Estimated reading time: 18 minutes
Join us as we review our January 2025 home budget for a family of three living in Ontario, helping you understand your expenses and improve your budgeting strategies.
Read our End of the Year 2024 Budget Update for more background about creating our 2025 finance year.
Lastly, a section documenting the CBB fans participating in the 2025 Food Budget Challenge is new for the budget update.
Before we begin, the Free 2025 51-page Budget Binder is ready for download!
Why I Share Our Monthly Home Budget Update
For anyone new to CBB, this briefly explains our monthly home budget update.
First off, if you’re a person who wants to learn how to create a monthly budget, you’ve come to the right space.
Budgeting puts you in charge of your money, meaning you are the finance boss.
That’s a significant role if you want to keep your company afloat.
I look forward to writing this post as it lets us see where we spend our money.
A budget also acts as a diary for your expenses so you can look back to see success and failure.
Our budget update also lets readers know that we are not perfect and must make changes like everyone else.
We use the tools (Free budget Binder), and I hope you have downloaded your free copy.
Alright, let’s get into this.
Percentages For Our January 2025 Home Budget
Our year-to-date percentage chart is another way to chart our household budget.
January 2025 Home Budget Percentages
Savings of 59.30% include investments and savings based on our net income.
Our life ratio is 21.91% and contains everything from groceries, entertainment, miscellaneous items, health/beauty, clothing, etc., all variable expenses.
Transportation is 2.07%, which covers our vehicle’s gas, insurance, and maintenance, and holds no debt.
Our house and vehicle are paid for, and we have zero other debt; however, we still pay property taxes and maintenance fees.
The projected expenses of 9.78% can change based on what we encounter monthly, such as a new item we need to save for.
January 2025 Home Budget: Estimation and Actual
Below are two tables: the January 2025 Home Budget and our Actual Budget.
Our January 2025 Home budget represents two adults and a 10-year-old boy.
Budget Colour Key: It is a projected expense when highlighted in blue.
Since May 2014, we’ve been mortgage-free, redirecting our money into investments and home improvement projects.
Spending less than we earn and budgeting has been the easiest way to pay off our debt and save money.
This type of budget is a zero-based budget where all the money has a home.
Estimated January 2025 Home Budget
For January 2025, the estimated home budget was $8390.29; we used $7543.02, spending $847.27 less than our approximation.
We may not need all the money we budgeted for in each category; however, remember the number is only an estimate from the previous year.
Don’t forget to budget for projected expenses because your month if you fail to plan.
Actual January 2025 Home Budget Expenses
Note: I just noticed I messed up some budget category titles. It doesn’t affect the expenses, although they should be standardized. I’ll fix that for February.
Current Canadian Banks We Use
January 2025 Home Budget Month To Month Update
Our emergency savings increased by 329.63%, which mainly came from investments.
As expected, our actual expenses decreased by -29% in January due to it being after Christmas.
Lastly, our income for January was slightly higher at +16.5% than December 2024.
Always expect to see changes from month to month, as that’s perfectly normal.
Summary: January 2025 Home Budget Categories
Below are some of our variable expenses from January 2025 that I will discuss.
Groceries
Our monthly grocery budget is $960 plus a $25 stockpile budget; we spent $1118.09 in January.
In 2024, our grocery budget was $900 monthly, but with price increases, we calculated a further $60 monthly or $720 yearly.
Although we planned on a low-budget month for January, we found too many deals to pass up.
The idea for 2025 is to spend less buying foods that sit around and more that we eat and replenish unless it’s at a stockpile price.
An example of this would be the milk we purchased through Flashfood, which I detail below.
Whilst having a well-stocked pantry is nice as we age, a minimalist lifestyle is more appealing.
We’ve since changed part of our diet, adding higher-protein foods and a low-carb/keto lifestyle.
Since we started tracking our grocery shopping in 2012 on this blog, we’ve always carried any overspending to the following month.
For January 2025, we overspent by $158.09, meaning our February budget will be $801.91.
For February, instead of having a $900 grocery budget, we will have
You can also find all the online groceries we purchase in the CBB Amazon Storefront.
Types Of Groceries We Bought
In January, we purchased a few things we don’t typically add to our basket.
For example, our son was introduced to Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies at his godmother’s house, which cost us $3.99 on sale.
We stocked double-packs of organic, grass-fed beef at Zehrs for $8.88.
I checked the price of Zehrs regular, lean, and extra-lean ground beef, and the organic, grass-fed was cheaper.
Our son drinks PC apple juice not-from-concentrate, so we stocked up at the store.
Often, we find a lack of stock, so we get it when we are there so we don’t have to return it.
- Franks Red Hot Buffalo Ranch Sauce 50% off
- Starbucks Espresso Beans (Large bag) 50% off
- Corned Beef sale $3.99 stocked up
- Extra-old Cheese bars sale $4.88 stocked up
- Ginger Carrot Dressing 50% off (it’s good)
- Casa Di Mama Pepperoni Pizza stocked up $3.49
Everything else was mainly yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, eggs, cream, milk, bread, 50% off salad bags, muffins, tortilla chips, and lots of fruit.
Costco And Our Grocery Budget
We anticipate a trip to Costco in March, which might put us over the grocery budget, so hopefully, our February expenses will be good.
I wrote a post about typical products we buy from Costco, although I might need to update this post.
Would you like me to do a Costco haul the next time we go? Comment and let me know.
January 2025 Home Budget Grocery Savings Jar
In 2024, we saved $1,712.87 using coupons and buying reduced products at local grocery stores.
We are starting the 2025 year with grocery savings of $235.51 in January.
Throughout 2025, we plan to track our savings, which include the following;
Our Flashfood Savings For January 2025
In January, we picked up 6x 4L Organic 2% milk bags for $3 each instead of $10.69.
The cost, including the service fee from Flashfood, came to $19.02 instead of $60.
Savings: $43.14
Also, we scored 12 x 1 liter 1% milk for $0.50 each, costing $7,12, including the service fee, instead of $43.08.
Savings: $35.96
Every person who signs up gets a $5 credit, a freebie Flashfood offers for new app customers.
Also, Flashfood has added a small service fee to every order, which I feel is acceptable.
Use my referral code, MOCD28ZN4, for a $5 credit. (Note: If you have any problems with the code, please message me immediately.)
Your first purchase must be over $15.
Pets
Miracles do happen! Our pet budget for 2025 is $350 monthly, as we would like to buy a mix of wet and dry food and snacks for our two.
We miraculously spent $153.30 in January, although we don’t expect that to last.
Our cats have been going outside during the winter, and we don’t know what to do for spring, summer, and fall.
I may have to purchase a big cat house made from anything but metal, which we currently have.
Any suggestions are welcome, as we aren’t sure what to do since we gave in and let them out.
Our city doesn’t allow cats outdoors, so we genuinely feel bad that we messed up.
Save Money Buying Pet Food With Chewy Canada
Before buying cat food, I check prices using the Flipp app and visit websites like Amazon, Flashfood (Ren’s Pet Store), local pet shops, and grocery stores.
Besides Amazon, we have been purchasing online from Chewy Canada, which arrives two days after ordering.
Plus, you get 20% off your first three orders, which is impressive since their prices are competitive.
I will write a Chewy Canada review in 2025, as we’ve placed about nine orders and feel we have solid information to tell our readers about.
Extended Healthcare Expenses
My benefits cover up to $2500 in dental at 100%, $500 in eyewear every two years, and $4500 in therapies at 85%.
For 2025, we are expecting to incur expenses in the extended healthcare budget category for the following services;
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Dentist
- Eyewear
Canadian Tire Rewards Points
I like to save my Canadian Tire rewards money and use it when I have a large purchase.
Most of the balance $345.64 is from the mid-end of 2024 for Christmas, as I have only shopped there a few times since.
Do you save your rewards?
Canadians Who Shop Online Use Rakuten
Do it if you order anything online and haven’t subscribed to Rakuten Canada.
Not only do you get $30 cash free from Rakuten when you use the CBB link, but you also get cash back from thousands of online stores.
You have 90 days from signing up to use Rakuten for an online purchase before receiving the $30.
Read my full review of Rakuten Canada if you are still unconvinced.
We regularly receive cheques in the mail from Rakuten.
PC Optimum Rewards Points
Since 2018, we have earned over 9 Million PC Optimum Points or $9000.
You can see January’s last 45 days of earnings in the photo above.
We started 2024 with under 7 million PC Optimum Points and currently have $7,904,787 working towards $8500 in 2025.
Eventually, we will use points to do a redemption, but we haven’t been compelled to do so like years previous.
What would you redeem our points for to get the best return on investment?
How We Saved So Many PC Optimum Points
The process of saving them started after our son was born in 2014.
Yes, we have redeemed many times, but only during their Mega Bonus Event at Christmas.
Below are blog posts for anyone wanting to learn how we earn PC Optimum Points.
Moi Rewards
Two months after joining the Moi Rewards program at Food Basics, we’ve earned $42.
For every 500 points earned, buying products with Moi points equals $4.
I’m in the process of writing a review of the Moi app, but I wanted to experience the program for a few months.
I’ll be sharing our ongoing rewards progress here each month in 2025.
Dream Air Miles 2025 Update
Most points are from our house and vehicle insurance, which offers Air Miles.
There was a point where we had to choose Cash Miles or Dream Miles.
Since my family lives in the UK, we felt the Dream Miles would have worked best for us.
I’m making it my mission for 2025 to learn as much as possible about the Air Miles program and would love some tips from any passionate collectors.
There is an Air Miles receipts program that I want to learn about.
January 2025 CBB Net Worth Update
Overall CBB December 2024 Budget + Net Worth Update
I’ve had a few people email me about our mortgage and why we don’t have one in the chart.
After purchasing our home in 2009, we paid it in full by 2014, which was not easy, but we did it.
Our current market home value is approximately $988,000, and we bought the home for $265,000 in 2009.
In December 2024, our net worth decreased by –$9156.60, or -0.50%.
However, in January 2025, it increased by $30,091.01 or 1.66% due to savings and investment increases.
Our son now has a Registered Disability Savings Plan, in which we placed $5000 to get the government to pay back to the date of his autism diagnosis.
I’ll write a blog post about the process we went through for Mrs. CBB and our son if anyone wants to learn more about our experience.
Comment below and ask me any questions you’d like me to address in the post.
2025 Food Budget Challenge Monthly Update
In December, I shared a blog post about our upcoming 2025 Food Budget Challenge and was looking for fans who wanted to join us.
I will post our Grocery update each month so you can follow along to see how the three CBB fans are doing with their food budget challenge.
Food Budget Challenger #1
Hi Mr. CBB,
I am feeding a family of 2 adults and live in Ontario.
In 2025, we’d like to accomplish these goals…
- Pay down debt
- Save for one trip
- Cut down on unnecessary shopping
Our monthly grocery budget is $400.00
Typically, we grocery shop at the following stores;
- Wholesale Club
- No Frills
- Brady’s Meat
In January, we saved $252.10 using flyer sales and not buying what we don’t need.
Signed,
Grumpy Grocery Shopper X 2
Food Budget Challenger #2
Hi Mr. CBB,
I am feeding a family of 4 (two adults and two children aged 4 and 6) and live in Ontario.
In 2025, we’d like to save as much money as possible toward our mortgage, as we are up for renewal in June 2026.
Our monthly grocery budget is $800, which might be unrealistic.
Eating out is not part of our budget, so I combined the food budget for the restaurant and grocery store for $1000 monthly.
We grocery shop at Giant Tiger, Independent, Shoppers Drugmart, and sometimes Foodland.
In January, we saved $54.32 using coupons and PC points.
Meat and Produce Delivery Services
For 2025, we signed up for a meat delivery service, which is more expensive but very good quality meat.
We also tried Odd Bunch produce delivery, and I think we will use it regularly.
What I learned about grocery shopping this month is to eat at home and use the food!
We spent $853.32 on groceries this month and $393.28 on restaurant/takeout.
This does include $181 for our two boys for two hot lunches per week at school for January and February (so expensive, but they enjoy it).
So, our total for food in January was $1246.60, which put us over budget by $246.60.
We have enough food that Feb and March will have to be pantry and freezer shopping to make room.
Grocery Breakdown Challenger #1
| CBB Grocery challenge | ||||
| Week | Store | Amount | Savings | |
| 1 | Jan 1-4 | GT | 53.75 | |
| Shoppers | 63.27 | (20.94 pts) | ||
| Independent | 6 | |||
| Independent | 39.81 | (1.00 pts) | ||
| 162.83 | 21.94 | |||
| 2 | Jan 5 – 12 | GT | 37.84 | |
| IND | 74 | (2 pts) | ||
| (4 C51) | ||||
| 111.84 | 6 | |||
| 3 | Jan 13 – 18 | GT | 56.58 | |
| IND | 2.38 | redeemed pts | ||
| Foodland | 7.48 | |||
| 66.44 | ||||
| 3 | Meat delivery | 302.56 | ||
| 4 | Jan 19-25 | odd bunch | 17.99 | |
| IND | 46.31 | PTS 5.2 | ||
| GT | 54.29 | |||
| Shoppers | 77.06 | PTS 21.18 | ||
| Dollarama | 7 | |||
| 202.65 |
Week 5 – no spend, bought the following Sunday
CBB Food Challenger #3
Hi Mr. CBB,
I feed a family of 3 adults living in Southwestern Ontario.
In 2025, we’d like to accomplish not having to pay back overspending next year (we still owe about $800.00 from last year by overspending on our grocery budget in 2024).
Our monthly grocery budget is $800.00 (last year was $600.00 a month).
We spent $714.05 for the month, but there were things we normally don’t spend money on.
Costco trip was $209.30 (once a month is a Costco shop), daughter’s baby shower (food) $45.55, Janssen’s CSA veggie/fruit $200.00 (half payment now).
I used a lot from the freezer and cupboard on my monthly meal plan.
We had chicken pot pie, loaded potato soup, chicken thighs, broccoli and potatoes, rib roast, veggies with pasta, hot dogs and burgers, etc.
Almost 99% of the time, we shop at No Frills (it is in our town and we can price match)
We saved quite a bit in January using flyer sales and price matching.
Butter was on sale at Superstore, so we pm (No Frills $7.99 and Superstore $4.88, and we bought 8 of them, so we saved $24.88.)
I learned about grocery shopping this month and that watching what we buy can save us money instead of spending it frivolously.
Signed, T