“I’m very fortunate”: How much an intern and shoe store worker makes, and how she spends it

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Who: Emily Smibert, 25

What she does: Editorial intern for a trade beauty publication during the week, sales associate at a boutique shoe store on the weekend, and freelance writer on the side. She’s also enrolled in the Magazine and Web Publishing certificate program at Ryerson University.

What she makes: About $800 for work related to her internship, and about $7,000 annually at the shoe store. Her parents contribute around $39,500 annually. (“I’m very fortunate to have a family that’s able to support me.”)

Some of how she spends it: Rent on her 11th floor apartment at York and Queens Quay: $1,700 monthly. Tenant’s insurance: $281.88 annually. Cellphone: $94 monthly. Internet: $70 monthly. Hydro: $50 monthly. ViaRail Unlimited Semester Pass, primarily for travel between Toronto and London, where her parents live: $563.87, twice a year. (“It pays for itself in five round trips.”) Personal maintenance and self-care, including manicures: $250 monthly. Tuition: $4,497 since September.

What she bought in one week: Groceries at Longos: $78.46. (“Avocado chicken salad is my go-to dish.”) Three Uber trips: $56. Soup and water from Tim Hortons: $3.19. (“There was a homeless woman on the street and I went in to buy her soup and bottled water, but when I came out, she was gone.”) Chicken tikka masala dinner with a friend, delivered from Bindia: $37. An album by Hillsong United, a Christian rock band, from iTunes: $15. Two lightbulbs and a new toothbrush: $18. (“I change my toothbrush every couple weeks.”) Fluttered Fete Midi Skirt in ballet pink from Anthropologie: $201.95. (“I’ve lost 95 pounds over the last five years, so season to season my clothes don’t fit.”) Waxing, eyelash extensions, and manicure from P&H Salon: $157.42. Chips and candy for a board game night with friends: $9. Brunch at Bobbette and Belle: $20.74. Grande iced caramel Frappucino light and bistro box from Starbucks: $13. Sandwich and shift treats for co-workers, from Brick Street Bakery: $17.34.

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