'So... anyone else got any ideas for saving $$$ in these Hard Times in the Maritimes?'
I dunno about the Maritimes specifically, gnu, but here are some ideas.
Don't buy bottled water. Don't buy soft drinks. Don't use tobacco. Don't buy a TV or get cable. Don't keep a savings account which pays a low rate of interest while running a credit-card balance which charges a high rate of interest.
The money saved can then be spent on things that bring joy, such as music.