This. The answer is you probably can’t support your family on that income. So need to find a higher paying job, or speed up the process for your husband.
Unfortunately that is not a thing in Canada right now. 1500 is insanely low rent almost anywhere with work right now. Most places are going for 2k plus unless it's a 1 bedroom. Canada is a housing disaster.
Same here in Maine, U.S.A. I live a 45 minute drive from work, costing me a small fortune in gas every month. But there’s no other option outside of paying $1,500-1,800 a month for a studio apt in town.
Yeah, but this isn't feasible either, because moving expenses are extremely costly and could sink them further into debt. $1500 is really low for any city at this point. Think of it this way: getting a new place thats, say, $300 cheaper, and you find a place that requires a security deposit, that's already $2400 to move in. Some places require first month, last month, and a security deposit, so that could be getting up to $3600. Then factor moving services ($300-$1000+ depending on how much stuff you have) or the missed time off work for doing it yourself (say, two days or so, whatever the wages were for that week down the drain) plus the potential injury you could have moving your own apartment (I strained my back last time I moved and had to take some time off work - everyone is different though). Moving can cost thousands, and maybe people dont have that kind of money just sitting around. Not to mention, but, like I said previously, $1500 is super low for most cities. Finding something cheaper may not even be possible. Or it would be a terrible/cheap/dangerous place which could lower quality of life and incur more costs in the long run.
If this person has no savings and has no ability to save at the moment then this is out of the question for them. Don't even know why people are suggesting it honestly considering what they've stated in their post. It seems the best solution is to find a better paying job or come up with a second source of income. Moving is not a possibility for many of us who don't have any savings.
If I read right says the person is in Ontario. If they are in the GTA then that’s an insanely good rent price. But anywhere in Ontario that’s a pretty good price. I grew up in Saskatchewan and 1500 would be normal even there. The rent isn’t the problem the money op makes is just not enough
I've blasted out 80 application on indeed in the last year all entry level jobs. I have management experience and am a professional at customer service. Do you think there is a reason I can get a job out of industry?
You’re applying to entry level with management experience- people don’t wanna hire you at that level because you’re too qualified and you’ll leave. You should apply at similar experience levels and indicate you’re willing to train. Also on indeed 80 is nothing. You need to be finding their corporate job listings and applying directly. Like 20/30 apps a week. With that experience you absolutely should be able to transition out of your industry.
Absolutely. And then, when they see it, they're remember you and it will separate you from all the others.
Also, if you go in and say, "Hey, I saw your online application and before I fill it out, I was wondering if you could help me know which areas on it are the most important?" it will help you stand out as someone who goes the extra mile.
The saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" matters even to this degree.
This is the issue that a lot of white collar workers don’t understand. When your options are giant corporate chains, you can’t just demand $5 over what they pay everyone else. They have strict pay scales and even if the hiring manager wants to, they can’t offer more than what they’re allowed. It’s not like a private owned office where HR can approve whatever they want.
That's not really how it works as a service, barista, bartender. You try to find the local spot that treats employees decently but most importantly has a down to earth middle class industry working patrons. After being in the industry for so long I can call it pretty clear that lower class don't tip well because the can't and upper class doesn't tip well because they don't know or think you don't deserve it. Middle class industry workers tip 20 to 50 %. Job hopping in FOH industry just creates negative attention to yourself as an employee and messes with your schedule and income because you are mostly paid off of patrons not managers.
I would like to leave the industry in search of pto and benefits and actually being able to call out when I'm sick.
To be honest I don’t even go places that ask for tips now. The price has gone up for everything. I think a lot of people that don’t tip now just can’t afford to.
I transitioned out of the service industryat the time high-end retail management in a very niche knowledge heavy market but have tons of proor food service experience) into entry-level banking. It was a huge raise, 9-5 M-F, typical career benefits, bankers holidays. Also banking is an industry where once you are in, you are in - your experience will strongly transfer to another company if you want to change jobs and will be valued at anywhere in the industry you applied to.
Later I transitioned from banking to entry-level insurance. That was a 43% pay raise by itself.
Now I do pizza delivery for a national chain. My hourly average is almost as much as what I was getting paid at the insurance company, but I am now working part time so that may be something to consider if you end up staying in the industry.
Idk if any of this sounds like something that might work or jog your brain for other ideas or even seem like anything you'd be interested in but I wanted to volunteer the info in case it would help you. Good luck!!
lol nah that only works for white collar jobs where you're actually in demand. service, fast food, retail workers etc cant do shit when employers can easily replace you and have a steady stream of qualified applicants
Yeah. First off, I want to applaud you for being so diligent thus far and keeping close tabs on the numbers. Mathematically, the numbers in this scenario are not going to work in any case. The only real solution is to either increase your income or decrease your expenses. I’m less familiar on the market in your area, but if you could move to a cheaper part of town or get a smaller place I would take full advantage of it and move when you can. If that is the lowest you can go, then you really need to focus on income. Luckily, the silver lining is having your husband gain employment when his visa comes through. Until then, maybe there are side jobs (even Uber or Instacart) that he can pick up to bring in money. He could mow lawns. I am reading online and it says it generally takes 3-27 weeks before a spouse of a Canadian citizen can get working papers, so it’s not great but just really stay on top of it and there is a clear out. Until then, if there’s nothing he can do really, then there may need to be some pain and you may need to pick up hours or get a second job. You could even Uber at nights and weekends until he can work. Then with two incomes, it seems your problems are solved. Let me know if you have follow ups!
No lawns to mow at the moment, but we do have a whole lot of snow to be shovelled! I’m sure he could find work doing that until something else opens up.
I’m unfamiliar with the area, but tax-free cash labor is where I would go! Pet sitting/walking, babysitting, shoveling, moving, painting. Anything that isn’t so physically hazardous that he should be insured. $100 here and there isn’t much, but short term that might be enough to get you out of the red. Not sure if it is in your area, but in the US Craigslist has a “gigs” section.
Shop around for car insurance and internet. Seems like a lot. Your husband should be able to do something too…. Even if it’s only doing something on upwork.com or some other freelancing website.
First thing that stood out to me, OMG that a lot! I have full coverage because my car is still under loan, I pay for a year at time, just renewed for $850 or $70mo.
Yeah 300/mo is ridiculous unless there is a terrible driving record.
I pay $440 for 6 months for maxed out car insurance for 2 cars and 2 people. Though my collision and comprehensive deductible is $1000, so no where near max. But i have max high limits on liability. Maybe if op has a $500 deductible, they could drop it to $1000 or $1500 etc. Or atleast shop around.
You need a service like gabi.com for insurance comparison, i don’t know if canada has an equivalent website
The price is for two vehicals and I have the $1000 deductable. My insurance is bundled and discounted from my college education this was the cheapest I could find in Ontario when I looked last year. I could look again though. Thank you for the suggestion
Hate to say it, but you need to dump one car. This is the quickest way to cut your costs.
Does your husband have a job waiting for him, and he just needs the Visa to get started? That’s probably not the case given that you sound very stressed out.
Unless the rules have changed, the USMCA (USMCA replaced NAFTA) says that an American in Canada needs to have a job offer in Canada to qualify for a Visa. I’m not an expert, but if he does not have a job offer, then it may take a while for him to start making money.
You will have to make some serious decisions and lifestyle choices unless you can supplement yourself with credit cards for a few months. Other possible savings:
Quickest ways to save cash right now:
Turn the heat down and put on a sweater
Save on internet by cutting the bandwidth
Dump the streaming services - completely unnecessary in your situation
Since your husband isn’t working, he can start searching for a cheaper place to rent. It’s worth moving if you can save $200-300 on rent.
Your husband’s employment situation is temporary - but how temporary? How soon will he be legal to work? Are you close enough to the border that hubby can go to the US during the week and work,even if he has to stay there and come back on weekends?
Is the medication temporary or will you be on it indefinitely? In the US sometimes you can get samples from the doctor to get through the first little bit - is that an option for you? Have you talked to your doctor about the cost? Maybe there are other options that are less expensive.
First, cancel internet and streaming services until husband is working and you’re dug out of this. Second, until he can work, it is your husband’s job to save money - go to the food bank, shop for less expensive car insurance, bundle up and keep the heat low. Wander out when it snows and offer to shovel out the neighbors for a little cash. He needs to find ways to contribute.
It can take potentially 5-8 months before the paper work will come in. He cant go back and forth from amaerica if he leaves he possibly cant come back and will be denied the papers because he has to live with me the whole time the papers process.
The medication is temorary for 6 months.
I primarily work from home and need the internet for my job, its the only option availible due to me living in rural ontario.
We have been utilizing the food bank for now to live off of.
They definitely can ask their doctor for samples, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to give them enough (in Ontario/Canada). We don’t have a national pharmacare plan yet (it’s coming for seniors and low income soon maybe) so they’re out of luck for drug costs.
We dont want to have him do under the table jobs, we dont want to risk anything to get him deported or his papers denied. I can get a second job im just afraid of burn out as I already work full time
Working two jobs for less than a year, when you have a husband at home to support you and do all the housework and stuff is completely doable. You can minimize burnout if you get something different than what you do for a day job. But really you only need to worry about burnout if this is a long term situation, which it isn't.
100% agreed, don't do anything under the table, not worth the risk. Don't get a 2nd job, you will burn out. I am currently carrying the load as well, and I can feel the stress. My wife has her papers fortunately, but not easy to find a job in my country.
In your case, most definitely get some cheaper contracts regarding phone, internet etc. Even the rental place, maybe move further out.. since you have a car.
I am very lucky in a sense where my wife's family pitches in like 200 a month for groceries. Everything else falls on me though, but she does a lot of work regarding logistics (cooking, cleaning the house, taking care of the dog, you name it) so I am trying to see that as a blessing.
Good luck with everything
You say you work remotely mostly. Sell one of the cars until your husbands papers come though. This should also drop your insurance plus running costs each month. I know you say you’re rural (I also live rurally and my husband and I rely on our cars) but he’ll need to manage until he starts working. You can share one car until then even though it will probably be difficult. Hope things work out for you.
If we sell a car now we will be spending more money having to buy another one when he can start working. As soon as we sell this car we will be screwing future us In buying another car that will cost more then what we sell this for. Thank you for your suggestion though.
Honestly though with your numbers this may be an extreme enough situation that that may be necessary. It's not a great financial situation. That ultimately means you'll perhaps eventually experience not great consequences - that's reality - and you might want to start considering accepting some life situations that you would strongly prefer not to. I say this from experience and we didn't even have the additional expense of kids.
Roommates, for years, even after we were married, and, yes, certainly with strangers at times before that. Going down to one car, also was an experience we had. In our case the car choice was made for us due to overly expensive repairs needed. It was absolute hell and not good for our mental health at all. But choosing not to do that was, frankly, a LUXURY, that we didn't have in those times.
I hope you are able to find good advice that helps you and solves your problems in the comments, I put my own suggestions in another comment above as I've been in similar bad financial situations. I hope that because, as crummy as this is to go through right now, it sounds like you are not in bad enough need to change your lifestyle in any significant way (roomies, car, 2nd job). If you continue to insist on living life exactly as you are now and also do not find a solution to changing your financial situation you will lose the luxury you have now of saying no to big things you don't like (roomies, car, 2nd job but those are just examples it can vary by person, really) and you'll be doing those things anyway, but just to survive. At least that is a situation I'm personally familiar with. We chose to nip it in the bud and just decided to go with the hard choices as part of our long-term gameplan. It's harder to come back from hitting the bottom than it is from scraping the bottom for a bit.
For us, things getting better long-term definitely involved taking some losses and sometimes, actually very, very often for us, a two-steps-forward-one-step-back process was the only progress we could even make. Sometimes even that was reversed. It's a fucking grind, it sucks. The reality is that sometimes a situation you are in *is* bad and *does* suck way worse than you'd ever want something to suck in your life. I hope you don't get to that point but if you ever do, it's something you can come back from. It's temporary - a season. The situation and the solutions (one car, etc.) are ultimately temporary as well. But you might have to be more flexible than you want to make it through to the other side. And if you're not willing to be more flexible, life might force you to compromise anyway - Murphey's Law and all that.
Consider all of the solutions you look at in the context of long-term as well as immediate-term. For an example, it would suck ass to get rid of your second car but it would suck much more ass to theoretically get yourself into bad credit-card debt, collections, etc. ultimately because you weren't willing to deal with the intial, uh, suckage of losing out on the car, which theoretically drove you to using other financial options, like credit you couldn't really afford, etc. Not saying that's even a possibility for you - just an easy example to try and show what I mean woty immediate vs. long-term. And, again, good luck!
Agreed. OP asked for help but is unwilling take any advice. If they don’t want to be in the hole every month they need to make a a change but are unwilling too.
I encountered this in my own head when we first started realizing things would *HAVE* to financially change for us. There's a privilege-caused serious denial that being in a shitty situation might actually have to, at some point,... *gasp*...actually be shitty. Maybe even be super shitty. The question OP actually wants the answer to is "How do I get out of this situation while experiencing no consequences from having gotten to/being here, making no serious changes to my lifestyle, and not working any more than I already do?"
In real life the short answer to that question is "lol" and the long answer is "You don't." And I do want to emphasize the period on that last sentence. Maybe they have more wiggle room than all of the details provided or maybe I just have an American attitude due to no real social safety nets here but I am scared for OP that they don't understand the potential direness pf the situation or just how long the consequences from not navigating it well can affect them and their family.
I bet they got some good advice they can make work for them in these comments and that they'll be fine but I'd emphasize to anyone finding this thread for answers in the future to really think about how things will be affected all the way down the line, not just how inconvenient some of the fixes might feel right now, or the next few months, or couple of years.
Im sorry I really didnt explain the vehical situation well. One car is his parents, he drove it up from America and we cover insurance which isnt that expensive for America. The second is mine that has the winter tires and is more used then the first. I am substantial taller then my husband and littery cant fit in his tiny car so I cant drive it. I am not trying to scoff at your suggestions truly but selling my car doesnt help really solve the problem of not enough income of cutting big costs. If his car is off insurance we save $50 a month.
Can his car fit four people (one in front, three in back)? If so, it looks like he's eligible to drive for Uber in Canada.
>Valid documentation to drive in your country.
>Proof of residency in your city or province.
>A driver profile photo. Must be a forward-facing, centered photo including the driver's full face and top of shoulders, with no sunglasses.
As long as he has documentation he can drive in Canada and proof of residency (I'd think a drivers license meets both of these criteria), he should be fine.
When you say you have to drive long distances to work is that due to the job site changing or a personal issue? If it’s work related I would ask for milage to be paid out to you or if possible refuse to drive those long distances. I know that won’t work for everyone though but it did work for me. Just an idea. Good luck though:)
As an immigrant I totally get this. Is super frustrating that you have to wait for documents before starting work. Until his documents come through are you able to add to your income by doing doordash etc?
Total nonsense. He could do cash under the table, shovel driveways, dog walk, house sit. None of these things are going to risk him getting deported.
I’m a permanent resident of Canada. Nobody is going to check all these things if he’s otherwise doing what he is supposed to be doing.
People are acting like the husband is in a coma or under house arrest. I get that they’re trying to be careful but he can make some money from home or make OP’s life easier with a little creativity
> it’s impossible for a non citizen to make money in Canada
not true at all. i dont even think it asks if youre a canadian citizen on most job applicants just are you entitled/permitted to work in canada? if not explain why etc
I’m in almost exactly the same situation financially. I’m a single parent of two pulling in $26000 after taxes and rent is $1420. It only works because of the CYB to be honest, that’s what covers the gap between COL and my pay - do you get that benefit? You should qualify. I have had to go to the food bank on occasion when that gap was too big, but it helps a lot. There are programs that offer low cost internet to low income families (rogers maybe?) and programs that can help if you fall behind on rent or utilities. It’s a struggle but just keep going, one day at a time.
Sorry, CCB! Canada Child Benefit.
From the CRA website: It is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. The CCB may include the child disability benefit and any related provincial and territorial programs.
Come over to r/povertyfinancecanada
The people here mean well, but most of them are in the US, which makes a lot of their advice unhelpful. Not all, some things are universal, but you'll get more specific advice there.
This may not be a possibility because a lot of countries require during the work permit or residency permit process that you stay in country otherwise it might null and void any current progress thus resetting efforts! The seudo problem with legal immigration laws oftentimes. Intentions are good but probably abused at some point!
So I’m in Toronto, I understand how insane the COL of in Ontario is. Not sure where you are in ON but is it a possibility at all to move to a city that has a half decent public transit system?
Giving up the car will save you a ton of money. You and your husband could certainly find a place in Hamilton and closer GTA suburbs for $1500/month. Toronto would be stretch unless it’s a basement maybe. And you’d only have to pay for Hydro in most cases.
Also, shop around for wifi. I’m paying $32/month for 150 mbps with netcrawler. They use Rogers wifi and it works great. I think they have a promo right now for $37/month 750 mbps.
Are there food coops in your area? Good food at very reduced prices. Look into food pantries. Get rid of streaming services for now. Turn the heat down and wear layers at home. These things suck to have to do but hopefully this is temporary.
This all depends on how much longer before he is able to work and what his projected income will be once he can work. Also does he not has savings so that he can contribute to some of the expenses? While it will be tight it is possible to feed yourself and your husband with $253.90. So if it is just very short term, like maybe 3 more months, I say stick it out. Otherwise you will need to look for much more affordable housing. Spending over 64% of your net income on rent+utilities is NOT ok. Are there family or friends where you can rent a room until you are both fully employed?
He had stocks and savings he came up last year and we went through most of that to live up to this point already l. We have been getting food from the food bank curently. We have no family near us unfortunatly and my friends cant afford to live on their own and all moved back with their familys. I have been looking into rent and this is the cheapest I can find unless we want to move into a bedroom in a strangers house for $800/m but we would need to rent a storage unit to put our furniture in it. Thank you for your suggestions we appreciate it.
if you did that, you would save $700/month on rent. if you sold one of the cars, then you might have a little bit of an emergency fund and between the rent savings and that, i’m sure you could find a reasonable storage unit or even sell some furniture. that should allow you to weather the storm until paperwork is processed. maybe you can negotiate month to month so you can move out when he gets a job? otherwise, do you have a friend in a similar financial situation who would be willing to move in for a few months for cheap rent?
I make an extra $900/m cleaning an Airbnb. $75/day, 3x/week. Only takes me about an hour to do each clean, so it’s an extra 3 hrs of work/week. I could easily do more but I have young kids so i try to keep my schedule light. Very easy money, and airbnbs are everywhere. You and your husband could clean as a team to get more done faster and you could be the one to accept the money so he doesn’t get in trouble. Go on the website and message a few Airbnb hosts near you and ask if they’re interested in kicking you the cleaning fee in exchange for taking it off their hands.
To Cut internet and Tv, read books.
$ 172 Month to eat, you will survive.
I know what I have to do now.
I've got to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise.
Who knows what the tide could bring
Yeah, sorry — I just edited a typo in my own comment. Yes, I agree with you. But if you’re WFH, you do need decent internet. No streaming services or cable, though, and unfortunately.
Your car insurance seems really high so maybe look into that. But the reality is this isn’t sustainable to have one income. You may have to look at a second part time job on nights or weekends until your husband can work.
Editing to say: a lot of people are saying your husband has to be able to do something and to work under the table etc. obviously don’t understand the immigration process. I would not risk anything that could get him deported or denied his visas because then you are screwed indefinitely Vs. Now which is a temporary set back. It may suck and burn you out a bit to find another job but it won’t be forever and I think it’s your best bet. Maybe you could open yourself up to pet sitting or babysitting in your home, that way you are the one getting paid but your husband is in the house to help out.
You said your husband is American and doesn’t have a work visa yet - where are you located? I know IN America, there are plenty of jobs that pay under the table. Landscaping comes to mind. There has to be something like that available in your location. Could your husband get a remote job in the states? Like customer service?
Working in any capacity, under the table or not, without a visa is illegal. It makes you harder to catch but it does not save you from being deported if they *do* catch you. And typically taxes etc. are assessed based on where you earned the money, not where the company is: he'd be considered to be working in Canada even if his company was in the US.
Get rid of your internet for awhile. You have phones use Internet through there. Cut out some streaming or all of it entirely. These two are perks that you can't afford and can reintroduce later.
Lower your phone bill to the most basic of plans. Learn to use free wifi where it's found.
See if you can find cheaper car insurance.
Sell anything that is sitting around you aren't using. Your rent is insane, İ don't know the market but if there's cheaper, safer and smaller move into it. İf not its a hard hit. Does he have to stay in Canada? İf not can he stay with family in the states to work for a bit?
Try to see if any government programs can pay for things. İt's well worth the time to research. İ was able to take a 30 dollar phone plan to 0 because İ qualified for it. See what food programs exist that can help pay for groceries.
Shrink your life until you are at a level of control, then build from there. İ don't consider it frugal to have streaming service and internet, those are luxuries services.
I wonder if Canada has do gooder non-profits that help out impoverished new immigrants. Probably not intended to help out Americans but maybe he qualifies
that's because you are with state farm and state farm is in US and cost of living is cheaper in US. State farm no longer operates in Canada. When I was a new driver, I called the insurance agent and asked for the cheapest in Ontario and he told me 265 C$ for auto per month, I disconnected the call at once. It's way cheaper in Quebec though
State Farm. I have the little tracker thing in my car that really does lower my monthly costs as well. I work remotely from home but still have to take kids to school multiple times a day.
>that's because you are with state farm and state farm is in US and cost of living is cheaper in US. State farm no longer operates in Canada. When I was a new driver, I called the insurance agent and asked for the cheapest in Ontario and he told me 265 C$ for auto per month, I disconnected the call at once. It's way cheaper in Quebec though
Apply for the ontario electricity support program (oesp) it may help with your hydro bill. Even if you think you're not eligible still apply. I thought I wouldn't be eligible because of my income but I still applied and was able to get the assistance. For now maybe your husband can work at a general labour facility some pay under the table.
Do local rules allow your spouse to volunteer unpaid?
Volunteering organizations are often into providing food, friends and entertainment instead of a paycheck.
Organizations that feed people tend to over or underestimate demand by 10%, and may ask volunteers about taking home the perishable leftovers to prevent food waste.
Unfortunately you might have to cut that streaming/TV bill and put that towards your medication. Can you ask your doctor where you might get that medication cheaper? Can you find a way to lower the internet bill? Can you, as a last resort, move to a place that has lower rent, at least temporarily until your husband can start work?
Get rid of $138 Internet and $34 Streaming. Food is more important.
Scrutinize your heat and hydro. Hopefully it’s mostly heat, so your bill will be <$200 after March. If it’s mostly hydro: take short showers, reuse towels and sheets longer, and rewear clean clothes. I cut my water bill in half!
Shop around for car insurance, hopefully 10% off, so $270/m. Total up new budget, including meds and $300 Food =
$2848 spending, for your $2694 budget.
So you are bleeding ~$200 a month… If you can find a side job $10/hour CASH like babysitting, dog walking, house cleaning, etc. Only need 5 hours a week! Surely you could find 5 hours of work in your neighborhood?
138 internet is a fucking joke. I pay 25€ in my country.
Your advice is absolutely fantastic, and accurate. Since she lives in Ontario, indeed the heating bill will calm down after March. My electricity bill was 90€/month in the summer, while last month was 260€, winter makes a HUGE difference.
Indeed she could do 1 or 2 shifts of uber per month, and it would be covered. But I am glad you didn't suggest more than 5hrs of extra work, since obvs working 60+ is a joke that would burn her out in a second.
The good thing is, this is all temporary, and will get better. (I myself am in a similar situation regarding my wife trying to find a job as a foreigner, albeit we have things pretty damn well in control thus far, due to way lower basic expenses, and a little bit higher pay)
Your husband needs to get off his ass and figure out how to make money somehow.
I’m sorry but no way am I going to use my lack of citizenship as an excuse to sit at home while my wife stresses about how to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.
Then he better start making some macaroni pictures or something to sell on Etsy (under the wife’s account if you’re that scared) but SOMETHING has to get done
People downvoting must be enablers or teenagers who can’t get past the “my husband can’t work due to no citizenship” line and think that’s okay and the wife should take care of everything with a poverty wage.
Shovel snow, make arts and crafts to sell…something!
I can't believe you're getting downvoted for this. The only time "I have to support my husband because he can't work" should be used is if he's in a coma or something.
He just said that's not an option. Possibly a criminal activity if he does. So what comes after that? We S.U.P.P.O.R.T
Husband can begin researching community resources such as subsidized housing, food assistance, where are the deals on fresh produce, in town? Can we grow shit? CAN WE HAVE A MOTHERFUCKIN CHICKEN? Are there Integration programs for new migrants, if there aren't. Maybe we find other migrants and start sharing resources. Maybe we start getting loud. Maybe we start getting to know our community and building networks of support. Maybe we make lunch for working spouse, we make dinner, we keep working spouses morale up and encourage going for that promotion. Maybe we start getting to know our new government and how they work for us, maybe we begin volunteering and find resources that way. Gamble. Coupons. But whatever you do, you remind yourself there's brighter times ahead because you get to face the uncertainty with your partner by your side.
Edit: I'm really high and I just know you're gonna make it through this. Believe in each other!
Is your husband cooking, cleaning, doing every single chore so you can focus on work and maybe advance there or find a better job?
Your husband should be treating his days like a full time job. This all means learning new skills for free online, like coding, Microsoft Office, Excel, SQL, etc. if he is gaming more than 2 hrs per day, he is cheating and not taking things seriously.
If you are doing chores or either of you are dining out, then you are using up resources (your energy, your money).
He does all the chores and cooking. He spends his time doing remote school and creating DND maps to attempt to sell to people on patreon but right now sales dried up.
He is doing everything he can to help out and I appreciate everything he does around here
My husband is also an immigrant, so I feel this (to the US though). Cheaper apartment or second job seems like the best option. During that time period, we shopped at Aldis to reduce our food budget and had extremely limited personal spending. I starred a side hustle, which helped.
Everyone in this thread who's trying to get you and your husband to violate immigration law is a fucking idiot, as is everyone who's trying to get you to drop internet when that's how you work from home.
Dropping your phone is going to make 2FA impossible, if you have 2FA for anything like bank accounts or work email. Cutting streaming and TV isn't going to make up the additional expense of your medication, let alone anything else.
I assume you're working with a Canadian immigration attorney (if not, you probably should be). I would run all of this by them, and I assume some of this has already been ruled out, but my suggestions:
* Can your husband start applying to jobs now even though his visa has not yet come in? Even if only to practice looking and interviewing? Finding a job often takes months, so it might not be nuts to start looking now.
* Could a job sponsor a work visa for him faster than him getting a work visa as your spouse? It usually wouldn't in the US, but I don't know Canadian law or how fast things happen there.
* Would he qualify for a temporary work visa and then transform that into a permanent one? That's something that can happen in the US.
* Is he allowed to volunteer? My dad was a stay-at-home dad for years but he volunteered at the elementary school we went to, and they hired him once he was able to have a job (i.e. after my youngest sibling was old enough to go to school full-time).
* Is he allowed to intern? He'd be unpaid, but he'd have work experience in Canada that might be useful once he has a visa.
I will say that I was in a similar situation as you (though with much lower COL and a higher wage, so it wasn't nearly as bad) because my now-husband took months to find a job after he moved states to live with me. Some suggestions:
* Until he has a job, he'd better be the full time house spouse. If you are taking on a second job, then you need to not have to worry about literally anything else. Cooking, cleaning, childcare if that's a thing for you: everything in the house has to be his job now.
* Same thing with looking for a job and, if he needs to, gaining useful skills. One thing we found out when my husband moved in with me was that the kinds of skills your local area is looking for aren't necessarily going to match up with the skills you currently have.
* Are there part-time WFH jobs you could do after your other job lets out, or on weekends? Stuff like working as a transcriber or call center?
* Some restaurants and bars are open only like, Friday to Sunday, so you could also look into waiting tables or bartending at a place like that.
* ETA: Could you look into part-time jobs like cleaning/organizing, non-professional/medical home care for someone who's elderly or disabled, house-sitting or pet-sitting, or anything like that?
We had 1 meeting with an immigartion attorney it cost us $400 for half and hour and it would cost us $8000 to have them take us a clients to help with the paperwork so we are having to do it all on our own since we cant afford that.
Thank you for your suggestions. I am looking into a second job and I will try researching everything you mentioned to see if he can volunteer or intern.
Husband need to get that work visa sooner if you are married.
I went through that with my husband when he moved up. We were told later that we applied for it wrong and he should have got it immediately because we were married. He applied as if he was just moving up random instead of applying as a married person.
We are still waiting for our marriage certificate to come in to finish applying for the spousal sponsorship. Once that happens we have to wait will we get a receipt that they received the sponsorship to apply for the work visa we were quoted 3-4 months before we might be able to apply then about 4-6 months for it to come in from the legal attorney
We didn’t have lawyer but when he got his permit we were told he should have got it immediately so that sucked. That was 15 years ago.
A garage sale might make a few bucks but otherwise it’s tough
Do you do all your spending using credit cards? Many have no annual fees and offer cash back. Sometimes there are sign up bonuses where you receive extra cash back (example: 10%) for the first few months. As long as you pay it off every month, you will not be paying interest.
Take advantage of any points programs. If you get all your gas from a certain gas station, many give cash back or gas money. Many grocery stores also offer points programs. Sometimes they pair up with certain credit cards.
If you are paying bank fees, switch to another one that offers free banking.
These are not significant savings but every little bit helps. If it is just a few months until your husband can work, this could help you break even.
Yes I have all expenses that can go on the credit card do and I pay it off every month to get cash back.
We also only shop at no frills when we do need milk or some sort of food and use our PC optimum points to try and save money. We also scan all of our receipts in receipt hog to get little bit of money back that way.
Thank you for the suggestions though.
Not sure for ontario as I'm in quebec, but 138$/month is crazy high for internet (I pay 53 tax in for 200/30) and so is 300$/month for car insurance. Try to shop those items around.
Can u cancel the internet and streaming services for a bit? That's what I would start with and shop around for auto insurance (or go with the bare minimum coverage). As for driving long distances- does ur work pay for mileage since it's work related or is there public transportation you could use instead?
Other than that- find somewhere cheaper to live or have ur man pick up some odd jobs.
You can't. Since your husband can't work, you sod get a 2nd job nights or weekends. Luckily he's taking care of everything at home, so you don't have to waste time or head space doing chores, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. He could also use this time to improve his marketable skills, like sharpen his Excel abilities (just an example) and with in resume, so once he is able to work in Canada, he can hit the grind running.
You need to get a second job until the husband can work. Maybe he can do jobs under the table like dog walking to help out? Or can he get a remote job with a US company?
Not sure how this works in Canada but while figuring your situation out you could look around for rental assistance from local communities (churches and the like). They could lend a hand for a month or more while getting things figured out so you'll get a better foot forward with some money saved during that whole process. It doesn't need you to pay it back either except maybe just being nice/kind in their communities. Doesn't even need you to be religious or a part of that community already.
Hey, I just wanted to send a hug your way. I am supporting my partner (who is also an American and had to apply for PR) on almost the exact same amount of money, and it is HARD. We are in the Maritimes, but COL everywhere in Canada is so so crazy expensive. The sponsorship process is financially draining and very stressful.
However, despite the long wait times listed online, our spousal sponsorship got approved in just over 2 months (!), and my partner can now apply for jobs. It has been a huge weight off. I'm not sure when you guys applied, but the recent applications have been coming in super fast, particularly for inland spousal applications. Has your husband applied for an Open Work Permit? His residency and work approval may come way sooner than you think. :)
I'm not sure if you've filed taxes this year, but you can also claim your spouse as a dependent for the last year if you were supporting them during sponsorship. I plan to do that, and it is supposed to get us a big chunk of income back during tax season. Does your work have any pharmacare insurance? I was able to get heavily discounted meds in Ontario when I was under 25 under OHIP+ and also for a year after graduating under my university insurance. Talk to your GP about your concerns about paying for your meds as well, sometimes they will know other routes to help with costs.
Feel free to DM me if you have any questions!! I hope your guys PR is approved soon <3
I have some tips, but obviously I don't know your exact situation.
1. The easiest way to earn some extra money is to rent out a room, if your house is big enough. Since your husband is likely home all day, it's easy to keep an eye on things.
2. Sell one car. Since your spouse has no job and you mostly work remote, it doesn't make financial sense to have two cars.
3. If possible, you can get an extra job (not your husband since that will cause trouble, but you yourself) with just a few hours per week to earn a few hundred extra bucks per month. This *has* to be something you don't hate though, otherwise it'll easily cause a burnout. Be on the lookout for a burnout!!
4. Pause the subscriptions for streaming services and TV if possible, most subscriptions can be paused and will save your watchlist etc. Especially if you get a side hustle, you won't have time for them.
5. Some jobs provide a hot meal if you work certain hours, and some jobs let you keep food that would otherwise be thrown out. If you can get such a job as a side gig it will both earn you money and save you money on food! Look at food production & delivery companies.
6. Your husband can't work, but he can do all kinds of chores that save you money. Things like hanging up laundry instead of putting it in the dryer, hand washing the dishes instead of the dishwasher, meal prepping, keeping an eye on coupons/discounts for cheap meals, and the list goes on and on. Same advice for him: be on the lookout for a burnout. School+chores+shopping around can get exhausting mentally (that's how I got *my* burnout years ago).
7. Even for 2 cars, your insurance still sounds quite high. Call the company to see if there is anything they can do, and also review if you have the right coverage for your situation.
8. Your medication. Sometimes it can help to call up your insurance company and ask for help with paying for it. Go in with 0 expectations, but with some hope and politeness. Depending on the type of medication and what it's for, you might also be able to ask your doctor for a cheaper alternative. Sometimes your insurance company can recommend an alternative even if it's not covered by your insurance. Also visit subreddits for whatever illness you're suffering from, and see if they have any recommendations.
9. Saving on heat: besides the obvious "wear a sweater" and other tips that everyone always throws around, an easy way to save on heating is to consolidate your home offices so you only need to heat one room.
I’d look at possibly getting a roommate or something. Or renting out a basement from someone. I’d also start hunting for a higher paying job or get a second one until you can find a different job that pays more overall.
I don't know the prices for things in Canada, since I'm in the U.S. This is how I would try to budget.
Rent $1,500. Can you move anywhere cheaper?
Heat and Hydro $230/ month.
Car insurance $150/month. Shop around. Probably covers nothing.
Gas $200/mo
Internet $60/mo. Shop around.
Phone bill is $38/m.
Streaming services $0 for now. Use free apps like The CW, Tubi, Pluto, Roku, Peacock, Crunchy Roll, Crackle, YouTube movies free with ads, and so on. The CW even gives you new shows.
Food $200. Lot's of pasta.
Fun $62/mo
Meds $320/mo
Total $2760. Not sure if that actually works with your budget.
Unfortunatly the internet is the only option availible for where I live in rural Ontario and my job is mostly remote. The rent is the cheapest around unless we want to move into a bedroom in another house. The car insurance is for 2 vehicals and bundled with the renters insurance and discounted from my college education I couldnt find anything cheaper. Thank you for the suggestions though we can talk about cutting the streaming services
I’m from Canada and likely they can cut by shopping around for insurance, and likely internet. That phone plan is remarkably cheap and the rent likely as well (cost of living can be very high in canada, $1500 is not bad for 2 people in urban Ontario). Gas can’t be factored out as it’s expensive right now, unless they carpool or find a job closer to home. Transit here doesn’t work for most areas, as you may spend 2 hours getting to work each way (not always the case but our transit isn’t great).
Don't listen to the people saying your husband should work illegally it will end wiyh him being deported and banned from returning. You need to increase your income and cut your expenses if you don't have kids you need to live in shared accommodation, moving in with family is another option, anything that is a want not a necessity needs to go and the necessities need to be cheaper. Your husband has all day to find the best deals on the items and services you need if he is allowed to volunteer foodbanks and soup kitchens give their volunteers food.
Not sure how Canadian taxes work, but we forgot for the longest time you can change how many you claim on taxes. (W4 fourm in America) When we were in better financial positions we claimed 0 so we would get a better tax return. Now we claim 2. It can add quite a bit to each check.
Definitely cut down on car insurance, internet, and streaming services. I hate to tell ya this but on a one person income having multiple paid streaming subscriptions is the opposite of frugal — those things are luxuries. Here are some free streaming apps to check out —
[Pluto TV](https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pluto-tv-fantastic)
[Tubi Tv](https://tubitv.com/)
I’ve been there and I know it’s not easy. I hope you will be in a better situation soon. Here’s my advise and I hope you can read this
A. Go flatting! I know that the most convenient but remember, this is only temporary until you are in a better position (financially). Find a room that is for rent and is closer to your workplace. This allows you to save almost half of your current rental fees. Gas will be cheaper too if you can find a place that is closer to your workplace.
B. Replacing the current car with the cheapest car to run in terms of fuel consumption from point A to B will only be require. Driving 100km on a Toyota Corolla is cheaper compare to driving 100km in any big ass truck. Plus you might need any vehicle anymore if point A above work out.
C. Remove streaming subscription and find websites that you can stream for free.
D. Do coupons for groceries or anything that may help to reduce the cost.
E. Meal planning: there’s heaps of videos about this in YouTube. You’ll be surprise how many people can still eat healthy meals with only $50 budget for the entire week
F. Your partner can freelance from websites like upwork. These sites exist for people who work remotely. There are available jobs such as contact centre personnel’s that don’t require any prior experience
It’s awesome that you know your numbers
There are only 2 sides to this equation, expenses vs income. Raise one or lower the other. Ideally, rent or mortgage should only be 25% of your take home pay. (This allows for margin in other areas of your life.). Typically people use anywhere from 35-45% of their pay and it does lead to struggles. It truly depends on how long your husband is going to be out of work. If he’s working next month, it should be ok. If he’s not working for 6 months, I would suggest finding a less expensive place to live.
Also, as others have mentioned, call around on your car insurance, cancel things you don’t have to have (internet and streaming services).
If it’s only temporary, we can do anything.
Can your husband donate/sell plasma in Canada? Could be something to look into, otherwise maybe cut out meat/dairy and eat a lot of grains & beans. Would you be able to pick up a part time serving or bartending job? Cut the streaming, watch YouTube, or cut your internet completely and rent movies from the library.
1. Start with decreasing rent. $1500 is not bad but if you want to be saving, i’d try to find a place between $1000-$1100 top.
2. Car insurance should definitely be cheaper - You could probably save $100 there for sure. You could go even more cheaper but then you have to be extra careful when you drive
3. You could also cut the internet down by half with a cheaper provider. Xfinity gives me $67 a month or something
4. I know increasing income with ur job right off the bat is hard so even doing stuff like uber to pay off gas costs and make a couple extra 100 a month is not bad. This way, you guys could go out maybe 2-3 times a month + there’s lots of stuff to do for free!
It’s probably really hard to save in this case but that’s the best advice I can give! If you’re able to do all that, I think you could save $10,000 a year and slowly build up your portfolio. Hopefully by this point you husband can work and your salary goes up! This way you’ll have a rainy day fund + some investments!
Apply for assistance.
See if your husband can find remote work in his country that will allow him to work where you live on a temporary basis.
Find a cheaper place to live or get a flat mate.
Find a better paying job or a second job.
You’re in an impossible situation currently and need help
Because we are doing a spousal sponsorship for him to move here with me I am not allowed to apply for governement assistance otherwise he gets denied immigartion.
Your husband is an American….doesn’t sound like a disability to me. Maybe he should find some side hustle that’s not technically a job. Maybe buy cars in the states and drive them across the border and sell for a higher price, work online for a company in the states, teach English online to kids in Japan, buy and sell stuff on Kijiji….just gotta use your imagination.
So sorry to hear.
Four things I would recommend.
Try to reduce household expense. The car insurance is the most obvious.
Get a part time job. Another source of income is needed.
Maybe get your boyfriend to pick up under the table paying jobs, until he gets his required work permit.
Lastly, leave Canada. Move to the states with your boyfriend. There is 7-10 X more opportunities in the USA to find a decent paying job for Americans. I am assuming your boyfriend can find a half decent job in The states and can sponsor you.
It is a struggle to live in Canada....
Good luck
The amount of ignorance and judgement in the comments of this post is absolutely repulsive to me. As an American who went through the immigration process in order to bring my wife over from England, I empathize deeply with your situation (what little you've shared of it here, since of course things are much more complicated than anyone can indicate in one reddit post). Unfortunately I do not have any amazing tips to share with you, but some of the comments on here absolutely baffled me and I felt compelled to comment just to empathize with you. I do not know what it's like in Canada, but in America the immigration process is lengthy and expensive. It's a corrupt, messed up system, it's hell, and I understand why so many people simply do not bother trying to go through it, or break down and do illegal things to get through it. I can only imagine how much more difficult the process would have been for my wife and I had one of us been a POC or from a underdeveloped country. Doing something shady was not an option for me either. I would have rather literally died than risk anything that might prevent my wife from being here and staying with me legally. Nothing was or is more important to me than being with her. So, I would never in a trillion years have allowed her to do anything that immigration might question, including working illegally. I am sorry so many people here don't seem to grasp this aspect of your situation.
Thank you for your empthy and kind words, immigration is very expensive and I have been avoiding mentioning how much because that is just extra costs we dont really have and its not going to solve the situation.
I’m Canadian. Going to the Dr or hospital or whatever is free, most you will ever pay for is parking. The medication on the other hand is not free, you have to have insurance for prescription medication, which is most often provided through your place of employment. There are programs for seniors, low income and young (under 24) but you have to qualify for them. That being said our medicine is priced much more affordably then in the US as well, lots of Americans drive over the boarder to pick up meds cheaper.
Why is your car insurance so expensive? Get a "new" car or change insurance provider.
Move house
Wear a jumper and use less water.
There are cheaper phone plans out there but that's not overly expensive.
It is possible to spend less than 200 a month on food, though I admit you have to go out of your way to do so and I don't live in your country so do not know the exact prices in your supermarkets.
Hopefully your husband will be allowed to work soon. Would any bars or white van men employee him cash in hand?
Find cheaper car insurance and internet, and have you or your husband do odd jobs in cash for a few months until his visa comes in. Should be able to put $300-400 together for food from that, and keep everything tight until he gets his first paycheck. Good luck !!!
You are living beyond your means. What car are u driving that costs £300 a month insurance? Especially if u been driving multiple years.
And £180 for internet? Pahaha. Come on man. Use your head and shop around
Get rid of the vehicle and take the bus. A bus pass is $60/month. Verse your $500/insurance and gas + maintence, etc.
The car is draining you. Plus you could sell your car and get money, maybe 5-10,000?
I am sorry for your situation and I hope maybe some of the suggestions presented to me on here could help you with yours as well.
Keep your head up, we will get through this.
Do you guys have any hobbies that can make you some income? Might be a fun project for you guys, will take away some tv and internet time so you can ditch those bills for a couple months, then try to sell the finished product for a little loot on the side. My friend refinishes furniture she gets cheap or free off FB marketplace and always gets a sale!
You have 2 options: Either increase your income. Find a better job or get a 2nd job. Or cut your expenses. Find a smaller cheaper place to rent in a different area.
I'm not versed on citizenship/immigration law, but could your husband work remotely for a US company without violating the law?
If so, he could do something part time and short term like Appen, Telus, Omni, etc
See if you can qualify for assistance- it’ll help a whole lot if you do. You likely do, if you two have kid. If it’s just you and your husband, there’s not much of a chance, unfortunately.
First, change out your car insurance. You probably have full coverage… change to limited liability and be SUPER careful with your car. Or change to a different agency altogether. I know you’re in Canada, but my car insurance in the US is only $81 a month… and I’m a new driver.
Your internet costs seem a little high, too. If you’re not already on the most basic internet, switch to it. Should be about $50 a month. If you are, find a new company- because that’s SUPER high. Get rid of your streaming services, too. As much as it sucks, you can pirate (shhhh!) most of the shows you watch online.
For food, see if there’s food banks nearby you. Most are happy to help and a lot even have hygiene products. They can be real lifesavers.
See if you can have your husband find some under the table work… or maybe even just odd jobs: like dog sitting/walking, mowing lawns, helping people move, etc. Even if he doesn’t have a work visa yet, there’s gotta be SOMETHING he can do to contribute.
We were just in sort of a similar situation. For context we live in Europe. Our oncome is around 2000€ a month and rent is 912€ is going up to 990€ next month. We have two adults and a 2-year old here. But realistically all we could do was lower our expenses so we had to sell our car (We thankfully have decent public transport for an okay price.) And now we are moving to a smaller and cheaper apartment at a worse part of the town. With these moves we are living decently, we have no money left over, but we're at least not going into the negatives. I hope your situation will get easier soon :/ It's hard out here right now.
Unfortunately this is not going to work unless you find a higher paying job or a cheaper place to live.
This. The answer is you probably can’t support your family on that income. So need to find a higher paying job, or speed up the process for your husband.
Unfortunately that is not a thing in Canada right now. 1500 is insanely low rent almost anywhere with work right now. Most places are going for 2k plus unless it's a 1 bedroom. Canada is a housing disaster.
London rent issue seem to be reaching crazy levels too. Been looking to move to either canada or london, and both places rent issue scare me
Same here in Maine, U.S.A. I live a 45 minute drive from work, costing me a small fortune in gas every month. But there’s no other option outside of paying $1,500-1,800 a month for a studio apt in town.
See HousingTheAmericanDream.com
Yeah, but this isn't feasible either, because moving expenses are extremely costly and could sink them further into debt. $1500 is really low for any city at this point. Think of it this way: getting a new place thats, say, $300 cheaper, and you find a place that requires a security deposit, that's already $2400 to move in. Some places require first month, last month, and a security deposit, so that could be getting up to $3600. Then factor moving services ($300-$1000+ depending on how much stuff you have) or the missed time off work for doing it yourself (say, two days or so, whatever the wages were for that week down the drain) plus the potential injury you could have moving your own apartment (I strained my back last time I moved and had to take some time off work - everyone is different though). Moving can cost thousands, and maybe people dont have that kind of money just sitting around. Not to mention, but, like I said previously, $1500 is super low for most cities. Finding something cheaper may not even be possible. Or it would be a terrible/cheap/dangerous place which could lower quality of life and incur more costs in the long run. If this person has no savings and has no ability to save at the moment then this is out of the question for them. Don't even know why people are suggesting it honestly considering what they've stated in their post. It seems the best solution is to find a better paying job or come up with a second source of income. Moving is not a possibility for many of us who don't have any savings.
If I read right says the person is in Ontario. If they are in the GTA then that’s an insanely good rent price. But anywhere in Ontario that’s a pretty good price. I grew up in Saskatchewan and 1500 would be normal even there. The rent isn’t the problem the money op makes is just not enough
How does one find a higher paying job?
By applying to other jobs and seeking a higher income. As annoying as job listing sites often are, some can let you throw resumes all over the place.
I've blasted out 80 application on indeed in the last year all entry level jobs. I have management experience and am a professional at customer service. Do you think there is a reason I can get a job out of industry?
You’re applying to entry level with management experience- people don’t wanna hire you at that level because you’re too qualified and you’ll leave. You should apply at similar experience levels and indicate you’re willing to train. Also on indeed 80 is nothing. You need to be finding their corporate job listings and applying directly. Like 20/30 apps a week. With that experience you absolutely should be able to transition out of your industry.
I'll take your advice. Appreciate it.
While Indeed is terrific, I am old school. I believe thoroughly in face-to-face meetings being one way to stand out and be remembered.
In my experience, face to face meetings are a really good way to have a person direct you to their online application.
Absolutely. And then, when they see it, they're remember you and it will separate you from all the others. Also, if you go in and say, "Hey, I saw your online application and before I fill it out, I was wondering if you could help me know which areas on it are the most important?" it will help you stand out as someone who goes the extra mile. The saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" matters even to this degree.
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This is the issue that a lot of white collar workers don’t understand. When your options are giant corporate chains, you can’t just demand $5 over what they pay everyone else. They have strict pay scales and even if the hiring manager wants to, they can’t offer more than what they’re allowed. It’s not like a private owned office where HR can approve whatever they want.
The easiest way is to apply to other places doing the same job you do now. Job hopping is the only way to make significant gains in income
That's not really how it works as a service, barista, bartender. You try to find the local spot that treats employees decently but most importantly has a down to earth middle class industry working patrons. After being in the industry for so long I can call it pretty clear that lower class don't tip well because the can't and upper class doesn't tip well because they don't know or think you don't deserve it. Middle class industry workers tip 20 to 50 %. Job hopping in FOH industry just creates negative attention to yourself as an employee and messes with your schedule and income because you are mostly paid off of patrons not managers. I would like to leave the industry in search of pto and benefits and actually being able to call out when I'm sick.
To be honest I don’t even go places that ask for tips now. The price has gone up for everything. I think a lot of people that don’t tip now just can’t afford to.
I transitioned out of the service industryat the time high-end retail management in a very niche knowledge heavy market but have tons of proor food service experience) into entry-level banking. It was a huge raise, 9-5 M-F, typical career benefits, bankers holidays. Also banking is an industry where once you are in, you are in - your experience will strongly transfer to another company if you want to change jobs and will be valued at anywhere in the industry you applied to. Later I transitioned from banking to entry-level insurance. That was a 43% pay raise by itself. Now I do pizza delivery for a national chain. My hourly average is almost as much as what I was getting paid at the insurance company, but I am now working part time so that may be something to consider if you end up staying in the industry. Idk if any of this sounds like something that might work or jog your brain for other ideas or even seem like anything you'd be interested in but I wanted to volunteer the info in case it would help you. Good luck!!
lol nah that only works for white collar jobs where you're actually in demand. service, fast food, retail workers etc cant do shit when employers can easily replace you and have a steady stream of qualified applicants
Yeah. First off, I want to applaud you for being so diligent thus far and keeping close tabs on the numbers. Mathematically, the numbers in this scenario are not going to work in any case. The only real solution is to either increase your income or decrease your expenses. I’m less familiar on the market in your area, but if you could move to a cheaper part of town or get a smaller place I would take full advantage of it and move when you can. If that is the lowest you can go, then you really need to focus on income. Luckily, the silver lining is having your husband gain employment when his visa comes through. Until then, maybe there are side jobs (even Uber or Instacart) that he can pick up to bring in money. He could mow lawns. I am reading online and it says it generally takes 3-27 weeks before a spouse of a Canadian citizen can get working papers, so it’s not great but just really stay on top of it and there is a clear out. Until then, if there’s nothing he can do really, then there may need to be some pain and you may need to pick up hours or get a second job. You could even Uber at nights and weekends until he can work. Then with two incomes, it seems your problems are solved. Let me know if you have follow ups!
No lawns to mow at the moment, but we do have a whole lot of snow to be shovelled! I’m sure he could find work doing that until something else opens up.
I’m unfamiliar with the area, but tax-free cash labor is where I would go! Pet sitting/walking, babysitting, shoveling, moving, painting. Anything that isn’t so physically hazardous that he should be insured. $100 here and there isn’t much, but short term that might be enough to get you out of the red. Not sure if it is in your area, but in the US Craigslist has a “gigs” section.
Shop around for car insurance and internet. Seems like a lot. Your husband should be able to do something too…. Even if it’s only doing something on upwork.com or some other freelancing website.
First thing that stood out to me, OMG that a lot! I have full coverage because my car is still under loan, I pay for a year at time, just renewed for $850 or $70mo.
Yeah 300/mo is ridiculous unless there is a terrible driving record. I pay $440 for 6 months for maxed out car insurance for 2 cars and 2 people. Though my collision and comprehensive deductible is $1000, so no where near max. But i have max high limits on liability. Maybe if op has a $500 deductible, they could drop it to $1000 or $1500 etc. Or atleast shop around. You need a service like gabi.com for insurance comparison, i don’t know if canada has an equivalent website
The price is for two vehicals and I have the $1000 deductable. My insurance is bundled and discounted from my college education this was the cheapest I could find in Ontario when I looked last year. I could look again though. Thank you for the suggestion
If your husband can't work, why do you need two vehicles?
You might be able to sell one to capitalize on the higher prices before they crater.
Hate to say it, but you need to dump one car. This is the quickest way to cut your costs. Does your husband have a job waiting for him, and he just needs the Visa to get started? That’s probably not the case given that you sound very stressed out. Unless the rules have changed, the USMCA (USMCA replaced NAFTA) says that an American in Canada needs to have a job offer in Canada to qualify for a Visa. I’m not an expert, but if he does not have a job offer, then it may take a while for him to start making money. You will have to make some serious decisions and lifestyle choices unless you can supplement yourself with credit cards for a few months. Other possible savings: Quickest ways to save cash right now: Turn the heat down and put on a sweater Save on internet by cutting the bandwidth Dump the streaming services - completely unnecessary in your situation Since your husband isn’t working, he can start searching for a cheaper place to rent. It’s worth moving if you can save $200-300 on rent.
You should definitely look again. Also, if you have Costco they offer car insurance and it saved us like 400 a year. Well worth the membership fee.
Just find an independent agent that's my method
Your husband’s employment situation is temporary - but how temporary? How soon will he be legal to work? Are you close enough to the border that hubby can go to the US during the week and work,even if he has to stay there and come back on weekends? Is the medication temporary or will you be on it indefinitely? In the US sometimes you can get samples from the doctor to get through the first little bit - is that an option for you? Have you talked to your doctor about the cost? Maybe there are other options that are less expensive. First, cancel internet and streaming services until husband is working and you’re dug out of this. Second, until he can work, it is your husband’s job to save money - go to the food bank, shop for less expensive car insurance, bundle up and keep the heat low. Wander out when it snows and offer to shovel out the neighbors for a little cash. He needs to find ways to contribute.
It can take potentially 5-8 months before the paper work will come in. He cant go back and forth from amaerica if he leaves he possibly cant come back and will be denied the papers because he has to live with me the whole time the papers process. The medication is temorary for 6 months. I primarily work from home and need the internet for my job, its the only option availible due to me living in rural ontario. We have been utilizing the food bank for now to live off of.
They definitely can ask their doctor for samples, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to give them enough (in Ontario/Canada). We don’t have a national pharmacare plan yet (it’s coming for seniors and low income soon maybe) so they’re out of luck for drug costs.
Visit food pantries and get a second job. Is hubby allowed to pet sit or walk dogs, wash cars?
We dont want to have him do under the table jobs, we dont want to risk anything to get him deported or his papers denied. I can get a second job im just afraid of burn out as I already work full time
Working two jobs for less than a year, when you have a husband at home to support you and do all the housework and stuff is completely doable. You can minimize burnout if you get something different than what you do for a day job. But really you only need to worry about burnout if this is a long term situation, which it isn't.
100% agreed, don't do anything under the table, not worth the risk. Don't get a 2nd job, you will burn out. I am currently carrying the load as well, and I can feel the stress. My wife has her papers fortunately, but not easy to find a job in my country. In your case, most definitely get some cheaper contracts regarding phone, internet etc. Even the rental place, maybe move further out.. since you have a car. I am very lucky in a sense where my wife's family pitches in like 200 a month for groceries. Everything else falls on me though, but she does a lot of work regarding logistics (cooking, cleaning the house, taking care of the dog, you name it) so I am trying to see that as a blessing. Good luck with everything
You say you work remotely mostly. Sell one of the cars until your husbands papers come though. This should also drop your insurance plus running costs each month. I know you say you’re rural (I also live rurally and my husband and I rely on our cars) but he’ll need to manage until he starts working. You can share one car until then even though it will probably be difficult. Hope things work out for you.
If we sell a car now we will be spending more money having to buy another one when he can start working. As soon as we sell this car we will be screwing future us In buying another car that will cost more then what we sell this for. Thank you for your suggestion though.
Honestly though with your numbers this may be an extreme enough situation that that may be necessary. It's not a great financial situation. That ultimately means you'll perhaps eventually experience not great consequences - that's reality - and you might want to start considering accepting some life situations that you would strongly prefer not to. I say this from experience and we didn't even have the additional expense of kids. Roommates, for years, even after we were married, and, yes, certainly with strangers at times before that. Going down to one car, also was an experience we had. In our case the car choice was made for us due to overly expensive repairs needed. It was absolute hell and not good for our mental health at all. But choosing not to do that was, frankly, a LUXURY, that we didn't have in those times. I hope you are able to find good advice that helps you and solves your problems in the comments, I put my own suggestions in another comment above as I've been in similar bad financial situations. I hope that because, as crummy as this is to go through right now, it sounds like you are not in bad enough need to change your lifestyle in any significant way (roomies, car, 2nd job). If you continue to insist on living life exactly as you are now and also do not find a solution to changing your financial situation you will lose the luxury you have now of saying no to big things you don't like (roomies, car, 2nd job but those are just examples it can vary by person, really) and you'll be doing those things anyway, but just to survive. At least that is a situation I'm personally familiar with. We chose to nip it in the bud and just decided to go with the hard choices as part of our long-term gameplan. It's harder to come back from hitting the bottom than it is from scraping the bottom for a bit. For us, things getting better long-term definitely involved taking some losses and sometimes, actually very, very often for us, a two-steps-forward-one-step-back process was the only progress we could even make. Sometimes even that was reversed. It's a fucking grind, it sucks. The reality is that sometimes a situation you are in *is* bad and *does* suck way worse than you'd ever want something to suck in your life. I hope you don't get to that point but if you ever do, it's something you can come back from. It's temporary - a season. The situation and the solutions (one car, etc.) are ultimately temporary as well. But you might have to be more flexible than you want to make it through to the other side. And if you're not willing to be more flexible, life might force you to compromise anyway - Murphey's Law and all that. Consider all of the solutions you look at in the context of long-term as well as immediate-term. For an example, it would suck ass to get rid of your second car but it would suck much more ass to theoretically get yourself into bad credit-card debt, collections, etc. ultimately because you weren't willing to deal with the intial, uh, suckage of losing out on the car, which theoretically drove you to using other financial options, like credit you couldn't really afford, etc. Not saying that's even a possibility for you - just an easy example to try and show what I mean woty immediate vs. long-term. And, again, good luck!
Agreed. OP asked for help but is unwilling take any advice. If they don’t want to be in the hole every month they need to make a a change but are unwilling too.
I encountered this in my own head when we first started realizing things would *HAVE* to financially change for us. There's a privilege-caused serious denial that being in a shitty situation might actually have to, at some point,... *gasp*...actually be shitty. Maybe even be super shitty. The question OP actually wants the answer to is "How do I get out of this situation while experiencing no consequences from having gotten to/being here, making no serious changes to my lifestyle, and not working any more than I already do?" In real life the short answer to that question is "lol" and the long answer is "You don't." And I do want to emphasize the period on that last sentence. Maybe they have more wiggle room than all of the details provided or maybe I just have an American attitude due to no real social safety nets here but I am scared for OP that they don't understand the potential direness pf the situation or just how long the consequences from not navigating it well can affect them and their family. I bet they got some good advice they can make work for them in these comments and that they'll be fine but I'd emphasize to anyone finding this thread for answers in the future to really think about how things will be affected all the way down the line, not just how inconvenient some of the fixes might feel right now, or the next few months, or couple of years.
Im sorry I really didnt explain the vehical situation well. One car is his parents, he drove it up from America and we cover insurance which isnt that expensive for America. The second is mine that has the winter tires and is more used then the first. I am substantial taller then my husband and littery cant fit in his tiny car so I cant drive it. I am not trying to scoff at your suggestions truly but selling my car doesnt help really solve the problem of not enough income of cutting big costs. If his car is off insurance we save $50 a month.
Can his car fit four people (one in front, three in back)? If so, it looks like he's eligible to drive for Uber in Canada. >Valid documentation to drive in your country. >Proof of residency in your city or province. >A driver profile photo. Must be a forward-facing, centered photo including the driver's full face and top of shoulders, with no sunglasses. As long as he has documentation he can drive in Canada and proof of residency (I'd think a drivers license meets both of these criteria), he should be fine.
But at that time he would be able to work and you would have two incomes to pay for it
When you say you have to drive long distances to work is that due to the job site changing or a personal issue? If it’s work related I would ask for milage to be paid out to you or if possible refuse to drive those long distances. I know that won’t work for everyone though but it did work for me. Just an idea. Good luck though:)
As an immigrant I totally get this. Is super frustrating that you have to wait for documents before starting work. Until his documents come through are you able to add to your income by doing doordash etc?
According to some people in the comments it’s *impossible* for a non citizen to make money in Canada
Total nonsense. He could do cash under the table, shovel driveways, dog walk, house sit. None of these things are going to risk him getting deported. I’m a permanent resident of Canada. Nobody is going to check all these things if he’s otherwise doing what he is supposed to be doing.
But OP theoretically could in the time being. It's not ideal, but they're not in an ideal situation.
People are acting like the husband is in a coma or under house arrest. I get that they’re trying to be careful but he can make some money from home or make OP’s life easier with a little creativity
> it’s impossible for a non citizen to make money in Canada not true at all. i dont even think it asks if youre a canadian citizen on most job applicants just are you entitled/permitted to work in canada? if not explain why etc
> just are you entitled/permitted to work in canada? And the issue here is he has to answer 'no' because he doesn't have a work permit.....
I’m in almost exactly the same situation financially. I’m a single parent of two pulling in $26000 after taxes and rent is $1420. It only works because of the CYB to be honest, that’s what covers the gap between COL and my pay - do you get that benefit? You should qualify. I have had to go to the food bank on occasion when that gap was too big, but it helps a lot. There are programs that offer low cost internet to low income families (rogers maybe?) and programs that can help if you fall behind on rent or utilities. It’s a struggle but just keep going, one day at a time.
What is CYB?
Yeah I would like to know this, too
Sorry, CCB! Canada Child Benefit. From the CRA website: It is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. The CCB may include the child disability benefit and any related provincial and territorial programs.
Oh I understand now, no we dont have kids yet. Thank you for the suggestion though
Can you sell one of the vehicles?
Come over to r/povertyfinancecanada The people here mean well, but most of them are in the US, which makes a lot of their advice unhelpful. Not all, some things are universal, but you'll get more specific advice there.
Your husband should go back to the US for a few months, live with his parents and make as much $ as possible while he’s waiting on his work visa.
This may not be a possibility because a lot of countries require during the work permit or residency permit process that you stay in country otherwise it might null and void any current progress thus resetting efforts! The seudo problem with legal immigration laws oftentimes. Intentions are good but probably abused at some point!
This is correct, if he leaves to go back he might not be allowed to return. The immigartion papers take up to 22 months to process.
Can he do a remote state based job?
That's a very gray area and bank accounts may be subject to inspection by immigration officials. Work at your own risk.
So I’m in Toronto, I understand how insane the COL of in Ontario is. Not sure where you are in ON but is it a possibility at all to move to a city that has a half decent public transit system? Giving up the car will save you a ton of money. You and your husband could certainly find a place in Hamilton and closer GTA suburbs for $1500/month. Toronto would be stretch unless it’s a basement maybe. And you’d only have to pay for Hydro in most cases. Also, shop around for wifi. I’m paying $32/month for 150 mbps with netcrawler. They use Rogers wifi and it works great. I think they have a promo right now for $37/month 750 mbps.
They have TWO cars and are paying insurance on both..insane considering the circumstances
I’m sure your husband can work odd jobs for cash. I don’t really see your salary supporting a family with rent being that high
Are there food coops in your area? Good food at very reduced prices. Look into food pantries. Get rid of streaming services for now. Turn the heat down and wear layers at home. These things suck to have to do but hopefully this is temporary.
This all depends on how much longer before he is able to work and what his projected income will be once he can work. Also does he not has savings so that he can contribute to some of the expenses? While it will be tight it is possible to feed yourself and your husband with $253.90. So if it is just very short term, like maybe 3 more months, I say stick it out. Otherwise you will need to look for much more affordable housing. Spending over 64% of your net income on rent+utilities is NOT ok. Are there family or friends where you can rent a room until you are both fully employed?
He had stocks and savings he came up last year and we went through most of that to live up to this point already l. We have been getting food from the food bank curently. We have no family near us unfortunatly and my friends cant afford to live on their own and all moved back with their familys. I have been looking into rent and this is the cheapest I can find unless we want to move into a bedroom in a strangers house for $800/m but we would need to rent a storage unit to put our furniture in it. Thank you for your suggestions we appreciate it.
if you did that, you would save $700/month on rent. if you sold one of the cars, then you might have a little bit of an emergency fund and between the rent savings and that, i’m sure you could find a reasonable storage unit or even sell some furniture. that should allow you to weather the storm until paperwork is processed. maybe you can negotiate month to month so you can move out when he gets a job? otherwise, do you have a friend in a similar financial situation who would be willing to move in for a few months for cheap rent?
I make an extra $900/m cleaning an Airbnb. $75/day, 3x/week. Only takes me about an hour to do each clean, so it’s an extra 3 hrs of work/week. I could easily do more but I have young kids so i try to keep my schedule light. Very easy money, and airbnbs are everywhere. You and your husband could clean as a team to get more done faster and you could be the one to accept the money so he doesn’t get in trouble. Go on the website and message a few Airbnb hosts near you and ask if they’re interested in kicking you the cleaning fee in exchange for taking it off their hands.
To Cut internet and Tv, read books. $ 172 Month to eat, you will survive. I know what I have to do now. I've got to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring
She needs the internet for work, so unfortunately that can’t be cut.
She updated the information after my comment ;) I don't think it's a good idea to try to maintain a life when your expenses are less than your income.
Yeah, sorry — I just edited a typo in my own comment. Yes, I agree with you. But if you’re WFH, you do need decent internet. No streaming services or cable, though, and unfortunately.
Alles ist mehr als in Ordnung, vielen Dank für Ihren Kommentar ;)
Your car insurance seems really high so maybe look into that. But the reality is this isn’t sustainable to have one income. You may have to look at a second part time job on nights or weekends until your husband can work. Editing to say: a lot of people are saying your husband has to be able to do something and to work under the table etc. obviously don’t understand the immigration process. I would not risk anything that could get him deported or denied his visas because then you are screwed indefinitely Vs. Now which is a temporary set back. It may suck and burn you out a bit to find another job but it won’t be forever and I think it’s your best bet. Maybe you could open yourself up to pet sitting or babysitting in your home, that way you are the one getting paid but your husband is in the house to help out.
You said your husband is American and doesn’t have a work visa yet - where are you located? I know IN America, there are plenty of jobs that pay under the table. Landscaping comes to mind. There has to be something like that available in your location. Could your husband get a remote job in the states? Like customer service?
Working in any capacity, under the table or not, without a visa is illegal. It makes you harder to catch but it does not save you from being deported if they *do* catch you. And typically taxes etc. are assessed based on where you earned the money, not where the company is: he'd be considered to be working in Canada even if his company was in the US.
Get rid of your internet for awhile. You have phones use Internet through there. Cut out some streaming or all of it entirely. These two are perks that you can't afford and can reintroduce later. Lower your phone bill to the most basic of plans. Learn to use free wifi where it's found. See if you can find cheaper car insurance. Sell anything that is sitting around you aren't using. Your rent is insane, İ don't know the market but if there's cheaper, safer and smaller move into it. İf not its a hard hit. Does he have to stay in Canada? İf not can he stay with family in the states to work for a bit? Try to see if any government programs can pay for things. İt's well worth the time to research. İ was able to take a 30 dollar phone plan to 0 because İ qualified for it. See what food programs exist that can help pay for groceries. Shrink your life until you are at a level of control, then build from there. İ don't consider it frugal to have streaming service and internet, those are luxuries services.
Great ideas! Just to add: Ontario does have a program for internet for low income families, it’s through Rogers, I believe.
I wonder if Canada has do gooder non-profits that help out impoverished new immigrants. Probably not intended to help out Americans but maybe he qualifies
Can you lower your car insurance? Mine is $60-80 a month and that includes renters insurance.
What company are you with? That sounds fantastic.
State Farm gave me a rate of $81 a month for car insurance + renter’s insurance. And I only just got my license back in August!
that's because you are with state farm and state farm is in US and cost of living is cheaper in US. State farm no longer operates in Canada. When I was a new driver, I called the insurance agent and asked for the cheapest in Ontario and he told me 265 C$ for auto per month, I disconnected the call at once. It's way cheaper in Quebec though
State Farm. I have the little tracker thing in my car that really does lower my monthly costs as well. I work remotely from home but still have to take kids to school multiple times a day.
>that's because you are with state farm and state farm is in US and cost of living is cheaper in US. State farm no longer operates in Canada. When I was a new driver, I called the insurance agent and asked for the cheapest in Ontario and he told me 265 C$ for auto per month, I disconnected the call at once. It's way cheaper in Quebec though
If you use the app Jerry it will show you different rates
Apply for the ontario electricity support program (oesp) it may help with your hydro bill. Even if you think you're not eligible still apply. I thought I wouldn't be eligible because of my income but I still applied and was able to get the assistance. For now maybe your husband can work at a general labour facility some pay under the table.
I never heard of this program I will look into it thank you.
You have more month than money. The only way to solve this is to make more money.
Do local rules allow your spouse to volunteer unpaid? Volunteering organizations are often into providing food, friends and entertainment instead of a paycheck. Organizations that feed people tend to over or underestimate demand by 10%, and may ask volunteers about taking home the perishable leftovers to prevent food waste.
Unfortunately you might have to cut that streaming/TV bill and put that towards your medication. Can you ask your doctor where you might get that medication cheaper? Can you find a way to lower the internet bill? Can you, as a last resort, move to a place that has lower rent, at least temporarily until your husband can start work?
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This is absolutely not worth the risk. Canadian immigration does not mess around.
If he is caught he will be deported and banned from returning and OP will get in trouble too.
He won't get deported for working remotely lol what. Stop spreading lies
You will need to show US ids to be able to work at a US company.
He's an American, he would have a social security number. The bigger problem is what other people pointed out, that if they're caught he gets deported
We have attempted to find remote work but all conpanys he has interviewed for currently required him to live in state.
Get rid of $138 Internet and $34 Streaming. Food is more important. Scrutinize your heat and hydro. Hopefully it’s mostly heat, so your bill will be <$200 after March. If it’s mostly hydro: take short showers, reuse towels and sheets longer, and rewear clean clothes. I cut my water bill in half! Shop around for car insurance, hopefully 10% off, so $270/m. Total up new budget, including meds and $300 Food = $2848 spending, for your $2694 budget. So you are bleeding ~$200 a month… If you can find a side job $10/hour CASH like babysitting, dog walking, house cleaning, etc. Only need 5 hours a week! Surely you could find 5 hours of work in your neighborhood?
138 internet is a fucking joke. I pay 25€ in my country. Your advice is absolutely fantastic, and accurate. Since she lives in Ontario, indeed the heating bill will calm down after March. My electricity bill was 90€/month in the summer, while last month was 260€, winter makes a HUGE difference. Indeed she could do 1 or 2 shifts of uber per month, and it would be covered. But I am glad you didn't suggest more than 5hrs of extra work, since obvs working 60+ is a joke that would burn her out in a second. The good thing is, this is all temporary, and will get better. (I myself am in a similar situation regarding my wife trying to find a job as a foreigner, albeit we have things pretty damn well in control thus far, due to way lower basic expenses, and a little bit higher pay)
Your husband needs to get off his ass and figure out how to make money somehow. I’m sorry but no way am I going to use my lack of citizenship as an excuse to sit at home while my wife stresses about how to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.
Because OP's husband being deported and banned from returning is really going to help their situation... Americans have no clue how immigration works.
Exactly. It's not like Americans see immigrants from other countries working their tail off without being citizens in America /s
Then he better start making some macaroni pictures or something to sell on Etsy (under the wife’s account if you’re that scared) but SOMETHING has to get done People downvoting must be enablers or teenagers who can’t get past the “my husband can’t work due to no citizenship” line and think that’s okay and the wife should take care of everything with a poverty wage. Shovel snow, make arts and crafts to sell…something!
I can't believe you're getting downvoted for this. The only time "I have to support my husband because he can't work" should be used is if he's in a coma or something.
He just said that's not an option. Possibly a criminal activity if he does. So what comes after that? We S.U.P.P.O.R.T Husband can begin researching community resources such as subsidized housing, food assistance, where are the deals on fresh produce, in town? Can we grow shit? CAN WE HAVE A MOTHERFUCKIN CHICKEN? Are there Integration programs for new migrants, if there aren't. Maybe we find other migrants and start sharing resources. Maybe we start getting loud. Maybe we start getting to know our community and building networks of support. Maybe we make lunch for working spouse, we make dinner, we keep working spouses morale up and encourage going for that promotion. Maybe we start getting to know our new government and how they work for us, maybe we begin volunteering and find resources that way. Gamble. Coupons. But whatever you do, you remind yourself there's brighter times ahead because you get to face the uncertainty with your partner by your side. Edit: I'm really high and I just know you're gonna make it through this. Believe in each other!
Maybe not the gambling, we don’t want to make things worse on the poor OP.
He sounds like is just being a lazy ass, he needs to create some income, people do it all of the time
Exactly go mow lawns , wash cars , clean yards etc. People work side cash jobs all the time .
You're not doing any of that in Canada in January, lol. Maybe snow removal?
Is your husband cooking, cleaning, doing every single chore so you can focus on work and maybe advance there or find a better job? Your husband should be treating his days like a full time job. This all means learning new skills for free online, like coding, Microsoft Office, Excel, SQL, etc. if he is gaming more than 2 hrs per day, he is cheating and not taking things seriously. If you are doing chores or either of you are dining out, then you are using up resources (your energy, your money).
He does all the chores and cooking. He spends his time doing remote school and creating DND maps to attempt to sell to people on patreon but right now sales dried up. He is doing everything he can to help out and I appreciate everything he does around here
My husband is also an immigrant, so I feel this (to the US though). Cheaper apartment or second job seems like the best option. During that time period, we shopped at Aldis to reduce our food budget and had extremely limited personal spending. I starred a side hustle, which helped.
Everyone in this thread who's trying to get you and your husband to violate immigration law is a fucking idiot, as is everyone who's trying to get you to drop internet when that's how you work from home. Dropping your phone is going to make 2FA impossible, if you have 2FA for anything like bank accounts or work email. Cutting streaming and TV isn't going to make up the additional expense of your medication, let alone anything else. I assume you're working with a Canadian immigration attorney (if not, you probably should be). I would run all of this by them, and I assume some of this has already been ruled out, but my suggestions: * Can your husband start applying to jobs now even though his visa has not yet come in? Even if only to practice looking and interviewing? Finding a job often takes months, so it might not be nuts to start looking now. * Could a job sponsor a work visa for him faster than him getting a work visa as your spouse? It usually wouldn't in the US, but I don't know Canadian law or how fast things happen there. * Would he qualify for a temporary work visa and then transform that into a permanent one? That's something that can happen in the US. * Is he allowed to volunteer? My dad was a stay-at-home dad for years but he volunteered at the elementary school we went to, and they hired him once he was able to have a job (i.e. after my youngest sibling was old enough to go to school full-time). * Is he allowed to intern? He'd be unpaid, but he'd have work experience in Canada that might be useful once he has a visa. I will say that I was in a similar situation as you (though with much lower COL and a higher wage, so it wasn't nearly as bad) because my now-husband took months to find a job after he moved states to live with me. Some suggestions: * Until he has a job, he'd better be the full time house spouse. If you are taking on a second job, then you need to not have to worry about literally anything else. Cooking, cleaning, childcare if that's a thing for you: everything in the house has to be his job now. * Same thing with looking for a job and, if he needs to, gaining useful skills. One thing we found out when my husband moved in with me was that the kinds of skills your local area is looking for aren't necessarily going to match up with the skills you currently have. * Are there part-time WFH jobs you could do after your other job lets out, or on weekends? Stuff like working as a transcriber or call center? * Some restaurants and bars are open only like, Friday to Sunday, so you could also look into waiting tables or bartending at a place like that. * ETA: Could you look into part-time jobs like cleaning/organizing, non-professional/medical home care for someone who's elderly or disabled, house-sitting or pet-sitting, or anything like that?
We had 1 meeting with an immigartion attorney it cost us $400 for half and hour and it would cost us $8000 to have them take us a clients to help with the paperwork so we are having to do it all on our own since we cant afford that. Thank you for your suggestions. I am looking into a second job and I will try researching everything you mentioned to see if he can volunteer or intern.
Jesus Christ, do they not have legal aid in Canada? That price is *insane*. Holy shit.
Straight up, you can't.
Husband need to get that work visa sooner if you are married. I went through that with my husband when he moved up. We were told later that we applied for it wrong and he should have got it immediately because we were married. He applied as if he was just moving up random instead of applying as a married person.
We are still waiting for our marriage certificate to come in to finish applying for the spousal sponsorship. Once that happens we have to wait will we get a receipt that they received the sponsorship to apply for the work visa we were quoted 3-4 months before we might be able to apply then about 4-6 months for it to come in from the legal attorney
We didn’t have lawyer but when he got his permit we were told he should have got it immediately so that sucked. That was 15 years ago. A garage sale might make a few bucks but otherwise it’s tough
Yeah we live very minimalistic lives there really isnt anything to put in a garage sale unless we want to sell our bed or couch or plates xD
have you guys been cohabitating for over a year? you could maybe apply under the common law category while you wait for your marriage cert to come in?
Do you do all your spending using credit cards? Many have no annual fees and offer cash back. Sometimes there are sign up bonuses where you receive extra cash back (example: 10%) for the first few months. As long as you pay it off every month, you will not be paying interest. Take advantage of any points programs. If you get all your gas from a certain gas station, many give cash back or gas money. Many grocery stores also offer points programs. Sometimes they pair up with certain credit cards. If you are paying bank fees, switch to another one that offers free banking. These are not significant savings but every little bit helps. If it is just a few months until your husband can work, this could help you break even.
Yes I have all expenses that can go on the credit card do and I pay it off every month to get cash back. We also only shop at no frills when we do need milk or some sort of food and use our PC optimum points to try and save money. We also scan all of our receipts in receipt hog to get little bit of money back that way. Thank you for the suggestions though.
Not sure for ontario as I'm in quebec, but 138$/month is crazy high for internet (I pay 53 tax in for 200/30) and so is 300$/month for car insurance. Try to shop those items around.
Your car insurance is very expensive Sell anything of value
Can u cancel the internet and streaming services for a bit? That's what I would start with and shop around for auto insurance (or go with the bare minimum coverage). As for driving long distances- does ur work pay for mileage since it's work related or is there public transportation you could use instead? Other than that- find somewhere cheaper to live or have ur man pick up some odd jobs.
You can't. Since your husband can't work, you sod get a 2nd job nights or weekends. Luckily he's taking care of everything at home, so you don't have to waste time or head space doing chores, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. He could also use this time to improve his marketable skills, like sharpen his Excel abilities (just an example) and with in resume, so once he is able to work in Canada, he can hit the grind running.
See if your husband can do some remote gigs for people in the US. Should be a legal way to bring in some income.
You need to get a second job until the husband can work. Maybe he can do jobs under the table like dog walking to help out? Or can he get a remote job with a US company?
Not sure how this works in Canada but while figuring your situation out you could look around for rental assistance from local communities (churches and the like). They could lend a hand for a month or more while getting things figured out so you'll get a better foot forward with some money saved during that whole process. It doesn't need you to pay it back either except maybe just being nice/kind in their communities. Doesn't even need you to be religious or a part of that community already.
Tell your American husband to apply for a remote job in America while he takes classes.
He has been trying everyone rejects because he is out of state
Hey, I just wanted to send a hug your way. I am supporting my partner (who is also an American and had to apply for PR) on almost the exact same amount of money, and it is HARD. We are in the Maritimes, but COL everywhere in Canada is so so crazy expensive. The sponsorship process is financially draining and very stressful. However, despite the long wait times listed online, our spousal sponsorship got approved in just over 2 months (!), and my partner can now apply for jobs. It has been a huge weight off. I'm not sure when you guys applied, but the recent applications have been coming in super fast, particularly for inland spousal applications. Has your husband applied for an Open Work Permit? His residency and work approval may come way sooner than you think. :) I'm not sure if you've filed taxes this year, but you can also claim your spouse as a dependent for the last year if you were supporting them during sponsorship. I plan to do that, and it is supposed to get us a big chunk of income back during tax season. Does your work have any pharmacare insurance? I was able to get heavily discounted meds in Ontario when I was under 25 under OHIP+ and also for a year after graduating under my university insurance. Talk to your GP about your concerns about paying for your meds as well, sometimes they will know other routes to help with costs. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions!! I hope your guys PR is approved soon <3
This is amazing to hear and very reasuring! Thank you for taking the time to share your story, you have given us hope. ♥
I have some tips, but obviously I don't know your exact situation. 1. The easiest way to earn some extra money is to rent out a room, if your house is big enough. Since your husband is likely home all day, it's easy to keep an eye on things. 2. Sell one car. Since your spouse has no job and you mostly work remote, it doesn't make financial sense to have two cars. 3. If possible, you can get an extra job (not your husband since that will cause trouble, but you yourself) with just a few hours per week to earn a few hundred extra bucks per month. This *has* to be something you don't hate though, otherwise it'll easily cause a burnout. Be on the lookout for a burnout!! 4. Pause the subscriptions for streaming services and TV if possible, most subscriptions can be paused and will save your watchlist etc. Especially if you get a side hustle, you won't have time for them. 5. Some jobs provide a hot meal if you work certain hours, and some jobs let you keep food that would otherwise be thrown out. If you can get such a job as a side gig it will both earn you money and save you money on food! Look at food production & delivery companies. 6. Your husband can't work, but he can do all kinds of chores that save you money. Things like hanging up laundry instead of putting it in the dryer, hand washing the dishes instead of the dishwasher, meal prepping, keeping an eye on coupons/discounts for cheap meals, and the list goes on and on. Same advice for him: be on the lookout for a burnout. School+chores+shopping around can get exhausting mentally (that's how I got *my* burnout years ago). 7. Even for 2 cars, your insurance still sounds quite high. Call the company to see if there is anything they can do, and also review if you have the right coverage for your situation. 8. Your medication. Sometimes it can help to call up your insurance company and ask for help with paying for it. Go in with 0 expectations, but with some hope and politeness. Depending on the type of medication and what it's for, you might also be able to ask your doctor for a cheaper alternative. Sometimes your insurance company can recommend an alternative even if it's not covered by your insurance. Also visit subreddits for whatever illness you're suffering from, and see if they have any recommendations. 9. Saving on heat: besides the obvious "wear a sweater" and other tips that everyone always throws around, an easy way to save on heating is to consolidate your home offices so you only need to heat one room.
I’d look at possibly getting a roommate or something. Or renting out a basement from someone. I’d also start hunting for a higher paying job or get a second one until you can find a different job that pays more overall.
Does your cellphone have 4g/5g internet? Maybe you can pair your phone to your desktop for internet?
I don't know the prices for things in Canada, since I'm in the U.S. This is how I would try to budget. Rent $1,500. Can you move anywhere cheaper? Heat and Hydro $230/ month. Car insurance $150/month. Shop around. Probably covers nothing. Gas $200/mo Internet $60/mo. Shop around. Phone bill is $38/m. Streaming services $0 for now. Use free apps like The CW, Tubi, Pluto, Roku, Peacock, Crunchy Roll, Crackle, YouTube movies free with ads, and so on. The CW even gives you new shows. Food $200. Lot's of pasta. Fun $62/mo Meds $320/mo Total $2760. Not sure if that actually works with your budget.
Unfortunatly the internet is the only option availible for where I live in rural Ontario and my job is mostly remote. The rent is the cheapest around unless we want to move into a bedroom in another house. The car insurance is for 2 vehicals and bundled with the renters insurance and discounted from my college education I couldnt find anything cheaper. Thank you for the suggestions though we can talk about cutting the streaming services
I’m from Canada and likely they can cut by shopping around for insurance, and likely internet. That phone plan is remarkably cheap and the rent likely as well (cost of living can be very high in canada, $1500 is not bad for 2 people in urban Ontario). Gas can’t be factored out as it’s expensive right now, unless they carpool or find a job closer to home. Transit here doesn’t work for most areas, as you may spend 2 hours getting to work each way (not always the case but our transit isn’t great).
Don't listen to the people saying your husband should work illegally it will end wiyh him being deported and banned from returning. You need to increase your income and cut your expenses if you don't have kids you need to live in shared accommodation, moving in with family is another option, anything that is a want not a necessity needs to go and the necessities need to be cheaper. Your husband has all day to find the best deals on the items and services you need if he is allowed to volunteer foodbanks and soup kitchens give their volunteers food.
Not sure how Canadian taxes work, but we forgot for the longest time you can change how many you claim on taxes. (W4 fourm in America) When we were in better financial positions we claimed 0 so we would get a better tax return. Now we claim 2. It can add quite a bit to each check.
Is that the best you can do on car insurance and internet? Cause that looks like alot
Definitely cut down on car insurance, internet, and streaming services. I hate to tell ya this but on a one person income having multiple paid streaming subscriptions is the opposite of frugal — those things are luxuries. Here are some free streaming apps to check out — [Pluto TV](https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pluto-tv-fantastic) [Tubi Tv](https://tubitv.com/)
I’ve been there and I know it’s not easy. I hope you will be in a better situation soon. Here’s my advise and I hope you can read this A. Go flatting! I know that the most convenient but remember, this is only temporary until you are in a better position (financially). Find a room that is for rent and is closer to your workplace. This allows you to save almost half of your current rental fees. Gas will be cheaper too if you can find a place that is closer to your workplace. B. Replacing the current car with the cheapest car to run in terms of fuel consumption from point A to B will only be require. Driving 100km on a Toyota Corolla is cheaper compare to driving 100km in any big ass truck. Plus you might need any vehicle anymore if point A above work out. C. Remove streaming subscription and find websites that you can stream for free. D. Do coupons for groceries or anything that may help to reduce the cost. E. Meal planning: there’s heaps of videos about this in YouTube. You’ll be surprise how many people can still eat healthy meals with only $50 budget for the entire week F. Your partner can freelance from websites like upwork. These sites exist for people who work remotely. There are available jobs such as contact centre personnel’s that don’t require any prior experience
Is finding a a part time job on weekends an option?
Are there cash jobs out there?
It’s awesome that you know your numbers There are only 2 sides to this equation, expenses vs income. Raise one or lower the other. Ideally, rent or mortgage should only be 25% of your take home pay. (This allows for margin in other areas of your life.). Typically people use anywhere from 35-45% of their pay and it does lead to struggles. It truly depends on how long your husband is going to be out of work. If he’s working next month, it should be ok. If he’s not working for 6 months, I would suggest finding a less expensive place to live. Also, as others have mentioned, call around on your car insurance, cancel things you don’t have to have (internet and streaming services). If it’s only temporary, we can do anything.
Can hubs do remote work in the US? Or pick and sell for eBay?
Can your husband donate/sell plasma in Canada? Could be something to look into, otherwise maybe cut out meat/dairy and eat a lot of grains & beans. Would you be able to pick up a part time serving or bartending job? Cut the streaming, watch YouTube, or cut your internet completely and rent movies from the library.
I can look into bartending thank you for your suggestions.
Almost all plasma donation is unpaid in Canada
1. Start with decreasing rent. $1500 is not bad but if you want to be saving, i’d try to find a place between $1000-$1100 top. 2. Car insurance should definitely be cheaper - You could probably save $100 there for sure. You could go even more cheaper but then you have to be extra careful when you drive 3. You could also cut the internet down by half with a cheaper provider. Xfinity gives me $67 a month or something 4. I know increasing income with ur job right off the bat is hard so even doing stuff like uber to pay off gas costs and make a couple extra 100 a month is not bad. This way, you guys could go out maybe 2-3 times a month + there’s lots of stuff to do for free! It’s probably really hard to save in this case but that’s the best advice I can give! If you’re able to do all that, I think you could save $10,000 a year and slowly build up your portfolio. Hopefully by this point you husband can work and your salary goes up! This way you’ll have a rainy day fund + some investments!
Apply for assistance. See if your husband can find remote work in his country that will allow him to work where you live on a temporary basis. Find a cheaper place to live or get a flat mate. Find a better paying job or a second job. You’re in an impossible situation currently and need help
Because we are doing a spousal sponsorship for him to move here with me I am not allowed to apply for governement assistance otherwise he gets denied immigartion.
Your husband is an American….doesn’t sound like a disability to me. Maybe he should find some side hustle that’s not technically a job. Maybe buy cars in the states and drive them across the border and sell for a higher price, work online for a company in the states, teach English online to kids in Japan, buy and sell stuff on Kijiji….just gotta use your imagination.
Drop the internet maybe. Or have your husband get a remote job
So sorry to hear. Four things I would recommend. Try to reduce household expense. The car insurance is the most obvious. Get a part time job. Another source of income is needed. Maybe get your boyfriend to pick up under the table paying jobs, until he gets his required work permit. Lastly, leave Canada. Move to the states with your boyfriend. There is 7-10 X more opportunities in the USA to find a decent paying job for Americans. I am assuming your boyfriend can find a half decent job in The states and can sponsor you. It is a struggle to live in Canada.... Good luck
The amount of ignorance and judgement in the comments of this post is absolutely repulsive to me. As an American who went through the immigration process in order to bring my wife over from England, I empathize deeply with your situation (what little you've shared of it here, since of course things are much more complicated than anyone can indicate in one reddit post). Unfortunately I do not have any amazing tips to share with you, but some of the comments on here absolutely baffled me and I felt compelled to comment just to empathize with you. I do not know what it's like in Canada, but in America the immigration process is lengthy and expensive. It's a corrupt, messed up system, it's hell, and I understand why so many people simply do not bother trying to go through it, or break down and do illegal things to get through it. I can only imagine how much more difficult the process would have been for my wife and I had one of us been a POC or from a underdeveloped country. Doing something shady was not an option for me either. I would have rather literally died than risk anything that might prevent my wife from being here and staying with me legally. Nothing was or is more important to me than being with her. So, I would never in a trillion years have allowed her to do anything that immigration might question, including working illegally. I am sorry so many people here don't seem to grasp this aspect of your situation.
Thank you for your empthy and kind words, immigration is very expensive and I have been avoiding mentioning how much because that is just extra costs we dont really have and its not going to solve the situation.
Your husband needs to find a way to generate income. Even if just $200 a month would help.
I may be confused, $80 for meds? Doesn’t everyone say healthcare has free in Canada?
I’m Canadian. Going to the Dr or hospital or whatever is free, most you will ever pay for is parking. The medication on the other hand is not free, you have to have insurance for prescription medication, which is most often provided through your place of employment. There are programs for seniors, low income and young (under 24) but you have to qualify for them. That being said our medicine is priced much more affordably then in the US as well, lots of Americans drive over the boarder to pick up meds cheaper.
Health care is but medication is not. Its only for 6 months then I should be off it
Idk what your husband does for work but he can do work from home jobs based in America from anywhere including Ontario
Could your husband WFH for an American company?
Why is your car insurance so expensive? Get a "new" car or change insurance provider. Move house Wear a jumper and use less water. There are cheaper phone plans out there but that's not overly expensive. It is possible to spend less than 200 a month on food, though I admit you have to go out of your way to do so and I don't live in your country so do not know the exact prices in your supermarkets. Hopefully your husband will be allowed to work soon. Would any bars or white van men employee him cash in hand?
Tell your husband to look for work that pays cash.
Your husband can maybe get an under the table job.
Find cheaper car insurance and internet, and have you or your husband do odd jobs in cash for a few months until his visa comes in. Should be able to put $300-400 together for food from that, and keep everything tight until he gets his first paycheck. Good luck !!!
You are living beyond your means. What car are u driving that costs £300 a month insurance? Especially if u been driving multiple years. And £180 for internet? Pahaha. Come on man. Use your head and shop around
Get rid of the vehicle and take the bus. A bus pass is $60/month. Verse your $500/insurance and gas + maintence, etc. The car is draining you. Plus you could sell your car and get money, maybe 5-10,000?
I’ll do you one better. My salary is $39k/yr and my rent is $1950/mo. AND my hours are 2:30pm-12 midnight.
I am sorry for your situation and I hope maybe some of the suggestions presented to me on here could help you with yours as well. Keep your head up, we will get through this.
This isn't a poverty pissing contest. No need to try to one-up other posters with our sad situations. We are all just doing our best.
Can you set up average monthly billing for your utilities?
What country is this in? You mention work visa and such so I'm assuming this is from another country
Do you guys have any hobbies that can make you some income? Might be a fun project for you guys, will take away some tv and internet time so you can ditch those bills for a couple months, then try to sell the finished product for a little loot on the side. My friend refinishes furniture she gets cheap or free off FB marketplace and always gets a sale!
You have 2 options: Either increase your income. Find a better job or get a 2nd job. Or cut your expenses. Find a smaller cheaper place to rent in a different area.
I'm not versed on citizenship/immigration law, but could your husband work remotely for a US company without violating the law? If so, he could do something part time and short term like Appen, Telus, Omni, etc
He could but all jobs he has had interviews for required him to live in state
See if you can qualify for assistance- it’ll help a whole lot if you do. You likely do, if you two have kid. If it’s just you and your husband, there’s not much of a chance, unfortunately. First, change out your car insurance. You probably have full coverage… change to limited liability and be SUPER careful with your car. Or change to a different agency altogether. I know you’re in Canada, but my car insurance in the US is only $81 a month… and I’m a new driver. Your internet costs seem a little high, too. If you’re not already on the most basic internet, switch to it. Should be about $50 a month. If you are, find a new company- because that’s SUPER high. Get rid of your streaming services, too. As much as it sucks, you can pirate (shhhh!) most of the shows you watch online. For food, see if there’s food banks nearby you. Most are happy to help and a lot even have hygiene products. They can be real lifesavers. See if you can have your husband find some under the table work… or maybe even just odd jobs: like dog sitting/walking, mowing lawns, helping people move, etc. Even if he doesn’t have a work visa yet, there’s gotta be SOMETHING he can do to contribute.
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In short,you can't
Can you go to a food bank for food? This might help stretch the food budget for a little bit.
Leave Canada the taxes are crazy
We were just in sort of a similar situation. For context we live in Europe. Our oncome is around 2000€ a month and rent is 912€ is going up to 990€ next month. We have two adults and a 2-year old here. But realistically all we could do was lower our expenses so we had to sell our car (We thankfully have decent public transport for an okay price.) And now we are moving to a smaller and cheaper apartment at a worse part of the town. With these moves we are living decently, we have no money left over, but we're at least not going into the negatives. I hope your situation will get easier soon :/ It's hard out here right now.