31 year old man-child lives with mommy and daddy and thinks he's awesome-sauce

[kayvent]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

[nereo]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

Sorry, the above is incorrect.
In terms of cost of living, Toronto is one of the most expensive places to live in North America, beaten out only by parts of NYC and about tied with Vancouver.
Food prices overall are higher here than in the US.  Fuel in Toronto averages about 30% more than in the US (current prices are hovering around the $1/L mark, which is $2.90USD - most of the US is now below $2.30USD)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-vancouver-most-expensive-cities-in-canada-1.1237021

[plainjane]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true
Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

They probably average over 100k because there is limited turnover, so there are many teachers with a lot of tenure.  From what my friends tell me, it's a tough job to break into these days.  The incumbent teachers just aren't retiring at the ages expected.

[GuitarStv]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

Sorry, the above is incorrect.
In terms of cost of living, Toronto is one of the most expensive places to live in North America, beaten out only by parts of NYC and about tied with Vancouver.
Food prices overall are higher here than in the US.  Fuel in Toronto averages about 30% more than in the US (current prices are hovering around the $1/L mark, which is $2.90USD - most of the US is now below $2.30USD)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-vancouver-most-expensive-cities-in-canada-1.1237021

Weird.  Housing can be expensive, but other than that I haven't found it costly at all to live in Toronto for the past five years.

There is plenty of choice for supermarkets, and I can always find better deals on food than in smaller Canadian cities because of this.  (You have to check out the flyers for the five or six supermarkets within cycling distance of your house to do this.)  The solution to expensive gas is to drive less . . . which is much easier to achieve in Toronto than in smaller cities due to Toronto's density.

[nereo]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

Sorry, the above is incorrect.
In terms of cost of living, Toronto is one of the most expensive places to live in North America, beaten out only by parts of NYC and about tied with Vancouver.
Food prices overall are higher here than in the US.  Fuel in Toronto averages about 30% more than in the US (current prices are hovering around the $1/L mark, which is $2.90USD - most of the US is now below $2.30USD)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-vancouver-most-expensive-cities-in-canada-1.1237021

Weird.  Housing can be expensive, but other than that I haven't found it costly at all to live in Toronto for the past five years.

There is plenty of choice for supermarkets, and I can always find better deals on food than in smaller Canadian cities because of this.  (You have to check out the flyers for the five or six supermarkets within cycling distance of your house to do this.)  The solution to expensive gas is to drive less . . . which is much easier to achieve in Toronto than in smaller cities due to Toronto's density.

I have no doubt that there are ways of living far less expensively in Toronto, but those strategies (getting roommates, not driving) work just about everywhere.  I was just responding to the poster who called housing "pretty cheap" when "compared to other areas [of NA]." Simply put, the housing markets of Toronto and Vancouver are at the extreme end for NA cities.

[human]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

Sorry, the above is incorrect.
In terms of cost of living, Toronto is one of the most expensive places to live in North America, beaten out only by parts of NYC and about tied with Vancouver.
Food prices overall are higher here than in the US.  Fuel in Toronto averages about 30% more than in the US (current prices are hovering around the $1/L mark, which is $2.90USD - most of the US is now below $2.30USD)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-vancouver-most-expensive-cities-in-canada-1.1237021

Lol at 1$ being considered expensive. That's just what gas costs all over Ontario. It's a buck a liter here in Ottawa. When oil was booming it was over $1.30 a liter. Someone I know just moved into a studio under 1300. You can't compare cost of living here to that of the us. The dollar has a role to play as well. If you focus on buying a place in Toronto you're being a sucker, rent and no car you should be able to live like a god on 100k.

[Herbert Derp]

it's not that this guy is spending on experiences instead of things -- it's that he's using *other people's things.*

I don't see any problem with that. The house is a resource made available to him, it would be a waste if he didn't utilize it and instead rented or bought a place for himself. His parents have every right to kick him out or make him sign a lease, but they didn't--and that's on them. Don't blame this guy for making use of what's available.

I have a similar situation in my family. My uncle owns a house with several extra bedrooms, and my millennial cousin (she's his niece) who earns a good living as a CPA is renting one of those rooms at a generously low rate. My family knows that she could easily support herself, but they see the clear financial benefit in letting her use the room. In fact, when she expressed interest in buying her own house, everyone encouraged her to keep her options open and continue renting the room.

Furthermore, my father recently retired and wants to move into that same area so that he can be closer to his ailing parents. He also wanted to buy a house, but we all talked him into renting one of the rooms in my uncle's house instead.

So, my point is that this living arrangement is a perfectly rational, financially beneficial decision for the guy in the article. The fact that he happens to be a spendthrift is completely unrelated to his living situation. Criticise him for his spending if you want, but that's missing the point.

[kayvent]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

Sorry, the above is incorrect.
In terms of cost of living, Toronto is one of the most expensive places to live in North America, beaten out only by parts of NYC and about tied with Vancouver.
Food prices overall are higher here than in the US.  Fuel in Toronto averages about 30% more than in the US (current prices are hovering around the $1/L mark, which is $2.90USD - most of the US is now below $2.30USD)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-vancouver-most-expensive-cities-in-canada-1.1237021

I could have made that more clear.

Food and transportation is cheaper in Toronto than many places in Canada is what I meant to say. As per housing being more expensive, on average people are paid more in Toronto. The average salary is 40% more in Toronto than New Brunswick for example and some quick googling says that the average three bedroom apartment in the city centre is only 1000$/month more on average than in a New Brunswick city.

[nereo]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

Sorry, the above is incorrect.
In terms of cost of living, Toronto is one of the most expensive places to live in North America, beaten out only by parts of NYC and about tied with Vancouver.
Food prices overall are higher here than in the US.  Fuel in Toronto averages about 30% more than in the US (current prices are hovering around the $1/L mark, which is $2.90USD - most of the US is now below $2.30USD)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-vancouver-most-expensive-cities-in-canada-1.1237021

I could have made that more clear.

Food and transportation is cheaper in Toronto than many places in Canada is what I meant to say. As per housing being more expensive, on average people are paid more in Toronto. The average salary is 40% more in Toronto than New Brunswick for example and some quick googling says that the average three bedroom apartment in the city centre is only 1000$/month more on average than in a New Brunswick city.

Fair enough - and I know I sometimes get my fact-checking panties in a bunch.  you are correct that salaries are on average much higher in Toronto than elsewhere... how things are worded makes a big difference.

Lol at 1$ being considered expensive. That's just what gas costs all over Ontario. It's a buck a liter here in Ottawa. When oil was booming it was over $1.30 a liter. Someone I know just moved into a studio under 1300. You can't compare cost of living here to that of the us.

It's just under $1CAD here in Quebec - but the fact remains that gasoline is always more expensive than the US average, and I was responding to a poster that sounded like the comparison was being made to the US (though this may have been a misunderstanding - see above).  The US fuel average is currently ~CAD$0.74/L (or USD$0.57/L) In terms of fuel, all oil is bought and sold on the USME in $USD, so the currency difference is automatically factored in. The price differences are largely due to a combination of taxes (on average higher in Canada than the US, though not everywhere) and distribution costs.

[MgoSam]

I was thinking of something I read in "A Guide to the Good Life," and can't recall the line or which philosopher it was, but he said that he consumes only water and bread so that when he eats something better, it tastes like the finest feast in the world. Anyone else remember this passage?

Epicurus wrote:

Again, we regard independence of outward things as a great good, not so as in all cases to use little, but so as to be contented with little if we have not much, being honestly persuaded that they have the sweetest enjoyment of luxury who stand least in need of it, and that whatever is natural is easily procured and only the vain and worthless hard to win. Plain fare gives as much pleasure as a costly diet, when once the pain of want has been removed, while bread and water confer the highest possible pleasure when they are brought to hungry lips. To habituate one's self, therefore, to simple and inexpensive diet supplies all that is needful for health, and enables a man to meet the necessary requirements of life without shrinking, and it places us in a better condition when we approach at intervals a costly fare and renders us fearless of fortune.

Which I think is strongly in the vein of what you're talking about.

That's a great quote, thanks for posting it.

[dwinava]

I can't believe that this person is intelligent enough to have earned a degree in pharmacy, and has calculated that Toronto house prices are "up 18.9 per cent from spring of last year", but hasn't considered the loss in capital growth he could have made if he'd purchased that $625,000 house when he had the opportunity. Even if he bought it and rented it out to cover (even part of) his mortgage expenses and then sold it now, he'd be in a vastly better position than he is currently. Imagine how many $130 whisky shots he'd be able to afford!?

[GuitarStv]

I can't believe that this person is intelligent enough to have earned a degree in pharmacy, and has calculated that Toronto house prices are "up 18.9 per cent from spring of last year", but hasn't considered the loss in capital growth he could have made if he'd purchased that $625,000 house when he had the opportunity. Even if he bought it and rented it out to cover (even part of) his mortgage expenses and then sold it now, he'd be in a vastly better position than he is currently. Imagine how many $130 whisky shots he'd be able to afford!?

There are many smart people who lost money in the US during the housing crash because they saw prices rising and jumped on the bandwagon.  Of all the stupid things you could point to about this guy, I'm not sure that's the right one to jump on.

[human]

I see one poster correctly pointing out that teachers in Toronto can make decent cash, see here: https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/toronto-teacher-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976_KO8,15.htm?countryRedirect=true

Some of the bigger school boards average over 100k. Salaries are based on the teacher's education and years in, a Master's in education and ten years means big money in Toronto.

How's the cost of living in Toronto, compared to other areas?

If you are renting and have some mates, pretty cheap. Especially compared to the largest urban centres in the USA. Food and transportation is cheap. That helps.

Sorry, the above is incorrect.
In terms of cost of living, Toronto is one of the most expensive places to live in North America, beaten out only by parts of NYC and about tied with Vancouver.
Food prices overall are higher here than in the US.  Fuel in Toronto averages about 30% more than in the US (current prices are hovering around the $1/L mark, which is $2.90USD - most of the US is now below $2.30USD)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-vancouver-most-expensive-cities-in-canada-1.1237021

I could have made that more clear.

Food and transportation is cheaper in Toronto than many places in Canada is what I meant to say. As per housing being more expensive, on average people are paid more in Toronto. The average salary is 40% more in Toronto than New Brunswick for example and some quick googling says that the average three bedroom apartment in the city centre is only 1000$/month more on average than in a New Brunswick city.

Fair enough - and I know I sometimes get my fact-checking panties in a bunch.  you are correct that salaries are on average much higher in Toronto than elsewhere... how things are worded makes a big difference.

Lol at 1$ being considered expensive. That's just what gas costs all over Ontario. It's a buck a liter here in Ottawa. When oil was booming it was over $1.30 a liter. Someone I know just moved into a studio under 1300. You can't compare cost of living here to that of the us.

It's just under $1CAD here in Quebec - but the fact remains that gasoline is always more expensive than the US average, and I was responding to a poster that sounded like the comparison was being made to the US (though this may have been a misunderstanding - see above).  The US fuel average is currently ~CAD$0.74/L (or USD$0.57/L) In terms of fuel, all oil is bought and sold on the USME in $USD, so the currency difference is automatically factored in. The price differences are largely due to a combination of taxes (on average higher in Canada than the US, though not everywhere) and distribution costs.

I see, comparisons to the US (whoever makes them) just don't wash. Higher cost of living here, dollar fluctuates (for goods and services not necessarily for fuel but the gas giants here always use it as an excuse), energy based economy here (no refineries though). Then of course more taxes to pay for more benefits like health care, post secondary education and child care (depending on where you live). Those tax dollars go a long way . . .

[Singuy]

This guy is a total D-bag.  He is really giving us millennials/pharmacists a bad name. I could care less what he spends his money on, but I don't see this prick helping out his parents one bit...he spends every last dime on himself while his parents need to carry his sorry ass if he gets laid off due to car accident with a DUI thanks to his 200 dollar shots. What a self-fish POS.