“I admit I could spend less, but I love exploring new places in the city”: How a freelance event marketer spends her money

“I admit I could spend less, but I love exploring new places in the city”: How a freelance event marketer spends her money

Photograph by Erin Leydon

Who: Emily Zajac, 27

What she does: Freelance event marketer

What she makes: $85,000 a year

Where she lives: A two-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot apartment in the Annex that she shares with a roommate

What she spends in a month: Rent: $900. “In the Annex, you get a lot of space, even if it’s in an older, weathered apartment.” Internet: $40. Cellphone: $250. “I use it a lot for work and Instagram. I’m always going over my data limit.” Transit: $100, for the TTC. Savings: $450, into an RRSP. Going out: $400, for meals and drinks at spots like Grey Gardens, Piano Piano and Bar Raval. “I admit I could spend less, but I love exploring and experiencing new places in the city.” Gym: $60, at GoodLife. Laundry: $50, for a wash-and-fold service. “I know I could do it myself, but I value the time I save.”

Recent splurges: Condo: $60,000, for a down payment on a $319,000 one-bedroom unit in Corktown that’s currently under construction. She plans to move in once it’s completed in September 2020. Travel: $4,500, for a month-long trip to Greece, Turkey and France last April. DJ lessons: $120 per lesson. “I took them every two weeks for a few months.” Camera lens: $250, for her Sony A6000. “I have a blog, and I’m trying to get more Instagram followers, so I’ve been working on my photography.” Computer: $2,400, for a 2017 MacBook Pro. Art: $250, to buy and frame a piece she found in Kensington Market. “I was waiting to get into Cold Tea and saw this cool print at the flea market next door.”

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