Toronto TikToker Shares How She's Able To Afford $2,200 In Rent & Lists 5 Ways To Save
Here's what it takes to live alone in downtown Toronto.
A selfie of Bridgette Vong. Right: Toronto condos.
Affording Toronto rent has become a major hurdle for young people looking to live in the bustling metropolis, with the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment hovering around a staggering $2,500 per month.
So a 24-year-old woman took to TikTok to explain how she manages to afford a solo apartment downtown, and the now-viral video has sparked an important conversation about what it takes to live alone in the city.
Bridgette Vong told Narcity she moved to Toronto around a year ago after a break-up with her long-time boyfriend and wanted to experience living alone in the city.
She says that the key to affording her $2,200-a-month apartment is through multiple sources of revenue and discipline when it comes to spending habits.
"I feel like I just made some decisions that, to me, don't seem crazy," she said. "[Cutting back] definitely helped a lot, and I don't think it impacts my quality of living."
Here are the five strategies she's adopted that have made affording rent in Toronto so much easier:
Cutting back luxury spending saved her $200 to $400 a month
Vong says in her video that she booted a lot of her favourite beauty services such as "nails, hair, makeup and lashes," and this change itself has saved her anywhere from $200 to $400 a month.
"I don't get my lashes done, which I used to love doing, and I felt like it made me look so much better," she said.
She also gave up the use of her Olapex shampoo, which costs $41 on Sephora, and only shops for her makeup from drugstores.
Finally, she avoids online shopping and going after "trendy" products she sees blow up online.
"I just can't fall into it because I can't afford it," she said.
She's reduced drinks and dinner nights
Vong says she only goes out for drinks and dinner in Toronto around once a month, as she knows it can cost anywhere from "$60 to $100" an outing.
"I'd much rather have like a wine night or do something at home or something more chill, [like] go for a coffee," she said.
She limited her subscriptions to one
Vong canceled all "unnecessary" subscriptions to save money, including an $80 GoodLife gym membership, opting to use the gym in her building instead.
She also canceled her donations to organizations like UNICEF and Planned Canada that she could no longer afford.
"I pay for one streaming service, and then I just mooch the rest off my friends," she said.
She said goodbye to weed
According to Vong, she decided to stop smoking weed after she realized she was spending at least $30 a week there.
This cost also didn't include the Uber Eats she'd get when she was "out of her mind."
She has two additional side gigs
Along with her full-time corporate job based in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Vong told Narcity that she also has a freelance job running digital marketing and social media for a bakery company.
"All of it is online, which is amazing for me," she said. "I think I probably would have like $200 leftover for the month if I was not working the additional job, which I can count on as like a consistent paycheck monthly."
She also earns money with brand deals she scores through her TikTok account, which acts as additional income as well, she said.
@bridgettevong #stitch with @sese💖 not an expert!! Just a 24 year old woman in toronto sharing my tips for living alone #budgetingtips #livingaloneinmy20s #livingonabudget #whatispend #torontolife #torontotiktok #torontolifestylecreator #torontomicroinfluencer #torontocreator #corporatelife
Vong says she has no regrets about her decision to move to the city, which has "so many opportunities," and is grateful to be able to live alone.
"I think I'd recommend it to anyone if they can afford it," she said.
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