[PeanutButter]

Living wage required for Metro Vancouver rises to $20.10 per hour

http://storage.vancouver.24hrs.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297554785300_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x&stmp=1398811531474

You should make at least $20.10/h to live here | Vancouver 24 hrs (http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2014/04/29/living-wage-required-for-metro-vancouver-rises-to-2010-per-hour)


A joint report finds the new wage to survive a paycheque-to-paycheque lifestyle in Metro Vancouver this year is $20.10 per hour — with its authors hoping employers take the information as a sign to hand out some raises.

Michael McCarthy Flynn with the Living Wage for Families Campaign said the annual report takes into account costs of living using data from Statistics Canada, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and the Dieticians of Canada.

“These people won’t be able to own a house, save for retirement or save for education,” McCarthy Flynn said.

“It’s a little bit more than scraping by — it’s above the poverty line … but it’s by no means a luxurious lifestyle.”

He said that model is intended as a guideline for how much money each parent in a family of four — two parents, two kids — would have to earn in order to support the paycheque-to-paycheque lifestyle.

“A single person might not have kids, but chances are they have a student debt, and if you factor that in I think the $20 (per hour) is quite accurate,” McCarthy Flynn said.

“What we’re hoping is that more employers will look at the benefits of paying a living wage.”

The report also pointed to government policies as one possible solution, such as a New Westminster policy passed in 2010 that stipulated all city staff must be paid the “Metro Vancouver living wage.”

According to the report — put together by LWFFC, First Call and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives — the living wage last year was $19.62 per hour.

Over the past year, increases in child care and housing costs were seen as significant factors. Rent increases jumped an average of $50 per month and child-care costs increased a similar amount.


The monthly budget for two parents each making $20.10 per hour:

Food $775
Clothing $195
Housing $1,490
Transportation $486
Child care $1,242
MSP premiums $138.50
Non-MSP health care $136
Parents’ education $89
Savings $235
Other expenses $731


For those who are not living at home rent free, does this seem about right?

[MindBomber]

For those who are not living at home rent free, does this seem about right?

Nope. The monthly budget numbers are way too high. Search for 3 bedroom suites/apartments on Craigslist and you'll see dozens of listings well-below $1490/per month, for example.

The article reeks of social justice yuppie/media sensationalism. Yup, $775 for free-range, organic, fair trade, locally grown food sounds right.

[spideyv2]

Nope. The monthly budget numbers are way too high. Search for 3 bedroom suites/apartments on Craigslist and you'll see dozens of listings well-below $1490/per month, for example.

The article reeks of social justice yuppie/media sensationalism. Yup, $775 for free-range, organic, fair trade, locally grown food sounds right.

Unless you're on an Auschwitz diet, $775 for a 4 person house hold sounds about right

[MindBomber]

Unless you're on an Auschwitz diet, $775 for a 4 person house hold sounds about right

In my experience, the costs for two adults is consistently in the $300-350/month range (eating well, not strictly starches). I'm going to estimate feeding kids costs half as much as feeding adults. This gives a range of $450-525/month for a four person family.

[Ducdesmo]

Sounds about right.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Unless you're on an Auschwitz diet, $775 for a 4 person house hold sounds about right


My mom always say $800 budget for our family is too much (Parents, my sister and I). So with $800 my mom is able to get get for a month, fruits, everyday house hold items(Body wash, toothpaste, shampoo etc etc...) and still money have left over. You just have to know how to budget and buy what's on sale. Of course you won't be shopping at places like safeway or Urbanfare. Most likely you will be shopping at wal mart, superstore or crystal mall.

[GabAlmighty]

In my experience, the costs for two adults is consistently in the $300-350/month range (eating well, not strictly starches). I'm going to estimate feeding kids costs half as much as feeding adults. This gives a range of $450-525/month for a four person family.

Depends how old they are

[Spoon]

The article reeks of social justice yuppie/media sensationalism. Yup, $775 for free-range, organic, fair trade, locally grown food sounds right.

With 80k+/yr, they're more like middle class income families. So the budget probably takes into consideration that these people will eat out once in awhile and not financially strapped to eating at home all the time.

FYI babies are expensive. My daughter consumes around $100 worth of formula a month and that doesn't even include other food in her diet.

[gars]

In my experience, the costs for two adults is consistently in the $300-350/month range (eating well, not strictly starches). I'm going to estimate feeding kids costs half as much as feeding adults. This gives a range of $450-525/month for a four person family.

$10 a day for 2 people is pretty low for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

[Ducdesmo]

$10 a day for 2 people is pretty low for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

lol thats like $1.66/meal.... Not sure how this guy is "eating well"

[kross9]

Jesus, how do they think $800 is for food, I live in a family of 3. on average parents spend less than 400. And we eat pretty well. lots of food in the fridge at all time + my moms dietary foods for her allergies.

Maybe if Vancouverites stop being goddamn hippes and stop buying "organic food" that comes from god knows where and goes to Costco. they could afford to live..

[StanleyR]

My gf and I consume about 600-700 just for the two of us, and we never eat out. Everything made from scratch at home.

[quasi]

There are 3 of us, 2 adults and 1 8 year old and my grocery bill is 1000-1200 a month. This would include cleaning products, deodorant, razor blades and other items like that which aren't strictly food items. LOL, I'm obviously spending way to much compared to everybody else here.

[nns]

The food budget goes up if you lift.

[spideyv2]

In my experience, the costs for two adults is consistently in the $300-350/month range (eating well, not strictly starches). I'm going to estimate feeding kids costs half as much as feeding adults. This gives a range of $450-525/month for a four person family.

Curious as to what a breakfast, lunch, and dinner would look like for you

Also, where do you do your groceries?

[MindBomber]

Depends how old they are
I'm assuming sub-13 years old as childcare is also included in the budget.$10 a day for 2 people is pretty low for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. We're vegetarian, which could skew the costs down a bit but not too much.
lol thats like $1.66/meal.... Not sure how this guy is "eating well"
I don't know about you, but I consider having NAME BRAND perogies, kraft dinner, and ketchup eating damn well.
/sarcasm.

[Hondaracer]

Maybe if you can't afford somthing, you work harder? Longer hours? Or not have children you can't afford to raise?

[bcrdukes]

I wonder how 14 Dollar Baller is getting by?

[Mr.HappySilp]

I wonder how 14 Dollar Baller is getting by?

Maybe he is a1$14.01 Dollar baller now :hotbaby:

[Soundy]

Maybe he is a1$14.01 Dollar baller now :hotbaby:

It's a tough life for a temporary foreign worker...

[yray]

childcare cost more than transportation :fuckthatshit:

[quasi]

childcare cost more than transportation :fuckthatshit:

I was paying $1,100 a month for the first 3 years for my kid, it's just less then half that now but it's still cost more then my gas, insurance and maintenance of my SUV on a monthly basis. That's one kid, if you have more then one and both parents work that number they have in the article is low.

[GLOW]

i dismissed this at Food $775. couldn't take it seriously.

[classified]

i lived downtown by myself for two years id say even alittle higher

[Valour]

Is no one talking about the $731 in other expenses? What r those? Pornhub subscriptions?

[xpl0sive]

I spend about $30-$40/day on food on average, weekends are more, so $775 for me is low. I don't cook at home or buy groceries. I don't think $775/month for an entire family is too high.

[RecklessNS]

dat dere Revolver + Meat and Bread is expensive shit.


http://torontogirlwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Meat-and-Bread.jpg
HNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG

[Energy]

I spend around $30/day on food for myself on weekdays. No time to cook.

[meowjinboo]

I do around 15-20 a day.

[Tone Loc]

Is this really a surprise? Vancouver housing prices are one of the highest in the country, maybe even the world... personally, I find a LOT of these numbers are a bit of an overestimate (my parents spend roughly $150/week for groceries to feed the 3 of us very well) but you can't argue that the cost of housing in Vancouver is much too high considering what one gets. Maybe it does reek of the whole left-wing "social justice" BS, but you can't argue that a $20/hour wage will take you a lot farther in non-Vancouver areas of Canada...

[meme405]

If you can't afford to live here, move away.

If you can't afford to live here, and do not want to move away, work harder, make more money.

The problem today is the lack of people who are prepared to work hard for their money. As Daniel Tosh put it:

Daniel Tosh on Brett Favre - YouTube

[Nocardia]

Is no one talking about the $731 in other expenses? What r those? Pornhub subscriptions?
Yeah it seems high but I think most people here don't have kids or any real life expenses.

TV/Internet/Cell Phones - ~200/month
Sports for kids/parents - varies widely! (at least $100/month generally)
Family event 1x/month - ~100
Family eating out 1x/month - ~75
Hair cuts/personal grooming for 4 people (inc. bathroom stuff) - ~50/month
Gifts (xmas/easter/birthday/anniversary) - probably ~150/month if spread over the year

Plus much more.
People can definitely get by spending less:
Rent can be closer to $1000
Food can be closer to $600 (varies for ages of kids)
MSPs are often paid for by work
? Parents education?? I don't even know what that is.

Probably closer to $3000/month in expenses if you are budget strapped BUT the average family will probably be closer to $4000 because........life.

[falcon]

This article is bullshit. I live in the GVRD and pay $500/mo in rent for a nice place (2 people living here about 1600sq/ft so $1000/mo between the two of us), pay about $200/mo in gas and $200-$300/mo in food. That's like $1200 TOPS for living expenses which if you have a full time job, would need to make about $10-$12/hr to live. Now that's bare bones, sure... but $20.10/hr? Yeah.. no. That would be $3200/mo before taxes which if you're single is a pretty damn good living with lots of money left over to save/entertainment.

Problem is people these days think a leased car, eating out every day, fancy clothes etc. are a necessity but they aren't.

[twitchyzero]

I wonder how 14 Dollar Baller is getting by?

probably district manager for Church's Chicken by now :ilied:

[Spoon]

This article is bullshit. I live in the GVRD and pay $500/mo in rent for a nice place (2 people living here about 1600sq/ft so $1000/mo between the two of us), pay about $200/mo in gas and $200-$300/mo in food. That's like $1200 TOPS for living expenses which if you have a full time job, would need to make about $10-$12/hr to live. Now that's bare bones, sure... but $20.10/hr? Yeah.. no. That would be $3200/mo before taxes which if you're single is a pretty damn good living with lots of money left over to save/entertainment.

Problem is people these days think a leased car, eating out every day, fancy clothes etc. are a necessity but they aren't.

Read the fucking OP. Do you pay for child care? no? Cuz the budget's for a family of 4.

[falcon]

“A single person might not have kids, but chances are they have a student debt, and if you factor that in I think the $20 (per hour) is quite accurate,” McCarthy Flynn said.

derp

[NKC ONE]

If both parents are making roughly $20/hour, I don't think have two kids is the smartest choice unless you still live with your parents in a big household where the grandparents can take care of the kids while you're at work. We can argue about how reliable or accurate the budget is but the article specifically says “It’s a little bit more than scraping by — it’s above the poverty line … but it’s by no means a luxurious lifestyle.” So we're not taking about another episode of Extreme Cheapskates here. I'm sure the budget can be skimmed a little here and a little there but the total sum seems about right for a family of four while factoring in contingency costs.

What I got from the article is that 1) living in Vancouver isn't cheap (No shit), and 2) you shouldn't raise a family of 4 if both parents are making roughly $20/hour pre tax. My question is, when was it ever cheap to live in Van? When was it ever a "luxurious" living with $20/hour by both parents? Move anywhere else and the situation will be roughly the same. You might be able to stretch the dollar a tad more but the standard of living is still roughly the same.

[ae101]

my uncle has a family of 5 (before my grandma passed away last year) & he lives in COQ

hes retired once he moved to canada in 1998 & always had a habit of buying lots of stuff when its on sale/discount price period

if there is a sale on a brand of toilet paper, he would go couple pack just for storage & his house is filled with food & stuff, great save for a rainy day

i dun really know how much he spends on food exactly but im guessing its under the 700 budget (in COQ its quite hard to find cheap chinese stuff unlike richmond)

[westopher]

LOL @ title sensationalism. They act like every household has 2 kids. Vancouver is not exactly a young families utopia. What do I expect from "24" I guess though. Its barely a step above those fucktards @Vancitybuzz.

[GabAlmighty]

If you can't afford to live here, move away.

If you can't afford to live here, and do not want to move away, work harder, make more money.

The problem today is the lack of people who are prepared to work hard for their money. As Daniel Tosh put it:


Is it coincidence that I thanked you and that we both work in the patch? No. People who complain that they can't make good money or that there are no jobs piss me off to no end..

[Fafine]

This article is bullshit. I live in the GVRD and pay $500/mo in rent for a nice place (2 people living here about 1600sq/ft so $1000/mo between the two of us), pay about $200/mo in gas and $200-$300/mo in food. That's like $1200 TOPS for living expenses which if you have a full time job, would need to make about $10-$12/hr to live. Now that's bare bones, sure... but $20.10/hr? Yeah.. no. That would be $3200/mo before taxes which if you're single is a pretty damn good living with lots of money left over to save/entertainment.

Problem is people these days think a leased car, eating out every day, fancy clothes etc. are a necessity but they aren't.

wheres this 1600 sq ft for 1k just curious

[iEatClams]

The monthly budget for two parents each making $20.10 per hour:

Food $775
Clothing $195
Housing $1,490
Transportation $486
Child care $1,242
MSP premiums $138.50
Non-MSP health care $136
Parents’ education $89
Savings $235
Other expenses $731





1. food $775 - my parents told me a good figure to use is $3 per meal. so $9 a day per person. some meals of course are nicer and more than $3 a meal, some are less than $3 a meal. depends on dietary restrictions and if how big they are too. but my expenses so far seem to fit the $3 a meal average. that's $540 a couple. The girlfriend and I are spending approximately $500-550 on food groceries every month.

2. clothing, figure seems a little high, you can go to winners, target, department stores and such and get clothes for cheaper, but if you base it on the Vancouver standard of what the "average" person wear, than the figure is probably on the low side.

3. it depends where and which neighbourhood, and if you want basement suite or top floor, townhouse or what not. cant really comment on it as it all depends.

4. transportation depends on how many zones you have to travel for bus passes.

5. child care is fucking expensive. and it all depends on the daycare centre. but this figure seems like in the ball park.

overall. i wouldnt say this is the MINIMUM you need to get by. but if you want to live a somewhat decent lifestyle, you need to make more than $20 an hour.

[iEatClams]

Yeah it seems high but I think most people here don't have kids or any real life expenses.



yup. most on here still live at home with their parents.

[Ludepower]

The topic is about what hourly wage is needed to live in Vancouver.
Why not keep it simple and leave spouses and kids out of this.
$20 is still too low to live on your own in your own place.
With ridiculous real estate prices.
You need to make at least $30 an hour....60k yearly.
And thats still living paycheck by paycheck.

[StylinRed]

my food budget alone is more than $775 let alone the rest of the household
i cant see how a family could survive on that unless they were eating Mac n Cheese + instant noodles

[bomiheko]

Buying bulk and using coupons, you have save TONS.

[rsx]

There's tons of cheap food out there so long as you don't eat out.

Hell, I used to buy rotisserie chicken and eat that for 2-3 days.
1st day you eat the best parts
2nd day you strip off the meat and make a sandwich
3rd day, the remaining meat and boil the chicken bones and you make chicken soup. All you need is some daikon, green onions, salt and pepper.
That's pretty much $15 in total for 3 meals.

If you really want to save money, don't be a yaletown baller.

[meowjinboo]

I pretty much took a 70% paycut this year and im finding it can be a little tough, but I still find time to enjoy the things I like to enjoy.

[Soundy]

Yeah it seems high but I think most people here don't have kids or any real life expenses.

TV/Internet/Cell Phones - ~200/month
Sports for kids/parents - varies widely! (at least $100/month generally)
Family event 1x/month - ~100
Family eating out 1x/month - ~75
Hair cuts/personal grooming for 4 people (inc. bathroom stuff) - ~50/month
Gifts (xmas/easter/birthday/anniversary) - probably ~150/month if spread over the year

Plus much more.
People can definitely get by spending less:
Rent can be closer to $1000
Food can be closer to $600 (varies for ages of kids)
MSPs are often paid for by work
? Parents education?? I don't even know what that is.

Probably closer to $3000/month in expenses if you are budget strapped BUT the average family will probably be closer to $4000 because........life.
Basic landline service, $25-$35/mo. TV/Internet are not necessities. There, I just saved $165/mo.

First step in reducing the budget is deciding on NEED vs. WANT. So much shit people think they NEED, that they really don't. Forget Target for clothes, how about Sally Ann, VV Boutique, etc? Clothe an entire family for $50, and no you don't NEED another outfit every month. Go seasonal clothes shopping, once every three months, and now you're down to <$20/mo for clothing FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

$20/hr is an "I want it all, and I want it now" budget.

[sdubfid]

I spend around $30/day on food for myself on weekdays. No time to cook.

Cook on weekends. I pre-make meals for 14 days on the weekend.

You could save approx. $4700/year. Considering income tax rates you would need to earn approx. $6000-7000 before tax.

[GLOW]

derp

ya i saw that too and thought they implied that it was for 1 person as well. read it again and if it's a family of 4 the food cost is about right. that's around what we spend with our family of 4

[heleu]

Child care $1,242

I'm very interested in this childcare place that can take care of 2 kids for $1242 a month.

It's hard enough to find a place to take care of ONE kid for $1242 a month!

[melloman]

$200/week on food for 2 adults/2 kids...

Ain't nobody got time to clip coupons or hunt the flyers for sales in Vancouver. :troll:

[twitchyzero]

feels bad for the parents without in-laws/parents to take care of their kids during the day

[radioman]

The place my GF works at charges;

Fees / Investment
5 Days a week - $1200
3 Days a week - $900
2 Days a week - $650

The 3 - 5 Program is open from 7:30am - 5:30pm

The infant toddler program is a tad more $$

They're probably making $1300~ after tax/group ins/etc

Might as well quit and spend time with the kids and become a youtube star at home and make money while taking car of your kids :)

[quasi]

feels bad for the parents without in-laws/parents to take care of their kids during the day

I'm older then the average RS member and almost every single one of my friends have at least one kid. I know one couple who's wife works part time afternoon/evenings and they get away without it and my brother in law who has 4 kids has his wife stay home because it wouldn't make sense for her to work. I don't have one friend that has inlaws look after their kids and almost all of them have 2 people working and use daycare.

I honestly think it's culture thing. I'm Caucasian as are many of my friends, we tend not to live with our extended family. Daycare is a huge cost when you have kids, it's the main reason I stopped at one kid.......well that and I waited so long that once we got past diapers and crying I didn't want to go there again. :)

[VR6GTI]

Transportation $486
Seems pretty cheap for 2 people to have vehicles, gas, bridge tolls, insurance

[Spoon]

$200/week on food for 2 adults/2 kids...

Ain't nobody got time to clip coupons or hunt the flyers for sales in Vancouver. :troll:

https://www.brandsaver.ca/en_ca/coupons/

I love this site. It's chump change in terms of savings, but they do add up. :)

[AzNightmare]

Once an article starts throwing numbers that represent the spending of a mass population, you know it's a dumb article.

Everyone spends differently with different lifestyle and diets.

[GabAlmighty]

Basic landline service, $25-$35/mo. TV/Internet are not necessities. There, I just saved $165/mo.

First step in reducing the budget is deciding on NEED vs. WANT. So much shit people think they NEED, that they really don't. Forget Target for clothes, how about Sally Ann, VV Boutique, etc? Clothe an entire family for $50, and no you don't NEED another outfit every month. Go seasonal clothes shopping, once every three months, and now you're down to <$20/mo for clothing FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

$20/hr is an "I want it all, and I want it now" budget.

Value Village used to be cheap. I remember back in the day getting t-shirts for like $0.50 and jeans for $1. Now t-shirts are like $5-10 and jeans are at least $20. I can go to the mall and get clearance priced shit for the same price or MAYBE $5 more. And it's not all stretched to shit. Hell, fuckin Old Navy is cheaper than VV.

[ZN6]

Transportation $486
Seems pretty cheap for 2 people to have vehicles, gas, bridge tolls, insurance

That does seem pretty overly optimistic. :suspicious:

Lowest monthly payment Yaris 5dr hatchback lease for 60 months: $159/month (This is for a family of 4, and both parents better learn how to drive stick because auto is another 13 bucks per month more)
Gas for the month for entire family use: $80/month (Laughable especially with having to freight kids around and gas prices going up)
Insurance: $100/month

At least one transit pass for one parent to get to work: $91 (one-zone) $124 (Two-zone)

Without considering maintenance, parking or bridge tolls, that's pretty dire. at the most conservative it's $430 just to run at the very minimum simple budgetting.

[multicartual]

My gf and I consume about 600-700 just for the two of us, and we never eat out. Everything made from scratch at home.


I went to Fable the other night and it was $100 for the BEST organic dining I've ever had!!!

[multicartual]

Food $1000
Clothing $200
Housing $2,150
Transportation $500
Liquor and drugs $500
MSP premiums $0 LOL don't pay
Gym $60
Education $0
Savings $0
Phone $80
Servers $300
Internet $100
Hydro $50
Biz software $60

5k+ month in overhead...

[westopher]

500 in booze and drugs? Shit man, you aren't as party as I thought. I used to spend that per week!

[Tapioca]

My partner and I spend around 450-500/month on food with a cheap meal out every couple of weeks (e.g. Sushi at a local dive, or ethnic take-out). We shop at Costco and local Chinese grocers and do a lot of our cooking in bulk (slow cookers, dutch ovens) with whole ingredients. We don't buy organic, unless the prices are close. We also get freebie deli meat and stweing beef from family who work at a local butcher on ocassion. We do enjoy things like salmon, cheese, and baked goods (she's a wonderful baker and uses specialty flours and butter) which I would consider as modest luxuries. Sure, you can eat really cheap, but most of the cheap stuff is processed junk which will hurt you in the long-run. Produce, even if it's non-organic, can add up even if you shop at Chinese grocers such as Donald's or Red Apple. Rotisserie chicken is great once in a while, but wonder why Costco's chicken tastes so good? It's loaded with salt.

The little things do add up. We stopped buying coffee out on a regular basis. I bought a bargain-basement Saeco espresso machine and buy Lavazza espresso-grind coffee for $3.50 a pop. I make double-shot Americanos for the both of us which cost a fraction of the price of coffee from Tim Hortons or McD's. I probably come out ahead of Keurigs and Tassimos and I can control the strength of the shot. We treat ourselves to French press coffee on the weekends. I buy beans from Costco and grind them on the weekends.

I wouldn't consider the estimate excessive for moderately active people. I don't lift weights as much as I used to, but I still run regularly and eat about 4-5 times a day. I'm in my early 30s and weigh about 155.

[multicartual]

500 in booze and drugs? Shit man, you aren't as party as I thought. I used to spend that per week!


My dealer does $25 bags for when you just want to get peppy and not too fucked up

Also when I drink I do it on an empty stomach so I get buzzed harder, faster, and cheaper!!!

[multicartual]

I wouldn't consider the estimate excessive for moderately active people. I don't lift weights as much as I used to, but I still run regularly and eat about 4-5 times a day. I'm in my early 30s and weigh about 155.


Yeah I work out 3-5 times a week and often do long walks (Greater than 10k) because my car is at Racing Greed, hahaha! I'm 6'3 and 240 so I know my size is almost equal to eating for 2!

[underscore]

Saying that student debt costs about the same per month as having two kids is fucking stupid. If you add up the child care, half the food and half the clothes is about $1700 per month which should pay off any student debt fairly quickly

Food $775
Clothing $195
Housing $1,490
Transportation $486
Child care $1,242
MSP premiums $138.50
Non-MSP health care $136
Parents’ education $89
Savings $235
Other expenses $731

WTF is "Parent's education"?

Food le gf and I are ~60-80 per week so 260-350/month, when you can buy in bulk though the cost per person goes down so they aren't exactly being budget conscious at $775/month.

Clothing goes up a bit if you have kids but 200 a month for that still seems high if you're supposed to be on a budget.

Transportation again shouldn't be that high if you buy a car instead of leasing or financing like an idiot, again if you're supposed to be on a fucking budget buy a cheaper car instead of leasing brand new.

Housing I can't comment on as I don't live down there but the tradeoff is generally the cheaper your housing is the more you have to spend on transportation.

TL;DR They write the article as if it's for people that are budget conscious but they use numbers for people that aren't worried about their budget. The title should be "Living wage required for Metro Vancouver rises to $20.10 per hour if you're an idiot who doesn't try to save money"

[multicartual]

My new girlfriend lives the good life on the west side and her overhead is like 6k a month, eats everything organic and has a moderately luxurious life

Living like a normal person sounds... ugh

[multicartual]

Food le gf and I are ~60-80 per week so 260-350/month, when you can buy in bulk though the cost per person goes down so they aren't exactly being budget conscious at $775/month.[/B]"


What the fuck crap food do you eat for $60-80 a week for 2 people?!?!?!

I want to see your average day of meals!!!

[multicartual]

Problem is people these days think a leased car, eating out every day, fancy clothes etc. are a necessity but they aren't.


If you're cool they are

[gars]

A lot of hypotheticals here. Yes, you can buy a used car - but generally maintenance is higher for an older car. Most people here are more car oriented, so they won't get ripped off as much by a shop, but leasing a new car might actually end up being cheaper than buying an old beater.

Clothing is expensive with kids, because they literally outgrow their clothing every 6 months. They're also dirty, so you usually have to wash them after they've worn it for a day. When you're an adult, you can buy a good set of clothing that should last you a few years.

Non MSP health care - things like Dental, Eyeglasses, Prescriptions, all add up. God forbid your child has a chronic disease.

[C5_Ryder]

It doesn't make sense to buy a car cash if you can finance for less then 3 percent interest. Your better off taking the cash and investing it. I know someone financing a vw golf at 0 percent.

[Tapioca]

WTF is "Parent's education"?

Food le gf and I are ~60-80 per week so 260-350/month, when you can buy in bulk though the cost per person goes down so they aren't exactly being budget conscious at $775/month.

Clothing goes up a bit if you have kids but 200 a month for that still seems high if you're supposed to be on a budget.

Transportation again shouldn't be that high if you buy a car instead of leasing or financing like an idiot, again if you're supposed to be on a fucking budget buy a cheaper car instead of leasing brand new.

Housing I can't comment on as I don't live down there but the tradeoff is generally the cheaper your housing is the more you have to spend on transportation.



If you hope to keep yourself relevant and marketable, it's a good idea to continue to take courses, or get certificates/diplomas. The audience for this report is definitely white-collar, but even if you're not white collar, it's always a good idea to invest in learning, regardless of the form. Maybe you want to learn how to weld? Or maybe you want to take up public speaking? Or maybe you want to learn how to run a business? Or maybe, you want to learn about investing? These things cost money.

With clothing, you have two choices: spend money upfront and buy quality pieces, or buy cheap and replace items frequently. If you're a white-collar person and want to look presentable to clients and your bosses, it's a good idea to build a wardrobe. This costs money. You can buy shitty shoes from Aldo that will disintegrate in a year at $100/pair, or buy a pair of Allen Edmonds from Ebay for $200 that will last you a decade with proper care. If you need to wear a suit, you should probably have 3-4. Amortize the cost of these over a year and it's not hard to see how clothing can be about $200 for a family. You won't get to a manager level in sales or consulting by wearing Dickies and plaid shirts.

The majority of people on RS live in detached homes, have indoor garages, and have an above-average knowledge in cars. The best bang-for-your-buck cars are Japanese cars from the 1990s and early 2000s. However, even they require maintenance in the form of timing belts, water pumps, tires, brakes, suspension components, and alternators, particularly at this stage in their lives. It still costs $1000/year to maintain such cars properly unless you do all of the work yourself and source parts from the US. Insurance, especially if you have to drive it to work, is still at least 120-150/month. And gas, even on a four-banger, is still 150-250 per month.

[VR6GTI]

It doesn't make sense to buy a car cash if you can finance for less then 3 percent interest. Your better off taking the cash and investing it. I know someone financing a vw golf at 0 percent.
Not always the case, with 0% there is little room for negotiation your paying MSRP. Paying cash can save you thousands upfront.

[bing]

That does seem pretty overly optimistic. :suspicious:

Lowest monthly payment Yaris 5dr hatchback lease for 60 months: $159/month (This is for a family of 4, and both parents better learn how to drive stick because auto is another 13 bucks per month more)
Gas for the month for entire family use: $80/month (Laughable especially with having to freight kids around and gas prices going up)
Insurance: $100/month

At least one transit pass for one parent to get to work: $91 (one-zone) $124 (Two-zone)

Without considering maintenance, parking or bridge tolls, that's pretty dire. at the most conservative it's $430 just to run at the very minimum simple budgetting.

Because being able to lease a new car is so not a luxury (even if its only a Yaris).

[bing]

If you hope to keep yourself relevant and marketable, it's a good idea to continue to take courses, or get certificates/diplomas. The audience for this report is definitely white-collar, but even if you're not white collar, it's always a good idea to invest in learning, regardless of the form. Maybe you want to learn how to weld? Or maybe you want to take up public speaking? Or maybe you want to learn how to run a business? Or maybe, you want to learn about investing? These things cost money.

If you're poor, being able to take courses to get diplomas/certs is a luxury.

Go to the library or use the Internet = FREE

[underscore]

What the fuck crap food do you eat for $60-80 a week for 2 people?!?!?!

I want to see your average day of meals!!!

Usually we eat bagels or cereal for breakfast, lunches are leftovers + some extra veggies and such, dinners are stuff like pasta w/ various sauces (we'll use a basic sauce and jazz it up at home), chicken/beef stir fry, tacos, steak and potatoes, bbq chicken, fish with rice, burgers, chicken salads, etc etc. If you get seasonings and meat (frozen chicken, burgers, ground beef) in bulk at Costco you can save a tonne, a 30 pack of taco shells there costs the same as an 8 pack at Save On, similar deals with pretty much everything. If you get a whole beef tenderloin and use the Costco cutting guide thing you can get a pile of killer steaks that works out to ~$5-8 per steak (about an inch thick and the size of your hand) with some leftover bits for stir fry. Ground beef is less than half the price of regular stores, I get the stuff already separated into patties and freeze them, I use 2-3 to make tacos and toss one into a pasta sauce for meat sauce.

<snip>

That's assuming a certain type of job, obviously some jobs require more expensive clothes and such but not all of them do. Unless everyone in Van is rocking a white collar job you can't really call that the average. I'm basically a tradesman from a community college that got lucky as fuck so I'm admittedly not as familiar with the white collar side of the job market. Can you even have a solid white collar job that's not paying above $20/hour? Generally people at the lower end of the wage scale tend to not work white collar jobs.

[ZN6]

Because being able to lease a new car is so not a luxury (even if its only a Yaris).

Someone in the thread already mentioned it, but it's the issue of buying a used car requiring more frequent maintenance or buying a new car under warranty that doesn't require replacing things like belts and pumps. I'm going on the assumption that a family on a tight budget would like some sort of peace of mind rather than have any unexpected issues of a car out of warranty.

I also hope at $20.10/hour from each parent, a family is able to afford a leased Yaris. I'm merely saying that the transportation budget of $486 is not feasible for a family on a monthly basis. Hell, if it were a need to go to extreme savings, an average family of four should just walk everywhere, because at that point any form of vehicular transportation is a luxury. Where do you draw the line?

[iEatClams]

Rotisserie chicken is great once in a while, but wonder why Costco's chicken tastes so good? It's loaded with salt.



I think it's important to think of a "balanced" diet. If we really wanted to save money, we can all buy processed food, high in sugars, salt and preservatives, and it will save us a lot of money. Most of that stuff is also very starchy.

I'm at the age where I rarely go out for dinner anymore. We eat out about 1-3 times a week (this include lunches), and it's usually at places where the meal costs less than $40 for the couple.


I think this has become more a thread of what do people typically spend instead of what's the minimum needed to survive thread.

Hopefully users can get some value in terms of info as to how they should or should not be spending their money compared to others on the forum.

[freakshow]

It doesn't make sense to buy a car cash if you can finance for less then 3 percent interest. Your better off taking the cash and investing it. I know someone financing a vw golf at 0 percent.
I hate to break it to you, but in general, if you're paying 0% interest, you're paying more up front, or more per month.

Just know that they aren't actually giving you the same car for the same cash price, but spanning over x years at 0%.

[underscore]

Someone in the thread already mentioned it, but it's the issue of buying a used car requiring more frequent maintenance or buying a new car under warranty that doesn't require replacing things like belts and pumps. I'm going on the assumption that a family on a tight budget would like some sort of peace of mind rather than have any unexpected issues of a car out of warranty.

Why does there have to be a jump from brand new to a 10+ year old car? Get a 2-3 year old off-lease vehicle for a little more than half the price of new and enjoy a car still under warranty for a fraction of the price.

[underscore]

I think this has become more a thread of what do people typically spend instead of what's the minimum needed to survive thread.

To me this thread basically shows the article is not really about the minimum needed to survive, it's more about the minimum needed to survive if you're not really trying to be budget conscious.

[meme405]

Also when I drink I do it on an empty stomach so I get buzzed harder, faster, and cheaper!!!

Take notes everyone, who needs coupons and BS like that, when you can just save money and get drunk quicker on an empty stomach.

Cook on weekends. I pre-make meals for 14 days on the weekend.

You could save approx. $4700/year. Considering income tax rates you would need to earn approx. $6000-7000 before tax.

I know you mean well, and this honestly is a great strategy for saving a bit of cash, but there are a few flaws (NOTE:This is not directed specifically at you, but I will address you directly). Instead of filling your free time with ways of saving money, why don't you fill them with methods of making more money?

I can't believe the number of people who take off from work early, or take extra days off, but then they come up to me and start spewing off about how big of a waste of money it is when I go out for lunch every day.

My response is always the same: instead of spending an entire Saturday or Sunday making meals for two weeks I could easily go into work for the day and make enough money for me to buy myself lunch for the week. I also furthur my career greatly and my boss is never upset at my production.

This is not strictly related to food, it relates to everything in life. People seem to have this false idea that uber successful people are always busy, they are always rushing from place to place doing things. So less successful people fill their time with non-sense like laundry, and making meals, and that type of stuff to make themselves feel busy and therefore think they are successful. The truth is filling your time with these types of tasks is hurting your career and growth wise.

Being successful has nothing to do with being busy or not, it has to do with being efficient and understanding how your time is best spent. YOUR TIME IS WORTH MONEY, that's not just some cliche bullshit, its the damn truth.

And don't think for a minute that this goes completely out the window if you are a salary employee, working hard, is an investment in your future, it makes the difference between one day being the boss, and being pigeonholed in some corner to do menial tasks.

TL;DR - People need to work smarter, AND harder.

And yes I pay someone to do my laundry and havnt made my own lunch in two years.

Also I work 80 hours a week, and out of any given pay period, I will have worked atleast 13 out of the 14 days.

I understand this lifestyle doesn't work for everyone, but for a lot of the members on here you are in the age range where you should be setting up for your future, and you should be willing to work and work HARD.

[westopher]

I always make the same argument for people who commute to "save money." You are paying money to go to work, and wasting your time that is worth XX.00 amount per hour. Lets base it on someone who makes 20.10 an hour like the article says. If you lived 1/2 hour away from work thats 30.30 per day theoretically + what you spend on gas @ 10-15.00. Lets say thats 40 bucks a day, 20 days a month and you are @ $800 of wasted theoretical income. Pay the extra for rent, work more, and enjoy living in a better place. Time IS money. And as you said as well for those that are salary. Spend more time at work, hammer shit out of the park, and you will be rewarded for it. It takes a lot of time sometimes, but hard work is noticed.

[multicartual]

My breakfast today was a bag of kettle chips and 3 PBR after bong rips, that's like a $10 meal :(

This love ball wasn't cheap either, but I'd like, die, if I didn't buy it

http://imgur.com/N8yMmTT

[IfUCare]

Maybe i've missed out on a lot of the arguments so far and i apologize if i'm repeating points. How hard is it to live within your pay cheque? Can't afford to have kids? don't have have kids. Can't afford a place to live? Then get a housemate and split the cost. These are all personal choice people make or don't make. There's always a cheaper solution. meme405 i totally agree with everything you say, but not everyone values the same thing. I refuse to work 80 hour weeks. Am i lazy, probably? I also value the time i spend with my family a lot more. My parents are getting older, they're health isn't there. Can i afford to get cleaners to do the house work? Probably? However i prefer spending time with my whole family. Cooking individualized meals for them whenever i can, helping them out around the house whenever it's needed. This makes me feel good, now i don't have as much time for as much work. So i decrease my spending to meet that. I don't sit at home and do nothing and complain i have nothing. Not everyone is capable of doing what you're doing. Not everyone is capable of putting their career in front of everything. However, i respect you for being able to do so.

TL;DR Find the life style you like and find a career to match it. Don't try to keep up with the Jones.

[underscore]

^ Agreed. I would hate my life if I worked 80 hr weeks.

[Tapioca]

I always make the same argument for people who commute to "save money." You are paying money to go to work, and wasting your time that is worth XX.00 amount per hour. Lets base it on someone who makes 20.10 an hour like the article says. If you lived 1/2 hour away from work thats 30.30 per day theoretically + what you spend on gas @ 10-15.00. Lets say thats 40 bucks a day, 20 days a month and you are @ $800 of wasted theoretical income. Pay the extra for rent, work more, and enjoy living in a better place. Time IS money. And as you said as well for those that are salary. Spend more time at work, hammer shit out of the park, and you will be rewarded for it. It takes a lot of time sometimes, but hard work is noticed.

The law of diminishing returns still applies. I think $40-50/hour is what most people would be satisfied with, even in a city like Vancouver. After that, you're either very good at what you do, or you sacrifice something along the way to make more - whether that's your relationships with family/friends, or your health.

[freakshow]

I agree with most of what westopher said, and the other arguments about family time.

The other caveat would be that most people don't have a job where they can just work extra hours as they please. In some cases, you're already looking for as many hours as you can get, and still get < 40 hours. And depending on the type of scheduling your work does, you would have to find a second job that is perfectly matched to make it work..

[StylinRed]

There's tons of cheap food out there so long as you don't eat out.

Hell, I used to buy rotisserie chicken and eat that for 2-3 days.
1st day you eat the best parts
2nd day you strip off the meat and make a sandwich
3rd day, the remaining meat and boil the chicken bones and you make chicken soup. All you need is some daikon, green onions, salt and pepper.
That's pretty much $15 in total for 3 meals.

If you really want to save money, don't be a yaletown baller.

3 meals a day for 7 days = $105 a week = $420 a month for you alone
not including beveragess/veggies/fruits/bread if any

and a partner to your diet thats 840 now add a kid $ :heckno:

[meme405]

So i decrease my spending to meet that. I don't sit at home and do nothing and complain i have nothing.

This.

I was more targeting those that complain about not having enough money and such. Many people are absolutely fine living within their means, and are comfortable doing so. Nothing wrong with that.

Like I said I completely understand having other priorities and such, especially family.

I by no means am saying everyone should work 80 hours a week.

My point was more so, if you are trying to save as much money as possible, you should focus your attention further on making more money rather than reducing your expenses by clipping coupons and shit.

[Spoon]

If you're poor, being able to take courses to get diplomas/certs is a luxury.

Go to the library or use the Internet = FREE

For simple things like learning Microsoft Office, sure. But most jobs out there require you to have certification to just get in the door. Telling your employer that you studied in the library isn't gonna cut it. :fulloffuck:

[Mr.HappySilp]

Cook on weekends. I pre-make meals for 14 days on the weekend.

You could save approx. $4700/year. Considering income tax rates you would need to earn approx. $6000-7000 before tax.

My co worker use to that too! He would pack each meal in seperate box and put them in the fridge. It sucks and boring but is cheap since he can buy food in bulk. Also he would go to the states go get gas and costco which is cheaper than buying here in Vancouver.

[Ludepower]

no thanks to meal prepping. food taste and look bland.
I take left over dinner to work for lunch.

[MindBomber]

LOL at the posts by clueless RS'ers that will live with their parents into their thirties.

[multicartual]

LOL at the posts by clueless RS'ers that will live with their parents into their thirties.


Playing it safe?

[sdubfid]

I know you mean well, and this honestly is a great strategy for saving a bit of cash, but there are a few flaws (NOTE:This is not directed specifically at you, but I will address you directly). Instead of filling your free time with ways of saving money, why don't you fill them with methods of making more money?


I do this is because my work shift is 14 days straight, gone for 14-15hours a day. Pre-making my own meals allows me to have time to workout everyday instead of cooking, it's not a money issue for me. I am not near civilization to buy food. Even if I were it wouldn't make sense to buy meals. I would have to get 3 meals a day in less than 4min and 30 seconds each to equal my bulk meal prep time.

I can't understand how people think it's their employers fault or the governments fault for their own life decisions. It's much easier to make two kids than to work 2 jobs and go to school or start your own business. There is no difference between having two kids or buying a GTR. They are both luxuries. This is Canada where there are endless opportunities available. Many of the most successful people I know grew up in poverty overseas and came here with the clothes on their back not knowing any English. They didn't blame anyone or ask for handouts, instead they sucked it up/assimilated and put in hard work.

[multicartual]

http://i.imgur.com/TD5TJpl.jpg


Ballin' on a budget


30k millionaire club REPRESENT!!!

[rsx]

3 meals a day for 7 days = $105 a week = $420 a month for you alone
not including beveragess/veggies/fruits/bread if any

and a partner to your diet thats 840 now add a kid $ :heckno:

I was just showing an example of buying a rotiserrie chicken and getting multiple uses out of it. And the $15 is a very rounded up number. I think chickens are around 8.99.

[multicartual]

I was just showing an example of buying a rotiserrie chicken and getting multiple uses out of it. And the $15 is a very rounded up number. I think chickens are around 8.99.

I only eat free range gluten-free organic chicken raised without steroids on Vancouver Island; the farm is blessed first nations land.


Any English majors want to tell me if I used the semicolon correct?

[PeanutButter]

I know three people who work 60+ hour weeks, two are in finance and one works for Microsoft. I wouldn't say they hate their job, but they all told me that there is no way they could do that for the rest of their lives. They're young now, so they don't mind and one of them is about to get married so they need the money.

The one at Microsoft says they pull in 12 hour days on the regular for big projects and sometimes they don't go home or just go home to sleep and come back to work. He said their family life is suffering as people there barely see their families, but they're making six figures.

It's a hard life out there. If you work hard you can definitely make more money, but usually your social or family life suffers. If you don't work as hard your social and family life may be great, but your pocket book probably won't have as much in it..

Life isn't easy for the average person.

[Verdasco]

The numbers they give are 66k for a year (5.5k/month) which if you do an inverse calculation shows you they need to make 78k per year or 39k each (which is 6.5k/month). If you look at it the largest spending is for housing and child care at a total of 2700. If you don't have kids and you are not looking to buy, say you live somewhere for <1000/month rent, you'll cut 1700 from this. This means you need 3.8k/month or 45.5k/year after tax. You can do an inverse calculation to see that's about 56k/year or 28k/year per person. Each person needs to earn about 2.3k/month to make it with these expenses.

Food is the next largest item. I'd say if both people in the couple are fairly active they're going to eat about as much as this example family of 4 so the amount is reasonable. Not to mention a lot of people are pretty much just busing around because cars are more expensive. 2 zone bus passes are 125 each so the month transportation expenses are about 250 total which is less than the 486 they put there.

However, let's not forget student loans shall we. While the above seems reasonable a lot of young people either have tuition to pay or they have to make payments on student loans which can be a bitch. If you have x amount in loans you will probably pay about x/100 per month in the end...

[falcon]

wheres this 1600 sq ft for 1k just curious

South Surrey/White Rock. Not Vancouver, but still GVRD and quite a nice area.

[Soundy]

Value Village used to be cheap. I remember back in the day getting t-shirts for like $0.50 and jeans for $1. Now t-shirts are like $5-10 and jeans are at least $20. I can go to the mall and get clearance priced shit for the same price or MAYBE $5 more. And it's not all stretched to shit. Hell, fuckin Old Navy is cheaper than VV.

Yeah, point being, you can find plenty of GOOD, FUNCTIONAL clothing for next to nothing if you look around, whether it's clearance, thrift, whatever - there's simply no need for a monthly clothing budget to be in the hundreds of dollars, even for an entire family.

I mean seriously, aside from having growing kids, how often do you REALLY need to buy clothes? Not WANT... NEED. Kids don't NEED a new Gucci outfit once a month... neither do parents.

[bing]

For simple things like learning Microsoft Office, sure. But most jobs out there require you to have certification to just get in the door. Telling your employer that you studied in the library isn't gonna cut it. :fulloffuck:

Certification for? forklift driver? what kind of job do you think people making under $20/hr are targeting? definitely not ones requiring advanced education. Their basic goal is survival - having enough to eat and a shelter over their head.

I have many friends who didn't go/complete post-secondary and are doing better financially than a lot of degree holders. Why? cause its all about the person and also who they know.

So no, I don't think the living wage numbers need to be inflated to make room for the completion of a "couple of courses". They can go get a loan if they want to complete a program in something.

There are also more than enough degree holders around. The bachelor degree is the new high school diploma and in the next living wage they'll be inflating the numbers to finance up to a masters cuz the market will be flooded taking us back to square 1. The real problem is that there isn't enough well paying jobs to go around.

[rufCTR3]

Any English majors want to tell me if I used the semicolon correct?

Your sham of a book was God awful, so whether you used the semicolon correctly or not makes absolutely no difference.

[MindBomber]

I only eat free range gluten-free organic chicken raised without steroids on Vancouver Island; the farm is blessed first nations land.


Any English majors want to tell me if I used the semicolon correct?

You did.

[underscore]

http://i.imgur.com/TD5TJpl.jpg


Ballin' on a budget


30k millionaire club REPRESENT!!!

Supporting the local breweries I see, nicely done.

[multicartual]

Your sham of a book was God awful, so whether you used the semicolon correctly or not makes absolutely no difference.

Did you even read it? A bunch of people I've sold them to loved it!

[multicartual]

Your sham of a book was God awful, so whether you used the semicolon correctly or not makes absolutely no difference.


Well I did make 10k last month from sites like Money Talks, Ass Parade, and Facial Abuse so thank god for wankers because I am apparently a terrible author!

:woot2:

[underscore]

Yeah, point being, you can find plenty of GOOD, FUNCTIONAL clothing for next to nothing if you look around, whether it's clearance, thrift, whatever - there's simply no need for a monthly clothing budget to be in the hundreds of dollars, even for an entire family.

I mean seriously, aside from having growing kids, how often do you REALLY need to buy clothes? Not WANT... NEED. Kids don't NEED a new Gucci outfit once a month... neither do parents.

I buy t shirts online once a year for $10/shirt. Many of them I've been wearing once a week for the last year or so and they still look brand new.

[multicartual]

I buy t shirts online once a year for $10/shirt. Many of them I've been wearing once a week for the last year or so and they still look brand new.


Clothes don't have to be expensive to look good, especially if you're in OK shape. If you have nice arms you can get away with tank tops and a sport jacket 365. Women love that look!

If you dress to attract women, the fit, cocky dude in cheap clothes that fit good will get waaaaaaaay more pussy than the sharp-dressed guy who is a bit more reserved.

Jeans/pants are more expensive to look good, don't skimp out on nice pants and cool shoes!

Also, shop the 6th floor of The Bay downtown and you'll find a ton of shit discounted.

[GS8]

I'm wearing the same clothes I've had since 2005. Invest in a good washer / dryer and it's amazing how long they last. Any clothing that is far gone gets donated and I'll buy a replacement for $10-20.

For food, I either buy bulk or cheap. I don't care for organic trendy food. I grow my own veggies in the summer months and freeze them through the cold months.

I invested in a fridge with a filtered water dispenser which eliminates my desire for buying expensive Dasani bottles.

My budget isn't so much tight but it's very strict. I divert funds monthly to my TFSA and quarterly to my RRSPs. Any disposable income is accumulated and used on my cars (because it's one of my main hobbies other than music).

I manage just fine on my own. My job is union, now and offers free schooling for certification / diplomas. Scholarships are available as well. I might pursue that. Only thing holding me back is my selfish desire to enjoy life and not miss out on the opportunities where employment is irrelevant such as travelling to an exotic place. I've been on a nature / outdoor documentary binge and it makes me wallow :okay:

I don't really want to be one of those people on their deathbed living their life in regret that even though they made a lot of money through the course of their life, they could never enjoy it.

[multicartual]

I've been on a nature / outdoor documentary binge and it makes me wallow :okay:



DO IT!!!


I'm a happy free spirit because I've pursued everything I've ever really wanted!!!


Sure I'm 36 and have no savings, but I'm loving life and I find making money almost as easy as spending it!!!


I only work like 1-2 hours a day on porn, the rest is spent just being me and writing bullshit. If I ever want a family I will have to step up my game before I'm 40 so I can start earning over 200k.

Realistically to have a family and live a luxurious lifestyle you and your partner need at least 250k a year in Vancouver.

[maksimizer]

I believe everything i see online.

:rukidding::pokerface::whipped::thumbs::derp::face palm::ohgodwhy::seriously::fulloffuck:

[Timpo]

i dismissed this at Food $775. couldn't take it seriously.

That's 25 bucks a day. Are you saying it's too low or too high?

[hud 91gt]

I doubt there is a day gone by in the past months where i've spent less then $25 a day on groceries/food. I live ALONE!!!

I also do 70% of my shopping at No Frills. How are you guys not passing out from starvation? hah

[Jmac]

I doubt there is a day gone by in the past months where i've spent less then $25 a day on groceries/food. I live ALONE!!!

I also do 70% of my shopping at No Frills. How are you guys not passing out from starvation? hah
How are you spending more than $25/day on food without eating out?

I usually have
Breakfast: Cereal or a bagel or toast to eat with a glass of chocolate milk.

Most expensive is the bagel, which is $4.75 for 6 (Tim Horton's, $0.79/each) plus cream cheese ($7/tub, Philadelphia, lasts about 12 bagels, $0.58/each). Chocolate milk is $1.67/litre (Island Farms, 3 tall glasses per litre, $0.56/glass).

Total = $2/meal

Lunch: Baby carrots ($2 for 1 kg bag, good for 5 lunches, $0.40/each)
Snap peas ($6 for 1 kg bag, good for 5 lunches, $1.20/each)
Yogurt ($4/litre, Island Farms Vanilla Plus, 2 litres lasts 5 days, $1.60/each)
Sandwich/wrap (depends on meat used, but roughly about $3/wrap, less for sandwiches)
Grape juice ($1.34/litre, Sunrype, 3 litres lasts 5 days, $1/day)

Total = $7/meal

Dinner varies, but usually $5-$10/day

Maybe a small snack at night.

All in all, that's $20/day tops eating all good quality food. I eat less on weekends as I'm not working. So about $130/week and that's assuming none of this is on sale. Plus I could get way cheaper food by going no-name.

[underscore]

Cooking for a single person is more expensive per person because you can't buy in bulk as easily. The more people you cook for the higher the total cost but the lower the cost per person.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Cooking for a single person is more expensive per person because you can't buy in bulk as easily. The more people you cook for the higher the total cost but the lower the cost per person.

And that is why is good to prepare several meals at a time so you can buy bulk. Many of my friends who are single have done this to cut cost. It sucks eating the same thing for several meals but hey it does saved a lot of money. Also it pays to use coupons and buy what's sale. A few dollar here and there and you have yourself a lot.

In terms of clothing I don't buy much anymore. As long as clothes fit I don't need new ones. The key to buying clothing is go for quality clothing when it is on sale or buy from the states or Winners. I still have a couple of pair of Levis form more than 5 years ago that I wear. Is a bit out of shape (I proplly replace them this year) but hey I got them on sale for like $39 so is not so bad. Never buy into brand especially hype up brands like Guess, Buffalo, A&F...... they use the worse material on their clothing that will barely last a year.

[GLOW]

That's 25 bucks a day. Are you saying it's too low or too high?

my follow-up post was that i misread the article (i thought it was for 1 person which i would say is too high), but it stated it was for an average for a family of 4, which is about right

[7seven]

I spend way over $775 a month on groceries/food and I'm just feeding myself in single household. Then again I do lift 5 days a week and am fairly active, so I usually eat 6 meals a day.

I think your household food budgets really depends on your lifestyle and income, you'll consume more food if your more active or a lifter and the more disposable income you have most tend to not fuss too much about getting deals, waiting for sales, going out of your way to cheaper stores when grabbing groceries at higher priced retailer is more convenient and saves time and the headaches of dealing with crowds.

Everyone just needs to adjust for their lifestyle and income, that article seems like a veiled attempt in advocating for an increase to minimum wage rates, which I would be against.

[hud 91gt]

How are you spending more than $25/day on food without eating out?

I usually have
Breakfast: Cereal or a bagel or toast to eat with a glass of chocolate milk.

Most expensive is the bagel, which is $4.75 for 6 (Tim Horton's, $0.79/each) plus cream cheese ($7/tub, Philadelphia, lasts about 12 bagels, $0.58/each). Chocolate milk is $1.67/litre (Island Farms, 3 tall glasses per litre, $0.56/glass).

Total = $2/meal

Lunch: Baby carrots ($2 for 1 kg bag, good for 5 lunches, $0.40/each)
Snap peas ($6 for 1 kg bag, good for 5 lunches, $1.20/each)
Yogurt ($4/litre, Island Farms Vanilla Plus, 2 litres lasts 5 days, $1.60/each)
Sandwich/wrap (depends on meat used, but roughly about $3/wrap, less for sandwiches)
Grape juice ($1.34/litre, Sunrype, 3 litres lasts 5 days, $1/day)

Total = $7/meal

Dinner varies, but usually $5-$10/day

Maybe a small snack at night.

All in all, that's $20/day tops eating all good quality food. I eat less on weekends as I'm not working. So about $130/week and that's assuming none of this is on sale. Plus I could get way cheaper food by going no-name.

If you have routine i'm sure it's easy.

I have the exact opposite. I work out of town half the month, so there is my first issue. I have to eat out. Secondly if i'm only home for 2-3 days (Which is often the case), you can't go to the grocery store for your weeks worth of groceries because they will go bad. You end up having to go daily for each meal. This add's up fast. Buy a head of lettuce? Better be eating salad for every meal so you don't have to toss it before your shift. As I said it add's up.

When i'm home, I am not working. I have all day to do whatever I like.

Breakfast is going to be a real meal, lunch is going to be a real meal, dinner is going to be a feast. Every meal will have a good source of protein ($$$), and will lack starches(Veggies = $$$). As stated above, I am also very active and require a lot of food. I enjoy food, what can I say. I'm sure it is possible to live on a smaller budget, but it's quite difficult without routine and for now I don't mind.