These North York points enthusiasts earn $370,000 a year. How do they spend it?
“We try to maximize our rewards by using various credit cards plus PC Optimum”
Carla Salvosa, a marketing director working in finance, and Barry Choi, a journalist and personal finance expert, live in a three-bedroom Avondale townhouse with their eight-year-old daughter, Scarlett. They purchased it in 2024—an upgrade from their former two-bedroom condo, which they kept for rental income. Carla and Barry, who both turn 45 this year, are big fans of using loyalty programs to help supplement their income, paying for things like groceries and vacations with points. Together, they make roughly $370,000 a year. Here’s how they spend it.
Regular Expenses
Mortgage: “Our townhouse is paid for, but our condo mortgage is $2,600 a month,” says Barry. “We rent the place out for $3,000.”
Maintenance fees: $650 a month for the townhouse and $600 for the condo.
Property tax: $4,500 a year for the townhouse and $2,200 a year for the condo.
Phone: $120 a month. “I pay $73 with Bell, and Barry pays $47 with Rogers,” Carla says. “He looks for deals, but I’ve kept the same plan forever.”
More Toronto Budgets
Groceries: $500 a month at Costco, No Frills and Loblaws. “We try to maximize our points by using various credit cards, plus the PC Optimum program,” Barry says.
Car: $260 a month for gas and insurance. “We don’t drive often,” says Carla. “A tank lasts two and a half weeks.”
Dining out: $500 a month. “We love Persian cuisine,” says Barry. “Esfahan on Sheppard is our favourite.”
Extracurriculars: $480 a month for taekwondo, gymnastics and swimming. “Scarlett likes to be challenged,” Carla says.
Savings: $4,200 a month. “We max out our TFSAs and our daughter’s RESP every year,” says Barry.
Recent Splurges
Summer concerts: $540. “I love live music,” Carla says. “We’re seeing Broken Social Scene, Metric and the Strokes—bands from back in the day.”
Trip to Rotterdam and London: $2,500. “We have family in the Netherlands and the UK, and we wanted our daughter to meet her cousins,” says Barry. “We paid for the flights and hotels with points.”
Nintendo Switch 2, plus games: $1,000. “This was mostly for Scarlett and me to play,” Barry says. “She’s into Mario Kart right now.”
Zakiya Kassam is a writer and fact checker whose work has appeared in Post City Magazines, This Magazine and Now Toronto. She was previously the associate editor at Storeys.
