Coordinator in Los Angeles, CA — Money Diary

Occupation: Coordinator (I was told on the first of the month I will be laid off so this is my job for the next few weeks).
Industry: Entertainment
Age: 33
Location: Los Angeles
Salary: $80,000 (this is an estimated joint income. Last year, my husband and I made a combined $97,000. It’s the most we’ve ever earned in a year. My husband is a freelancer/independent contractor so his income varies wildly. Last year he made around $20,000 and I’m guessing he’ll earn a similar amount this year. I suspect our income this year will be $15-$20,000 less since I got laid off from the highest paying job I’ve ever had at the end of 2022).
Net Worth: $155,000 (we have $25,000 in checking and savings. I just got laid off due to the writers’ strike and suspect our emergency account will get drained. Sadly, getting laid off constantly is very common in entertainment. Strike? Laid off. Show ended? Laid off. Two-week holiday break? Laid off. We have $130,000 in investments. This includes retirement accounts. Neither my husband nor I have ever had an employer-sponsored retirement account so this is all through me saving the past 11 years. I’m nowhere near where I want to be retirement-wise but am proud of how much I have invested with a relatively low income and unstable career).
Debt: $0
Paycheck Amount (1x/week): $1,065
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $2,200 for a two-bedroom apartment in a not-so-desirable part of LA. We may downsize if I’m still laid off in a few months.
HBO Max: $12.50 (we use other people’s Netflix, YouTube and Disney+).
Spotify Premium: $12.99
iCloud Storage: $2.99
SimpliSafe: $27.99
Health Insurance: Mine is through work for another month and I pay $46 for dental. My husband’s is $352 through the marketplace.
Gas: $20-$50
Electric: $60-$150
Internet: $89.99
Car Insurance: $800 every six months.
Roth IRAs: $220
Work Expenses: My husband has several monthly expenses on his “work” credit card and that monthly bill is usually between $400 and $1,000 a month. This includes his phone bill (about $100), Expensify ($5), various websites he needs subscriptions to as an actor to find gigs, and any parking or meals he needs to buy while on the road.

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