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

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“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.”

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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.”

Want to tell us about your Cost of Living? Email us at costofliving@torontolife.com.

Luc Rinaldi is a National Magazine Award–winning journalist based in Toronto. His work has appeared in Maclean’s, Toronto Life, The Walrus and Report on Business, among other publications. He has taught magazine feature writing at his alma mater, the School of Journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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