Cyber Shopping

On-line shoppers may have to look a lot harder this year to find deals --especially on American websites depending what happens to the dollar. When the dollar was at par last year it made it easy to compare prices on Canadian websites and American ones -and spot the bargains.

Fast forward 12 months and it's not the same story. The exchange rate makes it harder to figure out actual prices --but when you do the math ---some deals are gone.

Let me show you some examples.

In 2007, tall Ugg boots were for sale on the Browns website for $250 Canadian. Saks in the U.S. had them for $150. A saving of $76 once you calculated shipping and duty.

This year tall Ugg boots are $235 at Browns and $160 at Saks. Once you factor in the exchange and fees the boots are actually six dollars and 35 cents cheaper in Canada.

And in the case of toys last year a Fisher Price Smart Cycle was $89.95CAD at Toys"R" Us in Canada and $89.99 on Toy"R"Us in the U.S.

This year, the Canadian price is $89.97 the U.S. price $99.99 with the exchange you save $30 buying Canadian.

We also looked at a couple of TVs -- an identical Panasonic 42 inch TV at Best Buy in Canada and the US. The sticker price shows a big difference. It's almost $1500 in Canada, compared to $1170 in the U.S. Factoring in exchange, duty and Washington state tax, you'd still save $74 on the U.S website.

But when comparing two identical LG LCD TV's, CTV found that the Canadian price was $250 cheaper -- and that's before exchange and taxes -- making it hundreds less.

The dollar is a factor but not the only factor. There are issues of local competition, manufacturers' specials that don't match up country to country, and of course big retailers purchased their stock for the holidays when the dollar was at par or better.

And shopping local is good for the economy. Also, before you buy on-line, check out local stores.

See if they'll meet or beat the prices you found on-line. If you do opt to order off U.S. sites, be sure to have them send it to you by U.S. mail to avoid costly brokerage fees.

Stick It to Gas Prices

Prices at the pumps may have started to come down, but people are still looking for any way they can to save on gas. Your options include which car you buy and the way you drive.

People who drive a stick shift can be pretty enthusiastic about their car.

"I love the power. I love the feel. I love the control," raves Jehan Denoue.

Not only are they fun to drive, but a stick shift can save you gas and money.

"If you're not doing a lot of city use, then it makes a very good alternative, gets better gas mileage, and it's cheaper overall," said David Champion of Consumer Reports.

To see how much cheaper, Consumer Reports pitted manuals against automatic versions of seven different vehicles including the Subaru Forrester and Honda Accord.

Testers found in every matchup the manual vehicles cut fuel use by at least ten per cent.

For example, the automatic Subaru Forrester uses 10.6 liters per 100 kilometers overall.

The manual version is a little better 9.7 liters per 100 kilometers. The Mini Cooper automatic uses a stingy 8.1 liters per 100 kilometers overall -- but the manual is even better 7.0 liters per 100 kilometers.

Consumer Reports says be aware, there are some drawbacks with manuals. Hills can pose a challenge. And they can be tedious in stop-and-go traffic.

But you don't have to buy a different vehicle, or learn to drive a stick shift to save on fuel right now.

We went to Young Drivers of Canada for some gas saving tips every one can use, including those with automatics. An important first step is to know where you are going

"You're not making last minute lane changes or holding up traffic or waiting in a lane you shouldn't be," explained Young Drivers' Kurtis Strelau.

And while two wrongs don't make a right, three right turns make one left turn --- and you don't waste fuel sitting at light after light waiting to turn.

Keeping space around you allows to you change lanes instead of stopping. If that bus pulls out in front of you and when you see a red light up ahead, get your foot off the gas and start coasting

"About once very 30 or 40 seconds that light is going to change, and you can wait it out," said Kurtis.

Driving in Burnaby we saw four red lights. But by coasting up to the intersection instead of rushing up, we only had to come to a complete stop at one of them. Keeping the wheels turning, even just a little saves a lot of fuel.

Right now manufacturers don't offer a manual in every model due to the popularity of automatics.

But with people looking to save money on the price of a car and at the pumps, that could change.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen