November 2nd, 2016
I think most of us would agree that we live in a democratic country and that we enjoy the freedom to dictate how our lives will be. We choose what we want to be "when we grow up" and where we want to live. We choose when to have sex and with whom. We now get to decide when we'd like to get married and whether or not we want to have children. We get to raise those children according to our values; breastfeed, bottle feed, take a year of maternity leave, go back to work, send our children to catholic school, pubic school, private school or, homeschool.
However, in many ways, we have very little control on a daily basis. The first thing that comes to mind is the election in the USA. Yes, people can choose between Clinton and Trump but neither of those candidates are particularly endearing. What if you don't like either candidate? You still have to vote for one of those two otherwise you are letting others decide for you who will run the country. Either way, it's going to be one of those two, you have no other choices.
Closer to home, a very cold season is approaching. Hydro is charging us way too much money to heat our homes but what are our options? Do we have alternatives? If you have loads of money, you can get solar panels or wind mills but these cost a lot of money and in this climate, they don't give you the reliability you need to keep your family cozy throughout this very long season. Therefore, you still need Hydro to a certain extent.
Want to watch television? There are hundreds of channels so you feel pretty lucky right? Why is it that you spend so much time channel surfing without finding the content you want to watch? You have a bunch of channels that are replicated and they offer you programming, perhaps what you want to watch, maybe not. If you call the cable company to inquire about your favourite program, you may find out that you need to pay for an add-on or that it's only available in the USA.
When tax time comes along, we all complain about the amount of our income that is snatched up by the government. Can we do anything about it? If you know are an accountant and you know the loopholes, you may save some money but the fact of the matter is, you keep working harder and the more you make, the more you lose in taxation. I recall looking at my pay stub as a college professor. I thought I was making a great income but it turns out I wasn't making much more than I did when I was a student. By the time, my benefits and pension were removed, I factored in the tax deductions, union fees and the cost of having my job, babysitter, parking, lunches etc.. and I realized that I was keeping very little of my hard earned money.
Living in a rural area means that you have less choice where to shop. I was looking for boots for my daughters. I had to drive into town to buy their boots because I couldn't get anything that fit my 8 year old in town. When I go out to supper with my husband, there aren't too many restaurants to choose from. We either drive out to Manotick or Merrickville or we stay in town and eat pub food.
We are praised for our health care system but many of the alternative services or products are not covered by insurance so if I choose to take fish oil for brain health I absorb the cost. If I use a chemical pill for the same purpose it will be covered. On the few occasions that I have called my doctor's office for an appointment when one of my daughters had an ear infection, they told me they had no appointments left for that day. They can't book me in for the next day, I have to call again the next morning to see if they can fit us in. When your child is in pain, you can't try to get in three days in a row, especially if the ear infection occurs on a Friday. You end up in the emergency room.
If your car breaks down and you take it in to the garage, chances are it won't be an easy, cheap fix. The cost of parts is often more expensive than the cost of labour. However, you pay for it because you need to get to work and there are no buses out here to go for groceries or take your kids to karate class or whatever else you need to do.
As I write, I am thinking to myself, Holy Anne, you are such a downer on this beautiful, sunny day. The reason I am writing about this is because I have had a few experiences lately that indicate to me that we may have more choices than we realize. We are generally a pretty passive people, we expect the status quo but we may not have to. It requires effort to research our options but it pays off big time.
Politically, we can do our homework and figure out what each candidate stands for, we can get involved and push for changes. We can be an instrument to raise awareness about important issues. Hydro is powerful because we have not reached the point where enough people can afford an alternative. I read about a company in Ottawa that sells and installs solar blinds, less expensive than panels but paired with a wood burning stove, geothermal system and energy efficient home, it may considerably affect our expenses. Check out www.krumperssolarsolutions.ca.
My husband and I visited a friend who has a Smart Tv box that plugs directly into the HDMI feed and streams television shows and movies from all over the world, way more choices than we get from our cable and, we are told, it only has a once in a lifetime cost. My husband was quite smitten with this system and found old movies and programs he wasn't able to find. It even had his mom's British shows available for when she comes over for her next visit. I think I know what will be on his Christmas list.
Using an informed, competent accountant who can help you make important decisions about where to invest your money all year, can make a huge difference when tax time rolls around. There may be tax credits that you are entitled to and that you don't know about. A good accountant knows and can guide you through this stressful process. When it comes to dining options, we need to support local talent when we find it. Had a great meal, discovered a gem of a restaurant? Tell everyone, use social media to spread the word so these businesses can be busy and stay busy. Comfort was an awesome restaurant with delicious food and a warm atmosphere but it shut down because it wasn't making enough money to sustain it, very sad.
Investing in your health, using alternative services, raising awareness about their effectiveness and recommending them to others is the best way to promote them and get them, eventually recognized by the powers that be. Massage therapists used to be one of those services not covered by insurance. Now they are. Also, when your mechanic gives you a quote re: the cost of fixing your car, ask for details about the piece that needs to be ordered. Look online for that piece and you'd be surprised how often you can order that exact piece, for half the price. You have just cut down the cost, more money in your pocket. We have more choices than we realize. The more we question and investigate, the more options open up for us.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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