Marketplace and burgers: What a marketer on $114,000 spends in a week

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?

My mum grew up quite poor while my dad was middle class. My maternal grandmother spoke a lot about how hard it was on a pension and how hard life was during the depression. My parents never really bought me things just because I asked when I was little. We would DIY things first and then I was always told to save up or to make a business case for expensive things. For example, if I wanted a camera I needed to pull together the most cost-effective options, the best reviews and so on. We only really bought clothes as we grew out of them and only replaced things when they broke. So, while there weren’t conversations about money I definitely picked up a lot of their habits around money.

I always had a Dollarmites account, but my parents never really taught my brother or I financial literacy. We kind of just worked that out ourselves and asked for help if we didn’t understand certain things.

What was your first job, and why did you get it?

My first job was at Hungry Jacks! I got it because I wanted money and wasn’t getting any from my parents. I was a party hostess for the little kids’ parties or on the counter. I loved it!

Did you worry about money growing up?

I think my parents definitely did, but they never let it show in front of my brother and I. I always felt very provided for, but I never thought we were rich.

Do you worry about money now?

Absolutely! We’re about to quit our jobs, so I worry about money every day and what will happen after we take a year off and re-enter the job market. It’s pretty scary! However, on a day-to-day basis I don’t ever really fear money.

I’ve been working since it was legal and have been saving basically that whole time, so I have enough money to cover me through emergencies. Plus, I’ve been on rolling 12-month contracts for the last few years, so I’ve been saving like I’ll be unemployed for a while.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?

I would say from around 18 I was financially responsible for my own expenses. However, I didn’t move out of home and buy my own groceries until I was around 20. Since then I have been responsible for myself. I don’t have a visible financial safety net (i.e. an inheritance waiting for me), however, I have the comfort of knowing that if I needed to I could ask my parents for help and they would support me in whatever way they could.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.

Yes! I have dividends that I get every so often from my share investments. My mum came into an inheritance that she used to help my brother and I pay for our house deposits which was insanely helpful. We could have afforded to do this ourselves, but this meant we didn’t have to and we could put that money into doing incredible things like travelling.

Day 1

7am – My husband and I are saving to take a year-long adult gap year and travel the world, leaving in three months. That means as soon as I wake up, I see a notification on my phone that my weekly $750 auto savings deposit has hit. My account is sitting at $84 with payday landing tomorrow. Jeez! Looks like today is a ‘no spend day’. I head downstairs to make myself a coffee while my husband works out at home. I cut out buying coffee when we were saving to buy a house and haven’t looked back since, a coffee at home is now a much-loved part of my routine.

8:30am – I’m working from home today, so I scroll through TikTok and take my daily Croatian lesson, then leisurely do my skincare routine before jumping online and getting started with work. I’m learning Croatian via an app called Mondly which costs $80 for the year. Croatian isn’t on Duolingo, but I’m loving Mondly. I suffer relentlessly with TMJ, so I spend a good 10 minutes using my gua sha to massage my jaw and then do my physio exercises to help with my pain. My little tip – especially in winter – is to lather your face in jojoba oil before doing your facial massage, and then top up with moisturiser when you’re done, to keep your face hydrated and glowy during the day. A few minutes after starting work, a Facebook Marketplace buyer shows up to buy a massage gun I’m selling. +$30

12pm – Lunchtime hits and I pop last night’s dinner into the oven to reheat. My husband made a slow-cooked ragu-ish shepherd’s pie and I’m so excited to dig in! I throw together a salad with some grilled zucchini and lettuce leaves we need to eat before they go bad. I notice we have some yoghurt that needs to be used up too, so I use it to make a delish Greek yoghurt dressing. YUM! 10/10 would eat again. We purchased our groceries on Sunday, so there’s no cost today. On my lunch break, I run to the post office to ship a top I have sold on Depop for $120. I love, love, love this top so it was super sad to sell it. It was a gorgeous top from Sister Studios, a small Melbourne-based business, but it’s just not something I’ll be wearing when I’m travelling, so I bid her a sad farewell. +$120

1pm – I head back to my desk and spend the afternoon working away and joining a few calls.

5:30pm – I change into my exercise clothes and do a guided tempo run on Nike Run Club, which is totally free. I pop in my headphones and listen to the radio playlist of ‘Espresso’ by Sabrina Carpenter. Ever since she performed this song at Coachella I haven’t been able to stop listening to it! I get in a 4km tempo run and head home to shower.

7:30pm – My husband cooks dinner… shepherd’s pie and salad again and I’m not complaining! We settle in on the couch and watch a few episodes of Alone Australia on SBS on Demand, which is totally free.

10:30pm – We head to bed around 10:30pm after watching the TikToks we have sent each other. Bliss!

Daily Total: +$150

Day 2

7am – I wake up and have my coffee first thing. No savings leaves my account today so my remaining $84 is safe for now! I message a buyer on Facebook Marketplace to arrange a time for them to pick up a table I have listed. We’re selling all of our things in batches so it’s not so overwhelming in the lead-up to our departure. I then get into my daily Croatian lesson and spend a little time on TikTok digesting the Taylor and Travis content from Coachella. Ah!

10:30am – While I’m working my postie arrives with two absolute bargains I’ve scored. As someone with PCOS, hormonal acne is the bane of my existence, so I have spent a lot of my life on acne medication using really basic skin care products. Cetaphil has been one of my longest relationships but the price rises have meant I’ve been low on my moisturiser for about a fortnight now. I saw Adore Beauty had a sale on Cetaphil, so bought my moisturiser for less than half price due to the sale and some discount codes I had — major win! I’ve also been looking for a leather passport holder for my upcoming trip but have been gawking at the price of them. I came across a 100% leather one from Oroton on their warehouse website for $28. I immediately pop my passport in it and I’m in LOVE!

12pm – Another Facebook Marketplace buyer arrives and buys a side table for $50. We’ve made about $900 over the weekend from Marketplace which is a huge help to our savings. You guessed it, it’s time for leftover shepherd’s pie again! I smash down my lunch while responding to some Marketplace and Depop messages. +$50

1:00pm – I’m back at my desk when another delivery arrives. It’s the A313 Retinol that I ordered – I’m so excited to try it! Because of my PCOS I have constant hormonal acne if I’m not on the pill. And I don’t want to carry 12 months of prescription medication around, so I’m trying to come off the pill before we leave. I read on some Reddit threads that A313 Retinol can really help hormonal acne when you come off the pill, so I’m giving it a try. Fingers crossed!

5pm – The rest of the day flies by on calls and work. I step away from my desk and head out for another run. I don’t do a guided run today but just vibe to my playlist and focus on my pace. I head home so excited to shower and use my retinol! Tuesdays are when I do my ‘everything shower’ as Wednesday is my office day. So today is hair wash and shaving day. I bought an at-home laser device during the pandemic and just love it. Today I need to use it for maintenance, so do I that as well. I have saved so much money doing this and haven’t looked back.

7pm – I’ve read online that to use the A313 Retinol your skin needs to be totally dry, so I wait about an hour post-shower to use it. I tentatively apply it as I’ve heard people online talking about it itching their skin. I don’t experience any side effects which is a win!

7:30pm – We have chicken and some veggies in the fridge, so I decide to make some Mediterranean-style couscous bowls for dinner using what we have in the pantry. Building up a solid supply of pantry items has really helped us eat at home more and save money. We eat dinner and start watching the new series Fallout on Prime. We’re obsessed immediately and watch about three episodes. We cycle through which subscription platforms we have and at the moment it’s Prime Video and Disney+. We should really cut back on this for our budget, but we know we won’t be able to afford this luxury on our trip, so we’re just enjoying them while we can.

8pm – My pay hits, finally! I transfer any remaining funds (hello $84, lol!) into my savings account and leave the rest. I don’t have a crazy transfer routine when it comes to saving. My automatic transfer is pretty significant and I have a sizable amount of savings in another account separate to my trip one, so I don’t need to be too regimented.

10:30pm – Bedtime! I fall asleep dreaming about an overnight success from the A313. Lol!

Daily Total: +$50

Day 3

6am – My alarm goes off and urges me to take an at-home Pilates class but I hit snooze instead. I paid for a yearly subscription ($145) to Hustl’s online platform which I absolutely love, but I just can’t be bothered today!

7am – I’m finally out of bed and up to make my coffee and get into my jaw massage routine. I was really clenching last night so the massage is much needed and I spend a little longer on this than usual. I have my coffee at home and make a smoothie for breakfast. We stock up on frozen fruit every few months for smoothies, so there’s no cost here.

8am – Time to get dressed! I’m feeling inspired by some clothes I had hanging in my Depop pile so pop them on. It’s an old Manning Cartell dress and a Jac + Jack t-shirt that I immediately fall in love with again. I head to the train and play the New York Times games and share the results in my group chat to pass the time. $4.50

9am – I arrive at work and catch up with two friends for coffee. I don’t buy a coffee either time but just go along for the walk and gossip. The best part of the day!

10am – Meetings for the day start and I’m away from my desk until lunch.

12pm – I meet up with three friends from work and we grab lunch. We get Korean from a new place that has specials running, so I score a $20 bibimbap and beer. $20

1pm – I’m back at my desk and waiting on approvals for a few projects to come through, so I scroll through a few websites looking to purchase an iPad case with a keyboard to take travelling with in place of buying a laptop. I’m planning to freelance a little to make some money as we travel and don’t have a laptop, but do have an iPad! The one I’m eyeing off costs $299 but I come across a listing for one for $36 on eBay with amazing reviews, so I hit check out and hope for the best! Shipping is $10. $46

3pm – I make a cup of tea and grab a piece of cake made by a co-worker and spend the rest of the afternoon smashing out some work.

5pm – I do my daily Croatian lesson on the train home. I message with a person coming to buy something from Facebook Marketplace and arrange a time for them to pick it up. $4.50.

6pm – My husband gets home from work and we both reveal we’re craving Grill’d. We’re stoked that we have this in common as normally we have to talk each other out of getting takeaway. We browse around on the internet to look for some discount codes but can’t find anything. We decide the Facebook Marketplace listing we’re selling today covers it and then some, so we decide to order anyway. Girl maths! We split the Grill’d and it’s $26 each. $26

7:30pm – We eat our Grill’d while watching more episodes of Fallout. We’re loving this show!

8pm – I realise Mother’s Day is coming up while scrolling and watching TV, so text my dad and brother to see if they have any ideas for gifts. I purchased an Apple Pencil to help DIY some bits for my wedding and decide to make my mum a colouring-in book with family photos. She’s just retired and has taken up sketching as a hobby, so I think it’s a great gift! I spend the next few hours in Procreate drawing out the colouring-in pages.

11pm – We hit the hay after a few hours of watching Fallout. Oops! I shower and do my skincare before bed and notice I have a few small pimples after starting the A313 yesterday. I apply a hydrating serum and lots of moisturiser before heading to bed. My close friend is a sex worker and I know she was working tonight, so I check her location on Find My Friends before I fall asleep to make sure she’s home safe.

Daily Total: $101

Read the rest on Refinery29 Australia here.

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