I'm a content creator, a lawyer who works mainly in IP, and an employee of a software company. I deal with IP issues on a daily basis, both personally and professionally. And yes, I violate copyrights all the time.
However, I wouldn't say that my motivation is to save money- it's generally more for purposes of convenience than for cost savings, although money does play some factor. While music downloads are arguably the least likely to run afoul of copyright laws (and I stress "arguably"), I'm much more likely to pay for "legitimate" music downloads than for videos or other content.
I can't help but think that a major part of the reason why I and so many others tend to disregard many copyright restrictions is because Canada's legislation is totally out of step with current technologies and public opinions. When the law is viewed by many (perhaps even most?) people as being of little concern or effect, we all become "criminals" and see even less validity in the law. It has a bit of a snowball effect- the more people find that they have already violated the law, the less they care about continuing to do so.
Until Canada updates its IP laws, I'll continue to upload CDs and old albums to my iPod, record shows with my PVR, and download those episodes of Lost that I missed. I may not always feel great about it, but I don't feel bad enough to stop.