Rising Bills! Three switches that saved my sanity (and my wallet)

Apparently, loyalty means paying double for the same service. I call that diabolical — and I wasn’t about to play along. Over the past few months, I’ve had a string of “enough is enough” moments with my bills, and instead of getting hot under the collar I decided it was time for change. The result? Lower costs, smoother systems, and a lot less stress. If you’ve ever felt trapped by increasing bills, maybe my story will nudge you toward your own switch.

Fido → Public Mobile (BYOP)
Fido had this sneaky way of raising your bill like a cat creeping onto the counter when you weren’t looking. When I received my bill in January and saw that it had increased, I was furious. Sick of feeling like I had to suck it up, I did my research, and without hesitation jumped ship to Public Mobile; saving about $25 per month. Yes, it was a bring‑your‑own‑phone plan, but my Pixel 7 still serves my needs well. The process was effortless. All online: e‑SIM, number ported, lower bill, no drama and it only took 10 minutes of time. And here’s the kicker: Public Mobile has proven to be great so far. It even gives me 5G when it can — something Fido never managed, even though I had a 5G plan! With Fido I had 70 GBs of data (which I didn’t pay extra for) that I never used. I checked my usage and honestly, I barely used 4 GBs a month. So, Public Mobile’s 20 GBs plan was more than adequate. Honestly, as my contract with Fido finished in October, I was wondering why I hadn’t done it sooner.

Rogers Internet → Oxio
Then came Rogers. I had signed up for a $50 per month plan on a two‑year contract, and without so much as an email notice, my plan changed. Suddenly my bill was $110 for the same standard 100/30 speeds. Surprise! Yes, and not the good kind. To make matters worse, I lost service completely, during working hours, twice in the prior months. Outrageous pricing for speeds that aren’t even gold‑plated — just the same old copper. That was the last straw. I switched to Oxio, and the transition was smooth as silk. Transparent pricing ($56 per month for the same speeds), no games, and I even got the first month free, which made the transition a no‑brainer. Plus, I like the name Oxio — it sounds like a superhero sidekick, and frankly it saved the day. (If you’re curious, oxio.ca with promo code RCQ7FQ5 gets you a free month.)

Note: If you’re coming from Rogers or Fido, you’re probably used to their all‑in‑one modem/router box. Oxio’s modem is just a modem. They include a Cogeco Wi‑Fi extender, but it isn’t a router — it can only extend a Wi‑Fi network you already have. So if you rely on Wi‑Fi, you’ll need to have your own router.

I plug my laptop directly into the modem, but I still need Wi‑Fi for my phone, tablet, TV, printer, and everything else. I picked up a TP‑Link AX23 router for $69, which is perfect for my setup. Even with that one‑time purchase, switching to Oxio to save $54 per month — plus getting a free month — still made complete sense.

Cumis Insurance → CAA MyPace
Insurance was another huge increase. With Cumis, the renewal price for both my tenants and auto insurance was around $2,759 per year, with no claims. Hello CAA MyPace! With the exact same coverage, the total came in at around $1,396 for both, with a different “pay as you drive” type policy. Even their usual type of policy would have only been $1,847 for both. Finally, an insurance plan that makes sense — and doesn’t assume I’m moonlighting as a taxi driver. Pay for what you use, when and if you use it, and still get a great rate.

Lessons learned
Switching isn’t scary — it’s liberating. Companies count on inertia, on us staying put because change can feel challenging and time‑consuming. But each of these moves was both quick and painless, and the payoff was immediate. Lower bills, better fit, less resentment. If your bill makes you gasp louder than a horror movie jump scare, it’s time to change, we have options.

Wrapping up
I didn’t just save money — I reclaimed control. And you can too. Loyalty should be rewarded, not billed. If you’ve made a switch that saved your sanity, please share it. The more we talk about these changes, the less power those annoying increasing costs have over us.