A Week In Boston, MA On A $59,200 Salary

Occupation: Health promotion coordinator
Industry: Higher education
Age: 23
Location: Boston, MA
Salary: $59,200
Assets: $500 in my checking; $500 in my regular savings; $3,850 in my HYSA; and about $750 in my retirement fund, which I started in September 2023. I have a boyfriend, Z., but we don’t share finances — we split most costs down the middle.
Debt: $2,800 in student loans. I took a loan for $22,000 out for the last year of grad school, once I’d used up my personal savings.
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $1,877
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses
Monthly Housing Costs: $200. I am extremely lucky: I am house/pet sitting for my boyfriend’s family for this year. We both pay $200 a month for utilities and such (i.e. $400 total). His family are helping me with this so I can pay off my loan as quickly as possible, but we want to move out as soon as we can.
Monthly Loan Payments: $750-$1,500. My student loan payment is technically only $200, but I’m saving on rent so it goes to my loan.
All Other Monthly Expenses:
Groceries: $250 a month. Z. and I both put our own amounts into our shared grocery budget.
Savings: $500. I went completely broke finishing grad school, so I am trying to boost my savings and am currently saving up for a used car.
Gym Membership: $25. I got the Planet Fitness Black Card so Z. and I can both go to the gym.
Phone: $0 (paid in my family plan).