Good Morning Folks,
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Well it is Mond.. err.. Tuesday. I took Friday off last week and Monday was a Holiday here in Canada so I had a super nice long weekend.
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This past weekend I did entirely too much gaming. So much, in fact, that I've decided to take a week off from gaming and doing other things around the house/yard. Since the weather is starting to get nice up here in the cold north, I've decided to get outside a bit more and do.... something. I also want to get some "spring cleaning" done around the house. I was cleaning up the entry-way closet yesterday and noticed a serious surplus of mittens, hats and various other Winter wear. Time to get that stuff put away along with the heavy jackets, snow suits and boots. That should hopefully clear out that closet a bit and open up space for our sandles, sneakers and light jackets. It's all about organization :)
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Work has been going great since I changed teams. It is still hard to get up and come in every day, but the weather is getting nicer and the working environment has become a lot less stressful and more enjoyable. Now if I can find a way to make our cost of living cheaper.... :)
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I was driving into work this morning and there was discussion going on (the radio) about energy costs and the rising cost to power and heat our homes. There is cost hikes everywhere from the fuel it takes to run your vehicle to the cheerios you put on your table. Everywhere I turn around I see prices going up and then I look at my paycheque going into my account and don't see any increase. It is a bit frustrating to see everything else going up and seeing your income stay the same. What are we (society) to do?
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Well the quickest and easiest thing to do is start cutting back on the non-essentials. Do we need that digital cable box in our living room? Do we need the 5 movie channels and movies on demand? Probably not, but it sure is nice to have :) Do we need to always buy brand name merchandise or can we get away with buying the no-name brands? These are things we (as families and individuals) need to think about and decide on. Let's face the facts folks, when your parents were young, they paid 25 cents for a bag of chips and a bottle of pop with money left over. We'll be telling our kids we used to be able to buy a bag of chips and a bottle of pop for under a dollar when we were kids. Our kids can buy a bottle of pop and bag of chips for under $2 today and their kids will be able to buy a bag of chips and bottle of pop for under $5. The cost of living is NOT going to decrease.
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I'm not sure who much gasoline is in other parts of Canada or the US, but right now we're paying $1.33/li (approx $5.04 gallon for my American friends). Driving to and from work every day is starting to really get expensive and on top of that some people have to pay monthly for parking. What are my alternatives? We could take public transit which, in my case, takes me almost 3 times as long to get to work in the morning. This isn't ideal for my situation because taking transit would disable me to take my kids to school everyday which in-turn will disable my wife to work in the mornings. For those who have no choice but to drive, they could find a cheaper parking spot. Right now I'm getting a discounted parking rate which is cheaper (per month) than anywhere else in the downtown core so as it stands now, I'm paying the least amount as I can to get to and from work.
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Another thing to think about is selling that old or fuel inefficient vehicle and buy something cheaper. My vehicle isn't too old (2005) but it is a 6 cylinder which uses quite a bit of fuel. I should be able to get a decent price for it and then turn around and buy a smaller vehicle with a little less room but better fuel economy. I'm hesitant about doing anything right now as I also need to think about the new baby on the way and think about space.
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The cost of living is a real concern here. There are people and families who couldn't afford to pay for heat this past winter. One man even perished in his home on a really cold night because the heating company shut off his heat due to payment. I hate to say it, but things are getting worse and with the current price of oil and the rising costs of energy, society is in desperate need for something cheap and efficient. We've seen massive earthquakes and flooding going on in Asia, cyclones and other natural disasters wiping out homes, schools, businesses and even entire towns. I can't help but think back on that passage in the Bible that talks about the last days... {shudder}.
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Well folks, I must get back to work and earn that paycheque :) I'd like to hear your thoughts on the current cost of living and where you think society will go.
Until next time
Cheers,
Al
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