed my money diary series? Check out more entries here!