A Week in Houston on a $70,000 Salary (2022 Guide)

Welcome to Spending Notes, where we do a weekly deep dive into how our readers spend their cash.

Today: a market research analyst who makes $70,000 a year

Occupation: market research analyst

Age: 30

Location: Houston, TX

Salary: $70,000 (approx. $2,300 per pay period)

Day One

After college, I started working in market research. I majored in biotechnology and am really looking to advance my career and break into the drug development industry. While at work today, I just looked over some analytics for a previous campaign that the company ran. I usually gather data in order to determine what works and what doesn’t. I look into consumer preferences and try to help the team achieve the best possible results when they run campaigns, promotions, or ads. I met up with my friend B. after work so we could indulge in some happy hour drinks and apps.

Total: $23

Day Two

I had the day off planned today because my husband, O., and I planned to go to the dentist in the morning for some fluoride treatments. Afterward, we decided to look into how much home warranty plans cost. Now that we’re homeowners, we just want to make sure that we have everything covered in case anything happens. Home warranty plans usually cover big appliances like refrigerators, ovens, stoves, washers and dryers, and even plumbing or HVAC systems. O. found America’s First Choice Home Club, which has warranty plans at different price points. When it comes to your home, it’s always better to be overprepared.

Total: $0

Day Three

O. and I went to the grocery store after work. I talked to him about how I’ve been thinking about taking PMP training in Houston to advance my career. There are PMPs in the pharmaceutical industry that oversee drug development, and I feel like it’s something I’d be interested in. O. is always supportive about what I want to do professionally. We had pesto pasta for dinner.

Total: $62

Day Four

I got some Starbucks on the way to work and got a little cake pop as a treat. Work requires me to use a lot of deductive and inductive reasoning to properly analyze certain data that I have to work with. These past few years, I’ve gained a lot of experience with sales and marketing. But I’d really like to get back to my roots as far as using my scientific knowledge.

Total: $8

Day Five

Because I’ve been working a few extra hours, I get to leave early today. I decided to drop by my favorite cosmetics store to pick up a few things that I’ve run out of like facial cleanser and body scrub. I had been thinking about getting a new perfume. So, I decided to get a travel spray instead of committing to a new scent immediately. I called up my friend C. to see if she could meet up with me, and she was free. We had some Chinese food for dinner to end our hangout. We were stuffed!

Total: $78

Day Six

Our bedroom is in need of a new rug. So, O. and I went to a furniture showroom. All of the rugs there weren’t really to our taste. We ended up going to a furniture discount store and found a rug we loved for a really affordable price.

Total: $92.33

Day Seven

I somehow managed to convince O. to get out of bed and get breakfast at a local diner. I bribed him with the notion of an Oreo milkshake. After that, we drove to a trail and took a nice long walk.

Total: $32

Total for the week: $295.33