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WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week.
Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re looking for readers who will keep a money diary for a week. If you’re interested send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.
Last time around, we heard from a 34-year-old project manager on €75K living and working in Dublin. This week, we skip across the Atlantic and meet a 31-year-old performance marketing manager on $90K living in Toronto, Canada.
I’m a 31-year-old male living in Toronto and have been here for about five years. My fiancée and I moved back here after getting stuck abroad during the pandemic and we just celebrated a year back in Canada.
I’m currently trying to reorganise my food/ drink lifestyle after getting diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease, so the days of a few pints and greasy food are gone while I try to find the right balance. My hobbies include watching movies, going to the gym, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and general sports.
Our condo that we got during the height of the pandemic to rent was a bargain, which in normal times would be the same cost as a one-bed. Instead, it’s a 2+2 with a huge balcony looking over a park, so ideally we’ll never leave! I work from home while my fiancée works a 30-minute walk away, so we generally save on transport.
We do not plan to buy a house anytime soon, mostly because it would both limit our movements but also it is so absurdly out of reach that we can’t understand why one would even bother. For the size you get, plus all the fees, it just all adds up to be way too much money for so little. Downtown you get more bang for your buck by renting, but obviously renting has its disadvantages too. We’ll buy a house when we’re much older, but for now, we’re okay.
I’m pretty much in charge of all finances and planning, which I think I’m fairly solid at. At the moment we’re saving for a wedding, so it’s $600/month on that. Then we run a net $0 balance every month, so instead of savings at the start of the month, we live a basic lifestyle and just bank everything at the end. This goes into a mix of a tax-free account and a retirement account.
Thanks to the pandemic, I spent a lot of time researching investing and we invest now instead of saving. I would advise everyone to do the same – bank interest rates are a disgrace. Finally, we pay everything on a credit card, get the points and then pay it off immediately. Our lifestyle is pretty simple, we just don’t spend money if we don’t have to, but if we’re out and it’s worth it, then we do. Simple as.
Overall, I always wanted to write one of these to give a sense of what it’s like over here. To me, my money goes further in Toronto vs somewhere like Dublin, Cork or Galway (especially for renting) which is where someone of my career would need to be.
Occupation: Performance marketing manager
Age: 31
Location: Toronto
Salary: $90,000 + Bonus (up to 10%)
Monthly pay (net): $4,925
My partner and I split the rent 50/50 and then the rest we split as a % of our total income, which nets out at 70/30. We’ve averaged out what our monthly expenses were, and we put that amount into the joint account every month. The rest is our own personal money. The below is the best split I could do:
Transport: $20 (metro)
Rent: $1,100
Household bills: $55 for internet, $41 for electricity
Phone bill: $45
Health insurance: $21 (Critical Illness) – The rest is covered by work or the government.
Groceries: $150
Subscriptions: Sportsnet – $22.99, Disney+ – free, Netflix – free, Amazon Prime – $9.99
Savings: $300 (wedding), $300 – $500 (savings)
***
4.40 am: I get up nice and early for the gym – only to realise my watch didn’t update to daylight savings in Canada and I’m an hour early, so it’s back to bed for me.
5.50 am: Now I get up and head to the gym! It’s in my condo building which is a great money and time saver. An hour in there, back to the apartment for a shower and to get changed. I put some porridge on to soak while I head out for my morning walk.
8.00 am: Back home and I heat up my porridge with some honey and blueberries. Usually, I take this time to plan out the week and so far, it looks like it’s going to be a fun – but cheap – week.
8.30 am: I travel the long distance of 10ft to my home office to set up my plan here for the day and the week. I remember we have Thursday off thanks to a federal holiday which means it will probably be a busy one.
10.00 am: I step out for some herbal tea as well as some peanut butter on rice cakes which is super dry, but I need to ensure I keep weight on.
12.00 pm: Lunchtime – homemade soup and a sandwich. I watch some old school Scrubs and look over the stock market, which is doing amazing today. Quick fresh air on the balcony and I’m back at it.
3.00 pm: Online meeting with a friend, so I duck out for some herbal tea and blueberries to snack on while we chat. (I stay on mute while I’m munching!)
5.00 pm: Finish up on time and myself and herself head out for a quick stroll to stretch the legs. It’s her turn to cook dinner, so it’s salmon and rice for us. In the meantime, I do some D&D writing for our campaign.
7.00 pm: We sit down to watch the movie Get Out, which is super creepy.
10.00 pm: Wash up, brush the teeth and off to bed.
Today’s total: $0.00
7.15 am: Up late, so I skip the shower this morning, get dressed and head straight out for my morning walk.
8.00 am: Two boring hard-boiled eggs and a slice of peanut butter and bread for breakfast. I open up the various news sites before heading into work.
8.45 am: Right before work, I purchase tickets to Montreal for Christmas ($162 return) as there is a deal on Tuesday. It’s pretty much the only day you should buy train tickets in Canada.
12.00 pm: It’s soup again for lunch today to finish the leftovers. While I’m at it, I look online for a Christmas present for herself. Delivery charges kill me, but it is what it is. ($68.90). I call home to chat to my dad for a bit, the usual stuff: rugby, the wedding, life in general.
3.00 pm: I hit a wall at work so I head out for some fresh air and grab myself a decaf flat white with oat milk ($4.90). It does the job and I work solid until the end of the day.
5.00 pm: I chuck on a roast chicken and veg for the night. My fiancée comes back later because of her commute. In the meantime, I play some Xbox and do some more D&D writing until dinner time.
7.00 pm: Dinner is served. I sneak a couple of Halloween Crunchie bars that I’m sure I’ll regret later and sit down to watch the new season of Big Mouth on Netflix.
10.00 pm: Set my alarm for the morning and hit the hay.
Today’s total: $235.80
6.00 am: Up and down to the gym for a 5km run. I make myself some homemade electrolytes as it’s not so harsh on the stomach.
7.30 am: I walk my fiancée to a skateboard lesson she teaches not far away and then head back in for a slice of white toast, chicken and olive oil. I kick back and wait for work to start.
8.30 am: Meeting first thing. I’m not too needed so I check the stock market (all good) and make my plan for the day instead. It looks like one of those miserable days where it’s online meetings every second 30 minutes of the day.
12.00 pm: Work straight through to lunch and have chicken salad and soup. I watch some Big Mouth and then head back to it.
3.00 pm: I hit the most almighty of walls so I book myself a fake meeting and head in for a 20-minute nap. If people say they don’t do this when working from home they are liars. I wake up refreshed and blitz through the remaining tasks for the day.
5.30 pm: I finish up work, a day off tomorrow so I’m fairly buzzed. I fix myself up into more decent attire and head out to meet the fiancée as we have started doing dance lessons every Wednesday. I’m shocking at it but it’s still great fun to do together. We get the Toronto Transit Commission over and back, which is part of my $20/month for transport.
8.30 pm: We get back and I am starving, but it’s too late for me to have a full dinner so herself persuades me to have something small (chicken on toast). We have a cheeky edible (all legal here) each and then watch some YouTube before bed.
11.00 pm: Could be the time I went to bed, honestly not sure.
Today’s total: $0.00
10.00 am: Lovely to sleep in. I drag myself out of bed eventually and make some boiled eggs and avocado for breakfast. Fiancée doesn’t start work until midday, so we chill on the couch and watch Man Of Steel until she heads off, at which point I also get ready to meet some friends.
1.00 pm: Head out for lunch and drinks with our five-a-side team. I try to stay on track but ordering food is a literal minefield so I have the grilled chicken salad while everyone else has pulled brisket poutine – it’s a sad day. We split some appetisers so all in, plus tip, it works out at $51.85.
4.00 pm: Home and I chuck on some dinner before the lady comes home.
7.00 pm: We have a small amount of food to tip us over. Afterwards, we head over to a friend’s house to visit their new puppy. Nothing to make your day more than a small doggo. Couldn’t even tell you what’s happening in the friend’s life such was the focus on the puppy.
10.30 pm: Pretty goosed, so we head home and head to bed.
Today’s total: $51.85
7.00 am: Up and it’s porridge, honey and blueberries for breakfast. I swing by the grocery shop and they just had a new delivery, meaning the old stock is on sale, so I grab some discounts on meats and just freeze them when I’m home ($27.85). Head into the office for a bit.
12.00 pm: Back home and cook myself up a mini chicken and egg fried rice stir-fry. Crash on the couch until 1 o’clock watching some streams on Twitch. Should probably go outside for some sun, but just can’t be bothered.
3.00 pm: My symptoms hit me like a truck, so much so that I try to book an appointment with the doctor but there’s no availability. It’s frustrating because it usually comes as a result of food triggers which I thought I’ve been doing pretty well on. Thankfully I have this diary to go through what I’ve eaten.
5.00 pm: I cross the work finish line with a whimper. Pretty much just free-wheeled it from 4 0′clock as I’m a bit down. However, a fun evening ahead.
7.00 pm: I catch up with my partner and we head to what was her birthday present – a candlelight mini-orchestra playing movie themes. It was unreal. They cost me like $25 each and was the biggest bargain ever. Afterwards, we head to a Japanese restaurant and have fried rice, shrimp and chicken black bean, as well as some cheeky sake ($57.09). I have a feeling this might be the last of it for a while so I go all in on the sake.
10.00 pm: I get home and the stomach is only getting worse. I go to bed worried and decide I’ll go to A&E in the morning.
Today’s total: $84.94
6.30 am: I’m up anyway, so I make my way to the hospital and get the full check-up and everything is good, so it’s nothing more sinister than what I already have. The doctor makes some recommendations, one being to cut out grains, dairy, caffeine, alcohol and red meat… and apparently fun as well. I also get a prescription for medication. It comes to $100, but it’s all covered by either Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) or work insurance, so no cost for me.
10.00 am: Home and I have hummus for breakfast, which is weird. I load up the Xbox on one side and the Irish match on the other to set up for the day.
1.00 pm: I get a text from a friend saying the birthday party we were headed to tonight is cancelled (Covid) so I’m secretly delighted. I have myself some chicken drumsticks and then decide to treat myself to a nap.
5.00 pm: Very little to write about today! I’ve done some planning for our game tomorrow and tidied the house a bit, but all in all, having a fairly ‘me’ day.
8.00 pm: We have some dinner and chill out watching some movies on the couch before bed.
Today’s total: $0.00
10.00 am: We get up for a very lazy Sunday and chill on the couch for a bit watching goofy YouTube videos. My fiancée has her breakfast while I get to meal prepping some veggie burgers to freeze for the week.
12.00 pm: Hummus and carrots for lunch. This is going to get very old, very quickly so I do some research into diets that I can eat. We discuss getting one of those meal subscriptions for a while but don’t commit just yet.
2.00 pm: Gym time! I take it easy but I have the whole place to myself which is ideal.
3.30 pm: D&D session has finally arrived! Two and a half hours of campaign talks and lore and just nerding out, a solid escape. We finish up and plan the next few weeks we can meet up. Happy out though.
6.00 pm: Dinner and a movie before prepping for tomorrow. It’s the veggie burgers (4/10) and a movie 6/10). Will need to improve the recipe going forwards.
10.00 pm: I tidy up some washing, take my medication and buy another Christmas present for herself which is her done for the holidays. ($52.31)
Today’s total: $52.31
***
What I learned –
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Yes. Nice Christmas tradition to keep up, letting people know that you’re thinking about them, and nice to be able to buy them for charities too.
@GrumpyAulFella: Isnt that what social media, telephones, and private messages does in modern times? You can donate to charities when ever you want?
@Stephen Campbell: no it’s not, cards are a nice way for someone to physically receive something from someone that shows they are being thought about especially folks that live alone.
@Stephen Campbell: Oh yea the lazy incencer way, I almost forgot that.
@Stephen Campbell: I’ll just show my 92 year old mother how to setup a FB account so she can post to her relatives in the UK. She can then set herself up on online banking, buy a mobile and use MFA to send a few bob to Barnardos. I don’t think so.
@Stephen Campbell: You can physically keep a card. It literally has the senders DNA on it. It is so personal.
@GrumpyAulFella: you must be over 60
@Frankie J: so true
@Alan Campbell: “you must be over 60”. You say that as if it’s something bad or to be ashamed of
@Alan Campbell: Strange remark. What’s his alternative option?
A handwritten greeting on a card sent through the post is more intimate than a fancy emailed card.
@Garreth Byrne: and letters instead of emails
No, but the wife does!
@Billy O’Brien: Came to say the same thing haha
I do to family and friends that are overseas or I’m unlikely to see over the holidays. As for them going in the bin, that’s fair enough in other homes but I keep most of ours. Nice to look back on.
Poll – ‘Do you send cards to people for Christmas?’ Yes, I generally send mine to people as they’re more likely to appreciate the gesture than non-people. I have heard of ones specifically designed for non-people like pets though. I’m not sure if other non-people such as aliens celebrate Christmas although Chris De Burgh would have us believe they do ‘La la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la la, la la la la la la la la la, oh…’ When is An Post last day for posting to Alpha Centauri I wonder…
@William Tallon: New Poll… how many people have sang along to the tune … la la la la ….
@William Tallon: New Poll, How many people have sang along to that tune … la la la la..
@William Tallon: New Poll, How many people have sang along to that tune … la la la la..
@William Tallon: Funny. I always took that song as aliens being the cause of Christmas? That Christ came here from another time/galaxy/universe.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Well either way it was a good excuse for writing a catchy tune…
I’ve always felt terribly sorry for the people who design, paint, or print Christmas Cards. Any appreciation of their work is so short – lived.
A big waste of money, paper and a fine pile for the bin by the 6th of January.
Rubbish that ends up in landfill or an incinerator.
If you have family or friends living far away wouldn’t a 5 minute phone call be better then some overpriced piece of cardboard?
@Will: Bah Humbug…
@maurolee: ‘Bah Humbug…’
What really shows someone you’re thinking of them? A mass produced hallmark card or a phone call when you can tell them personally how much they mean to you and actually hear their voice?
Christmas cards are about as personable as a business card.
Expensive and unnecessary rubbish.
@Will: Christmas cards are cheap, recyclable, are an avenue for charitable donations, may be kept as a memento, hung over the fireplace for decoration etc. A phone call is fleeting, soon forgotten, may be expensive and carries no opportunity to provide charity to others. Give me a card any day of the week.
@Will: No. Letters and cards can be kept for your whole life.
@Will: just because someone sends a card doesn’t mean they’re not also phoning for a chat.
The parents do and put my name on them.
I send cards to friends and family overseas those I’m not likely to see over Christmas. As for them being dumped Not in my house, I keep the majority of our cards.
I didn’t bother with the Irish ones this year as the stamps were too embarrassing – just cheap emojis with inane slogans. The international ones were just okay.
@Willie Penwright: so you didn’t send Christmas cards because you don’t like the stamp design?
@This time its personable!: Obviously his entire world is full of avid stamp collectors who will feel cheated if he doesn’t send them Penny Blacks every year. The rest of us are keeping in touch regardless!
Happy Christmas
Why send cards when you have social media to send Christmas greetings
@Mick Dunne: … to help out a charity? I always buy E10 worth of Vincent de Paul cards.
@Mick Dunne: your mantle piece must be very bare
@Alan Campbell: why not just give vinny €10 after card costs he looking at only €6 tops
Can’t afford stamps on a state pension.
No i dont send any out the price of the stamps is enough to turn ya off
I know what you mean, it keeps going up. Still, in normal years, it’s a good chance to meet up and exchange cards.
This is going to make me look bad. As soon as they drop on the mat they are put straight into the recycling. Most I don’t even open.
@LUCY Thomas: you are right about one thing, it does make you look bad. Very bad. Someone has gone to the trouble of buying a card, writing a message, posting it to you and you just put it in the bin straight away? How selfish.
@LUCY Thomas: Would you not mention to the senders that you don’t do Christmas cards and suggest some other way of keeping in touch?
I’m sorry but I’m grinning at the amount of bank notes and lottery cards you’ve thrown out along with your personal information!
@Liz Gallagher: I will elaborate further. I wholeheartedly accept your comment on how I deal with it. I don’t do card and I will always acknowledge a card. But I feel nothing for them, my husband thinks I’m “brutal” for it. He will often take them out and keep them. When I was younger growing up into a teenager it became apparent to me how little thought was put Into them by my mother, often on my birthday for instance I would receive a gift in a co-op bag around 5pm on my birthday not wrapped, it was done like this because she had forgotten or didn’t care. Also her cards if one was written was half a ss. So from a young age I’ve grown up with this idea people don’t really care.
I see my husband and his family and its alien to me.. they are much more tactile with one another.
I made a personal birthday card out of a hover bag once – Didn’t go down well
have your say