Our family has lived in Mexico City for almost 6 years. Saving money here is so much different than in the US. There is no Sunday paper with coupons. If you want a sales flier from a store you can pick one up but they don’t come weekly. They don’t even have a set schedule of sales. In this article I will try to tell you how you can save some money while visiting Mexico.
Right now is a great time to visit Mexico! I know that you are always seeing stories on the news about how violent it is here. Yes there are a lot of problems but right now is has only been between the drug cartels and the police. The Mexican Peso has devalued a lot so you get a lot more Pesos for your US dollars! Also with the scare of the Swine Flu the tourism in this country has plummeted! You can get some amazing deals here!
Getting to Mexico is not that expensive. My favorite website to check is Kayak.com. It is a great way to see what airlines fly from your city to Mexican cities. If I find a good deal I usually check the airlines website. If your days are flexible you will get a better deal. Click here for a great website to check out the various destinations there are to visit. Right now because of all the Swine flu fears there are some awesome deals available! Make sure to check Jet Blue because they fly to Cancun. I HIGHLY recommend Huatulco, Mexico. It is on the southern coast of Mexico. It is beautiful and our family had the most awesome vacation there! Please let me know if you would like more information about Huatulco!
If you are visiting Mexico City I would highly recommend NOT renting a car! Driving here is so different and difficult. The Americans that live here say “Miss your turn, change your plans!” It can be that difficult to navigate around here.
A great place to check out hotels and rental cars in Mexico is this website the only problem is it is only in Spanish. If you have learned any Spanish you could probably navigate your way through this website. The prices are always great and it lets you know if the hotels are offering FREE nights! It is also in Pesos so with the exchange rate it will be a great deal. You can also use this website to book a package deal from a Mexican city to another Mexican city. Travelocity powers the English version of the same travel website but it costs a bit more.
*Update – I found this website that gives you access to a ton of houses and condo rentals that are a lot cheaper than a hotel. There are rentals available in most cities in Mexico.
Sales are not advertised very much here. Here are some that you can take advantage of while you are here.
Pizza – Every Tuesday they are 2 X 1
Movies – Every Wednesday they are 2 X 1 – they are cheap to begin with but this is an even better deal. They actually sell the tickets at half price. They are usually 52 pesos a person ($4 USD)
Cinnabon 2 X 1 on Tuesday’s – this is only on the boxed cinnamon rolls.
Check this website to get the current exchange rate.
You should check and see if your bank has a partner bank in Mexico. I know Bank of America has a partnership with Santnader Sefin in Mexico and they do not charge you any extra fees to use the ATM’s. If you take money out of a bank in Mexico you get a much better exchange rate. I would recommend also bringing some US dollars just in case it doesn’t work.
Please let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to help!