Welcome to Spending Notes, where we do a weekly deep dive into how our readers spend their cash.
Today: teachers who make a combined $100,000
Occupation: Teachers (Physical Education/Health and Social Studies)
Age: 28 and 36
Location: New Market, MD
Salary: $100,000 (approx. $3,846 per pay period)
Day One
At the peak of Maryland summer, we set out to find who can repair or replace the AC system in your New Market, MD, home. Our air conditioner has been out of commission since last September, but we hadn’t prioritized HVAC repair until now. We find a company with well-reviewed technicians and schedule an appointment for early next week, just in time to have it up and running before an incoming heatwave! With that taken care of, we head to the local park, stopping to buy a bunch of grapes to share with the resident ducks. Then, we head home and rummage through the cabinets for dinner ideas, landing on a simple chicken alfredo.
Total: $3
Day Two
As it stands, it looks like we may enter the upcoming school year with at least a portion of our classes being done virtually. With that in mind, we set out to clean our shared home office. S. turns to Pinterest, her favorite website, and searches “decorations for your home office,” leading to plenty of inspiration for even our small space. J. heads to Amazon, where he orders a few dividers for our shelves and bins to contain some of the clutter. Ideally, we’ll be able to create two separate workspaces in one room!
Total: $47
Day Three
Even if we go virtual full-time, we want to look good for the new school year. S. heads to Pinterest once again, where she finds a variety of accessories for enhancing your look. She comes across a beautiful vintage bag for a steal, then decides to sort through her closet to purge her unwanted items. J. follows suit, sorting through his clothes to find what “sparks joy,” as S. joyfully puts it.
Total: $17
Day Four
S.’s daughter is here for a few days, so we’re doing some school shopping together. Z. gets a few new outfits and some school supplies, including a particularly cute fuzzy pencil case. Dad & S. pick out a few essentials for their home office.
Total: $31
Day Five
Today, the three of us will go to the school, setting up our in-person classrooms, too. We stop at a gas station on the way, grabbing coffees for S. and J. and chocolate milk for Z. Then, we head straight to the school to set up our respective rooms. Z. helps S. hang some decorations while J. works to tidy up his workspace. After, we stop for a bite to eat at a fast-food chain, a rare treat.
Total: $38.50
Day Six
After the home office revamps and decluttering sessions earlier this week, Z. is coming to stay with us; the house isn’t looking too great. J. takes Z. to grab some groceries at the market while S. works to reset the house to its ideal state. When he returns with the little girl, J. surprises S. with a bouquet of flowers.
Total: $52
Day Seven
Z. has to head back to her mom’s house today, so we’re all feeling rather glum. Even still, it’s been tiring. We take today to rest, rather than running around like we normally have to. As it turns out, we’re actually finding peace of mind in a combination of nostalgic movies, leftover entrees, and simply sitting together on the living room couch.
Total: $0
Total for the week: $188.50