We always remember arriving at grandma’s house in Saint John, NB, back in the ‘60s, and being treated to homemade pickles, chow-chow, and even mayonnaise. Grandma’s house was fill of jams, jellies, and other preserves, and their impressive vegetable patch featured herbs, carrots, and much more.

Grandma bolstered her grocery supply with home cooking, preserves, and garden produce.

Save with SPP took a look around the Interweb to see if anyone else has gathered together saving tips from their grandparents – and we found quite a few.

At the Koho.ca blog, writer Brittany Bell lists budgeting – our grandparents knew enough to spend less than what they brought home – as well as prudent spending, and finding “simple ways to save.”

Other old-school saving ideas include coupon clipping, saving your change, buying grocery items in bulk and taking advantage “of all available deals and discounts” when shopping online or offline.

The A Cultivated Nest blog adds a few more.

Make your own, the blog advises – you can create your own “cleaning supplies, your own DIY beauty products, your own gifts.” We learn again about growing your own herbs and making your own preserves, but there’s also the idea of “cut your own” which makes sense – buy a watermelon and cut it up, and do the same with a whole chicken. Every cut made at the grocery store by staffers will cost you, the blog advises.

Other good tips include using cash and not credit, to “repair or upcycle” things rather than just throwing them away, and to consider buying used instead of new.

Country Living magazine rolls out some additional ideas.

Buy direct from the farmer, the article advises. Learn to sew so you can save on tailoring costs and minor clothing repairs. “Make meat an accent,” rather than the bulk of your meal plan, we learn. Make soup more often, we are told – it is filling, nutritious, and an easy way to use up leftovers. Start saving – “it’s never too late” and make it automatic, the article continues.

Finally, the article says, “eat in,” and enjoy your own cooking while saving money.

These all ring true when we think of our grandparents. As far as we can remember, none of them used credit cards – if they had them, they were for an emergency. They didn’t have lines of credit on their houses. So, when they wanted something, they had to save up for it. These are all still sensible ideas today.

If you want to retire, you’ll have to save up for it. If you have a pension plan at work, great – that’s a big part of the battle. But if you don’t, or if you want to augment your workplace savings, check out the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. The SPP gives you all you need to make your retirement savings plan automatic – you can make contributions automatically from your bank account, and increase them over time as you earn more. What you chip in is professionally invested at a very low cost, and can – when you retire – be paid out to you in the form of a lifetime annuity. Check out the SPP, celebrating 35 years of operations, today!

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For more than a year now, Canadians have had to deal with restrictions – sometimes fairly light, other times more of the “stay at home” variety – on what we can and cannot do.

Save with SPP took a look around to see what sort of things people are doing to keep busy at a time when so many of our usual activities are temporarily closed down or otherwise restricted.

A report from CTV News suggests that today’s situation is somewhat akin to the Great Depression of 90 years ago – so many people were out of work, or working reduced hours, that there was a huge growth in hobbies. “Stamp collecting, music making, woodworking and birdwatching” all grew in popularity in the 1920s, the article notes.

“In this time of uncertainty and instability, and a world and existence we no longer recognize, people need an anchor to familiarity and what once brought them comfort, stability, safety, and happiness,” clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere tells CTV.

Today’s pandemic hobbies include things like “tie-dying clothes, attending PowerPoint parties and partaking in TikTok challenges,” the article notes. These join more traditional activities such as walking and cooking, CTV reports.

Physical activity is of critical importance, even during the pandemic, reports CBC International.

Citing a report from the World Health Organization, CBC reports that “regular physical activity is said to be key to preventing and helping manage heart disease, diabetes and cancer and reducing depression and anxiety, cognitive decline and boosting brain health.”

The article suggests 150 to 300 minutes per week of “moderate to vigorous aerobic activity for all adults.” This can include walking, cycling, dance, play, and even “household activities like cleaning or working on your lawn and garden,” the article says.

“Every move counts, especially now as we manage the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus states in the article. “We must all move every day – safely and creatively.” 

Country Living magazine agrees that creative approaches to keeping active are being used – and some things that were more popular in the past have made a comeback.

The article lists such things as home gyms, handheld gaming consoles, jigsaw puzzles, swimming pools, and trampolines as ways you can do more without leaving home.

The Reviewed.com site adds a few more. TV choices, thanks to the many streaming services out there, are more numerous than ever before. Reading, arts and crafts, yoga, DIY home improvement projects and meditation are among the ideas listed.

Putting it all together, finding something to do will keep you feeling more positive – and more optimistic that we are starting to near the end of this bizarre, unhappy and eerily quiet crisis.

One activity that you might want to revisit during the pandemic is dusting off your retirement savings plan – if you have one. If your savings efforts haven’t started, are stalled, or if you want to add on to what you’re doing now, consider the Saskatchewan Pension Plan, currently celebrating its 35^th year of operations. Your pension savings, small or large, are expertly invested at a low cost, and grown for that future date when you walk away from the office for the last time. With an average rate of return of 8 per cent in the balanced fund since inception, SPP is an option you should take some time to check out!

Join the Wealthcare Revolution – follow SPP on Facebook!