Money Diary - Refinery 29 Style
Refinery 29, my favourite online platform for binge reading has inspired today`s post. Each month, the site releases a randomly selected reader`s money diary (I`ve linked it here).In combination with job title and salary, here they list every minute detail of what the chosen reader spends their money on - rent, food, dates... You name it - it`s on there. And it`s the perfect lazy read if you`re
Besides being a fun piece, I think the taboo we hold over money in the UK is a little obscene and something to be addressed. I don`t care if people know how much I earn. I think it`s important that we share this information as young people (and perhaps even more so as women when the gender pay gap comes into consideration). It`s not cool to be clueless about the pay check you deserve and we shouldn`t be underselling ourselves. Even though I don`t currently have a `proper` job, hopefully this post will help someone who is interested in teaching or living abroad.
Industry: English as a Foreign Language Teacher
Age: 23
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Expenses (In GBP):
Rent: £79.25 per week (Room in an apartment with 3 other flatmates)
Bills: £5.62 per week
Phone: £3.75
Travel: Roughly £12.00
Beer: Roughly £20.00
Food: Roughly £30.00
Portuguese Lessons: £15.00
Saturday:
Total spent: $104 RS (Roughly £25)
Dancing Samba under archways in the rain - I`m so in love
Wake up at 7.15am and eyes still half closed, hobble into the living room. Try to find the hideous bright blue T-Shirt I have to wear as uniform to teach Chinese students online. I teach for 3 hours (including one awful rendition of Happy Birthday to a 3 year old boy and his parents). Quickly shut laptop and run to my Portuguese lesson next door. The lady is 80 and writes all of my lessons on a type writer (it is SO sweet). I pay her 70 reais for an hour (Normally it`s 60 but I owed her from the last week). Proceed to spend the afternoon moping and complaining that I miss London.
Finish my 2018 Goals blog post and curl up in a tiny ball on the sofa, proceed to watch 5 episodes of End of the F*cking world on Netflix. Realise that I`ve spent so much time claiming to be lonely that I am actually late to meet my friends (lol) - put on the bodysuit I've been saving to wear until I feel like a need a pick me up (you know those clothes that make you feel fancy), a denim mini skirt and a retro fanny pack I wear across body. (I'm heading to downtown Rio and its not the place to bring a handbag - unless you want to be robbed).
Stop by a bakery and grab a pastry repeatedly check with the guy that it is `Sem Carne`. Once absence of carne is confirmed, I run to the Metro and realise I`ve not topped up my Metro card. I pay 10r (Around 2.20) and jump on the next train.
f*ck f*ck I`m half an hour late. I get there and thankfully, they`re still there. We leave the Metro and realise its peeing it down with rain (tropical rain storms are so common here). We jump in an Uber (my friend pays) and head to the party. It`s a Samba bloco that is prepping for Carnival.
Despite it absolutely pissing it down we dance for hours in a courtyard between worn colonial style buildings that tower above us. Enclosed by street venders that sell questionable beer and meat. My feet quickly become so dirty from the combination of grimy streets, rain water and flip flops. I buy a round of drinks (12r) and am SO happy.
Head a little fuzzy from the beer we decide to go into Lapa (another party area). As we leave a Brasilian guy comes up to me and asks me where I`m from. He tells me that I samba really well (believe me this is not true.. I was shuffling my feet like the penguins from happy feet and occasionally moving my arms in the hope that it would remotely look like I know what I am doing.) He tells me he`s an artist and wants to paint me. To which I laugh because I find it incredibly cliche and say what like Titanic? (So smooth Holly, SO smooth).
At this point I can feel my friends staring at me and mouthing `HE`S HOT, HE`S HOT`. I let him put his Instagram in my phone (everyone asks for Instagrams here?) and run off. To which I then spend the next taxi ride explaining every detail of the conversation to my friends in the Uber. We arrive in Lapa (anyone who`s reading this and been to Rio will know this neighbourhood). I cant even begin to explain - basically it`s a huge street party area that is as weird as it is a fun night out. Huddled round a bowl of pasta (5r), I share my second carb fix of the night and discuss the plan of action. Someone plants the seed of going home and everyone agrees. We grab the last metro and head home. One of the girls, Eira, is staying at mine and we stop off to buy sweets before going to my apartment (2r). We spend the next hour analysing the Artist Guy`s instagram and have a deep chat about how we have no idea what we are doing with our lives.
Sunday
Total spent: $20r (Roughly £5)
As per, I wake up early compared to my friend and lay there for a while. Curse of an early riser - I always wake up at 7am and feel pressured to wait for my friends to wake up. I scroll through my phone for half an hour whilst trying to decide my level of hangover - I`d say a 6. Winning.
Eira finally wakes up and we form a plan of action - snacks and Netflix. We head to the supermarket and buy breakfast. They say never do a supermarket shop when you`re hungry, but I think this is emphasised by 1000x when youre hungover. Ability to make good purchasing decisions? 0. I come out with fake brasilian pringles, watermelon, eggs, tomatoes, bread and cake (10r).
Returning to my apartment, we attempt to make Turkish Eggs (Recipe here) and salvage a snack nest on the sofa. We start to watch A typical (really good TV show)... again watch 5 episodes (oops).
After Eira leaves I facetime one of my closest friends, Abbi and discuss her trip to Rio in March (yaay), straight after I facetime my South African friend and realise I`m running late for my lesson. Later, I wolf down half a banana I`ve had laying in the fridge and take a brisk walk to the Metro. Realising I need to top up AGAIN (10r), I arrive 5 minutes late but thankfully this is normal by Brazilian standards - I finish teaching my student and take the Metro home. I curl up with a Tofu stirfry for dinner and make a pityful attempt at understanding my flatmates conversation in Portuguese about Star Signs ... I learn a new word Caraca (wtf!). Aaaand also agree to go for a drink with Brasilian Artist guy on the Monday....
Monday
Total Spent: $48r (Roughly £12)
The beach infront of my apartment
Wake up at 7.15am and wolf down breakfast - coffee and banana + oats. I panic because I realise I have left the ugly blue top in the wash and sign in to teach. I stare at the computer screen. Sh*t. I don`t even teach on Mondays.
Decide to be productive and sign-up for more overtime for later in the week. Start writing this blog post. After, I head down to the beach for an hour to read my book - a murder novel given to me by a friend`s mum. I head to the supermarket and buy some vegetables for the meals I want to make in the week (Ratalloui and Curry) (30r) - food is super expensive here (London Prices).
I also grab an acai to eat while I plan my lessons for the evening (8r). I make a Thai salad (cucumber rice carrot and tofu) and set down to work. 5pm quickly rolls on and I have a Skype lesson. I make an attempt to make myself look presentable (I have the date later, remember?) - This entails a fringe wash and some concealer on the spot that has decided to take residence on my chin (I thought blemishes were supposed to stop at 18?) and run out to meet another student. An hours teaching over and I am actually on time for my date at 8.15.
I meet him outside the metro station of Botafogo, a really artsy neighbourhood and Rio`s equilivilent to Shoreditch. He looks very cool and has a great sense of style (he later told me that this was he only T-shirt not covered in paint... why is that attractive?!). We sat outside one of the bars, chatted and drank beer for a few hours. Brasilians are really touchy feely and at one point he grabs both of my cheeks (on my face...) and squeezes them like you would a baby. I almost jump out of my skin because of the sudden intrusion into my personal space ha, #ColdAsIce) And he tells me I`m fofa (cute). There`s a bit of a language barrier but the conversation is still good. Good enough for midnight to quickly roll around and me realise I need to get the last tube (Cinderella style). He needs to head in that direction too and so we ask for the bill. Despite my protests, he insists on paying - I can get it next time. After topping up my Metro card agaaain (ugh - 10reais), we get the metro. He gets off at my Metro stop (he is definitely going the longest route home just to walk me back) and walks me to my door. I get home and quickly make an egg sandwich ... burn the pan. Crawl into bed.
Tuesday
Total Spent: $42r (Roughly £10)
Canastra Tuesdays - A must if you ever go to Rio
6 hours later I wake up and make the preparations to start work... Aka donning the hideous blue t-shirt, making an attempt to tie up my (still) unwashed hair and wolfing down coffee/banana oats. I start teaching at 8am. Roughly 10 renditions of the ABC later and I am free for the afternoon. A friends brother is visiting and I agreed to help keep up appearances by going to the beach with them and demonstrating that she has at least one friend here in Rio (what are friends for hey?). I buy an acai for myself and my friend (20r) and head home to teach a lesson. Student cancels - fab.u.lous.
Later I head to our friendship group`s wateringhole - a huge street party called Canastra. 2 Pao de Queijo later (12r) and a caiprihina (10r) and I make the tipsy journey home.
Wednesday
Total Spent: $40r (£10)
Wake up hangover free and start teaching China. Draw up a to do list for the day. I have lessons`s until 8.30pm -It`ll be a long one. I run from lesson to lesson, picking up a quick bite of pao de quiejo as I go (5r) and inbetween manage to squeeze in a free class at the local language school to brush up on my Portuguese. I also agree to meet Artist guy at the end of the day. As the evening comes around I go for my final lesson of the day which is super chilled - we just have conversation over beer. I meet artist guy straight after and head back to the same bar I had my lesson (god I pray the barman doesn`t think I`m back to back dating or something like this). We chat for a couple of hours. It gets late and I insist on paying the bill this time (35r). He insists on paying my Uber.
Thursday
Total Spent: $19r (Roughly £5)
8am and I am back online teaching China. I have little to no plans for today other than reading and doing a language swap. I sit on the beach reading for a few hours with a break to rest at a beach bar where I buy a beer (8r). Before leaving, I meet my friend who hands over and order of clothes I made from England. Including THE greatest item of clothing to ever exist (see pic) #AmIRight? A little later on I take a trip to an organic store and pick up a few hundred grams of oats, tapioca flour and some sundried tomatoes (11r). I make the 40 minute walk down to the other end of Copacabana and meet Angela, a lady who I do a language swap with. We talk in English over acai and then swap to fragmented Portugues (she insists on paying). Although I craved an early night, I somehow managed to go to bed at 1am, with an alarm set for 6.30am... joy.
Friday
Total spent: $5r (Roughly £1.25)
Friday mornings are always a rush. I quickly put together a bag and get ready (nowadays this consists of showering, concealing any spots and brushing my eyebrows. Having a tan is SO liberating for your face! I take the Metro to my students flat where he greats me with a coffee (thank god). I spend a few hours teaching him (8am to 10am) and upon leaving, grab some pineapple from the fruit man outside of his flat (5r). I head back home and plan a lesson for the afternoon, it`s on Skype so I have a relaxed few hours - Go to the beach for an hour (finish my book) and later make a huge batch of curry. A really relaxed night follows. It feels good to have a tame Friday.
❤
NB: I think this post must have a few typos. I`m using a Portuguese computer so it doesn`t pick up spelling errors in English - oops!
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