“We don’t want to invest our money in a shoebox”: A young married couple saves up for a cottage
Who: Alison Williams, 27, and her husband Zach Brun, 26
What they do: Alison is a corporate health and wellness coordinator. Zach is a digital marketing manager in the real estate industry.
What they make: Alison grosses $64,000 a year, to Zach’s $50,000. After taxes and other deductions, they net about $78,000 combined.
Some of how they spend it: Rent on a one-bedroom condo in the St. Lawrence Market area: $1900 monthly. (“We’re happy renting for now. We want to buy a cottage before we buy a house, just because we don’t think buying a house in Toronto is possible. We don’t want to invest our money in a shoebox.”) Debt payments: $700 monthly. (“It’s mostly student loans. Zach has American student loans, which are a big expense, especially with the exchange rate.”) Dog walking: $300 monthly. (“We got our dog two months ago. He’s some kind of Labrador mutt. His name is Huck.”) Pet food: $100 monthly. Transportation: $290 monthly. (“It’s the cost of two Metropasses.”) Cellphone service: $92 monthly. Internet: $67 monthly. Renters’ insurance: $27 monthly. Savings: $1000 monthly. (Alison contributes slightly more, because she makes slightly more.) RRSP contributions: $200 monthly. (Only Alison contributes.)
Some of what they bought in one week: Takeout dinner from Mengrai Thai $20. Beer: $31. (“We love craft beer. Zach is really into IPAs and porters.”) Coffee and pastries from cafés: $17.75. Groceries from Loblaws and St. Lawrence Market: $109. Shorts for Zach: $100. Two dog bones: $6.
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![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/life/cost-of-living-alison-and-zach/&title=“We don’t want to invest our money in a shoebox”: A young married couple saves up for a cottage&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/cost-of-living-alison-and-zach-2000x1333.jpg&description=Who: Alison Williams, 27, and her husband Zach Brun, 26
What they do: Alison is a corporate health and wellness coordinator. Zach is a digital marketing manager in the real estate industry.
What they make: Alison grosses $64,000 a year, to Zach's $50,000. After taxes and other deductions, they net about $78,000 combined.
Some of how they spend it: Rent on a one-bedroom condo in the St. Lawrence Market area: $1900 monthly. ("We're happy renting for now. We want to buy a cottage before we buy a house, just because we don't think buying a house in Toronto is possible. We don't want to invest our money in a shoebox.") Debt payments: $700 monthly. ("It's mostly student loans. Zach has American student loans, which are a big expense, especially with the exchange rate.") Dog walking: $300 monthly. ("We got our dog two months ago. He's some kind of Labrador mutt. His name is Huck.") Pet food: $100 monthly. Transportation: $290 monthly. ("It's the cost of two Metropasses.") Cellphone service: $92 monthly. Internet: $67 monthly. Renters' insurance: $27 monthly. Savings: $1000 monthly. (Alison contributes slightly more, because she makes slightly more.) RRSP contributions: $200 monthly. (Only Alison contributes.)
Some of what they bought in one week: Takeout dinner from Mengrai Thai $20. Beer: $31. ("We love craft beer. Zach is really into IPAs and porters.") Coffee and pastries from cafés: $17.75. Groceries from Loblaws and St. Lawrence Market: $109. Shorts for Zach: $100. Two dog bones: $6.
Want to tell us about your Cost of Living? Email us at costofliving@torontolife.com.
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