Welcome to Spending Notes, where we do a weekly deep dive into how our readers spend their cash.
- Today: a retail store owner who makes $65,000 a year
- Occupation: retail store owner
- Age: 38
- Location: Burleson, TX
- Salary: $30,000 (approx. $2,500 per pay period)
Day One
I was born and raised in Texas and have pretty much lived here all my life. I’ve been operating a small clothing boutique for the last four years. Most of the stuff I sell is vintage, secondhand, or made by me. But once in a while, I’ll order some items when I know they’ll do really well. Today, I did some grocery shopping after work.
- Total: $21
Day Two
My partner, K., suggested sending an outdoor plant delivery to our friend V. He’s an empty-nester now, and we’ve been meaning to send something over now that he’s living alone. K. found a great site called Lively Root that offers free shipping. At first, we were thinking of sending indoor house plants but ultimately decided on plants for his patio. V. spends a lot of time out there grilling whatever he can think of. I’m sure he’ll be excited for his plant delivery. We picked an areca butterfly palm.
- Total: $38
Day Three
Work went by quickly today. I had a few groups come in to browse for clothes. There were also some girls who came into the shop looking to buy outfits for their trip down to Austin, TX. I helped them find a few things, then I took inventory of our items.
- Total: $0
Day Four
It looks like I need to hire an electrician in Burleson, Texas, for some electrical repairs at my shop. K. and I tried messing around with the circuit breaker, but I think we’re in need of an actual professional electrician in Burleson. As a business owner, it really doesn’t look good when the back half of your store is dimly lit. Plus, K. and I don’t really know much about electrical repairs and would rather hire a local electrician. We don’t want to risk doing any damage to the building. I found Clements Electric and contacted them to see what could be wrong. I picked up donuts from a gas station on my way home.
- Total: $3
Day Five
V. has been asking about his plant delivery even though it’s still on the way. He’s been really eager about it and talking to us about having an entire outdoor plant collection. K.’s intention was to keep him occupied, and I think these house plants from Lively Root are doing the trick! K. is making us dinner at home.
- Total: $0
Day Six
When I closed the boutique last night, I noticed some of the outdoor lighting stopped working as well. I was hoping not to run into any other electrical issues, but it’s inevitable considering the building is old. I sent a follow-up email to Clements Electric to update them on this new electrical problem. Being a business owner can be exhausting sometimes, so it really helps to find professional electrical repair services in the Burleson, TX area to take care of your electrical needs. I can still operate the store as usual, but I’m glad they’ll be coming in on Monday to diagnose and fix the issue.
- Total: $0
Day Seven
The shop is closed today. I went to see my mother, who has been feeling poorly lately. I went over to her house after stopping by the store to make a vegetable noodle soup. It’s exactly the kind of meal you need when you’re not feeling well. I made a big pot of it to last her a while.
- Total: $9
- Total for the week: $71
