In this age of paying by tap, using credit cards, bank cards, or even your phone, we just aren’t using as much cash as we used to.

While cash – bills and coins – is still accepted everywhere, it’s more common to pay other ways. So, wondered Save With SPP, what do people do with the change that used to go back into their pockets?

According to the Wealth Awesome blog, many people have old jars of change, including pennies, sitting around the house – money that still holds value.

“If you’re like many Canadians, then you’ve likely got a jar or piggy bank packed with loose change that you’re saving for a rainy day,” the blog begins.

The “old school” way to go would be to get some coin wrappers, wrap up your old pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies and toonies, and then take them to the bank, the article advises.

Alternatively, you can “put them in a coin-to-cash machine” without having to sort them. Such machines, the article advises, can be found “in grocery stores nationwide,” and “allow you to dump your coins in exchange for a receipt, which you can bring to customer service to receive the value in cash or store credit.”

Save with SPP will add that there is fee charged when you use these machines, typically a percentage of the value of the coins you put in. So be sure you are aware of this, and OK with it, before you dump your coins in.

Even though pennies became extinct in Canada more than 10 years ago, the article notes that you can still turn them in at the Royal Canadian Mint.

You can also donate them to charities. The Royal Canadian Legion’s annual Poppy Campaign accepts coins, and you’ll see coin jars on the counter at your favourite coffee shop, pet store, and mall.

The Credit Karma blog says that a way to avoid the high fees at coin-to-cash machines is to buy a “coin separator,” which sorts coins by size and makes it simpler to roll them.

The blog also says a good option for coins is to simply spend them.

Coins are also necessary in some situations — like using coin-operated laundry machines or car vacuum cleaners,” the blog advises.

The Penny Hoarder blog expands on the idea of just spending your coins.

When you pay for items at a store, you can dip into your wallet or change purse to pay the full price using exact change, the blog notes.

“Having change on you can also come in handy if you need to pay a parking meter or get an emergency snack out of a vending machine,” the article adds.

Why, the article asks, should you have to break bills into change “when you have a jar full of change just sitting in your house?”

The folks at Penny Hoarder have another interesting suggestion – designating a specific use for your change.

“Instead of just depositing your change into your savings or checking account, deposit all of your change into your retirement fund or your child’s (university) savings account,” the blog suggests.

“It may not seem like much, but these little contributions can add up over time. Plus, your college or retirement fund may have higher interest rates than your savings or checking account, and this helps you maximize your return on your coins,” the blog adds.

We used change as part of our drive to get as much money into the wife’s Saskatchewan Pension Plan account as possible before she retired. She’s now getting a lifetime annuity payment from SPP each month. It’s nice to think that a chunk of that pension paycheque originated from pocket change.

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There are two kinds of saving – the kind where you put away a little money before you spend it, and the kind when you spend a little less (and thus, create a few extra bucks to save).

Groceries remain expensive here in the fall of 2023, so Save with SPP took a look around the Interweb to find out if people have any suggestions on how we all can save at the checkout.

According to the Narcity blog, the art of “couponing” is one way to go about it.

Narcity spoke to “well-known couponer” Kathleen Cassidy for her top tips. She tells the blog that it is important to “shop the flyers,” and find out “what is on sale this week… what is a great stock-up price.”

If there’s a great deal on something like sausages, then “buy a couple of packs… throw them in the freezer. The next time they’re not on sale, you’re prepared for that.”

Shop with a list, she advises. “I feel like a lot of Canadians just kind of blindly go into the grocery store every week,” she tells Narcity. “Especially if you go when hungry, you’re just throwing stuff into your cart.”

Other tips include price matching – if you know an item is on sale elsewhere, the store you’re shopping at will no doubt match it, the article explains. Finally, the article advises grocery shoppers to take advantage of any loyalty programs or points offered by the grocer.

The CBC offers up a few more ideas.

“Reconsider beef,” the broadcaster advises. Currently, beef “has seen some of the biggest price increases in the grocery store.” Chicken and pork cost less these days, so consider switching some meals to these other sources of protein, the article suggests.

The article says that some fresh items have had little price impact from inflation – you can get good prices on grapes, cantaloupes, avocadoes and potatoes, and in fact all of these items have dropped in price of late, the article adds.

By comparison, canned goods are up “by double digits” in the last year, the CBC notes.

On the salad side, while lettuce is up in price, “cabbage remains a bargain,” and cucumbers are not going up either. Consider “switching up” your salads by adding cukes and tomatoes, which also have not shot up in cost.

Bulk shopping is always a way to cut costs, reports The Daily Hive. Toiletries, and “pantry items” such as “pasta, canned products, granola bars and cereal” can be bought in bulk and store well, the article notes.

Meat, milk, cheese and butter can be bought in bulk when on sale, and they all freeze well, the article notes.

And of course, the article adds, be sure to watch for coupons, save them, and have them handy at the grocery store.

Another article from The Daily Hive provides a list of the best types of credit cards to buy groceries with.

Some cash-back credit cards, the article notes, will pay you two per cent in cash for every dollar you spend on groceries. We have friends who have credit and banking cards that award them points every time they buy groceries – and the points can be redeemed for, what else, free groceries. Check to see if your credit cards offer any such deals.

By leaving a few loonies in your purse via any or all of these methods, you are not only spending less on groceries, but creating a little pool of money that could go elsewhere.

Why not to your retirement piggy bank? If you are saving on your own for retirement, take a look at the Saskatchewan Pension Plan which has been building retirement security for Canadians for over 35 years. SPP will invest the grocery money you save for you in a pooled fund that is professionally managed at a low cost. And when life after work begins, SPP can turn those saved and invested dollars into retirement income, including the chance of a lifetime monthly annuity payment. After all, who knows what groceries will cost 10, 20 or 30 years from now?

Great news! SPP’s flexible Variable Benefit option is no longer limited to those members living within the borders of Saskatchewan. Now all retiring SPP members across the country can take advantage of this provision, which puts you in control of how much income you want to withdraw, and when you want to withdraw it. You can also transfer in additional savings from other unlocked registered sources. For full details see SaskPension.com.

Check out SPP today!

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We’ve all seen how expensive housing – either through home ownership or renting – has become in 2023.

Are we going to head back to the good old days, when two, three or more generations lived under the same roof to share the costs of housing? Save with SPP took a look around to see if multi-generational living is a thing.

Turns out, it is!

According to the Vanier Institute, data from the Canadian census show that multi-generational households “have become the fastest-growing census family household type in recent decades.” As of the 2021 census, the article continues, “there were nearly 442,000 multi-generational households in Canada,” and while this accounts for only 2.9 per cent of the total households, it represents “2.4 million people, or 6.4 per cent of the total population.”

As well, the Institute notes, “multigenerational households have increased in number by 50 per cent since 2001.” Additionally, in 2021 “nine per cent of children aged 14 and under (571,000) lived with at least one grandparent, up from 3.3 per cent in 2001.”

The article cites a number of factors for this increase. First, there’s the fact that the population is aging, and life expectancy is rising. “Population aging intersects with other trends such as intergenerational care needs, rising housing costs, and growing population of groups more likely to share a roof with younger generations, contributing to the growth in multigenerational households.”

So what is it like when two or more generations share the same dwelling?

Writing in The Globe and Mail Ben Mussett cites the example of Vancouver’s Stephen Reid.

“Every morning, before his three-year-old granddaughter heads to daycare, Stephen Reid is waiting at the bottom of the stairs to wish her a good day. Unlike many grandparents, Mr. Reid hasn’t had to forgo seeing his only grandchild during the pandemic. In fact, he’s spent time with her nearly every day of her life,” writes Mussett.

“This is possible because Mr. Reid and his wife, Melanie, have lived with their daughter Michelle Cyca and her family for the past three years in Vancouver. Their living arrangement allows the Reids to provide child care in a pinch. Likewise, Ms. Cyca and her husband have been there for her 71-year-old parents, who both deal with chronic health and mobility issues,” he notes.

So, three generations, one house, and they are all looking after each other. Nice!

Over at the National Post we learn about Ottawa’s Yi Jiang.

“About a year after Yi Jiang and her family moved to Ottawa from China, they found themselves sharing a two-bedroom apartment with her parents,” the article notes.

“After living together in Shenzhen, it seemed only natural that once the entire family was in Canada, her parents would live with her, her husband and their young son, she said. The couple has since had another child, and last year all six moved to a house in the suburbs,” the Post reports.

“It’s very important for me to live with them … they are the most important people in my life and I am the only child,” Jiang, a producer for a Mandarin radio show, tells the Post.

The article goes on to note that multi-generational living is a new trend that has roots in long-ago times.

“Right now, the proportion of multigenerational households is high, relative to recent history, but if you go back pre-war, most households were multigenerational; somebody always took in Mom or Dad,” Nora Spinks of the Vanier Institute tells the Post.

“It was only through that weird blip post-war 1950s, 1960s where every generation had their own household, and you moved out at 18 or 19, and you got your own apartment and you never returned home and everybody had their own toaster and everybody had their own everything,” she states in the article.

There is also some hope that multi-generational housing can be part of the solution to the general housing shortage crisis, the CBC reports.

Recently, the article notes, the federal government “introduced a tax credit for families looking to renovate their homes and accommodate more people,” the broadcaster reports.

“It provides a one-time 15 per cent tax refund for renovation costs up to $50,000 for a secondary unit with a private entrance, kitchen, and bathroom,” the CBC reports, adding “to be eligible, the resident of the renovated unit must be a family member who is a senior or an adult with a disability.” The maximum refund amount is $7,500, the article notes.

It will be interesting to see if this trend continues during this odd period of high rents and high mortgage rates.

Whether you retire on your own, or as a couple, or with your folks in one room and the kids in another, you’ll need money to cover expenses, even if they are shared. If you are fortunate enough to have a retirement program at work, be sure to join it and participate to the max. If you don’t have a program, or want to augment the one you have, take a look at the Saskatchewan Pension Plan.

With SPP, you decide how much you want to contribute – your contributions are tax-deductible. SPP then does the heavy lifting of investing your savings in a low-cost, professionally managed, pooled fund. When it’s time to call it a day for good at the office, SPP will help your turn those savings into retirement income, with the option of you receiving a lifetime monthly annuity payment in respect of some or all of your savings.

Great news! SPP’s flexible Variable Benefit option is no longer limited to those members living within the borders of Saskatchewan. Now all retiring SPP members across the country can take advantage of this provision, which puts you in control of how much income you want to withdraw, and when you want to withdraw it. You can also transfer in additional savings from other unlocked registered sources. For full details see SaskPension.com.

Check out SPP today!

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In this second of a four-part series, Save with SPP talks to Janet Gray, CFP, of Money Coaches Canada about the difference between saving, and investing for your future

Any discussion about saving should begin by setting out the difference between saving and investing, says Janet Gray, CFP, of Money Coaches Canada.

“Saving money is something that is imminent or short term (less than 12 months),” she explains. You are protecting its value, and the use of that money is soon – so your savings need to be “secure and liquid,” she says. An example might be putting money in a savings account or a GIC.

“Investing is where you want the money to work for you. You are delaying the use of that money” while allowing it to increase in value (hopefully) and will use it in the future for something more mid to long-term, such as retirement or a large goal. Examples would be investments in mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, bonds and other securities.

“You have to save to invest,” she explains, “but don’t need to invest to save. Investing is a longer-term thing, saving is a shorter-term thing.”

OK, we now see the distinction. But why, we asked, don’t more people save?

Gray says there are a lot of factors at play.

“There is the issue of why – why do I need to set money aside,” she explains.

Many people get hung up on their everyday living costs and can’t imagine a future where there’s no mortgage, no kids to feed, and no car payments. But for most of us, the future will be just like that – less expenses, but less income. So saving and planning is important.

“That awareness… can possibly help you to save better,” she explains.

Some people think they don’t have to save because they have a good pension plan at work. But things can change – you may change jobs, and in some fairly rare cases, pension plans serving the private sector, like Nortel or Sears, run into financial trouble.

There are those who could save, but who simply are “in denial,” or are naïve, and have developed a “keep spending” lifestyle, she says. When you “avoid looking at your finances… and you are spending without awareness,” it’s easy to simply disregard saving, she explains.

“Some with low incomes simply can’t save. They can’t find any excess to save, they are spending every bit of their income. They lack the means to save,” she says.

But for others, “knowing where your money is going” is how to turn things around and get on the path to saving. Start keeping track of where your money is going.

“Maybe you have dinner out three times a week, or travel a lot, or give expensive birthday presents to the kids,” she says.

“These are all examples of discretionary spending that can be reduced,” she says. We can all fall into the trap of spending all our money on “what’s comfortable and pleasant,” but a careful review of “all your categories of spending” can help identify areas where you could cut back and begin saving.

“I tell people that once the bills are all paid, they should include saving as a ‘bill’,” she explains. You can start small with the saving habit, maybe $10 a week, and gradually grow that amount over time, she explains.

Once you really think about spending, you will find there is a lot of room for change, she says. “Start questioning every payment amount – are there discounts, or coupons? Can you use a savings app? Are there special shopping days, like Cyber Monday, to take advantage of?”

She agrees that it is time-consuming to find dollars to save by looking at all flyers and comparison shopping, but it pays off. “If you shop for convenience, without a list, you will find that convenience costs money,” she explains. Focusing on getting as much as you can for your spending dollar will lead to savings and more satisfaction, she says.

If you are craving a pizza, “make your own, and put $25 in a savings account,” she says.

She says that a recent read of the book The Millionaire Next Door shows the importance of frugality. Really rich people, like investor Warren Buffett, got there because they didn’t spend their money on flashy items and big houses. Instead, they live in modest homes and drive older, sensible cars, she says.

“The unassuming ones are the millionaires… they are superconscious about their money. They try to avoid large fees, and refuse to pay full price for items they want,” she explains.

Even if you have a big house in a nice area, the higher costs of taxes and maintenance can impact your ability to spend when you’re older, she says. “When you see big fancy cars pulling up to the food bank, those are people who are often deep in debt,” she says.

We concluded our chat with a look at the two main savings vehicles in Canada – the registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) and the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). What are the differences between the two?

“In choosing between these two, it all depends on the eventual use of the money,” she explains.

With an RRSP, you get a tax deduction on the money you contribute. That money grows tax-free until you start withdrawing money from the RRSP or from a registered retirement income fund (where RRSP funds can go after you reach age 71).

An RRSP, she notes, “is best for retirement savings, especially for those who are now working and making a good wage – say $70,000 a year or more.” Generally speaking, she explains, if you put the money into an RRSP while you are earning a higher income, the income you receive from it in the future will be taxed when you are earning a lower income/lower tax rate in retirement.

That’s why for those with a lower income – say $40,000 or so – there isn’t as much of a benefit from an RRSP, she says.

“If you are making less than $40,000 or $50,000, you don’t get the same tax benefit from an RRSP, so you might be better off with a TFSA,” she explains.

With a TFSA, there’s no tax deduction for putting money into an account, but your savings grow tax free, and there’s no income tax implications when you withdraw money from your TFSA.

TFSA income, unlike money from an RRSP or RRIF, does not impact your ability to receive Old Age Security, she adds.

TFSAs are a nice place to save, and enjoy a shelter from taxation. “Almost everyone can take advantage of the features of a TFSA,” she says. If you fill yours up, help your spouse fill theirs, she advises.

So, summing it up, if you think you can’t possibly save, it may be because you don’t know where your spending is currently going. Lock the spending part down, and try to take advantage of sales, flyers, and coupons, and by spending less you’ll have more to put away in a savings vehicle. Think of savings as a bill you have to pay, set it as auto payment and increase it every month.

In the next part of our series, we’ll take a look at debt.

If you are saving for retirement on your own, take a look at the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. You can start small, and ramp up your saving over time. SPP will do the hard part – investing your money in a pooled fund at a low cost – and at the end of the day, you’ll have a new source of retirement income for life after work.

Great news! SPP’s flexible Variable Benefit option is no longer limited to those members living within the borders of Saskatchewan. Now all retiring SPP members across the country can take advantage of this provision, which puts you in control of how much income you want to withdraw, and when you want to withdraw it. You can also transfer in additional savings from other unlocked registered sources. For full details see SaskPension.com.

Check out SPP today!

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For many of us, retirement savings is something that — if we think about it at all — we worry about chiefly right ahead of the registered retirement savings plan deadline in March.

But there’s a school of thought that suggests automating your savings, rather than scraping up a lump sum at the last possible minute, is the way to go. Save with SPP took a look at what others are saying about this important topic.

At the Young and the Invested blog, automated savings is defined as “savings that happen passively — that is, without you having to do something every time you save.”

Through automated saving, the blog continues, “a predetermined sum of money is automatically transferred into a savings account or similar financial vehicle.” This happens on a recurring cycle, the article adds, typically “monthly, or every paycheque.”

So — how to do this? The article suggests that if all of your pay is deposited in your chequing account, you can set up — via online banking or a banking app — a regular transfer of some of that money to your savings account.

An article in Forbes Advisor continues that thinking, and advises that you make sure the savings account you choose offers high interest.

“To maximize your savings, choose one of the best high-interest savings accounts, which offer rates that are 10 times higher than the national average. Consider switching banks if your current account doesn’t pay much interest. Online banks often have the most attractive interest rates,” the article notes.

Another idea in the Forbes piece is the concept of boosting savings when you are cutting expenses. Say what, now?

“If you decide to make some cuts to your monthly spending, it’s important that you actually follow through with putting that extra money in savings. You can do this by increasing automatic transfers to your savings by the amount you plan to cut from your spending,” the article explains.

Now we get it. If you cut back on cable or a streaming app or two, don’t just spend that “saved” money — boost the amount you are transferring each month into savings.

The article also reminds us that when we get a raise, our monthly savings should get a raise too.

The U.S. articles mention the idea of using apps that “round up” spending, directing a portion of what you are buying into savings.

One such app, reports the Money Reverie blog, is called Moka (formerly Mylo).

The Moka app, reports the blog, connects to your savings account, and then does a little rounding up.

“For example, if you buy a cup of coffee for $3.25 with your credit card. The Moka app rounds up your purchase to $4.00 and saves the extra $0.75 in your Moka account. If you order that coffee everyday for one year, that’s $273.75 you have saved up. Your money would be automatically transferred from your chosen funding account to your Moka account,” the article explains.

We’re sure there are many other such “fintech” apps to choose from, but the idea of “rounding up” to save seems to be a good one.

If you’re a member of the Saskatchewan Pension Plan you can automate your savings in one of two ways. You can set up pre-authorized contributions to SPP from your bank account, or you can set up SPP as a “bill” via your online banking app and make automated bill payments to your future you. Automating savings means setting it and forgetting it — you can let SPP invest your savings for your future. Check out SPP today!

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While it’s never great to make a mistake, they have the interesting side effect of teaching you what not to do.

Save with SPP decided to hunt around for some tips on what not to do when it comes to saving for retirement.

According to the Espresso blog on MSN, there are a couple of retirement plans that can backfire on you.

Many who haven’t saved much for retirement plan to continue working past age 65. But, the article warns, your body may have other ideas. A StatsCan finding from 2002 was that 30 per cent of those who took early retirement did so “because of their health.”

If you are saving via an investment product that charges high fees, you may find those charges “can eat up huge amounts of your savings over time,” the article reports. Be careful and look for lower-fee options, the article advises.

A key tip is to get saving, even if you start late. “According to BNN Bloomberg, 32 per cent of Canadians approaching retirement don’t have any savings,” the article notes. “Anyone hoping to rely only on the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security will find it difficult to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in retirement, which is why middle-aged and older Canadians should start saving as early as possible,” the article concludes.

The Motley Fool blog offers up a few more ideas.

Be aware of your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) limits, the blog warns — there can be penalties if you over-contribute.

If you are running your own money and wanting to think outside the box, don’t use your RRSP as the test bed, The Motley Fool warns. “You should test out your investment strategies in a non-registered account before investing in RRSPs. Apply your successful investment strategies in RRSPs because losses cannot be written off,” the blog suggests.

Other advice includes diversification — don’t go fixed-income only in an RRSP, because you’ll get more growth from equities, the blog advises.

Over on LinkedIn, Brent Misener, a certified financial planner, provides a few more ideas.

Don’t procrastinate on retirement saving, he notes. “The power of compounding is a significant advantage when it comes to saving and investing. Starting early allows your money to grow and work for you over an extended period. Take action now and harness the power of time to maximize your retirement nest egg,” he writes.

Have a handle on what your expenses will be after you retire, Misener writes. “Medical costs, housing, leisure activities, and unforeseen events can quickly deplete your savings if not accounted for,” he warns.

In a similar vein, he says you must not ignore the possible impacts of inflation. “Consider inflation as you plan for the future and ensure that your investments and savings can keep pace with rising prices. Consider how much everyday items like groceries and utilities have increased dramatically in the last two years,” he adds.

If you are among the fortunate few who have a workplace pension plan, don’t stop saving outside that plan, Misener states. “Whether it’s a defined benefit or defined contribution, it’s important to remember that your pension may not cover all of your spending needs. Most retirees plan on spending more in retirement and often work pensions may only cover basic expenses,” he concludes.

These are all good tips to be aware of.

If you don’t have a workplace pension plan, or you want to supplement the savings you are getting from one, have a look at the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. SPP is an open, voluntary defined contribution plan that will invest your money at a very low fee. Your savings will grow within SPP’s pooled investment fund, and when it’s time to retire, you have the option of a lifetime monthly annuity payment, so that you will never run out of money. Check out SPP today!

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Investing is a lot like golf. Anyone can get some clubs and play the game, but very few of us get to the point where we’re breaking par. That level of skill tends to be the exclusive domain of professionals, or well-trained amateurs, rather than those teaching themselves via social media, websites, and “can’t miss” tips from friends.

With investing, again like golf, there are common mistakes to avoid that will improve your results. Save with SPP had a look around the Interweb to find out what folks think you should not do when it comes to managing your investments.

Writing in the Financial Post, Peter Hodson warns of the danger of “anchoring.”

“Do not anchor your expectations to where the stock has been in the past. Anchoring can cause you to keep a stock far longer than you should (it used to be $100, so it must be cheap now), but it can also keep you from buying a stock that has already risen (it is too expensive now). The only thing that should matter is what a stock may do going forward,” he writes.

He also warns about focusing too much on the yield of a stock.

“If the stock declines 25 per cent then of course that seven per cent (yield) was only just the `hook’ that got you into a sinking ship. It is far better to focus on companies with lower dividends that have the ability to raise them. Dividend growth stocks have been proven over time to be much better performers than high-yielding stocks.”

At the Morningstar site, we learn that diversification — often touted as a way to avoid downturns — isn’t always a safe harbour.

“2022 is an example of a year where more assets in the portfolio would not have offered more diversification. The only asset classes that have delivered positive returns are the energy sector, the U.S. dollar and some ‘niche’ markets such as Brazilian equities,” states Morningstar’s Nicolò Bragazza.

In plainer terms, moving eggs into different baskets in 2022 would have led to quite a few broken eggs.

He also adds these ideas — the false belief that “history always repeats itself” when thinking about past market performance, and “trying to predict the future” of the markets. No one knows what’s going to happen next, he explains.

The Motley Fool blog offers up a couple more.

Don’t, the blog advises, “have a short-term focus” when investing.

“Having a longer-term focus can help you wait out a crash until the market recovers, which it often does within only a few months. Indeed, the average stock market drop takes about six months before changing direction — and most take less than four months,” the article tells us.

Similarly, if things are going south with the market, don’t sell off your holdings in a panic.

“One mistake many make when the market crashes is selling out of it. They’re doing the opposite of the old investment chestnut to `buy low, sell high.’ If your portfolio plunges by, say, 30 per cent, you haven’t technically lost any money until you sell your shares and lock in that decline. Hang on and you’ll often be able to sell later, at a significantly higher price.”

We have done most of these mistakes over the years, as well as a few other ones, like plunking down money on “can’t miss” hot tips from friends that turned out to be big losers. Buying shares in a company teetering on bankruptcy because of the belief that it will make a comeback probably has paid off for some folks — not us!

It’s a place where expertise is necessary. Most professional money advisers we know advise that ordinary people get help with their investments. Fortunately, that professional investing advice is included when you become a member of the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. SPP will invest your retirement savings in a low-cost, pooled fund that is managed by experts. You can leave the heavy lifting of reading the tea leaves on ever-changing markets to them.

News just in — contributing to SPP is now limitless. There is no longer an SPP limit (you can contribute any amount up to your full registered retirement savings plan room) on how much you can contribute to the plan each year, or transfer in from a registered retirement savings plan. Check out SPP today!

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We should eat healthy. We should exercise. And we should save for the future.

Our parents drilled these ideas into our heads, yet — apart from a massive burst of saving when pandemic restrictions prevented us from spending — we are no longer, as Canadians, a nation of savers.

The highly-regarded Retire Happy blog, authored by Jim Yih, offers up some thoughts on the subject.

First, he posits, “the statistics are alarming when it comes to debt, savings and fiscal responsibility. One of the reasons for this is the lack of formal financial education.”

Next, writes Yih, is the problem of a culture of overspending.

“We live in a society that loves to spend. It starts with a government that believes spending drives the economy and for the past few decades, governments have encouraged spending even if it means spending money we do not have,” he explains. “We live in a world of delayed consequence over delayed gratification and unfortunately we are facing those consequences today.”

A third reason is that our levels of debt make saving next to impossible, Yih states.

We owe, he notes, more than $1.5 trillion in household debt, and the ratio of debt to disposable income was 155 per cent at the time he wrote his blog post (higher now). How, he asks, “can you save money when Canadians have this much debt?”

OK — we don’t know how to be responsible with money, we love to spend, and we clearly love to max out credit cards, lines of credit, and other sources of spendable debt. What else is holding us back from saving?

The Kinda Frugal blog explores a few other factors.

Citing figures from Bankrate, the blog reports that “56 per cent of American adults don’t have enough savings to cover a $1,000 expense.”

The blog contends that not having a budget is a key reason for a lack of saving. Without a budget, people end up “living beyond your means” and “deep in debt,” and can be “wiped out by an unexpected expense.”

Instead, the blog suggests, we should try to live “below our means,” and spend less than we earn.

“Creating a budget is an excellent first step toward curbing overspending. Sticking to it is the part that will free up extra cash to put toward your savings,” the blog advises.

Another concept the blog explores is the ideas of separating your needs from your wants. “A need is something you can’t live without,” the blog explains. “Food, shelter, clothing, and medicines are necessities and examples of needs.” Wants, on the other hand, aren’t needed for living — examples include “expensive jewellery, high-end cars and luxury vacations.”

Writing for The Balance, Matt Reiner suggests a few other contributing factors in the “not-saving” file.

As mentioned by other bloggers, not having any savings when an emergency arises — like a major auto repair bill — can wipe you out. Reiner notes that it is important to have an emergency fund in place equal to about three to six months’ worth of income.

“If that sounds intimidating, start with socking away enough for one month. From there, you can continue building your emergency savings with regular monthly contributions,” Reiner suggests.

Reiner also advises those of us with retirement savings arrangements at work to take full advantage of them. Here in Canada, this would mean joining any company pension plan or retirement savings arrangement and taking part to the maximum. A lot of times, he writes, employers match all or some of the amount contributed. “A company match is essentially free money, and it’s best not to leave it on the table, especially if you’re behind on retirement saving,” Reiner explains.

He concludes with one piece of advice. “Regardless of where you decide to start, the important thing is to start. Even putting a little in savings out of each paycheque can add up over the long term,” writes Reiner.

Our late Uncle Joe religiously endorsed the so-called 10 per cent rule. When you get paid, put 10 per cent of the total away, and live on the rest. “You’ll never run into troubles if you can do this,” he told us.

Another idea that really works is to automate your savings, even if you are starting small. Choose an amount you’d like to save, and have it diverted automatically from your bank account to savings. It’s a “set it and forget it” approach, and you’ll be surprised how well it works.

It’s an approach that works well with the Saskatchewan Pension Plan (SPP). SPP members can make pre-authorized contributions to their accounts. You can pick dates that align with your payday, and boom — you are building your future retirement income without even noticing. Check out SPP today!

And there’s some great news for SPP members — the rules on making contributions have changed, and for the better. You can now make an annual contribution to SPP that is equal to your available registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) room! And if you are transferring money into SPP from an RRSP, there is no longer an annual limit on how much you can transfer in! It’s a change that makes contributing to SPP limitless!

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We hear of the term “sticker shock” when it comes to buying big-ticket items, like a new car, or a new home.

But lately, it’s been “grocery shock” when you pay $200 and put only three or four bags into the trunk in the grocery store parking lot. Grocery prices are crazy high — so Save with SPP did a little digging into ways to make those expensive groceries last a little longer.

At The Food Network, we are told that U.S. research has found that we waste “between 15 and 25 per cent of the food we purchase… imagine throwing one out of every four grocery bags right into the trash!”

The trick, reports Toby Amidor, is in storing the food you buy correctly. Amidor reports that precious eggs can last up to five weeks in the fridge, provided you put them in “the coldest part of the refrigerator.”

“Do not store them in the door (it’s the warmest part of the refrigerator),” Amidor writes. Instead, store them near the back of the fridge and in their original container.

We remember having fridges that had little egg holders built into the door, years ago! Guess that design didn’t make it into the 21^st century!

Other tips from The Food Network include the idea of storing nuts in the fridge or freezer, rather than in a cupboard or on the countertop. “The fat within the nuts can go rancid more quickly once the package is opened,” the article explains. They’ll last longer if you keep them cold, The Food Network reports.

Across the pond, The Express expands on the idea of what foods shouldn’t be stored on your fridge door — milk, cream, butter and cheese should all be inside the fridge and not stored on the door; cheese should go inside a compartment, the article advises.

The folks at Reader’s Digest suggest you should wash berries “with a mix of vinegar and water (think a 1:3 ratio)” before popping them in the fridge. “This disinfects against mould, (and) can lengthen shelf life by weeks,” the article suggests. Be sure to rinse the berries in water after you’ve used the vinegar/water mixture to clean them, the article adds.

Leftover lettuce “should be stored in a bowl with a paper towel on top, then sealed with plastic wrap.” The paper absorbs any moisture in the lettuce leaves, keeping them from turning brown as quickly, the article explains.

Squirt an avacado with a few drops of lemon juice to keep it from going brown as quickly, the team at Reader’s Digest adds, and carrots will last longer if you store them in a container with a little water inside.

A second article in The Express provides a tip on how to “revive” stale bread. Rather than chucking it out, you should “douse the stale bread with water and then (put) it in the over at 200 degrees C for five minutes.” The result is “flakey and delicious” bread, warm from the oven, instead of more garbage/compost.

Food is an expensive commodity that we seem happy to waste, reports The Barbecue Lab. Food waste, the publication reports, “makes up 20 per cent of landfills in the U.S.” An incredible “$48.3 billion of food… is thrown away or wasted worldwide,” the article continues. That’s 1.3 billion tons of food worldwide, the article adds, noting that “one third of all food is wasted,” including 25 per cent of the groceries we buy.

Our late mom used to tell us to “use everything up” in the fridge before buying more groceries. This is a practical approach, and if you are stumped for ideas, do a web search to find recipes for the ingredients you are trying to use up.

Do what you can to stretch your food dollars through better storage, and you may find you have a few extra toonies and loonies kicking around for your efforts. A great place to direct those savings is an account with the Saskatchewan Pension Plan, a voluntary defined contribution plan that’s open to any Canadian with unused RRSP room. Join the 32,000+ who look to SPP to grow their savings — your future you will thank you!

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Years ago, when we were working away at Lakehead Living in Thunder Bay, Ont., a colleague asked us if we were contributing to a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP).

“What’s that?” we asked. And once it was explained that you would get a tax refund for contributions made to an RRSP, the 25-year-old us was in – starting off at $25 per month.

What’s the best retirement savings tip out there? Save with SPP decided to have a look.

Start saving today, advises the Merrill division of Bank of America. “Start saving as much as you can now and let compound interest — the ability of your assets to generate earnings, which are reinvested to generate their own earnings — have an opportunity to work in your favour,” the bank advises.

At the InvestedWallet blog there are two tips of note – to “fund your retirement account with side hustles,” and to “ditch the lavish vacations.”

Using “side hustles,” such as “flipping furniture, using a 3D printer to make money, or completing freelance gigs” is a great way to boost savings – direct your profits there, rather than to buying furniture or taking trips, the blog advises. And on big annual trips, Invested Wallet suggests cutting back on “destination” vacations (the average vacation in the U.S. costs $1,145 per year) and instead, doing something affordable during time off and putting the saved cash into retirement.

The Forbes Advisor offers up a couple of good tips – get rid of your debt now, and not after you are retired, and “practice retirement spending now.” The first one needs no further explanation – debt is harder to pay off when you are living on less.

The “practice” tip is intriguing. Basically, the article suggests that most retirees will live on 80 per cent of what they were earning before retiring. We had a friend who was fearful about living with her first mortgage. So her husband said look, let’s bank the difference between our rent and the mortgage in the run-up to buying the house, and live on the reduced income. This idea worked, her fears were abated and by now we’re sure that house is paid for.

At Sun Life, a variety of tips are included, with a sound bit of advice being “take full advantage of your employee pension plan.” A lot of times, the company pension plan may be optional. You don’t have to join. But if you don’t, you are missing out on putting away money for retirement, often with an employer match.

If you are in a defined benefit pension plan, be sure to find out if there are ways to purchase service for periods of time when you were off on a maternity or parental leave. Your future you will thank you later.

We’ll add a few others we have gleaned over the years.

Make your saving automatic – contribute something towards your retirement every payday, and up it when you get a raise. You will be paying yourself first.

A nice place to put your Canada Revenue Agency tax refund is back into your SPP or RRSP account. You’re making the refund tax-deductible.

Start small. We started with $25 a month nearly 40 years ago. Don’t think you have to start off big, or you may never start off at all!

If you haven’t started saving yet, a wonderful resource to be aware of is the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. It’s open to any Canadian with RRSP room. With SPP, you can contribute any amount you want, up to $7,000 per year, and can transfer up to $10,000 a year from other RRSPs. SPP will pool your contributions, invest them at a low cost, and grow them into a future source of retirement income. Check out SPP today!

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