Welcome to Spending Notes, where we do a weekly deep dive into how our readers spend their cash.
Today, a beauty salon owner who makes $60,000 a year in Queens, New York, lets us in on her week’s expenses.
Occupation: Beauty Salon Owner
Age: 45
Location: Queens, New York, U.S.
Salary: $60,000 (approx. $2,200 per pay period)
Day One
This week, the shop wasn’t so productive, so I’m looking for new ways to attract more customers. I figured a lot of my clients have kids to tend to while they get their hair done, so I thought I should call Clowns4Kids to reserve a bounce house rental. I just spoke with them and they offered to rent us a colorful bounce house for a week. So now my clients can get their hair done while their kids enjoy a bounce house rental with an inflatable slide in my shop. Maybe I’ll get a popcorn machine for next time.
Total: $295.33
Day Two
One of my employees told me about Alamos Gold, a gold mining company we can invest in. Alamos Gold has multiple gold mines in North America, including the Young-Davidson Mine and Mulatos Mine. They’re also recognized internationally for their sustainability and eco-friendly measures in their mining processes. So I’ve decided to invest a couple of hundred dollars in the company to see where it gets us.
Total: $200.00
Day Three
My Tuesdays as a beauty shop owner consist of many meetings and marketing planning. I called my CFO, P., to see what they’ve come up with for our next campaigns and see that everything is going as planned. I’m heading to a local seafood shop with P. so we can talk business with a satisfied appetite. Our business meeting concluded, and now I’m headed back to the salon. I greet my employees who are working hard to make my clients look even more beautiful and head to my office to pack up for the day.
Total: $35.32
Day Four
Thursday’s here and I’m looking forward to going to dinner with my family and planning our holiday vacation. My husband, Y., just told me he got the green light from his boss to leave for two weeks during December. So I just reserved a cabin near my parents’ house for a week. My kids are super excited for that trip.
Total: $546.22
Day Five
It’s Friday and I have to fill out some banking documentation regarding my shop’s finances before the weekend arrives. I just finished the documentation and made sure my employees don’t need anything from me prior to leaving for the weekend. One of my best hairdressers, M., suggests I go to the Pisgah Forest with my kids to mine for gems, and that honestly sounds like a great idea. I’m texting Y. just so I don’t forget to tell him about it at home.
Total: $0
Day Six
The weekend is here and I’m managing to wake up early to make breakfast for the kids—today’s menu is banana pancakes with lots of whipped cream and bacon. They love it and clean their plates in the process. We get dressed and head out to the Pisgah Forest to mine a bit with the kids and Y. We arrive and the staff are the nicest and help us get ready for our adventure.
Total: $76.32
Day Seven
Sundays are fun days at home with the kids. Like every other Sunday, Y. prepares the most delicious breakfast while the kids and I clean up around the house. We just finished eating breakfast, and I ordered a cute set of plates for my kids from Amazon so they can have an even more fun breakfast time. After a long and fun Sunday, I put the kids to sleep, and another week begins.
Total: $47.33
Total for the week: $1,200.52