Sweet Parity! Save On Travel Deals and Your Christmas Shopping

The dollar is at parity once again, which means there is a whole new round of deals to be had for all you bargain hunters out there.

The big deals seem to be found shopping online for gifts, and for travel deals. (If you're paying in USD, the costs you incur are less than what they might be if the Canadian dollar was trading lower.)

Personally, I don't really think it's a good idea to gas up the car and go on a road trip, simply for the sake of shopping – any savings that might be had will likely be gobbled up in car costs. If you were planning a road trip anyway, though, it might be a good time to rethink your spending budget. (Do keep a list and check it twice. One big drawback to starting your Christmas shopping this early is the time it affords you to overspend between now and December. Resist that urge!)

If you're not quite in the mindset yet, we've put together a list of articles to get those creative shopping juices going for you. Several will give you a few ideas about where and how to shop, while others compare the prices on both sides of the border so you can see what deals might be had, and where. Think outside of the box too: Gas and diapers are main things we save on when we make our trips stateside, but I've recently discovered that it's even cheaper to get an oil change while you're there, as well. Shop around!


RELATED ARTICLES:

Parity Alert! Online Shoppers Rejoice
Do you shop online? I do. Love it. Honestly, it's some of the most basic currency hedging that you can do. (Don't be scared off by a crazy word like hedging. In this case, it's a concept a child can master, sort of.)


How Not to Go Crazy at U.S. Outlet Stores
Outlet stores in the U.S. are talked about in Canada like they're the holy grail of shopping.


Canadian Retailers Suffer Increased Cross-Border Shopping
Thanks to a strong loonie and new increases in cross-border shopping allowances, Canadians are shop at American stores that aren't open (yet) in Canada. They're also crossing the border to take advantage of groceries, which despite the loonie, are still cheaper in the U.S.


Why Do Canadians Always Pay More Than Americans Even When the Dollar is at Parity?
Companies and firms will do whatever they can to keep prices in check in the U.S. and for that reason it is a bit of a shopper's paradise in the U.S. where prices versus the rest of the world tend to be lower.


Canadian Dollar Near Parity, But For How Long?
The Canadian dollar is once again dancing about near parity with the U.S. dollar making this holiday shopping season a great one for snagging some bargains whether you're in Canada or traveling across the border. But how long will it stay there?


And finally, the following is a link to the latest rules on how much you can bring home with you, based on the amount of time you've been away.

Customs allowances: How much can I take across the border? [DutyFreeCanada.com]



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Kate McCaffery is a freelance writer, editor and former urbanite, now living somewhere in between the lake, the ski hill and some farmer's cow path. Visit mccaffery.ca/kate2.0/ for more information.