Think Outside The Piggy Bank

the perfect job

I'm thinking about getting a job as a bus driver. The idea of getting paid for telling people where to get off really appeals to me. --MAXINE

Snort. But seriously, I saw an ad in the local paper the other day for a job that excited me. I know, the words job and excited in the same sentence is a rarity for me, but as they say, wonders never cease!

The ad in question reads like this, Writer needs part-time assistant. Typing, internet, research, some marketing. Please fax one page to....

Now the location specified is not close to me, and there's no bus going to that area so technically the job isn't perfect, but to see something like this advertised gave me hope. And I'm going to reply anyway because what do I have to lose? The neat thing too is that I figured out pretty quickly exactly who this writer is (how? by being a smart cookie and doing some research), and I'm pleased to report that this guy is a humour writer! So those who know me well enough will realize why this job is perfect on so many levels. I'm also aware that the chances of getting this job are lessened by the fact that he'll prefer someone with transportation (needing someone to type means he may write in longhand), but at this point I don't even care because the ad made me realize that other writers need assistants too, and that there are possibilities for doing almost all of the tasks he mentioned online.

The other direct benefit is that I looked over some of my own previous writing material last night, and have decided that my short humour book You Know You've Been Unemployed Too Long When... is still darn funny even though written a number of years ago, so I'm going to be posting it on a separate page right on this blog! I mean, why not? Even though never published, it should still be enjoyed and exist right here in my own space.

boob tube revisited

Remember how I said I was going to leave the boob tube behind? Well, I did, and at about the right time as a certain pop star had just died and I figured that if he got anywhere near the amount of media attention Anna Nicole Smith did (and I'm assuming he got even more), then I wouldn't be turning the TV on even if I did still have one. And I did what I said I would do (read, radio, and blog a bit more consistently), and didn't miss the TV at all. Okay, it helped that I could still watch Coronation Street online, but basically, I was out of the TV-loop and felt just fine. But.

But tomorrow night is the season premiere of House and I LOVE Hugh Laurie! In fact, all the season premieres seem to be happening this week or next (like Amazing Race!), and all of a sudden yesterday, I felt a bit bereft. So like a person possessed I spent hours on the Internet trying to see what I could catch online. And some shows, like Fringe, I do have access to, but American channels like Fox won't stream videos if you don't live in the United States. That leaves certain sites where you can download if you pay, or having to sift through sites that make you register, view ads, or take chances with possible viruses and spyware. And my reasons for not having a TV still stand: don't want to pay for cable, don't have room, and don't have the discipline to not use it as a tool of distraction. So what was I doing perusing Craigslist and Kijiji for 13" TV's? Snort. But no, I've decided to try to continue my TV-fast, although I can't ABSOLUTELY guarantee I won't be running over to someone else's house to watch House. :)

money quirk #1

Like many of you (well, at least SOME of you), I have my fair share of quirks. And because I'm fascinated with everything money (except perhaps for earning it -- that is more of a duty than a fascination, snort), my quirks also extend to the financial realm, so I thought that over time I'd share a few.

One of my money quirks is that I like my bills crispy. As in smooth, flat, new, without any wrinkles or creases. (Yes, I have seriously considered ironing, but luckily, I don't have an iron.) Trouble is, you rarely get those deliciously pristine bills, and even when you do, it's not as if you keep them for long. And why it makes a difference to me I'm not even sure, but I'm always disappointed when crumpled, crinkly bills are handed over. Still, it's not like I can ask, "Um, can I have mine crisp please?" when dealing with a clerk. Or can I? ;)

all's well with Bell

Remember my rant about this nationally reviled* yet heavily relied upon institution? Well, Bell Canada (claiming to be Canada's largest telephone and telecommunications company), came through and gave me credit for the fifteen long-distance phone calls I DIDN'T make but got charged for on my last bill, so I'll give them a wee break (especially since there were no unauthorized calls this time), and for now, the benefit of the doubt. But it wasn't so much the money as the principle of the thing (why should I have to pay for calls I didn't make?), and the fear that if I didn't speak up now, I would have no further recourse if it happened again.

* (just Google the words Bell and hate or sucks)

Monday's money question 6

In honour of Labour Day, let me ask you this: what is your favourite labour-saving device?

Not sure what mine is, but it's definitely not dishwashers. I've never had one, and I've never liked them, and given the fact that my parents use theirs as storage space, I can only conclude that they don't really like theirs either. Half the time I didn't even use the one at work when I looked after twenty residents at three meals and two snack-times, because I found it quicker and easier to do it by hand. Plus quieter. And it's a Zen thing for me I suspect, as I like the idea of only being responsible for getting a plate clean in the moment that I'm washing it. (Have to admit that I only wash and let everything air-dry. I also make a point of doing the dishes at least once a day before I go to bed, so that I wake up with a clean slate, um, counter.) Now I do understand that a busy family with working parents might really want and need their dishwasher, but one or two people?

That was my thought anyway as I saw a counter-top dishwasher in the Canadian Tire flyer this week. Obviously, being able to stand on a counter, it's really tiny, and of course that means you can only do a few dishes at a time. Which then begs the question; why not do them by hand? It would save not only time, but also hydro, and at $250, a fair bit of money. Well, folks, I was going to include a couple of money-saving tips gleaned from my house-cleaning days, but hey, I think I've laboured enough on a weekend when you're not even supposed to labour, so I'll leave it for now.

(pssst, but I'll give you a hint: avoid stainless steel!)

Labour Day

So have I been labouring this Labour Day weekend? Well, not really, unless you count washing windows. Which I guess should darn well count, because how many people actually clean their own windows these days? I know I haven't, primarily because I rent, and you can't exactly wash windows on the outside when you're on the second floor. I'm still on the second floor in my new place, but guess what? I've got these fancy windows that you can tilt open on the inside, and clean on the outside! So now, they're all clean and for one minute, I even felt smugly domesticated, snort.

seeing red

Almost any man knows how to earn money, but not one in a million knows how to spend it. --HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Hmmm, not one in a million? I'm assuming that he meant spend wisely, although I could be wrong. And most of us are not taught how to manage money well at all, unless we've been fortunate enough to learn by example. But luckily, more schools are catching on that basic financial skills would be valuable to add to their curriculum, because it's certainly not an innate skill. 

Hey, remember that lamp I bought? Not sure what Thoreau would have thought of my spending in this particular case, but here it is:

The halogen bulb for the reading lamp part (it swings around the other way too) cost about $3.50, and I decided to leave the red floodlight bulb on top, because well, it's different, so for under $10, I got myself a floor lamp! Below you can see it turned on, but this was during the day. Try instead to picture a room with a burgundy carpet bathed in red light, and you might just get the idea! Hey, I wonder what it looks like from the outside?