The Platinum Guide to Save for Online Shopping in Canada

Ebates.ca

This is a cash back website. ebates.ca has a wide selection of online retailers both in Canada and in US. Personally, I would rank this as the No. 1 cash back website and the most easy to use website for Canadians. All you have to do is to sign up on ebates.ca, search for the store you want to make your online purchase, click on the link, and the rest is the same as your normal online shopping experience. 

Some of my favourite stores I have used personally through ebates.ca are:

1.      Shop.ca – this store have regularly been giving 20%+ cash back on purchases made through ebates.ca. Right now, if you sign up on shop.ca, for the first $99+ purchase, you would also earn 8000 aeroplan points.

2.      Walmart.ca – most people are familiar with this large discount store. But have you ever shopped on Walmart.ca? By purchasing online through ebates.ca you are able to get at least 1% cash back, and if there is promotion, you can earn up to 2% cash back through ebates.ca

3.      Apple.ca – we all know Apple product is expensive. If you must, must purchase an apple product, why not get 1% cash back through ebates.ca?


Click on the following link to earn $5 to join ebates.ca:

Link

May's Budget Review

First things first, I have to confess I wasn't entirely up to date on my expenses in May for two reasons. First one, my boyfriend came back from China, so now it's a two person's budget. Second, I was in China to 9 days. This makes it hard to keep a real expense. Refer to my other post on my trip to China here. 

Overall, I do want to share a few accomplishments I achieved in May. 

1.  I converted my 5 year fixed rate mortgage to a variable rate mortgage. This conversion lowers my weekly contribution by $40.
2.  I applied for a BMO's credit card. Annual fee is waived, gives around $300 in travel credits as a welcome bonus, and 4 airport lounge passes.
3. I do feel like I'm pretty resourceful in terms of my spending this month. I did not make any necessary purchases. Though, I do not have complete stats to support this. L
4.  We resume our second car's insurance. This is an additional expense.

I will do a better job next month!

Guide for Female solo travelors in China 2015

For the past week I traveled to Xi'an, China as a solo female traveler. I have always imagined China to be a country of great chaos, robbery, and unsafe. I was so anxious to travel by myself for the second time (while the first time wouldn't count as much as traveling by myself because I was with a tour group) before my official trip started on May 16. 

In this post I will share with you my itinerary, cost, and tips to travel in China.

Itinerary:

Date	Description
Day 1	Flight from Toronto to Beijing
Day 2	Arrived in Beijing, stayed @ a relatives place
Day 3	Opened bank account and cell phone
Day 4	Early morning flight from Beijing to Xi'an. Visited Zhong Gu Lou and Hui Min Jie
Day 5	Visited Da Yan Ta and Li Shi Bo Wu Guan (Museum)
Day 6	Visited Terracotta Army and Hua Qing Chi
Day 7	Visited Cheng Qiang (wall) Flight from Xi'an to Beijing
Day 8	Attended my cousin's wedding
Day 9	Flight from Beijing to Toronto

Cost:

Total cost in China = 3842.5 RMB  ~ 800 CAD

Flight from Canada to Beijing = 1000 CAD

Total Cost = 1800 CAD (this does not include gifts)

Date	Item	$
17-May	subway	5
17-May	bus	1
17-May	shipping	251
17-May	hotel	1008
17-May	airplan ticket	1328
18-May	subway	5
18-May	bus	30
18-May	food	17
18-May	taxi	9
18-May	cooler	3
18-May	drink	3
18-May	drink	5
18-May	food	23
18-May	cigar	50
18-May	food	15
19-May	Food	2.5
19-May	bus	1
19-May	Audio guide	30
19-May	Yogurt	10
19-May	Fa Men Si ticket	80
19-May	food	29
19-May	bus	3
19-May	Gu Lou ticket	35
19-May	Message	108
19-May	food	15
19-May	food	8
19-May	food	6
19-May	food	2.5
20-May	bus	1
20-May	Qing Hua Chi ticket	110
20-May	Bus	6
20-May	Tour guide	50
20-May	Spring water	50
20-May	Bus	3
20-May	Warriors	150
20-May	Audio guide	20
20-May	Noodle	15
20-May	Bus	7
20-May	Dumpling	16
20-May	Drink	10
20-May	Food	4
21-May	Food	4
21-May	Food	2
21-May	Food	2.5
21-May	Cheng Qiang ticket	65
21-May	Bicycle	45
21-May	LiangPi	17
21-May	Walmart	40
21-May	Cell Phone cover	20
21-May	Orange Juice	12
21-May	Bus	2
21-May	Bus	25
21-May	Food	53
21-May	Bus	30
		3842.5

Tips:

1.       Keep track of your stuff at all times. The worst thing that could happen is to lose your wallet, passport, and etc.

2.       I would recommend open banks account using your passport. Just go to a local bank, and tell them you would like to open a bank account. They are very nice to foreigners. I would recommend doing this is Xi'an as the wait time is much shorter compared to Beijing. One more thing, this requires a phone number. (cell phone)

3.       Get a cell plan with data. I highly recommend a Chinese GPS, Gaode, similar to Google in North America. If you ever get lost, just open the map and quickly identify your location.

4.       Do lots of research on your hotel location before your trip. Know how to get around the town. This will save you lots of time while you are actually in the city.

5.       If you have a bank account, do keep some cash with you. I recommend at least around $600 and you could get more from the bank.

Ask me any questions on your trip to China. I could even help you to plan :)