What I Spend Each Month as College Student in Calgary

SCHOOL: Bow Valley College, Calgary, disability studies

AGE: 22

I receive Government of Alberta disability grants, which cover my tuition, because I have ADHD. I also have several part-time jobs to pay for groceries and other expenses: I work as a swim instructor and lifeguard at a disability services community centre ($19.60/hour), walk dogs ($12 to $15 per 30-minute walk), babysit and teach private swim lessons ($200 to $300/month) and donate plasma once or twice a week ($70 to $100/week). When I graduate, I want to do work that fosters inclusivity for people with disabilities, particularly in recreation.

Rent: $0

I live in my childhood home with my 21-year-old stepbrother. My stepdad works five hours north of Calgary, and my mom is usually up there with him, so we have the place to ourselves. She comes down about once a month to spend time with us.

Groceries: $200

I’m on the go a lot, so I keep a little box in my car with a variety of snacks and drinks. Having things like granola bars, cheese strings and pre-cut fruit on hand stops me from eating fast food more often. My stepbrother and I try to buy groceries together and split the cost. I use an app called Flipp to see what’s on sale at different stores. I buy a lot of frozen snacks and meals, like taquitos and pizza pockets. One of the tenants who rents our basement suite works at Costco, and since we count as being in the same household, we get a free membership. When we go there I stock up on snacks, frozen veggies and lasagnas. If my mom is back for the week, she helps us out by paying for a grocery run.

Eating out: $250

Even though I try not to, I still eat out about five times a week. I try to keep it inexpensive—I’ll get a small cheeseburger or six chicken nuggets at Wendy’s for $3.50. I keep drinks in my car, like a 12-pack of Nestea, which saves money on drinks. Two or three times a week I treat myself to an oat milk latte at Starbucks, which costs $6. I like buying coffee for my coworkers and sometimes we order pizza or Vietnamese banh mi if we’re stuck on a long shift together, which costs about $15 per person.

Transportation: $515

I drive my mom’s old 2010 orange Pontiac Vibe. Insurance costs about $260 a month, and gas is about $180 a month. My school is downtown and parking is expensive, so I buy a transit pass through school, which costs $300 a semester.

Textbooks and other class costs: $70

Most of my courses require a textbook, which cost $80 new. I’ve been creative about it though and I buy books second-hand or rent them, which costs $50 instead of $80. I also “co-parent” textbooks with my classmates. Three or four people pitch in, and we each get designated textbook time, or we send photos of pages that others need. This way, I only pay $20 for my share of the textbook.

Going out: $60

I go to punk shows a couple of times a month, which cost $5 or $10. Sometimes I get in for free because I’m learning how to do show photography for live music. I went to a Da Vinci exhibition at the Telus Spark Science Centre, which was about $22 for student admission. I also go to a lot of markets and festivals, like the Inglewood Night Market or queer artist showcases. Even if I don’t buy something, it’s nice to support them with my admission fee.

Online subscriptions: $35

I pay $6 a month for a student Spotify subscription. I listen to a lot of local artists and like to have music in the background when I’m driving or walking dogs. If I’m studying, it needs to be classical music; otherwise, the lyrics distract me. I also have Disney+, which costs $8 a month. I pay $7 a month for storage space on Google, since it allows me to access my photos without needing to download them to my computer. My Adobe Lightroom student plan for photo editing is $14 per month.

Cat expenses: $80

My cat, Whiskey, is my baby. I got him when I was going through a tough mental health period, so he symbolizes my survival in a way. He knows when I’m sad and will come lay on my chest. I spend about $30 a month on his litter and $50 a month on his canned cat food from Costco.

Clothes and accessories: $50

I buy an absurd number of goggles. They only cost $5, but I keep losing them or lending them out to the adults with disabilities that I work with. It adds up. I try to buy clothes on sale, like a $25 pair of Garfield PJs from Bluenotes. I bought a bathing suit at Costco for $20. I volunteer as a coach with the Special Olympics Alberta Centre in Airdrie, so I spend a lot of time in a swimming pool.

What I spent: $1,260

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