Canadian Personal Finance Blog

Yes, I said it, and I meant it!

For those of you who have newer cars, or got an upgraded CD/Radio combination for your car, you should NEVER put your original CDs in your car. Why?

• The heat of the car in the summer and winter (when your console heater is on) is going to cause your CD to degrade (over a long period, but still it isn’t that good).
• Lots of “snatch and grab” thieves take CDs from cars these days, you could lose $130.00 worth of CDs if they take 10!
• If your car CD player goes wonky you can have badly scratched CDs (i.e. you lose them)
• This happened to us 2 years ago. We have a 6 CD exchanger in the van, and it just went “south” and we couldn’t get any CDs out of it. It finally got fixed but a few of the CDs were ruined, but LUCKILY, they were duplicates I had made.
• If your house gets broken into, you have back up copies in your car too.

No, I am not espousing Music sharing or silliness like that, but it is your right under copyright laws to make backup copies of your media for your own use (at least in Canada and the US). I use Roxio Easy CD on my PC to duplicate my CDs, but you can use NERO or many other pieces of software to do it.

Word of warning however, SONY has put a nasty little piece of software on their new music CDs to stop you from being able to back them up (and presumably able to share them as well). I suggest avoiding SONY CDs like this library did.

If a CD costs $13.00, to duplicate it costs about 20 cents in media (a small price to pay).

–C8j

This article made me remember this past January where I literally saw RED because of the Ontario Government’s emission testing TAX.

I received my yearly license renewal form and had not noticed that BOTH of my cars were up for emissions test (tax grab). OK, my Honda Accord is an old clunker and maybe we should make sure it isn’t polluting a lot (not like say all the gas lawn mowers that pollute at a higher rate). Fine, I’ll go do that test. I then came back and was able to renew my license, but then I tried to renew the license on my 2 year old van, but the government wanted me to spend another $60 (or whatever it was) to test THAT car as well to get a new license sticker. Unless I have been adjusting the carburetor myself (which would void my warranty), how would a 2 year old van fail an emissions test? Of course it won’t, but, the government got their money, my dealership got some extra money, my mechanic for my Honda got some money and everyone was happy (except me because I was out another $300 for licensing my cars).

I really hate the way the world is “nickel and diming” me to DEATH. Everyone adds a surcharge or a little extra tax for something, schools, government agencies, airports, gas taxes, and I am dieing financially by attrition!

If I totaled up all these little “add on” taxes and charges, I think you’d need to check me into a rubber room, because I’d be figuring out why I never have any extra money, the government has it!

–C8j

Yes folks, another diatribe from the pulpit. This weekend I will be helping out at 2 of my daughter’s basketball tournament. Big deal? To me it is, to the girls I think it is, to the other girls, I guess as well. Volunteers are the backbone of our society these days, and not just for amateur sports.

I have met a lot of folks who help the homeless, helpless and the elderly and these helping souls for the most part don’t take a cent for their good works. I am always astounded when I talk to these people and how it is part of their being to GIVE so much of themselves. My token works really are dwarfed by others, but I also know that my works are still needed.

Volunteer and help out where ever you can, and whomever you can. If you know a volunteer, do something nice for them, buy them a coffee, or just tell them thank you (they’ll most likely say they don’t deserve it but they do).

Thank you volunteers! Remember Volunteer work is payment to your soul, which is more important than monetary payment. It’s good for you. –C8j