Now a lot of people lately have been asking me if I'll be shopping or what I'll be doing when I go down to the States in March since the dollar sucks. Well we are going for WPPI which is a photographer's conference. So I mean yes there will be some downtime but I will likely be saving my money for things like food. I have been very conscious about saving money though and checking out things on sale in stores that I would shop at. I wanted to offer some of my money saving tips for those who are thinking of cross boarder shopping or road tripping soon.
1) Get a U.S. Account at your bank: depending on your bank, this should be free. This is just like an extra savings account, only for U.S. money. Every single time I went to the bank to take American money out, I was always offered a U.S. credit card. Since I was only going once a year at that point, I always politely refused. Then one time the teller offered to open a U.S. bank account. This was free of charge, and basically it's an account that no matter what the exchange rate is, always got a little bit of a better rate. So I said sure why not. So even though $1 Canadian = $0.71 U.S, I might get a rate of $0.75 U.S. It's not much, but hey it's something.
2) Look for those American Coins: every time I shop here whether it's at the grocery store, the gas station, or a restaurant, I am pretty observant to see what kind of change I get, and if there are any American coins in it. I have a jar that I have been stock piling this change in, and even though I know it won't add up to much by the time I go, it still means less money I'll have to take out of my other account. (FYI...you may think change doesn't add up in a jar, but try working a job that has tips or putting your remaining change in a jar for a few months. You'd be surprised at how fast it adds up)
3) Research: look for restaurants, malls, entertainment, or whatever before hand to see if you can find deals, coupons, or just cheaper places in general. Since we're going to Vegas, there is a LOT of stuff to do for free. I mean come on, you can spend one day just checking out hotels for pete's sake. Since the dollar isn't the best, we plan to have a lot of free stuff in our itinerary for the evening's and the extra day we'll have in Vegas. The best thing about going to a place like Vegas is you can make a huge itinerary full of free stuff and maybe have one or two paid things and still feel like you're getting in the full Vegas experience.
4) Pack Light: this is a basic travel tip. But if you're flying somewhere and you don't want to pay for your bag that weighs 80 pounds because you went a little shopping crazy, pack light so you'll have the extra room. I mean, you already have to pay for baggage fees on most flights now, why would you wanna tack on extra money because your bag is overweight?
5) Enjoy Yourself: I have to keep reminding myself of this. If you're someone who doesn't get to travel a lot, don't forget to treat yoself. Just because the dollar sucks, you deserve this trip! Again, I only get away 1-2 times a year if I'm lucky. So if there is a purse at Kate Spade and they've got a killer sale on, you know I'll be all over that. It's important to be smart, but it's also important not to stress over the small things because a vacation is meant to be enjoyed.
I recommend checking out this website below too, especially if you're a first time or non frequent traveller. And if you are going somewhere in the next few months, have fun!
https://www.crossbordershopping.ca/top-10-cross-border-shopping-tips-for-canadians
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