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Is it realistic for a single 19 year old to live in Toronto?

I smiled when I read your post.
You reminded me of someone, from a very long time ago.
You are in a hurry to get on with the the next stage of your life and that's a good healthy thing.
My advise..
Slow down and think..hard. You have an awful lot of life ahead of you. You don't want to screw it up.
Try working out a plan to see where you would like to see yourself in one year, five years, ten years. At your stage of the game in life it's tough enough to image three months into the future ( no insult here, just a fact of life).
The independence, glamour and excitement of an everyday 9-5 job, paying rent, bills, cooking for yourself, washing your clothes, cleaninig your place, and carefully budgeting your spending wears off really fast, and retirement is still a long way off. Trust me on this.
Some good advise above this post about staying in school. Learning a trade vastly inceases your chances for a good life ahead. I do realize though, that this is not the answer for everybody. You might consider saving up a bit and blowing it all on seeing some of the world before life's routines trap you. All or any of the above really do go a long way to helping you later in life in so many ways you can't possibly comprehend now.
Just a few thoughts sent your way. Good luck! I envy you.
 
I too would echo a number of the posts here.

First, let me congratulate you on daring to post on this site and seeking out advice. That to me already shows you are forward thinking.

I am a big proponent of higher education, but that said, it is not for everyone. You sound like you have considered University and College and decided against them. I would urge you to consider revisiting this decision in the next year or 2. You may end up with the same conclusion but things may look different then. I would only suggest you not close the door totally shut.

I concur full heartedly with the suggestions on the forum that you consider a skilled trade. There is a shortage in Canada looming and in the long run, this would position you well going forward. Your idea of the police force is a fine one but I must tell you I have heard that it is very difficult to get in so one should always have a "Plan B".

Granny's idea of staying a bit longer at home, accumulating some money and then deciding what to do (for eg. see the world or parts that may be of interest to you) is a wonderful idea. If you really wish to be downtown, then I would strongly recommend you look for a shared accomodation

Let me congratulate you on having made a budget. I am very impressed that someone 19 years old has that good a grasp of reality. At least you are making "rationale decisions" and whether the forum agrees with you or not, if this is the way you approach all your decisions in your future life, I am quite sure you will do very well. I have met alot of smart people in my many years, but common sense, something I believe you have, is sadly lacking in alot of them. Common sense in my experience, unlike most education, is something that you are either born with or not, and not something you can learn.

My advise to you would be that whatever decision you take today, promise yourself that you will reevaluate it in 6 months, one year and at 2 years.
With a year of work, the world may look different. I encourage you to constantly evaluate. I admire the candor of the previous poster who acknowledged that 1 year quickly turned into 5 years. It is very easy to fall into a routine and continue it as it is the path of least resistance.

I think all of us on the forum sympathesize with the issues you are facing and would like to wish you all the very best going forward.
 
Interested,

Some of what you are saying is true. I guess I have not COMPLETELY ruled out post-sec, or at least college. Maybe I could get a 1 year certificate of some sort. But I think based on my high school marks, it would be very hard getting into something I would enjoy doing and learning about. Maybe that is why college is lower on my list; because of my marks.

I see what you mean by reconsidering my life and options every few months. Ive already dont that enough in the past few years lol! First I wanted to become a soccer player, then a pilot, then a gym/history teacher, then a police officer. But I realised I needed a plan B and experience to get into these occupations. I honestly cannot see myself working for 12 bucks an hour until im lets say 25, but when the time comes I will address the problem accordingly and hopefully "move up" in life. Living by myself at such an early age will give me a good taste of what it is to work and support yourself. I'm not going to lie, up until a few months ago I was one lazy kid. I didn't want to work, and wasn't sure about where I was going. I was basically rotting in my room playing video games and watching MTV all day. I realise I needed to do something, and this is what I chose.
 
Sorry but,

I think while it's good I am getting insight from experienced people on my future I think we are straying away from the main point at hand. Will I be able to make my budget work based on what I have outlined in the OP? I already have close to 5000 saved up, will still be saving and while staying at home I will purchase essential items such as a desk, table, couch, bed, dishes, cups, glasses, weights, a fan, dresser, etc. All these items bought now will avoid eating into my budget when I move out.

However my main concern is food and rent. I can be a big eater, but other times I can go long without feeling hungry. Ov average, I probably eat cereal for breakfast, a sandwhich or something similar for lunch, dinner and a few snacks such as cookies, candy etc throughout the day. I also don't drink coke, only water which I can get from the tap. I know I said 300 bucks might be able to handle food every month but is it realistic? I've been shopping at Price Chopper/No Frills my whole life (they got some pretty good stuff there for a "shitty store" as most people claim)
Also, how hard is it to find a place that includes utilities in a cheap rental price? I have seen some bachelor rooms with ultilities, parking even cable (probably up to channel 28 :( lol) and internet for $600-800/month. I know the farther away from a TTC station and the downtown core you are, the cheaper it is. I am considering the option of moving in with a friend, however as an idependant person I would like to consider solo options first. Depending on where in Toronto I work, how long would it take me to get from lets say Kennedy and Sheppard to Eglington and Weston Road by TTC? Maybe if I work close, I can ride my bike to work and buy a few TTC tokens instead of $120 metro pass.
 
OK, I will try and add a couple of thoughts to your budget.

I think $700 is relatively "cheap" accomodation and I would look at it first and decide if it meets what you are expecting in a bachelor room with utitilies and interent. Often things advertised are really much less desirable when actually seen.

I think as a 19 year old male, your $300 food budget is a bit light. I assume wanting to experience the "big city life" will mean some expenses to go out, have a meal outside, perhaps go for a drink with your buddies. These add ons are quite expensive.

I can't answer the questions on time for commutes. Obviously, if you could live closer to your work and negate the metro pass, you could add that money to your rent money and save time/travel which adds to your day and takes away from your "own time".

You sound however quite frugal, so provided you have the work and do not lose your job (therefore keep 3 months of rent money at least as a minimum reserve), you can probably manage but it will be quite tight. $2000/month before tax in the big city does not go very far.

Hope this helps.
 
I don't know where you plan to live, but you can get free lunches at churches in the east end most days during the week - though it may not fit in with your eventual work schedule. I assume such resources are available all over the city. A friend of mine who was on a low income for a number of years did so - Mondays at Beach United ( Wineva and Queen ); Tuesdays at Woodbine Heights Baptist ( a couple of blocks north of Danforth ); Fridays at a United Church on Kingston Road ( not sure which one ) ... and I forget where he went on Wednesdays and Thursdays but I can find out if you want. I've actually joined him on a few occasions, since anyone can drop in for a coffee or a meal around 11 a.m. - I've met all kinds of people ranging from your age to affluent retirees in their 80s. They're a broad cross section of the community and not at all what one might assume. If you check out a few such places, and chat to the people who go there, you might get useful tips on how to stretch your income and live inexpensively, and about finding employment. The wider community offers a range of such human resources if you seek them out. It might be a good way to network beyond the demographics of this forum.
 
I never thought about that. Free meals whether it be leftovers from family events or church cant hurt.
 
Colvis said:
I am considering the option of moving in with a friend, however as an idependant person I would like to consider solo options first. Depending on where in Toronto I work, how long would it take me to get from lets say Kennedy and Sheppard to Eglington and Weston Road by TTC? Maybe if I work close, I can ride my bike to work and buy a few TTC tokens instead of $120 metro pass.
Click to expand...

Check out this link for route planning - http://myttc.ca/travel/from/sheppard_and_kennedy/to/weston_and_eglinton/by/9:00am

I put in arrive by 9am assuming you'd be starting work at that time, you can adjust accordinly. Either way, that's a long trip, between 60-90 minutes depending on luck, traffic, and if you're going to be doing that during rush hour (which would be extremely uncomfortable). I wouldn't be willing to do it.
 
Urban Shocker said:
I don't know where you plan to live, but you can get free lunches at churches in the east end most days during the week - though it may not fit in with your eventual work schedule. I assume such resources are available all over the city. A friend of mine who was on a low income for a number of years did so - Mondays at Beach United ( Wineva and Queen ); Tuesdays at Woodbine Heights Baptist ( a couple of blocks north of Danforth ); Fridays at a United Church on Kingston Road ( not sure which one ) ... and I forget where he went on Wednesdays and Thursdays but I can find out if you want. I've actually joined him on a few occasions, since anyone can drop in for a coffee or a meal around 11 a.m. - I've met all kinds of people ranging from your age to affluent retirees in their 80s. They're a broad cross section of the community and not at all what one might assume. If you check out a few such places, and chat to the people who go there, you might get useful tips on how to stretch your income and live inexpensively, and about finding employment. The wider community offers a range of such human resources if you seek them out. It might be a good way to network beyond the demographics of this forum.
Click to expand...

Is the intention of these free lunches to help people in need? Because if it is, then no one who can afford a $3.49 sub at Subway or a $3.14 chicken sandwich at Tim Hortons should be taking advantage of this kind of charity. It's for people who don't have two nickels to rub together and I'd personally be disgusted to see someone with a job attend (unless of course the purpose of these types of lunches is just to feed people for free - and I've never heard of any such thing except from Hare Krishna temples).
 
I report what I find. They aren't means tested, nobody need swear they're a practising Christian or Jew prior to admission and I haven't heard of anyone being turned away for attempting to break bread with people not in their specific socio-economic bracket.
 
Urban Shocker said:
I report what I find. They aren't means tested, nobody need swear they're a practising Christian or Jew prior to admission and I haven't heard of anyone being turned away for attempting to break bread with people not in their specific socio-economic bracket.
Click to expand...

Just because the people providing these meals are polite and respectful of how people feel about their current economic situation doesn't mean you're not taking advantage. That's a rather low bar of qualification you've set and I hope few people can reach it as it's horrible to do such a thing.
 
No doubt some do, though the two WW2 veterans - men in their mid-80s - who I met on the second visit I made with my friend were lively company and neither lonely nor impecunious. And I was lead to understand that these church meeting places began as social get-togethers for parishioners and have since expanded in scope. Being an equal opportunity doyenne I made no distinction between the filthy rich and the filthy poor.

What do you propose, simuls - frisking everyone at the door to weed out those who have more than the $3.49 needed to buy a sub at Subway or the $3.14 to buy a chicken sandwich at Tim Hortons? That's no very Christian.
 
Absolutely not Ms. Doyenne. People who don't have the means deserve just as much respect and dignity as those who do. All I'm suggesting is that if indeed these are meals for people who can't afford to purchase food, then they shouldn't be suggested as "free" meals for those with the means to purchase said meals. Hopefully, people have enough self-respect to not take charity that's not intended for them. It's hard enough for these places to stay open and provide the aid they do without cheapskates and freeloaders increasing the burden.
 
As I observed it, and have explained, these lunch time drop-in centres don't function exclusively as a charity for one means tested group - hence my suggestion to Colvis that he might cut his food costs and benefit by widening his circle of acquaintances to include people who know how to get by with little. One man I sat with, who the volunteers know can clearly "afford to purchase food", wrapped his unfinished meal and took it away with him and there was no sense that he was burdensome to them and their volunteerism. At the same lunch someone at another table identified himself as a student taking some sort of university "Ministry" course and asked if we minded being photographed for his presentation. While some briefly left the room while the snaps were taken, I was more than happy to remain and be captured for posterity. In talking to one of the churchwomen at the table about my own limited experience with urban farming, I understood that the amount of locally-grown food gathered by one of the groups for donation has been increasing each year, which set me to thinking of ways that - as a producer - I could join this network. As I decompress from the world of work I intend to widen my circle of friends by seeking out a wide range of new places to go and new people to meet, with my experience when I enjoyed the church meals with my friend as the starting point.
 
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