Great Deals

One thing about moving to Canada that was a bit hard to swallow was the cost of living. Ok, so it is still hard to swallow. :) Things up here are waaaay more expensive than they are in the States. Compare some of these prices to what you pay:

$7.50 for a gallon of milk

Over $3 for cream cheese

Around $5 a gallon for gas. Gas comes by the liter, so its hard to say exactly how much we are paying per gallon. But its a lot.

Normal cotton fabric is about $10 a meter (that's less than a yard, peeps)

Dad asked at a carpet store about getting a 9’x20’ piece of carpet. They quoted him over $500.

These are just a few examples. I am very thankful, though, because it could be much worse. I have friends that are missionaries in Northern Canada, and they said that milk is about $15 a gallon up there. Therefore, I think I will be thankful for our $7 a gallon milk. :)

There are, however, places to get some things cheaper if you know where to look. One of those places is our GREAT clothing store called, "Frenchy's." It would be similar to Goodwill in the States, but I think Frenchy's is so much better. They truck in clothing from the States, so most of it is name-brand stuff. Some of it is used, but you can often find clothes with the tags still on them. Some might be rejects, for instance, it has the wrong size printed on it or something, but otherwise is in great condition. here are some examples of stuff I recently got at Frenchy's.

I got these three jackets at one Frenchy's for about $4 a piece. They don't give itemized receipts, so I don't know exactly how much each one was. The pink one is Old Navy, and the greenish one is Gap.

I paid less than $3 for both of these sweaters together. I really have no idea why. Frenchy's has set prices for the different clothing items, but the cashier gets to decide what category the item you are buying falls under. Once I got a heavy winter coat, and she charged me for a child's winter coat. Maybe that is what happened with these sweaters, I don't know. Hey, sometimes there are advantages to looking younger!

Frenchy's is by far my favorite place to get clothes. Hey, I don't need to shop at Old Navy, when I can get it WAAAAAY cheaper at Frenchy's! Win, win!

Another time my sister and I were in Payless Shoe Source, and I found these sandals:

Can you read that price tag?? It says $27.99. They were, however, marked down to $8. And because my sister was buying a pair of sneakers (also marked down considerably), we were able to take advantage of the "Buy one/get one 1/2 off" deal. Which brought these beauties down to $4!!! (Can I hear an amen??)

So despite the cost of living, there are ways to get things you need at reasonable prices. You just have to keep your eyes peeled. (Ewww, gross!)

What is the cost of living like where you live? Where is your favorite place to shop for clothes?