commoncentsmom

Hi, I’m Hollie. I founded Commoncentsmom in March, 2009

I first started my blog in 2009, at one of the lowest points in my life. I was bankrupt, broke, and a single mom trying to rebuild from scratch while raising a disabled daughter. Common Cents Mom became my outlet and my community. It was place to share what I was learning about money, parenting, and survival in Canada. I didn’t have much, but I had grit, faith, and a desire to help others find hope and information in hard times. I needed to learn and I knew others did too.

Over the next 10 years, Common Cents Mom grew into a trusted voice in the Canadian personal finance space. I wrote about budgeting, couponing, saving money on groceries, finding freebies, and side hustles — all from a real-life, no-BS perspective. From 2010 to 2018, I also hosted #CdnMoney, a weekly Twitter chat that brought together money experts and everyday Canadians to talk about living well with less. ( In 8 years, over 100,000 participated in the weekly chats which produced over 6 billion social media hits) The original blog was featured on every Mainstream media site in Canada from the CBC, Today’s Parent, Wisebread, The Toronto Star, The New York Times, The National Post, CTV and CityNews. Over 1 million readers visited the old blog site.

In June 2019, I sold the site for a profit. It continued to live on for a while, but like many things online that radically change, it lost its spark. In the early part of 2025 the blog I was once so proud of was gone, so were all the resources for Canadians especially for those who live life on tight budgets.

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So Why Relaunch Now?

Because there’s still work to do.

Canadians are struggling with inflation, food prices, debt, and uncertainty. Moms (especially single moms, disabled moms, and working-class moms) still need real support and honest advice. This blog will not only help moms but be a resource for every Canadian who lives on less than $75,000 a year. If your family lives off $100,000 or less per year you may want to follow this blog.

I’m rebuilding Common Cents Mom as a fresh resource for today’s realities. It will be grounded in experience, powered by faith, and filled with practical tools you can actually use on your budget.

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What You’ll Find Here

• Smart money advice for Canadian families
• Grocery hacks, frugal tips, and coupon finds
• Real talk about ADHD, single parenting, and starting over and preparing for retirement.
• Encouragement, grace, and practical hope

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If you’re trying to make life work on a budget, you’re in the right place. I am too. My advice and tips will come from years of research, conversations with Canadians on real budgets and even talking with the experts as needed.

Let’s get back to common sense and community, one post at a time.