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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Money Diaries A paralegal on $26/hr who moved to New York last year This week, our reader is enjoying life in the Big Apple and making those dollars work as far as they can. 8.01pm, 4 May 2025 Share options WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances. 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. Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re looking for readers who will keep a money diary for a 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 HR specialist on €78K living in Dublin. This week, a paralegal who moved to New York on a graduate visa last year. I relocated to New York on a graduate visa in November of last year. For the first three months, I was working in a bar whilst looking for paralegal work in the city and the money was fantastic (particularly over the Christmas season), which really helped to absorb a lot of the costs of moving over. But now I am into corporate life and certainly feeling the squeeze. Occupation: Paralegal Location: Brooklyn, New York Salary: $26/hr Monthly pay (net): $3,520 Monthly expenses Rent: $1,300 Household bills: $90 Phone bill: $40 ($120 charged every three months) Health insurance: N/a Groceries: $320 Subscriptions: $135 for gym membership, €10 Spotify subscription Savings: $800 7.00 am: I wake up and hop in the shower. Go make my breakfast, and it’s a run out the door to be in work on time. 7.45 am: I’m very lucky to be right on the subway line, which makes the commute significantly easier ($2.90). 8.15 am: I am on Wall Street and straight into the office to get a jump on the day and assess the large number of emails I unfortunately have to open in my inbox every Monday morning. 2.15 pm: I enjoy my salmon fillets and a yoghurt for lunch. I’ve never been one for buying lunch, and it’s only on rare occasions that I would, given the price. 5.15 pm: I leave the office and make my way home on the subway. ($2.90) Advertisement 6.00 pm: I make a bagel and have a hydration tablet, and it’s out the door for a run. I’m in the middle of training for a half marathon and really put the training plan off until I was settled into work, so I am certainly paying for it now. 7.15 pm: I make a burrito bowl with another to go to work with tomorrow. 9.00 pm: I end up doom-scrolling on TikTok for about an hour, and before I know it, it turns into two hours. 11.00 pm: After some more TikTok and a bit of reading, I head to bed. Today’s total: $5.80 7.00 am: I am up again, and it’s out the door and into work after some breakfast. ($2.90) 7.45 am: I am in the office, and it’s straight onto a deposition for the next two hours. I have to say, the subway has changed my life in several ways with regard to having the ability to reach anywhere in such a large city within an hour. Dublin is truly crying out for one, but the novelty of being able to drive into work is something I do miss from time to time. 11.15 am: After three intense hours, the deposition is finally complete, and I can breathe a sigh of relief when my boss has to run to court so that I can have a brief scroll on my phone and a protein bar. I do miss the Fulfil bars at home — American chocolate is truly awful. I scroll for a few minutes before deciding what restaurants I should pick for when my girlfriend arrives over for a short visit next week. 2.30 pm: After getting stuck back into work, I eat my lunch and grab a coffee as a treat, with it being payday ($8). I still hate being asked to tip, but working in a bar over here perhaps gave me a bit more appreciation for how hard it is to work in hospitality over here. 5.30 pm: I leave work and head home to make dinner ($2.90). 8.15 pm: After dinner, I head to the gym for a bit of a release after quite a taxing work day. 10.00 pm: I’m home in bed, and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m out. Today’s total: $13.80 8.00 am: I am up late after sleeping through my alarm, so it’s a quick shower and no time to make breakfast, so I grab a bacon, egg and cheese bagel from the local bodega ($6.00). This is turning into a bit of a weekly thing for me over here. I love the US-style of breakfast bagels, and I hope it’s the next food craze to land in Ireland. 8.45 am: It’s into work on the subway slightly late, but luck is on my side, as I notice my boss is out of the office this morning ($2.90). 2.30 pm: I work through till lunch and enjoy my salmon fillets with about a 20-minute scroll on TikTok as just rewards for a good morning of work. 6.00 pm: Out of the office and home slightly later, unfortunately ($2.90), but I am straight out for a run. My half-marathon training is going well, which is a bonus. 8.00 pm: I make dinner — and my lunch for tomorrow — and throw on some Netflix. 11.00 pm: I finally call it a night. Today’s total: $11.80 6.00 am: Up early for my run as I will be meeting some friends after work, and I make sure to get a coffee and two slices of toast. 6.50 am: I’m back with just enough time to have a shower and have some breakfast before heading out for work. ($2.90) 8.30 am: I arrive at work and get stuck into prepping for a trial next week. 11.00 am: I am sent out on a coffee run, which comes to around $35 for four coffees. Thankfully, they are on my boss today! 2.30 pm: I work through till lunch and go for a walk outside as it is quite sunny today. Unfortunately, it looks like tourist season is well and truly back on in New York, but at least the weather is fantastic lately. 6.00 pm: I finish later today as I’m meeting friends up in midtown for drinks. 6.40 pm: I arrive at where we’re meeting, and the place is heaving, which is great to see. A lot of our friend group works in different parts of the city, so it’s great to catch up after work as opposed to the weekend. I end up buying a few rounds ($74)…yikes. Related Reads Money Diaries: A healthcare worker preparing for retirement in the South East of the country Money Diaries: A project engineer on €57K living in Leinster 11.30 pm: I call it a night and head home to bed ($2.90). Today’s total: $79.80 7.45 am: I am up and out the door. Not quite feeling breakfast this morning, so I make something quick to bring for lunch and hit the road ($2.90). 8.20 am: I grab an iced coffee from Dunkin on my way in as it’s quite sunny ($6.80). 11.30 am: I work away through till about midday, and it’s off to court for afternoon filing in the Bronx ($2.90). 4.00 pm: I arrive back after quite an eventful afternoon, and my boss decides to let everyone out early today, so I head home. ($2.90) 5.30 pm: I head to the local Trader Joe’s to do my weekly shop. I’m very lucky that we have one locally, as everywhere else is mad expensive. For comparison, this is like our local Lidl, but with slightly more choice. My weekly shop comes to $72, which is definitely a lot for just one person. 6.15 pm: I head home and make dinner before heading out to the gym for the evening. 8.45 pm: I’m done with the gym and head home before getting in the shower. 11.45 pm: After putting a few hours into Netflix, I head to bed. Today’s total: $87.50 11.00 am: I’m up and at it (albeit late), and it’s out the door for my long run of the week as part of my training. 12.20 pm: Finally done and completely shattered, I head to the bakery and source an almond croissant ($5.50). I make a coffee when I get home, as everywhere here seems to burn the coffee. 2.00 pm: I go over to a friend’s house for some beers, and we get the rugby on for a couple of hours as more begin to join. 6.30 pm: More begin to join, and we head out to the East Village for a few drinks with a round for two people coming to $22… Christ. 9.30 pm: We head upto an Irish bar on the Upper East Side and the craic keeps going. 3.00 am: I decide to call it a night before it goes any further ($2.90). Today’s total: $30.40 12.30 pm: Up somewhat gingerly, and I head out to the rooftop to enjoy my coffee in the sunshine. I’m very lucky to have access to a nice rooftop with a great view, even if our building is still falling apart at the seams. 3.00 pm: I head out for a walk in the park and decide to give my parents a ring. They’re very happy to hear from me. It’s definitely something I should do more. 6.00 pm: I have a quick nap and decide to make some fish tacos for dinner, which go down a treat and are just what the doctor ordered. 8.00 pm: I throw on some Netflix and get ready for the week again. 10.00 pm: Off to bed! Today’s total: $0.00 Weekly subtotal: $229.10 What I learned – Living on a budget is extremely important. This is my first time living out of home, and it was certainly a shock to the system how expensive it can get, so I am very lucky I got into the habit at an early stage. I think I could benefit from some additional work. Unfortunately, it continues to get quite expensive just to live here. Realistically, I think I will end up going back to work in the pub for 1-2 shifts a week just to top up my wages and give myself a bit more room financially. Certainly, the novelty of purchasing daily coffees again would be quite nice. Making lunches is a cheat code that hasn’t quite caught on with the American public yet. Many of my colleagues choose to buy their own lunch every day as opposed to making it, which, with an average lunch costing around $15, is just a bit too steep for me. This is quite a standard week in my life. Making this certainly made me more conscious of where I can probably afford to spend a little more and where I could cut back. I also could do with varying my lunches a bit. Ultimately, even given the circumstances here, I’m extremely lucky to live in the US and take advantage of the opportunities that come with it from a work and personal perspective. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. 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