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Virginia Giuffre
Hollywood

How Did Virginia Giuffre Die? About the Epstein Accuser’s Death – Hollywood Life

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Image Credit: Virginia Giuffre/Instagram

Virginia Giuffre, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein‘s sex trafficking scheme and a Prince Andrew accuser, died on April 25, 2025, three weeks after revealing she had been in a car accident. In a statement following the news of her death, Giuffre’s family described her as a “fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking” and “the light that lifted so many survivors,” according to The New York Times.

Below, learn everything we know about Giuffre, how she died and the automobile accident she was in.

How Old Was Virginia Giuffre When She Died?

Giuffre was 41 years old when she died.

Who Was Virginia Giuffre?

Best remembered for being a voice against Epstein and Prince Andrew, Giuffre sued Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2009 of recruiting her to join his sex-trafficking ring while Giuffre was still a minor. She additionally accused them or forcing her to have sex with Prince Andrew. At the time of her lawsuit, Giuffre identified herself as Jane Doe 102.

In her lawsuit against Epstein, Giuffre said she was recruited into his sex-trafficking ring in 2000 while working as a locker room attendant at Donald Trump‘s Palm Beach, Florida, resort, Mar-a-Lago. According to Giuffre, Maxwell invited her to work as Epstein’s traveling masseuse, then Maxwell and Epstein groomed her into performing sexual acts for opulent men.

In 2015, Giuffre became the first of Epstein’s survivors to forgo her anonymity and reveal her name. “Ghislaine told me that I have to do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey,” Giuffre said at the time.

In 2021, Giuffre sued Andrew, and he agreed to settle the lawsuit in 2022. At the time, the prince — who is King Charles III‘s younger brother — applauded Giuffre for going public with her story, and he vowed to “demonstrate his regret” for his connection to Epstein “by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims,” per NYT.

On July 29, 2025, Trump publicly stated that Epstein had “stolen” staff from the spa at Mar‑a‑Lago—among them, he believes, Virginia. Trump said he cut ties with Epstein after warning him that “taking people that work for me is bad” and asserted that Giuffre “had no complaints about us whatsoever”

How Did Virginia Giuffre Die?

Giuffre announced that she was given four days to live as a result of renal failure. She had been hospitalized after being hit by a bus that was allegedly driving 110 kilometers per hour, which is roughly miles per hour.

On April 25, 2025, Giuffre’s family confirmed that she had died by suicide, according to a statement obtained by NBC News.

“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” the statement read. “She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors,” the statement said. “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”

Virginia Giuffre’s Accident

On March 30, 2025, Giuffre revealed she had been hospitalized from a car accident and that she was diagnosed with renal failure, also known as kidney failure. She shared an Instagram selfie with her facial bruises on full display.

“This year has been the worst start to a new year, but I won’t bore anyone with the details, but I think it important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn, that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can,” Giuffre wrote in her caption. “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology. I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes. S**t in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it’s still going to be s**t at the end of the day.”

Giuffre concluded her post by bidding her supporters “farewell,” writing, “Thank you all for being the wonderful people of the world and for being a great part of my life. Godbless you all xx Virginia.”

In 2023, Giuffre revealed she had undergone spinal surgery in an Instagram post.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.

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bitchy | Virginia Giuffre signed a gag order so QEII’s Jubbly wouldn’t have distractions
Celebrity News

bitchy | Virginia Giuffre signed a gag order so QEII’s Jubbly wouldn’t have distractions

by jummy84
written by jummy84

I remember a lot of the details around Virginia Giuffre’s civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew. She filed in 2021, and the lawsuit was due to go to trial in early 2022. Andrew made a lot of noise (through sources) about how he would fight Virginia tooth and nail, because they had never met and she had never been trafficked to him. His lawyers immediately began attacking Virginia’s character, referring to her as the “head bitch” who recruited for Jeffrey Epstein, leading everyone to wonder how and why Andrew and his lawyers would know that. Just days before the trial was set to begin, Andrew folded like a cheap suit. He refused to fly to America, and his lawyers quickly negotiated a settlement with Virginia. Andrew “borrowed” money from his mother to pay Virginia, a woman he still swore he never met. As part of the settlement, his lawyers attached a one-year gag order. We knew that at the time, and we also knew that Virginia planned to write a book after the gag order lapsed. Now, just days before Virginia’s posthumous memoir’s publication, Andrew has suddenly “given up” his titles and honors. Obviously, most people believe that Virginia’s book is going to do even further damage to Andrew and the Windsors. Well, in a new excerpt from Nobody’s Girl, Virginia wrote about the gag order.

Prince Andrew insisted Virginia Giuffre sign a gagging order so he did not embarrass Queen Elizabeth during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The bombshell claim is set to be revealed in Ms Giuffre’s tell-all memoir from beyond the grave, which will be published on Tuesday.

In her book, Ms Giuffre describes the details of her legal battle and eventual settlement with Prince Andrew, which have so far been closely guarded. She tells how Andrew’s disastrous Newsnight was like an ‘injection of jet fuel’ for her legal team, and it raised the possibility of ‘subpoenaing’ his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and drawing them into the legal case.

Ms Giuffre filed a lawsuit against the royal in August 2021, seeking unspecified damages for battery, including rape, and the infliction of emotional distress. She alleged that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was just 17 years old under the orders of late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The case was settled outside of court on February 15, 2022, for a reported £12 million, with £2 million thought to have been donated to her sex trafficking charity. Prince Andrew did not admit wrongdoing and has consistently and vehemently denied the claims. However, in her new book Ms Giuffre exposes the details of the gagging order she was reportedly asked to sign by the prince.

She writes: ‘I agreed to a one-year gag order, which seemed important to the Prince because it ensured that his mother’s Platinum Jubilee would not be tarnished any more than it already had been.’

The agreement meant Ms Giuffre was barred from discussing her abuse at the hands of Epstein during the 70th year of the late Queen’s reign.

[From The Daily Mail]

As I said, this isn’t new information (although the Mail presents it as such). We knew that there was a temporary gag order at the time. Sources close to Virginia also openly discussed her plans to write a book post-gag order. What few people remember is that there was a secondary part to the deal. While QEII “gave” the money to Andrew to settle the lawsuit, then-Prince Charles had to give his permission for the settlement money too. By this time, QEII was so frail and she was being heavily manipulated by everyone, and Charles was the one to make the call on the money. In exchange for agreeing to give the money to Andrew, Charles got something in return: QEII suddenly agreed that Camilla should be called “Queen Consort” and not Princess Consort. Charles extracted that from QEII and her courtiers as part of this rotten f–king deal (the two things, the settlement and QEII’s letter, were nine days apart). Meanwhile, the Mail also had this story:

Prince Andrew embroiled the Metropolitan Police and one of Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aides in a campaign to smear his teenage sex accuser, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. A bombshell email obtained by this newspaper exposes how Andrew asked his taxpayer-funded Met bodyguard to investigate Virginia Giuffre and passed him her date of birth and confidential social security number.

Astonishingly, Andrew then told Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth’s deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of his personal protection officers – part of the Met’s elite SO14 Royal Protection Group – to dig up information about Ms Giuffre. He emailed Perkins hours before this newspaper first published the infamous picture of the duke with 17-year-old Ms Giuffre, which would ultimately bring about his downfall.

‘It would also seem she has a criminal record in the [United] States,’ he wrote. ‘I have given her DoB [date of birth] and social security number for investigation with XXX, the on duty ppo [personal protection officer].’

It is not suggested that the officer complied with the prince’s request, or that she did, in fact, have a criminal record.

[From The Daily Mail]

Yeah, I believe this. I believe that some Establishment figures have helped Andrew along the way as well, and I’m not surprised at all with this.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Instar, Cover Images.

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bitchy | Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to a ‘former prime minister’ who beat & choked her
Celebrity News

bitchy | Virginia Giuffre was trafficked to a ‘former prime minister’ who beat & choked her

by jummy84
written by jummy84

The New York Times reviewed Virginia Giuffre’s posthumously published memoir, Nobody’s Girl. They called it “devastating” and extremely sad. Virginia was sexually abused from the age of 7 years old by her father, and then her father “traded” her to a family friend. She was also sexually assaulted by other men before Ghislaine Maxwell even saw her at Mar-a-Lago when she (Virginia) was just 16 years old. The NY Times notes that the most difficult sections of the memoir are the parts where Virginia is being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Here’s the section of the review I wanted to talk about:

By now we’ve all heard of Little St. James Island, nicknamed Little St. Jeff’s, the 72-acre circle of hell in the Caribbean where so many girls were transported and coerced into servicing Epstein’s rich and powerful friends.

Rape, for her, came to seem routine: by older teens; by a construction worker after hitchhiking; by the ringleader of a high-priced escort service, who introduced her to hard drugs; and by an associate of his busted by the F.B.I., which returned her to … her father.

By then Sky Roberts was working in maintenance at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, and got her a job there as a towel attendant. Observing the masseuses in the plush spa, she thought this might be a career path.

The rest is horror story. (“Please don’t stop reading,” Giuffre writes at one point, acknowledging the cumulative effect of her “trauma reel.”) Sex with Marvin Minsky, an M.I.T. scientist 56 years her senior, his face “shriveled like one of those folk-art dolls whose heads are dried-up apples”; orgies staffed by the model scout Jean-Luc Brunel, who — like Epstein — died by suicide in prison; choking, beating and bloodying from a former prime minister, whom she refused to name because “I fear that this man will seek to hurt me if I say his name here.”

Having been ordered to tuck Epstein, her chief tormentor, into pink satin sheets at night, and shown his snapshots of underage nude girls as if they were etchings, Giuffre still summons the compassion to speculate that he, too, may have been abused as a child.

[From The NY Times]

“Former prime minister” is all anyone has to go on – she didn’t specify which country, and this would have been 2000-01. In the UK, the “former prime ministers” still alive would have been John Major, Margaret Thatcher, James Callaghan, Edward Heath… end of list. It could be a former Canadian prime minister. One person on Twitter had a theory that it could be Israel’s former PM Ehud Barak, who was reportedly close to Epstein. Barak is still alive, he’s in his 80s, so Virginia would have wanted to be especially careful not to name someone still alive, right? He was PM of Israel from 1999 through 2001. Is he the guy? Ugh. But as Giuffre’s memoir makes abundantly clear, Epstein’s circle at that time included so many powerful men, so many well-connected men.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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Where Does Dwayne Johnson Live? Inside The Rock’s Virginia Farmhouse – Hollywood Life
Hollywood

Where Does Dwayne Johnson Live? Inside The Rock’s Virginia Farmhouse – Hollywood Life

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Image Credit: Getty Images for Disney

Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a “The Rock” in the ring, has built a brand-new reputation as a movie star over the years. But now that he’s stepping back into the ring for his role in The Smashing Machine, Dwayne appeared on a September 2025 CBS News Sunday Morning interview, where he brought viewers to his sprawling Virginia farmhouse and property.

Below, learn more about Dwayne’s peaceful home.

Where Does Dwayne Johnson Live?

Technically, Dwayne lives in multiple places, but he spends most of his time at his rural home near Gordonsville, Virginia.

During his September 2025 interview, the Jungle Cruise actor took CBS News’ Tracy Smith to his pond, where he fishes alone.

“Just me, and I’ll bring the girls here, and it’s magical,” Dwayne said, referring to his daughters, Simone, Jasmine and Tiana. “Just the way the property is set up, I never have to see anybody. And I know it sounds crazy, and maybe kind of weird, but that’s fun for me.”

Dwayne shares Simone with ex-wife Dany Garcia and Jasmine and Tiana with his wife, Lauren Hashian.

How Many Homes Does Dwayne Johnson Have?

According to multiple outlets, Dwayne has owned homes in multiple states, including California, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.

Inside Dwayne Johnson’s Virginia Farmhouse

As seen in his CBS News interview with Tracy, Dwayne showed off the picturesque property he has in Virginia. By helping the CBS personality go fishing, cameras showed audiences how massive and stunning his rural home is.

However, this wasn’t the first time that the Game Plan actor has discussed his life in the Southern state. In 2017, Dwayne revealed via Instagram that he was building a gym at his house.

“When I come back home to my farm in Virginia to recharge, I have to go to a public gym to train (I’m building a gym on my property),” he captioned his post at the time, “and try to get in and out as fast as possible without drawing a crowd.”

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Fatal Stabbing Outside Phish Virginia Concert: One Dead, Two Injured
Music

Fatal Stabbing Outside Phish Virginia Concert: One Dead, Two Injured

by jummy84
written by jummy84

A victim lost their life, and two others sustained injuries, in a stabbing that took place outside Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va., during Phish‘s performance at the venue Friday night (Sept. 19).

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Officers responded to an altercation that had escalated into violence on Coliseum Drive just after 9:30 p.m. ET, according to a police report from the Hampton Police Division. The suspect fled, but detectives “identified all parties involved” and determined it “appears to be an isolated incident,” says the report published on Saturday.

“Members from the Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and rendered medical assistance,” Cpl. Shaun Stalnaker writes. “The first victim was transported to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The second victim was also transported and is currently receiving medical treatment. A third adult male victim later arrived at a local hospital as a walk-in, also suffering from a laceration determined to be non-life-threatening.”

Phish addressed the tragedy on Saturday in a statement the band posted on social media.

“During last night’s show, a tragic incident took place in the parking lot outside Hampton Coliseum. There was an altercation behind one of the tents in the unofficial vending area in which someone lost their life and two other people were injured. We don’t have more information than what has been reported by the police, who called it an isolated incident, but what we do know is upsetting enough. We are deeply saddened by this and our hearts go out to all of those affected,” the band said.

Phish’s Saturday and Sunday night concerts in Hampton, which wrap their summer tour, were set to go on as scheduled. Lead singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio’s solo band has gigs slated for this fall before Phish takes the stage together again for their traditional run of New Year’s Eve shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where they’ve booked a four-show series spanning the dates of Dec. 28-31.

The Hampton Police Division’s Major Crimes Unit can be contacted with additional information surrounding Friday night’s incident by phone (757–727–6111 or 1–888-LOCK-U-UP), or through anonymous tip via a secure form at P3Tips.com.

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A Week In Northern Virginia (DC Metro Area) On A $130,000 Salary
Fashion

A Week In Northern Virginia (DC Metro Area) On A $130,000 Salary

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.
Today: a service operations manager who makes $130,000 a year and who spends some of her money this week on meds to freeze her eggs (which was a huge and emotional purchase).

Occupation: Service operations manager
Industry: Life Sciences
Age: 38
Location: Northern Virginia (DC metro area)
Salary: $130,000 and up to 10% bonus
Assets: Brokerage account: $46,209.28; Roth IRA: $28,665.91; traditional IRA: $61,371.93; HYSA: $88,925.68; 401(k): $110,442.80; employer-issued stock: $7,294.08; HSA $16,110.56; cash in bank account: $10,365.47.
Debt: Student loans: $15,752.39 (for MBA student loans) and $2,620 on car payments.
Paycheck Amount (biweekly): $3,120.51
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $2,467.50 for a one-bedroom apartment.
Loan Payments: Student loans: $230 for MBA student loans and ~$300 on car payments.
Trash: $15
Sewer: ~$15
HVAC: ~$25
Water: ~$10
Parking: $125 
Electricity: $34-$38
Internet: $49.99
Prime Student Membership: $7.49 (I share this with my family).
iCloud Storage: $0.99
Apple Music: $10.99
Hulu: $10.99
Phone, NYTimes, Netflix: Covered by my family.
Car Loan: $318 (quarterly).
High Rewards Credit Card: $395 (annually).

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, education was very important to both of my parents, especially my father who is an immigrant and came to the US to study in the 1970s. He credits his education for giving him a new life. I grew up in a small and rural town, where most people had blue collar jobs that have since vanished, so I knew that if I wanted to achieve something, I would have to leave the area and education was the medium to do so. After sending my sister to a private college, my parents realized the expense was not worth it and strongly advocated for my brother and I to go to state schools, which we both did. I received a small amount of scholarship money ($1,500), took out Perkins and Stafford loans, and my parents covered the rest, including room and board. When I decided to go back to school to get my MBA, I called my parents and asked for money. They had always promised financial support and assistance, should I go back to school. They paid for approximately half of my full-time MBA program at a top-tier university. To this day, I’m the only person in my immediate or extended family to have a graduate degree. Their investment in me opened the door to my new life. I am forever grateful to them.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
My mother always thought it was taboo and distasteful to discuss money, so I did not learn anything about investing, saving, or budgeting. My mom did explain that she took out college loans and that I would have to as well. It was not until I began dating my ex-husband that I learned about 401(k)s, investing, and how to truly be smart with your money.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I began working at 16 at a small independent movie theater in my hometown. It was a dream first job and still my favorite, although my current role is a close second. And yes, I did get to see free movies when I worked at the theater.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes, a lot. As a child I remember my mom saying my father could not sleep since there were a lot of bills to pay. Once I was in high school, I learned that my parents had been carrying a substantial amount of credit card debt when I was growing up (~$30,000). I always knew we did not go without per se, but that we also did not do things that other normal families did, like back-to-school shopping, annual beach vacations, etc.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes, and far too much IMO. Since leaving a horrible, toxic relationship that evolved into a brief and unhappy marriage, I always worry what could happen if I end up in financial trouble and if I lost the freedom I worked so hard to garner.  I check my 401(k), IRA, brokerage and savings accounts almost daily. I worry that I will never have enough to satisfy all my needs, wants, and to build the solidly upper-middle class lifestyle that I want, including having a family, owning a home, and so on.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
After I graduated college, I served in the Peace Corps, but once I returned I lived at home while I searched for a job. I became  financially responsible for myself when I started working for the federal government at age 26.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes. As I mentioned, my parents gave me $30,000 each year during my two-year full-time MBA program. They also covered my living expenses. Two years ago they gave my siblings and I each $15,000. I put mine towards my car loans.

Day One: Monday

7 a.m. — Wake-up at 7 a.m. when I’ve taken the day off, why??? Try and go back to sleep, but end up scrolling the web.

9 a.m. — Eat a smoothie bowl for breakfast and a double iced almond milk latte I make at home. Scroll the web and then, as always, putz around the house (aka my junior one-bedroom apartment) and pick up and clean here and there while listening to music.

1:57 p.m. — Call a specialty pharmacy to get egg freezing meds delivered. Give them my credit card number and it will be $6,200. I remind them of my employer family planning benefit program and get $200 off. Not a huge savings, IMO. $6,000

2:20 p.m. — Message family planning benefit company. Having mixed feelings about upcoming egg freezing. I am saddened about having to do it, anxiety ridden over paying for it, and happy to be able to have the financial resources to do it.

3:05 p.m. — Head out for a brief run and decide a swim would have been better. Find 12 cents while out running though. When I was a kid, I used to walk around my small town and pick up loose change that was on the ground. I would put it in my penny bank and take the coins to the bank once the bank was full. As an adult, I still do the same thing.

3:35 p.m. — Head home from my run to jump in the pool quickly and return back to my apartment to get ready. I put on a Faherty dress that is a tad too short, but a favorite of mine.

4:59 p.m. — Head into DC to meet a friend for happy hour. We miss happy hour and decide to do dinner instead (the bill is $116 and an 18% tip). Totally not worth it IMO. But we spend the time venting about our mutual friend and both get a bit of reprieve. We also notice the small groups of armed military that are now walking the streets of the Wharf and both mutter WTF. $138

8:05 p.m. — We discuss my friend’s upcoming travel plans to Spain and I tell her I am headed to Chile and Argentina to backpack through Patagonia over the holidays. I am so pumped.

Daily Total: $6138

Day Two: Tuesday

6:55 a.m. — Wake up and do normal skincare and makeup routine: True Botanicals and Saint Jane serum, Kosas concealer, RMS eyeshadow, Iris & Romeo tinted moisturizer, Westman Atelier blush, and Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen. Throw on a Donna Karan dress and Rothy’s flats.

9 a.m. — Arrive at work and drink a Trader Joe’s almond butter smoothie for breakfast with a spoonful of chia seeds I add myself.

4:10 p.m. — Research Metro fees to figure out exactly how much I need on my card. I use Metro Planner and add $8 to my Metro card via Apple Pay. $8

5 p.m. — Drive home, park the car in the garage, and head straight to the metro to get to Georgetown. On my way there, I remember attending this same exact event six years ago in Atlanta. I was stuck in a horrible relationship, where my partner would put me down constantly. I wanted to go back to school so badly and get out of a career I was hating. I just felt so stuck and lacked self-worth. Eventually I just pushed myself to apply and had so much doubt the whole time, but I did it and I made it. The new me definitely feels proud of all that I accomplished and just wants to hug the old me.

7:30 p.m. — The panel begins. Participants ask questions on why the other panelists and I got our MBAs and what value it had on our careers. I give them my token answer: “Its the best decision I ever made,” and it’s the truth. A panelist pulls me aside at the end and asks how switching from the public to private sector was. I tell them how potential employers loved hearing about me serving in the Peace Corps and working for non-profits before I pivoted. So rewarding to be mentoring others.

9:04 p.m. — Buy kombucha at Whole Foods for dinner. Strawberry Glow forever. $4.09

10:25 p.m. — Back at home and look at credit card spending analysis. See travel and groceries as top two spending categories and ponder more ways to save on groceries.

Daily Total: $12.09

Day Three: Wednesday

6 a.m. — How am I awake?? And it’s dark out?

7 a.m. — Drag myself out of bed. Do normal skincare and makeup routine. Put on Mother balloon pants and put on my old Free People mules from 2017.

10:15 a.m. — At work and I am starving so I look at coupon app and begin to grocery plan. See berries are on sale and my favorite cold brew with a purchase of creamer.

12:05 p.m. — Think about grabbing coffee; opt not to and take a rainy walk outside.

12:45 p.m. — Spend some lunch time scrolling the net looking at DTC brands like Lake, Mejuri, and Halfdays. Don’t have that kind of money atm.

4 p.m. — At the dentist for a filling. Not happy about it at all. Growing up, my parents did not have dental insurance, so all dental and orthodontic work had to be paid for. Whenever my siblings or I ever got a cavity, our mother would be very, very upset due to the additional out-of-pocket cost. Now as an adult, I have the same mentality and anytime I hear I have a cavity, it just ruins my day. Pay copay of $28.20 on my debit card to avoid 3% transaction fee. $28.20

6:23 p.m. — Hit Peloton at the gym in my apartment building.

7:08 p.m. — Head to Wegmans and grab some essentials like green onions, bananas, berries, prenatal vitamins, and a kombucha. Opt out of a cold brew and creamer deal (since I don’t like creamer and who wants to spend more for something). About to leave and then I remember Polar seltzer has an active rebate on the Ibotta app, so I grab some. Spend $23.55 and get a $.75 rebate for the seltzer. $23.55

9 p.m. — Make tacos and beef and broccoli with gochujang sauce for lunch and dinner this week. Also make chia pudding and meal prep an acai smoothie bowl.

9:32 p.m. — Check my brokerage, IRA, and HSA accounts. See NYT stock is finally above the $55 I paid for it two years ago. Sell two shares of NYT stock for $60.62, make a gain of $10.

10:06 p.m. — Watch an episode of And Just Like That… and then get into bed and konk out immediately.

Daily Total: $51.75

Day Four: Thursday

6:23 a.m. — Wake up and I do not want to be up. I have secret ambitions of being a morning person, but I just do not have it in me.

7:10 a.m. — Finally get out of bed and get ready for the day. Put on Farm Rio pants, a Vince tee, and Rothy’s flats.

8:29 a.m. — Arrive at work and jump on meeting and start answering Teams messages. Begin to peruse Clean Living swaps online.

11:15 a.m. — Endure a mini process audit at work. Lots of questions on our policies and practices. Oof, it’s painful. I have been here for only 10 months and am still very much learning the ropes. Before taking on this role, I worked in operations for a very, very large company in a different industry. My career was my life and I valued success above all else. I realize now, I wanted it so badly that I derailed myself at my last job. Trying to have more balance in this job and, so far, it is working as my team’s KPIs have never been higher. As my favorite deck of cards says, “You’ve come a long way baby.”

12:05 p.m. — Head out on my daily lunchtime walk. I am always trying to get at least 10,000 steps per day.

1:05 p.m. — Eat lunch at my desk with the tacos I made yesterday. One of the better lunches lately. Scroll through NY Times and  The Washington Post, and check to see how a few of my stocks are performing.

6 p.m. — A couple of my team members are working late so I decide to as well. I am big on the leading by example ethos, or at least I try to be. Finally peel out after 6 p.m.

8:30 p.m. — Start watching Hunting Wives and it’s just so-so… yet, I cannot stop watching. Finally crash while watching TV.

Daily Total: $0

Day Five: Friday

2:38 a.m. — Wake up on the couch after falling asleep.This happens to me all the time. Start a load of laundry in the dryer and get into bed. I try and run all my major appliances late at night to save on utility costs. Definitely helps keep my electricity bill down. Fall asleep around 3:30 a.m.

7 a.m. — Alarm goes off, I hit snooze.

7:55 a.m. — Wake up again and I am about to be late, but still do not get out of bed.

8:05 a.m. — Finally get out of bed. Get ready with my normal skincare and makeup routine and put on a new Faherty tee from the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and some L’Agence jeans I have had forever, along with my favorite purple and orange Adidas sneakers.

11:45 a.m. — Spend some time working on invoices and intermittently online browsing. Looking at makeup bags from Cuyana. I have two bags from them and love them. Book a free yoga class at Vuori while doing so. Love their monthly free classes. I have friends that are very judgy when I tell them about my new purchases and things I want to buy. I used to feel guilt, now I am just like, f*off, I earned this.

2 p.m. — 1-1 with my boss. I spend an hour with him on Teams. I really do like him, but too long of a 1-1, IMO.

5:26 p.m. — One of my chattiest team members wants to catch up. I really like this guy, but I just want to go home. Finally log off.

5:40 p.m. — Stop at Lidl and grab some basics. Trying to do this once a month to cut down on grocery spending. Grab blueberries, cauliflower rice, a smoothie, nuts, and dried fruit. Return some tea that has artificial flavoring and get a $2.10 gift card. $28.22

7:30 p.m. — Go out for a run but end up walking. Stop at Wegmans to get a six-pack of strawberry guava kombucha. $11.10

Daily Total: $39.32

Day Six: Saturday

7:55 a.m. — Wake up too early. Again, just why?? Scroll the internets and get out of bed to make an iced almond milk latte. Round it out with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

11:30 a.m. — Head to a Cyclebar class that I purchased for $14.62 through a group discount. $14.32

12:30 p.m. — Walk to the local farmers’ market and see that it’s closed. Head to coffee shop instead and grab a honey matcha latte. I am always debating in my head about enjoying the small things, like getting coffee, and trying to save money. I am starting to begin to look for my first house and every extra bit will help, but also do not want to punish myself either. $6.60

12:43 p.m. — Swing by Whole Foods to grab some no-sugar-added jam that I want that’s on sale. Also grab chicken breasts, zero sugar popsicles, sweet potato chips, frozen spinach bites, coconut yogurt, and almond dip. I spend $43.72 and get $7.50 back on my Ibotta app. $43.72

1:40 p.m. — Drop off overdue library books. Not buying books and opting to use the library is one of the ways I choose to cut down on expenses. I then head home to shower, change into an Outdoor Voices workout dress, eat, and get ready for boating on the Potomac!

2:50 p.m. — Head to the Metro and meet my friend on the train. We catch up the whole ride. We get off the train after 45 minutes and my sandal breaks. Luckily, my friend is a master seamstress and repairs my shoe on the spot. She is so talented.

4 p.m. — Meet another friend for paddle boating ($40 split among the three of us). $13.33

5:19 p.m. — We decide to walk to the Wharf for dinner. I voice my request for fish, we end up at a French-inspired place. We all have mocktails and salads and we all split the bill evenly. The place is just so-so, but so is much of DC food I am realizing. $39.60

8:35 p.m. — We grab gelato and I make mine an affrogato with Earl Grey gelato. It is great and worth the calories in my opinion. $9.07

Daily Total: $126.64

Day Seven: Sunday

8:55 a.m. — Wake up and debate going to free yoga class at the mall. Get out of bed and make some Earl Grey tea and then climb back in bed. Opt out of yoga class to stay at home and lounge while listening to Noah Kahan.

10:25 a.m. — Make almond flour pancakes with blueberries which are messy and only ok. Save some leftovers for breakfast during the week. Do some lite picking-up around the apartment.

11:10 a.m. — Check my weekly horoscope on Refinery29. It encourages me to be more open and vulnerable. It also urges me to learn from my past mistakes. Truth.

3:13 p.m. — Head to the mall to return some items I purchased during Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale. I got a Nordstrom Card 11 years ago and it’s one of the status symbols I am most proud of. A total of $298.81 back on my store card for the return.

5 p.m. — Head to the building pool and meet a lovely couple in the building who both work in the restaurant industry. They share tips and places that they got to frequently in the neighborhood and in DC. Making new friends as an adult has been hard and I have lived in six different cities and five states in the last 10 years. I truly value the close relationships I have made on the way and hope to make more now that I am mostly settled.

6:48 p.m. — Walk to Solidcore for a coach-in-training class. Their coach-in-training classes are discount classes for the new coaches who are about to lead their own classes. I love Pilates but cannot justify paying $30+ for a class right now. $19.57

8:48 p.m. — Back at home. Take a shower, pack lunch, and turn on Hunting Wives.

11:50 p.m. — Do nighttime skincare routine and climb into bed, Have no problem falling asleep, like always.

Daily Total: $19.57

The Breakdown

Weekly Total $$ Spent: $6387.37
Food & Drink: $303.95
Entertainment: $13.33
Home & Health: $6062.09
Clothes & Beauty $0.00
Transportation $8.00
Other $0.00

Conclusion:
“I am impressed that I did not spend on clothing and  on extras like beauty products, which I love. My key area of opportunity is to spend less on groceries, and food spend in general, to cut down on expenses. Overall, my conclusion is that I am in a season of life that is just tighter: moving to a new, more expensive metro area, taking a slight pay cut and trying to do all big life decisions (buying a home, traveling, and freezing eggs) at once. Despite this, I  know this season is temporary and that my earning potential has a highly favorable trajectory.”

Money Diaries are meant to reflect an individual’s experience and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29’s point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior.

The first step to getting your financial life in order is tracking what you spend — to try on your own, check out our guide to managing your money every day. For more Money Diaries, click here.

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A Week In Northern Virginia On A $195,000 Joint Income
Fashion

A Week In Northern Virginia On A $195,000 Joint Income

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Throughout my childhood, the expectation to go to college came solely from me. My success in school (former gifted kid, IYKYK), coupled with the fact that I would be the first person in my entire family, immediate and extended, to go to college, fed into a perceived “requirement” to do well enough to be accepted and graduate. My parents were encouraging in my academic ambitions, but neither one had gone to college and so they did not pressure me too much. My parents also did not save for my college and they were not in a financial position to help pay, so not only did I have the imaginary pressure of getting into college, but I had to figure out a way to pay for it myself. I was able to scrounge together enough scholarships to get a free ride at an out of state public school, where I earned two bachelor degrees in four years. A few years later I decided to pivot my career ambitions to finance (my undergrad degrees are both liberal arts degrees and I originally wanted to go into social work), and I got a master’s in finance. I took out roughly $50,000 in student loans to pay for it, and I paid off the loans in 2019.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s) educate you about finances?
My dad was in the military, so growing up we moved around a lot, which did a good job at hiding the struggles my parents were facing financially, at least from my perspective. Once my dad retired and we moved back to my parents’ home state, I was in high school and old enough to be a sounding board for my mom’s frustrations and fears with money, which was eye opening. My parents grew up poor and tended to spend everything and save nothing, which meant that when unexpected bills came, it would wipe the legs out from underneath them. My mom wanted to save money but my dad liked to spend as much as he made, which caused a lot of fights and stress. I learned financial literacy on my own, through reading and by using my parents as an example of what not to do. They are doing better now, but my dad wants to retire and they have no savings.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
When I was 12, I would babysit for some of the people my dad worked with for pocket change. When I turned 14, I was able to get my first part-time job at a bakery in the summer. At 15, I moved on to the one fast-food chain in my hometown, where I worked part time during the school year and full time in the summer until college. I also worked full time in college at the same fast-food chain, just in a different state.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I did not actively worry about money until I was in high school and my mom began to open up to me about how bad things were. However, looking back on when I was younger, I had to have known subconsciously that things were not that great, since I knew not to ask for extras. We never went on vacation (moving around per military orders were our vacations/trips). We never went without food. When I was in college my dad quit his job suddenly and I had to help my mom with their mortgage and food for my brother and sister; for about six months, I sent my mom $500 per month, and worked extra shifts (and accumulated credit card debt) to pay for it.

Do you worry about money now?
All the time. My husband M. and I have worked very hard to get to the position we are now, but I do not think that I know financial peace, even though our only debt is our mortgage and we have healthy savings. I have been the breadwinner in our marriage since my husband left the military in 2022, and while I do not mind making most of the money, I have a lot of stress being the only one employed, especially with the labor market as it is right now. M. will be done with his program next spring, and his program has a stellar track record of almost 100% job placement, with starting positions around $80,000. I would like to think once he is settled into his new career, I will be able to let out the breath that I have been holding for the past few years, but I know my brain will just move the goal post and I will fixate on something else.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became financially independent when I moved out of state for college at 18. If M. and I ever found ourselves in dire financial straits, we would always have a place to stay at my parents’ house or M.’s parents’ house, but neither side of the family has the cash to assist monetarily, nor would we ask them to.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No, for both myself and my husband.

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