Money Memoir: James

In a new content series called Money Memoirs, we ask Aussies to track their spending over the week to give us a look into their daily routines, spending habits, savings hacks and money mindset.

New dog dad James pulls back the curtain and shares his weekly spending. James heads up Student Experiences and Venues at a private college in Sydney. A man who loves a routine, James always finds time for friends, family, his partner and, of course, their (adorable) new pup Winnie.

James isn’t currently a Wisr App user but boy is he kicking himself now! We showed him how much he could have rounded up with Wisr App throughout the week.

Morning: My morning routine is pretty jam-packed. Today, I went to the gym, then headed back home to feed and play with our new puppy Winnie before driving to work. 

Midday: I work at a University, so typically when I’m at the office, I get free lunch from the commercial kitchen. However, it’s closed at the moment so I venture into Manly Corso to pick up some sushi. I grab two rolls for me and two for a colleague, which comes to $25.70.

Evening: I head home around 5:30pm, play with the pup some more and pop on an episode of Peaky Blinders. Weekday evenings are generally pretty quiet in our house – my partner and I cook dinner at home and fall into bed soon after.

Total Spend: $25.70
Potential RoundUp: $2.30

Morning: Same morning routine as yesterday: gym, feed, play with pup and hit the road. We got Winnie at the end of 2021 and our lives are already so much better. 

Midday: It was very hot and I was feeling a little too lazy to head into Manly to get food, so I opted for a pre-prepared YouFoodz meal. Portuguese Chicken – delicious ($10.95).

Evening: I had a leisurely evening at home. We went for a stroll with Winnie after dinner, which was beautiful. She loves these dusk walks and it’s a nice chance for us to make the most of our surroundings too after being in an office for most of the day. 

Total Spend: $10.95
Potential RoundUp $1.05

Morning: You know the drill… gym, feed, play, commute. 

On the way to work I stopped into Coles to buy some snacks for my desk drawer. I tend to do a fortnightly haul so there’s enough for myself and any hungry co-workers. It’s much better to have them at the ready than to hit the corso when you’re hungry ($25.70).

Midday: I had a craving for burritos at lunch so I headed to Guzman Y Gomez to pick up a Chicken Burrito. I always find that they’re super filling, so I’m less likely to snack throughout the day ($11.90). 

I left work a bit earlier in the afternoon today to head to the Physio. Unfortunately, this has become a regular expense due to a Rugby injury. Fingers crossed I’ll be back to fighting fit soon. With my health insurance, I’m about $50 out of pocket. 

Evening: This evening I was debited for a few essential payments. My partner and I pay our shared bills from the joint account, so my half was as follows: 

• Monthly bill for the internet at home ($59.99)

• Annual pet insurance for Winnie ($493.44) 

• Personal gym membership ($60.90)

After a long week at work, we didn’t feel like doing much for dinner, so we just ordered pizzas from our local Mimmos ($57.99).

Total Spend: $759.92
Potential RoundUp: $3.40

Morning: It’s the weekend! We didn’t do much this morning. Winnie, cute as she may be, has a habit of waking up around 5:30am. So, we’re up bright and early to take her for a stroll. We have seen some great sunrises with her, but a sleep-in here or there wouldn’t go amiss. 

Midday: This weekend is pretty packed with family time. My brother and his girlfriend are coming over for dinner, so we added a few extra items to our weekly shop.

After we left Woolworths, we stopped by BWS to get a few drinks for the evening. We bought a case of seltzer and some Canadian Club and Soda with Lime. We also restocked the liquor cabinet and got a bottle of gin and one whiskey which should last us a while. The weekly shop comes from the joint account, so my half was $160.47.

Evening: We had a great evening of games, food and drinks on the balcony. It’s our favourite part of our apartment so we try to use it as much as possible.

Total Spend: $160.47
Potential RoundUp: $1.53

Morning: Another sunrise stroll with Winnie. We head to our favourite local café Corretto in Dee Why for breakfast. We brought Winnie with us – she’s starting to recognise some of the locals, which is nice. My partner paid for breakfast which was lovely, so there was no expense incurred for me.

Midday: We had to venture to Flower Power today to pick up some grass. In lieu of a garden, we have laid out some grass on the balcony for Winnie.  This needs fairly regular replacement and came to $12.49. 

After this, we headed to my partner’s father’s place for a visit. On the way home, we were a little peckish, so we stopped by a 7/11 to get some snacks and a frozen coke ($19.10).

Evening: Another quiet night in anticipation of another early morning and full week at work. A short time ago we purchased a Nintendo Switch, so the payment for the online game account came out of my account this afternoon ($5.95).

Total Spend: $37.54
Potential RoundUp: $4.45

Morning: Back to the weekday morning routine. Amy took Winnie for a walk while I went to the gym and then it was off to work. 

Midday: The commercial kitchen is back open at work, which means staff get free lunch! This has been such a great money saver and has meant that 5 meals a week are fully catered.

Evening: We made dinner at home which meant today was a zero-spend day. Nice!

Total Spend: $0
Potential RoundUp: $0

Morning: Gym, feed, play, commute. 

Midday: Free lunch! It was a beautiful day so I spent some of my break outside hanging out with colleagues and soaking in the early afternoon sun.

Evening: My phone is with Vodafone so the monthly bill came out today ($40.16). I’ve been with them for a while and am thinking that I’ll be due a phone upgrade soon which will be nice. 

Total Spend: $40.16
Potential RoundUp: $1.84

This week was on the expensive side – don’t you love it when all your bills come out at once? My total spend came to $1,034.74. Essentials aside, my partner and I love having friends and family over, so we tend to spend a bit of money on entertaining guests. 

In saying that, our place is starting to feel a little cramped, especially with our new addition to the family. We’d love to upsize sometime in the future. We’ve started building up our savings to help us reach this goal, and have been considering using Wisr’s Round Up app to help us get there even sooner.

Using Wisr’s Round Up app, my smaller spends, such as snacks and petrol would allow me to save almost $15 extra each week. On this trajectory, I’d be able to save an extra $760 in a year’s time – without even having to think about it.

** Downloads Wisr App immediately **

Check out our first Money Memoir featuring Sydney vet nurse Tara, and keep an eye out for more in the coming weeks.