Charmed: Macy Vaughn
I remember watching Charmed when I was a kid. It inspired Victorian-home envy in me for years to come, so when Netflix’s reboot came out, I knew I’d be watching just to see how it was translated for this generation. Was it deliciously awful? Yes. Do I still love it? Solid hell yes. There was diversity, cultural examination, LGBTQ+ awareness, emphasis on avoiding stereotypes, and a multitude of current-day issues (think: mental health, blended families, feminism, sexual assault, etc.) placed strategically throughout the show. Even the magic and representation of witches is well-researched and presents facets from all cultures and time periods.
The real star of the show is Macy Vaughn. A geneticist working at Hilltowne University’s labs, Dr. Vaughn is a badass. She’s dealt with the abandonment of her mother, the death of her father, and the separation from her two sisters. Somewhere along the line she graduated from Columbia, and now? She’s a Charmed one living with her sisters in Vera Manor (the same beautiful Vancouver Victorian featured in Witches of East End). She’s a strong, powerful character. I was super pumped to dig into her fictional finances.
Small-Town Chic
The entire show has that small college town boutique feel you see in a ton of CW-type shows (Rosewood, Greendale, Riverdale, Stars Hollow…). Big enough to have some abandoned 19th century industrial buildings, a little bit of a hip downtown revitalization vibe, a rich and snobby part of town, and quirky vintage shops and variations of The Bell, Book, & Candle. AKA: small enough for small-minded people, but big enough for some economic and cultural diversity. It reminds me somewhat of my own hometown in south Louisiana. Hilltowne is a fictional city, but we know it is in Michigan and about 2 hours from Chicago. Cities around the 130,000-180,000 population size in that general geographic area are Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, at 3 and 4 hours away respectively. Most of the data I pulled from was based on these two areas, with a preference towards Grand Rapids.
INCOME: $73,300
A PhD research scientist working at a university in Grand Rapids has an average salary of $73,300. With Macy’s promotion to lab supervisor, this appears reasonable – especially since in the show the lazy grad student she fires is paid $40,000.
EXPENSES: $61,750
Vera Manor is literally named after the family living in it, so I think it’s fair to assume it has been in the family since it was built in the 19th century. If it has been willed down from witch to witch, the house is probably paid for and worth a ton more today. Each of the girls have a room and so does Harry, so it looks to be a 4 bed/ 3 bath house with a soaring attic space and cottage garden. If we were to put a price tag on it today, it would fall somewhere between $475,000-700,000. Look at this beauty in Hastings, MI - Striker House doesn’t have as grand of an attic, but overall, it’s a great (although cheaper) point of comparison.
With no mortgage, the girls are looking at just home maintenance and utilities. Home maintenance for an older home at $500,000 will be roughly $5,000 a year using the 1% rule. Utilities run pretty low in Michigan, but I doubled them due to my own experience with a 100+ year old drafty home with high ceilings. Split three ways, and Macy’s portion of home expenses will be about $200 a month. Being witches does save them some money here: security is covered with many a protection spell, exterminators are eliminated with a fumigation spell, and minor household repairs can be avoided with simple spells.
It is insinuated that the girls also split groceries, with Harry doing the bulk of the cooking. A few bottles of wine, almond milk, veggies, and other staples for the house twice a month would be about $200. They mostly spend their time between their Charmed duties, the university, and the house, so a few café lunches, a few drinks at the Haunt, and a restaurant meal once a week will run about $188/month. As for magic supplies, the expensive equipment is in the attic (crystal balls, pendulums, scrying mirrors, antique books and artifacts, tarot decks, etc.) and the rest (herbs, salt, and a few candles) is tacked onto the grocery bill.
Macy could afford a Tesla on her salary if she wanted to live paycheck-to-paycheck, but she’s too practical for that. A $280 car note for a Honda Fit would suit her limited needs perfectly. Car insurance in Michigan is actually the highest in the nation (with Louisiana in 2nd place!), but with minimal fuel and maintenance needs, her other car expenses will be a little over $250.
Part of the story arc is the lack of familial stability in her life, and I can totally see that affecting her financial decisions. A student coming out of Columbia has on average $27,000 in student loans, but to make this more realistic, I upped it to $50,000 or $575 a month. Still low for a PhD, but you know she’s smart enough to have gotten substantial scholarships. I’m sure she’s saving at least the recommended 10% for retirement and another 20% for savings, and still donating to charity monthly. All in all, that totals to about $611, $882, and $50 respectively.
Okay I admit: I love Macy so much because one of my decades-long best friends is the real-life Dr. Vaughn! She’s a 26 year-old pediatrics resident and is just one of the kindest, most brilliant women in the world. I reached out to her to ask her for some advice on topics I might’ve missed, such as continuing education expenses or natural hair care costs. Between that and some research on salons in the Grand Rapids area (fantastic website, JoJo’s Beauty Salon!), we estimate her self-care costs to be about $415 a month. That includes a few mani-pedis, a wax pass, hair care, and all the yummy candles, bath bombs, and sheet masks you would need to make baths absolutely luxurious.
I like to imagine Macy to be a knitter like my friend, so I threw in some money for crafting supplies in the budget, at about $20 monthly. Can’t you just see her stress-knitting in the Vera Manor book nook? I’m sure she’s also a prolific reader, so another $47 goes to entertainment subscriptions, such as Netflix, Audible, and Scribd. (I think each one of the girls pays for a site and they all share access to Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime). Finally, her iPhone line would cost another $60 monthly.
A large component of the show’s aesthetic is based in the sisters’ fashion. Mel and Maggie gravitate towards Fashionnova-type looks, while Macy’s is a little more Madewell. While TV stretches the fashion budget to fantastic heights, Macy’s clothing costs are probably more reasonable, with a $50-100 purchase here and there for a total of $400 monthly. At least I hope so. Because that striped dress? It’s $645. I adore her satin green trench too, but who is spending $895 on it?!
NET INCOME: $(8,850)
Macy’s total yearly expenses run about $61,750 against her after-tax income of $52,900. This is probably caused by the inflation properties of tv magic, and in reality Dr. Vaughn would break even. True – she’s fortunate not to have a mortgage, but in all other way she has some familiar millennial burdens, such as student loans. Being such a practical character, I believe she has some healthy money habits and is contributing to her savings, retirement, HSA, and charity monthly.
“I don’t need a mortgage, I’ve got student loans.”
*As always, the numbers provided are estimations based on my knowledge of the content, a little research, and pure speculation. If you are interested in seeing the sources I used or the calculations I came up with, you can find the spreadsheet here. Want to see the finances of your favorite character? Submit here.
