“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
Who: Ashabi Idris, 28 What she does: Resource and outreach coordinator at a community arts non-profit organization What she makes: $40,000 a year Where she lives: A two-bedroom apartment she shares with a roommate near Christie Pits
Regular expenses: Rent: $830 a month, for her half of a two-bedroom apartment. “It’s a little steep, but utilities and Internet are included, which helps.” Cellphone: $55 a month. “When I moved here from Oakland last year, I went with the cheapest plan I could find.” Groceries: $150 a month. “I shop at PAT Central and the fruit markets on Bloor.” Eating out: $100 a month. “Most of my favourite restaurants are in Koreatown. I love Korean BBQ and banh mi.” Transportation: $160 a month. “I take the TTC a lot, plus the occasional Uber.” Debt payments: $200 a month. Subscriptions: $18 a month, for Spotify Premium and Amazon Prime. Savings: $200 to $400 a month. “I put away any excess cash at the end of the month, but at this rate, I might need a second job to beef up my savings.”
Recent splurges: Travel: $750. “My birthday present to myself was a week-long trip to Panama. I’m staying in hostels to cut costs.” Nike Air Jordan 1s: $113. “I wear them almost every day.” Concerts: $250. “I saw Burna Boy, Banks and Tyler the Creator this summer.” Glasses: $70. “I bought two new pairs on EyeBuyDirect. You really can’t beat their prices.”
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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.
