Talking about money in France is still a taboo. However, it is a fascinating and in some respects… feminist topic! In our Account Settlement section, people of all kinds come to consult their budget, to talk to us about their financial organization (as a couple or alone) and their relationship with money. Today it was Marianne * who agreed to open her accounts for us.
- First name :Marianna*
- Age : 39 years old
- Occupation : military
- Net salary before withholding tax : €2,411.48
- Net salary after withholding tax : €2,329.50
- Place of life : La Défense (Hauts-de-Seine)
Marianne’s situation and income
Marianne, 40 next May, is Contracted non-commissioned officer. This means that she is eligible to serve under contract in the Army Commissar Corps.
If his military career has been successful for a long time and he has just signed a new six-year contract, Marianne can’t imagine doing this job her whole life :
“I have chosen to remain under contract for the moment, to have the freedom to do other things when I want. Making a career requires staying in it for a certain number of years.
Today I am a manager and this no longer interests me at all. I’m seriously considering a career change. But it’s not easy to know what you would really like to do when you are supported by a system for so many years. »
Single and without children, he is tenant of a 40 m2 apartment2 to the defense, the business district located in the Hauts-de-Seine. Close to the subway and with a size suitable for him “no balcony”, according to Marianne. But she can’t imagine moving out right away, let alone buying her own apartment. “I have always been a tenant. Being a starter is not in my plans. »
She is also very happy living alone.
“I’ve had relationships, but I’m a real single. I love my own personal comfort, my own little life, doing what I want, when I want. I could get back into a relationship, but living with someone doesn’t interest me at all. »
For her work in the army, Marianne receives a net salary of €2,411 per monthbrought to €2,329 once withholding tax has been deducted.
“I do not think so not getting paid much after fifteen years of service, but I have access to notable advantages such as the -75% train, which allows me to visit friends and relatives, because as soldiers we are subject to geographical transfers. Furthermore, having access to accommodation at this price in the Paris region allows me to have a rather comfortable life. But today I can still say it I’m pretty well paid compared to my one-person household situation. »
Marianne’s relationship with money and her financial organization
Marianne taught herself financial management while studying for a year in Germany.
“My parents had agreed to each pay half of my rent, but my father immediately stopped. So I had to adapt with the scholarship I had and the money I had earned working in the factory in the summer. »
Since then she has managed her budget alone, although she admits:
” For a long time, I lived a little beyond my means drawing on my savings acquired during my missions abroad. But since February 2023 I have been maintaining a strict budget. »
Never caught, she doesn’t want to spend more than she has, which is why she has never asked for an overdraft authorization from her bank.
“Next, I also assume that if I’m not overdrawn, it’s because I don’t lack money. Yes, there are months that are different from others due to mandatory expenses, but this has never stopped me from paying bills or groceries. »
Marianne’s expenses
As is often the case in Settlement of Scores, Marianne’s main monthly expense is rent. For her apartment in La Défense she pays every month €579.
Pay monthly €68 electricity (other expenses are included in the rent), €144 for insurance (home, death, legal assistance, mutual, loss of wages and car) e €64 for various subscriptions. In details : €31 for Internet, €20 for the phone, €2 for Google Photos AND €11 for Spotify.
To get around, Marianne uses public transport: she therefore has to pay for her Navigo subscription every month (€86.40). Its bank charges are very low: €1 per month.
Only for her, the young woman spends an average of €200 on foodparticularly in the brands that surround it: Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl and Franprix.
“I do my shopping on foot, so I go to the closest and most convenient place. »
Marianne has also been testing a new product for some time: the Tournée, which delivers to your home and uses the principle of depositing glass packaging to reduce the use of plastic waste.
“I quite like the idea, but I can’t do all my shopping this way. You can’t find everything and the bill goes up quite quickly. I will therefore make the effort on products with glass containers. »
She is also a fan of buying vegetables at a producer-direct store, even if she finds the prices are low “rather high”. “I try hard when I can. »
Marianne does not have a specific budget for her so-called “feminine” expenses.
“I have a hormonal IUD, so I hardly have periods anymore. For once every couple of months, when I have a leak, I wear the period panties I bought a few years ago. I don’t have a shaving/waxing budget either. A few years ago I had laser sessions that I didn’t finish because they were extremely painful for me. »
Marianne also doesn’t really like beauty products and makeup. “I’m not good enough to take care of myself”, he confesses. These products will “either enter the shopping budget, or the money that (he) has left”.
Marianne’s leisure expenses
According to Marianne, free time activities and small pleasures belong to her. around €220 per month. She is passionate about cinema, she signs up for Unlimited UGC card, at €21.90 per month. “We calculate costs very quickly and if we have difficult months we know we can always go to the cinema! »
“Otherwise I don’t have any regular hobbies, I’m a bit of a homebody but I regularly like to go out with friends, have a drink or something and I regularly go to see comedians, concerts and drag shows. »
Currently Marianne does not wish to reduce any expense item because believes that its budget is well optimized. And then, as she herself admits:
“I don’t really have a nervous breakdown anymore… Since I read Marie Kondo’s book on the art of tidying up, I have changed the way I consume a lot.. She opened the door to another way of thinking that is more in line with my beliefs. It’s not always easy to maintain, but it’s possible. »
Your latest pleasure purchase? A pair of ankle boots bought for €40 on a private Zalando. “But I haven’t bought shoes in forever. »
Marianne also plans roughly €165 per month for various purchases and donations. Makes donations to associations for €20 monthly and also includes some annual or quarterly expenses such as Amazon, World of Wonder, and a feminist magazine subscription The breaking wave.
“I use the rest for small daily purchases, for the pharmacy, to satisfy myself or to fill the free time budget if necessary. This can also be used as a clothing budget. I mostly go to thrift stores because being a soldier I have enough clothes that I don’t have the chance to wear! »
Marianne’s savings and her future plans
Before taking control of her budget, Marianne was unable to save and was spending all her resources.
“Now that I have a budget, I put aside €100 a month for an annual event (Dragcon in London), €100 per month for future holidays, and I keep a sum of €500 per month for various future expenses such as Christmas and birthdays. Right now I want to do the GR70 for my 40th birthday, so I’m also saving to pay for room and board. »
She puts too €50 set aside for your retirement savings.
As for her future, Marianne is sure of at least one thing: Becoming an owner is not for you.
“I know I should think about buying a property, but it’s not in the Paris region where I could do it. I absolutely don’t want to bury myself far from Paris, I don’t see the point. I’m a planning person, but not big plans. I’m waiting for a possible move to Bordeaux, which means I won’t shop there either!
But for me, purchasing a property is not an end in itself. So yes, I pay rent to the wind, so be it! Not having children, I don’t capitalize anyone. »
Otherwise, Marianne said to herself “happy every day” : “I think I’m one of those people who capitalize on all the moments of pleasure…for the moments when there are fewer, we remember the old ones and dream of the next ones! »
Thanks to Marianne* for opening her accounts for us!
* The name has been changed.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
