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Roxy Kirshenbaum

Roxy Kirshenbaum is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. After graduating from Columbia University’s journalism program, she worked as a copy editor at InStyle magazine in New York and then as an editor at Surface magazine. When she returned to Toronto, she worked at Blue Ant Media and Cottage Life, and she has been a contributing writer and photographer at Toronto Life for many years.

Latest from Roxy Kirshenbaum

These siblings moved to Toronto during the pandemic. They found a $1,775 a month apartment at Queen and Dufferin

Real Estate News

These siblings moved to Toronto during the pandemic. They found a $1,775 a month apartment at Queen and Dufferin

They both lived together in Ottawa. When Carina got a job at Kijiji in Toronto, Oscar decided to tag along

"It was kind of like camp": How a community in Leslieville came together during the pandemic

“It was kind of like camp”: How a community in Leslieville came together during the pandemic

When Covid hit, the residents of 50 Curzon came together (at a safe distance)

This Toronto couple bought a $1.1-million 19th-century farmhouse in Everett. A few months later, they got married on the property

Real Estate News

This Toronto couple bought a $1.1-million 19th-century farmhouse in Everett. A few months later, they got married on the property

Jesse and Veronica used to have a three-bedroom townhouse in Moss Park. Now they've got two dogs, three cats and seven chickens.

This Toronto couple quit their New York finance jobs and moved back home to start a pasture-raised meat subscription service. Here's what happened

This Toronto couple quit their New York finance jobs and moved back home to start a pasture-raised meat subscription service. Here’s what happened

"As we passed horse-drawn carriages in our car, we felt increasingly out of place"

A Toronto couple saved $50,000 during lockdown. They put it toward a $750,000 condo in the Distillery District

Real Estate News

A Toronto couple saved $50,000 during lockdown. They put it toward a $750,000 condo in the Distillery District

Kyle and Christopher wanted something downtown, with nearby green space for their miniature dachshund, Ben

This creative director makes $60,000 a year. How is she spending during the pandemic?

This creative director makes $60,000 a year. How is she spending during the pandemic?

Her recent splurges include a $440 bottle of perfume and an $850 queen-sized mattress

This Belgian just moved to Toronto. She found a room at Bloor and Spadina for $785 a month

Real Estate News

This Belgian just moved to Toronto. She found a room at Bloor and Spadina for $785 a month

Camille initially found a spot at Christie Pits, for $825 a month, but moved out because she could hear the subway rumbling beneath her at night

This couple makes $94,000 a year. How are they spending it during the pandemic?

This couple makes $94,000 a year. How are they spending it during the pandemic?

Recent splurges include: a $130 cat scratching post and a $150 vintage REM t-shirt

A couple from Ingersoll were thinking about retiring—so they bought this $830,000 detached in Mimico

Real Estate News

A couple from Ingersoll were thinking about retiring—so they bought this $830,000 detached in Mimico

Jeff and Fiona plan to retire within the next five years. In the meantime, their kids are living in the house and helping pay down the mortgage

This family just downsized from a 2,600-square-foot Markham home to a 1,350-square-foot North York condo

Real Estate News

This family just downsized from a 2,600-square-foot Markham home to a 1,350-square-foot North York condo

The Wiitasalos were bored of living Markham. They figured it was the right time to move to the city

This elementary school teacher makes $66,000 a year. How does she spend it during lockdown?

This elementary school teacher makes $66,000 a year. How does she spend it during lockdown?

Recent splurges include: a new car and a few items from Beyoncé's clothing line

This administrative assistant makes $63,000 a year. How does she spend it during the pandemic?

This administrative assistant makes $63,000 a year. How does she spend it during the pandemic?

Recent splurges include: North Face Thermoball booties and a royal-purple plush lounge robe

This Uber account executive makes $90,000 a year. How does she spend her money?

This Uber account executive makes $90,000 a year. How does she spend her money?

Recent splurges include online cooking classes with a renowned Italian chef, a weighted blanket from Amazon and enough plants to turn her condo into a sanctuary

This DJ launched her own clothing line during lockdown. How does she spend her money?

This DJ launched her own clothing line during lockdown. How does she spend her money?

Tajah Charles lost a bunch of DJ gigs when the pandemic hit. So, she collected CERB and started working on a clothing line. Recent splurges include: a sewing machine and an online stretching class

This consultant makes $65,000 a year. She went on a bit of a spending streak during the pandemic

This consultant makes $65,000 a year. She went on a bit of a spending streak during the pandemic

Vanessa realized that frugality was impacting her happiness, so she started spending. “Money comes and goes, so live your life," she says. "As long as I have a roof over my head and food in my belly, I’m happy."

This freelance photographer makes $30,000 a year. How is she spending during the pandemic?

This freelance photographer makes $30,000 a year. How is she spending during the pandemic?

Gabi Macias wanted to quit her job and start working full time as a freelance photographer. Then the pandemic hit, forcing her to collect CERB and rethink her short-term goals

Adventures in real estate: “I moved from a windowless 140-square-foot basement apartment to a penthouse”

Adventures in real estate: “I moved from a windowless 140-square-foot basement apartment to a penthouse”

It's 700 square feet, and I got it for $1,825, utilities and parking included

They make a combined $120,000. How are they spending during the pandemic?

They make a combined $120,000. How are they spending during the pandemic?

Prashanth and Sowjanya would like to save $50,000 for a down payment on a house—either a townhouse or semi. After that, they plan to start a family

This entrepreneur collected CERB during the pandemic. Did it alter her spending habits?

This entrepreneur collected CERB during the pandemic. Did it alter her spending habits?

Lockdown provided a silver lining for Shanshan, giving her the opportunity to launch her own business

This mortgage broker makes $150,000 a year. How did the pandemic impact his spending?

This mortgage broker makes $150,000 a year. How did the pandemic impact his spending?

During the pandemic, Sean Cooper, a mortgage broker and freelancer writer, learned the importance of a rainy day fund. He plans to spend more money on travel when restrictions are lifted

They've got a combined income of $160,000. How are they spending during the pandemic?

They’ve got a combined income of $160,000. How are they spending during the pandemic?

Jeremy and Sarah, a tradesman and a content strategist, were able to continue working during the pandemic. Here's how they've been spending their money

“Value Village is my weakness”: How a pharmacy student spends his $18K

“Value Village is my weakness”: How a pharmacy student spends his $18K

OSAP covers most of his tuition

"I got tired of living in cheap sublets”: How a software engineer spends his $90K

“I got tired of living in cheap sublets”: How a software engineer spends his $90K

He’s saving for a big European vacation

“At this rate, I might need to get a second job”: How a community arts worker divvies up her $40K

“At this rate, I might need to get a second job”: How a community arts worker divvies up her $40K

She’s paying down debt and trying to build her savings

Summer Camp Guide

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Discover our top-rated summer camps for kids of all ages

Wines of the World

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

From cabernet and merlot to icewine and chardonnay, these wines are primed to pair and delight

Big Stories

The Monster Cottages vs. the Resistance: Inside the ruthless battle for the future of Muskoka

The Monster Cottages vs. the Resistance: Inside the ruthless battle for the future of Muskoka

From Gravenhurst to Port Cockburn, the uber rich and powerful are buying up shoreline for private island compounds and sprawling mega-resorts, radically changing the face of Muskoka and infuriating environmentalists, locals and long-time cottagers

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

When Sami and June Suomalainen died, it fell to the executor of their wills, a lawyer they hardly knew, to sell their million-dollar midtown home and split the proceeds among their inheritors. Seven years and six lawsuits later, the beneficiaries haven’t seen a cent

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

This year’s list includes a 150-square-foot omakase counter, a Parisian brasserie in the Annex, Korean comfort food, Filipino karaoke and a Summerhill seafood spot that’s reinventing the raw bar

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

After years of false starts, months of nail-biting negotiations between the league and the players’ union, and an 11th-hour scramble to build a roster, Toronto finally has its own major-league women’s basketball team. Now it just has to live up to the hype

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Slowikowska is the first Canadian to join the cast of Saturday Night Live in more than 25 years. She’s also this season’s breakout star. Now all she has to do is keep crushing it

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

The man who represented the infamous drug lord is unapologetically flashy—he has a Lamborghini and two Maseratis and wears $1,200 Louboutins. But did he become an accomplice to his client’s crimes? Deepak Paradkar says he was just doing his job. The FBI says he crossed a line

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

We’re not over it, but they are. Six months after that devastating defeat, the Jays take the field once more, bent more than ever on winning the World Series. Dispatches from the dugout

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My dad was the infamous Rolex Killer. The news of his crimes nearly broke me. And ever since, my family has been hounded by reporters, podcasters and true crime fanatics—a whole new circle of hell

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Larry David is the indisputable king of brutal honesty. But if anyone comes close, it’s Robby Hoffman, the suddenly everywhere comic from whom no group is safe

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Pamela Sugiman, a former arts dean at Toronto Metropolitan University, was a key player in the school’s push for diversity, equity and inclusion. When the backlash against DEI arrived, she was demoted. The school says it was a coincidence. She disagrees

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

Scenes from the rent-for-life revolution

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

It’s hard out here for a 20-something

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

Desperate wannabe parents are betting their life savings on unproven treatments and false promises

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Last spring, a chatbot convinced Allan Brooks that he had discovered a revolutionary mathematical theory. He says it nearly destroyed him

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Homegrown innovations that will transform lives for the better

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

When Valentino was abducted, I knew three things: he’d been taken by his father, he was somewhere in India and I would not rest until I found him

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The towing industry has been hijacked by criminals and kingpins who fleece customers, beat up dissenters and shoot their enemies. Inside the brutal turf war for the city’s wrecks

Just Listed

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

As luxury buyers become increasingly focused on wellness, privacy, and long-term livability, a new generation of custom homes is emerging – one defined less by excess and more by thoughtful design

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

This rare property features 2 houses on 1 lot

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

A testament to time presiding over one of Uxbridge's most storied streetscapes, this magnificently preserved circa 1880 residence commands its prominent corner lot with the quiet confidence of a true architectural landmark

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

A commanding architectural statement in prestigious Stonegate–Queensway, this newly completed custom residence by Bali Homes Group presents a refined interpretation of contemporary luxury living

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

Guelph is having a moment