Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.
This week: a VP of Operations working for a non-profit who makes $170,000 per year and who spends some of it on prescription dog food.
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This Money Diary was written in the summer of 2025. Prices are listed in Canadian dollars and correct at time of writing.
Occupation: VP, Operations
Industry: Non-profit
Age: 37
Location: Vancouver, BC
Salary: $170,000
Joint Income/Financial Setup: Our joint income is approx. $250,000. My salary is steady and predictable, but my husband works in film/TV, which is very unpredictable. Work was very slow during the pandemic and SAG-AFTRA/WGA strikes in the US, but he’s worked a lot more over the past year and will bring in about $80,000 this year. This also includes some very part-time graphic design work that he does on the side, and employment insurance when he’s not working. We also receive $542.50 from the government each year of Canada Child Benefit ($45.20 a month). My husband and I combine our finances. We have a joint credit card, bank accounts, and savings, which I manage, plus individual credit cards (for gifts etc.) and separate investments.
Assets:
Registered Retirement Savings Plan [RRSP]: $127,000
Tax-Free Savings Account [TFSA]: $39,200
Locked-In Retirement Account [LIRA]: $29,300
First Home Savings Account [FHSA]: $3,000
Husband’s RRSP: $74,491
Husband’s TFSA: $32,950
Joint Emergency Savings: $10,000
Joint Savings: $50,300
Debt: $0
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $4,395
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $3,998 for a two-bed, one-bath apartment, parking space, and storage locker.
Loan Payments: n/a
Electricity: $100
Internet: $78
Daycare: $1060 (the full price would be $1605, but the government provides a $545 subsidy).
Gym: $90
House Cleaner: $90
ChatGPT: $31.64
Phone: $218 ($68 for me, $150 for my husband)
Tenants Insurance: $26.39
Car Insurance: $157.92
Pet Insurance: $302
NYT: $2.10
Spotify Premium: $20.04
iCloud storage: $12.99
Crave: $24.64
Disney+: $15.99
Netflix: Included in internet
Apple TV: $12.99
Shudder: $8.99
Patreon: $14.97 (The Birth Hour podcast and Aja Barber)
BCAA: $20.56
Adobe Photoshop (for my husband’s work): $29.11
Dropbox (for my husband’s work): $31.35
Bank account fees: $16.95
Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP): $200
RRSP Contribution (comes from my paycheck and is matched by my employer): $708
Extended healthcare: $0 (paid for by my work)
Charitable Donations: $106 (Black Lives Matter, Binners Project, Canadian Mental Health Association, Indian Residential School Survivors Society)
Annual expenses
Credit card fees: $135
Amazon Prime: $110.88
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes. I grew up in the UK, and neither of my parents went to university (although my dad later completed a degree part-time at night school), but I was expected to go to a good one. I didn’t get an offer from any of my top three schools because my predicted grades weren’t as high as I needed (even though my actual grades were top marks — the UK system is weird), but I still landed at a top-20 university. I paid for my tuition and living expenses with student loans and part-time jobs, but my parents paid for my rent until I graduated, aged 20 (it was a three-year program).
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
I was brought up not to ask about or share specifics on salaries or spending, as it was deemed rude (very British). I knew neither of my parents grew up with much money, but my dad eventually worked in software engineering, and we were comfortably middle-class. My dad started a few companies, and my mom was always terrified about the lack of financial stability. They’re both quite cautious, and I remember being told that saving for retirement was key and not to place my pension in any remotely risky investments. They’re now retired and living in Canada close to me, and are very worried that I don’t own a home, and likely won’t any time soon.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I got a job working in the village shop on Saturday mornings aged 13. My parents encouraged me to learn the value of work and commitment, and I loved the extra spending money ($18 USD a week). I quit when I got a better paying job at age 16, and my younger brother took over at the shop.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Not in the day-to-day sense. Occasionally, I’d pick up some tension or uncertainty from my parents, and there were tighter times than others, but I had everything I needed for school, and we went on vacation every couple of years.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes. I have a great salary and solid savings, but rent and daycare come to 60% of my income, and my husband’s work is very unstable. Any money we do save when he’s working subsidizes our living expenses when he’s not. Saying that, we could definitely cut down on our expenses (coffees, meals out) if we really had to. Buying a place to live in Vancouver feels out of the question, so I worry about our long-term plans, especially as we need more space for my son as he gets older. I’m on the wait list for a co-op and really hope we get in within the next couple of years.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Aged 20 when I graduated from university, and my parents stopped paying my rent. They’re now retired and are on a budget, but they would definitely give me a loan if I needed it (as long as I paid them back).
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
My parents gave me $15,000 towards my wedding in 2017, and $25,000 in 2022 as part of my grandmother’s inheritance when she passed away. We used some of it to buy a car when our old one died, and most of it went to keeping us debt-free when I was on maternity leave and my husband had a 10-month stretch of not working.
Day One: Wednesday
7:20 a.m. — I wake up to my alarm and lie in bed thinking about morning logistics. My son B., is now a three-nager, and recently started a new daycare which has longer opening hours and is close-ish to my office. My husband J., is working on a movie at the moment, so I’m usually on daycare duty on the bus, but he has a rare late start today, so I can take the car. I drag myself out of bed, do my morning routine of Origins Ginzing Moisturizer, and get B. out of the door — though not without some protests.
9 a.m. — I start my workday from home, with an instant coffee to help me navigate my inbox. I’ve moved house since my last Money Diary, into a two-bed apartment in a new rental building about a five-minute walk from the Co-Op I was subletting. This place is a third of the size of the last place and triple the rent which is painful, but the views are amazing, and the location is perfect. Luckily, J. has been working a lot this year, and I also started my current job three months ago. It was a really hard decision to leave my last role, which I loved, but it’s a step up to VP level with a small salary bump (though the healthcare benefits and PTO aren’t as good), and I knew I’d get out of my comfort zone and learn so much. I’m now responsible for operations and HR, so I have a couple of calls about a salesforce transformation project I’m leading, and work on some job descriptions. J. takes the dog for a walk, stopping off for a coffee and a pastry. $11.24
9:01 a.m. — …and a bag of prescription food from the vet. It’s a new diet and our pet insurance will reimburse about $35 per bag for the first two months — but soon we’ll be covering the full amount. When J. gets back, he heads to work. I heat up and eat a frozen mini burrito for a late breakfast, then have a baked potato with tuna mayonnaise for lunch. $87.62
2 p.m. — I walk the dog around the block, then change into “business casual” (jeans and a nice top) and head into the office. I have a weekly 1:1 with my boss on Wednesday afternoon, and I always prefer to have it in person. Our talk today is particularly important, as it’s been a frustrating couple of days and I have some feedback to share about how we’re working together (or not). I make an iced coffee for the road, and take the bus as it’s too hot outside to walk without turning into a sweaty mess. $2.70
5:15 p.m. — The conversation goes well! I suggested we get out of the office for a walking meeting, which was definitely the right call, but I’ve racked up 7,000 steps in flats that squeeze my toes, and am a sweaty mess after all. No Evo’s (local car share company) today, so I take an Uber to daycare and arrive right before they close at 5:30 p.m. It takes a while to get him all packed up, and we miss the bus by a minute! I melt at the bus stop for 15 minutes while we wait for the next one, which we jump off early to pick up a photo book of B.’s photos from his mini kid camera (paid for when I ordered it last week). He loves it, and we look through it together on the final bus home. $14.10
6:15 p.m. — Back home and I am exhausted. B. and I look through the photo book together, then FaceTime my parents who are living their best retirement life and sailing around the Gulf Islands this week. I make B. a peanut butter sandwich and some strawberries, while I finish off a leftover portion of tortellini with cheese sauce. B. is mad at me because there isn’t more pasta, and goes to play alone in his room (that’s the three-nager part). I use the time to tidy the kitchen.
8:30 p.m. — J. gets home. We try to tidy B.’s room since the cleaner comes tomorrow and we can barely see the floor for Hot Wheels, but B. throws his pajamas out of our 14th floor window and things devolve. Luckily for me, J. is on bedtime tonight, so I take a much-needed shower, clean the kitchen, and pack tomorrow’s lunches for B. and myself (J. is very well-fed on set). When I’m done, I book tickets to the outdoor pool for Saturday as it looks like good weather. It’s Labor Day weekend and we were going to go to Whistler, but my parents aren’t around to dog sit and I decided taking a three-year-old and a dog wouldn’t be so relaxing, so I cancelled our hotel last night. $17.92
10:20 p.m. — J. emerges from B.’s room. We quickly talk through the next day’s schedule, then I do my nighttime routine (Sunday Riley Good Genes serum and Olay moisturizer) and get into bed. I am absolutely hooked on The Americans right now, so I watch part of an episode, then switch to a podcast and fall asleep around 11:30 p.m.
Daily Total: $133.58
Day Two: Thursday
7:15 a.m. — Alarm goes off, and I wake up from a very deep sleep with B. next to me. He wakes up in the middle of the night and comes into bed with us most nights, which I don’t mind as long as he stays still. I get up, get dressed, give the dog his morning pill (he just turned 12 and he’s on five pills a day for various ailments), and get B. an Eggo waffle and a banana for breakfast. B. is upset I gave the dog his pill first and throws his food on the floor.
8:30 a.m. — J. is taking B. to preschool today, which is great as Thursday is one of my two office days. I enjoy the office and go every day when J. isn’t working, but need to be home for the dog more when he is. I planned to be on the bus by 8:20, but the food-throwing and some potty assistance delay me. I end up taking an Uber to the office. $9.52
10 a.m. — J. does the daycare drop-off then picks up a dark roast with mocha syrup from Starbucks across the street. I do an in-person interview at the office, which I really enjoy, but the candidate isn’t a fit. $1.97
12 p.m. — The dog walker and cleaner (in monthly expenses) both arrive at lunchtime, and I buzz them in from my cellphone. $20
2:45 p.m. — The afternoon flies by in a blur of meetings, including some interview debriefs and a “Party Planning Committee” meeting to plan our Summer BBQ next week. I take a short walk to get some fresh air, and find myself at a coffee shop buying a vanilla latte and a chocolate walnut cookie. The cookie is delicious, but I regret spending the money almost immediately. $13.47
5:15 p.m. — Leave work later than planned as I had to wait for our weekly payables to be ready for approval, so I grab an Uber to daycare. $10.15
5:30 — I pick up B. and take him to the grocery store to pick up watermelon and pineapple for a daycare potluck picnic tomorrow, plus some fruit freezies that B. spies. The bus is still 15 minutes away and B. is hungry, so I get him a banana bread at the coffee shop next door before it arrives for the bus). $32.92
6:30 p.m. — I throw some laundry on as soon as I walk in the door, and see that B. has found my mini Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lipstick (a gift from a friend) and drawn all over his face. Dinner is a mix of baked potato, baked beans, cheese, broccoli, and some pineapple and watermelon that I’ve chopped for the potluck. J. gets home around 8:45 p.m., and I start B.’s bedtime. The routine involves some playing, some books, and lying uncomfortably on the floor next to his crib while he falls asleep. We’re hoping his new daycare will cut his naps as he’s getting older, so he’ll go to sleep earlier.
10:15 p.m. — B. is finally asleep, so I shower and head straight to bed.
Daily Total: $88.03
Day Three: Friday
7:15 a.m. — I had set my alarm to help J. with the morning routine, but he tells me his call time was pushed back overnight, so I don’t need to be up just yet. I’m exhausted but can’t fall back asleep, so I shower, take the dog on a longer walk than usual, and catch up on my voice notes. I stop at my favourite coffee shop for a large caramel latte. J. also picks up a coffee and a pastry after daycare drop-off. $18.80
9 a.m. — My calendar is usually empty on a Friday, so I hold the time to catch up on work. However, today everyone wants a “quick chat” and I’m on back-to-back calls all morning. One of them is to finalize a colleague’s promotion, which we celebrate by text. I make a quick sandwich for lunch, pack for the daycare potluck, and take an Uber to the office with my homemade iced coffee in hand. $9.99
1:30 p.m. — I get to the office and join a technology demo in our boardroom. I’m multi-tasking and end up not listening, I know my team will share the main updates with me next week.
4 p.m. — I get a taxi to daycare with another parent friend who works two blocks from me (she covers the fare). The potluck is chaotic but really nice. I know a few of the parents there just coincidentally (there aren’t many daycare spots in Vancouver), so it’s nice to catch up and see how the new kids are settling in. The watermelon and pineapple are a hit, but I end up losing my Tupperware in the chaos. J. misses most of the fun, but comes to pick us up when he’s finished work.
8:15 p.m. — I supervise B.’s bath time, then hand over to J. for bedtime and walk the dog to the liquor store to buy some weekend beverages for J. and I (three beers, three coolers, one cider). Bedtime takes a while, but I wait up for J. I’m exhausted and know I should go to bed, but he puts on the new Amanda Knox TV show and I end up watching the first episode even though neither of us loves it (though I find her story fascinating). I watch another episode of The Americans and fall asleep after midnight. $40.48
Daily Total: $69.27
Day Four: Saturday
7:15 a.m. — It’s the weekend! B. slept all night in his own bed and is up early. We all sleep better this way, but the trade-off is that mornings start sooner. We snuggle and chat in bed for half an hour, then I get up, make his breakfast (Eggo waffle and strawberries), and tidy up. It’s an independent play kind of morning, so I watch The Americans while he plays with monster trucks. I suddenly realize I’m starving, so I heat a frozen burrito for breakfast, then head to the gym. I recently joined a women-only gym at the end of my block and while I wish I had the energy to go during the week, I really try on weekends. I do 20-minutes on the treadmill and a full-body weight machine circuit.
10:30 a.m. — I shower and we head to our favorite coffee shop with the dog in tow. I get a large caramel latte and a pastry, J. gets a flat white, and B. has a mini pastry called a kouign-amann. We sit outside and eat, drink, and play with Hot Wheels, and B. gets a second pastry. $33.13
12 p.m. — On the way home, we stop in at a florist and J. buys a small pearl vine for our plant wall, and I get a free pink rose for following the florist on Instagram. When we get home we go up to the rooftop patio, where we hang out watering the plants in our garden bed and playing with more Hot Wheels. $4.47
12:30 p.m. — I convince J. we should go to the Pacific National Exhibition (very busy outdoor fair) for its final day on Monday, and I buy tickets on my phone with a 30% discount as a BCAA member. $67.80
3 p.m. — I’m so tired and just want to nap, but have a pedicure booked as my toenails are a state and I’m not done wearing sandals yet. I watch The Americans on my phone during the appointment. $62.33
4:30 p.m. — The weather isn’t as hot as hoped, but we go to the outdoor pool anyway, as we have tickets. We have fun splashing around and playing in the shallow end and manage to get dried and dressed without any drama.
6:30 p.m. — We leave the pool and stop off at our local brewery for dinner. J. gets a pint of raspberry sour, I get a 12oz of the same and we attempt a family game of snakes and ladders. The brewery recently partnered with a burger vendor who we love, so I order three cheeseburgers and fries. We share a table with a nice and patient couple who put up with the preschooler screams and give J. a beer that the bartender made them by accident. The portions of fries are absolutely huge and we end up taking a whole box home, along with most of B.’s burger. $85.80
9 p.m. — Bedtime is chaotic, but B. is tired. He falls asleep soon after 10 p.m. and I go straight to bed.
Daily Total: $253.53
Day Five: Sunday
9:15 a.m. — I wake up and am shocked when I see how late it is! B. woke me up coming into our bed in the night and it took me a while to get back to sleep, but the sleep in is worth it. I get up and head to the gym, where I do a short incline walk on the treadmill and a Juice & Toya arms and abs workout on YouTube.
11 a.m. — Home, shower, and out for a walk for coffee and pastries from our usual place. Same order as yesterday — a caramel latte, flat white, pastry, and kouign-amann. J. and B. walk to the grocery store across the street to get started on the weekly shop, while I walk the dog home and drive back down and meet them with the shopping bags. We get all of our usual lunch staples, including bread, bagels, croissants, salad kits, cucumber, berries, shredded cheese, yogurt, broccoli, filled pasta, canned tuna, and kids snacks, plus some Drano. $222.27
2 p.m. — We have a chill couple of hours at home doing scrap paper crafts and watering the rooftop garden plot. We’re meeting friends at the beach this afternoon, so I pack up our beach bag and throw in some turkey croissants to share, and a piña colada cider I got from Friday’s liquor store run.
4 p.m. — We pick up a friend who lives a few blocks away from us, and make it two minutes before I get a Facebook message from someone on her way to pick some of B.’s old clothes that I’m selling on Marketplace, and have forgotten to leave out — shoot! We go back home and I leave them in my lobby to buzz her in when she arrives. She only takes 1/3 of the clothes but transfers me the full $25. Great! We arrive at the beach and I pay for parking. We meet our other friend, and have the best afternoon together. The four of us met the day we all arrived in Vancouver from the UK almost 15 years ago, and while we don’t get to hang out together as often as we like, we have the best time when we do. We play about on my SUP, take turns chasing B. around, and the non-drivers drink beers. $14.49
7:30 p.m. — We’re having so much fun and don’t want the day to end, so we all jump in the car and return to the same brewery from last night for more burgers. The burger place said they were open until 9 p.m. on Instagram, but when we arrive they’ve closed an hour early. I shoot them a note letting them know and a crying emoji. We decide we still want burgers, so order takeout on Uber Eats instead and eat on a picnic bench outside. I get two Angus burgers on a BOGOF deal and fries to share, plus a cheeseburger combo meal for B. They’re still pretty good! J. drinks two pints and I stick with water. $80.23
9:30 p.m. — It’s late and dark, so we pile in the car and I drive our friends home. B. hasn’t napped today, so we play The Lion King in the car to keep him awake. Once we get home, I realize we left the diaper bag at the brewery and make the three-min drive back to get it. J. handles bedtime while I walk the dog and do the briefest of nighttime routines (Sunday Riley Luna Oil and Olay moisturizer). I’m in bed by 11:30 p.m.
Daily Total: $316.99
Day Six: Monday
9 a.m. — Wake up squished against B., and scroll for half an hour in peace. The burger place from last night sent me a DM apologizing for the error on hours and offering me a free meal next time I’m there, so nice! B. wakes up and we look through baby photos of him on my phone together until it’s time to get up. There’s sand everywhere from yesterday’s beach adventure and I offer to help J. clean, but he says I won’t do a good enough job and he’d rather do it himself (he’s right). He really struggles when things are out of place, which makes parenting pretty tough. I get out of his way and take the dog for a walk to the coffee shop, where I get our usual order to go, plus a pistachio-pineapple pastry for J. $30.18
11:30 — We’re finally ready to leave for the fair. A new work friend lives right across the street from the grounds and offered for us to park at her place, so we drive straight there. B. has an accident in the car, so we change his underwear in her driveway when we arrive. He spots the big trampoline in her yard, so we spend ten minutes catching up while he bounces before bribing him with a new Hot Wheels car to leave.
12:30 p.m. — We have a fun afternoon at the fair! B. tries out hockey, basketball, and soccer at the kids’ sport zone, we watch the super dogs and the high divers shows, and B. goes on a few kids’ rides. We manage to limit him to one “prize-guaranteed” fairground game and he chooses a tiny bottle of bubbles as his prize. $10
3 p.m. — It’s a hot day, so I get a Coke Zero and soft serve ice cream for B. and I. J. skips the ice cream and gets a tuna poke bowl. We stay for a few hours, then manage to make a tantrum-free exit. $44.87
6 p.m. — We’re home. J. and B. go up to the roof to water the plants while I call TELUS. My internet/TV plan expired a couple of months ago and our bill jumped from $98 a month to $200! I speak to a rep and end up negotiating the same package but with better internet for $78/month, plus a $100 credit to cover the increase in the last two months. B. watches YouTube videos of families playing with monster trucks and starts crying because he doesn’t have a backyard. Sigh. I think he’s incredibly lucky to be growing up in this city and apartment life won’t kill him, while J. really hates that he likely won’t experience living in a house. We redirect him with cartoons and order Indian takeout. $95.60
9 p.m. — My turn to do bedtime. After some negotiation, B. is asleep by 10. I realize I needed to wash my hair tonight but I’m too tired, so I’ll have to get up early and do it in the morning instead. I head to bed and watch The Americans until I fall asleep.
Daily Total: $180.65
Day Seven: Tuesday
7 a.m. — Wake up to my alarm. B. is in our bed again, although I don’t remember him getting in. J. has a rare day off today, so I have a nice long shower, wash and dry my hair, and walk to work with an instant coffee. J. takes B. to pre-school and gets a coffee from Starbucks afterwards. $4.44
12:30 p.m. — Tuesday is our mandatory “in office” day and it’s a busy one. I work on my quarterly work plan, answer some emails about insurance, and attend our weekly Executive Team meeting. I eat last night’s Indian leftovers at my desk for lunch, which I realize have been in my backpack instead of the refrigerator all morning. It tastes even better the day after.
2:45 p.m. — I have a confidential call with my HR Manager and there are no meeting rooms available, so I head to a coffee shop across the street where no one from work can overhear us. I order a hedgehog mocha and a chocolate walnut cookie. Another colleague wants to meet before the end of the day to discuss some meeting structures, so I make it a “walk-and-talk” around the park so I can make a speedy exit. $13.49
5:15 p.m. — I’m making the most of J. being on daycare pick-up duty and meet friends for happy hour! We try a new spot that’s only a 10-minute walk from my office. It’s bar service, and I know that once we sit down and start chatting, I won’t want to get up again, so I order two happy our tequila and Sprites up front. After catching up, we Uber to a liquor store (my friend pays). I don’t buy anything as I brought my last two coolers from home, then we walk to meet two more friends at the beach. $12.56
7 p.m. — I have the best evening! We order delicious pizza ($30 each), drink delicious drinks, and don’t stop talking for hours. We’re all British, and all parents of under-fives who met on the Peanut app a few years ago while we were on maternity leave. We talk about the highs and lows of parenting, vent about our partners, and discuss the best spicy romantasy books. It’s a beautiful sunset and I wade into the ocean just to get my feet wet. $30.00
10 p.m. — I share an Uber home with the friend who paid earlier, so I get this one. $8.00
10:15 p.m. — B. is already in bed when I get home; he and J. went to a brewery after daycare and got a pint and an apple juice plus parking. I take the dog out and get ready for bed. B. wakes up and hears me and asks to sleep in my bed. I’ve missed him after all the parenting talk tonight, so after some half-hearted efforts to re-settle him, I say yes, and we fall asleep together around 11. $18.69
Daily Total: $87.18
Conclusion
This was a pretty average week, and even though it was a long weekend, which meant some extra spending, we spent a lot less than we would have if we’d gone to Whistler for the weekend, so that was a good choice. I’ve known for a while that I could save a lot more money if we cut down on coffees and happy hours/takeout, and recording my expenses did make me very aware of that — and skip a couple of cookies! However, I don’t really have any sort of goal to motivate my savings right now, so it’s easier to just choose enjoying life in the moment. I’m sure that will change in the future, and I know there are areas I can cut back on if I need to.
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