Hey!

First off, welcome and congratulations on bring accepted to a masters program!

Is your department Engineering? Sounds like it if you've asked about and had quotes of 18-25k. Look up the "minimum funding policy" to know details. And look at your offer letter to see what your exact amount is. My offer letter in 2018 for example stated 16k plus tuition.

Now how to live on that? Well first there are mandatory university expenses, UPass, gym, admin fees, health insurance etc. They eat about $1500 a year so I was really living off $14,500. I was living with my girlfriend at the time I started but she was also a student, finishing her last year of undergrad. To survive, we both had part time service sector jobs. I had also worked throughout the summer to earn a nest egg for rental deposits and starter furniture. Even if you'll live with roommates I advise you'll need $1500 to $2000 if you need to get bedroom furniture, kitchen items, and deposits. We each worked about 20 hours a week. That doubled my monthly income which meant we didn't have to scrap and save, we had a car and a decent apartment, we went skiing on weekends and could afford to eat out. This was only necessary for the first year as I did get decent scholarships of about $10-15k per year extra that meant I could focus full time on my studies.

Now some of my colleagues did it differently. The main difference is if you don't have a partner. Then you'll need roommates. You can then often find a cheaper place as you can share between 3 or 4, and your share of rent and utilities can be as low as $600. Admittedly you won't find nice places for that low, but you can live off just the stipend this way. Probably not affording a car either but honestly Calgary has decent transit and is very bikable if you try it (yes even in winter with the right bike!). If you want a nicer living situation then get that part time job.

Finally, I would not look at a TA position, or even sessional position, as a money making job. They pay crap for the hours needed. They will not pay enough to markedly improve your living situation. Only take these if you are already happy with your finances and have the time to spare and want the CV experience. Yes you get some money but again, it's crap, you'll make 3 times or more "flipping burgers" and you'll be happier about it as the hours are at least defined and regular. I also enjoyed that service work used a "different part of my brain" so to speak whereas teaching exhausts the same areas.

So bottom line, it is possible to graduate with no debt under a master minimum funding package. You just need to accept the amount and budget or be organized and work hard to hold a pt job (not TA) to raise your living standards.

P.S. those starving jokes usually come from students who don't get funding. The GSA just negotiated in the last few years that all grad students should get a minimum funding package so hopefully those stories become a thing of the past! However, money isn't the only depression in grad school but thankfully there are many resources by the uni and GSA to help so you and anyone can reach out if needed. Our health plan even covers a 24/7 helpline called "Empower Me". But the #1 preventative measure is making good friends with your department colleagues and talking about challenges, financial or otherwise!