'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.