MISSISSAUGA — Kristin has been out of work since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been receiving $2000 monthly payments as part of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. She recently agreed to share how she budgets these benefits, exposing the shocking truth that she has been irresponsibly spending the money on goods and services.
“It’s so typical of Millennials to selfishly spend money on themselves” said Conservative finance critic Pierre Arnaud. “I hope this single, anecdotal source is a real eye opener for anyone who thought that this generation would use CERB for necessities like retirement savings or real estate.”
In the first week of this month, Kristin scandalously spent almost half of her CERB payment on luxuries like rent and medication, something our financial experts indicated may have been a mistake.
“I generally recommend that people spend no more than 25% of their monthly income on rent, so I’m distressed to hear Kristin is spending well over $500,” said financial adviser Jason Hale, “The fact that she’s paying $875 to share a basement apartment shows me that either she can’t make sound financial decisions or there’s something deeply, horrifyingly wrong with the rental market. I think it’s pretty clear who’s at fault here”.
A breakdown of Kristin’s expenses indicates she not only spent money on groceries and ride share services, but also skin care products and streaming subscriptions. Hale sees room for improvement: “On the days that she takes a Lyft, she always takes it twice. I can understand spending money for transportation to a location, but transportation back? I find it unnecessary.”
And there’s another way to save: “$100 for therapy? We’re all trying to survive a global pandemic, maybe this isn’t the time to splurge on mental health support.”
Kristin herself admits she could probably save some money somehow, but has refused to give up CERB and return to work: “They haven’t hired me back and I could literally die. Why would I do that?”
But Arnaud fears what will happen if the government continues to give eligible Canadians $2000 every month. “How are we going to get our economy back on track if people keep spending money?”
