In a city like Toronto where the cost of living is so high, working multiple jobs has become the new normal for millennials. The gig economy isn’t just an optional opportunity for those who want to make some extra cash on the side, but rather the side hustle movement is the only way some people can afford to live comfortably.
Just because the clock strikes five doesn’t mean it’s quitting time. For those working multiple jobs, it’s only a brief break before one has to refocus and go to their second job for the rest of the night. And when he or she finally gets to bed around midnight or later, they only have a few short hours of rest before it is time to wake up and start the entire process all over again.
While working multiple jobs isn’t uncommon, people do it for a variety of reasons like saving money, paying off debt or gaining further experience in an industry — precarious employment isn’t necessarily easy. Between the early mornings, late nights and the overwhelming amount of responsibilities to keep track of, it’s difficult to find a balance between fulfilling your commitments to those jobs and still maintain your sanity.
With that in mind, here are a few pro tips for helping those juggling multiple jobs.
Find dissimilar jobs.
If you’re going to work multiple jobs, it makes sense to have each one different from the other. Whether it’s a different industry entirely or a slight shift in role responsibilities, working dissimilar jobs is ideal because it mixes up your routine.
When you aren’t doing the exact same thing at every job, you’ll find you’re less bored and have more energy as you transition between your gigs. Even if you work both jobs in the same day, you’ll likely have much more energy if your side hustles vary. Sometimes the mix of a physical job with a desk job is just the right combination people need in order to effectively work so many hours in a day.
Try to simplify life tasks.
When work life takes over, sometimes living a healthy, balanced life can become more of an afterthought. So find ways to simplify everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, laundry and working out.
Don’t have time to cook each day? Meal prep. Don’t have time to go to the gym? Try using a condensed workout app that’s sensitive of your time constraint. There are little ways to simplify everyday tasks that will make your schedule run much more smoothly. Staying active and filling your body with good fuel will keep you energized as you move from job to job.
Plan ahead.
If you don’t have your work schedule meticulously organized, unexpected events can easily pop up and ruin your productivity. So to help keep your priorities straight and your sanity intact, take a few moments each weekend to plan for the week ahead. For example, maybe there’s a happy hour you want to attend Wednesday night, so you’ll need to be aware of that so you can shift the majority of your evening workload to Monday and Tuesday.
Once you have your workload evenly distributed throughout the week, you’ll be able to schedule your social life accordingly and make smart decisions should anything unexpected pop up. You’ll be able to get your work done more efficiently and still maintain time for the fun stuff.
Give yourself some time off.
With working multiple jobs you’ll often hear advice to take at least one full day off during the week. And if you have that flexibility and the schedule to do so then you most definitely should! However, not everyone in precarious employment has that luxury.
Working two or more jobs may not guarantee a solid day off every week, and even if you try to, you may not be able to shake that guilty feeling that comes up when you aren’t doing something job-related. You might not be able to block out an entire day for yourself, but you should at least give yourself a couple hours off at some point during the week. Most importantly, you need to take the time to let your mind relax.
With jumping from job to job, it’s easy to forget the value of a little R&R so when you’re not working, don’t think about work. Taking regular breaks (or at least one) will leave you feeling refreshed and make for easier transitions between work.
Remain focused on your long-term goals.
Let’s face it, working multiple jobs can sometimes be a real drag. Working 100 plus hours each week is exhausting and a lack of a social life can get to a person, but keeping one’s long-term goals in sight will help to push through.
Whether you’re working precariously because you’re trying to pay off student loans or saving for a down payment on a house or working on starting your own company — whatever your reason may be, all the extra jobs are getting you a little closer to that goal. So when you’re entrenched in the mundane day-to-day routines of your multiple jobs, it’s important to keep that end goal in mind, and remember that it will all be worth it in the end.
Featured image: Instagram/ @beproductive
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Have you ever taken a close look at the crap (yes crap,) that you blow your hard earned money on in any given week? I pay attention to my frivolous (often questionable,) spending, then typically just look the other way and tell myself “I work hard… I deserve it!” #TreatYoSelf. It’s not surprising that this type of attitude towards indulgent spending on things like lattes, manicures and alcohol sure can eat up your disposable income!
In an effort to accumulate some ‘fun money’ for a last minute vacation, I chose to take part in a spending detox to save some cash, fast! Would a one week spending detox be easy? Of course not! Would it be worth it? I sure hoped so… Here’s how I went on a spending detox and saved $150 in a week.
Sunday
Who accomplishes anything on a Sunday, really? I’m happy that in an effort to prep for my one-week spending detox, I meal prepped a healthy lunch for myself to begin the work week.
Money saved: $0.00
Mood: I hate Sunday evenings…
Monday
I hit the ground running on Monday morning with a packed lunch (saving me a trip to Chipotle on my lunch hour). Instead of hitting up the McDonald’s Drive-Thru for a large dark roast on my way into work, I settled for a K-cup of the office brew in the lunchroom. On Monday evening, rather than agreeing to a post-work drink with coworkers, I made dinner plans with my parents who are always happily willing to feed me and send me home with leftovers!
Money saved: $34.00 for coffee, lunch and a drink
Mood: Full and off to an awesome start!
Tuesday
Tuesday morning I rolled into work sans-coffee and with leftovers in hand for lunch! That evening I played with the idea of hitting up a local boxing gym for a stress-relieving workout, but instead decided to take advantage of the beautiful spring temperatures and headed outdoors for a (free) run!
Money saved: $41.00 for coffee, lunch and a single class pass for a kickboxing session
Mood: Energized!
Wednesday
Hello, hump day! While I did buy my lunch on Wednesday AND went out for dinner on Wednesday evening with friends, I made the wise decision to snack at home before leaving for the restaurant! So what? Well, since I wasn’t too hungry for a full-size dinner entree, I asked the waiter (before bringing my meal to the table,) to pack up half of my plate in a to-go container so that it was ready for my lunch the next day.
Money saved: $3.00 for coffee
Mood: Impressed with portion sizes! Also, feeling guilty for eating out. ‘Does all of my money really go towards food?!?!’
Thursday
Free office coffee? Check! Leftovers for lunch? Check! Thursday evening I had plans to meet with my mentor for quick coffee and catch-up. Thanks to the Starbucks app and my millions of points, both of our brews and treats were on the house!
Money saved: $28.00 for coffee, lunch, drinks and baked goods
Mood: Ready for the weekend!
Friday
TGIF! I worked from home on Friday, so by default, I saved money on my mileage to and from the office! That evening, I was in desperate need of a gel manicure removal and polish, but there was no way I was going to part with the money to do so at my favourite salon. Off I went to the dollar store for some acetone nail polish remover!
Money saved: $46.00 for gasoline and salon services
Mood: Arg!! My floor is covered in nail polish chips…
Saturday
I made it to the weekend! I’m looking forward to ‘Girl’s Night In’ and I’m in need of a bottle of wine to bring with me. Do I dare exchange an unopened liquor bottle from my bar cart that I was gifted during the holidays at the LCBO? I did…
Money saved: $14.00
Mood: Ready for a vacation!
Total money saved as a result of my spending detox: $166.00
Have you gone on a spending detox before? How much money did you save?
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If you had a chance to read my article on how I managed to save $20,000 in one year while living in the city of Toronto, then you’re probably aware of the fact that I’m big into budgeting. So big in fact that I started a personal finance blog called The Budget Babes where I teach 18-40 year olds the concepts surrounding finance that we should have been taught in school. I wasn’t taught how to budget while growing up, and didn’t become financially savvy until moving to Toronto in my mid 20’s; money wasn’t something that was consciously top of mind. I had to teach myself to think differently. The following apps are great tools that can help you manage your money and track your spending so that you too can start saving for the future.
I wanted to share a few of my favourite budgeting apps with you in case you’re finally ready to grab the bull by the horns and take control of your finances.
Mint.com
As one of the most popular FREE budgeting apps out there, Mint.com seems to do it all. It has an easy to use budgeting tool that links up with your debit and credit cards (automatically inputting each transactions for you), provides you with a free credit score, tracks your bills and investments, sets financial goals, and tracks your savings.
I was considering using Mint.com but didn’t want to link my banking information to a third-party app. On top of that, if you find you have a bit of a spending problem, Mint.com may not be the best budgeting app for you. By having your cards automatically linked to the app, it takes away from using your brain to see where all of your money is going (which I think you should manually track for a month when first starting out).
Visual Budget
This is my favourite app that I’ve been using for over 5 years. It costs $7 after your first 10 transactions but is worth every penny. The design is sleek, and the overview of your income vs. expenses on both a monthly and yearly basis is a great feature to track your overall spending. It takes a little bit of time to organize your expenses when you first download it, but once you’ve customized it to fit your lifestyle, you’re off to the races. Another great thing about this app is that you have to input each transaction manually. Although some would see this as annoying, it’s a great feature for those who are just starting out and need to rewire their brain to understand where all of the money is going. Spending a few dollars here and there can add up quickly when you don’t think about it, and this app forces you to think about it. You can learn more about it on their website.
Other reputable budgeting apps
You Need a Budget (YNAB): $50/Year
Wally: Free
Level Money: Free
BUDGT: $1.99 (IPhone Only)
There are so many more apps out there and you really have to do a bit of research to find which one works best for you. Some of them cost money, while others take more time to manage. But if you’re serious about getting your finances on track, I highly recommend making the jump and using something to track your daily/monthly/yearly spending. You’ll notice that you’ll think differently once you start, and you’ll be able to reduce your mindless spending so you can begin to start saving for that emergency fund or any future financial goals you may have.
Did we miss any of the best budgeting apps? Share them in the comment section.
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Okay, Toronto. We get it. You’re expensive! To be exact, you’re the 86th most expensive city in the world to live in.
As millennials, we’re living paycheque to paycheque just to reap the benefits of this fine city, home to our favourite sports teams, some of the busiest shopping malls in Canada, and really delicious food festivals. And it’s safe to say, budgeting is new to a lot of us… Actually, there of plenty of people who don’t budget at all. Which got us thinking: how much money do we really need to sustain city life?
LowestRates.ca recently broke down the average cost of living for 20-something-year-olds in the city. Categorizing payments by housing, phone and internet, transportation, groceries, and health and fitness, they considered a number of factors and found an average price for each. Here’s what they come up with:
Housing: $1334.75/month
Phone and Internet: $140/month
Transportation: $176.25/month
Groceries: $300/month
Entertainment: $324/month
Health and Fitness: $75/month
Making the average total spent per month, $2350.
Now, based on your personal circumstances, you could be paying more or less than this. Again, this is just an estimated average. But according to these rates, to make ends meet, you’ll need to make, at the very bare minimum, $35,000 a year to live in Toronto. That doesn’t include shopping, debt repayment, or savings. And to make $35,000 annually, that means a minimum wage job ($11.40/hour), ain’t gonna cut it. That’s the sad truth about city life.
So yeah. Toronto is expensive. Luckily, minimum wage is going up to $11.60 this October (still not great but hey, it’s something!) and $15 by 2019, plus there are plenty of side hustles you can take on to help make ends meet.
Do you think this breakdown of how much it costs to live in Toronto is accurate? Comment below!
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