Currency Exchange

One of the biggest expenses’ we incur when we head south is the exchange of our Canadian dollars to American dollars so we have been using the exchange service of the “Canadian Snowbird Association” of which we are a member this a Canadian organization that shops for the best exchange rate each month. They allow each member to exchange a pre-set amount each month, we have an American account that we use to accomplish this, so on the first of each month monies are taken from our Canadian bank account and is exchanged and deposited into our American bank account it takes approximately five days and has a cost of $2.00 per transaction.

Again we used this program last year and have had great service the exchange rate is better than I could find either at a currency exchange or any Canadian bank. I have exchanged larger amounts before and know the more you exchange the better the rate, but when it’s just a small amount (under $1000) each month this is the best I have found, we are presently paying about a 35% premium on U.S. dollars so that $10 item on a shelf really costs $13.50, and when all your income is in Canadian dollars that hurts when we travel in the States. But it’s just the price we pay for sunshine and warmth during the winter months, and it’s also why we like Arizona, no tax on solar upgrades, and the rates to camp are less than half of Florida, plus there are no bugs!