April 18, 2011
No I Don’t Want To Give a Dollar to Your Cause
The constant requests at the check out to donate a dollar to a cause or charity is becoming a pet peeve of mine. First, it makes no sense from a tax perspective. All those loonies add up and you may as well make a donation and get a tax receipt. I feel like it is designed to put you in a position of giving or feeling like an uncaring person.
This weekend was the icing on the cake. I was shopping in The Bay and the sales associate said to me after she rang in my purchase, “Do you want to donate your HBC points to Japan?” Really? Japan? The government? An agency? Do they have Zellers in Japan? Wow! At least have the courtesy to tell me where my money is going!
How about you? Are you tired of being asked at the check out to make a donation?
And don’t even get me started about the swim team outside the grocery store! Here’s an idea – how about being at the exit and taking my groceries to my car? Then ask me to make a donation – I might be more sympathetic to your cause then.
April 4, 2011
Bigger Kids = Bigger Problems
That’s what someone onc
e told me along with the advice, “Enjoy them while they are young!” At that time I hadn’t slept for 6 hours straight in days and had no idea if I would ever be able to sit quietly and read a book. They were right of course, and here I am now out with my son, looking at purchasing his first condo/loft. Wow!
With a suitable place discovered the conversation now is ‘what do you think I should do?’ I have no idea! There are ups and downs to all of these decisions. Mortgage rates, property values, underemployment – all of these can impact his investment. On the other hand, getting into the housing market at a young age can be a great way for him to begin building his own investments, etc.
With one of my kids getting married and one looking at purchasing property I realize that much of life is a crap shoot. Like me, they will have to make decisions based on the best information possible. The reality is that people change, markets change, they will change and what seemed like a good plan now might have them scratching their heads in a few years.
What I can tell them is – life involves takings risks and leaps of faith. Sometimes you need to make a decision and go for it. That’s what most of us do when we decide to start a family!
