Risk and Reward

The last few days have been a bit of a downer. The rain has washed all the pretty snow away, leaving the world looking a lot more glum and grey. I've been trying to keep myself from spending money by staying at home and staring in fear at our growing collection of bills and payment notices. I'm doing some work for some people back in Australia as well, but it's hard to get motivated. I feel like I'm doing exactly the same stuff with my days as I was doing back home, which isn't the point of this journey at all. I should be meeting new people, skiing, hiking, going to ice hockey games and at the very least, buying tonnes of cheap books from Amazon. All those things cost money though (yes, even meeting new people) and for now, all that adventure needs to stay on hold.

The sales tax here keeps biting me on the bum too. I pay 7.5% GST to the federal government on everything, but then with some purchases I have to pay another 7.5% PST to the province. This hiked our $199 TV up to about $229, which didn't seem like such a good deal anymore. The worst bit is that no-one ever mentions the tax until the very last moment, when you've counted out your cash and are handing it to the salesperson. Then your smile drops, you fumble around for that little bit extra, and you feel like an complete idiot. Don't even get me started on tipping, either.