Gabriela Linck, 36 saving $1,400 a month
The first year Gabriela and Paulo Linck moved to Canada from Brazil, they prayed nobody would get sick or need dental or vision care because they couldn’t afford private health insurance.
As soon as the daycare fees for their two daughters were reduced from $1,800 a month to $400, the couple got family health insurance.
The Lincks had been living off the money they made from selling their home in Brazil, but it slowly drained away. Both parents were attending school full time during the week and only working part time on weekends.
Paulo, 31, is in the first level of an apprentice program for electricians. Gabriela is studying marketing at Langara College. Daycare costs, which used to be $2,200 a month, were their biggest expense — even more than the $1,800 a month they pay to rent a two-bedroom apartment near the college.
With the savings, Gabriela started buying higherquality foods like grass-fed meat and organic tomatoes, cucumbers and berries, avoiding foods she says are high in hormones and chemicals. She also stopped working part-time and they now live on Paulo’s income, which is less than $40,000 a year.
“Before, it hurts your heart to say no to your daughters when you take them to grocery shopping, or if you want to dine out, and you have to be looking at the prices and calculating to see if you can afford it,” said Linck, who is now a permanent resident. “It’s a little bit frustrating and sad to say no to your child.”