{"id":1283,"date":"2025-08-29T11:00:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/?p=1283"},"modified":"2025-09-04T15:12:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T15:12:13","slug":"a-week-in-dallas-on-a-290000-joint-income","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/29\/a-week-in-dallas-on-a-290000-joint-income\/","title":{"rendered":"A Week In Dallas On A $290,000 Joint Income"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to<\/em> <\/em>Money Diaries<\/a> where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We\u2019re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period \u2014 and we\u2019re tracking every last dollar.<\/em>
<\/em>
<\/em>Today: a part-time chief of staff who has a $290,000 joint income and who spends some of her money this week on pediatric orthotic braces.<\/em><\/p>\n

Occupation:<\/strong> Chief of staff, part time
Industry:<\/strong> Finance
Age:<\/strong> 31
Location:<\/strong> Dallas, TX
Salary:<\/strong> $80,000
Joint Income\/Financial Setup:<\/strong> My husband, K., is in sales and can make up to $210,000. We have a joint bank account.
Assets:<\/strong> $200,000 between savings and wealth management accounts. We share everything, but the majority of the bills are on my credit cards because I manage our utilities. We pay off the cards every month.
Debt:<\/strong> We have $6,000 left on K.\u2019s car (my car is paid off), $2,000 in medical debt, and $240,000 left on our mortgage.
Paycheck Amount (Every 2 Weeks):<\/strong> ~$6,400 (changes based on K.\u2019s job) between both of us after 401(k)s, taxes, and insurance.
Pronouns:<\/strong> She\/her<\/p>\n

Monthly Expenses<\/p>\n

Housing Costs:<\/strong> $2,400 mortgage with insurance included. K. and I live here along with our children, B. and D.
D.\u2019s Childcare:<\/strong> $1,600
Peloton: <\/strong>$50
B.\u2019s Therapies:<\/strong> $600. B. is in ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), occupational, physical, and speech therapy. B. has been in some type of therapy for the majority of her life, and we have an amazing team of therapists for her. I did months of research and waiting to find the best small ABA clinic that would help B. with her aggression\/functional needs while respecting her sweet personality and non-harmful stimming. We also pay about $1,000 a month in miscellaneous doctors\u2019 appointments and other related ongoings \u2014\u00a0we have a private pediatrician we pay for, and visit specialists multiple times through the year, plus procedures.
TV Subscriptions: <\/strong>~$100
Kindle Unlimited:<\/strong> $15
Dog Food Subscription: <\/strong>$100
Cellphones: <\/strong>$150
Kids\u2019 529s:<\/strong> $250
Private Pediatric Endocrinologist: <\/strong>$150 (this is for B.)
Waxing Subscription:<\/strong> $20
Spotify: <\/strong>$18 for a family subscription.
iCloud Storage: <\/strong>$2
Life Insurance Policies: <\/strong>$600<\/p>\n

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?
<\/strong>My parents don\u2019t have college degrees, and neither do K.\u2019s, and it was an expectation that we went in some capacity. I have my bachelor\u2019s in marketing while K. has his master\u2019s in accounting and a CPA license. My parents paid for a portion of my college, I had $25,000 debt when I left\u00a0\u2014\u00a0we paid it off early on. K. received $10,000 and worked two or three jobs to pay off his college. He also finished his master\u2019s early, which saved us some.<\/p>\n

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
<\/strong>My parents helped me open up a savings account and provided a small allowance, but not much information past that.<\/p>\n

What was your first job and why did you get it?
<\/strong>My first job was selling shoes! I got it to pay for college books and miscellaneous things.<\/p>\n

Did you worry about money growing up?
<\/strong>No, my parents were very frugal and never showed that they were struggling. We didn\u2019t have a lot of money, but we never went without.<\/p>\n

Do you worry about money now?
<\/strong>I don\u2019t. K. has done an amazing job managing our money, and we have the privilege of having great jobs.<\/p>\n

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
<\/strong>I was 22 when I moved out of my parents\u2019 house after college! Our family and friends would be there for us if we ever needed it.<\/p>\n

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
<\/strong>We have received $30,000 from K.\u2019s grandparents over the years, as a gift. My parents also split the cost of our wedding with us ($12,000 total).<\/p>\n

Day One: Monday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

6 a.m. \u2014 The alarm goes off and it\u2019s time to start the day! I always start my day between 5:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. I get ready for work, feed the dogs, cut up fruit for B.\u2019s lunch, make a latte and head out. Meetings start at 8:30 a.m., so getting into the office at 7:30 a.m. is vital to get ready!<\/p>\n

12 p.m. \u2014 I have my mid-year performance review with my boss. We go to lunch at a healthy spot, and I get a goat cheese salad. Just the best. I\u2019m doing well in the position, but can feel a sense of insecurity at being part time and about making sure I\u2019m adding value. She reassures me, and wants to get me more involved in the strategic actions that her leadership is doing. It\u2019s great to have time to have that open and vulnerable conversation. I feel really good leaving lunch! $19<\/strong> (Expensed)<\/p>\n

3 p.m. \u2014 I picked up sweet B. from therapy \u2014\u00a0she had a great day! We run over to Nordstrom Rack to return a blazer that was just a bit too big. Then we go home for her to play while I straighten up the house and prep for dinner. B. and I go and pick up D. from daycare while K. finishes up his last work call for the day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

7 p.m. \u2014 A lot of outdoor play with water until we bribe the children with popsicles to get them inside to start bedtime. Both kids get baths, brush their teeth together, kiss goodnight, then stories and bed! B. likes to be cuddled for a bit then I sneak out of her room.<\/p>\n

8 p.m. \u2014 K. tidies downstairs and finishes the dishes while I fold more laundry. Finally we cuddle up to watch the latest episode of The Gilded Age<\/em>. I swear if Julian ruins Larian, I\u2019m going to lose it! We finally go to bed around 10 p.m.<\/p>\n

Daily Total: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day Two: Tuesday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

6 a.m. \u2014 Another early morning. Same routine getting ready and running out the door. It\u2019s a \u201cchill\u201d day in the sense I don\u2019t have too many meetings, so I can get actual work done. It\u2019s budget and planning season, so the shorter days are packed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

12 p.m. \u2014 My company is catering lunch today! I grab lunch with some coworkers and we catch up on family and work life. We\u2019ve all moved onto new roles so I\u2019ve missed getting to see them.<\/p>\n

2 p.m. \u2014 End of the work day! I pick up B. from therapy and we head home to pick up K. K. promised B. a cake pop this morning, so we stop at Starbucks to get them cake pops and coffee. $13<\/strong><\/p>\n

3 p.m. \u2014 B.\u2019s off playing and reading while I call her speciality pharmacy. There\u2019s a $2,000 balance that should be covered \u2014 thankfully my phone call resolves the issue. Then the manufacturer of her new pen device calls and we set up a training session for next week.<\/p>\n

5 p.m. \u2014 We pick up D. from daycare then come home and immediately play outside. K. makes dinner while I entertain the kids until I finally give in to their pleas to watch Coco<\/em>. B.\u2019s speech therapy sends me her weekly update and some homework for us.<\/p>\n

8 p.m. \u2014 I\u2019ve missed D., so I do bathtime and bedtime with the little man. K. get B. in the bath, but I resume bedtime routine. K. tidies up and does dishes until he\u2019s ready to watch The Menu<\/em> together. We end up in bed at 10 p.m.<\/p>\n

Daily Total: $13<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day Three: Wednesday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

9 a.m. \u2014 We split kiddo duty today! I get both kids up and moving then take B. to her therapy, since it\u2019s on the way to work. I make a latte at home to take with me.<\/p>\n

12 p.m. \u2014 One of my besties from work has time so we go to a healthy spot for more goat cheese salad. I\u2019m aware of my problem, but life is too precious to not repeat a good meal.\u00a0 $19<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 p.m. \u2014 After B.\u2019s therapy, we come home to play, then head out to her weekly therapy (OT and PT) appointment. She loves her therapists and gets so pumped to go every week.<\/p>\n

5 p.m. \u2014 K. and D. go to Chipotle for dinner. I packed a bunch of snacks to hold B. and me over until we get back home. Today\u2019s a therapy marathon for B., so we indulge in all the yummy things! Being healthy is for other days of the week. $18<\/strong><\/p>\n

6 p.m. \u2014 We get home and I make some dinner for B. and me. No time to play outside, but definitely time to indulge in Daniel Tiger\u2019s Neighborhood<\/em>. I text my friend letting her know I can\u2019t make coffee in the morning due to some last-minute meetings. We reschedule for next Friday.<\/p>\n

8 p.m. \u2014 Both kids are in bed! K. heads to bed after staying up late watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,<\/em> so I curl up on the couch and read What the Wind Knows<\/em> by Amy Harmon in silence until 11 p.m.<\/p>\n

Daily Total: $37<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day Four: Thursday\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

7 a.m \u2014 I finally get to sleep in! I get up and make B.\u2019s lunch before getting both kids up and ready for the day. I make a pot of coffee with our fancy Hawaiian coffee. I log on and try to get ready for the day while the kids eat and are distracted by Bluey<\/em>.<\/p>\n

9 a.m. \u2014 The kids are off to where they need to be and I\u2019m finally home to work! B.\u2019s orthotics clinic calls me to place the order for her new toe walking braces. They\u2019ll help her gait and muscle weakness she has when she walks\/runs. Since we magically haven\u2019t met our deductible, we end up paying for half of it today. $650<\/strong><\/p>\n

12 p.m. \u2014 K. and I both have free time around lunch so we run up to Potbelly\u2019s. These are the sweet moments during our week that mean so much to me, since our schedule is so crazy. We talk about work, our friends, and how great our kids are. $20<\/strong><\/p>\n

4 p.m. \u2014 I finish up work then go to pick up B. We get home and play for a bit. K. and B. then head out to Costco to buy some desperately needed groceries ($150). I sweep the house and attempt to clean, but give up and read my book. They swing by to pick me up, drop off groceries, and we go grab D. We all go to HEB to buy the other groceries we need ($100). K. cooks a lot of our dinners. He\u2019s also decided he\u2019s going to attempt to make cake pops this weekend. $250<\/strong><\/p>\n

5 p.m. \u2014 <\/strong>Since we get home right at dinner, I make some toddler charcuterie boards for the kids. K. grills some chicken and roasts potatoes. I end up eating a bit of both.<\/p>\n

8 p.m. \u2014 After the kids are down and we finish our chores, K. bakes a cake for his cake balls. So fun. I take the dogs on a short walk. It\u2019s so hot recently that our walks are short and less frequent. I curl up and read my book with some sleepytime tea before going to bed at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

Daily Total: $920<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day Five: Friday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

7 a.m. \u2014\u00a0It\u2019s finally Friday! I get B.\u2019s lunch ready and the kids up and moving. I make a full pot of coffee for K. and me with some Hawaiian coffee we got from some friends. I drop the kids off today and prep for the meetings.<\/p>\n

11 a.m. \u2014 I go to my local waxing place to get my brows waxed. I have a monthly membership, so I only pay tip today. $5<\/strong><\/p>\n

12 p.m. \u2014 I grab some gas on my way home from my wax appointment. $40<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 p.m. \u2014 <\/strong>The mobile dog groomer comes by and cuts the dog\u2019s nails for us. I tip big\u00a0 since our old grouches weren\u2019t thrilled about getting into the van. $98<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a02 p.m. \u2014 I work for the next few hours before picking up B. She\u2019s off playing and listening to music while I start the process of making some more sandwich bread. I draw Disney princesses for B. in between bread tasks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 p.m. \u2014 I leave B. at home with K. while I pick up D. He had a great day and came home with a bunch of crafts. So cute. I add a few to our craft wall in the play room. Our favorite is aggressive scribbles with the drawing prompt of \u201csandwiches\u201d.<\/p>\n

8 p.m. \u2014 We split bedtime duty again. I get my sourdough starter ready for tomorrow morning. K. has made his first cakeballs: funfetti cake with lemon frosting dipped in chocolate, they turned out so well! I stay up reading with sleepytime tea then head to bed. K. heads out for a guys night at a friend\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

Daily Total: $143<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day Six: Saturday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

7 a.m. \u2014 I\u2019m the first one up today! I make a pot of coffee, turn on some chill music, and try to enjoy the peace. The kids wake up 15 minutes later so the peace was short-lived. My sourdough starter doesn\u2019t pass the float test, so I feed it again.<\/p>\n

9 a.m. \u2014 K. and D. head out to Target to pick up some travel items and cleaning supplies. He ends up getting the kids some toys because he can\u2019t help himself. $110<\/strong><\/p>\n

10:30 a.m. \u2014 <\/strong>We pack the kids up and head to our local park. We play and swing for a bit before the heat becomes too much and we head home for lunch. The kids are not about each other, and it ends in both kids having meltdowns.<\/p>\n

12 p.m. \u2014 I end up having a slight mental breakdown from just being a mom constantly. K. sees this, and takes them to my parents\u2019 after their quiet time so I have the full afternoon by myself (I\u2019m really lucky to have such a good support system). I go to Nordstrom Rack and try on clothes and find nothing. I head to Sephora to pick up some curly hair care \u2014 I end up buying some Pattern mousse, Ouai Curl Cr\u00e8me, and my favorite Lanc\u00f4me mascara. $87<\/strong><\/p>\n

3 p.m. \u2014 On my way home, I stop by the grocery store\u00a0 to buy some ingredients for a meal I\u2019m making for a friend. She has a newborn, and we always do meal trains for each other. I get home, and K. comes back to help me tackle cleaning the house. I feel SO much better after the house is clean. $25<\/strong><\/p>\n

6 p.m. \u2014 We pick up the kids from my parents\u2019 place \u2014 they had a great time! Once we\u2019re home we have coconut popsicles before bedtime. Sourdough starter is ready, so I prep the dough for its bulk rise overnight.<\/p>\n

8 p.m. \u2014 I check out Ann Taylor online to find they\u2019re having a great sale! I ordered a few things to elevate my workwear. I\u2019m meeting with executive leadership more in my role, and my business-casual needs to be more business than casual. $150<\/strong><\/p>\n

Daily Total: $372<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day Seven: Sunday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

6:30 a.m. \u2014\u00a0I wake up and just scroll until I finally get out of bed. I make a pot of coffee and check on my sourdough. It looks ready to bake but I\u2019m out of time to get the kids up and ready for church. I stick it in the fridge\u00a0\u2014 hopefully it\u2019ll be fine later.<\/p>\n

9 a.m. \u2014 We\u2019re late! B. goes off with her special buddy to accompany her to class. D. stays with us since all the kids in his room are crying. K. ends up spending the whole time in the lobby with D. until it\u2019s time to go. B. had a blast and came home with a craft.<\/p>\n

10 a.m. \u2014 We stop at Starbucks for some shaken espresso before heading to a local sporting goods store. $13<\/strong><\/p>\n

11 a.m. \u2014 D. has been protesting about his water bottles, so we\u2019re going to let him pick one in hopes he\u2019ll use it! He goes with the brightest yellow Yeti imaginable. We let B. pick out a small volleyball. We head home for lunch and quiet time. $37<\/strong><\/p>\n

12 p.m. \u2014 I make honey chipotle chicken in the slow cooker. I check my dough and it\u2019s definitely overproofed, but I try baking it anyways.\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 p.m. \u2014 The sourdough\u2019s out of oven and was indeed overproofed. I can just imagine Paul Hollywood poking it and commenting how bad the crumb is.<\/p>\n

2 p.m. \u2014 K. goes for a swim while I finish up laundry. I finished my audiobook (The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches<\/em>, go listen to it, it\u2019s amazingly cozy) so I listen to a random YouTuber discuss the latest Office Siren trend on TikTok. I can\u2019t imagine ever wearing a tube top and short skirt into the office! I text my sisters all about it.<\/p>\n

3 p.m. \u2014 The kids are up! K. comes by and grabs B. to go swim at the pool. D. and I play in the backyard with the water table and then water my flowers. K. and B. join us after the neighborhood pool gets crowded.<\/p>\n

5 p.m. \u2014 We get the kids inside using popsicles again (see a trend). K. runs to the grocery store because I forgot tins to put the food in, along with tortilla chips! I pack up the tacos, rice, and avocados for my friends then drop off the meal at their doorstep. K. makes dinner for the kids while I\u2019m gone\u00a0\u2014\u00a0we eat the leftover chicken for tacos. $20<\/strong><\/p>\n

8 p.m. \u2014 K. and I catch up after the kids are down. We talk about the upcoming schedule for the week, highs and lows of our previous week, and how we can serve each other. I put the rest of laundry away then do a clarifying hair mask followed by a conditioning hair mask. I add some Peloton classes to my schedule for the week and head to bed.<\/p>\n

Daily Total: $70<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Breakdown<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/figure>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThis was a heavy spending week for us! Groceries really add up\u00a0\u2014 we need to be a lot more efficient with our trips. I also read a lot when I could\u2019ve worked out or walked the dogs more.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing prepared us for the cost, time, and energy of a special needs child. I acknowledge we\u2019re in a great place financially and have amazingly flexible jobs, but the time and energy to fight insurance and find the best care feels overwhelming at times. I can only imagine and feel for those who have less, having to fight the same obstacles, especially in the state we live in. Everyone deserves the resources to ensure their children have the best chance to live their best life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The first step to getting your financial life in order is tracking what you spend \u2014 to try on your own, check out <\/em>our guide to managing your money every day<\/em><\/a>. For more Money Diaries, click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We\u2019re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period \u2014 and we\u2019re tracking every last dollar.Today: a part-time chief of staff who has a $290,000 joint income and who spends some of her money this week […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecotech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1283"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1286,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1283\/revisions\/1286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}