Basement For Rent In Toronto

What is a decent salary for a single 19 year old to live on in Toronto.?

I currently live in Brampton, and I am considering moving out as I want to be independent and show my parents im not a screw up. First off, I must say I live a cheap quiet lifestyle. I almost never go out, spend money while out and buy things on sale, used or make use of what I have. If I make 12 bucks an hour, can I rent a single room apartment or basement, take the TTC, buy food and pay for internet and TV? I will also have to pay for things like haircuits, soap, shampoo etc.

If you are careful yes. It can be done. You won’t have a lot of extra cash, but yes.

Check out myhood.ca to find out what you can afford for rent and go from there. A small bachelor can still be had for around 900 a month. A room for a bit less. I know that doesn’t leave you a lot left over, but shop smart, buy on sale etc. If I were you, I’d see if about a bachelor before renting a room. It gives you more independence. Electricity will kill you. Try to find a place that has it included. If not, try to find out going rates (sorry, my building has it included so I have no clue) Hydro may kill your budget if you are not super careful about shutting things off. That may make or break your decision.

Rule of thumb, the further away from a subway stop, the less you’ll pay. You may end up walking a couple of blocks, but if you are healthy who cares, right?

Make sure you live within walking distance to good grocery stores. Avoid going to Macs milk and places like that for stuff you need. You pay way too much.

Check for the cheapest internet rates you can find but be careful you don’t get dinged for overage fees. Read the terms carefully. I have a customer that ended up paying an extra $400 because he didn’t realise his plan was so restricted.

You might have to give up the cell phone (if you have one) or go with a no frills pay as you go version. Don’t get cable tv – if you have highspeed, save big bucks and go with an online company like Satellite tv via the internet. You would save a couple hundred dollars a year.

Learn to cook simple meals. Go to a place that lets you buy in bulk. Way cheaper in the long run. Skip the fast food. Haircuts are cheap if you go to a place like First Choice. Or better still, if you have short hair, cut your own. Save about fifteen dollars a month. Yea I know it’s not a lot, but it’s fifteen dollars you could set aside to go to the movies for a treat.

Oh and learn about the wonders of drying your clothes on a rack in the bathroom. Trust me – you save a small fortune by hanging stuff up to dry.

Find out what stuff is free in town. You’d be surprised how much entertainment can be had for nothing in Toronto. Cheap eats, free entertainment – keeps you from going insane from boredom.

Good luck… lived on a tight budget for years and actually learned to have fun doing it. I still remember what a pleasure it was to go and buy a coffee and newspaper as a treat and sit for an hour reading it. It’s not so bad, you know. There are worse things in life than learning to live on a tight budget.

Oh and if you aren’t sure about a neigbourhood drop me a message and I can let you know what it’s like. I travel all over the city and most of it so I have a pretty good idea what most are like.

My Basement Apartment