Fee payment question

I feel like I keep reading and getting no where. The application tells me one thing, the CIC website tells me antoher and then Buffalo's site tells me something completly different. I am a US citizen being sponsored by my Canadian husband and we are both living in our home countries at the moment.

1. The application tells me I can pay online, CIC says I cannot, Buffalo says I cannot??

2. Buffalo site says if I pay at a financial institution I would either need to pay all American or all Canadian dollars. When I calculate each, My American total is 880 my Canadian total is 1040. However 880 American doesn't technically = 1040 Canadian, does this matter.

3. Also when I use the Buffalo site to calculate, neither on the American or Canadian calculator it doesnt show the $75 sponsorship fee. I'm assuming its included with one of the other fee totals since CIC's total = Buffalo's total in Canadian dollars. But my question is do I need to seperate the fee's. Like if I am to pay here at a financial instituation to I just include all the fee's together as one???

4. What exactly is considered a financial institution? I mean i work at the office of a grocery store and we sell money orders and could stamp the reciept for me I'm not sure if it needs to be a bank or something. If so does it matter what bank. My bank says they have cashiers checks/money orders etc.

5. How do I know that the bank draft or money order can be cashed through a Canadian financial institution? Does it say international on it or somethin??

I know someone has probably already answered these questions before, but the more I research and read the more confused I get. Please help me;)