When my family and I first immigrated to Canada, one of the biggest challenges we faced was navigating the dizzying amount of choices. We had to ask ourselves, is this serving our family’s specific needs? Is this the best use of our resources? And ultimately, is this helping us build a better life here?

Before arriving, our first task was to find a place to live. We looked at different communities and weighed out the pros and cons. Our home needed to be within walking distance from a school and near transit for easy access to work. Many of the communities we looked at had access to banks, hospitals and stores. We needed to keep an eye on our budget and while downtown would put us near work, it was beyond what we could afford. So, we looked outside the city, where there was more choice and the rent was more affordable.

Ask any immigrant and they will tell you that one of the first things they look for is comfort food. To be able to enjoy that familiar taste will cure any amount of home sickness. While we had grocery stores readily available, it took us a while to find the specialty supermarkets that carried the flavors of home, even longer to find hole-in-the-wall restaurants that served dishes that immediately filled us with childhood memories. But once we did, we found a diverse culture here with more than enough choices.

Another thing we needed to do was to stay connected. This meant finding the right mobile service provider that suited each family member’s needs while staying on a tight monthly budget. We quickly discovered that Canada is not lacking in the number of telecoms out there to choose from. In fact, having so many choices actually made it easier to find the services that suited our individual needs.

Finding the right fit didn’t take long. I found great savings in creating my own plan and choosing only the services I needed with Public Mobile without needing a contract. But the best part was being able to bring my own phone, giving me even more savings. My wife on the other hand wanted a new phone so she went with Koodo. Their face-to-face interaction and customer service was a great bonus. She also uses her device to keep in touch with friends and family back home on social so we love that the shock free data helped us manage our monthly bill.  Plus, having both Public Mobile and Koodo work on Canada’s largest network really sealed the deal.

If you identify your needs and stick to your budget, navigating a sea of choices out there will not only be easier for you but better for your family as you build a new life together in Canada.