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Occupation: Program Manager
Industry: Non-profit
Age: 26
City: Jerusalem
Salary per Month (Bruto or before taxes): 9,213

Monthly Expenses

Rent: 1,875 (I live in a three bedroom apartment with two roommates)
Transportation: Free (work pays for monthly bus card – 213)
Health Care (Basic health care is covered for all Israeli citizens through the government, but people may choose to go private): 95 (Maccabi Sheli)
Internet: 40 shekel (my roomates and I split 120 each month)
Electricity: An average of 322
Gas: An average of 113
Water: An average of 160
Municipal (Arnona): Arnona for our apartment is 6,400 (to be paid once a year). We split the total amount, so last year I paid about 2,133. This year, I was entitled to a 90% discount for being an olah chadasha, and so my total was about 582.
Va’ad Bayit: 80
Cell Phone: 99 (parents pay)
Streaming Services: N/A (I use a family Netflix account)
Savings/Pension: 540
Gym: N/A (I exercise at home! Just ask my roommates)

The Diary

Day One

9:00 am — I am working from home today because I have a meeting in Baka smack in the middle of the day. This means I can wake up a bit later than usual, since I don’t have my normal 45 min (or more) commute to my office. I start checking my work emails on my phone, just to see if there’s anything urgent. Since I have a little extra time, I daven in my apartment (as opposed to on the bus, which is what I usually do) and clean up my room a bit. Then I start working on my laptop, mostly answering emails and phone calls.

12:00 pm — Since my work meeting is at 1:30 pm, I have the luxury of making myself a fresh lunch from home. I make an egg and put it in a wrap with some odds and ends found in the fridge, while finishing up those emails. I should really turn off notifications for every time someone makes a comment (or resolves a comment) on a Google doc.

1:15 pm — I get in a Gett taxi (normally I would bus, but I am also carrying a bag for one of the people I am meeting with) and go to my meeting. The meeting lasts about an hour, plus a little chit chat at the end.
27.80 (expensed to work)

2:45 pm — Since I am near a supermarket, and I haven’t yet gone grocery shopping for the week (because I had a wedding Sunday night, which is usually when I go food shopping), I decide to do so now, even though this particular supermarket is more expensive than my usual one. Convenience is a huge factor for me, and I justify the money by telling myself that I normally don’t spend this much on groceries. I buy fresh fruit and vegetables (blueberries – very expensive, but they looked amazing, raspberries, tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, lemons, avocado), chicken (three cutlets), a loaf of bread, orzo, and feta cheese. I usually plan out what I’m going to eat for all my meals on Sunday, so I know what to buy and therefore don’t waste food or money.
₪147.04

3:15 pm — I take the bus back home (In Israel, as part of an employee’s salary, work provides money for transportation. In this case it covers a monthly bus pass) and head back to my computer. I have some follow-up notes from that last meeting, so I take care of those, and go back to emails and phone calls. I have a Skype meeting with someone in America at 4 pm (Israel time), but because of some technical issues, we have rescheduled for tomorrow night. You’d think that after all this time, we would all figure out those issues by now…

5:30 pm — I start to wind down my work emails, and look at my Google calendar for tomorrow to see what I have planned. I make some reminders in my calendar for things that I didn’t get around to do today, and for things that need to be done in the office.

6:30 pm — I make dinner with random items in my fridge, using a recipe from a cookbook I bought in America. I watch an episode of Good Girls on Netflix, which I access using a family member’s account. My roommate comes home and makes dinner, a friend comes over with leftovers, and we pool our dinners together until we are in food comas, while watching a few random episodes of sitcoms. Then, off to bed to read a little and go to sleep.

Daily Total: 147

DAY TWO

9:00 am — I am, once again, working from home because I have a presentation outside the office at 2:15 pm. Similar routine to yesterday, I work on my laptop, answering emails and phone calls and editing several google docs and sheets, while snacking on whatever is in the kitchen until I am ready to go.

2:00 pm — I get a Gett taxi (because I am bringing equipment/supplies with me) and work pays for that, too. I deliver my presentation – always nice to do something different out of the office – and head home.
₪23.60 (expensed)

3:00 pm — I decide to take the bus home, but when I put my Rav Kav (bus card) in the machine, I realize that yesterday was the last day on my monthly bus pass, and I forgot to refill it. Luckily, I had some money still left on my card (which I loaded onto the card myself), so I pay with that. Since this was a work thing, I technically could submit the receipt to get reimbursed by my office, but it’s a very small sum of money, so I probably won’t.
₪5.90

3:30 pm — I have a work call with my boss, during which I try to take care of all the things he wants me to do, or make notes to do them tomorrow when I’m back in the office. I then have that rescheduled meeting with the person in America – it was short, but very informative. Since I am working from home, my roommate asked if she can order her groceries to be delivered around 4 pm, which is before she gets home – I assume this is so that she doesn’t have to make a separate trip to the grocery store on her way home from work. The delivery person comes, and she’s already paid online so it’s not a big deal for me, but saves her a lot of time and it is obviously more convenient than going in person to the store.

6:00 pm — I make dinner using the groceries I bought yesterday, and put half in a container to take for lunch tomorrow. While my food is cooking, I take a shower — but first, put the dud on for a bit, since it’s getting colder out there’s no hot water once it gets dark out. This is the time of year when we see our electric bills go up…I then watch some TV with my roommate until it’s time to go for yet another work presentation.

7:30 pm — I pack my equipment and order a Gett taxi, taking me to a neighborhood farther than the other places I visit for work, so I know this cab (and the return ride) will be more expensive than the others, but then again, I don’t have a lot of friends who have work-related things that start at 8 pm.
₪48.50 (expensed)

8:00 pm — I give my presentation and answer questions, get some new helpful information, and head back home, using yet another Gett. The app tells me that this is my second ride together with this particular cab driver…
₪46.10 (expensed)

9:15 pm — I get home, and had planned on watching a movie tonight, but am too exhausted to watch a whole movie, so instead I get ready for bed. I discover that my bedroom light has gone out, and I have never had to replace the current one before, so I use a stepladder to see what kind of lightbulb it is — I am too short to see, so I take a picture with my phone and plan on taking it to the chashmal (electric) store tomorrow to see if they sell that kind of lightbulb…and maybe if they’ll put it in for me too. I read in bed (using my nightstand lamp) for about 45 minutes (way more than usual, but definitely better alternative to watching TV in bed) and am asleep by 11:30 pm.

Daily Total: 5.90

DAY THREE

7:55 am — I wake up a little bit earlier, because I had hoped to walk to work today in order to get in some exercise before it gets terribly cold out. However, as I check the weather app on my phone while still in bed, I see that they are predicting rain. I change my plans (and clothing), grab my pre-packed lunch from the fridge, and leave my apartment.

8:40 amAs I’m walking to my usual bus stop, I use the Rav Kav app to load my bus card with a new monthly bus pass, which work pays for. Not all smartphones have the NFC capability, which allows you to transfer money by touching a card to the back of the phone, but luckily, my Android phone does.
₪213 (expensed)

8:45 amWhile waiting for the bus, I check the app Moovit to see when the bus is coming – not for another 13 minutes. There is another bus which takes me pretty close to my office that’s a 5 minute walk away from where I am right now — and that bus is coming in 6 minutes! I power walk to that bus stop and make it with a few minutes to spare. I then transfer to another bus which takes me closer to my office.

9:15 am — Since I have a few minutes to spare, I go to a local coffee shop to get a hot drink and pastry, to wake me up a little. I remember that for my work anniversary, HR gave me money to get something from this store, so I pay with my own money, and will submit the receipt to get reimbursed.
₪18 (expensed)

9:30 am — Before settling into my work routine, I catch up a bit with my co-workers since I haven’t been in the office for a few days.

12:30 pm — Usually, I try to hold off until at least 12:45 or 1:00 pm before eating lunch, but I have chicken today and I want to have dairy for dinner, so I need to bump up my lunch time. I eat while watching some videos on YouTube and answering texts that I couldn’t respond to while working. My brother in New York video calls me towards the end of my lunch break, so we squeeze in a quick hello.

1:00 pm — Back to work. I have a few different projects that I’m working on now, so I try to devote at least 45 minutes to each one, with breaks only after each 45 min interval.

3:30 pm — My co-worker has just discovered a whole bunch of restaurants that deliver to our office area, so we make a plan to start ordering food from them starting next week. This was a good break (anything food-related usually is) and I’m ready to go back to my “real” work.

3:45 pm — I continue working on my big projects, as well as answering emails that have been sitting in my inbox for a while…

5:00 pm — I take the bus to go home, and make a few stops on the way. First, I go to the electric store to pick up light bulbs for my room. The guy who works at the store speaks fluent English, which makes my life a little easier when I show him the picture of the light in my room and ask him what kind I should get to replace it. The light bulbs end up costing almost 50 shekel.Then, I go to the health store a few blocks over to get some chips – they are more expensive than the kind I usually get, but they’re healthier and taste better. Then, I go to my regular supermarket to get food for Shabbat. I know I have a few more days, but I prefer to go on Wednesday, rather than Thursday or Friday, when stores are crazy packed. Plus, Shabbat starts super early these days so I plan on cooking on Friday and not much else! I’m buying and making the chicken for my Friday night meal, but my roommates have offered to split it with me, since it’s the most expensive item on the menu (and the most time-consuming to make). We each end up paying 110.73 for the groceries.
159.73

6:15 pm — I get home, put away the groceries, and immediately replace the light bulbs in my bathroom, and with some help, the one in my bedroom. In the meantime, my roommate has been making dinner for all of us, which is super convenient and generous. A friend comes over and we watch a movie (via streaming on a random website because the movie we want is not on Netflix), which takes longer than usual because of the streaming. But hey, it’s free…

We finish pretty late, but I still assemble my lunch for tomorrow so I can grab it and go when I wake up.

11:30 pm — I don’t let myself watch any TV, because it’s already so late (for me) and I want to read before I fall asleep. But of course, first I need to respond to my family members who are in the middle of their workday. The hardest part is waking up to a whole new bunch of messages that were sent overnight (in Israel), and responding to them at 8:00 am my time, and then having to wait 7 more hours for them to respond…

Daily Total: 159.73

DAY FOUR:

8:00 am — I wake up exhausted from my “late night” but happy that it’s finally Thursday, and no rain predicted for today! I grab my lunch and water bottle, and head to the bus. I make it just in time, and I daven on the bus (today is Rosh Chodesh…). Then we get stuck in traffic and I get to work about a half hour late.

10:00 am — I dump all my stuff down, except my phone because I’m listening to a podcast that I really want to finish. Since I haven’t had anything to eat yet, I munch on some chocolate that my boss brought me back from America. It’s not a real breakfast, but hopefully enough to tide me over until lunch. I start answering emails and responding to messages that I got during my commute, and my work day has officially begun.

12:30 pm — I make my salad in the office kitchen and eat at my desk. I usually try not to eat there because I need a break from staring at a computer screen all day, but the kitchen is pretty small, so I just turn off my computer screen and eat in peace.

1:00 pm — My boss and I have a meeting, catching up on the past week, and discussing things we need to do next week.

2:00 pm — I have a meeting with a web designer in the office, which is super productive and helpful. After the meeting, I immediately begin implementing her advice and pretty much work on that the rest of the day. At around 4:30 pm, I start getting munchy, and I remember I have a bag of Doritos in my drawer that I bought a few weeks ago for moments like these. The chips carry me until around 6:30 pm, when I get ready to leave the office — Thursdays after 4:30 pm, it’s a ghost town here.

6:30 pm — I have been at the office all this time, because I have a short presentation right near my office. While waiting for my presentation to start, I check my credit card payments and see that I have just been charged for two items that I paid for in tashlumim (installments) — one for a new cell phone I bought back in September (₪252.50), and one for a ticket to America from October (₪531.98). I give my presentation, and then hustle out.

Daily Total: 784.48

DAY FIVE

10:00 am — My alarm goes off (specially set late for Friday mornings), though I’ve been awake for a bit now. I leisurely read in bed for a while, throw in a load of laundry, daven (Rosh Chodesh, part II) and watch an episode of TV (gotta catch up on everything I missed during the week).

12:00 pm — Our rent is due tomorrow (included in the monthly expenses), but since it will be Shabbat, I pay now. We have a system that one roommate pays the total rent, and we each pay her back. We use Splitwise for all apartment finances, so I enter my rent into the app, and it tells me that I owe less than that, since I’ve lent my roommate money over the past month for apartment things (like groceries, appliances, etc.).

12:30 pm — I am ahead of my cooking schedule, so I exercise for a bit and shower, and clean up my room. Then I make lunch (rare for a Friday, I usually forget to eat proper meals until dinner), a few pieces of toast with avocado and cheese, all of which I already have in my fridge. I continue cleaning my room and the apartment.

3:00 pm — I start cooking the chicken for tomorrow’s lunch, while calling my parents in America to wish them a Shabbat Shalom. I video chat with my sisters for a bit, too, but all the conversations are quite short, since Shabbat starts soon.

4:00 pm — Since it’s raining on and off, I decide not to go to shul and instead daven in my apartment, and read my book for a bit until it’s time to go to dinner. My friend (who is going to the same meal) comes over at around 5 pm, and we catch up for a bit.

6:00 pm — We walk to our meal, about a 7 minute walk from my apartment, and enjoy our Friday night dinner with a bunch of friends, and play games after. We’re there for a long time, but when we leave, it’s still only 11 pm, since Shabbat starts so early.

11:00 pm — My roommates and I all meet back home, and catch up, and prepare for lunch tomorrow. I read in bed for a while, and fall asleep very soon after.

Daily Total: 0

DAY SIX

9:00 am — I wake up to the sounds of children and their parents outside my apartment, on their way to (or coming back from) shul. I read in bed for a long time, enjoying the late morning and comfort of my warm bed. I daven, get dressed, and go to the main area to help prepare for lunch.

12:00 pm — Our guests start arriving and we sit down to lunch, which lasts until pretty close to the end of Shabbat. Everyone enjoys just sitting around and shmoozing with each other, and since we don’t have “Sundays” here, this is our day off.

5:30 pm — Shabbat ends, and my roommates and I clean up the apartment very quickly and turn on our phones to see what we missed over the weekend. I take some of our lunch leftovers and make a salad for lunch tomorrow at work.

8:00 pm — We go to our friends’ apartment down the block to watch a movie. We order some pizza at around 9 pm, since we haven’t eaten in hours and can’t possibly go longer without food…
₪25

11:45 pm — We go back home, and I read a little bit before falling asleep.

Daily Total: ₪25

DAY SEVEN

8:15 am — I wake up, exhausted from going to sleep late last night, but there is a whole week ahead and lots to do. I get ready quickly and wait for the bus, which arrives on time. Instead of catching the transfer bus, I decide to walk the rest of the way (about 15 minutes) and stop in a makolet close to my office to buy a few boxes of cereal and an avocado. I’m always so hungry by lunch time, so I’m trying to eat more breakfast these days.
₪93.05

9:30 am — I arrive at the office, settle in, and start working.

12:30 pm — I take out my lunch and assemble a salad with the leftover chicken from Shabbat, while reading the news on the New York Times app. I also go on some Israeli sites (and social media accounts) to see the local news as well.

1:00 pm — Back to work, phone calls and emails and Google docs galore.

5:15 pm — I leave the office with some co-workers, and get on the bus. I hop off at my local supermarket and buy groceries for the week, including chicken cutlets, green beans, apples, and salad ingredients.
₪146.77

6:30 pm — I have more Shabbat leftovers for dinner, and assemble a salad for tomorrow’s lunch. Then I remember that a co-worker and I said we’d buy lunch together tomorrow (and split the delivery cost), so I save the salad in a bag and will have it on Tuesday. I shower and unfortunately the hot water runs out before I’m finished…

8:00 pm — My friend comes over to watch some football games together (I don’t usually watch live games, but 8:00 pm isn’t too late to start, and I’ll just wake up tomorrow morning and see the results of the middle-of-the-night games). We eat some more food (whatever is lying around the house), and play some board games.

11:45 pm — The football games are still going, but I know that if I stay up any later, I’ll be exhausted tomorrow. So I head to bed, read a chapter of my book, and then go to sleep.

Daily Total: ₪146.77

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