Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Media & Information Services29London~$108,400 + annual bonus~$5,348 (minus taxes, and 5% of my salary goes to my 401(k)/pension)Currently looking for a new flatmateI pay around $1,373 for one bedroom in a two-bedroom flat ($2,630 for the whole apartment)None! While I officially have no student loans, I pay back my mother $750 monthly.$173 for internet, electric, and council tax$180I pay my family’s cell-phone bill back in the U.S.: $125N/A$8$13$109 a.m. — WFH this morning and make myself a Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk, then head into the office.12 p.m. — I’ve spent the last two weekends traveling (Tel Aviv and Rome, respectively), so I have had zero time to grocery shop and cook at home. Lunch out it is. Truffle-stuffed raviolini at the Italian deli.4 p.m. — And sometimes you need an afternoon snack of gelato.5 p.m. — I order HelloFresh (like Blue Apron) and use a coupon code for three free meals. My first order will arrive Saturday.6 p.m. — Quick pit stop (pun intended) to pick up deodorant.9 p.m. — Uber home after a late night at the office (expensed).9:30 p.m. — Necessary run to Tesco for sausage (protein) and vegetables. Check and check.7 a.m. — Every Wednesday I do morning yoga with friends at their home gym. We take turns paying the instructor, and it’s my turn this week.10 a.m. — Need to replace my foundation and swapped Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup (my first foundation ever!) for the Naked Skin One and Done with SPF!10:30 a.m. — Head into the office late; thank goodness for flexible work schedules and East Coast colleagues.12 p.m. — Another lunch out of lamb and hallumi from the Leather Lane Market.6 p.m. — I head home to meet potential new flatmates. I get distracted reading, etc., and skip dinner.8 a.m. — Morning Pilates class (from a package I bought previously)9:30 a.m. — Feeling lightheaded since I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. I pick up a cappuccino and a poached egg, avocado, and toast. I do some emailing.11:30 a.m. — Pick up a dress I had altered and then head into the office.12 p.m. — I buy some tickets for a Sofar gig that a friend’s playing on Sunday.4 p.m. — Late lunch of ham-and-cheese sandwich from Eat.8 p.m. — I meet up with a friend’s sister whom I met a few weeks ago. We have a great time getting to know each other, and I'm disappointed we only met so late on her trip. I treat her to dinner at Sager & Wilde.11 p.m. — I go to a "members only" club in Soho. My friend grabs drinks.9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — I work from home today, make lunch at noon, do more work.7 p.m. — Meet up with a coworker before a concert. He has the munchies, so we go to McDonald's. He pays for this bad decision.8 p.m. — We rock out at the Leon Bridges concert in Brixton.11 p.m. — I'm heading home with a friend? A friend with benefits? With just benefits? Not sure, but going with the flow.10 a.m. — Tube home from friend with benefits (as long as there are benefits!). I shower, change, "put my face on," as they say.11 a.m. — Stop by my local French bakery and grab a cappuccino before another trip to Brixton, this time during the day to check out the market.12:30 p.m. — Catch up with a friend who is currently completing her master's, discuss urban design and violence. I treat her to Thai lunch.1:30 p.m. — I wander around Brixton market and pick up a Matt & Nat wallet and a cute black skirt from The Keep 4 p.m. — Tube over to Borough Market area. Need a cappuccino, and queue in Monmouth.5 p.m. — I leave my friend and make my way home, stopping by Waterstones to buy books for friends. Nothing brings me greater joy than sharing my love of literature with those I love. I buy 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris.