Most Powerful Saving Money Rule for Economic Stability

Learn about one saving money rule that can change your life and how it can help Canadians save amidst economic uncertainty and technological changes.

Soaring Canadian Grocery Prices

Canadian grocery shopping prices increased slowly into 2024, followed by an exponential rise in 2025, seeing prices up 4.0% year-over-year as of September 2025.

Many households continue to shift their habits due to affordability concerns, such as shopping at general merchandise retailers.

Consumers face higher costs for fruits, vegetables, coffee, chocolate, and sugar.

For example, a bag of chocolate chips at Costco that used to be $19.99 in 2024 is now $34.99, and only the tip of the frosting.

According to Statistics Canada, for 2025, an average family of four is projected to spend approximately $16,833.67$ 16 on food.

The numbers above are for groceries, but there are other expenses Canadians must pay for, and they are still pinching pennies to pay for them.

The average family of four is expected to spend $16,833.67 on food in 2025, an increase of up to $801.56 from last year, according to the Canada Food Price Report 2025.

Saving Money Seems Impossible

Canadians know how difficult it is to save money, and it’s no surprise that they are frustrated given the state of our economy.

Sometimes, it feels like we cling to our jobs, not knowing if our employer will close up shop and move to another country.

Even worse, getting replaced by AI, which is happening and will continue to happen, just as any other technology.

According to Statistics Canada in May 2021, 31% of employees aged 18 to 64 in Canada were in jobs that may be highly exposed to AI and relatively less complementary with it, 29% were in jobs that may be highly exposed to and highly complementary with AI, and 40% were in jobs that may not be highly exposed to AI.

The article also stated that highly educated workers are more likely than their less educated counterparts to be in jobs highly exposed to job transformation related to artificial intelligence.

Technology Taking Our Jobs

Do you remember when self-scanners first appeared at the grocery store? When they first came out, there was a reduced need for cashiers and zero benefit for the customer.

Although not AI, it’s another example of how technology can replace humans.

One cashier can now assist five or six customers, working for them while they oversee the process.

I can share other examples of how technology and science are waiting to make their moves on society.

Don’t let this send shivers down your spine, but let it be a warning that no job is secure, not even with a union.

For example, auto manufacturer Stellantis is moving the Jeep Compass production from the Brampton facility to the United States after the Trudeau government gave them $15 billion in subsidies 2023 from public support for an EV battery plant.

That deal was to solidify that the Brampton plant stays put and builds in Canada, providing jobs for Canadians.

Unfortunately, this did not happen and likely never will. Once a business says they are leaving, they don’t change their minds.

The Conservative leader has stated in parliament that it’s possible that the government did not solidify a job guarantee for the workers.

“If Stellantis is allowed to break a commitment to Brampton autoworkers by transferring thousands of jobs to the United States to avoid Trump administration tariffs, then it can happen anywhere else in Canada, warns a union leader representing thousands of Stellantis workers in Windsor.” – Windsor Star

Stellantis workers in Canada are represented by Unifor, with over 8,200 members covered.

This means that no job is secure, not even in unionized environments. Those mindset union gold-standard jobs are not always safe.

So, the only rule Canadians must follow to save money is budgeting.

Why Budgeting Is A Money Rule We Live By

You might have guessed the direction of this post, but a budget is worthy of royalty status even if you cannot balance one.

Every savings or debt reduction plan leads back to budgeting because you can’t track your progress without one.

Over the past 13 years, I’ve heard that budgeting is worthless due to debt and the inability to pay the bills.

There is much more to budgeting; let me be clear: balancing a budget is not easy for most people.

The most important part of a budget is the categories and the ability to explain what each entails.

For example, a budget category must explain a story, telling what is going in and out the door.

Years ago, our monthly grocery budget for two adults was a shockingly low $235.

Please look at the first budget I posted in January 2012, where our monthly grocery budget was $192.78 for two adults.

Those days are long gone; we no longer spend over $200 monthly on grocery coupons.

In that category, we put everything we bought at the grocery store. But that didn’t work because it wasn’t specific enough.

Since then, we have created budget categories for pet, household, health, and beauty to break down the budget further.

Now, we only track food in our grocery budget because that is realistic and no longer telling an untrue story.

Any time a budget category doesn’t fully explain what you will be using the money for, you are not being truthful in your financial report.

Money Stress Is A Tough Fight For Canadians

Debt is a lifestyle for many people, not always caused by splurging and not caring about where their money goes.

Living pay cheque to pay cheque, and financial stress go hand-in-hand, and that can leave anyone feeling defeated.

With so many people using various social media apps, the added pressure of faking it until you make it is a reality.

It’s easier to pretend that you have your life put together, but behind the smiles and photos, everything is crumbling.

You don’t have to share your financial story online, nor tell everyone your every move.

The Off-Screen Reality- Td Bank

Almost half of Gen Z (47%) point to the cost of living as their biggest barrier to reaching their financial goals, while more than a third (36%) say their income isn’t enough to get ahead. One in five (20%) don’t know where to start when it comes to managing their money. 73% worry that a single financial misstep could set them back and 66% feel pressure to hit financial milestones like buying a home or building wealth by a certain age.

Almost Losing It All

We’ve been there and almost lost the house we purchased in 2009, three months after signing our mortgage.

In fact, I blogged about a situation Mrs. CBB found herself in with a young man who explained to us how his friends were house poor.

That was the first time we had an eye-opener, and things were changing, and the younger generation was getting in over their heads.

Today, I bet there aren’t many younger people in their mid-20s to late 30s, even remotely ready to put a down payment on their first home.

Thankfully, our only money rule of budgeting saved us, and it’s why we strive for this standard of living.

Within our budget are emergency savings and investments, both of which were a crutch for us.

You might think you can’t save money, and it’s impossible. Find a way to cut back or change something, even to save one dollar.

Perhaps that sounds silly to someone who has savings, but that’s a lifeline to someone who doesn’t have anything.

Budgeting DOES Work IF You Want It To

Readers of this blog may be shocked to see 13 years of our monthly budget for the world to see.

Honestly, it’s strange for us to look at because who the heck documents their budget online?

We do, and even if we didn’t have the blog, we would still have the budget.

It’s also a testament to the skeptics that budgeting can work even if you’re in debt.

Financial success is different for everyone, as is their debt-to-income ratio, so you can’t directly compare and shouldn’t.

All you need to do is follow the money trail, and to do that, you need to document everything.

Which Budget Is Right For You?

If you said you hated budgeting but wanted to test one, and it had to be simple, I would accommodate that. Why? Because the best budget rule is to use a budget.

Years ago, I created a simple budget for paper and pencil for people who don’t want the fuss.

Paper is the type of budget Mrs. CBB and I started with before the blog, and we continue to use it in some aspects.

From there, the envelope budget system was popularized along with budgeting jars.

As debt was paid, our financial knowledge grew into the beginning of Canadian Budget Binder.

I’ve since created the 51-page Printable Budget Binder, which has everything for the beginner budgeter.

These days, we use a zero-based budget to track our finances, meaning every dollar coming into the bank account has a home.

Bank Budget or Mobile App

Almost every bank in Canada offers a free type of budget that customers can use; however, that type of tracking system wouldn’t work for us.

The odds of us opening a bank app or website are slim, as we prefer to budget with our Excel spreadsheet; however, the app might be the perfect fit for you.

There are also paid apps that you can use; however, I don’t feel you need to ever pay for a budget.

Test out various budgets and find one that you know will motivate you.

However, aside from choosing a budget, the user must show up.

Consistency matters the most, and like dieting, once you start to see results, you often give more than when you started.

In a budgeting world, this means any of the following improvements, but visual and mental success differ for everyone.

Updating to a new or more complex budget Adding or removing budget categories to fine-tune tracking Tackling debt with a plan Creating saving money rules that fit your narrative Setting short and long-term finance goals Choosing a time and place to budget Researching budgeting and learning more about personal finance Reading and connecting with like-minded people Enjoying the process and knowing it’s making a difference

Beginning Your Saving Money Rule Journey

Your spending today is your future, so if you want to tighten the belt, then listen up.

I’m not new to budgeting, so I know a thing or two, and if you are not willing to commit, don’t start.

Starting a budget without a dedicated mindset will lead to failure and a hatred for finance.

Money isn’t that scary to work with.

What is scary is not knowing your debt-to-income ratio, monthly expenses, how to pay off debt, reduce debt, spend less than you earn, and your credit score.

You’ll find many blog posts about budgeting on CBB, but I want you to begin where we began.

Take budgeting one step at a time and learn from A to Z how to create a life-long plan to put your family first.

As always, if you have a question, ask me. I’m always here to help when I can.

Best of luck on your journey. Stay strong and you’ll come out on the other side.

How Mr. CBB Helped Us On Our Budgeting Journey – A true story written by a CBB fan.

Mr. CBB

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