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Living Expenses??

 
Old 07-03-2009 at 12:31 PM   #1
binbrook23
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Living Expenses??
I'm new to the city of hamilton. I'm living in the urban sprawl area of Binbrook right now....

I am moving into an apartment on September 1, 2009 near Main Street West. I'm wondering if there are any of you who reside in these apartments? And what your monthly utilities are like each month? The apartment I am moving into has water and heat included in the rent. But hydro is extra and I'm wonding how much I should budget for it each month?
Do any of you have pets with you in your apartments?

I know this seems like alot of questions, but its the first time I'm going to be living away from home and I'm already nervous about it!!!
Old 07-03-2009 at 12:44 PM   #2
lorend
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For my utilities in a shared house of 5-8 people I paid about $200/month. That included my cell, internet, hydro, gas.

Cable is about $45/month using Cogeco, and if you want a land-line that is an additional cost too.
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Old 07-03-2009 at 12:54 PM   #3
binbrook23
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Oh wow. I guess I didn't realize it would be that much. I'm renting a one bedroom suite in an apartment tower. I can save on not paying for a phone since I already have cell phone. I can do without cable as well. But I will need internet.
Thanks for the info!
Old 07-03-2009 at 12:56 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by binbrook23 View Post
Oh wow. I guess I didn't realize it would be that much. I'm renting a one bedroom suite in an apartment tower. I can save on not paying for a phone since I already have cell phone. I can do without cable as well. But I will need internet.
Thanks for the info!
Smart plan on ditching cable. You can just watch shows on the internet anyways.

You should get Cogeco's cheapest package, since I doubt you'll go over their bandwidth limit on your own.
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Old 07-03-2009 at 12:58 PM   #5
nh999
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I live in a house of 6 people, including myself, and I pay roughly $45-$65 a month for Internet, hydro, gas, and electricity, as we split the total cost amongst the six of us.

Hydro for us is about <$10 a person/mth, but it varies.

I would definitely recommend not getting a land-line if it's not necessary...it's so much easier to just use your cell phone.
Old 07-03-2009 at 01:40 PM   #6
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I'm moving into a one bedroom near... I guess it's near Main West too actually, but not on it. Closer to Dundas than downtown. Annnyway, I'm paying 629 + hydro. It's a pretty penny. The landlord said that you pay hydro every other month, and the average person pays 50 bucks depending on how you use it.

I didn't have cable last year, and it was the best savings ever. When I come home now, I barely watch TV 'cause I didn't miss it. Nothing seems to be on these days anyway. I'm getting rid of the home phone, 'cause I only really use it to call my mom and my boyfriend's folks, so I'm getting skype instead.

As for internet, Bell is crap. Cogeco is probably better. I might go with TekSavvy though, I've heard about it from a few people and it's much much cheaper. Like 30 bucks for 200G bandwidth, and 25 cents for any extra.

Food can be expensive, but no name brands are your best friend! haha.
Old 07-03-2009 at 01:52 PM   #7
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I was lucky enough to find a place with internet, cable, hydro, and heating all included.

Make sure to budget for groceries as well! I generally spent 20-40 dollars a month, but keep in mind I brought a lot of food with me from home. I generally only bought things like bread, bagels, and other things that go bad too quickly to stock up on.
Old 07-03-2009 at 02:12 PM   #8
binbrook23
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It would be nice to have cable but I don't find much to watch on tv anymore. I watch on the internet, or rent and buy movies.
For groceries I was bugeting around $100 a month because I love to cook my own food - and healthy food costs more these days :(
I also have to pay for parking, like $10 a month for above ground parking, or $20 ish for underground parking.
And one of the biggest expenses is furniture!! A new bed, desk, couch, chair, etc.
Old 07-03-2009 at 02:15 PM   #9
feonateresa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by binbrook23 View Post
It would be nice to have cable but I don't find much to watch on tv anymore. I watch on the internet, or rent and buy movies.
For groceries I was bugeting around $100 a month because I love to cook my own food - and healthy food costs more these days :(
I also have to pay for parking, like $10 a month for above ground parking, or $20 ish for underground parking.
And one of the biggest expenses is furniture!! A new bed, desk, couch, chair, etc.
I know, they're so evil making healthy food expensive. It's a shame really. Invest in lots of pasta! Not necessarily Kraft Dinner but yeah haha.

Furniture... yeah, if you can bum some stuff of family and friends that's the way to go. I myself have to buy a dresser or a chest of drawers (I always thought it was chester drawer when I was growing up).
Old 07-03-2009 at 02:17 PM   #10
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Yeah, I didn't even bring a TV with me, so cable is kindof pointless. But it's there if I ever need it

And I definitely agree about healthy food being more expensive. I consume a lot of Tofu and organic vegetables, so I know all about that :(
Old 07-03-2009 at 04:32 PM   #11
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Organic vegetables really do tend to break the bank.
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Old 07-03-2009 at 07:08 PM   #12
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But they taste so much better.

I like my strawberries without methyl bromide (which is toxic). Try a Californian strawberry and then try an Ontario grown strawberry. Ontario's is much tastier. Om nom nom.
Old 07-03-2009 at 07:09 PM   #13
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I'm a fan of organic potatoes. Organic french fries = awesome.
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