Courtney Harrell (Host)
speaker
376 appearances
10 recordings
3 series
first heard Apr 2025
last heard May 2025
Courtney Harrell (Host)’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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Appearances
Kelly's degree cost about 40 grand a year. And after undergrad, Kelly went on to grad school at the same university. She has a master's in mental health counseling. But as Kelly sees it now, the math doesn't make much sense. I want to ask you something about that. And I mean no judgment with this. Okay. How did you think you were going to pay off that amount of tuition?
Or were you at the time like, I know I can't pay this off. How did you think about it then?
So that's Kelly. And this week, instead of just tracking it in her spreadsheet, she's gonna tell us about every dollar she spends and every feeling that comes with it. How are you feeling about tracking your finances for a week?
Yeah, me too. I will check in with you on the other side of your week. Okay. Okay.
Is there a time in your life when you felt the most financially at ease? Looking back, yes. When was that?
This is Victoria. She's 30 and lives in New Jersey. And for work, I am a preschool teacher's assistant. How old are the kids in a preschool? Four years old. What is it like to be with four-year-olds all day? Oh, I love it. They're really sweet, wonderful. The idea of spending all day with four-year-olds sounds really fun and also challenging.
For Victoria, the biggest challenge is the salary. It's no secret that teachers don't make a lot of money in the U.S., but Victoria makes even less because she's still working towards her teacher's license. As a teacher's assistant, Victoria makes $35,000 a year, $29,000 after taxes, and that doesn't include health or dental insurance.
At 30, Victoria is starting to feel desperate for a little more stability than 35K can give her. And there is one thing that would change her salary dramatically, getting that teaching license. But that costs money. It costs time. And Victoria doesn't have either right now.
This week, we'll hear what it's like for Victoria to get by on a teacher's assistant wage while she tries to answer some big questions. How do I make my situation better? How can I set myself up for the life that I want? I'm Courtney Harrell, and this is What We Spend. What was money like growing up? Tight.
It was bad. What does that mean?
Victoria graduated with a degree in art administration. She thought she might be a curator in an art gallery. But she quickly found that those jobs didn't pay enough. So after college, she experimented with a lot of different ways to make money. From working as an assistant, to teaching piano lessons, to teaching yoga, to learning to code.
So how did you end up getting to preschool teacher assistant? So...
So like that moment for you was in part like, I'm going to go find something where I feel more engaged. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Victoria did think being a preschool teacher might be a good fit because she knew that she loved being with kids. Growing up, her mom was actually a home daycare provider.
Do you talk to them about your financial situation now?
Let's go into Victoria's numbers. As you know, she makes $35K a year before taxes. She lives with her boyfriend, who tends to cover the rent and food. His income varies. He works on cargo and with cars. But it's always less than $80K before taxes. And their expenses?
She drives almost an hour to get to the preschool, so she spends about $100 a month on gas and tolls. She does own her car, but it's on its last legs.
Groceries, $400. Wi-Fi, $120.
Crunchyroll is $12 a month.
His name is Sir Wallace. Turtle care is $20 a month. Digital storage, $1.99. Therapy, $60. Medication, $25. And she's got a few different debt payments. $525 a month for student debt, $300 a month for credit card debt, and $125 a month for medical debt. And then there's insurance.
Get Covered New Jersey is a state-run website. It helps residents compare health plans and apply for financial aid to lower monthly premiums.
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