A Week In Washington, D.C. On A $72,977 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.

This week: a fundraising writer working in the arts who makes $72,977 per year and spends some of it on margaritas.

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This diary was written in 2026.

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Occupation: Fundraising writer
Industry: Arts and culture
Age: 25
Location: Washington, D.C.
Salary: $72,977
Joint Income/Financial Setup:
Assets:
High yield savings account: $8,270
Health savings account: $1,000
Brokerage account: $7,295 ($2,200 is not invested in any stocks as I keep it liquid for everyday spending and big purchases)
Employer-sponsored tax-deferred annuity plan: $11,050
Rollover IRA from high school and college jobs: $4,945
Checking and savings at a credit union: $100
Unmatured savings bonds: ~$20,000
Debt: $9,590 for a car loan and $4,760 on my credit card balance
Paycheck Amount (Biweekly): $1,999.95
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $1,305 for my portion of rent (I live with two roommates in a two-story row house).
Loan Payments: $400 (car loan payments)
Utilities: ~$100-$200 for gas, electricity, and wifi (a third of an equal split that varies month to month).
Health, vision, & dental: $350 for Invisalign (last payment will be made in January, 2027); $16 for dental and vision post-tax. I’m on my parents’ health insurance plan.
Phone: $30 (I got a new iPhone last year, so I send this to my mom when I remember).
Credit card: $400
Subscriptions: $88 for the gym, $10 for Microsoft (I don’t know how to cancel this), $12.99 for AppleTV, $6 for NYT, and $9 for Patreon. My parents pay for all of the other streaming services I use.
Savings: $700 goes to my brokerage account and $450 goes to my HYSA.

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?
It was an unspoken expectation that I would attend college, especially since we are Black. My parents paid for tuition, my books, and my room and board (eventually my rent and a car, too, once I moved off-campus). I worked four jobs at a time during my undergrad for discretionary spending on utilities, clothes, travel, etc. I’m being pushed to get a Master’s degree or terminal degree. Both my parents have Master’s degrees and Master’s certificates. Everyone in my family — my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, and my cousins — all have multiple degrees. I would like to get my Master’s, and I even recently got accepted into a couple of grad schools, but the cost (even after sizeable scholarships) was too expensive to seriously consider going at this point in my life.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
We didn’t really speak about money until I got my first job. My mom handles the finances for the family since my dad has a habit of overpaying bills. She taught me two things: (1) even if you only put away a dollar, you’ll have a dollar to go back to later; (2) I’ve spent more on less. The latter statement has been a devastating piece of advice that has guided me through some dumb financial decisions in my early twenties.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was in the eleventh grade. I earned around $10 an hour to run lights and sound for rented events in my high school auditorium. I originally got the job because I had a crush on this boy and I wanted to spend more time with him. He kind of set me up, though, because I’d work all the events he didn’t want to. After he graduated, I started working regularly with a church that rented the auditorium every Sunday. Through this job, I set up my first retirement account.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Never. I had a very nice childhood. My parents were frugal. Once a year, we’d go to Disney World, Las Vegas, the Bahamas, or somewhere of the sort. However, when my younger sister and I started playing travel sports, we started traveling almost every week from March through November. For a long time, I thought my parents had secretly won the lottery because there was suddenly money for everything.

Do you worry about money now?
Not really. I should be. I don’t budget at all. As my mother says: What is money if not something to be spent? I hover between $4,000-$5,000 in CC debt that could be paid off. I could ask my parents for help, but they’ve already paid $3,000 off once before, after I finished undergrad. I’m reticent about revealing I’ve racked that balance back up.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I’m not completely financially responsible for myself. My parents pay for a lot: my health insurance, my phone service, my car insurance, my EZ pass, vacations, and sometimes even my groceries. I’m very fortunate and grateful for their support. It goes without saying but they are my safety net.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes, my parents send me around $160 monthly. My dad sends $60 to a checking account, and my mom sends $100 to my brokerage account. When I was in college, they used to send me around ~$500 a month on top of the money they’d send me for rent. Additionally, I have around $20,000 of unmatured savings bonds that my parents set up for me. I’ve spent around $4,500 in unmatured bonds so far. My parents let my sister and me know that in case they don’t live forever, we will share a trust that will include all their assets.

Day One: Monday

7:15 a.m. — Every weekday, my Alexa is scheduled to turn on the lights and tell me the weather to wake me up. I try not to ignore her today. After getting ready, I grab my pre-packed lunch and make my coffee then leave with one of my roommates.

8:15 a.m. — We hop on the Metro. It’s subsidized by my organization, so I don’t pay fares. $2.50 (Expensed)

10:00 a.m. — Lately, I’ve been in a holding pattern. I’ll work on something, then wait two weeks for review and approval. There’s not much else to do other than read the news and play NYT games. Occasionally, I’ll go on a deep dive of a wealthy donor and wonder why I didn’t decide to pursue a career as a generous heiress, a specialized doctor, or a corporate lawyer.

12:00 p.m. — I’m meeting a friend for lunch. I brought my meal, but I need something to drink and a little snack. $5.65

5:00 p.m. — I take the Metro back home, get changed, and head to the gym. $2.50 (Expensed)

6:30 p.m. — After my weight-lifting class, I buy a few snacks and a bottle of wine. This week, I’m hosting my friends for our weekly get-together. Sometimes my roommates join us. $15.31

8:00 p.m. — My friends arrive and we chat about our week as some terrible dating show plays in the background.

11:45 p.m. — My friends leave and the day is done. I say nighty-night to the poos (my roommates), then take a shower and scroll on my phone for a bit.

Daily Total: $20.96

Day Two: Tuesday

7:45 a.m. — I finally drag myself out of bed. I put myself together fairly quickly, but I can’t find my blazer. I waste quite a bit of time looking for it. There’s no time to make coffee. So, I grab my lunch in the form of my leftover pasta dinner and head out. My roommate concedes she will also be late to work. I bid her farewell and walk past three coffee shops on my way to the Metro. $2.50 (Expensed)

9:30 a.m. — There’s an organization-wide meeting. Everyone is so neurotic…too many PhDs per capita. Ever since my organization cancelled remote working, people have been cranky. I won’t lie, I don’t enjoy coming in every day.

10:45 a.m. — My landlord has scheduled a new dryer to be installed at 12 p.m. and let us know at the last minute. I’ll have to leave work and jump on the Metro. $2.25 (Expensed)

1:15 p.m. — Today has been a comedy of errors. The dryer is too big. I try to call my landlord and get no answer. I do get in touch with an incredulous colleague of hers, and she tells me to tell the men to take back the dryer they have already plugged in and hooked up. After I get off the phone, the men say they can’t take it back because it’s already hooked up. AHHHHHHHH! I just wanna wash my clothes, bro. I just sign the little delivery thing and let them haul away the old dryer. I take a picture of the too-big dryer for my landlord and haul my ass back to the Metro. $2.25 (Expensed)

1:45 p.m. — The landlord calls me. She had a feeling it wouldn’t fit. :/ Gorl, you must be joking. She needs us to take measurements of the dryer and the space it needs to fit in. She’s a nice lady, but she’s putting me through it.

4:45 p.m. — It’s time to depart. Despite the cancellation of remote working, I’m able to convince my manager to let me work from home the next two days before I leave for my weekend trip to Pittsburgh, so I’m done with running around for a while. $2.50 (Expensed)

6:00 p.m. — I cook a mediocre meal of sauteed peppers and breaded cod. After dinner, I decide to head upstairs as I remember that I owe my landlord the dryer measurements. I call my mom to vent about the situation. She’s of the mindset that I should tell my landlord that the washer is also broken so she’ll replace them both. I want to but I just can’t bring myself to do that. I’ll wait until the washer actually breaks.

12:30 a.m. — A shower and a sing-along later. I head to bed to scroll for a few hours.

Daily Total: $0

Day Three: Wednesday

7:15 a.m. — My alarm goes off. The lights come on. I turn over to ignore it all. After 30 minutes or so, I head downstairs to set up my coffee. One of my roommates is also working from home. WiFi is spotty upstairs and the only places to sit are the living room or the kitchen bar. She’s already parked in the living room, so I take the bar.

12:30 p.m. — Whoa, I had back-to-back meetings this morning. My roommate didn’t feel like cooking lunch and asked if I wanted to explore local dining. So we ordered some Thai food to pick up. One Panang curry for me. $22

3:30 p.m. — It’s a marathon of meetings today. I had to eat my lunch around several of them. This job is so interesting. Sometimes there’s absolutely nothing to do and other times it seems like you’re planning the five-year trajectory of the state of the world.

6:00 p.m. — I finally drag myself from work and run to the gym for my 6:15 p.m. Body Pump class. During my class, one of my roommates texts saying they found a nicer dining table set on Facebook Marketplace. Our dining room is in desperate need of some real seating. Split between the three of us, the price isn’t too bad for a long table and six chairs. My parents volunteer to come help us collect it tomorrow. They’re so sweet.

7:30 p.m. — I get back home and reheat my leftover curry. My roommates and I end up watching this terrible TV show, Sirens. One of my roommates suggests finishing the entire show. I agree. I’m comfortable, we’re chatting, and I do have a glass of wine in my hand.

11:15 p.m. — I head upstairs for a shower and another couple hours of scrolling on my phone.

Daily Total: $22

Day Four: Thursday

7:15 a.m. — Alexa has done her job again. I’m thinking about where I want to go this summer. The beach, definitely. Maybe I can squeeze a weekend trip somewhere out of $500?

8:30 a.m. — I’m working from home again. I’m typing away on my computer, and I’m starting to need some coffee. I forgot that I’m leaving for my trip tomorrow! I need to start packing. I throw all the underwear I can find in my suitcase.

11:00 a.m. — My first meeting of the day and we’re already talking in circles. My poor supervisor is trying to explain an approval process for a waiver and the other team lead is just not getting it. It’s like pulling teeth.

12:00 p.m. — Another meeting, I decide to go camera off since it’s a larger one. I go back to slowly packing while the meeting continues. I’d love to wash a batch of clothes, but they’d have to air dry before 12 p.m. tomorrow and I only have so many places I can hang my clothes.

1:15 p.m. — The men from Home Depot arrive to pick up the too-big dryer. A replacement is supposed to come tomorrow. I pray that it’s the right size.

5:15 p.m. — The computer is finally closed, and my suitcase is open as I try to make sure I’ll have everything I’ll need. I run to the store for some snacks for the trip. We’re driving four hours to Pittsburgh, but my friend doesn’t like to stop. I hope a five-pound bag of Swedish Fish and a case of sparkling water will see me through the weekend. $18.23

8:00 p.m. — My dad arrives at my place. We wait at the house for a bit since the lady is running behind. Eventually, we get to the lady’s house. She and her husband are nice. They have the cutest dog too. It literally reminds me of a toddler. They’re moving to Spain to teach English and are trying to sell us other items in their house, but we only need the table. It was a little too big to fit through their front door, so we had to take it apart a little bit. Their house was a little bare. I pray they had a pair of pliers. Huzzah, they do! After we take everything away to our cars, we pay her for the table and chairs. Of course, I carried a third of the share. $84

9:00 p.m. — We make it back to the house. I hug my dad goodbye after he remained surprisingly patient with my lack of strength carrying the table. My roommates and I work out how to put the table back together and carry it to our dining room. After placing the chairs, we admire our find. It’s solid wood and a considerable steal for its quality. I’m glad we spent our money on a secondhand table rather than some cheap set from Wayfair.

11:45 p.m. — After watching TV for a bit, my roommates and I head upstairs.

Daily Total: $102.23

Day Five: Friday

7:15 a.m. — Today, the garbage men wake me up.

9:15 a.m. — My roommate asks if I want to get coffee and breakfast. I’m literally about to buy every meal for the next three days…I should save a little money and crack open the eggs on my shelf in the fridge. But I say sure, and fifteen minutes later, we are out the door. I drop way more than it was worth for a watered-down iced chai tea and a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel. $18.50

11:00 a.m. — We eat our overpriced breakfast at our brand new dining room table.

12:15 p.m. — My friends arrive to pick me up and we are off to Pittsburgh!

2:45 p.m. — We actually do make a stop. Everyone wants to eat. I’ve never been big on gas station food, but I make do with a BLT wrap and some chips. Also, my roommate texts me that the dryer is finally installed!! $9.09

5:15 p.m. — We arrive in Pittsburgh at our Airbnb. It’s gigantic. There are nine of us staying in it, so I have to share a bed with one of my friends, but I don’t mind.

8:45 p.m. — After heading to the store for liquor and mixers, we pregame for a bit before we head to a local gay bar to watch the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race. $10.69

11:30 p.m. — We’re in a different gay bar and dancing the night away. My buzz is starting to die so I get another round of drinks. $7.45

1:45 a.m. — Eventually, we tire out and split an Uber back to the Airbnb. Split six ways, my share is only $5.12. Oddly enough, the other members of our group that didn’t go out are up and watching National Treasure when we arrive. After finishing the movie and brushing my teeth, I finally fall into bed. $5.12

Daily Total: $50.85

Day Six: Saturday

9:00 a.m. — I slowly wake up. My friends are chatting about what they want to do for the day. I’m very go-with-the-flow. The big event for me is the Pirates game tomorrow so I’m down to do whatever. After a shower, I head out with one of my friends to a local coffee place. I end up getting a pretty decent coffee and a pastry. However, the pastry is too sweet, and I didn’t have dinner last night, so I end up ordering a hearty breakfast sandwich. $21.12

11:00 a.m. — We meet up with other members of our group and a mutual friend who works at Pitt. She takes us on a brief walking tour of the campus. We end up at the Phipps Conservatory. $22.95

2:00 p.m. — After a lovely time, we’re all a little hungry and take the bus to a local dive. $2.75

3:30 p.m. — One Caesar salad later, we head back to the Airbnb. Luckily, the bus pass is valid for three hours, so we just hop back on. $14.75

7:30 p.m. — We head back out to do a larger group dinner with some local friends. The restaurant we’re at is this old church that’s been converted to a brewery. It’s sick. I end up splitting a large pasta dish with my friend. $22.33

9:00 p.m. — After dinner, we head to a local cash-only bar around the block to watch the end of the Penguins game. My friend spots me and buys me a beer.

11:15 p.m. — The home team loses so some of us decide to head to one of our local friend’s place for a nightcap. We catch a bus. $2.75

1:45 a.m. — After chit-chatting for a few hours, we call an Uber home and call it a night. We split the Uber four ways. $4.65

Daily Total: $91.30

Day Seven: Sunday

8:00 a.m. — We wake to find that it is 30 degrees outside. It was literally in the high 70s yesterday!!! I only have a sweatshirt and some thin yoga pants. I beg my friend to take us to a local thrift store before we sit in the cold for four hours.

10:30 a.m. — Six of us head out in two cars. I end up buying two books at one of the bookstores we stopped at. $33.22

10:45 a.m. — I find some cargo pants at a thrift store down the street. I immediately slip them on over my yoga pants. I’m not shivering as violently as I was before. $10

12:00 p.m. — We meet up with the rest of the group back at the Airbnb then head over to the baseball stadium. My friend drives around for 20 minutes trying to find somewhere to park. Finally, we crawl out of the car and walk about 15 minutes to the stadium.

1:00 p.m. — We finally get settled in our seats in the nosebleed section. It’s freezing, but we’re still determined to do our nine dogs, nine beers, nine innings game. It’s a hefty cost for two beers, chicken fingers, and cold fries. $44.74

4:15 p.m. — Pirates win! We’re supposed to go out to a bar later this evening but I’m not sure I have it in me. We head back to the Airbnb for a nap.

6:30 p.m. — I wake to find that everyone is still asleep. Eventually, we all wake up and game plan. The couples in the group will go out for dinner and the singletons will find something to do until we all meet up at the bar later. Two friends and I go to a ramen place for dinner. I’m not that hungry but I don’t want to feel left out so I order broth and some noodles. $11.74

9:00 p.m. — Everyone is feeling tired and our plans to meet up have fallen through. We’re not ready to call it a night yet so we meet up with one of the couples at a Mexican restaurant. It’s surprisingly good and has some interesting drinks. $18.45

10:00 p.m. — We share an Uber to get back home. Split five ways, it’s $5.77. We have a few more drinks and watch a movie. $5.77

11:45 p.m. — I try to pack up a bit because we’re leaving around nine in the morning. All in all, it was a super relaxing trip. It was good to visit friends. We talked about making this an annual trip that we do every year. Eventually, I do Venmo my friend who drove us from DC for gas (split four ways). $35.55

Daily Total: $159.47

The Breakdown

Conclusion:
I definitely spent way more this week than I usually do. I’m very big on cooking all my meals and making coffee. After recording my spending this week, I’ll definitely be more committed to meal prepping. I might even think about budgeting, but who knows?

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