The downside to carrying cash

I carry cash. This is not something that a lot of people do now. Most people use Debit or Credit for everything. I noticed it recently when I stopped at Tim Horton's for breakfast one morning, and there was no lineup! That is very unusual. The reason? The Debit machine was down, and they were accepting cash only. I breezed through the drive-thru, and paid cash for my breakfast in record time.
However, one downside to carrying cash is that you don't really look at your change when you get it back. So, you are faced with the following dilemma...

One is a Canadian $2 coin. The other is a Dominican Republic 10 Peso coin. I must have received the Peso coin in my change at some point. And, the thing that really sucks? The Peso coin is worth about 24 cents Canadian. Damn!

savings

Our electricity bill came today. We get a bill every two months. So, we haven't had one since January. And, surprise!! It was $100 less than usual. $100!!!
The only thing we've done differently this year is the new washer and dryer, which we got at the beginning of January. But, to think that they are saving me $50 a month... well, I'm not entirely convinced. I think hubby has had the pool pump turned off more than normal the last 2 months, because it has been warmer than usual for this time of year. He says he hasn't.  But then again, maybe it is the washer and dryer. I'm secretly hoping so. Saving $50 a month on electricity is a good thing!

money woes

Have you seen the new $20 Canadian bills? They are like the new $100 bills, and made of polymer. They have lots of safety features, which are supposed to make them counterfeit proof. But really, they just look and feel really weird.
I decided I was going to give cash to some of the kids this year (so that they can add it to whatever they are saving up for). So, I went to the bank machine, and pulled out a couple hundred dollars, hoping to get a whole whack of new $20's. But all I got were the boring old $20 dollar bills.
Turns out, the bank machines are having a hard time with the thickness of the bills, and are spitting out more (or less) than what they should be. In fact, one of my co-workers went to the bank machine, and got $100 more than what she asked for!! (Why can't things like that happen to me?)
Anyways, now I'll have to make a trip to the bank to trade my boring old 20's for some new ones, and for the first time in years, I'm actually going to have to stand in line-up at a bank. *ugh*!

ups and downs

UP -- I got my expense cheque in the mail today! Yeah!

DOWN -- I got my American Express bill today too. Boo!

At least one offsets the other, so I kind of broke even today.