In the spirit of World Mental Health Day, on today’s episode of ”How I spend it”, we share the diary of a young woman who is paying for therapy.
Enjoy!
Position: Restaurant Consultant
Industry: Hospitality
Age: 26
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Paycheck Amount (1x/month): ₦240,000
Income from admirers: ₦400,000 minimum (varies: sometimes money, sometimes stuff)
Monthly Expenses
Rent: ₦0 (I live with my Aunt.)
Uber: ₦40,000.
Internet: ₦19,500
Personal Trainer: ₦40,000
Phone: ₦10,000 for voice calls
Beauty: ₦30, 000
Therapy: ₦ 200,000
OTHER DETAILS:
No pension or suffering savings (when will I grow up?)
Day One
07:00 am. – I wake up and workout with my personal trainer. We do a kickboxing type of workout which makes me feel strong.
10:30 am. – I take an Uber to a client’s site to work on a new project. It’s Monday so I’m spending a ridiculous 2k on green juice on the way to work and I’m doing it with my chest. That’s how I make Monday’s better…a little treat. Cost: ₦2,100 + N1,200 for uber
2:00 pm. – I decide to try something new for lunch today, so I head off to Eat.Rice.Repeat, a restaurant in Lekki( It lives up to the Hype)
5:00 pm. – I stay to help, as front of the house, with dinner service, So I eat dinner from whatever was left after we closed.Cost: ₦0 + Uber back home:₦1,350
Daily expense:₦4,600
Day Two
12:30 pm. – I got home late last night, so I sleep in, only that hunger wakes me up. Isn’t it weird that my Aunt doesn’t really care what I do for food?. Yeah, I’m grown and all but “have you eaten” is a fundamental Nigerian question. I find Spaghetti and some items for stew so I whip up something quick. Cost: ₦0
2:00 pm. – I have an appointment with my therapist. I’ve stopped telling people I go to one… I’m having a hard time with happiness, I’m sad all the time. My life isn’t working out quite as well as I expected. I can just be sitting at home and then sadness overwhelms me.Cost: ₦50,000 per session
8:00 pm. – An older regular of the restaurant, who I call “M”, calls me up for dinner. He’s sad too, I can tell, and likes hanging out with me because I’m “entertaining” and give him opportunities to give me advice. He also pulls through when I need it, and I get free meals so why not?. Cost: ₦0
Daily expense: ₦50,000
Day Three
7:30 am. – My trainer comes again, I’m trying to get fit for December so we have a good workout. Cost: ₦0
11:45 am. – I have an appointment with my obstetrician–gynaecologist for a regular check-up, comprehensive testing and birth control implant. Can I just vent about how ridiculous it is that women have to bear the financial and emotional burden of birth control! Cost: ₦145,400
8:30 pm. – Dinner is spaghetti and stew again. The amount I just spent at the hospital is making me so depressed. Cost: ₦0
Daily expense: ₦145,400
Day Four
10:00 am- Breakfast is a doughnut and a cup of coffee. I take an Uber to a client’s site. Cost:₦4,200
4:00 pm – When I get home I make Indomie then take a nap.Cost: ₦0
Daily Expense: ₦4,200
Day Five
10:00 am- No breakfast today. I take an uber to a client’s site
12:30 pm. – The client is doing a menu tasting, for a special evening so that’s lunch taken care off. Cost:₦0
3:00 pm – I go to SPAR to buy items for a friend’s potluck later tonight. I’m planning some kind of baked potato, mushroom, bacon and cheese situation in my head. Cost:₦9.500
Daily Expense: ₦9,500
Day Six
1:30 am -I finally get back from my friend’s place. It was a blast, but now I’m kind of sad. She has her own place, and she’s paying for all her bills…is there something wrong with me? Am I doomed to low-income work? Cost: ₦0
11:00 am. – I do my nails because I love how feminine they look with extensions. I also wax everything.Cost: ₦7,000 +₦19,000
3: 00 pm. – It’s my young cousin’s birthday I pick her up and we go to Upbeat centre and then Pinkberry for yoghurt. I love her too much, even though her mom is kind of cold to me. I can’t wait to have children, but how will I afford children on 240K.Cost: ₦15,000
8:00pm. – I pick up some popcorn and a drink on the way home because it’s going to be one of those nights. When I go home I watch Top Boy on Netflix.Cost: ₦1,200
Daily expense: ₦ 42,200
Day Seven
11:00 am. – I am going to M’s private beach today. I invited a few girlfriends, should be a good day out. I bring a bottle of Andre so it’s not like I’m just freeloading all the time. Cost: ₦3,900 for Andre, ₦800 for an Uber and a Jetty.
7:00 pm – I take an Uber back home after the beach. I am so tired. Cost: ₦800
Daily expense: ₦5,500
Weekly Expense: ₦261,400
The End
The community is growing steadily with each diary becoming more and more relatable. How I spend it is a money diary, where we’re particular about how young women (working and unemployed) spend their money. To help you grow financially, we want to use your stories to create awareness about spending. This is the fourth of this kind, you can read the first three here, here and here
You too can be part of this by learning how to publish your diary here
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