How I Spend It ‘I earn £50,000 and shop in charity stores’

A 54-year-old reader who thinks nothing of blowing £2,000 on a week’s holiday tells Rob White how she balances luxury and frugality

My first job was as a private chef. It came with lots of perks: £800 a month, a car and my own quarters in a beautiful house. Yet having worked for some wealthy people, I see they’re no happier despite the amazing holidays and attractive homes. I don’t see money as the saviour to all ills, like some people do.

I was very driven to go to university, graduate and have the means to enjoy life. My mother, as a single parent, was always quite worried about money and it rubbed off on me. I went to university before student loans and my father supplemented my full grant, which was based on my mother’s income, so I lived comfortably.

Since graduating in 1990, I’ve been an executive assistant and I work twoand-a-half days a week for a wellness company in central London. I spend the other half of the week running my own private personal assistant business, where I look after the social and personal admin for busy professionals. I set it up at the beginning of the pandemic after I was made redundant. It took six months to get it off the ground, but now I have regular clients.

I like the variety and freedom of having both roles – one provides my fix of water-cooler chats and working in a team, the other satisfaction and autonomy. I’m not sure I could ever go back to a normal nine-to-five.

My mother died two years ago, so I have £200,000 from an inheritance stashed away in high-interest accounts and Isas. Half is locked away and the other half earns interest, which is paid monthly into my current account.

I own my own flat in Fulham, with a very small mortgage of £20,000, and I don’t run a car. I do eat out a lot with friends and love a set menu at a Michelin-star restaurant. I have a complicated relationship with money. Sometimes I can be frugal, other times I think nothing of blowing £2,000 on a week’s holiday. You have to let money flow in and out of your life and not hang on to it too hard.

Day 1

I started the day at my local post office. I come here all the time, so I know the guys that run it and always have a laugh with them. I posted two items I’d sold on eBay. I sell a lot on eBay as I get tired of clothes quickly. The cost per parcel was £3.49 as I always send items second- class. Next I visited a local nail bar for a manicure and pedicure, which I do every four weeks. I normally get my eyebrows done, but this time it was just the manicure and pedicure, so I kept it to £60.

Afterwards, I visited Oxfam and bought a Ganni jumper for £10 and a Zara red-sequinned blouse for £8.49. I buy most of my clothes at charity shops, but this Oxfam has a lot of new Zara clothes at about a quarter of the retail price. I’ll keep the blouse, but might resell the jumper on eBay for a profit.

Back at home, I made a halloumi potato bake for lunch and I’ll take the rest to work tomorrow. Having just come home from a week’s juicing retreat in rural France, I’m making an effort to eat healthily and be vegetarian, cutting out alcohol, too.

In the afternoon, I went to Waitrose and bought a fresh mango for £1.15 and a reduced pork shoulder at £2.75. I often buy reduced items from Waitrose and freeze them for emergency suppers. I also bought a Father’s Day card from Anthropologie for £2, reduced from £4.

I called at a Tesco garage for a bouquet of mixed lilies and roses. With the in- store reduction and my coupon, I paid just £ 1.82. Later that evening, I transferred £30 to a friend for a ticket to a networking event later this month. Total: £123.19

Day 2

On Amazon, I bought two Osram lightbulbs for my kitchen lights at £7.98 for the pair. I did try to buy them from a local shop yesterday, but gave up after waiting nearly ten minutes in a queue.

I took the Tube to the company where I work half the week. I go into their offices on Tuesdays and Thursdays and do the remaining half day at home on Wednesday mornings. I travel at peak times, so it’s £ 3.40 each way. I stayed in with a delicious crispy serrano ham salad, breaking my vegetarianism already. I also bought a Bourjois Smoky Eyes eyeshadow from eBay for £5.99. Total: £20.77

Day 3

Working at home, I had a homemade lunch of lentil and mushroom bolognese and a roasted salmon fillet with lemon, ginger and garlic. The leftovers will be lunch tomorrow. I had a leak in the kitchen, so called my plumber. He solved the problem and fixed my broken kitchen cupboard too, costing me £90. My hairdresser arrived early in the afternoon for my weekly blow-dry. I’ve done this for about four years on and off.

We had a lovely chat and I spent £20. In the evening, I met a friend at my church for a gala evening. I’d already bought the tickets and it included free drinks, neeps and tatties. I travelled home free of charge as my friend dropped me off in a black cab.

Total: £110 Day 4

After another £ 6.80 return Tube journey, I nipped out at lunchtime craving chocolate and bought a Crunchie at Boots for 89p. I was meant to go to a private viewing at a gallery, but after a dispiriting day I headed home instead. I stopped off at Sainsbury’s for lettuce, serrano ham and some salad tomatoes, parting with £4.28.

Total: £11.97

Day 5

I took £20 out of the cash machine – half to top up my cleaner’s payment and half for a tip at my hair appointment. After a lot of business-related work at home, I went for an afternoon walk to clear my head. I bought some Ugg- style boots from Oxfam for £ 5.99 and a fur- trimmed puffer jacket from my other main charity shop at £45.

In the evening, I took the Tube to see an old friend for cocktails and nibbles. I spent £29.30 before she dashed off, then called at M&S for some vegetables and an Autograph mascara (£1.20 and £8.75). With the bus back, I’d spent £4.45 for my day’s travel.

Total: £114.69 Day 6

I enjoyed afternoon coffee and cake with a friend, who treated me. Later, I spent £3.49 on Amazon Prime to rent the film Breaking Up, starring Salma Hayek and Russell Crowe.

Total: £3.49

Day 7

I set out on foot for morning church, where I made a £5 donation after the service. I then met a friend for brunch, with my share coming to £16.88.

I called at the Tesco garage again and spent £2.35 on mango, melon and pineapple pieces on my walk home. Total: £24.23

Weekly total: £408.34