Hello Thrifties! If you've been following me for a hot minute, you'll know that I prioritize saving money in all areas of my life without compromising on essentials. While travel may be considered a luxury by some, it doesn't have to break the bank! By adopting a thrifty approach, you can explore the world on a budget and still enjoy a fulfilling experience!

Take into account our Niagara Falls, Ontario vacation less than a week ago, during July in the prime tourist season, for two people for 5 days, 4 nights for less than $1000. How did we do it? Read below to see our itinerary and cost breakdown.

Let's start with the biggest expense: accommodations. I prefer to stay at an Airbnb whenever it's comparable or less than a single hotel room. But our Airbnb in Ontario was not a room in someone's house; it was a fully contained, one-bedroom apartment - not a studio but a true apartment. We had a living room, a combined full kitchen/dining room, a private bathroom, and a decent-sized bedroom with a queen-sized bed. This included a designated offset parking space in a walkable area by the waterfront, with only a three-block walk to the Rainbow Bridge and the start of the falls. Not only did we have a full-sized kitchen, but also full-sized appliances, including a dishwasher because who wants to do dishes on vacation? Not me!

Having a full kitchen allowed us to save money on eating out by preparing meals inside, having access to ice, and storage for a case of cold water - so we never had to buy drinks, even when out for the day as we just grabbed a few bottles to go!

Here's a snip of our actual airbnb receipt:

But who wants to cook meals on vacation? I know I don't. That's why one of the first stops after check-in was a local grocery store. I did literally no research other than googling the closest store, so I had no idea of what they offered. Sobey's was a chain grocery store with a convenient location, so that's where we ended up. We could not have been blessed with a better store! They had an amazing selection of freshly made salads, cold, in-house prepared meals, a hot bar to pay by the pound, as well as a meal special where you pick your entree and two sides for $9/Canadian. Once you calculate the exchange rate from Canadian currency to US dollars, that meal comes to $6.50! Literally, it was large enough for dinner one night and a light lunch the next, but with all the walking we did, we devoured our dinner every night. It was delicious! While Mr. Thrifty opted not to make coffee at the apartment, we bought all our beverages, snacks, fruits, lunches, dinners, and even a few condiments and ice cream at the store, saving us a tremendous amount of money. So not only did we eat every meal there (3 meals a day x 2 people, minus 1 lunch out x 5 days), but we also each bought a lunch/dinner for our first day home. Wanna know what we spent?

Sobey's total $123.07 US dollars!!!!!!!

Cold wraps A few $9 meal choices Reheatable made in house meals

One day we decided to have lunch at a restaurant, which cost us $21 US dollars in total, including the tip. To be honest, the meal wasn't very satisfying, and we both left feeling hungry, regretting not going to Sobey's instead!

Some would argue that eating out is part of the experience of traveling, and I would agree that it's true depending on where you're going. But for us, for this trip, this worked out just fine.

One day, we took an afghan I purchased for resale from a local thrift store, packed a lunch, and enjoyed our meal while admiring the view at Niagara-on-the-Lake. We had to pay $3.65 for an hour of parking in US dollars, but the weather and the overall experience were delightful. Niagara-on-the-Lake is definitely worth a visit if you haven't been before. It's just a 20-30 minute drive from the bustling Niagara Falls, offering picturesque and peaceful scenery, a park, a lake with a small beach, and tree-lined streets with elegant homes You can also opt for a horse-drawn carriage ride around town, explore the quaint boutique shops and restaurants on the main street, or simply unwind. Parking costs $3.65 US dollars per hour and is strictly enforced (with a $400 fine!) When it comes to payment, you can either use a credit card by scanning a QR code on the signage or walk to an unmanned kiosk that only accepts exact change in Canadian coins or a debit card. Please note that credit cards are not accepted at the kiosk.

Returning to the waterfalls, there are numerous ways to enjoy them, such as by air, boat, zip line, incline, air trolley, and more. You can find different experiences on both the American and Canadian sides, so make sure to research before purchasing tickets to decide on your activities. As we only explored the Ontario side, I can only provide information on the discounts available there. Along the promenade, there are several manned kiosks where you can buy tickets for various activities. If you plan on doing multiple activities, it's more cost-effective to buy a pass instead of individual tickets. In our case, we both opted for the Hornblower boat tour (Canada's equivalent of the Maid of the Mist), but only I wanted to visit the Journey Behind the Falls (more details on that later), so we didn't purchase a pass. Here is a breakdown of our expenses in US dollars:

Hornblower boat tour for 2: $55.28

Journey Behind the Falls for 1: $21.96

Additionally, we both visited the Bird Kingdom, totaling US $26.38

While we're on the topic of attractions here is the honest lowdown on what we experienced.

DO take the boat ride, it was amazing! It's unlike anything else you'll experience in life!

Bird Kingdom - Their offerings didn't meet our expectations, and a lot of the exhibits were still under construction. Additional charges were required for genuine interactions, which weren't assured. The website was misleading, especially regarding pricing, leading to an overcharge. Luckily, the manager acknowledged the lack of relevant information on the website and issued a refund.

Journey Behind the Falls - The experience turned out to be extremely disappointing. Despite having a timed ticket and arriving well in advance of my scheduled time, I ended up waiting in line and only gained entry more than an hour past my timed entry. This ordeal consumed a total of 4 hours of my day, while the actual experience lasted less than 30 minutes. The attraction consisted of two tunnels offering identical views of the falls from behind, along with two outdoor decks adjacent to the falls. They provided rain ponchos, which turned out to be unnecessary as the tunnels were wetter than the decks. I found myself envious of those on the US side who were walking down steps next to the falls and getting drenched.

One thing we did not get to do: The Skylon - you can make dining reservations online or just pay to go to the observation deck. I "wanted" to go, kinda, but my fear of heights got the best of me! But you could park there all day for $20 (Canadian), whereas most lots charged $35 (Canadian).

Clifton Hill is the place to be if you have kids or like nightlife. It's a very energetic neighborhood full of unique attractions, arcades, bars, rides, etc. It's as if Las Vegas and a carnival on crack had a baby. While this wasn't our scene, it was cool to walk through at night. Between all the attractions and things the kids will want you to buy, you can drop some serious cash here, which is probably one of the reasons it wasn't for us!"

One day we walked across the Rainbow Bridge And took in the scenic panoramic views, a steal for only $1 each (US or Canadian - coins only at the turnstile).

If you don't have accommodations that are walkable, I suggest you get a Wego bus pass for $13 per adult (Canadian) per person for 24 hours. Hop on/off as much as you want during that period. There were several bus routes, and they went everywhere, with some lines running as often as every 10-15 minutes. But before you buy a bus pass (sold at kiosks and various businesses in the area), select your activities package as they all include a free bus pass!

As far as money goes, we did not get any Canadian currency. I looked into it at my credit union and was told the fee is $15 plus the actual FedEx fee regardless of the amount. The same fees applied for cashing it back in, except they didn't cash out coins. Canadian currency consists of a $2 coin called a Toonie and a $1 coin called a Loonie. They do not accept or use pennies; instead, purchases are rounded up. I did have US currency on me and used it at the restaurant, for which they gave me a 25% exchange rate discount but gave me the change in Canadian Toonies and Loonies. A few thrift stores I went to also took US dollars, some providing a discount equal to the exchange rate, others only discount by 10%, and others don't discount at all. But if you want to get currency exchanged at the bridge, that I believe is low cost, or you could go to one of the casino cashiers. The slots only took Canadian money.

My credit card only charged a 1% fee for all my purchases requiring an exchange. That's so much cheaper than their option for getting cash! But I would suggest you inquire with your credit card company before going, as well as to give them the heads up of your stay so they don't think your out-of-country purchases are fraudulent.

When it comes to cell phone service, again, check with your provider. Our plan has unlimited calls, texts, and data in North America, although outside the US the data drops to 2G. We have T-Mobile and our service was spotty, but our apartment had Wi-Fi, so it was just a consideration while we were out.

I recommend refueling only on the US side due to the confusing Canadian signage and their use of the metric system. For example, if the sign displays 169.9 x 4 liters (for one gallon), the price would be $6.80 Canadian per gallon. Just a few blocks from the bridge in NY, we paid $3.24 per gallon, significantly lower than the $3.80 range back home. Our Volvo took us from Clearfield, PA to Ontario, with us saving on gas in NY and driving around Ontario daily on just half a tank. I was amazed by our fuel efficiency throughout the entire trip, including the 100-mile yard sale, as we only used one tank of gas our entire trip including to and from!

Another way to save a few bucks is to get an EZ Pass. It's accepted at the border bridges and reduces the fees slightly.

Here's a breakdown of what we spent:

On Credit card

Bird Kingdon $26.38 Hornblower boat $55.28

Sobey's for groceries/meals $123.07

Journey Behind the Falls $21.96

credit card exchange fee for above (1%) $2.26

Accomodations: $665.35

Items we paid cash for lunch with tip $21

Parking at Niagara on the Lake $3.69

Bridge walk $2

EZ pass bridge fee/tolls $8.50

GRAND TOTAL $929.49

Please bear in mind that when checking prices on Canadian websites, the amounts are listed in Canadian currency, which will translate to slightly less when converted to US dollars.

🌟COMING SOON🌟

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