A Year of Spending: Unfiltered Tales from a Content Creator’s Wallet

Ever wondered what it truly costs to run your life (and your YouTube channel) in one of the world’s priciest cities? Well, here’s a confession: spreadsheets never told my story quite right. The little victories, the random splurges, the ‘I’ll totally learn to cook’ promises that evaporate faster than my grocery budget—all of it matters. This is the year I tracked every penny, right down to the pokebowl obsession and the massage gun that now doubles as elaborate desk decor. Join me as I break down my actual 2021 spend, complete with quirks, regrets, splurges, and the odd tip on what’s really worth it.

London Living: Rent, Mortgages, and the Highs & Woes of Home Expenses

When it comes to monthly living costs in London, few stories capture the reality better than a content creator’s unfiltered wallet. Since moving to London in mid-August, our storyteller has been navigating the city’s notorious rental market, while still juggling a mortgage on a Cambridge flat. This double-duty approach to housing is a window into the true cost of living increase that many in the UK are feeling, especially as average weekly household expenditure has jumped by 18% for most age groups between 2022 and 2024.

Renting in London: A Pricey Address

The heart of this tale beats in a rented London flat, with rent clocking in at $3,650 per month. For international readers, all figures have been converted to USD for clarity. That’s not a typo—three thousand, six hundred and fifty dollars every month, just for a roof in the capital. In a city where the average rent and mortgage in the UK can already feel steep, London’s market is in a league of its own.

Why the switch to dollars? As the writer puts it, “Dollars is a more internationally recognized currency that most people know what a dollar means, whereas very few people know what a GBP means in their own local currency.” So, apologies to UK readers, but the numbers here are meant for a global audience.

Mortgage in Cambridge: The Hidden Costs of Ownership

While paying London rent, there’s also a mortgage ticking away on a jointly-owned Cambridge flat. The monthly mortgage payment is about £1,200, which translates to roughly $1,600 depending on the exchange rate. But not all of this is building equity.

• Ground rent and maintenance: About £200 (or $266) per month is spent just to keep the building running—elevators, stairwells, and shared spaces. This is money that never comes back, similar to rent.
• Mortgage interest: At a 1.6% interest rate, $531 per month goes straight to the bank. This, too, is an unrecoverable expense.

As the creator explains, “One of the things people often think about is renting is money down the drain, but also when you buy a house… ground rent and maintenance, property taxes, mortgage interest—all of that is also money down the drain.”

Annual Housing Spend: The Numbers Add Up

Let’s break down the annual spend:

On average, that’s $2,014 per month spent on housing—rent, mortgage interest, and maintenance combined. For context, the median UK household disposable income dropped by 2.5% to £34,500 (about $43,700) in the most recent year, meaning housing alone is eating up a huge chunk of take-home pay for many.

Rent vs. Own: The Uncomfortable Truth

There’s a common myth that owning a home is always the smarter financial move. But this story reveals the hidden costs: ground rent, maintenance, mortgage interest, and, for many, property taxes. These are all “money down the drain,” just like rent. The buy-versus-rent debate isn’t as simple as it seems—both paths come with their own set of unavoidable, unrecoverable expenses.

One of the things people often think about is renting is money down the drain, but also when you buy a house... ground rent and maintenance, property taxes, mortgage interest—all of that is also money down the drain.

In the end, whether renting in London or paying a mortgage in Cambridge, the highs and woes of home expenses are a reality for anyone navigating today’s UK housing market. The numbers don’t lie: monthly living costs in London and beyond are rising, and homeownership doesn’t always mean financial freedom.

Food, Tech, and Where the Money (Really) Goes

Takeaway Obsession: The $14,400 Habit

For many content creators, food expenses are a constant tug-of-war between convenience and cost. In this case, the scale tips heavily toward convenience. The numbers are almost hard to believe: $1,200 a month, $14,400 a year—all on takeaway. The menu? Mostly pokebowls from a local spot called Ahipogi and grilled chicken from places like Pepe’s or Nando’s. Lunch and dinner, nearly every day, come from an app. As the creator puts it:

“I tend to get takeaway for lunch and for dinner ... Cooking is just a very low-priority thing in my life.”

The reason is simple: time. With content creation demanding so much energy, cooking and cleaning barely make the list. Even when working from a co-working space in Cambridge, the pattern held—takeaway for both meals, every day. There’s a half-hearted promise to cook more, but the lure of delivery is strong. At least there’s an effort to keep it healthy-ish, with the odd salad or grilled protein thrown in.

Restaurant Splurges and the Grocery Paradox

Eating out isn’t just about convenience; sometimes, it’s about the experience. Twice a week, on average, there’s a restaurant meal—each one costing about $40, adding up to $320 a month or $3,840 a year. But here’s the twist: with so much spent on takeaway and restaurants, the grocery bill is laughably low. Just $70 a month, or $840 a year. That’s less than many spend in a single month. In 2024, as middle-income UK earners saw food and housing costs surge, this creator’s grocery spending stands out as an anomaly—proof that convenience can completely reshape household expenses.

Technology Spending Trends: Pride, Regret, and the Alienware PC

When it comes to technology spending trends, content creators often walk a fine line between investment and indulgence. This year’s tech splurge? A top-of-the-line Alienware gaming PC, ringing in at $4,600. Bought with dreams of streaming and gaming, it ended up gathering dust—eventually loaned to a friend. There were other, smaller tech purchases too: a massage gun ($130), Philips Hue smart bulbs ($400), and other household gadgets. Altogether, $5,130 went into tech—mostly on things that seemed essential at the time, but didn’t always deliver lasting value.

“The bulk of that was that pointless Alienware gaming PC.”

Books: The High-ROI Habit

Among all content creator expenses, books and audiobooks are a clear favorite. Each month, about 15 Kindle books are added to the digital shelf—$135 a month, $1,620 a year. Add another $167 for audiobooks, and it’s clear this is a habit with purpose. The philosophy is simple: if a friend or someone respected recommends a book, it’s bought immediately. The return on investment? Immeasurable.

“It’s just amazing that for somewhere between five and ten dollars you can get years if not decades of someone’s research compiled into a book that you can read within a few hours.”

Clothing and Homeware Household Expenses: Disappearing Socks and the Price of Comfort

Clothes and homeware household expenses are another big slice of the pie. About $2,800 went to clothing—mostly on quarterly shopping trips, with a soft spot for Ralph Lauren shirts and Uniqlo Airism underwear (because, apparently, socks and underwear vanish into thin air). Home comforts weren’t ignored either: $2,000 covered everything from a Dyson cordless vacuum to an air fryer (used once), bed linens, and towels. For a content creator, these are the little things that make the daily grind more bearable.

Personal Care Subscriptions: Small Costs, Big Impact

Personal care subscriptions are a quiet but steady drain. This year saw $1,158 spent on supplements, skincare, and toiletries. There’s a monthly supplement called Heights, a retinoid skincare subscription, and all the usual suspects—shampoo, toothpaste, moisturizer. These aren’t flashy expenses, but they add up fast.

The Most Rewarding Expense: A Car for Mum

Sometimes, the biggest expenses are the most meaningful. This year, half of a $32,000 car was gifted to mum—$16,000 out of pocket. As the creator says:

“We bought our mum a car which was $16,000 each, and honestly it felt better than anything I bought myself.”

Where the Money Really Goes: The Year in Numbers

• Takeaway: $14,400/year
• Restaurants: $3,840/year
• Groceries: $840/year
• Tech: $5,130/year
• Books & Audiobooks: $1,787/year
• Clothes: $2,800/year
• Homeware: $2,000/year
• Personal Care: $1,158/year
• Car (shared): $16,000

Collectively, spending on “stuff” hit $28,955 over the year—a snapshot of content creator expenses in a world where convenience, comfort, and the occasional splurge rule the wallet.

Subscriptions, Outsourcing, and the Mental Math of Modern Life

In the age of content creation, the cost of living increase isn’t just about rent and groceries—it’s about the steady drip of subscriptions, the convenience of outsourcing, and the constant calculation of what’s worth it. For many, especially those in creative fields, the line between personal care subscriptions and business expenses YouTubers face is blurry at best. The modern wallet is a patchwork of recurring charges, each promising to save time, deliver value, or unlock some new level of productivity or pleasure.

Take dating apps, for example. Over the past year, this content creator spent $414 on digital matchmaking—$234 for Hinge Premium, $180 for Tinder Gold, and a free ride on Mismatch thanks to a podcast connection. There’s no shame in the pursuit, but the return on investment is questionable. “No regrets, except maybe for the ROI,” he jokes. The real cost isn’t just the money—it’s the hope that each swipe might be the one, and the realization that sometimes, the best connections happen offline.

But dating isn’t the only subscription game in town. Audible, at $127.50 a year, stands out as the one essential. “If I could only have one subscription in my life, it would just be Audible,” he admits, and it’s easy to see why. In a world where attention is currency, audiobooks offer a rare chance to learn, escape, and grow—without staring at a screen. Amazon Prime ($104/year) and Kindle Unlimited ($127.20/year) round out the reading and convenience category, while YouTube Premium ($156/year) and Waking Up by Sam Harris ($100/year) reflect a commitment to both entertainment and mindfulness. These personal care subscriptions may seem minor, but together, they add up to a significant chunk of annual spending.

Then there’s the gym—a non-negotiable, even if the location changes. Between Cambridge and London, gym fees hit $1,800 a year. Fitness isn’t just about health; it’s about routine, discipline, and carving out a space away from the relentless buzz of notifications. In a creator’s life, where boundaries blur and work never really ends, the gym is a sanctuary.

Outsourcing, too, has become a quiet revolution in the content creator’s lifestyle. Laundry, for instance, is no longer a weekend chore but a $2,400-a-year line item. The logic is simple: buying back time is sometimes worth every penny. That time can be spent scripting, filming, or simply resting—an investment in both business and well-being. It’s a trade-off that many in the gig economy are making, even as the average UK savings rate has dropped from 12.4% to 8.3% in recent years. While 61% of UK adults save regularly, few talk openly about these choices, perhaps out of fear of judgment or the sense that convenience is a guilty pleasure.

Travel, often glamorized in the influencer world, is another area where reality bites. This year’s total—$3,330—covers trips to Croatia, Amsterdam, and Pakistan, but most of it was driven by work or family necessity rather than leisure. The numbers look impressive, but the experiences are often more practical than picturesque. It’s a reminder that, for many creators, travel is less about wanderlust and more about logistics.

Personal care, from supplements to skincare, quietly chips away at the budget too—$1,158 this year. These costs rarely make the highlight reel, but they’re part of the invisible scaffolding that supports a public-facing life. In the end, the sum of these expenses paints a picture of modern adulthood: a constant negotiation between essentials, conveniences, and the occasional indulgence.

The mental math of modern life is relentless. Every subscription, every outsourced task, every swipe and scroll comes with a price tag—sometimes literal, sometimes emotional. For content creators, the challenge is to balance the business expenses YouTubers face with the personal care subscriptions that keep them sane, all while navigating the cost of living increase that shows no sign of slowing down. It’s not just about what you spend, but what you get in return: time, freedom, peace of mind. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit of happiness.