The homeownership rate in Quebec is at its lowest for more than 20 years, we learned on Wednesday from an analysis by Statistics Canada. For young people, the dream of buying a house is difficult to achieve, especially in an inflationary context. We spoke with three of them, yoga teachers. So how do these balance specialists approach their finances?
Posted yesterday at 8:00 a.m.
Flexibility
They have several things in common. They are all three in their early thirties, self-employed and not owners; they have no RRSP, no insurance, but a little savings, especially when a project is on the horizon.
“I decided in January that I wanted to go on a yoga retreat, so I saved up to make it happen,” says Mélanie Langlais, who lives in a co-op and thanks heaven for having had the chance to access it since the very affordable rent gives it a lot of flexibility. With access to the family chalet, it perfectly completes his real estate happiness. “I have a privilege that few people have”, says the one who divides her professional life between two professions, actress and yoga teacher. “I couldn’t survive exclusively on my salary as a yoga teacher or I would have to put in a lot of hours,” she says. What she doesn’t do.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Melanie Langlais
“I could work more, but I work just enough. Because I don’t need more than that, explains Mélanie. If my goal was to buy myself a nice big condo, of course I should do more, but that’s not my goal. »
What then?
Having a flexible schedule that allows her to fit in with her family life, she who is the mother-in-law of two children and wants to be home in the evenings and on weekends.
Also in his priorities, traveling twice a year. To manage to free up enough leeway to carry out her projects, Mélanie saves elsewhere. She cooks a lot for the family, practices zero food waste, transforms everything, which allows her to use the best quality ingredients, for a final result that remains economical. “For me, that’s the solution,” she says. It’s easy to talk about inflation, but we should also talk about food education. »
“For me, living well is now being able to say no to certain things. To me, that’s luxury,” she continues.
Rooting
Yoga teachers teach their students the importance of feeling the ground under their feet, especially when doing the mountain position tadasana.
In this context where access to property is crumbling, do they envisage owning one day?
Yes, admits Alexandrine Brouilly, the only one of the trio who has this project, which often seems to her to be an unattainable goal.
“I’m 34 and sometimes I think I should live somewhere with a nice floor! Why don’t I have a stainless steel fridge? Why don’t I have an open area? she asks herself aloud, also admitting that the financial planning that would allow her to define and achieve her goal seems like… a mountain!
“I’m starting to think that one day I’m going to retire,” continues Alexandrine.
“I would like to see a financial planner, but in my head, a financial planner is someone I don’t want to talk to because he won’t understand my reality,” explains Alexandrine Brouilly. I’m looking for someone who will help me, understand me, and who won’t judge me because I don’t have an RRSP. »
With the current economic context, the pressure is increasing and finances, in particular access to property, have become a subject of discussion like it has never been. “With my friends, we constantly talk about it. »
Balance
“When I arrived in Montreal three years ago, I was doing 21 week lessons, and it’s huge, all over the city, for a basic salary,” says Gabrielle Ouellet, who now aspires to a more balanced workload and wishes to achieve this with more stable hours.
“Am I going to have enough lessons? Am I going to have too many classes and I’m going to burn myself out? I have to find my balance in all of this. »
Gabrielle had another job before, with a stable schedule and benefits. Despite the uncertainty that comes with starting a career as a yoga teacher, she doesn’t regret her choice and says she makes a good living.
Which means ?
“Don’t stress when you go to the grocery store and when you pay your rent,” she replies bluntly.
As for savings, that will have to wait.
“I know it’s important, but I don’t think about it that much. As a self-employed person, I am very much in the present moment, explains Gabrielle Ouellet. We are coming out of the pandemic. It was not a good time for a yoga teacher to save money. We were looking for contracts, looking for ways to renew ourselves, to continue to do our work while we wondered if it was still viable. »
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Purchasing power | Manage your finances like you do yoga
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