A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I run some of Microsoft's Home Productivity software. I was really hooked on their Digital Image products but they pulled the rug out from under me and have completely dropped that product line. I cannot quite understand why it's not profitable to keep publishing newer versions. I learned to love the software's interface and still find it extremely intuitive for most of my needs. This fall I ran out to get Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and have tried to make the transition. More often than not, however, I simply open up the now defunct Microsoft program.

Apparently the same is happening with the localized version of MS Money. I am still using the 2006 copy and as it's a tax write-off would surely upgrade if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, the only offering in Canada is for a base option that cannot open files created in previous versions.

Rather than the normal rants against Microsoft for what they're doing, I'd like to go on record for being disappointed by what they're not doing. Namely, I'd like updates to my favourite, old MS Home software.

Labels: complaints, money, software

Today, the Canada Post delivery lady brought several items about which I could blog. First, the 2008 Property Assessment arrived right on time for the new year. I tend to think of the apartment as a place to live and not as an investment. I have to admit the one-year increase of over 14.5% is sufficiently better than those boring, old GICs (Guaranteed Investment Certificates). As we're not planning on making any property ownership changes in the forseeable future, the assessment is of little significance. Actually, the assessed value does determine my property taxes. So, my fingers are crossed that everybody else in our city got assessments with equal or greater levels of increase.



The other envelope provided a better visual for my eJournal and images. It contained a letter from our World Vision kid. I've talked about him in the blog in the past. In fact, there is an entry from the day we met him on September 6, 2006 when visiting Sri Lanka. The World Vision staff wrote out the note in Sinhalese and provided the English translation too. As Isuru grows older, his messages grow more complex.

Labels: money, World Vision

The more money people throw into the slots, the more it keeps my taxes in check. Our municipal government benefits from a percentage of the take. As a downtown resident of New Westminster, the Royal City Star has become a part of our daily existence. Even from the living room, we can look over the balcony and see the floating casino. Because of this, it is in many pictures on my Flickr account.

We've known for quite a while it'll be leaving. The gaming license will be moved to a brand-new facility in Queensborough in our fair city. When at the Walmart today, we drove another half mile up the road to see how things are coming along on the Starlight Casino. It looks like there's still quite a bit to be done before this week's soft opening.

Labels: money, New Westminster

I'm considering doing it again and it certainly doesn't seem like it has been four years since the last time.

What about this addiction I have? The computer I'm typing this entry on is capable of everything I require of it. Perhaps Windows Vista itself is making me feel inadequate.



Or perhaps it's just that I like spending money on equipment that soon fades into obsolescence. I don't dare add up the tab since my first IBM compatible over twenty years ago. I have constantly maintained that someday I was going to start from scratch but always seem to dribble money away on never-ending upgrades.

When I bought my current internal 300GB harddrive, I was doing so with the intention of it lasting through the next motherboard swap. Yet, disks are so cheap nowadays that I should go with a new one. I will need new DDR2 RAM for a new motherboard. My graphics card is AGP which is old technology. The current power supply is new but I might even buy a new case rather than just replacing the innards as I've done for at least a decade. Consequently, my old beige (read: yellowing) DVD writers will need to be replaced with the now nearly universal black.

Let's see what this leaves me. Items not needing replacement include:

DD/DTS Audio Card
Monitor
Video Capture Card
Keyboard / Mouse
External Hard Disk

It that all that is salvageable?

Labels: computers, Hardware, money

I just checked www.xe.com a few moments ago.



The little Loonie in my pocket is now worth close to $1.02 of the US kind. That seems quite amazing. When we first arrived here the local dollar was fetching around .80 and I remember, not so very long ago when it sunk to .64 only.

We were somewhere in Central Europe when we caught CNN say something about parity. I no longer have any US dollar-based assets, so, at the moment, I feel not richer nor poorer. This is all about the weakness of the greenback on the world stage. It will take a while for balance to be restored.

Canadian retail prices for most imported products were set long ago under the assumptions that are different from current circumstances. Just log on to www.BestBuy.com and www.BestBuy.ca to see how the twists have made US products now appear so much cheaper. The malls across the border ought to be ringing up lots of sales this weekend. Hordes of us will be heading south in search of bargains.

It's unfortunate I have little surplus cash after three weeks of travel in Central Europe. The Euro, unfortunately, is suffering from the opposite problem that the US dollar is presently having. It's dangerously overvalued.

Labels: money

As an adolescent, I remember when my small town bank installed the first ATM that I'd every seen.  I think Sugar River Savings Bank called it their instant teller.   That was in the 1970's.  Later, when I worked in the Gulf countries of the Middle East in the 1980's, banking was generally quite a struggle.  Lines were long as things had to generally be signed off by at least a half dozen people for the easiest transaction.  The Saudi Arabian Naval Forces used to fly in cash for our monthly paydays.  Once, I remember being paid my complete salary in Saudi 5 Riyal notes (about $1.35 each).  I had to carry them back to my BOQ in a large paper bag.

Nowadays, I hardly ever touch cash.  We run everything through credit cards for the 1% cash back offered on groceries.  I cannot remember the last time I spoke face-to-face with a bank teller.  Direct deposit pay and online banking have completely eliminated our need for paper currency.  Sometimes, the lone $20 bill in my wallet gets worn from being there for months on end.

I thought of these things today, as we went to get some Euros for the trip that starts on Thursday.  Even up until last year, we made it a practice to buy traveller's cheques before departing.  It was a habit developed 25-years ago when we started taking overseas trips.  Today, Thomas Cook didn't have large enough notes, so we didn't pick up any.  I didn't want to repeat the paper-bag scenario.  I wonder why we feel naked when flying without a pocket full of paper money.  Plastic should be able take care of us anywhere in the world in this day and age.

Labels: Eurotrip 2007, money

Frankly, I don't know why I held onto it for so long. I cancelled this today and now it is in the garbage. I don't think I ever swiped this particular card, even once! The difficulty in getting rid of an AMEX card probably stems mostly from personal nostalgia. The little piece of plastic said that I'd been a member since 1985. It's hard ending a twenty-two year relationship, I guess.



A standard AMEX green was the first credit card I ever owned. I had access to a US APO mailing address when working for the Taif Ordnance Corp School in Saudi Arabia. Thinking I was flush with petrobucks, they issued the card upon first request. That card did quite a bit of travelling back when the world was a tiny bit less global. I should've kept the receipts as a journal!

Even when first getting to Vancouver in the late 90s, I used to change on that account although it was in US dollars. Then, every month, I'd take the SkyTrain down to the Burrard Station and go in to the AMEX office and pay my bill.

I don't remember at one point I decided it was silly to have to pay an annual fee for the privilege. I swapped for the their platinum, but by that time I had pretty much switched over to a MasterCard.

Alas, it's the end of another era ...

Labels: credit card, money, Saudi Arabia

I know that I sometimes temporarily fall in love with some new gadget or another. If you search through this blog, you'll find all kinds of entries about my Garmin GPS and geocaching. I cannot remember the last time I turned it on. That just proves I sort of fall out of love with gadgets too.

Right now, I'm enamoured with my Creative Zen.



I believe what I want to say involves the economic concept of marginal utility. The 'simplified to death' explanation is that people want a bang for their buck. For example, suppose folks have some extra cash to spend. This means they'd analyse the ways they could spend it and choose the item or service which could provide them with the greatest pleasure.

I sometimes decide on an extra purchase by how much I feel it will impact my life. I underestimated this one! The $120 I spend on the 4 GB mp3 player has already changed my life. I'd pretty much forgotten about radio. Although a Canadian resident for eleven years this week, I had never spent any time listening to CBC Radio. Now thanks to the convenience of podcasts, I'm listening to that medium through podcasts. I've subscribed to all sorts of things. This really has redefined my world. I know I could've listened to streaming audio from all over the world, but I didn't. Now science and technology podcasts from Digital Planet come automatically to my player from BBC England. NPR broadcasts turn up on the little screen. Even a weekly file of Andy Rooney slides through the USB cable into the player.

I outgrew old radio long ago. Now, I'm getting reacquainted with new radio.

Labels: Creative Zen, money, podcasts

There are two ways to be rich. One is to make more ... while the other to want less. I recently saw this on a poster, in Los Angeles, CA no less.


I feel as though I've always been cautious with cash. The only time in my life I ever borrowed money was to go to college and, fortunately, student loans have very reasonable interest rates. Of course, working abroad when right out of college did not force me to live a normal lifestyle. I mean I paid off those college loans quickly with cash from my work in Saudi Arabia. In addition, my current, eleven year old, pickup truck, although purchased new, was paid for with traveller's cheques. Even the apartment from which I'm typing this blog was 'cash on the barrel head'. I just shake my head in amazement at just how much most people have paid for the privilege of borrowing money! I don't need to make much considering how much I've saved.

Even with the small things, I tend to scrimp. This whole new global warming paranoia has at least shined a spotlight on society's excessive consumption. Let's face it most people buy way too much crap. It's nice that my choices can now be discussed as being green ones.

Today, though I went to buy new batteries for our cordless house phone. The price ranged from $16 to $21 for those wrapped, three-battery packs. Then I saw that the entire new Sanyo cordless telephone was just $19. So, of course, I'm throwing away the old but perfectly usable one. I remember doing the exact same thing about three years ago. Sometimes, it just ain't easy being green. Wait, didn't Kermit, the frog, already say that?

Labels: money, opinions, Saudi Arabia, technology, telephone

Another full week is coming up at work. My class has to finish two writing assignments. There's also a staff meeting on Friday. Then next week, we'll be busy too as my group is giving oral presentations and doing their final exams on the 23rd.

I suppose earning all this cash is worth it. I mean when I'm making more than I spend, I can quite often increase my savings. It's a double-edged sword however. I finished entering all those forms into the QuickTax software over the weekend. We get cash back from the federal government but that only means too much was being taken out on those weeks I worked. And wait a minute! Revenue Canada is still unable to process my returns, so their refund isn't going to show up in my account anytime soon.

Payroll deductions are surely a clever idea. Citizens might tend to revolt or at least scrutinize where the taxes go, if people were whacked with one yearly bill. I honestly believe there's value in the obligatory donations to my governments. I paid more in 2006 federal and provincial taxes than for all other combined expenses though.

Labels: government, money

Today was first dedicated to hitting the stores. It’s tradition that Jay takes his sisters shopping when back. We hit all the traditional places: House of Fashion, Fashion Bug, No Limit (formerly, French Corner) as well as a number of smaller places.

I once thought that brand-name clothes were cheap here due to the garment factories in the free trade zone. Yet, the BOSS, DIESEL, and CK fashions are imported. Still it’s interesting that a Calvin Kline shirt sells for less than $8.00.

We’ve discovered it’s easy to spend on plastic in Lanka. The point-of-sales terminals seem able to process a Mastercard in no time flat. Credit cards can be use used at supermarkets here too. It seems as if all the banks have really been pushing the use of them. This will definitely change how we travel here in the future. Even with the ease of transactions, nobody bought very much today.

Although close to sections of Colombo, it is still tough getting around. The busses and roads can be extremely crowded. There are some very nice wide, tree-lined avenues. When schools get out they are all chocker-block-full of cars, vans, busses, and tuk tuks.

Eventually after getting back and a little rest, Jay and I walked out to the closest junction. Lal’s place is directly in back of the police station here. The closest area has a suitable supermarket, video stores, and lots of restaurants. Life here is a little less bucolic than at the house in Minuwangoda, but it’s a great deal more convenient. I went to an Internet café with DSL. The access was fairly quick. I uploaded a few Flickr photos and added a few blog entries. I hope Google’s spiders haven’t abandoned checking me due to my recent inactivity!

In the evening we had more short eats, drinks, and quite a bit of the six Dominos pizzas that Lal bought. I’ve never been so stuffed! I was seriously thinking of doing something about my weight. After this vacation, I will doubly need to.

Labels: credit card, money, Sri Lanka 2006

You might recognize the title from the game of Monopoly. Lest I later sound as if I’m complaining; I’m not. I am enjoying my vacation immensely. In fact, it is with sadness that I realize we’ll be leaving in only a bit more than a week.

Today was fairly restful. Lal and elder sister returned to Nugegoda. They left about 10:00 am.

As soon as the tuk tuk and driver returned, Jay and I went to Minuwangoda to cash a few traveller’s cheques. It is a habit that is diminishing in importance. In our past, it was imperative to rely on Thomas Cook or American Express when travelling overseas. In Sri Lanka, for some reason, the rates on traveller’s cheques are even a bit better than cash. Yet, I must try an ATM to make a withdrawal directly from my account in Canada. All the banks’ automated tellers show they are tied to the standard, global networks. All large businesses accept credit cards now too. If we find these methods work well, then perhaps we’ll have to say goodbye to the time-tested tradition of practicing one’s signature over and over.

There is a new Sampath Bank branch in Minuwangoda. We stopped there. The environment was very nice. Clean, colourful walls and air conditioning welcomed us. Computerization has made banking in Sri Lanka easier in the last few decades. Still, there is a clear, class system to the way employees are organized. Bank staff still shuffle paperwork to a superior in order to get a signature and authorization even for the simplest tasks. This was never surprising to me as even wealthy Middle East banks implemented hierarchical systems that seemed archaic. The rub was several people repeatedly miscounted Jay’s $200 as $150. There were two fifties and a single one hundred but they assumed all were fifties. Jay figured that he’d made an error back at home. Without reading glasses, he is a bit blind! When our tuk tuk pulled up to the driveway at home, we discovered the bank had called and found the error. Jay had to turn around and return for the additional 5,000 Sri Lankan Rupees owed him.

Sometimes on a journey it’s the little things don’t go smoothly that are most remembered. I’d like to suggest, therefore, we should look forward to them in anticipation.

Labels: money, Sri Lanka 2006

I go and meet someone at a bank once a year. It only happens then because one of my banks requires face-to-face interaction in order that I coax the best GIC rate. Other than that brief encounter I do everything online.

Likewise, the majority of my recent flights have been with e-tickets. That's how people zip around North America. Yet, I did pick up this yesterday:

THE TICKET.

Labels: flying, money

I was once paid salary through a US military kickback slush fund. Well, it wasn't called that. Those words are simply my own way of trying to accurately describe the funding arrangement. When the US decided that Bahrain's Air Force would need shiny new General Dynamics F16 warplanes, lots of arrangements were made. One of the agreements was the company would offer reverse funding for the establishment of a technical school. It all made sense really. That allowed the implementation of a method to help get the locals up to speed with the new hardware that was soon to arrive at their door. Additionally, it made the Bahrainis feel as though they were getting something for free. I functioned as a pawn.

I have never connected the subsequent Gulf War I directly to the purchase but the sophisticated hardware was delivered just in time to be used during the initial conflict. Let's call that just a convenient coincidence, shall we?

Anyway, the only reason I'm mentioning this today, is because I wanted to quote my former boss. The old guy must no longer be with us. He was pretty much on his last legs during the early 90's. If I recall correctly, the good doctor even had heart trouble while on the job. I was acting director when he disappeared for medical leave once.

When requesting a pay raise due to high expenses in the country, he offered that all people had to set their own financial priorities. He was politely saying, "Put up and shut up." I was probably asking for enough to pay for both the rent and buy food, but I digress. Take what I say with a grain of salt for even from my picture you can tell I've never starved.

More recently, yesterday in fact, a colleague's work computer broke. It was fortuitous actually. The replacement computer came with a stylish 19-inch flatscreen and now I want one for my house! I had been checking monitor prices recently. My current Samsung LCD works superbly. It's very clear. Still, I have had it for a few years and it's a mere 15 diagonal inches. Obviously, even though yesterday's entry seems to deny it, big is most definitely better. It's better at least when it comes to computer screens.

I have enough cash to pick up one on the way to school today. Yet, I'm stuck thinking of Dr. Benson's remarks. I do have to set priorities, don't I?

Labels: money, opinions

For many years I've used MS Money to track expenses and record personal financial data. I probably don't make use of a majority of the available options. For example, I've never set up a budget with the program although it tries very hard to create one by combing through my past expenses. I do like the quick little reports that it can generate. The very first time I viewed who got my money I was shocked. I had the impression that being a good capitalist meant I shopped around and used cash as my vote in the marketplace. Then, I viewed the report to see who got my money. Most all of my expenses were made at fewer than a dozen places. Although there are literally thousands of local businesses that will take my money, I get rid of most of it at very few establishments.

I guess that shouldn't have been so hard to believe. Similar examples of ignoring variety occur daily. To underline this point, there are millions and millions of websites. I could potentially view information kept at public and private concerns in most countries around the globe. Yet, on an average day, I probably venture to less than a dozen websites. Moreover, I usually spend my Internet time hanging around the same old places.

Labels: money

I'm very satisfied with life. There are a wide range of reasons but an important one involves finances. I take being comfortable for granted.

There is truth in the English idiom that says, "A penny saved is a penny earned." The trick to having enough money is not making a lot; rather, it's not spending a lot. The habit of putting aside some money from each paycheck ensures that spending doesn't surpass income. Debt is dangerous too. Paying interest on borrowed money is money lost. College loans were the only time I paid a bank for the privilege of using money I didn't have.

For some people, I'm sure the practicing restraint sounds easier than actually doing it. (After all people say something similar about losing weight. Yet, I must find it harder to keep calories burned higher than calories consumed because I weigh far too much.)

In a word, part of life's satisfaction is knowing there'd be no tragic consequences if I found it impossible to work anymore. Still, without a trickle of income I couldn't continue to dream about buying a widescreen TV to replace a tube that's more than a dozen years old!

Labels: money, opinions

One recent classroom assignment included a question where the students had to come up with criteria. They had to decide on a list of things one should consider when choosing an appropriate post-secondary institution.

One area that all groups considered important was a school's facilities.

Today, I gave a project which was completed in the BCIT library. I was thinking how the BCIT library had improved in recent years. Whereas, most people only attend a school several years themselves, they do continue affecting the public institutions. They, hopefully, find gainful employment. This allows them to continue contributing during their working years through taxes.

Eventually, the students who are currently making use of the facilities, will pay years of taxes for future improvements too. As long as the institution is successful, it will continue. That's a nice thought.

Labels: BCIT, library, money

I've yet to meet anyone who's actually benefited much from Air Miles programs. I am not talking about a specific, frequent-flier program, I mean the loyalty programs that are offered by businesses such as Safeway and Future Shop. I assume most points go unused. I think it is just a lot of hype. People think they are getting something for nothing when in fact most get nothing.

We shop for groceries almost exclusively at the Great Canadian Superstore. There are several with convenient locations fairly close but we nearly always go to the recently-expanded one on the Lougheed Highway in Coquitlam. Even when camping across this country, we ended up buying food from Superstores and the affiliated Atlantic Superstores back east. Even Dominion markets in Newfoundland are connected. The prices are low and the range of products expansive.

The Great Canadian Superstore's President's Choice Financial credit cards make sense for us though. Every purchase within the stores earn PC Points but their Mastercard returns 1% in points on all purchases. If I drop next week's truck registration and insurance on plastic, then we're assured of about a month of free milk. By the end of the year we'll have received well over $300 in free groceries. Now that's a reward program that makes sense to me. After all, food is a necessity as well as a personal hobby!

Labels: credit card, food, money

Jay went to Thomas Cook in order to pick up a few Euros. We'll need the change to buy transit tickets from Schiphol to downtown Amsterdam next week. Having a little cash is always convenient. We will be able to use them up in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France too. We should be able to get rid of most during those couple of weeks. If not, we can always change the remainder to Pounds when we head over to London.

It made me think of old currency I had kept. I've got bills from every place we've travelled and even donations from fellow collectors. When I was last in the Netherlands in the early 1980's, I saved this note.



Isn't money a great invention? I can earn it by teaching a class then take some and purchase whatever I desire --- globally. This sort of goes hand-in-hand with my amazement that wherever I go, there are always people ready to give me a meal and provide a bed for sleeping. All I need is a little cash. A few slips of paper are so much more portable than keeping wealth, say, in cattle. Cows don't travel well in one's luggage and they don't divide easily.

Labels: Amsterdam, money

As has been the case recently, I fish for something to scan for Sundays' entries. I assure you this is only because I'm too tired to say much of import after a 7-hour teaching day.

One thing I've discovered about myself is that I save far too much junk. I save things I'll never need. For example, I located my expenditures from August of 1989. I am not sure that this is a positive. It totally flies in the face of my view I'm so come as one may. Rather, it makes me seem a little, you know, .... retentive.

Before blogging, I never really managed to keep a journal. Yet, I used to keep a spreadsheet of monthly expenses well before I bought my first copy of 'MS Money'. If you click on the thumbnail, you'll load a .pdf file of expenses during August 1989. I was in Bahrain at the time. The columns of figures are Bahraini Dinars, US Dollars, and Sri Lankan Rupees, respectively. I spent less than $350 a month? No wonder why I am rich today.

I wonder if the categories and my percentages have changed after 16 years. Well, surely there's one difference: I quit smoking five or six years ago.

Labels: Bahrain, blogging, file archives, money

Okay, I'll admit to having been more of a pinball wizard than a financial one. I'll also acknowledge that I'm highly risk averse. I wanted to ensure a batch of money earn steady and stable interest. I divided the amount to five units. Then, I bought 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 year GICs. (Guaranteed Investment Certificate is Canadian banking jargon for a Time Deposit.) As they mature I'm rolling each into a 5-year. This way, I'll always be spreading interest rates across time and will have 20% of those funds coming up for renewal each year.

Yesterday, I called my main, toll-free banking number to set up instructions for this year's roll over. I talked to a customer support person who was in Ontario. Of course, he could only offer the 'listed' rates. I told him quite frankly that I wanted better. A competitor's rates on the Internet showed a better yield but he didn't have the power to negotiate.

So, I thanked him, and went uptown to a branch where I could speak to a person. "No, I don't want to consider a money market," I had to say. "I'm absolutely sure that I won't withdraw before maturity." "I know you can do better than that," I added. She disappeared and returned with the manager who immediately added 0.25% as a bonus. It put me over the rates posted at most other banks. Agreement came so quickly that I probably should have held out for more.

It just goes to show, which I didn't know before, a bank has plenty of room to negotiate rates. If you're a good customer, then leverage that fact. If you don't demand, they surely aren't going to offer.

Labels: money

I think it was termed Subjective Value in Economics class. Bear in mind back when I was in college, there were probably fewer theories.

The basic premise was that objects do not have have an inherent value and that any worth springs completely from people's desire for them. People's needs change over time and by circumstance; therefore, stronger desire would prompt a greater worth for that individual. For example, if you were stranded in a desert, dying of thirst, you'd certainly value a container of water over another filled with diamonds.

Keeping this in mind, there are some examples of common household products that do not seem to follow suit. First of all, I love bleach. I love regular gallon-jug-sized liquid bleach. It seems to me to be terribly underpriced at $1.25. The container alone is worth that. If bleach suddenly increased to $6.50 a bottle, I'd still buy it. Secondly, I think those little bottles of hydrogen peroxide are worth more than $0.75 Just watching the H202 bubble on a fresh cut or wound is worth the price of the whole bottle. Also, although bothered by excessive ear wax for 46 years, for the first time, I put hydrogen peroxide in my ear to unblock it. It worked very well and the bubbling sensation was really rather fun!

Maybe I should go find a new hobby.

Labels: money, opinions

I was considering writing about the wonderful feeling of having income taxes filed early. It's nice to know that unplanned money will soon be electronically transferred into one's account. I'm very thankful for tax software where one can play with scenarios before filing. Who would've known that total charitable contributions are best claimed by the higher return? Tax specialists surely know but with help of software anyone can be one, I guess.

Instead, I found something more important to include today. This month is an anniversary, of sorts. I risk sounding like an old person when mentioning that time flies. Yet, a half decade is a lot, considering the short number of years we walk the earth.

The photo that follows was the cause of much joy and celebration. Without a reminder, it might be possible to forget the excitement of the event.


Five years ago this month, Jay took the oath of Canadian citizenship.

Labels: camera, money, Surrey

Today, if the fog lifts, we have a chance of breaking a 37-year-old weather record. The last time there was any measurable precipitation at the Vancouver airport was February 7th. That's quite a run of sunshine for this usually dreary month! The forecast shows the rain is approaching and beginning tomorrow we may be back in a regular weather pattern.

How will I spend the last sunny day? I will probably run out to buy income tax software. All the slips have arrived, so I may as well plug it all into Intuit QuickTax. Maybe I should look into the web-based, online version this year. Nah, that'd mean I wouldn't get a chance to run to either London Drugs, Canadian Superstore, Wal-Mart, or Best Buy. Oh, drat . . . all the decisions!

Labels: money, New Westminster, software, Walmart

Bleach and container sell for 89 cents
but getting just the plastic gallon jug would
cost at least $3.89. That's weird.

A blank 4.7 GB DVD costs 50 cents but
a blank, white label for one ends up costing
25 cents. That's criminal.

Labels: money

Of course there are many concrete ways to help those in need. My basic, political-belief system would point towards donations to NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations) for disaster relief.

It took just seconds and a credit card to make an online donation to the Canadian Red Cross. Even the tax receipt was received as an email attachment within seconds.

Labels: credit card, money

During most of that decade and a half working the Gulf region, I was fortunate to work for organizations that either had a private or educational library. Still, at present, I am so very grateful for my city library. A place where any resident can come for reading and a/v materials is so worthy of funding. I love libraries. They combine my respect for education with a love of collecting. If I wanted to begin a new career ...

To read about the history of our library, please click this link.


Property taxes are due in a couple of days. We've already
paid and don't mind anting up for useful services such as our
excellent little, municipal library.

Labels: library, money, New Westminster

I drove in the rain to the Queensborough Wal-mart to look at one. I am such a careful shopper that I knew what the price could be. They were selling it $22 over what I reckoned was a good value. Consequently, I'm blogging this entry rather than experimenting with a new toy. Damn.

Labels: GPS, money, Walmart

I was thinking about how quickly we take advantage of technology and stop being amazed by it.

I was just checking through our city library's online catalogue. I put holds on several items so I'll be informed by an automated phone-messaging system when the items are available.

Yesterday, I completed and filed our tax returns online and arranged for a payment through online banking. (I sort of miss chatting with the bank-teller gals.)

I haven't mailed a letter for so long that I do not know the current postal rates.

The Net has ceased being an avenue for nerdy entertainment and has become an indispensable utility.

Labels: money, technology