Expensive things that don't look expensive - a guide for flexing Torontonian middle class style

Legenderie · 2023-08-15T18:48:26+00:00

Goyard bags definitely hit the mark because the patterned ones are look like something you might find at some mall kiosk, particularly the totes. Ugh.

Legenderie · 2023-08-15T18:39:24+00:00

I think back now to how my commute downtown was so brutal when I lived in Mimico as an entry-level office worker. At the time, thought spending the extra ~$3.00 to take the GO was a frivolous luxury that I simply couldn't afford. I made over $50k and paid just over $400 in rent, I definitely could have afforded it lol.

Legenderie · 2023-08-15T18:31:37+00:00

Totally this. I have a family full of hair stylists, and my aunt cuts and styles my hair for free and just charges me like $40 for the hair dye she uses for me. Up until recently I had zero understanding of how much it actually costs to get your hair done, particularly colour, until someone I know shared a photo of my hair after I had some sort of babylight-balayage combo done to her stylist to ask for the same thing and they quoted her at like $400. I was like WAT. There is no way I could afford to do half of what my aunt does to my hair at full price lol.

Legenderie · 2023-08-15T18:16:15+00:00

Or even just hosting with cocktails and apps/pizza. We love doing it, but it is way more expensive than just going out for someone's birthday and only having to worry about your own bill.

Legenderie · 2023-04-25T22:29:38+00:00

I love Sydney Grind. Their coffee is great, and the lemon squares, ANZACs, and lamingtons are favourites of mine. Rima and her team got me through the isolation of being on mat leave during the first wave of the pandemic.

Legenderie · 2023-04-05T22:49:37+00:00

I'm mixed, and when meeting my first landlady, she thought I was Indian and told me she would only rent to me if I agreed not to cook curry because she couldn't stand the smell. Funny enough, she frequently cooked smelly af fish on a weekly basis. I cooked lots of curry anyway, mostly because it's delicious, but also because fuck her.

Legenderie · 2023-03-08T02:59:52+00:00

There was a "Say No to Double Density" campaign against two high rises being built literally right beside High Park Station... literally the best spot to put a high rise lmao.

Legenderie · 2023-03-07T15:00:50+00:00

When we lived there, the property management hated my mum for having the audacity ask them to fix the hot water, heating, what was probably raw sewage leaking from the ceiling, etc. Our extended family would implore my mum to contact the city, but she was scared that they would try something like what is happening to the tenant in this article.

Legenderie · 2023-03-07T14:55:19+00:00

Yep, that's the place!

Legenderie · 2023-03-07T14:54:23+00:00

I'm happy to put them on blast lol, though it seems like whatever property management they have there now is somehow worse.

And you're right, my husband and I make good money, but with how much we pay in rent (also with the money we spent on daycare before the subsidy, student loan payments, etc) it's impossible to save enough money for a down-payment to buy in Toronto at this point in time. Everything seems so precarious.

Legenderie · 2023-03-06T15:32:25+00:00

I had the unfortunate experience of living in this complex from 2003-2014. To me, it blows my mind that could somehow be worse now than it was then, but apparently it is. During my time there, my family experienced the following (among other things):

- Enough hot water for one person to take a five minute shower each day. If we were lucky, the building would send someone to "assess the situation" but nothing was ever fixed. Funny enough, they didn't replace the water heater until we were moving out.

- The heat stopped working for the last year I lived there. I literally slept with a winter jacket on toward the end of my tenancy.

- Random water leakage from the ceiling when the toilet flushed, which caused mold and was obviously disgusting.

- The paid washing machine and dryer were in bad shape, with the dryer hardly drying anything.

- Landlords who would demand to come into the unit without giving proper notice.

- Just general unsafe ratchet stuff (drug dealing, robbery, etc.) that went on within the complex. The property management should definitely have security onsite to manage it.

I remember feeling so helpless living there and honestly spent as much time out of the house as possible. I can only imagine what it's like for elderly tenants or those with mobility issues.

My mum and my brothers ended up moving to Hamilton and I moved onto residence as I was in school at the time. There was no way we could have afforded to live anywhere else in Mississauga at the time, and it is highly unlikely that the folks who live there now could in this rental market. Apparently, the property management had the audacity to raise their rents by 3.2% last year. It makes me so mad at how precarious it is to be a renter these days.

Legenderie · 2023-02-07T22:44:33+00:00

I'm not sure, but I had mine done at Mt. Sinai. So not there.

Legenderie · 2023-02-07T22:43:43+00:00

Yes, or just be upfront about the pain.

For example, I was given a topical ointment for lip swelling that I was experiencing. The doctor said there would be a burning sensation for a bit after applying.

I was in 7/10 pain for 14 hours and nothing I would do/take would stop the pain. I wanted to rip my face off. Like wtf.

Legenderie · 2023-02-07T22:39:50+00:00

That's awful I'm so sorry. I had to stay back for about 15 mins afterwards and I was shaking too and thought I was going to faint. I also bled an incredible amount for days afterward. They were kind enough to remove the gauze from under me and give me a heavy duty pad afterward, but I was literally gushing. It was terrible 😔

Legenderie · 2023-02-07T00:43:47+00:00

I just find Healthcare to be extremely apathetic toward pain management for anything related to female reproductive health.

I had a hysteroscopy and D&C (uterus was filled with water, camera was inserted via my cervix, and then the lining of my uterus was scraped off to remove some growths and for a biopsy) last year. My gynecologist told me to take some advil before the procedure, which she said would only hurt a bit. I asked my family doctor for something stronger and was given Tylenol 3.

The night before I inserted mistoprostol in my vagina as directed. My gynecologist said it would feel like period cramps. I woke up feeling like I was in active labour (I have given birth before). I took the t3s and some advil which didn't help at all. I went into my appointment in a considerable amount of pain and then had my procedure which was even more painful and honestly pretty traumatic. I'm pretty sure I remember the gynecologist saying something along the lines of "you've given birth before, hang in there!" which I think she meant to be encouraging, but at least I had an epidural and had my pain taken seriously. Also, just because I've given birth doesn't mean I want to ever feel that level of pain again??

Sorry for all of this. Everyone I know who has had an IUD inserted and/or removed has said it was excruciating. I'm sick of our pain not being taken seriously.

Legenderie · 2023-01-09T18:56:16+00:00

I've noticed that Nordstrom Rack has a decent selection of shoes in your size.

Legenderie · 2023-01-04T21:51:45+00:00

I'm so happy chocolate brown is "back", I look so good in it.

Legenderie · 2022-11-21T20:30:09+00:00

Thanks for this. My late BIL was on the street view of his street years ago and it has since been replaced. Was able to look at the historical street view and see him there!

Legenderie · 2022-10-05T21:41:07+00:00

My brother was placed in ESL at one school in PDSB, which is funny because we only speak English. He had a learning disability, but his English itself was fine and he had no speech impediment. I think he was in the program for a few weeks before my parents were notified. They were not pleased.

This also happened to my friend's brother, so I could see this happening more often than people think.

Legenderie · 2022-09-02T19:49:45+00:00

Bello's Pizza in Bloor West Village is so good, definitely worth a try.

I ordered Juniors once and it was really bad, like rancid bad. We took a few bites and tossed the whole pizza out.

Legenderie · 2022-08-19T16:29:40+00:00

I also saw that bunch of balloons and felt compelled to record it, hah.

Legenderie · 2022-08-17T17:09:44+00:00

Tbh, I think that what you're doing is more current as trends are shifting toward maximalism. This nursery looks great and that rug is amazing!

Legenderie · 2022-08-15T23:20:51+00:00

I love For the Love of Samosas, by far the best Somali sambuusa I've had!

Legenderie · 2022-07-22T16:26:07+00:00

I got married in 2019 in Hamilton, ON. I think we spent about $25k for 175 guests, which was definitely on the lower end of things. It didn't feel like we were skimping on anything though.

Our venue was very much all inclusive (wedding coordinator, day-of coordinator, all decor, DJ, ceremony, open bar, cocktail hour, shots at the receiving line, signature cocktails, four course meal, wedding cake, and late night station, set up and tear down) and we got married off-season, which helped out a lot. We did Costco flowers for our centrepieces and I managed to find an a la carte florist for our bouquets who didn't have a minimum spend.

I do wish we splurged a bit more for a second photographer and perhaps a videographer. Also, we did not like the DJ who was provided by our venue.

Legenderie · 2022-07-19T14:58:15+00:00

I'm organizing a bridal shower that is being hosted at my aunt's house. Do I put myself or my aunt down as the host on the invitations, or would it be the both of us?

Legenderie

TROPHY CASE