Matthew Wong, 35, catering chef, and Cathy Wong, 36, stay-at-home mom

His Income: $40,000 per year

His Mom: Sally Wong, 61, retired administrator

The Place: A four-bedroom semi in Scarborough Village

MATTHEW: My dad died when I was four, so it’s always just been me and my mom. About 10 years ago, I briefly looked into renting a one-bedroom or bachelor apartment, but it was $1,000 a month, and I was only making $12 an hour as a sous-chef. I knew I couldn’t afford it.

Six years ago, I married Cathy, and she moved in with us. We have two kids, Ella and Adam. My mom doesn’t mind having three more people in the house— she’s always wanted me to have my own family. Cathy is currently taking English classes. When she’s done, she’ll probably get a job at a factory.

My mom pays the mortgage, which is $1,600 a month plus property taxes. She also pays for the home phone and Internet, which come to $70, and I pay another $70 for cable. I cover the groceries, which cost about $150 per month—we shop at small Asian markets where everything is super-cheap. My other expenses include monthly car payments ($500 per month), cellphone bills ($200 per month) and credit card payments ($210 per month).

On weekdays, my mom cooks Chinese food for dinner. I do the dishes, and Cathy cleans the house. In the summer, I grow a tomato and herb garden and trim the trees. When it snows, I do the shovelling.

Two years ago, my mom started talking about downsizing. She wants to live in a condo. She’ll probably move within the next five years, but she’ll stay in the neighbourhood—she still wants to be able to walk the kids to school. Once she moves, I’ll have to pay the mortgage on this house. I’m already applying for higherpaying positions at my catering company. Hopefully Cathy will be working by then, too.

When I start making more money, we’ll replace the heating system, fix the exposed electrical cords in the basement and update the kitchen. I think we could sell for $700,000 in five years. If we do, we’ll split the profit with my mom.