A Week In The Denver Area On A $223,000 Household Income

Refinery29

4 days ago

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We're asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.
Today: a paramedic who has a $223,000 household income and who spends some of her money this week on a metal yard flamingo.
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Occupation: Paramedic
Industry: Emergency medicine/healthcare
Age: 31
Location: Denver area
Salary: My pre-tax salary is about $110,000, but my overtime really causes it to fluctuate. I have an hourly rate, not a technical salary, which is $28.84.
Joint Income & Financial Setup: $223,000. My husband, A., makes $113,000 and our finances are mostly combined. We share the mortgage, streaming services, bills, etc, but each have our own car payment and 'fun money'. We contribute $2,250 monthly to a joint account for bills. We also have a high rewards credit card that we try to use and then immediately pay down. I have a second job teaching paramedic students part time, making about $400 monthly when I pick up shifts.
Assets: HYSA: $3,465 (this is usually about $1,500 higher but I had to take some out at the beginning of the year to pay for classes up front); joint retirement and investment account: $11,390; 401(k): $22,000; personal savings: $500 (this should be higher, I know — my goal this year is to bulk up my savings. I do try to keep my larger savings in my HYSA); house worth: $533,800; joint savings: $176 — we redid our entire yard last summer and have struggled to build up our savings again. A. has slightly expensive tastes (and tbh I can be this way too).
Debt: Joint credit card: $646; car: $43,000; mortgage: $431,191.
Paycheck Amount (bi-weekly): $2,500-$4,000 (this varies depending on how much overtime I pick up).
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $2,678 (mortgage payment).
Utilities: $150-$300, depending on the heating or cooling time of year.
HOA: $35
Water: $100 (this is higher in summer as A. has an obsession with having the nicest yard in the neighborhood).
Internet: $113
Loan Payments: I pay $800 for my car, a little higher than the minimum. I don't know what A.'s payment is but I think it's about $1,200.
Pet Insurance: $78 (I cannot overstate the lifesaver this has been).
Verizon Phone Bill: $355 (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ are included).
Car Insurance: $421
HBO: $20, I mooch Peacock and Paramount off my bff, and share mine with her.
Church Donations: $70
Kindle Unlimited: $13
Gym: $15
Pilates: $124
Just the Recipe: $12.99
Dog Sitter: $100
Credit Card Fees: $25 for my personal card; $95 yearly for our joint card.
Savings: I don't have a set savings amount, just whatever is left over after I pay down my credit card and contribute to the bills.
Dog Food: $72 every six weeks.
Dog Allergy Shot: $108 every seven weeks.
Pest Control: $150 every three months.
House Security System: $500 (annually).
Instacart: $112 (annually).
Amazon Prime: $70 (annually — I'm getting the student discount because I'm taking classes).
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
My parents are both very well educated, and all three of my brothers have some sort of bachelor's or master's degree, so education has always been an option, but I knew in high school that college wasn't for me. I was homeschooled until my senior year, took a year off to figure out what I wanted to do, and then took an EMT class at 19. I went to paramedic school in 2018. I got an AA degree last year and am working (very slowly) on my bachelor's degree, since I have about $5,000 available to use yearly. I was a pretty hard-working teenager and I think my parents knew I would land somewhere without a degree. I paid for EMT and paramedic school out of pocket, and my job paid for half of medic school. The AA degree was covered fully by my job.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I don't remember specific conversations, but my parents required us to earn at least $1,000 each summer of high school. I do wish they had talked about credit cards, as I didn't open my first one until I was 22, and it's hurt my credit a little. I also didn't really understand the importance of retirement savings until probably about five years ago.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
Mother's helper at 12. I got it to help the neighbor out and the money was a bonus. I moved from babysitter to nanny with that kid until I graduated high school. I worked five jobs (food service, nanny, multiple babysitting jobs) the summer after I graduated high school. I saved all that money to move out the following summer when I got my first EMT job.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Not really, my dad has a good career, but I do remember a few times he was between jobs and my parents were worried about money. It usually didn't last long, and we were fortunate to go on nice vacations and always have nice birthdays and Christmases. I am sure their different money styles caused conflict between my parents as I remember 'budget meetings' where me and my brothers made ourselves scarce.
Do you worry about money now?
I try not to, but the world is changing fast and the economy seems shaky at best. We don't have a real savings account, beyond our retirement accounts. We are still on the fence about having kids, but I am adamant about wanting a decent savings and child account before we decide to start down that road. I could definitely tighten up my own personal spending and saving, and it's one of my goals for this year. I got cancer at 24 (cancer free now for six years!) and the medical bills were high for some years, with all my extra money going to pay them.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I would say 20, when I moved out and got my first EMT job. My parents would be my safety net, as my dad now has a very high salary. I know A.'s parents would also help us if we got into a tight spot. Honestly, if we just tightened up our finances and focused on saving, I think we could build up our savings account.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No inherited income, but both my and A.'s parents gave us $5,000 for our wedding. We used half of that for a nice mattress and bed frame, and the other half for our wedding.
Day One: Monday
5:30 a.m. — This week starts with a bang: I'm on shift, and we get up for a call and don't have time to go back to bed before shift change. I grab a cup of coffee and finish my reports. We got wrecked this set, so I am very ready to go home. I work 48 hours on, 96 hours off, which is great unless you don't sleep for two days.
7:15 a.m. — On the way home, I pick up doughnuts for me and my husband, A. He works as a firefighter and we're very fortunate to work the same shift hours. $13.16
7:30 a.m. — I get home and let our two dogs, L. and M., out of the bedroom and am knocked over by their exuberant love. My best friend, B., stays at our house and dogsits while we're on shift. I give her $100 a month, which doesn't sound like much, but she lives with her parents and so having a house to herself for two days is something she loves. A. and I drink our coffee with donuts and chat about our shifts.
10 a.m. — B. and I drag ourselves to the gym and do arms and core. I chug a protein drink and have some leftover pizza when we get home before hopping in the shower. I do my AM skincare: hypochlorous acid spray, Naturium Vitamin C and Azelaic Acid, Experiment Super Saturated, Kopari Ceramide Cream, and Beauty of Joseon Sun Relief. I'm so tired I can barely see straight but I have one quick homework assignment to finish before the deadline tonight. After that, I crash hard for about two hours.
3:30 p.m. — B. and I go see The Accountant 2. She bought the tickets last week. The movie is really entertaining!
6:30 p.m. — We stop for pho on the way home, my favorite food. I get hers since she got the movie tickets. We take it out and feed the dogs before finishing Avatar: The Way of Water with chai espresso martinis. A. is out with friends tonight, so after we finish the movie, I make myself an old fashioned and play the new Assassin's Creed game until I can't keep my eyes open. $40.35
10:30 p.m. — I do my nighttime skincare: Prequel cleanser, Naturium Azelaic Acid, The Ordinary Niacinamide, prescription Tretinoin 0.05%, and CeraVe Night Cream, with CocoKind Eye Cream and a Frownie patch on my 11s lines. Teeth brushed and put the girls in their crates. I think A. gets home about 1 a.m. but I am unconscious.
Daily Total: $53.51
Day Two: Tuesday
7:05 a.m. — I drag myself out of bed, wondering why I picked up a teaching shift the day after my real job. I do my AM skincare, let the dogs out for potty and breakfast, then kiss A. goodbye. Wildly jealous he's still asleep. I pack a blueberry yogurt parfait I made a few days ago and my leftover pho for lunch. The commute is trash today — Denver traffic is always a nightmare. So glad I usually only have to drive to work once a week. I get a Venti Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks but I have a Christmas gift card still hanging on, so it's technically free. #girlmath
9 a.m. — We run medical scenarios all morning for the paramedic students, and then our boss offers to buy us Jimmy John's for lunch. This has literally never happened in the four years I've worked here?? Definitely not complaining. My leftover pho will have to wait another day.
11 a.m. — I work on homework on the lunch break, and purchase a wave curler and some cuticle lotion from Amazon. I got gel nails for the first time ever for our vacation at the beginning of the year, and it WRECKED my nails. I am going to try moisturization and see if it helps. $35.67
3 p.m. — I get done early, and on the drive home I call my dad to sweet talk him into buying his own ticket for a concert my brothers and I are getting my mom for Mother's Day. He agrees, but I'm waiting to hear back from two of my brothers if they're in. I'll buy the tickets and Venmo request them at some point.
4:30 p.m. — I swing home and change into gym clothes, and then drive two minutes to the Pilates studio and take a class. I just started Pilates and I find it a great balance to my normal strength training. After class, I get home to find A. making Cajun shrimp pasta for dinner. I take a body shower and make a gin and tonic before starting on the dishes he used to make dinner, which appears to be every pan we own? I feed the puppies before we eat. The food is worth the dishes.
7 p.m. — We start watching Havoc on Netflix but quickly realize neither of us are interested. We pick Draft Day instead. A. makes us each an old fashioned. We mosey to bed around 11 p.m.
Daily Total: $35.67
Day Three: Wednesday
9 a.m. — I get out of bed slowly and do my morning skincare. Start a pot of coffee, feed the dogs, and have a bowl of cereal with vanilla yogurt and coffee with cream. I play Assassin's Creed for a couple of hours. I love my schedule, but trying to balance productivity and rest is always a struggle. I feel guilty for doing nothing but I can't go all out for four days and then try to go back to work. It's a never-ending battle.
11 a.m. — I do some quick chores around the house: plant a few flowers I bought last week, start a wash with bed sheets, and vacuum. The dogs get to run around the backyard for a while and somehow get soaking wet.
12:15 p.m. — I'm teaching at one of the fire departments my agency works with about some new medications, so I swing by our headquarters to pick up supplies. The lockbox won't work and I have to wait for our chief to come let me in. I call and let them know I'll be a little late. The training goes smoothly. I'll add these hours to my timecard when I get to work.
3 p.m. — A. and I take the dogs for a walk. Our golden retriever is getting chunky and May is her month to get her summer body ready. I play a little video games before switching the sheets around and showering. I do a little makeup (Saie Blush and Highlight, mascara) and diffuse my hair.
5 p.m. — A. is heating up leftovers when I leave for a painting event with friends. We're celebrating one of my old work partners becoming a paramedic. She's been a paramedic for like six months, which just speaks to how hard it is to get a group of adult friends together. I buy a bottle of wine because it's cheaper than two glasses. We're all painting our pets tonight. I agonized over which puppy to paint, and settled on the chocolate lab. We have a blast painting and everyone's pet turns out amazing. $14.12
9:30 p.m. — I drive home in the pouring rain. A. pulls the painting out of the bag, laughs until he cries, and immediately hangs it on the wall. He says I got her face perfect but her body looks like a seal. I have to agree. We watch an episode of Breaking Bad and I suddenly remember we need a few things from the store. I place an Instacart order for the following day for ranch dressing, olive oil, coffee creamer, baby wipes, chicken breast, rice, zucchini, and an orange. I use our joint checking account. I also realize I haven't had any real food since this morning, so I heat up a frozen burrito quickly. $41.15
11:30 p.m. — We finally mosey to bed and I do my nighttime skincare. The dogs beg to get on the bed but I just washed the sheets so I like at least one night of hair-free sleep.
Daily Total: $55.27
8 a.m. — I was trying to sleep in later than this but once I wake up, I'm up. I waste time on my phone before doing morning skincare, dogs fed, etc. I'm headed to brunch so I make a small single-serve pour over for the drive (shoutout, Copper Cow Coffee!). It's churro flavored, which tastes slightly odd with my white chocolate mocha creamer, but I'll drink coffee in about any form.
10 a.m. — It's mostly the same work friends from last night at brunch. It's easy to bond with people when you work for the same 48 hours straight and deal with the type of things we do. We have a really fun time; I get French toast and an espresso martini. I also get a flight of bacon to take home for A. My voice is very sore, one of my vocal chords was damaged during my cancer surgery so loud social settings really tire me out. This has been a social week! $58.20
12 p.m. — I am SO tired when I get home. Day drinking will do that to ya. I mope around trying to find motivation to do anything until A. tells me to go take a nap. I don't need any more convincing.
2 p.m. — I feel much better. I start a load of laundry and play video games for a little bit. I bug my brothers about a Mother's Day gift and finally get the okay from all three of them. I'll buy the tickets tomorrow when I get paid. I clean the fish tank, switch the laundry, and update my one-sentence-a-day journal. Dinner is going to be crockpot butter chicken with rice and zucchini, so I put the chicken in on high.
5:30 p.m. — I take L. for a sniffing walk while A. plays fetch with M. I quickly shower and apply Jergen's tanning lotion, then fold the laundry while that dries. We eat dinner and watch a Breaking Bad.
7 p.m. — We head over to A.'s grandparents house to watch the Avalanche playoff game. My grandparents all died when I was pretty young, and I feel so fortunate that his are all alive, and I feel like I get to have grandparents again. We did make a terrible mistake eating before coming over, because Grandma has food and is horrified that we aren't hungry. Should have known better to not arrive to an Italian grandmother's house without an appetite. They rope A. into hanging a shelf. The Avs win!
11 p.m. — I realize I'm out of my azelaic acid so I place an online order. I find a 15%-off coupon. We rush home after the game to let the dogs run around a little bit before getting to bed a little later than normal. I did my nighttime skincare after my shower so I don't have to do it now. $27.18
Daily Total: $85.38
Day Five: Friday
5:30 a.m. — I definitely do not feel like I got enough sleep. I do my morning skincare, let the doggies out, and feed them. A. will put them back in their crates before B. gets here around 8 a.m. A. leaves a little later than me because his station is right around the corner. I kiss him goodbye and stop for fuel on the way to work. My car is a hybrid so I get amazing gas mileage, and it is ALMOST worth the car payment. $34.86
6 a.m. — I stop for an iced coffee as a pre-reward for my shift. $7.28
6:30 a.m. — Get to work, get report from the previous medics, and check out our ambulance. I'm training a new EMT, so we talk about the shift and some training we need to get done. I make my bed and set my room up for our two days on shift. The fire crew says we're doing Hibachi Friday for dinner tonight, which sounds amazing.
9 a.m. — I buy tickets for Andrea Bocelli and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for my mom. My dad and one of my brothers already sent me a Venmo for their portion. It costs $222.11, but I'll be reimbursed for all but $27 of that. $27
9:45 a.m. — I got paid, so I pay off my credit card fully, and put money into our joint checking and my car payment bank account. I keep about three months' worth of payments in that account so I don't ever have to worry about making the payments. I have about $500 left over after all that, which I keep in my checking account for the next two weeks until my next payday. I try and use my personal credit card for the points, and then pay it off fully every paycheck. My next paycheck should be able to all go to savings now that I caught up.
11:30 a.m. — I heat up some leftover pasta and then try to rest my eyes for a little bit, but we get a call. I finish a report and then get some homework done. I have one week of these two classes left (English 2 and Spanish 3) and they cannot end soon enough. I really don't like school, but I can't just let the education stipend go to waste and I know having a bachelor's degree may come in handy if I ever decide to get off an ambulance.
3 p.m. — I manage to read a few chapters of Red Sister by Mark Lawrence before we run calls all afternoon. I venmo one of the firefighters for meals this set. $19.27
6:30 p.m. — We manage to sit down for Hibachi Friday, which is delicious. There's a rousing discussion of 100 men versus one gorilla during dinner. I start on the dishes after dinner but we get a call, and don't make it back to the station until almost midnight. I speed-wash my face and collapse into bed, fingers crossed that the city will be kind. (Spoiler alert: the city was not kind.)
1 a.m. — We get up for a call an hour later. Thankfully, we don't have any calls past 2 a.m.
Daily Total: $88.41
Day Six: Saturday
8:45 a.m. — I didn't set an alarm this morning, but the tones go off and the day starts with a bang. I finally sit down for breakfast around 11 a.m. The firefighters made breakfast hash, which is delish. My partner R. and I get caught up on reports. I browse the Mediheal sale but don't buy anything. A. and I chat on the phone, he got to sleep last night, the lucky duck. I am already planning for my nap today.
1 p.m. — I do end up being able to catch a nap for a few hours, and then we wash the ambulance and get a call right as we sit down for dinner. We run calls until about 9 p.m., when I get to watch the Avalanche get knocked out of the playoffs. Darn!
11 p.m. — I wash my face (just niacinamide and lotion at work) and hope for a slow night.
Daily Total: $0
Day Seven: Sunday
6:45 a.m. — We ran a call at 4 a.m. but otherwise got to sleep! My relief is coming from another station, so I get a call right before she gets there. I am supposed to leave at 7 a.m. but don't get out until 8 a.m.
8:30 a.m. — I finally get home, say hi to the doggies, and B. shows me her new car. A. makes coffee and we chat about our shifts. We talk about going to church but I think I may fall asleep so we opt to not.
11 a.m. — I played video games for a few hours and A. organizes his football cards. It's a perfect relaxing Sunday.
1 p.m. — I run to Michael's because I saw a video about birds made out of pom-poms, and my friends and I are doing a craft day tomorrow and I need a craft. I get three skeins of yarn, a pom-pom maker, and a metal flamingo for the yard. I take the lab with me and she thinks everyone she sees is her best friend. I walk both dogs when I get home. $48.11
4 p.m. — I take a very needed nap, and then A. and I start getting ready to go out tonight. I wave curl my hair and throw some makeup on.
4:45 p.m. — We catch a Lyft to downtown Denver (I pay), and go to a bar where I heard there was an espresso martini flight. The bartender tells us that that bar is actually next door, and closed today. We stay for drinks at this bar. I get an old fashioned and a carajillo. A gets an old-fashioned and a tomato martini. He pays. $32.11
6:45 p.m. — I get the Lyft to a sushi restaurant, where we eat almost our bodyweight in sushi and saki. A. pays for dinner. $8.33
8 p.m. — We get a Lyft to the zoo (I pay), where it's the last night of a light display. It's SO cool, and we get to see some of the animals being more playful at night. A. buys himself a beer and gets me some rum drink. We haven't had much time together lately it feels like, and tonight was a perfect date night. $11.32
10 p.m. — I cover the Lyft home, and we let the dogs run around for a while. We watch a Breaking Bad episode before heading to bed. I do my nighttime skincare and pass out. $31.99
Daily Total: $131.86
The Breakdown
Conclusion
'This was a really social week for me — I do hang out with friends, but the larger planned group setting is usually more rare. Overall I think it was a slightly higher-spending week, but I feel comfortable spending money on food and friends. If I cut out random Amazon and impulse purchases (the flamingo) then I think my savings problem will start improving. Just writing down my sad savings account was a motivator to stop impulse spending and start saving, and since this diary we got our credit card down to $0 and my savings account has almost $1,000 in it. Baby steps! My ego feels obligated to say I usually go to the gym more but it was a busy week. I also take a lot of naps, ha!'