Tired of budget, budget, budgeting? Let's have some fun! Someone just handed you $1,000 in cold hard cash. It's all yours, but you must follow the rules to keep it. The rules: 1. You must spend it. No savings, RESP and responsible things like that. 2. It cannot be anything you actually "need." It can only be spent on "wants." 3. No big ticket items. No individual item can be more than $200. 4. No time to waver - you must develop your list in … [Read more...]
Dear Convenience Food Marketers
July 27, 2009 by 5 Comments
Dear Junkfood Convenience Food Marketers, In this economy, I feel it is my duty to provide you with some valuable feedback that can help you cut your costs. You see, I've noticed some changes to your packaging. Lately it includes copy intended to market to someone looking for a healthy meal. Consider the following two standard favourites: Kraft Dinner Original and Chef Boyardee Ravioli. The Kraft Dinner package is now sporting a substational … [Read more...]
Sweet Spot
July 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Looking for a sweet spot to just hang out and have a coffee? Or perhaps you'd like a coffee but your partner for the afternoon would rather a cold beer? Well, hello Raw Sugar cafe! In the way that Ottawa is always such a funny, small-world-sort-of-place, I told my neighbour Kim that I'd be reading at BOLO (Blog Out Loud Ottawa), being hosted at the new(ish) Raw Sugar. She then pointed me to an article written by her sister, Shannon Beahen, on … [Read more...]
The Teacher's Gift
June 23, 2009 by 1 Comment
In past years I've struggled with the obligatory thank-you gift for my daughter's teachers. I say "obligatory" not because I don't feel genuine gratitude for the work and passion that my daughter's teachers bring to the classroom every day, but rather because of the sense that a gift is a form of standard etiquette. And I don't want to be the set of parents (i.e. the mother) who hasn't followed etiquette. (Why I even care about etiquette is a … [Read more...]
Why are kids' animated movies so creepy?
June 16, 2009 by 8 Comments
Is it just me, or are kids' movies pretty creepy? In our house, we rarely watch one of the latest, hyped-up kids' releases. Call me crazy, but I like my sleep. Getting up in the middle of the night to tend to nightmares is not my idea of a good time. Granted, my daughter may not be the average child. She is a bit of a thinker, shall we say. And thinking can lead to ruminating, and ruminating can lead to obsessing. Take for … [Read more...]
Errands from the Desktop
June 14, 2009 by 6 Comments
I love the internet. Like, REALLY love it. It is such an amazing invention that you no longer even need to leave the house for pesky errands. You know what I mean ... you've had a jam-packed week, the weekend arrives, and the last thing you feel like doing is spending your precious free time hunting down that perfect birthday gift or fighting with crowds at the grocery store. Okay, I know there are some of you out there who actually enjoy … [Read more...]
Lunchbox past its expiry date
June 10, 2009 by 7 Comments
School is drawing to a close, but summer camps are coming soon, and my daughter's lunch box (actually, insulated bag) has past its expiry date. Sure, it's cute and all. But it's not practical and no matter how thoroughly I clean the thing, it still smells. Yuck! With enviro-consciousness hitting the school grounds, her lunch bag is generally stuffed with a whole assortment of mismatched plastic containers to house various snacks (apparently she … [Read more...]
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