Recently Arrived in Mississauga GTA, Some Questions

[jliu]

Hi forummers, I arrived in Mississauga in GTA via Federal skilled visa in March from after studying and working in Munich. I am originally from Malaysia. I've some questions about settling which I hope people can provide some info and tips on:

(1) I am using pre-paid mobile /w Bell but it's just too expensive. Since I use my mobile to job hunt heavily, what's the best way to save money? Any suggestions on how, where to get good deals? I found a good deal from trek savvy for internet, and I'm hoping similar good deals can be found for mobile also. Can I find deals for less than CDN$25/month with some SMS allowance and at least included 300 minutes?

(2) For daily grocery, how do I find affordable items in GTA? I try to shop at No-frills and Chinatown but I still find my daily expenses running way too high for me to last long without borrowing.

(3) What is the best way to network and know people? Not sure about this since i just landed, but I notice that people in GTA appear very cold and unfriendly, and sometimes hostile. I try not to let it bother me too much, but it's getting to be quite depressing lately. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[zardoz]

1) Canada is insanely expensive for mobile phone plans. Prepay is OK for light use but for heavy duty you are probably going to have to take out a plan. Be very careful however that you don't get conned by some sales man as they are very aggressive sellers.

2) No Frills is cheap rubbish but unless you qualify for Costco, it's about the cheapest prices you will find.

3) It will take time to get used to. Some people will not give you the time of day but others will be very helpful. No different to any other country really. My Canadian wife thinks that the UK is just the same. She is correct of course...

 

[Eowyn]

3) It will take time to get used to. Some people will not give you the time of day but others will be very helpful. No different to any other country really. My Canadian wife thinks that the UK is just the same. She is correct of course...

The UK IS the same, but I believe the same can be said for anyone new to a country and their culture. Canadians are not cold and unfriendly, but just like any friendships, it takes time to build them. I have been living in the UK for 9 years now and I struggled to make friends. It wasn't until I started working and got to know my work colleagues that my social circles started expanding. I found it very lonely to begin with so I understand how you feel. There is no easy fix for this. You just have to keep at it and in time, you will develop the friendships you need.

 

[Eowyn]

Oh yeah, and as Zardoz said, phone plans are very over-priced in Canada and pre-paid is a rip off. Your best bet is to research the different providers and have some idea of what you want. If you go in with something in mind and stick to it, you won't wind up with something you don't need.

 

[scylla]

You're already shopping at the cheapest places for food, in my opinion. If you want to lower your expenses further - I suppose you can look out for sales at No Frills and take advantage of those when you can. If you buy milk, Shoppers seems to have some of the lowest prices.

 

[asbereth]

I heard that the GTA has many good and cheap cell-phone providers, but the signal would only work within the GTA area (Mobilicity, Public Mobile, WIND).

If you're thinking of something more Canada-wide, and if you don't care about data, Virgin Mobile has a plan with 200 daytime Canadian minutes (no long distance charge), and unlimited world-wide messaging for 22.5 per month (assuming you're not getting a new phone).

 

[torontosm]

(1) I am using pre-paid mobile /w Bell but it's just too expensive. Since I use my mobile to job hunt heavily, what's the best way to save money? Any suggestions on how, where to get good deals? I found a good deal from trek savvy for internet, and I'm hoping similar good deals can be found for mobile also. Can I find deals for less than CDN$25/month with some SMS allowance and at least included 300 minutes?

Go with Wind, Public Mobile or Mobilicity. They all offer unlimited talk plans for around $25. If you want a more reliable connection, try Fido which has an unlimited talk + 1 GB (or 3 GB) data for $50. Any plans offered by Bell, TELUS or Rogers are very expensive, particularly on the prepaid side.

(2) For daily grocery, how do I find affordable items in GTA? I try to shop at No-frills and Chinatown but I still find my daily expenses running way too high for me to last long without borrowing.

Make sure you monitor the flyers on a weekly basis to see what products are on sale at what stores. Also, there are some ethnic grocery stores/supermarkets that offer better prices on imported ethnic foods.

(3) What is the best way to network and know people? Not sure about this since i just landed, but I notice that people in GTA appear very cold and unfriendly, and sometimes hostile. I try not to let it bother me too much, but it's getting to be quite depressing lately. Am I doing something wrong?

People in the GTA are not cold or unfriendly, but they are busy. Use tools like Email and LinkedIn to try and schedule coffee informational meetings on a highly targeted basis. Cold calling or spamming does not work.

Good luck and hope you settle in quickly!

 

[jliu]

Thanks for giving the tips. Yeah, I stopped with Bell as it got too pricey. Was surprised to discover there's noway for them to carry over my unused minutes for pre-paid. Currently I just use paid Skype service with phone number and voice mail. I've been trying to find cheaper food sources in GTA but I think Chinatown is the cheapest possible. When I minimize processed food and drink purchases and limit myself to non-processed food items, I find that it cuts down the food expenses a lot, but it is still running too high. Not sure how long I can last with my funds. I can't say for certain if I'm sure about the social environment in GTA. Been here almost 4 full months now and it's been very tough. I just always get this feeling that people want to avoid me or are unfriendly to me because they've got some issues or a bone to pick with me, which I really don't know anything about since they don't say it directly.

 

[Fredrick_n]

Go with Wind, Public Mobile or Mobilicity. They all offer unlimited talk plans ....

OK, this might sound like a stupid question ( and it probably is anyway ! ) but just to make sure ...
these prepaid plans that specify the minutes you get ( 100 minutes canada wide, or 500 minutes local ), these refer to outgoing calls, right ? incoming calls are free. or should i pay a part of incoming calls as well ?

 

[bellaluna]

OK, this might sound like a stupid question ( and it probably is anyway ! ) but just to make sure ...
these prepaid plans that specify the minutes you get ( 100 minutes canada wide, or 500 minutes local ), these refer to outgoing calls, right ? incoming calls are free. or should i pay a part of incoming calls as well ?

Incoming calls are free.

 

[BC4life]

Hi forummers, I arrived in Mississauga in GTA via Federal skilled visa in March from after studying and working in Munich. I am originally from Malaysia. I've some questions about settling which I hope people can provide some info and tips on:

(1) I am using pre-paid mobile /w Bell but it's just too expensive. Since I use my mobile to job hunt heavily, what's the best way to save money? Any suggestions on how, where to get good deals? I found a good deal from trek savvy for internet, and I'm hoping similar good deals can be found for mobile also. Can I find deals for less than CDN$25/month with some SMS allowance and at least included 300 minutes?

(2) For daily grocery, how do I find affordable items in GTA? I try to shop at No-frills and Chinatown but I still find my daily expenses running way too high for me to last long without borrowing.

(3) What is the best way to network and know people? Not sure about this since i just landed, but I notice that people in GTA appear very cold and unfriendly, and sometimes hostile. I try not to let it bother me too much, but it's getting to be quite depressing lately. Am I doing something wrong?

Both Public Mobile and Chatr have unlimited provincial calls and text for $25/month

 

[emamabd]

OK, this might sound like a stupid question ( and it probably is anyway ! ) but just to make sure ...
these prepaid plans that specify the minutes you get ( 100 minutes canada wide, or 500 minutes local ), these refer to outgoing calls, right ? incoming calls are free. or should i pay a part of incoming calls as well ?

Kodoo counts both incoming and outgoing in their 100 minutes/500 minutes plans, after 1 crazy bill (luckily they waived it at the time) i decided to settle for unlimited canada-wide minutes at $40 a month. Their service is generally very good though..kodoo is owned by Telus and uses Telus's network (one of the best mobile networks in canada) .

 

[next2015]

Thanks for giving the tips. Yeah, I stopped with Bell as it got too pricey. Was surprised to discover there's noway for them to carry over my unused minutes for pre-paid. Currently I just use paid Skype service with phone number and voice mail. I've been trying to find cheaper food sources in GTA but I think Chinatown is the cheapest possible. When I minimize processed food and drink purchases and limit myself to non-processed food items, I find that it cuts down the food expenses a lot, but it is still running too high. Not sure how long I can last with my funds. I can't say for certain if I'm sure about the social environment in GTA. Been here almost 4 full months now and it's been very tough. I just always get this feeling that people want to avoid me or are unfriendly to me because they've got some issues or a bone to pick with me, which I really don't know anything about since they don't say it directly.

I believe its always cheaper when yu buy produce and cook your own food. I recall reading somewhere, eating out or buying ready to eat foods costs 4 times as much as buying the produce and cooking your meal at home. I did my own cooking when I just landed, the most I spent on food items per week was about $60, with a variety to choose from, and much less when I did less variety. But I have to note, I was in less expensive city