Living On $88K A Year In The Bay Area | Millennial Money

Christine Hopkins, 27, lives in Berkeley, CA, and earns $88,000 a year as a marketing manager at Bluewolf, an IBM company. She wasn't always responsible with money, making charges to her credit card without being able to pay them off. In 2018 she began making an effort to change her financial habits. Here's how Christine makes, earns, and spends her money.

Read more about Rachel and Scott’s budget breakdown

This is the latest installment of Millennial Money, which profiles people across the U.S. and details how they earn and spend their money.

After making changes to her financial lifestyle, Hopkins now puts away around $2,000 a month into savings, pays down her debt, and still enjoys life in the Bay area. Although a significant portion of her earnings goes toward rent and debt repayment, Hopkins says she never feels like she’s struggling to get by. “I’m able to live pretty comfortably on my salary in Berkeley,” she says.

Hopkins began working in the Bay Area as a marketing intern after graduating from college, earning $15 an hour. After her internship ended the company offered her a full-time position for $50,000 a year.

When she realized that her debt was not decreasing despite her increase in salary she started working with an advisor at the Financial Gym. Hopkins began treating her savings and debt like bills, putting a certain amount toward each every month. “I have discovered that I actually have a lot more money than I thought to do things like this,” she says.

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Living On $88K A Year In The Bay Area | Millennial Money