Hi, I am probably coming to Canada in September (depends on my Visa status)
I was wondering what will be my expenses per week or per month.

• How much are the books?
• How's the laundry system like? (costs and working)
• Should I bring many clothes from my country? (I've heard they don't work well with the weather in Canada)
• How much is a regular T-shirt, shirt and jeans?
• How much is the stationery? Ball point pens? Journals/Registers/notebooks? Geometry stuff??
• Which bank is the most suitable and why?
• How much stuff should an International Student bring? I've read posts about local students but not Int'l

Any other expenses or other things that I need to know of?

Thank you

Books: 100-150 (new), but you can get them much cheaper used from other students. Check macinsider's marketplace, titles (though it's often more expensive), and undercovers.

Clothing: I would bring some t-shirts and shorts and anything that you think is weather appropriate. It might be nice to have some lighter clothes in the beginning of the year since it's warm. In winter though you'll need to have heavier clothing. I'm not too sure about the price of male clothing unfortunately.

Stationery: You can get pens free on campus. I like to buy them in bulk at Grand & Toy though. It's about $1-2 for 10 ballpoint pens. I don't use notebooks, but I think they're around $2-7? I like to use binders (around $10) and loose-leaf lined paper since you can re-use them for new subjects.

Bank: There is a CIBC on campus, so there are no charges. Some people like PC, but apparently they have issues with exchanging money. There's also a TD Canada Trust & Scotiabank in Westdale (10-15 minute walk).

Hopefully that helps a bit.

Originally Posted by Afzal

Hi, I am probably coming to Canada in September (depends on my Visa status)
I was wondering what will be my expenses per week or per month.

• How much are the books?
• How's the laundry system like? (costs and working)
• Should I bring many clothes from my country? (I've heard they don't work well with the weather in Canada)
• How much is a regular T-shirt, shirt and jeans?
• How much is the stationery? Ball point pens? Journals/Registers/notebooks? Geometry stuff??
• Which bank is the most suitable and why?
• How much stuff should an International Student bring? I've read posts about

Any other expenses or other things that I need to know of?

Thank you

Books depend on what courses you take and if you buy them used or new.

The laundry system, if it's still the same, costs 1.25 to wash and 1.25 to dry. I heard this year they implemented the MacID cards. So you put money on your card and swipe to use it? (Someone confirm please).

Clothes is clothes. You'll need a jacket for winter and shoes/boots that don't let water in. You don't need to bring your clothes if you plan on buying clothes here, but it's cheaper if you bring your own clothes.

You can get t-shirts for 10-20$. Jeans are anywhere from 20$ to over 100$. Shirts I'm not so sure, but hoodies are generally 50-60$. These are normal prices for men's clothing. You can get them cheaper on sale.

Stationary you can get pretty cheap. Don't know the prices this year as I don't need to do any shopping.

I would say to go with PC because they don't have any fees (no miminum balances, unlimited transactions, etc...). PC is owned by CIBC.

Isn't there a maximum amount of stuff you can bring? Like two suitcases?

Once your VISA goes through, I would suggest going shopping here for clothing for cooler weather.

A good winter coat (from a sports store (for instance Sports Chek), don't get one from another type of store) is around $100. You're likely going to find winters much colder than a student who was raised in Southern Ontario, so you're going to want to buy a good coat. You can also check out Mountain Equipment Co-op (there is one in Burlington [you'd need a car] and one in Toronto [you can take public transportation]) they make some really great clothing for outdoors.

One thing to get right away, is a rain coat. It rains a lot in Hamilton. Again, this something to get from a Sports Store. If you can, make sure the coat is waterproof, rather than water resistant. It makes a big difference.

Another good brand for clothing is Under Armor. You could potentially order something from their Canadian site and get it shipped to you. You may just have to pick it up off-campus at the post office in Westdale. I bought a sort of fall/winter coat (I think the weather range is 5C- -10C) of theirs about four years ago and that's what I end up wearing for most of the time from late October to March.

jhan, yeah the limit is around 15kg i think.
lorend, those look a bit expensive, are they really or is it just me?

another question:

how much cash should I bring with me to canada?

if i land in toronto, then as lorend suggested I'm gonna buy a raincoat and a winter coat, that makes it around $250 already

also is there a possibilty of opening an account in Canada beforehand?

and most importantly, after i've bought most of the things that I need like clothing and books, what should be my weekly expense approximately?

Originally Posted by Afzal

jhan, yeah the limit is around 15kg i think.
lorend, those look a bit expensive, are they really or is it just me?

another question:

how much cash should I bring with me to canada?

if i land in toronto, then as lorend suggested I'm gonna buy a raincoat and a winter coat, that makes it around $250 already

also is there a possibilty of opening an account in Canada beforehand?

and most importantly, after i've bought most of the things that I need like clothing and books, what should be my weekly expense approximately?

Where are you from exactly? Although Europe gets winter for example (they get a light dusting of snow for a couple weeks), ours is a lot more severe than theirs. I had a friend who was from Jamaica who had issues with the winters in Hamilton, and they're a lot more mild than what I'm used to since I'm from further north in Ontario.

If you want a good coat you'll have to pay a bit more. You can get a winter coat from Old Navy for like $40, but everyone I know who has bought coats from there (and other similar stores) is always complaining about being cold.

Under Armor and MEC stuff can be expensive, but if you're going to be here for four winters you will get use out of it. Columbia makes good winter coats too [mine is a Columbia...but I usually don't start to wear it until about -15C/-20C {and that's usually at night!}], which are much cheaper than the other two. You can get those at Sport Chek.

However, you don't need to buy a winter coat for some time. Once it starts getting cooler (late October/early November) sales start happening on the coats, which will keep the cost down. You can also get suggestions/help from other people in terms of what they've bought and what they like (and where those stores are).

In order to open a bank account you must be present. So unfortunately you'll need to wait until you've got to Hamilton. I would think you should be fine with a couple hundred dollars, since the first week or so most of your expenses will be taken care of (food, housing etc). Once WW is over you can take a quick trip into Westdale and open a bank account, and then you should be good to go for the rest of the year.

Also, if you are here for 4 summers, investing in a good winter jacket is a smart idea. Even though a jacket may cost 150$, over 4 years it's only 37.5$ (well, there is also taxes).

Originally Posted by jhan523

I would say to go with PC because they don't have any fees (no miminum balances, unlimited transactions, etc...). PC is owned by CIBC.

TD also has a no fee banking account. It also might be better since he's an international student and it's easier to exchange foreign currency. I've had a hard time getting USD from PC. :|

Or I'd even opt for CIBC.

I would allot a good amount of money, roughly 200 to 300 for winter supplies.
If I were you, I'd buy 2 hats, ($30) 2 pairs of gloves, ($20 - $25) 2 scarves, ($20-30) 1 pair of boots ($35+) and a Columbia winter jacket.

When you're shopping for winter supplies never compromise due to cost.
Feel the material, and decide whether it'll be practical for outerwear.
For instance, I got boots from PayLess (this..."economical" shoe store) this past winter and they served my purpose wonderfully. They were cheaper than a more fashionable pair yes and they were those big ass astronaut boots but they kept my feet warm and since I walk to school they had to be comfortable and they were.

I'd buy extra pairs of gloves, scarves and long socks because you're always going to lose them. That and because if you buy a woolier fabric and you don't want to toss it in the dryer and make it fluff up like a poodle, when you wash it, you'll want a spare.

A jacket is not something to settle on. I personally like the Columbia ones very much. They've been serving my purpose winter after winter and the nice thing is that if you're prepared to pay a bit more, and go for their ski jackets, you can buy some that are insulated but are only one layer. You look at the jacket and you think you'd never be warm but it's designed to be flexible so you can move and not feel like you're in a straitjacket, but you're so incredibly warm.

I'd bring some shirts and inner wear from home too. You can always layer them under your sweaters and jackets here.

In terms of jeans, if you plan on wearing them and not the warm sweat/trackpants, then bring the ones you have because in terms of thickness I don't think the ones here are much thicker. My legs are always cold in my regular pants so if you don't mind that, then your current jeans would probably suffice.

I'm from Karachi, Pakistan and it's around 15 to 30C all year here

thanks lorend, i guess I don't need to worry about winter clothing right now
jhan, that's good logic
jesus, thanks for the advice..if PC have problems changing from USD then i'll have to go with TD or CIBC
bushra, thanks for all the advices, i'm gonna be marking this thread for store names

just two more questions:

1.what would be the optimal weekly budget? I read in an MI article that it should be less than $100...

2.If i am bringing around a couple hundred with me, how much should i be keeping in the bank? i read somewhere to keep around $20 in pocket and use the debit card for all purposes

thank you all

You're going to find it pretty chilly come the third or last week of September...nights start being less than 10C then.

About $100 a week is (really) good budget. It depends what you do with your free time (i.e. do you go out or do you stay in etc) and the costs associated with it. I'm assuming you're living on-campus so you're not paying for rent, utilities, food etc monthly.

You're actually better off to get a credit card (provided you can use it responsibly) rather than a debit card, as you won't have to pay fees associated with using the card. You can read about credit cards more here.

Afzal, for clothes shopping, there is a used clothes (and LOTS of other stuff) store called Value Village that is absolutely invaluable! I am not too familiar with Hamilton, but they are all over Canada, and are usually filled with very, very good quality items, at very good prices. You can outfit yourself for all seasons for very little money. In my opinion, smart people shop here (and you'd be surprised at who shops here!)

Actually, there is one; here is a link http://www.canpages.ca/page/ON/hamil...e/1425963.html

And here is a link about the stores in general: http://www.valuevillage.com/

Edit: sorry...Giant Tiger (I know there is one in Hamilton) is also just fabulous - inexpensive (and often brandname) clothing, stationary, school supplies, homeware, food, etc

Oh, and if you're worried about being cold, polarfleece is wonderful . A sweater, or hoodie, or pullover or something. It'll keep you warm even if it gets wet.

Originally Posted by daisy

Oh, and if you're worried about being cold, polarfleece is wonderful . A sweater, or hoodie, or pullover or something. It'll keep you warm even if it gets wet.

That's because they're made with water bottles. I'm serious.

Originally Posted by lorend

That's because they're made with water bottles. I'm serious.

Yup . One more reason why I love it!