Age: 49
Location: Tennessee
Occupation: Higher Education Administrator
Marital Status: In a long-term relationship, cohabiting
Total Spending This Week: $988.69
Amy lives in Tennessee with her long-term partner in a fully paid-off home, a financial milestone she reached with help from her grandparents and smart real estate timing.
Her partner contributes a monthly “rent” toward bills and maintenance, while Amy keeps a fund for shared household items like furniture. She describes her neighborhood as close-knit and community-driven, and her week reflects thoughtful choices that balance financial goals with personal wellness.
🗓️ Day 1 — Monday
💸 Total Spent: $0
Amy kicked off her week with a no-spend day. “It was one of those days where I just didn’t need anything. I worked from home and didn’t go out,” she said.
🗓️ Day 2 — Tuesday
💸 Total Spent: $0
Another day with no spending. “I think being on a weight loss journey also makes me spend less money, because I usually spend a lot of money on food… and I’m not doing that as much anymore, so I’m really saving a lot of money.”
Amy reflected on her old habits, like spending nearly $100 at a local cafe just on snacks: “I realized one day I had spent almost a hundred dollars at this one little cafe, and I was like, that’s not helping anything that I’m doing.”
🗓️ Day 3 — Wednesday
💸 Total Spent: $43.47
- Lunch with a friend: $43.47
Amy made space for intentional spending: “I definitely do go out.. But I have to realize maybe that should be more of a once-in-a-while thing.”
🗓️ Day 4 — Thursday
💸Total Spent: $15.72
- Coffee + face wash + tweezers: $15.72
Amy admits: “I probably didn’t need everything I bought today… but I feel like I’d need them at some point. So let’s get ‘em now before I need to travel and don’t have it.”
🗓️ Day 5 — Friday
💸 Total Spent: $0
Another spend-free day, thanks in part to her neighbors. “Our neighbor is heading out of town and dropped off a ton of food… So this means I don’t need to go to the grocery store to get any more fruits and vegetables.”
Amy’s neighborhood plays a big role in her financial life: “This is the kind of place where… if something’s weird, you can say, ‘Your dogs seem to be barking a lot. Are you home? Is everything okay?’”
🗓️ Day 6 — Saturday
💸 Total Spent: $122.00
- Boutique dresses + shirt: $122.00
“I need to have some clothes that make me feel good,” Amy said. “There are a couple of stores in town… not the most expensive, not the least expensive, but nice… As a woman, I feel like a blouse is possibly the most impossible thing to buy.”
She used rewards points for lunch and coffee, but acknowledges: “Spending significantly more money today than I had the whole rest of the week… but that’s okay.”
🗓️ Day 7 — Sunday
💸 Spent: $807.50
- Waxing package (Buy 9, Get 3 Free): $532.50
- Photo scanning service: $150.00
- Other personal care + misc. items: $125.00
Amy took advantage of a waxing deal: “It made it really cheap — or at least cheaper… It’s the one thing I do for myself.”
She also spent on digitizing old family photos: “They’re useful, but slightly sneaky… All of a sudden I’m like, oh yeah, I forgot about that.”
💬 Final Reflections
Total Spent: $988.69
“It feels like a lot… I don’t clothes shop every week, so that part is probably an outlier. But I am sure I’m spending a few hundred dollars every week on going out, and services… things that are not even tangible.”
As someone who tracks her meals daily, Amy found similarities in writing down her spending: “There is that… ‘Do I want to write this down?’ Like, am I going to feel annoyed at myself later?”
Still, she’s not opposed to continuing: “I’m that crazy person who still checks her credit card statement. I do kind of go, ‘Huh, you spent a lot on these things… maybe spend a little less next month.’”
Altogether, Amy’s week was a study in intentional living; one where health goals and money habits meet in the middle.
MORE ON HERMONEY:
- A Week In Her Wallet: A 41-Year-Old Teacher Who Pays Off Her Credit Card Daily
- How To Choose A Good First Credit Card
- The Back-To-School Financial Primer Every Teacher Needs
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