:: BEST TIPS TO SAVE MONEY WHILE LIVING IN MONTREAL, QC ::
Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in North America. Each year, a lot of immigrants from French-speaking countries come to this city to settle down. While starting their new life in Montreal, most of them can't help thinking: 'How to save money while living in Montreal? '
In fact, if you have the same concerns, you may get some great ideas from the following tips:
1- The weekly flyer can be your good source for saving money.
Every week, you may receive a lot of promotion flyers from the local supermarkets and groceries. Don't put them in recycling bin too quickly, because there are always some valuable discount coupons or on-sale information inside. For example, in Montreal, an ordinary rice cooker costs CAD$50, but during its on-sale week, it costs only CAD$30 or even less.
Thus, for some preservable products (for example: cereal, rice, toilet paper and household cleaning products, etc), you can always make a good stock during their corresponding promotion weeks.
Besides the good offers shown on the flyers, the local supermarket giant Maxi, always sells the fruits and vegetables at a quite competitive price which is lower than the other local competitors.
Surprisingly, the local pharmacy chain, PHARMAPRIX also sells some food and soft drinks in its stores. Normally, every few weeks, they will put some eggs on sale. During the sale period, a box of 12 eggs costs only CAD$1.69, much cheaper than the normal price in other stores. Thus, if your family consumes a lot of eggs each week, PHARMAPRIX might be good place for you to do egg shopping.
2 - Make your own bread at home.
For most people in North America, eating bread becomes a daily necessary. In fact, you should buy a bread maker from the market to make your own bread at home. During the sale, a good bread maker only costs around CAD$40 and a bag of bread flour packed in 10 kg costs only around CAD$10 in the local groceries, such as: Maxi, Metro, Provigo and Super C, etc.
With the 10 kg flour, you can make around 20 loaves of bread. Each loaf of bread at the same size costs around CAD$4.00 in the market. For saving money, it's a good idea to make your bread at home, isn't it?
3 - If you can find it in Dollarama, don't buy it from the other place!
Dollarama is a chain of over 600 stores across Canada. All the items in its stores cost you only CAD$1. (Recently, due to the America economic crisis, the prices of some items increase to CAD$1.25 or CAD$2.00).
They provide a lot of products, such as preservable food, toys and home decoration materials, etc. You might not be interested in the food or toys there. However, if you search for some tools for accomplishing household decoration, it is an ideal store for you. For example, a hammer sold in Dollarama costs you only CAD$1, while the same product costs around CAD$20 in other shops.
4 - During summer, buy your fresh fruits and vegetables from the exterior markets at a low price.
During summer, the exterior markets are available around the town. Since most of products there are provided directly by the local Quebecois farms, you can find some prices even lower than the grocery stores. In Montreal, there are three big public markets: the Jean-Talon Market, Atwater Market and Maisonneuve Market. Besides these 3 big public markets, you can also find some small exterior markets in your neighborhood.
However, these exterior markets open only until the end of October, before the snow arrives in town.
5 - If you live or work near the local China Town, you can do your cheap grocery there.
There is a China Town located in the heart of Montreal. Inside the small stores of China town, besides the Asian food, you can also find a lot of meat, fruits or vegetables at low prices there.
If you like Asian food and your working location is nearby, you may even consider buying your lunch there. A noodle take-out there costs you less than CAD$5.
6 - Do your shopping on Boxing Day.
Boxing Day is a tradition in some countries, as well as in Montreal. It's the day after the Christmas day. On this day, a lot of products are sold at their half price, even lower.
On the Boxing Day, you have to wake up early for waiting outside the store for being the first group to enter the shop. However, if you buy some expensive electronic products on Boxing Day, it can always help you save a big sum of money.
7 - Enjoy your movie at only CA$1 in Dollar Cinema.
At the weekend, you might want to enjoy a movie with your family or your friends; meanwhile you may have a tight monthly budget. Dollar cinema (www.dollarcinema.ca) might be an ideal place for you to go. Each ticket there costs only $1 dollar. And the price of each snack there is also set at CAD$1.
The movies available there aren't the newest ones on the market. However, one ticket in ordinary cinema costs around CAD$12 to CAD$8, while in Dollar Cinema it costs you only CAD$1.
8 - Free movie, music and Internet access service are available in National Library of Quebec, Montreal (whose official French name is: Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec, BAnQ).
National Library of Quebec is the largest and most comprehensive library in Montreal. If you are a resident of Quebec, they can offer you a library card at no cost. With this card, besides borrowing the books and documents from library, you can reserve a place on its 4th floor to watch the new DVDs or enjoy the Music. Inside the whole library building, the Internet access service is free. You can bring your laptop there and use the Internet at no cost for a whole day long. It's an ideal place for the job hunter to search for job online.
9 - You can also save money on transportation.
The transportation system in Montreal is quite well-developed. Its subway and bus network reaches each corner of the city. If you need to take bus or subway often, you'd better buy a transportation pass which allows you to use the transportation for unlimited times within the week or month.
If you just take bus or subway occasionally, you might go to the local PHARMAPRIX to buy the 6-ticket package, whose price is a bit cheaper than the one you have to pay at the entry of subway station.
10 - Visit the museums on the Museum Day.
On the Museum Day of Montreal, you can visit the museums and receive some small gifts at no cost at all.
When you live in Montreal, you must be interested in knowing the local culture and arts here. During the normal days, each museum visit costs around CAD$12 to CAD$20 for an adult. But each year, at the end of May, there is a Museum Day set in Montreal. On this day, you can visit all the museums in town at no cost. Even the transportation service on this day is free for transporting the people to the museums. Some local companies even choose this day to do some promotion in front of the museums and offer some free samples or small gifts to the museum visitors.
;D...Bobby554 ;D
Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in North America. Each year, a lot of immigrants from French-speaking countries come to this city to settle down. While starting their new life in Montreal, most of them can't help thinking: 'How to save money while living in Montreal? '
In fact, if you have the same concerns, you may get some great ideas from the following tips:
1- The weekly flyer can be your good source for saving money.
Every week, you may receive a lot of promotion flyers from the local supermarkets and groceries. Don't put them in recycling bin too quickly, because there are always some valuable discount coupons or on-sale information inside. For example, in Montreal, an ordinary rice cooker costs CAD$50, but during its on-sale week, it costs only CAD$30 or even less.
Thus, for some preservable products (for example: cereal, rice, toilet paper and household cleaning products, etc), you can always make a good stock during their corresponding promotion weeks.
Besides the good offers shown on the flyers, the local supermarket giant Maxi, always sells the fruits and vegetables at a quite competitive price which is lower than the other local competitors.
Surprisingly, the local pharmacy chain, PHARMAPRIX also sells some food and soft drinks in its stores. Normally, every few weeks, they will put some eggs on sale. During the sale period, a box of 12 eggs costs only CAD$1.69, much cheaper than the normal price in other stores. Thus, if your family consumes a lot of eggs each week, PHARMAPRIX might be good place for you to do egg shopping.
2 - Make your own bread at home.
For most people in North America, eating bread becomes a daily necessary. In fact, you should buy a bread maker from the market to make your own bread at home. During the sale, a good bread maker only costs around CAD$40 and a bag of bread flour packed in 10 kg costs only around CAD$10 in the local groceries, such as: Maxi, Metro, Provigo and Super C, etc.
With the 10 kg flour, you can make around 20 loaves of bread. Each loaf of bread at the same size costs around CAD$4.00 in the market. For saving money, it's a good idea to make your bread at home, isn't it?
3 - If you can find it in Dollarama, don't buy it from the other place!
Dollarama is a chain of over 600 stores across Canada. All the items in its stores cost you only CAD$1. (Recently, due to the America economic crisis, the prices of some items increase to CAD$1.25 or CAD$2.00).
They provide a lot of products, such as preservable food, toys and home decoration materials, etc. You might not be interested in the food or toys there. However, if you search for some tools for accomplishing household decoration, it is an ideal store for you. For example, a hammer sold in Dollarama costs you only CAD$1, while the same product costs around CAD$20 in other shops.
4 - During summer, buy your fresh fruits and vegetables from the exterior markets at a low price.
During summer, the exterior markets are available around the town. Since most of products there are provided directly by the local Quebecois farms, you can find some prices even lower than the grocery stores. In Montreal, there are three big public markets: the Jean-Talon Market, Atwater Market and Maisonneuve Market. Besides these 3 big public markets, you can also find some small exterior markets in your neighborhood.
However, these exterior markets open only until the end of October, before the snow arrives in town.
5 - If you live or work near the local China Town, you can do your cheap grocery there.
There is a China Town located in the heart of Montreal. Inside the small stores of China town, besides the Asian food, you can also find a lot of meat, fruits or vegetables at low prices there.
If you like Asian food and your working location is nearby, you may even consider buying your lunch there. A noodle take-out there costs you less than CAD$5.
6 - Do your shopping on Boxing Day.
Boxing Day is a tradition in some countries, as well as in Montreal. It's the day after the Christmas day. On this day, a lot of products are sold at their half price, even lower.
On the Boxing Day, you have to wake up early for waiting outside the store for being the first group to enter the shop. However, if you buy some expensive electronic products on Boxing Day, it can always help you save a big sum of money.
7 - Enjoy your movie at only CA$1 in Dollar Cinema.
At the weekend, you might want to enjoy a movie with your family or your friends; meanwhile you may have a tight monthly budget. Dollar cinema (www.dollarcinema.ca) might be an ideal place for you to go. Each ticket there costs only $1 dollar. And the price of each snack there is also set at CAD$1.
The movies available there aren't the newest ones on the market. However, one ticket in ordinary cinema costs around CAD$12 to CAD$8, while in Dollar Cinema it costs you only CAD$1.
8 - Free movie, music and Internet access service are available in National Library of Quebec, Montreal (whose official French name is: Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec, BAnQ).
National Library of Quebec is the largest and most comprehensive library in Montreal. If you are a resident of Quebec, they can offer you a library card at no cost. With this card, besides borrowing the books and documents from library, you can reserve a place on its 4th floor to watch the new DVDs or enjoy the Music. Inside the whole library building, the Internet access service is free. You can bring your laptop there and use the Internet at no cost for a whole day long. It's an ideal place for the job hunter to search for job online.
9 - You can also save money on transportation.
The transportation system in Montreal is quite well-developed. Its subway and bus network reaches each corner of the city. If you need to take bus or subway often, you'd better buy a transportation pass which allows you to use the transportation for unlimited times within the week or month.
If you just take bus or subway occasionally, you might go to the local PHARMAPRIX to buy the 6-ticket package, whose price is a bit cheaper than the one you have to pay at the entry of subway station.
10 - Visit the museums on the Museum Day.
On the Museum Day of Montreal, you can visit the museums and receive some small gifts at no cost at all.
When you live in Montreal, you must be interested in knowing the local culture and arts here. During the normal days, each museum visit costs around CAD$12 to CAD$20 for an adult. But each year, at the end of May, there is a Museum Day set in Montreal. On this day, you can visit all the museums in town at no cost. Even the transportation service on this day is free for transporting the people to the museums. Some local companies even choose this day to do some promotion in front of the museums and offer some free samples or small gifts to the museum visitors.
;D...Bobby554 ;D
