Money Diary: A Week In Dubai (Again)

A 34 year-old yoga teacher in Dubai spends some of her money on matcha lattes…

It’s been a while since I posted a Money Diary blog but, in case you were wondering, I am still very much enjoying reading them on Refinery 29, to the extent that my daily combination of eating lunch while reading a money diary has become one of the enduring consistencies of life.

Right now I am trying to find a balance between not spending too much, and also enjoying life. Before the pandemic I swung wildly between phases of reckless, constant consumption, and extreme frugality to “save for” things. After a pandemic and a very much altered view of “the future”, I’m now aiming for…something in the middle. Around six months ago, I remembered that trips abroad are very much a “thing” and realised that I had very much not budgeted for this, so that’s now something I am mindful of in my day to day spending. I also have set myself a somewhat ambitious savings goal for this year (set pre-trips abroad realisation), my reward for meeting it will be a new Maria Tash earring / piercing.

Something I have started to do is to think about what will impact my week, and my day the most in terms of spending and saving. I no longer care much for material goods but I enjoy both convenience, and pleasant moments to punctuate my day. A daily takeout or sit-in coffee is a non-negotiable, even if over a year I could save however much by forgoing it (around AED8000/£1800) – such calculations seem like a false economy when one has to eat/drink something and occupy one’s time in some way. 

Studying with IIN made me see finances as part of our overall health, not just in terms of maintaining “healthy” savings but seeing spending and saving as part of a bigger picture. For me, my daily matcha is a huge source of joy for a relatively small spend and so while it can be seen as a “waste of money”, it feels like anything but.  

I stopped buying clothes, shoes and accessories from fast fashion stores back in 2018, over four years ago now. I buy pre-loved items, accept friend’s mistaken online orders and do buy myself new activewear when required (I teach/practice yoga for around ten hours per week so this is an essential purchase). I trim my own hair and do my own nails which I tell myself is simple a huge saving, when in reality, it probably isn’t.

Because this is not anonymous, I am focusing only on my day to day spending. I have not included details such as income, rent, and bills, but trust that I i) earn an income (I teach yoga and have a  “day job”- my day job is not really something I speak about online) and ii) have those expenses. I also want to give a bit of an insight into what living in Dubai “is like” and maybe this will help add to that picture, even if it is an incomplete one. With a public blog an online presence, you are never going to see the full picture, but my spending record is 100% honest.

Monday:

7am: Barre class at Barre Effect, around a 15 minute drive away. I have a car which I see as an essential for living in Dubai but as I’m out of the class before 8am I don’t have to pay for parking. My class is booked via ClassPass which I am on my first month of paying for, after a month’s free trial. The monthly payment (AED159/£35) left my account last week.

8am: Stop for coffee at The Grey, order something called “Ash Coffee” which is a mix of macadamia and oat milk with cover over ice (AED35/£7.70). Pay for parking before going (AED2/£0.45) in so sit outside to drink the coffee, even though it’s already hot at 8am but feel the need to justify the parking charge and enjoy the expensive coffee.

12pm: Neighbourhood Starbucks for my daily matcha latte (AED25/£5.55). I have a Nespresso machine at home in an attempt not to buy coffee outside the home…

I did a big (for me) grocery shop on Sunday at an Organic Carrefour, so meals I don’t mention this week are from this shop. I don’t like cooking but can “assemble” meals out of pre-bought things like hummus, wraps, salads, quinoa etc. Last week I also did an online order on Insta-shop from the Organic Store for my seed cycling seeds, Alpro almond milk, Oatly oat milk and Rude Health chocolate hazelnut milk.

4pm: Feel tired so buy an iced tea/vitamin water type drink (AED10/£2.20) which I love but try not to buy too often. I had a filter installed on my cold tap at home and try not to buy bottled water for the environment and for health reasons. Smiles in *I went to Expo 19 times and learned about sustainability*.

7pm: Dubai Mall for errands – browse, try on some dresses in Zara (not part of why I came here), update my ID at the bank (why I came here – it takes ten times as long as I expected it to), have a salad and bottle of water (AED44/£9.70) from a cafe in the food court because the thought of walking home and assembling food doesn’t appeal. Realise this contradicts the point above in buying a bottle of water and resolve to do better for the rest of the week.

Tuesday:

7am: Zoom yoga class with one of my private students, she pays monthly for her classes.

12pm: Starbucks for daily matcha latte (AED25/£5.55). Check banking app and see that my landlord cashed the cheque for a year’s rent. We pay rent annually upfront here and its…still a shock to the system after five years. Google the AED/GBP exchange rate and realise that the one I use in my head is more favourable than the actual rate.

1pm: Go to register my new tenancy agreement at a government centre (AED222/£49). I am not entirely sure why this needs to be done but have heard that fees are charged for filing it late so I decide to do this task today rather than put it off. Promise myself an iced latte on the way home. Chat to a friend (safely) while driving home and resist stopping for an iced latte. Conversation with friend means that a trip abroad is now definitely happening in 2023. Feel savings goal and Maria Tash earring wavering.

6pm: Sit by pool with a neighbour and wonder why I don’t take advantage of this free resource more often. Feed the cats of another neighbour who is away on a work trip.

8pm: Buy some kale and mushrooms (AED17/£3.80) from the expensive but convenient supermarket in my neighbourhood. Since moving here there are more locally grown veggies in supermarkets and these are cheaper. I used to order Deliveroo daily and sometimes I miss those days. I chop the kale and mushrooms and mix them into a pre-bought veggie soup I purchased at the weekend which I top with nutritional yeast and then pour half a bottle of balsamic vinegar on top. Don’t ever come over to mine for dinner.

Wednesday:

6.30am: Yoga class on Alo Moves which I pay for monthly (US$20). I do a practice 2-3 times a week and play the sound healings for my cat in the evenings so feel like I get my money’s worth.

10am: Daily matcha (AED25/£5.55).

1.30pm: Late lunch from Caffe Nero  – a vegan sandwich and coconut cappuccino (AED43/£9.55). People watch, read a bit of my book and update my journal.

5pm: Online food order – I use the HSBC Entertainer app to get a discount rather than Deliveroo which now seems really expensive? I order a salad, and a vegan wrap, eat half the vegan wrap before leaving home (AED46 + cash tip AED5/£11.30) and save the rest of the food for tomorrow. I try to order more than one meal if I do order delivery to feel less bad about the delivery fee and the rider coming to my place to deliver one meal. I tip either via the delivery app, or in cash.

7.30pm: Cover a prenatal yoga class at Barakah – I love teaching prenatal yoga!

9pm: Late night life admin in my favourite Drowsy Coffee, plus an almond milk hot chocolate, plus a cookie (AED40/£8.90).

Thursday:

7.30am: Online private class with the same yoga student as Tuesday morning. Update my yoga spreadsheet where I record my classes and payments.

10am: Daily matcha latte – it’s free today with my rewards app.

6pm: Pop to the neighbourhood supermarket to buy flowers for Nimo the cat’s fosters (AED45/£10) to apologise for him ripping their sofa (they are thankfully vets and animal lovers). Hop in the car to pick him up from his foster home, give him farewell cuddles, thank the foster (who kindly gives me a slice of homemade banana bread while we chat) and then back in the car to drive him to the meeting point. I paid for his flight around three weeks ago. Traffic is bad, the journey takes longer than expected and it’s always a strange experience seeing one of my rescues for the last time.

9pm: Stop for petrol on the way home as it’s a long drive back (AED150 plus tip AED10/£35.50 I keep a few smaller notes in my car as I feel so bad if I can’t tip the attendant). The price of petrol has almost doubled in the last year – for me this amount feels SO expensive.

Friday:

8am: Alo moves class.

12.30pm: Meet a neighbour for coffee in a cafe which I’ve lived near to for nearly 4 years and have never been inside to discuss overseas cat adoption, neighbour pays for my coffee which is served with three tiny biscuits which I eat in lieu of lunch.

5pm: Order a Poke bowl (AED29/£6.45) from Munchon, a meal delivery service which has no delivery fees. I pay a monthly subscription (AED39/£8.65) for discounted meals, the selection is pretty variable but I usually order at least once a week to make my subscription worth it. I’ve sometimes do meal plans to make sure I eat enough variety – I am not really a foodie and can happily eat the same things over and over.

8pm: Walk to Starbucks to buy some pods for my Nespresso machine (AED40/£8.90), swiping my app for the points. End up chatting to two neighbours on my way home. The neighbour whose cats I fed earlier in the week gives me some money towards the stray cats I look after to thank me for checking on her cats, realise I’ve been out of the house for over two hours, I love my neighbourhood so much.

Saturday:

10am: Swimming and gym morning. I don’t have a membership to any gyms but can use a free day pass through The Entertainer Soleil which I get free membership with my credit card. It’s summer and so hot that I’m trying to find indoor activities to do which don’t end up costing a huge amount of money, and don’t involve walking around a mall and inevitably buying things I don’t need.

I go to the Pharaoh’s Club at Wafi and do some rounds of the lazy river, followed by a half-hearted weights workout (I prefer classes to the gym), stretching and sauna time. I will definitely come back here, the club feels cosy and like somewhere I’d go as a child.

2pm: Starbucks for matcha latte and a halloumi toastie (AED50/£7.80). I am not a “brands” or “chains” person at all but I make an exception for Starbucks. I love their matcha latte and its somewhere that feels both nostalgic and familiar for me.

4.30pm: Drive to the Palm for  a yin yoga and sound healing at Fairmont The Palm. I paid for this a couple of weeks ago (AED50/£11.10) and it’s a really lovely event (and half the usual price of a yoga class in Dubai).

7pm: Feed my stray kitty cats.

Sunday:

9am: Teaching my two Sunday classes at Barakah.

10.30am: Drowsy for an almond milk latte in between classes (AED28/£6.20).

3pm: Teach an in-person private class with a regular student.

5pm: Drive to Bluewaters Island for a Lululemon International Yoga Day Event. I paid AED30/£6.65 for this last week. After class a free buffet is served, realise I’m starving and eat a very random selection of veggie buffet foods. Make myself a tea in a takeout cup for the drive home, and pick up my car from the valet. We get to keep the Lululemon yoga mats which were set out for the class, I really enjoyed the event and practicing with so many others.

9pm: Update my journal, yoga spreadsheet and plan out the coming week. I want to go to the cinema to see Top Gun (again as I saw it last week and loved it), have a friend’s birthday coming up which I need to buy a ticket for the sip and paint event we’ll be going to, and have two more cats travelling to the UK at the end of July! I look at ClassPass and see when I can fit in a class, check my teaching schedule and try to write a vague “meal plan” and Instashop shopping list for Monday. I also browse The Entertainer app and make a list of free activities.

Total: AED971 / £216 

This was a…pretty typical week for me right now I think. Dubai is an expensive city and it’s surprising how fast my spending can add up with…very little to show for it?