I'm Confused...

IIIIIIIIIIIt's Tax Time!

Err, well, actually it's RRSP time.

I don't know about you, but usually this time of year I feel like I'm being SWARMED with financial institutions trying to shill their wares. It's front and center on most of the websites I frequent.

Put money in your RRSP! It's the smart thing to do! Do it now before it's too late!

It's 24/7 in your face advertising until March 1st.

But this year... it isn't. I don't know if I've just become oblivious to it, but it feels like the banks aren't pushing RRSPs nearly as hard as they've done in recent years. Do they know something I don't?

*suspicion*

Adding to my confusion are the articles I'm seeing relating to RRSPs right now, such as You Can Have Too Much Money In Your RRSP over at Everyday Money, and The Problem With RRSPs over at MSN Money.

Wait, what?

It seems that after years of pushing this type of investment the banks are pulling an about face: don't put money into your RRSPs, pay off your debt instead.

That's fine and dandy that you want us to pay off our debts; at a debt load of 148% for every dollar earned, I can understand you wanting us to pay off our debts as well. But after years of lamenting that the younger generation is taking so long to enter the work force, buy their first house, and generally hit the major milestones... are you sure you want to be telling us to discount or put off our retirement contributions? I agree fully that the overall debt load of Canadians is too high and NEEDS to be reduced, but do you really want to tell us to not focus on saving for retirement in order to do it? Unless we're getting the 1-2 punch of financial education and frugality to go along with it, I'm worried that not only are we going to get out of the habit of saving for retirement, but we're not going to learn the skills we need to avoid going into debt in the first place.

Basically, I worry that the money that would have otherwise gone to savings will become part of our consumption income stream.

The younger you are, the more time is on your side. Putting in at least a little bit when you're young will pay off in spades in the future. Yes, debt interest is a nasty NASTY beast, but when the same concept of interest is used to your advantage it can be a wonderful wealth building tool as well.

Has anyone else noticed the banks taking their foot of the gas this year? Or is it just me?

Price Check Please?

For some reason my back and neck are really sore today. Massage is covered by my insurance (up to a certain dollar amount), so I figured I'd book an appointment on pay day (so I can pay cash).

I looked up one of the spas near my house online, checked their prices, and then called to book an appointment. This was the tail end of the conversation.

*booking appointment, inquired about price*

Spa: "That will be $110"

Me: "Your website says $55-$75"

Spa: "That's the American price, our spa isn't listed on there"

Me: "I looked you up on the Canadian site, and they have different services listed based on the locations so I know it's not standard pricing."

Spa: "But that is the American price. We're globally owned though, so after the exchange rate it comes out to the same price."

Me: "The dollar is at par"

*long pause*

Spa: "It is right now"

*It has been for, ummm, quite a while, and is projected to be for some time in the future*

Me: "Thank you for your time, but my insurance won't cover that cost."

I'm glad I double checked the price before I hung up the phone, that would have been a VERY unpleasant surprise if I hadn't. Needless to say, I'm irritated. Granted, that could also be due to my back being sore. Has anyone else run into this lately? If so, how did you handle it?

Frugal Health Remedies

As you may be able to glean from the title, I'm coming down with a cold/the flu. I'm right miffed about it too, because I managed to stay healthy in the weeks leading up to Christmas when everyone else around me was sick. *grumble*

I for one am not a fan of over the counter cold remedies. For the most part I find them to be mostly slick marketing. Do you have bottles of both Tylenol Cold and Tylenol Flu in your cupboard? Look at the active ingredients, you'll notice they're identical. The cold and the flu are both viruses that evolve over time; the products don't target the virus, they help with the symptoms. Kudos to whoever came up with that marketing scheme. Ditto with NeoCitran. Make a cup of honey lemon tea, then take a tylenol (or generic equivalent) and an antihistamine. NeoCitran is the same thing, only weaker. Look at the back of the box and see for yourself!

My mom used several home remedies when I was younger, mostly because they worked well, but also because they were cheaper/safer than over the counter medications. I had some gallbladder issues as a kid (tmi?), and the doctor wanted to put me on some heavy duty steroids for it. My mom took me home and gave me Watkin's strawberry extract, the same thing she was giving our goats, and it cleared right up. I'm not saying you should never listen to the doctor, or that all medications are bad, it's just this was a more frugal option that would cause far fewer serious complications. It worked well.

On that note, I'm going to throw a few of my usual cold remedies out there. Mom, if you're reading this, let me know if I've missed anything. If you have any of your own, PLEASE put them down in the comments section. I want to kick this thing as quickly as possible!

For Sore Throats:
Thinly slice an onion, and put it in a pot over low heat with a couple tablespoons of water. Cook the onion down until you have lots of light brown liquid. Stir in some lemon juice and a tablespoon of either brown sugar or honey, then drink the liquid.

I'm not entirely sure why this works as well as it does. I know the sulfuric compounds in onions and garlic are great for tackling bugs, but I was under the understanding that they were fragile compounds that broke down when heated. That and they're neutralized by citric acid as well. It may just be the sulfur in it, I don't know, all I know is that it works. The dose of vitamin C helps too.

For Throat Congestion and Sore Throats:

This is kind of a no brainer. Put the kettle on to boil and pour yourself a mug of hot water. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and sweeten to taste with honey. Drink it as hot as you can stand it. Repeat.

The fluids help flush mucous and irritants out of your throat, and the heat helps kill off bugs. The lemon hits you with a decent dose of vitamin C, and also helps kill off bugs. The honey has anti-viral/anti-bacterial/anti-fungal properties, and makes it a little more palatable/easier on the throat. The less processed the honey, the better.

For Upset Stomach:

Same as above, just reduce the lemon and add sliced or grated fresh ginger. Ginger is well known to naturally calm nausea. Church & Dwight (parent company that makes tonnes of well known products) actually uses it to make a natural version of Gravol.

For Sinus Congestion:
I have some pretty wicked seasonal allergies, and I picked up this trick from a coworker while I was in university. You need some Vicks Vapour Rub. Rather than putting it on your chest or back, rub it under your nose and across your cheek bones under your eyes. Your eyes will be watery for a bit, but shortly after you'll feel a popping sensation as the pressure in your sinuses is relieved. You'll want a tissue, as your nose will likely start running after. For some reason putting it on top of the sinuses works better than just putting it under your nose. I have no idea why.

*Additional Tip: One of my friend's suggested putting it on the bottom of my feet. WOW does that work well! I don't know if it stimulates the nerves like refexology does or what, but it works*

Anyway, hopefully that will help someone else out there. Please help me and post your own home remedies?

400-ct Acetaminophen Extra Strength (500 Mg), Rapid Release Gelcaps / Compare to Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gelcaps
Celestial Seasonings Herb Tea, Lemon Zinger, 20-Count Tea Bags (Pack of 6)
Handy Solutions Vicks VapoRub, .45oz. Packages (Pack of 8)