Diary of a thrifty hipster: Millennial alcoholic on a $170k salary reveals how she scrimps on parking and wears free clothes so she can spend her money on crab linguini and local honey body scrub – as she saves for a car
- A management consultant on a $170,000 salary in Canberra shared her diary
- The 29-year-old woman revealed where she spends cash – and how she saves
- She said she saves by joining her local Buy Nothing New group and eating in
- The woman is a former alcoholic and attends Alcoholics Anonymous
A risk management consultant and former alcoholic on a $170,000 salary in Canberra has revealed how she spends her money in what is often called ‘Australia’s most boring city’.
The anonymous 29-year-old said she gets paid $4,547 twice a month, taking her monthly salary to $9,094 – but is still saving to buy a car.
Speaking to Refinery 29, the woman said she is renting at present, and spends $1,924 each month on a two-bedroom apartment in Canberra.
She also said she occasionally sub-leases the second room out for an extra $291 each week.
Despite this extra income, the woman confessed to having just $3,000 in savings – which she intends to use towards the new car.
A risk management consultant on a $170,000 salary in Canberra has revealed how she spends her money – and her cash-saving tricks for saving big (stock image)
So how does the woman spend her impressive salary?
Running through her week, the consultant revealed that she spends the $170,000 on a mix of lunches, dinners, health foods, holistic health treats for her friend ‘dealing multiple deaths, family trauma, job loss, study’ ($112) and outfits for an out-of-town work trip ($177).
She also confessed to picking up a lunch bill for ‘crab linguini for two’ with her mentor, which totalled $84, as well as $12 on tea/coffee and biscuits for her Alcoholics Anonymous group.
‘I’m asked to chair for the first time, which means I open the meeting and choose who to ask to chair,’ she said.
‘It’s a really beautiful and warm meeting with about 30 people in attendance. It’s one member’s birthday, so we celebrate after the meeting with cake.’
The week in question, the woman said she also paid for a haircut ($129), soy flat whites, ‘cute silver earrings that look like hands’ ($35) from a local market and a local honey body scrub.
When it comes to saving, the woman said she has several saving measures – she sub-lets out her second rented room and is a member of a Buy Nothing New group in the area (stock image)
When it comes to her scrimping, the woman revealed she has several money-saving measures.
Not only does she rent out her spare room to drum up some extra money, but she is also a member of her local Buy Nothing New group.
These, she lists items of her own that she no longer wants and also picks up the odd thing here and there for free.
‘Another member posted an insanely tacky but amazing gold long-sleeved body suit (free!),’ the woman wrote.
‘This is my back-up option [for glitzy work event] in case the purchased sequin suit doesn’t work. She has hidden it in her garden. I drive over and collect it and message her to say thanks.’
She also visits her local farmers’ market to pick up cheaper fruit and veg, saves any extra cash (in this case her tax return) in her savings account and scrimps on parking wherever possible by claiming it through work or finding free parking.
Despite all of this, the woman said she still can’t afford a car, but she hopes to be able to in the next one to two months.