The Defender
“Hi OP! Just want to chime in because of all the haters out there! You do you, honey. Having five glasses of wine at the end of a busy day is totally OK, five days in a row. Your work sounds rough, your boss is 100 percent nuts, and your coworker is obviously unqualified for that new role! People can be so quick to judge. Enjoy that Costco membership, sweetheart, and it’s awesome that your parents pay for it. At least you’re saving cash on getting those wine bottles in bulk.”
The Praiser
“Wow! I love that you went to Santa Fe with your friends for the weekend, and then managed to work a full day on Monday! You’re living your best life, even though that’s totally what having a typical job calls for! #goals”
The Planner
“Hi OP! Loved that you mentioned how obsessed you are with an Instant Pot, and I love what you do with all that couscous! But maybe you should be as forward thinking about your living situation as you are with meal prep. If you set aside some of that couscous money, you’ll probably have enough to pay off your student loans in six years.”
The Real Talker
“OK, I know that this is probably going to get a lot of pushback. But she should really rethink how much money she’s spending on subscription services. I mean, $375 on a gym membership is crazy, especially if her take-home pay is only $2K a month. I get that she’s trying to run a triathlon after that freak shark accident, but c’mon. Has she ever heard of running outside?”
The Nostalgic
“When I was OP’s age, I was living in a basement apartment with rats, spiderwebs, and a guy named Alfonso. It was so much fun, and I’m so glad this girl is enjoying her youth. Trust me: it’ll get harder the older you get. Don’t let the other commenters stress you out about your complete lack of retirement funds, OP! You don’t know how old any of us are, anyway!”
The Easily Impressed
“First off, let me just say how impressed I am by you, OP. To do that commute is tough, plus you really seem to balance going out and working hard. Kudos to you, girl, you’re essentially doing the same thing I’m doing but you make it sound so much better. I’m going to go cry in a bathroom stall now.”
The Troll
“Is it just me, or is she spending way too much money on her boyfriend? Seems like he’s totally taking advantage of their situation. If I were her, I wouldn’t be such a pushover. And I wouldn’t have ordered that side of guac if she’s looking to save money, too.”
The Joiner
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought, too! Like, if I had a boyfriend who worked part-time and almost never washed his own dishes (what’s up with that?) I wouldn’t be as generous with my Starbucks Rewards. Also, I dunno, but it bothered me how many times she said ‘hubby.’ Do you think that’s from the editors?”
The OP
“Hi guys! OP here! Thanks so much for your kind words about my diary. Yes, I did get the promotion, thanks for asking! If you want to know what recipe I cooked on day four, it’s from this slightly obscure food site I’m going to post here. Phew! I was really nervous about being mercilessly judged by total strangers!”
The Lurker
“…” [Scrolls for 20 minutes, and then sends the link to friends.]
The Neighbor
“Oh my god, another person from my hometown! I love that you went to that one greasy spoon with your friends, I’m cracking up for no other reason than I know it, too! It’s so great when we can read about other places besides L.A. and New York.”
The Overthinker
“This comment really isn’t about this money diary, even though I think OP does a great job of walking her dog. I think that it’s crazy that we’re essentially reading a story submitted by someone who is getting absolutely no pay from it, as R29 makes an undisclosed amount of cash on clicks, ads, and a new book. I mean, this is probably their most trafficked series, and even though I think that I’ve definitely joined in on its success, it’s terrible that we’re being exploited in this way. Also, I think the editors should do a better job editing these pieces. I definitely spotted some grammatical errors in this. And I think there should be someone moderating these comments faster. Seriously, I just think that there should be things happening, I think, and that’s all I have to say.”
The Mathematician
“Quick question: If your salary is roughly $60k but your take-home pay is about $900, then where is that other money going? I don’t know about you guys, but I think there might be an omission here. Does she have an Amazon Prime account we don’t know about? Is she investing in mutual funds? How about the Cayman Islands? Has anyone looked into an account there?”