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: an evaluation specialist who has a $241,000 joint income and who spends some of her money this week on a beer at a baby event.
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Content Note: This diary contains reference to post-partum depression.
Editor’s Note: All amounts referred to are in Canadian dollars.
Occupation: Evaluation specialist (currently on maternity leave).
Industry: Healthcare
Age: 30
Location: National Capital Region, Canada
Salary: $121,000
Joint income/Financial Setup: $241,000 (my husband, S., makes about $120,000). We split everything 50/50 since we make similar amounts, if this were to change we would split things proportional to income. Note: I am on maternity leave, so I am making 90% of my regular salary — about 70% of this is paid by the government, and then my work tops up the rest.
Assets: House: $425,000; TFSA: $31,000 (joint with S.); retirement: $105,000 (spread across work plans and personal bank plans with S.. I have a defined benefit plan with work, which means I get a percentage of my salary after I retire for life based on my salary and years of service). RESP (for my daughter): $,3700.
Debt: Mortgage: $170,554; car 1: $10,000; car 2: $39,000.
Paycheck Amount (Biweekly): $2,113.62 from the government; $817.08 from my work.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $1,624 for our mortgage and property tax. We own a three-bedroom semi-detached house.
Loan Payments: Car 1: $495, car 2: $618
Car & House Insurance: $461 (my half).
Security System: $46 (my half).
Wifi & Cellphones: $196 (my half; covers two cellphones).
Hydro: $145 (my half).
Donations: $50 to a local dog rescue.
Savings: $1,900 ($1,100 towards general savings; $550 to travel; $150 to a “fun fund”; $100 to a misc account for baby expenses).
RRSP: $400 (I also contribute a percentage of my salary to my work pension, which is about $600 a paycheck).
Cleaner: $75 every two weeks (my half).
Annual expenses
Credit Cards: $150 for hotel credit card; $600 for Aeroplan credit card.
Disney+: $160
DAZN: $229
AppleTV: $280
Costco: $120
Sweat App: $120, covered by my work through a lifestyle spending account.
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?
I was a good student and liked school, so it was assumed I would pursue at least an undergraduate degree and likely a master’s of some sort as well. I did end up getting both of these. My parents paid for my first year of undergrad, plus my rent for all four years; the rest of my tuition went on a line of credit. My parents paid the interest on this, and I paid off the debt (about $20,000) shortly after completing my master’s. I paid for my master’s degree with my savings from working throughout undergrad, and was responsible for my rent during this time as well.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents set me up with a bank account when I was very young, and taught me about savings, bonds, etc. That was pretty much the extent of my education; they didn’t really talk to me much about finances, and I had no idea how much they made. I’ve started asking them more now that I am older and they provide some guidance in terms of retirement and savings, but most of what I know I have figured out on my own.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I got a job at Tim Hortons when I turned 16. My parents started shifting some bills to me, like my cellphone and gas money at this time, with the expectation that I should get a job. It also allowed me to have more spending money to do things with friends.
Did you worry about money growing up?
No. Although I didn’t know how much my parents made, it never seemed like they struggled to pay bills, and they were always able to get us things we needed, and often things we wanted, and we took at least one vacation a year.
Do you worry about money now?
No, but I think about it often, especially since having a child. I know we have enough to meet our needs, and we could adjust our finances if we needed to, but I think about how to best set up our child to pay for her education, upcoming daycare costs, etc.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
21, when I started my master’s. At this point I was responsible for my bills and tuition, although my parents would sometimes help me out with flights home, and they were still paying the interest on my line of credit. My husband and our savings would be my first financial safety net, but both our families would also help us out with no strings attached if we needed it.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
My parents paid my rent in undergrad, and also gave me $7,000 towards my wedding.
Day One: Monday
1:30 a.m. — My four-month-old daughter, C., wakes up to feed. S., my husband, changes her diaper, then goes to our spare room to get some uninterrupted sleep. Feed C. and put her back to sleep around 2 a.m.
3 a.m. — C. starts wiggling in her crib. I get up to soothe her and she is wide awake and ready to party. Girly, it’s the middle of the night. She is super tired but does not want to go back to sleep, so I spend the next hour switching between feeding, rocking, and bouncing before finally getting her back to sleep around 4 a.m.
6:15 a.m. — S. comes to relieve me so I can get some uninterrupted sleep, but C. hasn’t woken up for her morning feed yet so I am not sure how long I will have. I end up getting back up at 7 a.m. to feed her, and then S. takes her until 8:30 a.m. when he starts work so I can try to get more sleep.
8:30 a.m. — Up for the day! Grateful to S. for the extra sleep this morning. S. brings me a coffee and I feed C. a bit more before we start the day. Do my skincare, which is just Glow Recipe Cloudberry Moisturizer and Sephora Brightening Eyecream, then put C. on her playmat and make a smoothie for S. and me, heat up a cinnamon bun from the batch I made Saturday, and put together pulled pork in the crockpot. After I eat, I put C. down for her morning nap early, since she got an early start to the day.
10 a.m. — C. is awake, and it’s a beautiful day (sad that above -5 Celsius is a beautiful day), so I load C. into the car and we head to the Rideau Canal to go skating! She hangs out in her stroller and takes a catnap while I do some very slow skating. Afterwards I grab myself a hot chocolate, and we head home. $3.85
12:30 p.m. — S. feeds C. a bottle while I eat lunch and pump. He goes back to work after and I take C. upstairs to cuddle and nap.
2:15 p.m. — Wake C. up because I have to leave for a chiropractor appointment. She isn’t pleased, but she sleeps a bit more in the car and then is happy playing with a crinkle toy while I get my neck and back fixed from carrying her around constantly. (The appointment is $60, but will be fully covered by insurance.) $60 (Expensed)
4:05 p.m. — It’s snowing pretty heavily outside and traffic is absolutely brutal; it takes me an hour to get home. C. falls asleep again, so I stop for gas on my way home. Once I am home I feed C, and then she hangs in her playpen while S. and I tidy the house a bit. S. mentions he really doesn’t want to shovel, so I offer to do it while he preps potatoes and broccoli to go with dinner. My arms are screaming by the end, but we have a clear path and driveway again. Hop in the shower since I got sweaty even with the cold weather. $62.83
6:30 p.m. — Play fetch with our dog, put C. in her bouncer chair, and eat dinner. Start getting C. and myself for bed around 7:30 p.m. — diaper change and feed for her, skincare (Lush Angels on Bare Skin cleanser, Glow Recipe Watermelon Serum, Glow Recipe Moisturizer, Sephora Brightening Eye Cream) and brush teeth for me. Get her to sleep just after 8 p.m. Relax in bed for a bit, then S. goes to the spare room to sleep since he is in the office tomorrow. Cross my fingers for at least four hours of sleep before C. wakes up.
11:30 p.m. — Just kidding, C. wakes up at 9 p.m., 10 p.m., and 11 p.m. Feed her at 11 p.m. and put her back down at 11:30 p.m.
Daily Total: $66.68
Day Two: Tuesday
4 a.m. — C. wakes up. A decent stretch! Feed her, and she unfortunately has again decided it’s party time. Unsuccessfully try to get her back to sleep until 5:15 a.m., when she finally goes down. The dog looks at me like she misses being an only child. She’ll change her mind when C. starts solids.
6 a.m. — C. wakes up again, much to my dismay. Ask S. to take her for 30 minutes so I can keep sleeping. C. rarely goes back in her bassinet after 6 a.m., so we just end up holding her until she wakes up for the day.
8 a.m. — Our cleaner is arriving soon, so we are up for the day. Skincare, brush teeth, say hello to our cleaner, make a smoothie and coffee, and eat the last cinnamon bun. Feed C., and then set up with C. and the dog for a team workout — C. on her playmat, the dog playing fetch, and me following a postpartum program on my workout app.
9:30 a.m. — Put C. down for her morning nap, fold some laundry, and do my hair. Once she wakes up, we head out to my eyebrow appointment. C. captures the attention of all the ladies there, and she knows it. $36.44
11:30 a.m. — Come back to a clean house ($75, in monthly budget). Eat leftover pulled pork for lunch, then feed C. Get C. and myself ready to head out again, but C. needs an impromptu bath after a blowout… Parenthood is so fun.
12:30 p.m. — Finally out the door, heading to a local brewery that has a baby playtime. (I go to a mom group almost weekly, and things like this about once a month. They’re great: they give C. a chance to see other babies and play around, and me a chance to interact with other adults. They’re also a great chance to ask questions to parents of older babies!) Get myself a shandy beer, and sit and chat with the other parents while C. stares in awe at the other babies. She’s still a bit too young to play, but she’s definitely interested! $9.20
2 p.m. — Head out and stop at a little shop downtown on the way home to get S. a card for our anniversary ($7.12). Also grab myself a chocolate bar that was made in Newfoundland ($6.78)! C. is fussy, so feed her when we get home and get her down for a nap. $13.90
5 p.m. — S. gets home from work and C. wakes up. We hang out for a bit, then S. heats up chicken noodle soup I made previously and makes grilled cheeses to go along with it. We watch Last Week Tonight while we eat.
7:30 p.m. — Time to start bedtime! For me as well, since I assume I will be up for a bit in the middle of the night again. Asleep by 9 p.m.
Daily Total: $59.54
Day Three: Wednesday
1:30 a.m. — C. wakes up. Change her diaper, feed her, and put her back down.
3 a.m. — C. wakes up, soothe her back to sleep.
5:30 a.m. — Time for a feed. Put her back down and she sleeps until 6:30 a.m.! Cuddle her for the rest of her sleep, until 7:45 a.m.
8 a.m. — Skincare, brush teeth, feed C, and then make myself a latte and eat overnight oats I prepped last night. S. is in the office again today, so we’re on our own. Relax and read baby books until C’s first nap at 9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m. — C. is up, so we head to the grocery store. I get chips, chicken broth, carrots, hummus, and canned pumpkin. I also stop by the bank to deposit cash. $22.83
11:30 a.m. — Time for another team workout! I do upper body and core, C. does tummy time, and the dog plays fetch. After working out I make myself a smoothie and half a blueberry bagel with cream cheese. Someone from my “buy nothing” group comes by to pick up my pregnancy pillow. S. will be so happy to not share the bed with that thing anymore, but I thought it was amazing! It’s essentially a big U shape that you sleep between — I found it helpful to put my upper leg on it and my upper arm, and then I could roll over and not have to readjust the pillow. You can really only sleep on your sides later in pregnancy, and my hips hurt a lot, so this was a game changer.
12:30 p.m. — Feed C. and put her to sleep for a nap. When she wakes up, have leftover chicken noodle soup for lunch, and prep an enchilada bake in the crockpot for dinner. Decide to also make banana chocolate chip muffins with bananas I have in the freezer. Then C. takes another short nap; I read a book while I cuddle her.
5 p.m. — S. gets home. Adult interaction! We catch up on our days, and then I take the opportunity to do a face mask and take a long hot shower, instead of my usual quick five-minute one. When I am done, we eat dinner. C. plays on her playmat and almost rolls over totally on her own!
7 p.m. — S. tries to give C. a bottle, but she decides it’s a no from her, so I feed her while S. cleans up. We try to watch a bit of TV while putting C. to bed, but she starts screaming so we turn off all the lights and she goes to sleep. We go to sleep ourselves around 9 p.m. Back up to soothe C. at 11:30 p.m.
Daily Total: $22.83
Day Four: Thursday
12:30 a.m. — Up to soothe C.
1:30 a.m. — Up to feed C. S. changes her diaper and heads to the spare room to sleep; the dog bolts after him. What, you’re tired of waking up every hour? Same.
3 a.m. — Up to soothe C. at 3 a.m., 4 a.m., and 5:30 a.m. I fear we are hitting the dreaded four-month sleep regression. S. gets up at 5:30 a.m. to relieve me, and I head to the spare room to get some sleep.
7 a.m. — Alarm goes off. I am up early because S. has to take one of our cars in to get checked. Walk into the room and C. is wide awake. Girl what the heck? Change C.’s diaper, then take her to make a latte and a smoothie, and eat a muffin. Put on an eye mask as if that’s going to miraculously cure my lack of sleep.
8:15 a.m. — C. is already ready for a nap. I get it. Feed her and put her down to sleep, and lay down myself. End up having to pick her up and let her sleep on me so she sleeps longer.
10 a.m. — Pass C. to S. so I can attend therapy. I’ve been seeing my therapist for four years, and started seeing her weekly after having C. and experiencing postpartum depression. (When C. was born, I felt very disconnected and afraid to be alone with her, was totally uninterested in anything that used to bring me joy, and felt like I wanted to disappear just to get a break. My therapist flagged that this seemed to be more than just “baby blues”, and I started antidepressants at four weeks postpartum, which helped tremendously. I’m still on them, and they, along with therapy, help me feel much more like myself.) Feel much lighter after my session ($175; will be covered fully by my insurance). Make myself a blueberry bagel with cream cheese afterwards, and prep a chickpea curry in the crockpot. $175 (Expensed)
12 p.m. — Take C. to feed and nap. When she wakes up, I eat some of the enchilada leftovers, and we head out to a mom group. C. has a great time watching the other babies, and I get some adult interaction.
3 p.m. — Head home to get S. so we can go pick up our car. They said there were no issues with the fuel efficiency test, but changed our oil and filters, re-screwed a tray, and changed a windshield wiper. Total was $383 (we split the cost). $191.50
3:30 p.m. — Take C. home for a nap while S. stops at Walmart to get naan bread, a salad, and a different size bottle nipple ($17; $8.50 for my half) to see if it helps with C. rejecting the bottle (narrator: It did not help). C. wakes up but is still super tired and fussy. I would be too if I was up every hour overnight. Oh wait… $8.50
6:30 p.m. — Open a bottle of Lola Rosé and eat dinner. I forgot we had this bottle — I think I bought it before I got pregnant. It’s one of my favourites so I am excited to have it again after over a year without it! C. falls asleep in her bouncer, so we take the chance to play fetch with the dog and watch an episode of Last Week Tonight. We are so behind on the show that the election hasn’t even happened yet. Good times: fond memories before the dystopian horror that is today.
8:30 p.m. — Put C. to bed. I’m so tired I go to sleep myself and am out as soon as my head hits the pillow. S. gets up at 9:30 p.m. to soothe C.
Daily Total: $200
Day Five: Friday
1 a.m. — I get up to soothe C.
2:30 a.m. — C. gets up to feed. A pretty good stretch! S. changes her diaper and heads to the spare room with the dog, who can’t get out of here fast enough. Get C. back down by 3:30 a.m. She sleeps until 5:50 a.m., then I feed her before S. comes in at 6 a.m. to relieve me. Looking forward to a nice two-hour stretch!
7:20 a.m. — Just kidding — the dog jumps off the bed and throws up. I can’t catch a break. Let the dog out, clean up, and get back into bed. S. hears me and tells me to set my alarm for 8:30 a.m.
8:30 a.m. — Up feeling relatively well rested, especially compared to the other days this week. Go see S. and C., who are playing on her playmat, and take C. to feed. S. and I decide to have chocolate chip waffles to celebrate Friday (even though days of the week mean nothing to me right now), and I make myself a coffee. S. starts work and I empty the dishwasher until C. starts getting fussy and needs her morning nap. Spend C.’s naptime searching for cottages for a getaway we want to take with friends this summer.
10:30 a.m. — Team workout time! Set C. up on her playmat and grab the dog’s ball, and set up for a full body workout. C. gets restless halfway through so I move her to my yoga mat while I finish up. Have a banana chocolate chip muffin afterwards.
12:30 p.m. — Put C. down for a nap and go eat leftover curry for lunch. She wakes up after 20 minutes so I go grab her and finish eating. I also eat two chocolate chip cookies because breastfeeding hunger is like no other. Apparently you burn about 500 calories a day breastfeeding, so it’s really common to be really hungry. I crave sweets, although sometimes I will get a random craving, like French toast cereal, something I hadn’t had in years! (And which my husband kindly got for me.) I feed C. and then practice rolling with her, then call my grandma to chat while she plays.
2 p.m. — C. falls asleep feeding, so I cuddle with her and she sleeps for two hours! I read my book while she sleeps in my arms.
4:30 p.m. — C. is up and S. gives her a bottle. She takes half of it, which is better than nothing. I pump and play with the dog while she eats, and then S. and I give C. a bath. She promptly spits up on her fresh onesie.
6 p.m. — S. makes cacio e pepe for dinner with a salad, and we eat it with a glass of the wine we opened yesterday. C. amuses herself by turning on her sides while we eat. See that Nespresso is running a deal where you can get a box of chocolates and cocktail glasses if you spend over $139. We are running low on coffee and I was planning on picking some up next week, so we decide to order now to take advantage of the deal. $145.40
8:00 p.m. — Start the bedtime routine. Get C. down by 9:30pm and go to bed ourselves.
Daily Total: $145.40
Day Six: Saturday
12:45 p.m. — C. did a decent stretch! S. changes her diaper and I feed her, and S. and the dog go to the spare room. Put C. back to sleep by 1:30 a.m. –— she wakes up at 2:30 a.m., 4:15 a.m., and then 5:15 a.m. I feed her at 5:15 a.m. and then wake S. up to take over around 5:45 a.m.
9 a.m. — I got to sleep in today so I am feeling relatively rested. Get up with the dog and go see S. and C., who are playing on her play mat. Make myself a coffee and have a banana chocolate chip muffin, then feed C. C. falls asleep while feeding, so I sit and cuddle her so she gets a good nap. In the meantime S. gets ready to leave, he is going away for the night so I am fully solo parenting.
11:15 a.m. — C. wakes up. I do some light makeup, and then we do some tummy time and feed. Text my SIL to see what her plan is, because I am seeing her briefly while she is in town so she can see C.
12:45 p.m. — Leave to meet my SIL at a brewery. I order an oatmeal stout, which my SIL covers. She and her friend love doting on C., so I have my hands free for a bit!
2 p.m. — Head out to meet my friend on the canal to go for a walk. Put C. in her stroller and she takes a good nap while we walk. Plan to hang out until 4 p.m., but C. gets fussy and hungry, so I head to the car around 3:30 p.m. and feed her, since it’s too cold to feed her outside.
4 p.m. — Swing by my aunt’s house — my other aunt is in town and they want to see C. When you have a baby no one really cares about seeing you, they just want you to bring the baby. I don’t mind though, I get some hot chocolate and cookies while they entertain C. My aunt also gives me some pulled pork to take home for dinner, so I don’t have to cook!
6 p.m. — Get home. C. took a nap in the car, so I put her down to play while I heat up dinner and make myself an Aperol spritz. C. does tummy time and watches the dog play fetch while I eat. We head up for bed around 8 p.m., and she’s asleep by 9 p.m.
Daily Total: $0
Day Seven: Sunday
12 a.m. — C. has been up three times in the last hour, so I feed her to see if that will give me a longer stretch. She successfully goes to sleep around 12:30 a.m., and sleeps until almost 4 a.m.
4 a.m. — Up for a diaper change and feed. The dog steals my spot when I get up to put C. down, so I have to carefully slide back into bed so I don’t prompt a growl that wakes C. up.
6 a.m. — C. has woken up twice since 4:30 a.m., so I give up and hold her for the rest of her sleep. She wakes up around 8 a.m. I change her and do my skincare. This brightening eye cream is fighting for its life after last night.
8:30 a.m. — Load C. in the car to go to Starbucks — I feel I deserve a treat this morning. Get myself an Oat Sugar Cookie Latte, and the dog a pup cup ($6.54, but I have a pre-loaded gift card). The dog is absolutely thrilled. Play with C. until her naptime, then put her down and lay down myself.
10:30 a.m. — Still feeling like treating myself, probably as a result of the sleep deprivation. Make myself an apple dutch baby pancake with C. as my sous chef (she’s not that helpful but she’s cute company). I also start on a chili for dinner tonight.
1 p.m. — S. is home! No longer solo parenting, thank god. Feed C., and then go for a two-hour nap while S. hangs with C.
4:30 p.m. — Up and feeling slightly refreshed. Hang out with S. while C. naps. We throw on the Superbowl pre-game and S. decides to place a bet on the game. We don’t like either team, but we are definitely team Eagles tonight.
6:30 p.m. — Have our chili and settle in for the game. Great start for Chiefs haters. C. starts freaking out around 7:15 p.m. so we head upstairs to start bedtime, and put the game on in our room. We plan to go watch the game after, but C. is in a mood today and does not want to be put down for bed. End up turning the game on the laptop so it doesn’t disturb her — we’re prisoners of our own child.
9 p.m. — Finally get C. down for at least a few hours, I hope. Not seeing any way the Chiefs are winning this game, so I go to bed satisfied, hoping for a few hours before C. wakes up.
Daily Total: $0
The Breakdown
Conclusion
“Seeing the figures tallied up, I spent more than I thought I would on a pretty average week, aside from the car repair. I’ve also been surprised at how baby items really add up — individually they aren’t expensive, but over the course of a month we spend a lot on diapers, bottles, clothes, etc. I feel lucky that I still receive a good salary while I am off on maternity leave, and can fully take advantage and get out and do things with C. without really worrying. I am also happy to report that since I wrote this Money Diary, C. is sleeping much better, normally waking up once or twice overnight, and has also moved to her own room, so we can watch TV after she goes to bed in peace! It’s the little things.”
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