‘I spent €439 in a week’: A look at the money habits of a 21-year-old intern in Hamburg

Location: Hamburg – intern – lives alone

Heli is 21 and lives alone in Hamburg, Germany, where she works as an intern at a family office earning around €30k a year. She doesn’t receive any financial support from her parents and describes her attitude towards money as “quite normal”, trying to balance things out when she feels she’s spent too much. This week was fairly typical for her, although she noticed she was spending more than she should on lunches she could have prepared at home.

This week’s Money Talks breaks down Heli’s spending and bigger one-off purchases, including on events and cosmetics.

The week at a glance

Name: Heli
Age: 21
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Occupation: Intern at a family office
Salary: Around €30,000 a year

Location:

Occupation: Intern

Annual income: €30k

Living situation: Living alone

Current commitments: Rent, gym membership, hunting license, monthly train ticket

Main money goal: Start investing and use leftover money more intentionally

General attitude toward money: Quite normal – aware of overspending and tries to balance it out

Typical daily spend: Moderate, with frequent spending on lunch and occasional shopping

A week in my wallet

Monday

Lunch in the city – €6

Skincare – €10

Total: €16

Tuesday

Lunch in the city – €6

Total: €6

Wednesday

Shopping – €3

Online shopping – €110

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Total: €113

Thursday

Event ticket – €10

Second hand boots – €30

Cake – €4

Clutch – €45

Total: €99

Friday

Drinks – €80

Drug store – €18

Total: €98

Saturday

Clay pigeon shooting ammunition – €30

Groceries – €7

Total: €37

Sunday

Uber Eats – €20

Train ticket – €50

Total: €70

Total weekly spend: €439

Weekly reflection

Heli was surprised by how often she spent money on lunch during the week, especially when she “could just prepare it at home.” Although all of her spending was planned, it highlighted how quickly small, everyday purchases can add up.

Conclusions

If she could redo the week again, Heli says she wouldn’t have bought the train ticket, as it wasn’t an essential after all: “I never had to use it.”

Overall, the week was fairly typical, though she spent more than usual on non-essential shopping.

Going forward, Heli wants to cut back on unnecessary food spending and start investing any leftover money to build better long-term financial habits.

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