April 2026 Budget Snapshot
April was another solid month for our household finances. Our grocery spending came in at $1,454, while we managed to save almost $280 through Flashfood, coupons, and discounts.
Our investments continued to grow, increasing our net worth by more than $86,000. Although groceries remained our biggest challenge, careful planning helped us stay focused on our long-term financial goals.
- Net Worth Change: +$86,495.52
- Grocery Spending: $1454.00
- Grocery Savings: $279.29
- Savings Rate: 27.07%
- Debt: $0
- Biggest Win: Flashfood Savings
- Biggest Challenge: Grocery Overspending
April Cost Of Living Update
Grocery prices remained one of the biggest pressures on our budget in April. Although we are debt-free, we continue to feel the impact of higher food prices, rising insurance costs, and everyday household expenses. Tracking these changes each month helps us understand where our money is going and where we can make adjustments.
Clothing
Our clothing category spiked in April because our son needed new soccer gear, and we purchased on-sale items that would fall under the Back-to-School category. Our son is growing so fast, as are his feet, so we find we are buying him shoes every couple of months.
Unexpected Expenses
For the most part, we didn’t have any unexpected costs; however, we have been purchasing equipment to build our basement gym. An example would be buying 15 rubber mats that were seconds off the production line for $45 each, instead of almost $200 each.
When I write a blog post about our finished gym, I will include all of the prices we paid for everything so you can get an idea of the costs involved in building a home gym on a budget.
Health and Beauty
Mrs. CBB has found lots of health and beauty deals on Amazon resale and has scooped them up because prices seem to be increasing on everything these days. For example, she would find jugs of Purex laundry soap for $7 instead of $15 or Tide. We aren’t fussy about the type we buy as long as it smells good and cleans the clothes.
There are frugal fans that I know make laundry soap, and that’s fantastic. I’d love to hear what process you follow and which ingredients you buy. I did tell Mrs. CBB that she can calm down now, as we have a huge stockpile of laundry soap, dish soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and fabric softener.
I was told in a frugal, loving way why she is on the hunt for bargains. Basically, she said that if she sees a fantastic deal, she’s grabbing it because prices are too unpredictable right now. Fair enough, as I know she price checks and understands the process of finding the best deals.
She’s not alone in her fears about pricing, as so many Canadians are struggling to afford necessities. Even if we do have the money, it’s important to be mindful of what’s worth the money and what’s not. Money can come and go, and if you treat your bank like a rolling ATM, your surplus can deplete quickly.
Question: How much did you spend on groceries in April 2026? Drop your comment below.
Debt-Free Living Update
I remember when we were paying down our mortgage and how frugal we were. Not just a little, but our frugal radar was pretty high.
We had one goal: to pay off the mortgage as quickly as possible. That meant we bought everything second-hand, from clothing to furniture, and used coupons wherever they were accepted.
Moving forward 13 years of being debt-free, and we still do all of the above, but on a different level. For example, we don’t always have to buy second-hand clothes.
Now we shop at the mall or online for new clothes, but often gravitate only to the sales racks or basement bargains.
It’s nice to be debt-free, but you still have to watch your dollars, because if you go hog-wild with your money, it can disappear pretty quickly.
Also, I wanted to point out that many Canadian companies are either closing or slimming down departments to save or balance their budgets.
I’m not out of the woods yet because lots of people where I work have lost their full-time jobs, so we must be vigilant with our savings until my employer gets things sorted out.
Thankfully, my department is thriving, but I know many others who lost a full-time job and defined benefits, which sucks. There’s no pretty way to describe it.
If you’re in the same situation or planning, ensure your emergency savings cover at least 1 year of living expenses, budget, and be mindful of how you spend your money.
Do We Have A Mortgage?
I’ve had a few people email me about our mortgage and why it’s not included in the chart.
It took us 5 years, start to finish, paying off the mortgage below, and we still live in the same home.
After purchasing our home in 2009, we paid it off by 2014, which was not easy, but we managed. When our home was built in 1997, the original owner paid $174,000 and sold it to us in 2009 for $265,000.
However, we still have to pay for house insurance, which will increase on May 1, 2026, to $ 1,676.16.
Our 2026 market home value is approximately $988,000 to $1 million, and we purchased the home for $265,000 in 2009.
At the time of writing this, our neighbor’s home is up for sale, and it’s smaller than ours. They have it listed at $955,000, so we feel our home valuation is correct.
I went ahead and pulled the mortgage numbers out of one of many boxes of receipts and paperwork to show you where we started.
Ignore the frequency as it was changed to bi-weekly accelerated, which took extra off the principal. Our mortgage company also allowed us to put a 20% lump sum toward the remaining principal.
Our goal was to save 20% each year, and we did so by learning to be frugal.
Doing so allowed us to pay off our mortgage a few months before our son was born in 2014—two of the best days in one year for us: a birth and a mortgage-burning party.
Household Budget Percentages
The 27.07% savings include investments and savings based on our net income (cash we brought home minus taxes).
Our life ratio is 48.53%, including all variable expenses such as groceries, entertainment, miscellaneous items, health/beauty products, clothing, and more.
Transportation is covered at 1.93%, including our vehicle’s gas, insurance, and maintenance, and we have no debt.
I keep the two spare gas cans filled with petrol year-round, mainly for the snowblower, lawn mower, power washer, and weed wacker.
Our house and vehicle are paid off with zero debt; however, we still pay property taxes and maintenance fees.
For housing, we came in at 11.64%, covering property taxes and home maintenance.
The projected 10.83% expense rate can change based on what we encounter each month, such as a new item we need to save for.
Budgeted vs. Actual Spending
Below are two tables: the Home Budget for April 2026 and our Actual Home Budget. If you would like to review the changes between 2025 and 2026, read our December 2025 budget review post.
We may not need all the money we budgeted for each category; however, remember that the amounts are estimates based on the previous year’s actual expenses.
Don’t forget to budget for projected expenses, or your entire month can fail.
2026 Canadian Banks We Use
- Chequing– This is the bank account from which we pay our household bills. We use Simplii Financial, TD Canada Trust, and Tangerine Bank. Join Simplii Financial today! Read more about the best Canadian online virtual banks.
- Emergency Savings Account– This money is in a high-interest savings account (HISA)
- High-Interest Savings Account (HISA) – This account holds our projected expenses.
April 2026 Home Budget Year-To-Date
The year-to-date percentages are similar to the household budget percentages chart; however, this one shows them month by month.
Grocery Budget Through The Years
One of the most common questions we receive is how much our grocery budget has changed over the years. The chart below tracks our monthly grocery budget from 2012 through 2026.
While rising food prices have certainly played a role, it’s important to remember that our household changed in September 2014 when our son was born.
As our family grew, so did our grocery needs. Over the years, we’ve also adjusted our budget to reflect changing food prices, shifting shopping habits, opportunities to stockpile, and our commitment to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
What started as a $190 monthly grocery budget in 2012 has grown to $1,250 in 2026. This chart offers a real-world look at how the cost of feeding a Canadian family has evolved over the past 14 years.
Grocery Spending Breakdown
Grocery spending came in at $1,454 this month. A large portion of that was stocking up before my nephew and his girlfriend arrived from the UK. We also picked up several Flashfood deals and household staples that were on sale, which pushed us over budget but should reduce future grocery costs.
Please find all the online groceries we purchase in the CBB Amazon Storefront, which I update as we try new items.
Our monthly grocery budget is $ 1,250, plus a $25 stockpile budget, and we spent $1454.00
$1454-$1250= $204 + $176 (March)= $380 overspent for 2026.
Tracking overages helps us determine how much to budget for groceries at year-end.
Our running total as of April 2026 is $5378.02 for two adults and one child.
In 2012, we were spending $190 per month on groceries, and in 2026, we are spending $ 1,060 more.
After reviewing our 2025 grocery budget, we knew it wasn’t sustainable for our lifestyle.
Over the years, our food intake hasn’t changed much, apart from the food our son wants to try but ends up disliking.
However, if we had a grocery budget we couldn’t adapt to, we would have to keep it as is and make it work.
Where We Grocery Shop
The two grocery stores we shop at most are Zehrs and Food Basics. Also, we buy grocery items from Amazon Canada and Flashfood.
On occasion, we visit Costco and Walmart as needed to buy in bulk or take advantage of a good sale.
Monthly Grocery Spending Chart
Although our grocery spending varies from month to month, our goal isn’t to have perfectly equal spending each month. Some months we stockpile heavily when prices are low, while other months we replace everyday items.
Grocery Savings Progress
Saving money on groceries has become just as important as sticking to our grocery budget. Whether we use Flashfood, coupons, or in-store discounts, every dollar saved helps offset rising food prices.
Annual Grocery Savings Using Coupons, Flashfood, and Discounts
What you are seeing in the line graph below is the Savings Jar figures. Creating this type of graph allows us to get a different view, separate from just tracking figures.
Looking at the line graph, we can see that our grocery savings in 2023 were the least saved, and 2025 holds the top spot for the most money saved.
Food Savings Jar Update
April Grocery Savings
- Total Grocery Savings: $279.29
By the end of April, we had saved $836.46 through Flashfood, coupons, and grocery discounts.
In 2024, we saved $1,712.87, and in 2025, $ 2,524.86, by using coupons and purchasing reduced-price products at local grocery stores.
Throughout 2026, we plan to track our grocery food savings, which include the following;
- Coupons
- Discounts
- Free Stuff (ex, using SCOP) I will track SCOP on a separate tracking sheet.
- Rewards Points redemption
If you’d like a copy of the Grocery Savings Jar and Scanning Accuracy Code (SCOP) Tracking printables, you can find them on the Free Resources page.
Rewards Points Updates
Some Canadians earn rewards points at every business they shop at, but we stick to stores we return to often.
Below are our most lucrative rewards points programs that we participate in and how much we have earned from each.
What is your favourite rewards card? Comment below.
PC Optimum Rewards Points April 2026
Since 2018, we have earned over 10 million PC Optimum Points, equivalent to $10,000, and even more if we use them during super redemption days.
We started 2025 with under 7 million PC Optimum Points, and as of April 2026, we have 9,106,258 and are working towards 10 million.
How We Saved So Many PC Optimum Points
Below are blog posts for anyone interested in learning how we earn PC Optimum Points.
- How To Earn PC Optimum Points Fast
- How We Earned 4 Million PC Optimum Points
- President’s Choice Financial World Elite Mastercard
- PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard
Canadian Tire Triangle Rewards Points
The Triangle Rewards balance at the end of 2025 was $410.29; however, I redeemed some points, leaving a balance of $256.50
Moi App Rewards April 2026
For every 500 points earned, buying products with Moi points equals $4.
Currently, we have $55 in Moi Points that we can redeem towards our groceries.
TD Rewards Credit Card 2026
Currently, we have $223.08 in cash back from using our TD Cash Back Visa Card. That’s worth a celebration!!
We use the TD credit card exclusively for online purchases from Amazon, PayPal, Shopify, and other similar platforms.
Hi there! We can both earn a $10 reward when you accept my PayPal invite and spend $5 within 30 days.
Use my affiliate link: https://py.pl/5TohxUqG4QY
Scop Finds April 2026
If you want a copy of the free SCOP (Scanning Code of Practice) tracking sheet, you can find it on my free downloads page.
Either we don’t look very hard, or we are just oblivious to the prices of items we aren’t looking to purchase.
I know so many Canadians who SCOP thousands of dollars ‘ worth of items every month, and it’s quite amazing.
Unfortunately, we did not find anything in our shopping cart that fell under SCOP.
Did you find anything in April that fell under SCOP? Share your freebies or discounts in the comments.
Net Worth & Investing Update
Our net worth increased by $86,495.52 in April, while our investments increased by $80,412.62, resulting in a 3.91% overall increase.
For years, many of you asked why we kept so much money in our savings accounts, and my answer was always renovations.
I would hear over and over that I should invest the money, and I’m happy to say we have done this, and our main bank account holds emergency savings, projected expenses, and everyday expenses.
As you can see in the chart, 90% of our net worth increase came from investments, and the other 10% from cash and savings.
We don’t expect every month to look like this. Markets rise and fall, so we focus on long-term investing rather than monthly gains.
What We Learned This Month
We learned that it’s not easy to plan for a company to stay for an extended period, especially for outings and food preparation, including all meals and snacks.
Ultimately, we probably should have waited to buy any extra groceries until they arrived in May because we could have bought foods they won’t eat.
Goals For Next Month
Since my nephew and his girlfriend will be visiting us for three weeks, our goal is not to go over our grocery budget too much. We have two extra mouths to feed who have never been to Canada before.
Both Mrs. CBB and I want to buy foods that they have never tried and introduce them to new textures and flavors. For starters, my nephew wants to try root beer and ketchup chips, two products we never buy.
I also know that we will be doing some day trips and stocking up so we can pack food to bring with us, so we aren’t spending more than we have to eating out. I’d be kidding myself to think we would come under budget in May; miracles have happened.
Budget Tip Of The Month
Before grocery shopping, challenge yourself to create three meals from food already in your freezer.
Reader Question
How has your grocery budget changed over the last few years? Has inflation, a growing family, or changing shopping habits affected your household budget? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments.
That’s all for April 2026, CBB friends. If there is data you’d like us to track for the year, please comment below.
If you’re not already following me on Facebook, please come on over and join.
Mr. CBB