Our Monthly Expenses: Is Zero Waste Living Affordable?

[@LeahandLevi]

TO CLARIFY!!! This is all in CAD which is about 15% less than the US dollar. We also have more expensive food here in Canada compared to other countries because we don't subsidize certain industries as much as others so this will be different depending on which country we are living in. Also... talking about money can be weird but we're just trying to be transparent with our money. Hopefully it's helpful or interesting for you!

[@missfroghophophop6953]

I'm a hair dresser . If she's getting a cut, color, And style it could run from about $150(short average thickness of hair)- $550 (long thick hair). There are a lot of things that play a roll in price but just for an idea.

[@goofballjar]

I know you mentioned you have privilege, but even converted to USD you spent almost $1700 on food/beverages. My state has a pretty high minimum wage at $11.50/hr, so after taxes someone at minimum would take home less than you spent on consumables. Pretty hard to pitch this lifestyle as attainable/adoptable for anyone who isn’t in a higher tax bracket.

[@lacybookworm5039]

No offense, but you have a lot of money...I on the other hand am poor. My yearly income is roughly $9500.oo per year. I do my best to only buy eco-friendly products, and such. That is a lot of money to spend in one month! Please make some budget friendly suggestions i.e. under $250 per month expenses.

[@kiaanee]

ohh okay makes sense ! hahah i was like daaaamn haha

[@baileysadler5212]

@@lacybookworm5039 they own a condo in Victoria BC maybe look up what that means. These people have money, and are just the stereotype of Patagonia wearing yuppies of van island. I’d love for them to discuss like the LITERAL opioid and homeless crisis in their town instead of this fake low waste stuff

[@Christinamychas]

I think Ramit Sethi says it best, quoting loosely: “Spend lavishly on what you value, cut mercilessly on what you don’t.” Enjoy the growlers!

[@LeahandLevi]

Yes! Haha I love this!

[@kb9847]

I'm not all that surprised. What the most surprising thing is, for these days, is that you had no payments for debt reduction, other than the mortgage. That in itself is impressive!! Also, we put our money into our priorities. The fact you put it into good quality locally sourced food shows you live by what you preach! Plus you don't buy medications so the food can be looked at as a preventable measures in health care costs. Well done!! :)

[@LeahandLevi]

That’s a great point too! We’re very healthy (knock on wood). We are very lucky to have graduated with very little debt and we’re able to pay it off fairly quickly. We never take that for granted!

[@jacksonbegg]

“It’s summertime & pleasure is…. important.” The most Leah quote that has ever existed.

[@zerowastehomestead2518]

I was so shocked to hear what you spend in a month for only 2 people.. thoughts on doing this every month, comparing and trying to reduce your spending each month?

[@rebekahwilson2004]

I'm not blown away by your spending, but I am blown away that you don't know around what you spent each month! :o Great video! Thanks for sharing things that lots of people aren't comfortable sharing. Break the stigma for talking about money!

[@riavasdev9132]

As a student, budgeting in a jar is such a *chef's kiss* idea.

[@LeahandLevi]

Yeah I also found that you spend less when you literally watch the money leave your hand everytime you buy somthing haha

[@riavasdev9132]

And to have a set amount of money every time you leave the house prevents those impulse buys!

[@zoeharpole5186]

I just graduated and did this through college, it's a very effective way to budget!

[@thomasr1051]

@@LeahandLevi research backs up your statement. lowering the friction of spending makes it way easier. thats why theres tap for cards and casinos use chips

[@pv9415]

"I'm an enthusiast" is going to be my new go-to explaination for when people ask me about my love for alcohol 😂😂😂 I'm honestly very surprised at your expenses, especially for food. could it be that because of the climate in Canada food is more expensive to produce? I don't think I spend that much on food in 6 months in Italy, and I buy mostly organic produce, and when it's not organic I buy locally farmed. anyhow, very interesting video!!

[@LeahandLevi]

Yeah food in Canada is more expensive because we are a huge country and we have to import most of the stuff we eat. We also have a lot more health regulations than the states so 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@99leadpencils]

Levi and Leah are also shopping at more expensive places. I can gaurantee that if you went to a discount grocery store and bought from the flyer it would be at least 80-85% of the cost for comparable items -- no fancy bread or artesan goods though. All national and store brands.

[@pv9415]

@@99leadpencils Yes that might be the case, I know for sure that I buy from a store that is more expensive than discount because it sells only organic produce, but still to me a lot of the prices there seem absolutely reasonable, even though I'm on a student budget. Italy is also the country with the highest biodiversity in Europe so that might contribute to the lower prices as well.

[@SilverSamurai12]

I use the excuse "hobby gone wild" when I explain my love and passion of wine, but I did get 2 certifications out of it. Yay to having a back up career!

[@SymonSays]

You spent more eating out than I spend on groceries every month, for a family of 3. And then add your grocery budget on top of that. You must be eating gold leaf organic everything. Mine is also in Canadian dollars.

[@Moms1958]

I know, that’s what I thought too!

[@guesswho3007]

Zero waste, local and minimally processed is sadly very expensive 😢

[@KayKayBayForever]

Are you from the same area of Canada though? It can still vary a lot.

[@SymonSays]

My point was they eat from restaurants a lot. They could easily reduce their food costs if they felt like it, and still continue to eat organic, local, and zero waste.

[@KayKayBayForever]

@@SymonSays oh yeah, for sure. Eating out adds up *really* quickly. But I think when people ask the question “Is eating zero waste affordable?” they’re mostly thinking of the grocery bill, not the eating out bill.

[@evanbrorby]

I would love to see a graham Stephan reaction now 😂

[@andreaimbesi7493]

Wait for it, Canadian Money

[@evanbrorby]

@@andreaimbesi7493 hahaha omg I love it

[@skibike01]

Needs to happen

[@LifeOrdinary87]

@@andreaimbesi7493 🤣

[@emilleepayten3262]

When my husband and I moved to a new city and got pretty good paying jobs for the first time in our relationship, we ate out almost every night because we were so excited to do it! Didn't have a bed or a couch, but damn we ate well!

[@LeahandLevi]

I think there's a time and a place for that! Maybe not every month but when it feels right you know?

[@emilleepayten3262]

@@LeahandLevi for sure! Spend money on things you value and at the time we valued Jinya over a bed haha.

[@courtneybrown245]

I think it would be interesting to see you guys do a zero-waste/local frugal food challenge for yourselves just to see what it looks like to be more mindful of money when it comes to food. You guys spend more on food in one month than I make in one paycheck, I think it would be interesting to see how accessible shopping zero-waste/local/farmers markets is for someone who maybe only can afford to spend 10-15% of what you guys do.

[@martaborkowska8168]

I never felt so poor 😂 What you're spending equlas FIVE months of my salary, and I'm supposed to be in the top 10% in my country😂 To be fair, I live in eastern Europe so life is SIGNIFICALLY cheaper lol (never realised how much of a differnece there is). That was super interesting! Thanks guys!

[@brits.4581]

I’m very curious what you bought for groceries for an entire month now.

[@MariePonePone]

Would be an interresting videos!

[@LeahandLevi]

Might be a future video! 🧐👍🏼

[@lindseyheringer2641]

Also did any of it go to waste.

[@LeahandLevi]

Not very often! We’re very careful about what we buy 👍🏼

[@miriamdelgado5260]

“Sometimes I’m not nice” hilarious!

[@KySheDiver]

“We’re not alkie’s here, we’re enthusiasts.” I love you two. LOLOLOL

[@susanwhite1450]

This was interesting. That may seem like a lot of money for food but my philosophy is - if food is what you enjoy, if you can afford it, if you're not going into debt with it, then enjoy it.

[@LeahandLevi]

That’s our philosophy!

[@katywest]

As for hair, I hear that spending a lot of $$$ is normal, but I don't spend anything! My Grammie cuts my hair 2-3 times a year :)

[@marycharlebois6627]

“You manage what you measure!!” Tracking one’s expenses is tedious, but it is a valuable learning experience. I track my expenses, and will continue to do so as it keeps me on my toes and makes me a conscious consumer… one needs to be conscious of how many hair scrunchies they buy 😂. Great video Levi… thanks so much, keep ‘em coming 🌎💦🌀Ⓜ️ary

[@Juliabigdirectioner]

well turns out 5000 canadian dollars are only € 3364,81 euros, which is actually not thaaaaat much for two hard working people to spend in a month! was a bit shocked at first haha

[@pommebour5354]

I've not had a professional haircut in at least 5 years - my partner cuts my hair for free :-)

[@edielovalle6235]

FOR THE PLANET!!!!! As a young adult this was great! And I can totally relate to being privileged when it comes to buying local foods if they are available or even shopping in earth hero. I wish buying organic could be normalized and something that anyone could afford! Anyway, in short you both are amazing and j just look forward to all the videos you make Levi! Thanks for having my in the team 😎 and all of you who read this, you are great too!

[@LeahandLevi]

Haha this is such a lovely comment Ediel! Thanks for taking the time to type this up! Have a great day 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@ttopero]

Levi: How much are you saving for future expenses, emergency & investments? That should be a large amount in your youth to set yourself up for the future & carry forward what your family did for you.

[@LeahandLevi]

Yeah we have this in mind and we have been very conscious to save where we can. We are fortunate that our expenses are much lower during the winter months and we don't own a car. 👍🏻

[@rochellejohnson5534]

You should also put together emergency funds and retirement funds as well

[@BlindIntoTheSun]

Just wondering if I’ve missed expenses like electricity, water, city taxes etc? Or did you somehow include that in your mortgage?

[@B-rad1]

Depending on their lender and the property management/HOA contract, taxes and utilities may be lumped into the mortgage payment. I lived in an apartment that included water, sewer, garbage, internet, and renter's insurance together, but have seen plenty that require tenants to arrange all utilities independently of management. It's possible that electricity is bundled into the rent payment, but I hope that isn't the case and they just forgot to add it in.

[@jeh02571]

This was great! While I know it isn't seen as an "expense," I include savings in my monthly expenses because it is money that is "going out." This breakdown gives an illusion that you don't save o.o;

[@adrianerhodes1811]

Yes! and I would love to know what their income is as well!

[@duckyluver12]

Wow! Your grocery and eating out is so much money. We thought we were spending a lot with $400-500 per month for groceries. This year we joined a CSA where we paid $550 for 8 months of weekly veggie pickups, and I get the rest at the farmer's market in the summer and the grocery store in the winter. On restaurants we spend about $300 per month, alcohol about $150. We live in Langley, BC.

[@LeahandLevi]

Yes the CSA is what we've gotta get on next! I've been wanting to try that for ages!

[@kelseyadler5812]

What is CSA?

[@duckyluver12]

@@kelseyadler5812 Sorry I should have explained :) CSA is community supported agriculture. Usually how it works is you pay a farm upfront at the start of the year for produce (and eggs/meat sometimes) for their whole growing season, then you pick up or have delivered a portion of seasonal food every week. We get a bag weekly from March to October. Its been really eye opening to learn how to truly eat local and seasonally. We sometimes struggle to eat through all the veggies in one week so I freeze what I can for the next winter. For us it worked out much less expensive than buying veggies weekly, as long as we don't cave to cravings and buy extra produce on top of it.

[@rochellejohnson5534]

I think both of you should go over your food budget for each month and plan out as many meals as possible because you guys spending over 2000 dollars in one month for food is kind of extreme I have a group of 15 people and we don't spend even close to that in a month on food

[@rh7968]

Leah pulls off the cute grandma style/librarian so well ... so jelly 😫 ❤

[@teresa4565]

Obviously money is no object, $180 haircut, over a thousand bucks on groceries, another $1000 plus on eating out and booze... living your best life!! This is why so many people aren't working on saving the planet, that kind of grocery bill just isn't realist.

[@LeahandLevi]

As I mentioned at the end, this is us living our best life and spending what we want on the food we love to eat. Living a sustainable life can be done for MUCH less than this if we made the effort... but we just want to eat fancy things haha.

[@Woeschhuesli]

ok but then the title is misleading…!! 😳

[@LadyOfRain1]

I have been cutting my own and my families hair for years now, BUT I do have a salon and a barber shop next door to my business. In our small town, for a woman, it would cost between $35-$40 for a wash, cut and dry (not blow out or anything else fancy) and for men hot towel shave and a haircut is $35-40 also.

[@LiLBitsDK]

omg eating out for that much in a month? thats like what I use a year... and 180 for a haircut? I spend 150 (danish kroner) which is a LOT less than CAD... sheesh

[@amandamyththelegend]

Why aren't the Birkenstock's repair and bicycle under business expenses? Maybe this is an American thing but if you made a whole video on it expense that mofo!

[@1stepatatime]

Thank youuuuuuuuuu. I was just trying to figure out my monthly expenses. This was very helpful

[@sheilapicton5937]

I'm in the UK 🇬🇧 so I spent £400 on hair a year and a month on food is £400+ for 2 adults and 1 child plus cat 🙀. I found this type of video interesting so thanks!

[@LeahandLevi]

That’s interesting! Also the pound is about double the CAD so bear that in mind lol

[@Wheezywatches]

I oddly feel validated by this video… when my partner and I became debt free and moved, our expenses went up as well. Food is also going up by at least 5% with the production delays from COVID. Love that your spending within your values as well.

[@bobdobalina5631]

I would be interested in seeing a break down of what you guy buy/spend on food items. My family of 4 has been trying to reduce our waste and when I break down our food costs it's almost 3 times less than what you spend.

[@LeahandLevi]

I think it largely comes down to where we shop. We shop almost exclusively at zero waste grocery stores and farmers' markets. This is very expensive in Canada. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bobdobalina5631]

@@LeahandLevi thats what I figured. I live in Washington where we have lots of access to local produce, but we don't have any local zero waste shops near us.

[@Huggible11]

Your eating out expense made me feel like my partner and I's more justifiable. Haha thanks!

[@ashleyballard9561]

My mom spends about $250 every 6 weeks on her hair for cut and color. It’s insane. I spend about $100 a year for one hair cut and I don’t color my hair.

[@ginger1011121314]

Fellow Canadian here: Grocery costs have gone up ALOT. Shopping ethically and sustainably and inherently more expensive but even baseline groceries have increased quite a bit. Between my partner and I we used to spend maybe 200$ on groceries per month. We're now spending around $400 all over the course of the last 1.5 years. If we shopped ethically and sustainable it would probably land us around $600. It's been kind of crazy to see a cost that we used to manage easily increase significantly to the point where it actually causes concern.

[@LeahandLevi]

Thanks for elaborating on this. We have also seen that increase. I think that the cost of food will increase consistently form now on as our environment continues to struggle.

[@lcgibson]

I have done food calculations and writing down EVERYTHING we spend since years ago. In Denmark - where people say its expensive to live - our household of 2 people + 1 cat, we spend a little less than what would be equivalent to 800 CAD on food a month on average, that is including eating out and my husbands alcohol (i dont drink though). Also we dont spend any money on haircuts, i cut my own and husbands hair for years :)

[@heyyitskj5437]

For my hair trim, highlights and eyebrows every 3 to 4 months is around $75 plus tip. Mine is pretty cheap compared to some people. I shaved half my head so it’ll probably be cheaper this time around 😂 She also blow dries and straightens my hair and puts serums and heat protectant on my hair as well. I live in a small town in Ohio, USA, though so that also can vary from price depending on location and service! Xx I hope I helped a bit! P.s. my favorite KZbin power couple besides Shelbizleee and Madison 🥺💕✨

[@evelinagutauskaite2657]

they eat and drink two mortgages in a month and I used to think that spending over 500 dollars in a month on food for two people is way too much

[@nat_abella]

I hope graham Stephan makes a video in this onee

[@ashleyhernandez6677]

Hair care cost near Los Angeles: Once my hair started to go grey, I touch up my hair color ever 6 weeks for $100 and have my hair cut and highlights added 2 times a year for $200.

[@mschaieme]

Part of the reason I went bald

[@jayerscios]

In north SFV of LA, I pay $110 for root touch ups but I go every three weeks. Cuts are $65. Twice yearly hilites $165. This is pretty standard unless you go to WeHo or West LA.

[@danixoxo8637]

Oh not me. I'm waiting for that gray hair to come. I want a streak. I haven't paid for a haircut in years!!

[@rocioiribe5841]

Oh i can't stand those prices. I just don't dye my hair and cut it twice a year. That's so much money! (I know i know to each their own but it pains me) lol

[@samanthagarner2926]

I think that spending that much on food when you enjoy it and can support locally and sustainably, isn't that outrageous. You're eating a variety of things from different places and that can get expensive. I'm sure you could spend a lot less but enjoy it a lot less too. I like that you look at food like an event and not just something to eat. This was interesting! And made me feel better about the $900 I spend on food for the 2 of us for a month.

[@TheSimplyCa]

Leah, I’m here for you! Least expensive for cut and colour has been around $170ish….most expensive…..I was in the chair for about 5 hours, but it was about $500 & I know that’s a regular expense for some 😳 (I’m in Vancouver, but not shocked at the Victoria cost).

[@LeahandLevi]

$500 is unreal… you could pay rent for that in some circumstances 😳

[@rebekahgonzalez1103]

We usually spend between $400-600 on groceries and another $100-200 on eating out. It’s just my husband and I. We do shop locally as much as we can and by mostly organic produce. I just started growing some of my own herbs this year as they were getting more snd more expensive and I have been enjoying it.

[@MariePonePone]

That's so interresting! I live in the province of Quebec and I spent like 500$ Restaurant, Alcohol and grocery combine. And I am out of my budget because I was on vacation. I got the feeling that BC is more expensive! To be fair, I ate a lot of food of my garden. I love those kind of videos! Continue your amazing work!

[@LeahandLevi]

Great perspective from a fellow Canadian! I feel like we’re kind of living a vacation at home right now during the restrictions haha

[@donnachong7814]

Whoa! So much on restaurants, groceries and alcohol! 😬😬😬

[@norellweiner3341]

Leah.... I'm not always nice. Levi and the rest of us🤣🤣🤣🤣😂.

[@Tesla-Cannon]

I think apartments in the US make you get renters insurance. My HOA makes me get house insurance and insurance for my items. Also, my haircuts are like twice a year for around $50. Hair dye- that’s like $100. 😂 but treat yourself

[@sherai55]

Good for you guys for being super honest about how expensive this lifestyle is! I won't say I haven't felt a bit frustrated in the past when you share your zero waste shopping videos and use the word "affordable" in the video. As a resident in Victoria, I would love for the price of these products to come down - though I recognize this is the true cost of production in Canada is very high. I think you can do sustainable options for less too, my partner and I shop at Superstore and they have a lot of Canadian in-season produce. Not local or organic, but definitely a more affordable option. We also order all local meat from Berryman Brothers. The least sustainable things we buy are pantry items, crackers, snacks, etc. We budget very strictly and spend around $500/month on groceries and $150 per month on eating out. Considering the average family income in Victoria is ~$5,000/month and the average 1 bedroom rental is around $1,600/month, I think it would be really cool if you guys could do a video on balancing a realistic food budget and doing the best you can to both support local and environmental causes.

[@LeahandLevi]

Yes this is a great comment. I think it would be cool to try and love this way on a budget to see what we can do 👍🏼

[@JorNicole]

Love this idea for a video! Madeleine Olivia is good for cheap, delicious food inspiration

[@marieldavidson4040]

Id love a video like this every month!

[@kimberlyhenry7717]

I'm surprised you've never had homeowners/renters insurance before! Having insurance is a requirement for most rentals here in NS and with the bank for your mortgage.

[@LeahandLevi]

I think it’s just “recommended” here or perhaps I was just subletting so maybe I didn’t have to deal with it?

[@kimberlyhenry7717]

@@LeahandLevi maybe?! 🤷‍♀️

[@adelaidedacunha5172]

your food alone is like 9 months of my food budget! thats is so high! Im a uni student in Uk so yes i do budget my food a lot but still! Everything else is fine, dont judge the eating out much case i wish i could even do that, or switch it to other categories of expenses but just shocked how high your monthly expenses is as I was assumiung it was much lower. And Lea, I do my hair every 3-4months, bleach and dye so, ya good ;) ik woman haircuts alone are more expensive that men anyway. Haircut + bleach + dye is 100pounds and this is with student discount.

[@LeahandLevi]

Yes we spent very little during our uni days as well! But also, CAD to the British pound is almost half lol

[@adelaidedacunha5172]

@@LeahandLevi Oh right, totally forgot that detail. Is just shocking to see how high just living can be in other places, prices can be insane.

[@xxflipchick22xx]

Thank you for sharing. I live in CA and my rent (not mortgage) is almost double the mortgage that you pay, which is insane! Also, everyone can choose what to spend their money on. I love that you choose to spend it on good food because we’re the same.

[@KayKayBayForever]

I live in the same city as them, and their mortgage is insanely low. Me and my husband lived in a low income complex and rent was $1550.

[@johnnybyup]

I appreciate the transparency on your finances. Money talk is so taboo and awkward, but talking about it and sharing individual experiences and learning from each other, makes all of us better with our own personal money habits.

[@rossellamiccoli9874]

Your expenditure is totally fair! My husband and I personally invest in something else, but we spend almost the same. I am almost sure that this is a fair amount for a couple with two salaries!

[@LeahandLevi]

We spend on different stuff! Thanks for the comment!

[@Blue-pb7kz]

Hair-wise, in the past 7 ish years I've spent about 13€ on a pair of scissors and about 5€ a year on a pack or two of henna. But I'm absolutely not in the norm in my friend group -they're all much more in line with what Leah does! BUT. Um. I've been considering going to Canada for grad school and this is absolutely terrifying to me and I might have to reconsider that whole idea. In France I pay 500€ in rent and 250€ in groceries and drinks and household supplies for me and my cat. How does anyone affort to live in canada??

[@cynthiabujold2225]

What the...?!!! Only for Americans??? But I'm Canadian! What's the Canadian version of Earth Hero?

[@wencychan2223]

$20 haircut twice a year lol 😂

[@houseasyouseeit]

Our groceries with 2 teenagers and 2 adults run between $350-400 a week at the regular grocery store. Groceries are expensive. Period.

[@Ananab16]

Levi: "I'm 28 years old and I've never had insurance for anything!" me: *cries in USA* Also, that isn't too much to spend on hair if you go to a nice salon. I just got my hair cut and a blowout and it was like $60+. Leah, did you get "babylights?" I've been wanting to get them. They look nice and subtle.

[@angesoie]

in leah's defense, girls spend easily $150 on hair (cut and color-not including tip) every month and a half

[@SilverSamurai12]

Wow... ballers! As someone in insurance, that's really high! I know strata insurance in BC has gone up lots, but that amount seems VERY high. You should ask your broker to shop around or consider dropping your limits coverage and cut out some of the extra fluff. Your alcohol spend seems high and this is coming from a sommelier. I don't think I spent that much on average except a few months when I was prepping to for my certification as we got closer to the test. My bank account was happy when I finally passed! As was my liver... Groceries sound high, but there's 2 of you. I don't think I'm too far off but it's just me. PS- thanks for making me feel old. 😐

[@SliceofLiz]

I'd be curious to see how much you saved too. Great video 😊

[@viktor.egelund]

This was an enjoyable and fun video.

[@AD-jj3hd]

Just curious about about bills like heat, electricity, internet, phones, netflixetc. and why those werent included. Our vehicle expenses are waaay higher as we cant really use public transportation conveniently and now moving to the country. But $2000 on food and alcohol for the month, wow that's like my whole portion of the budget. We spend $400-500 on groceries and we get two CSA, go to upicks, farmers markets, buy from farmers, grow a small garden and get some items in bulk and I'm always thinking I can get it down a bit more and we are foodies as well so now I dont feel bad. (We live in Canada too).

[@crarazy]

You have to imagine that, say, 100-200 years ago, a large majority of people's monthly budget went towards food or food-producing things, probably close to 70%. The fact that there are low-cost options that allow people to spend their money elsewhere is a big breakthrough. But high-quality foods, you're probably right, you probably are paying a fair price for those if you are living in a city.

[@kayjays7267]

Hair can be annoyingly expensive for women, I live in Melbourne, Australia and I pay $220 every 3 months for half head of foils and a hair cut which is on the cheaper average side. So $160-$180 is a good price. Your groceries are definately expensive but at least you support local, when I used to be able to go to the farmers market twice a month I could easily spend $40 - $80 on local produce and products so I guess it varies country to country. I typically spend about $35 per week at the grocery store, this is for one person though and I try to get zero waste when I can but it is quite hard when you don't have to many zero waste stores so I try low waste.

[@richardbaker8928]

About £2500UK a month is pretty average for many parts of the UK, I'd be happy with that budget.

[@klharris391]

I spend $30 every 6-8 weeks on my short uncoloured hair in Nova Scotia. I live alone so my grocery budget is about $400-600 month and that includes eating out and life products. The mortgage for my two bedroom mobile is considerably less as is the insurance. My car payment and insurance is more. I also have an electric bill, and internet and lot rent to pay. This is also in CAD.

[@lindaerflores]

Great Budget tip about the jar. Wish you could make a video about more things y’all did when you had a college budget.

[@outrageous-alex]

I spend $300 in total, for all my food and drinks in a month for myself, my son and any dates I have over. And I do it mostly local/sustainably. So 1200 for groceries alone, to me, is the absolute craziest thing I've ever heard.

[@dawndesu6863]

Yes, there are people who pay to get their hair done weekly. My mom use to have my sister and my hair done monthly. The price can get very steep with the type and thickness of hair you have, as well. Let's not forget about weaves, braids and wigs. Getting braids and weaves, you have to pay for the hair, as well as the someone to install them. If you can do them yourself or know someone who will do it for free, you have an advantage.

[@justbeingkar]

Canada sounds very expensive. We were living on credit cards when our rent was $780/month but now we bought a house and our mortgage is just under $400/month. I imagine wages must be higher to balance it out otherwise is homelessness more of a problem? You definitely make me feel better about my $330/month I've been spending on groceries since I got pregnant because I want to eat organic for my baby. It seemed like a lot but not compared to others. Thanks for sharing these videos, I find it very informative

[@tanyajohnston8262]

wow I don't eat out hardly ever so mine cost would be about $100.00 a month average since my husband will pick up sometimes and bring home. I am also Canadian. Groceries are so much better in summer since I go to farmers markets. I live by Goderich Ontario and Farmers markets are great. I am also vegetarian so that helps with cost. I keep groceries at about $100.00 per week. I don't drink alcohol so that helps the budget :)

[@RealMuperSan]

Uhm… you don’t have kids and you live in Canada. If you end up starting a family, these expenses will definitely change. Good luck.

[@moniquemonique3430]

Hello Levi, wow your monthly expenditure is pretty high; I would say not very frugal; but as long as you can afford it it's fine; maybe you should have Lea on board with frugality if you want to spend less. Take care

[@anne8663]

I go for a haircut once a year, just wash, dry, cut, no brushing for 40 ish dollars.

[@richardjohnson2446]

Wait, surely thats $800+ per year on insurance not just in June? Surely?? EDIT: Ah! Should have waited until the end of the video haha

[@thomasr1051]

Male here. used to get $40 a haircut (with shampoo before and rinse at the end) 10x per year which is $400 but now its $20 a cut so $200 a year. compared to Leah's $360

[@adrianerhodes1811]

as a family of three we have a $75 eat out budget and a $300 grocery budget and we are vegetarian, gf/df,cf :| WHAT IS THIS

[@Claudia-rl1kl]

Loved this video! Thank you so much for being honest with your viewers on this topic since unfortunately it can be one that people have a lot of opinions about. I would love to see a video about how you track your expenses or budget if you do. That is a tough area for me because I hate tracking individual transactions so I am always interested in how other people do it in case one of those ideas happens to stick for me.

[@denisalala]

Adorable Leah

[@whitneyhannah522]

I do not, but that definitely is a realistic cost for hair...I stopped coloring because holy cow...money

[@dominicmeyers5865]

Look stop buying that fake organic stuff and go to the regular supermarket. And go to the dollar store buy a shampoo . I'm 52 years old and I look younger than the both of you I don't use organic stuff what does that tell you.

[@Lisasplace]

my god i make 1260,- a month. Fulltime that owuld be 1870 :')

[@rochellejohnson5534]

Hay Earth Hero YOU ALREADY KNOW SO MANY CANADIANS LIKE YOUR BRAND MAYBE THIS IS YOU'RE CHANCE TO TAP INTO THE CANADIAN MARKET

[@greg4629]

your vlogging about your entire life so really all your costs are business expenses.get them written off

[@LeahandLevi]

🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐 Might have to run this one by my accountant but I LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

[@hope1922]

Haircut for me is $55 every 3-4 months 😂 But all my money goes towards rent, my dog, food for me and the dog, and of course tuition for my masters 🙃

[@asthmatictuna]

whoa it's expensive living in Canada compared to Australia!

[@raylyttle2952]

Also Canadian, these expenses are... a lot. We spend far far far less on all these items and do not feel deprived in any way. It's pretty affordable to live in the prairies at least.

[@forgetthatgirl]

So what about property taxes & maintenance fees!! And wow! Your mortgage payments are really low. I was paying a lot more than that for a 1 bedroom

[@miss_xenia_]

Looking at these comments I can see why people don’t talk about money and spendings… so many people get triggered 🙈 Leah has been studying for ages so fair enough that you want to treat yourself now that you’re not students anymore 🙌✌️

[@lori_lady_Egg]

Hi we are a family of 3 and we get organic for most of are foods and go to are farmers market and a co- op and stick to $100 a week for are grocery. Not judging but I would love to see you guys try a week on $100

[@findingagain]

Does your area in Canada not have car insurance requirements or was it something that was it just super easy to overlook/not mention because y'all don't have a car anymore? 😅

[@jennifernguyen8490]

I personally get my hair cut and styled every 3ish months for $30-40 USD plus tip

[@elonslootweg4101]

I spent about 50 euros on a clipper and hair scissors one time and now I don't spend money on hair maintenance anymore! I'm lucky I like it short :D

[@itsamovementearthcare5226]

I HAVE TO TURN IT OFF NOW AT 9:49 THAT IS SO EXCESSIVE AND YOU ARE ZERO WASTE???... WHAT... WHY? THE IS 1700 IN FOOD FOR TWO PEOPLE, YEIKS.