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“I use my second bedroom as an art studio”: How a 27-year-old innovation consultant spends her money

By Roxy Kirshenbaum| Photography by Erin Leydon
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“I use my second bedroom as an art studio”: How a 27-year-old innovation consultant spends her money

Who: Milena Tasic, 27 What she does: An innovation consultant at a tech company, bartender, Airbnb property manager and part-time student What she makes: $75,000 a year Where she lives: A two-bedroom house near Queen and Ossington

Regular expenses: Rent: $1,800 a month. “I converted my second bedroom into an art studio.” Utilities: $40 a month. Internet: $68 a month, for a student plan with Rogers. “Work covers my cell phone bill, so I save money there.” Groceries: $75 a week. “I eat vegetarian at home. I like to cook and I’ll usually make extra so I have lunch for the next day.” Eating out: $100 a month. Transportation: $240 a month, for Presto, Uber and Lyft. Home insurance: $23 a month. Pilates: $150 a month, for unlimited classes at Misfit Studio on Ossington. Annual Soho House membership: $900. “It’s half price if you’re under 30. I go once a week to do work and check out workshops.” Education: $5,000 per semester, for a design in strategic foresight and innovation master’s program at OCAD. “Sometimes school can feel overwhelming on top of work, but I always find time for myself.”

Recent splurges: Dinner at Côte de Boeuf: $360. “I picked up the bill for four of my friends. We go out every few months and rotate who pays.” Travel: $3,300, for an 11-day trip to Greece. “My best friend got married in Santorini in May. A big group of us decided to split accommodation costs.” Clothing: $142, for two pairs of linen trousers and a striped sweatshirt from VSP Consignment. Perrier-Jouët champagne: $74. “It wasn’t a special occasion, just a Sunday treat.”

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

Roxy Kirshenbaum is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. After graduating from Columbia University’s journalism program, she worked as a copy editor at InStyle magazine in New York and then as an editor at Surface magazine. When she returned to Toronto, she worked at Blue Ant Media and Cottage Life, and she has been a contributing writer and photographer at Toronto Life for many years.

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