Social butterfly but financially aware: 27-year-old PR girly shares her weekly spend on £31k

Location: London – salary: £31,000 – lives with flatmates

Ever wondered what a week of spending looks like for someone trying to enjoy London life without completely rinsing their bank account?

After taking a look at another Money Talks diary last week, we’re now diving into the spending habits of Lucy, a 27-year-old PR exec living in London.

Lucy describes her attitude to money as fairly blasé, but not careless. She lives in a house share, earns £31k a year, and is focused on enjoying herself while still building an emergency fund so rent never feels stressful. Between tube fares, lunches on the go, drinks with friends and the occasional fitness class she definitely didn’t need, her week shows the very real balance between convenience, social life and trying to be financially sensible in the capital.

The week at a glance

Location: London

Occupation: PR

Annual salary: £31,000

Living situation: House share

Current commitments: Student loan, rent, phone contract, Netflix, gym

Main money goal: Enjoy life but build an emergency fund so rent doesn’t stress me out, and pay off my phone

General attitude toward money: Quite blasé, but I know when I need to save. I already have a decent amount of savings, I just want to be more intentional

Typical daily spend: Varies a lot depending on work schedule and social plans

Monday

Tube to work – £2.90

Lunch out – £10

Total: £12.90

Tuesday

Tube to work – £2.90

Total: £2.90

Wednesday

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Tube to work – £2.90

Total: £2.90

Thursday

Tube to work – £2.90

Drinks with friends – £29

Total: £31.90

Friday

Tube to work – £2.90

Lunch out – £10

Total: £12.90

Saturday

Coffee and pilates – £25

Shopping – £37

Socks and a new scarf – £11.50

Total: £73.50

Sunday

No spend

Total: £0

Weekly reflection

Total weekly spend: £137.90

Total weekly spend: Fairly controlled but slightly indulgent – Lucy’s week was typical for her, with a few avoidable extras creeping in.

This week’s spending was pretty standard, mostly made up of transport, food on the go and one social night out. While nothing was wildly out of character, the smaller purchases added up faster than expected, particularly lunches bought during the workday.

Lucy says she was most surprised by how much she spent on food out when she’s actively trying to cut back. “It doesn’t feel like much in the moment” she added, “but seeing it written down makes it obvious.”

If she could redo anything, she’d skip pilates. She already pays £29 a week for a gym membership, so the extra class felt unnecessary in hindsight, even if it was enjoyable at the time.

Nothing unexpected happened financially this week, aside from the pilates session, which Lucy knew was a possibility. Overall, it was a pretty typical week, with spending sitting right around her normal level.

Her biggest goal going forward is to build a stronger emergency fund so rent never feels stressful, while also paying off her phone and being more intentional with day to day spending.

Conclusions

Lucy’s week is a classic example of London living on a mid-level salary – essentials come first, but there’s still room for small treats and social spending. She enjoys herself, but not without some awareness of where her money is going.

Her spending habits show a mix of convenience-led choices and financial sense. Transport and food dominate her outgoings, while extras like drinks and fitness classes slip in when she’s not being strict. With a few tweaks – like bringing lunch to work and cutting down impulse buys,  Lucy could easily free up more cash for savings.

Overall, it’s a balanced approach: Living her life now, but clearly thinking about future stability too.

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