Welcome to Spending Notes, where we do a weekly deep dive into how our readers spend their cash.
Today: An HR Manager who makes $70,000 per year
Occupation: HR Manager
Age: 32
Location: Minneapolis
Salary: $70,000
Day 1
It’s a big week because we’re finally getting the new windows we’ve been needing in our home. It’s perfect to do it now, before the really cold weather settles in. We really don’t want any drafts. We found this great supplier of kitchen windows in Minneapolis. They have such great customer service and many years of experience in this kind of work. They started today and are going to replace each kitchen window by Wednesday, so I’ll pay them the final total then. I’m looking forward to more natural light and prettier panes, quite frankly. I think it’s going to give the entire home a facelift. Also, thank goodness I can work from home most of this week so I can help navigate the renovations and calls.
Total: $0
Day 2
My calls and service were a little wonky yesterday working from home, so I decided to invest in a signal booster today. These gadgets are pretty cool. They help you improve your cell phone signal no matter where you live or what’s going on in your home. So with all these contractors here, they’ve been great accessories. The cell phone booster for home has allowed me to reach the people I needed today for meetings and a few initial phone interviews for a new position in our office.
Total: $380
Day 3
Wednesdays are usually full of meetings. I check in with each of the departments and department heads in the organization to make sure everyone is behaving and there are no disciplinary actions or anything that needs to be taken care of. It’s also the last day for our window repairs, so there was a lot to navigate today. I made the first official installment payment for our window financing, so good to know that’s getting settled. When my husband came home, we both enjoyed a chill dinner and watched a movie to celebrate.
Total: $550
Day 4
Went back into the office today after a few days working from home. Bless these hybrid schedules! Treated myself and my HR partner to some Starbucks on the way in. Today was time to get all the payroll questions answered before tomorrow’s paychecks drop, so we were at the office a bit late. We ordered food for dinner, and I ended up getting home around 8. A long day, but a productive one, which was good.
Total: $26
Day 5
Friday’s are actually quite chill for me. The home renovation project is done, paychecks went out without a hitch, and I had a few interviews to sit in on. Overall, a very good day in HR. Tonight was my daughter’s elementary school choir concert at school, so that was a lovely time. Bought her some flowers to celebrate, and she seemed really pleased with how everything went. We also stopped to get ice cream on the way home, which is her favorite tradition.
Total: $17
Day 6
My girlfriends and I went out for brunch this morning and ended up being there for almost four hours … guess we had a lot of catching up to do! Sarah is getting married in a few months, so she was filling us all in on those plans, which is exciting.
Total: $31
Day 7
Sundays are my day to get everything together for the week. After church, we went to the grocery store and picked a few things up for the week ahead. After that, it was football and house-cleaning time. Even though the Vikings are slipping this year, still gotta rep that purple and gold on Sundays.
Total: $60
Weekly Total: $1,064
