Money Diaries: How is your spending and saving going? Would you like to keep a diary for us?

19 May 2026, 16:50 by The Journal reader, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/the-journal-reader/ · TheJournal.ie

LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

BETWEEN THE HIGH cost of rent, bills and groceries and the day-to-day outgoings that we all face, it’s fair to say that our money has an awful long way to go these days before we even think about savings.

With this in mind, we thought you’d like to consider keeping one of our money diaries to keep track of how your finances are looking. Do you maintain a healthy budget? Do you have top tips on how to manage your savings?

Readers at The Journal will be familiar with our popular How I Spend My Money series, which looks at how people in Ireland really handle their income and outgoings. Over the years, the series has chronicled the lives and financial ups and downs of hundreds of readers.

We are asking you to get in touch and write a Money Diary to help us build a picture of your financial lives in Ireland right now…

Would my diary be of interest?

Absolutely. Everyone is in a different place when it comes to money and will have different incomes and outgoings.

Everyone also has different approaches to finances. For instance, are you a good saver, or does money burn a hole in your pocket? Can you afford a pension? What about mortgages? Are you confident you could qualify for one? Are you meeting your mortgage payments?

If none of the above even seems remotely possible right now, then we also want to hear from you. It’s not an easy time, and we get that, so you might just feel like saying ‘I can’t make ends meet’, and that’s OK too.

How does it work?

Over the course of a week, we ask you, our readers, to keep a record of how much you earn, what you save (if anything), and what you spend your money on.

Our Money Diaries readers also love to hear about your day, what kind of routine you have, what you had for dinner – all of it. Woven into that is a note through the day about how much you spent on groceries, incidentals and other expenses.

What next?

If you’re interested in keeping a diary for a week, send an email to money@thejournal.ie and we’ll get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

Read Money Diaries

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