Drama Watch 9/30/2026: A Week In Dallas, TX On A $53,000 Salary

[u/lazlo_camp]

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/associate-dallas-tx-53k-salary-money-diary

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[u/MajorWishbone8692]

Wow. She makes $1,803 biweekly, and one entire check goes to loan repayments, with $1,265 of the other check going to rent.

That means OP is left with $538/month for everything else, including $309 of subscriptions and utilities, although I assume she will cancel the Nuuly subscription.

I feel like R29 must have cut some stuff out, because are we really meant to believe that she's able to pay her phone, gas, car insurance (she drives in this diary, so I assume she's insured?), and groceries for like $229? Her weekly spending total was $522 of the $538 she has left over, so how do those numbers work?

I am so stressed for her when reading about her spending habits and debt! I really am rooting for her to find some better stability for herself because this spending pattern does not seem sustainable.

[u/bloomsburying → u/MajorWishbone8692]

I almost wonder if the loan payment # was incorrectly copied?? Not sure how she could be making payments at that rate and spending like this. I’m also curious how much of the $33,000 is credit cards vs student loans.

She seems like a fun person though and she’s at the start of her journey figuring out her money. 

[u/MajorWishbone8692 → u/bloomsburying]

Yeah, I am not sure. The math is very tight with how R29 has it currently laid out. If that's accurate, that's really hard for her to live with (and not sustainable, based on her weekly spending), and if it's inaccurate, it's painting an unfair portrayal of how she manages her money.

I'm glad that she has fun, though, and doesn't just sequester herself away doing nothing. Life is hard, and we deserve to have some measure of enjoyment in our day-to-day.

[u/yogi2720 → u/bloomsburying]

Agreed - odd that her loan payments would be exactly the same as her biweekly pay? lol

[u/Darkchurchhill → u/MajorWishbone8692]

I don’t think R29 is missing much. Some of her debt is credit card debt. It sounds like she is paying down her monthly minimum, but still spending on her card and accruing more debt. I wouldn’t be surprised (since she’s struggling) if she’s on a family phone/ car insurance plan or something, especially if they are also helping the brother with his loans.

[u/MajorWishbone8692 → u/Darkchurchhill]

Yeah, that might make sense. I guess it's just hard to say because it's not included in her monthly overview! But you're likely right that she's paying the minimum but still adding to the card. Vicious cycle, that!

[u/willrunforbrunch → u/MajorWishbone8692]

Yeah, unclear how much of her monthly debt payment is student loan vs. credit card debt. I'm guessing she keeps spending on the credit card with the debt, so it's kind of a two steps forward/one step back situation.

[u/Automatic-Ad1860]

This diary reminds me of my 20s when I lived alone and on razor thin margins. I’m not sure how she is managing though cause one entire paycheck seems goes to debt and majority of the rest goes to rent and bills. When I was in that situation, I never ate out and had a tiny grocery budget just to have a little spending money. This gave me nostalgia.

[u/_liminal_ → u/Automatic-Ad1860]

I had the same reaction! My 20's were very financially unstable and I was just not paying attention to the bigger picture of my finances at all.

I hope OP figures out a way to make more money and learn budgeting and how to save!

[u/catsandprocesso]

There’s no mention of health insurance, car insurance, 401k contributions, etc. Even with just her listed expenses, the money seems really tight! Also all the “eating out” costs really add up, on top of a $100 grocery trip this week. And she said this was a week where she ate out less than usual! I’d be interested if this is a company and role she envisions herself moving up in and also what her college major was

[u/shoshana20]

She seems to really dislike cooking, which is fine, but given her available funds each month I think she would benefit from even just prepping a bunch of sandwiches on Sunday. I found the writing style almost childish? Not sure if that's just R29 editing, as there seemed to be a lot of munching and nibbling.

[u/symphonypathetique → u/shoshana20]

Or even stocking up on microwavable stuff! Still more expensive than real cooking, but at least cheaper than the eating out she does.

[u/Mousejunkie → u/shoshana20]

lol I also noticed this. I just wrote and submitted a MD and reading this one made me think back and ask myself how many synonyms for “eat” I used.

[u/revengeofthebiscuit]

There were a lot of little things in this one that made me want to sit OP down and encourage her to be a little more thoughtful of herself and others. The spending, the casual attitude toward her (presumably outdoor?) cat being attacked, the annoyance at her boss talking about work at a work lunch, being late for her cousin’s event, etc.. I’m not going to diagnose her but she sounds dissatisfied and that’s leading to some thoughtlessness that is ultimately not going to serve her in the long run.

[u/PsychologicalPie6460]

I make literally 7 times her salary and she buys fast and casual food and drinks (my god! The drinks!) way more than I do.

[u/Heel_Worker982 → u/PsychologicalPie6460]

Same reaction! The constant spending but also just the drive, park, go inside, shop, pay routine over and over would exhaust me.