u/LongHealth

I’ve been focusing on minimizing expenses from all sources and found a few effective ways. I’m sharing in hopes that it helps someone out there.

1. No paid streaming services. I use CBC Gem which has tons of good content and no ads. The local library also gives access to other streaming services for free. Gem and your library should be plenty.

2. I got rid of Roger’s internet and signed up for Oxio. The initial switch took my internet cost from $140 to $90. I then used the oxio referral code to get months of free internet. I signed up everyone that I know and even strangers that I met. You get one free month per person.

3. Food delivery only when deals compound. I use skipthedishes with a CIBC card to eliminate delivery fee. Then stick to buy one get one deals and stack other coupons on top . Right now there is a coupon for 50% off. Pizza is often the best option because I can get a ton of it for $20. I have a week’s worth of really good pizza that I paid $23 for in my fridge/freezer right now.

4. Ethnic grocery stores save a lot of money especially on produce and meat. My favourite is Basha Foods in Calgary but you’ll have options in any major city. This has cut my grocery bill to $40 a week.

5. Using an AI chat to find free events and entertainment. There are a lot of free events that are really fun and you get to meet new people without spending money.

6. If you don’t drive a lot, use a pay per mile insurance. I pay $1400 a year to insure a vehicle in Alberta (the most expensive province).

7. Using Fee Assistance programs. Calgary has a program where you get extremely discounted passes to rec centers, discounted concert and theatre tickets, subsidized transit, and more. Once you are accepted into this, you can get extremely discounted vet care as well. Other cities have programs as well so check yours.

I hope this helps!

I’ve had a crazy life almost exclusively full of suffering for the first couple of decades. My father was an alcoholic that abandoned the family then when my mom was going to leave him, he set her on fire in her sleep and I was next to her so was set on fire as well. I watched her die in the hospital as they put us in the same emergency room. I was seven at the time.

I spent years in the hospital recovering and eventually moved in with my grandmother. She would die of a brain aneurysm and I ended up in an orphanage, which I ran away from only to end up in a juvenile prison full of children who had killed people. Eventually I was adopted by a woman with extreme bipolar disorder and abused until I could get free in adulthood.

That’s some of the background to give you an idea of the suffering endured. Therapy was not a thing in my country so I was left to my own devices.

While I’m still covered in scars, I’ve managed to find peace by accepting the suffering and allowing the pain and trauma to move through and out of me. I found ways to calm my mind and completely stop any thoughts or emotions from defining my being; which I’ve separated fully from my physical self. I’ve integrated my shadow and can always observe from a neutral perspective. The thing is, I thought a lot of what I discovered was unique to my life experience for a long time. Then I started reading about Buddhism, and realized I’ve been practicing it for decades without knowing.

In losing everything including my identity and family, I learned to detach from the world. I learned that nothing external can define me. I learned to desire inner peace over worldly things which have no real value. I learned to forgive the unforgivable as the only other option was letting it destroy me. I learned to let go of the past and only exist in the moment as all other options only led me to depression.

Is Buddhism the default path to freedom for those that suffer enough?