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The Coin Conundrum

With every passing day, the use of debit cards, credit cards and online banking seem to become the norm as we inch closer to a cashless society. Given that certain vending machines and self-checkouts are only accepting cards now, are coins falling out of favour?

When we also consider that Canada phased out the penny four years ago and inflation has greatly diminished the purchasing power of low denomination coins, how is it that I became a magnet for people who need to unload some precious “doubloons” because their purse or pocket is getting heavy?

Don’t get me wrong, I completely sympathize and have been on the opposite side of the coin on a few occasions myself.

Given some underlying disc issues in my back that flare up from time to time, I am very much aware of the need to keep the contents of my messenger bag to a manageable weight for my travels to and from the office. If I don’t, and my spine compensates for a few extra contents by shifting a little more to the left, it could lead to neck, back or shoulder issues, which leads to an added visit or two to the chiropractor. Continue reading

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Filed under 50+, Christmas, Humour, Misc blogs

The Experiment

A few years ago, I had a twinge of entrepreneurial spirit after a productive round of spring cleaning and purging… Well, actually, the TV show “Hoarders” scared me into spring cleaning. Not that my house ever remotely looked like the ones on the show but 5 minutes of that show is like a kick in the OCD!

I decided that rather than donating the items I was ready to part with, I would try my hand at selling some items on-line and try to make some money at it. For my first attempt, I wanted to start small and call it a one-month “pilot project” to give it a fair shot. I decided to start with books and CDs.

I did a little research before starting and found that when it came to books and CDs, you just never know who is looking for what, at any given time. There seemed to be a market for practically everything. Whether the items are current, recent or a throwback to the past, on a global scale, some Canadian CDs or books from a few years ago might be a collector’s dream elsewhere in the world. The possibilities seemed endless, it was just a matter of the stars lining up with the right buyer at the right time (he said, with dollar signs in his eyes). Continue reading

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