How a Cork Pensioner Spends Their Money: A Weekly Budget Breakdown

WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances. Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week. If you’re interested send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you. Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind. Last time around, we heard from an accounting manager on €60K living in Dublin. This week, a part-time writer learning to live on a pension as his partner is now living in a nursing home with dementia. I’m 70 years old, and I now live in county Cork. My partner was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia almost five years ago. She now lives in a nursing home, and her doctor has recommended that I not visit too often, because she becomes very upset. She no longer recognises me. For this reason, I now live alone with my small dog. I work part-time as a novelist and screenwriter, but I am not making much money. For that reason, I live on my Irish pension and some investments that my parents gave me many years ago when they passed away. I am usually unable to save much of anything, but I do try to save a small part of my pension, about €100 per month. I pay some bills by cheque, but most are paid by standing order. I have a few hobbies, including golf and gardening. Occupation: Part-time writer Age: 70 Location: Cork Salary: Pension, no salary Monthly pay (net): €2,000 Monthly expenses Transport: €500 Rent: None — mortgage is paid off Household bills: €300 Phone bill: €120 Health insurance: €145 Groceries: €500 Subscriptions: None — I have a medical card Entertainment: €200 (this includes going out to the pub three times per week, going out for a meal with friends, and similar) Golf expenses: €100 Travel (holiday): €100 Christmas gifts for my children and grandchildren: €100 Nursing home expenses: €150 Total monthly expenses: €2,215 (the €215 per month is paid for by liquidating some investments) *** Monday 7.00 am: I get up and make coffee before putting on the laundry and doing some ironing. I take a shower, read the newspaper and the news apps on my mobile phone. 9.00 am: I go into my home office and write. I usually do this for around four or five hours a day. 10.30 am: I have some breakfast (my partner and I always had a late breakfast). 11.00 am: I go back to my office and write for another few hours, then quit. 2.00 pm: Time to take the dog for a walk. 3.00 pm: Back at home, I make both of us a light dinner. As dinner is cooking, I light my stove fire with firelighters, wood and coal. Then, clean the dishes. 5.00 pm: I watch a film and some television for a while. 10.00 pm: Go to bed. Today’s total: €500 (by standing order only, nothing out of my pocket) Tuesday 7.00 am: Is the same as the above for the most part. 10.30 am: Have my breakfast and then do some more work until 1pm. 1.30 pm: Do some tidying. Sweep, vacuum and mop the floors in the entire house. Tuesday is prayer day for me and my partner, and always has been. After cleaning our home, I’ll say a Novena to Saint Martha and a rosary for her, as well as a special prayer of thanks for the love she gave to me. Advertisement 4.00 pm: Walk up to my local pub and have a few pints with my friends and the other lads. (€25) 6.00 pm: Back home. Clean out the stove then light it again. I have a very light dinner of cheese and crackers and a piece of fruit. 9.00 pm: Go to bed. Today’s total: €25.00 Wednesday 6.30 am: Up and same again. Clean out the stove and light it, as it’s a cold one this morning. Often, I don’t turn on the central heating because the cost of oil is far too high. Instead, I light the stove in the winter about three or four times per week. I also use space heaters, which are far more economical than oil. 9.00 am: Again, I’ll write in my home office for about six hours. 3.00 pm: Have a nap on the couch. 4.00 pm: Make a late dinner. On Wednesdays, I do my best to make a beef stew in a crock pot, which can give me three or four meals – it’s far more economical this way. 6.00 pm: Watch some television after dinner. 10.00 pm: Go to bed. I find I can’t sleep, which happens often, so I get up and vacuum the ground floor of our home before going back to bed. Today’s total: €0.00 Thursday 7.00 am: Up and do the same routine as the other days. 10.30 am: Have a light breakfast of oatmeal and brown bread before going back to writing. 2.30 pm: I make a few business calls to various publishers and film producers. I contact my bank to solve some problems with bill overpayments. I send an email to my accountant as well regarding how I should save for future taxes. 4.00 pm: I bring the dog for a walk. 7.00 pm: Dinner today is more beef stew. 7.30 pm: I read some of a novel. 9.00 pm: Bed. Today’s total: €0.00 — except for occasional additional bills I must pay, which average €100 per week Friday 7.00 am: I’m up and dressed by 8 am. I know I’ve made it once again to the weekend. I make breakfast of cereal and yoghurt. 9.00 am: Rather than working today, I climb into the car and drive up to Kenmare to do my weekly shopping for essentials at Aldi and Lidl. I enjoy doing this because if I meet any of our friends, I’ll have lunch with them. (€175) 4.30 pm: Back home. It takes me a good half an hour to put all the groceries and other essentials away. 5.30 pm: Feed the dog and build the fire again. I’ve already had dinner (or a late lunch), so I light the fire and nod off on the couch. 9.00 pm: Bed. Today’s total: €175.00 Saturday 7.00 am: This is usually Golf Day. Get up and after taking a good shower, I dress in my golf clothes and put the golf equipment into the car. Have a light breakfast before setting off. 9.00 am: The drive to Berehaven Golf Club is amazingly beautiful, and I turn on the radio and listen to songs that my partner and I listened to when she was healthy, and we were driving to Bantry. 9.30 am: Arrive and say hello to some of the other seniors. We’ll play for about four or five hours. 2.45 pm: We all sit in the clubhouse after our round. I have dinner with some of the other members. The club has great food and is not overpriced, as many city restaurants are these days (€35). Golfing with the lads gets me out of the house and takes my mind off work and the sadness I feel about my partner’s absence. 7.00 pm: I get home, light the fire and watch a full feature film. 11.00 pm: Go to bed. Today’s total: €35.00 Sunday 8.00 am: I sleep in most Sundays. I have two choices of where to go to Sunday Mass. The first is Saint Kentigern’s, just up the street from our home. The other is the Church in Castletownbere. I get dressed in a good pair of trousers for a change and a plaid shirt and jumper that my partner bought me a few Christmases ago. 11.45 pm: I’m out the door and decide to go to Saint Kentigern’s. Mass takes about 45 minutes. 1.00 pm: After mass, most of us walk over to our local pub. Because I’m not driving today, I have three or four pints of Guinness and a hot whiskey. (€30) 4.00 pm: Home again. I light the fire, watch a film and read part of a novel. 9.00 pm: Go to bed, knowing the next week is starting again, and I’ll be alone again. To be honest, it’s a very boring life. When you’re a widower and grieving for your partner, life can be one routine after another. Today’s total: €30.00 Weekly subtotal: €835.00 *** What I learned – I’m overspending by about €150 each week. My accountant says that I should find much lower prices for electricity, my two phone bills (mobile and landline/WiFi) and my health insurance. He also tells me I must cut down on entertainment, which I will if I have to. I’ve started to save cash in a tin. Every week, I try my best to put €60 in it. That cash is part of my weekly savings now. I use that to go to the local pub and for one or two meals out of the house. To save more money, I’ve also cancelled many phone apps that my partner and I used for years, such as a news app, Spotify and YouTube. I’m also considering cancelling my existing cable TV provider and finding a much cheaper one.