Why is money so hard to come by for the general populous?

You'd think in this day and age that it would be easier for the general public to make a comfortable living, but it seems harder than ever.

Being only 27 (28 next month) I can't speak from too much experience - I simply haven't had enough time. That being said, I hear about how difficult it was for our parent's generations and I can't help but be skeptical when they say we have it easier.

Previously, I blogged about school. This is something that means a lot to me, and I'm sure to many people - it's the difference between a mediocre income and a half-decent one, or sometimes even a really good one. Why is it that students (young and old) are required to receive education to do almost any job these days, and yet it's so difficult to get one?

I believe that minimum wage right now is hovering around $9 - $10. That's increased since I got my first job and was receiving something like $6.50 an hour. You might say that's an improvement - but you also have to consider the cost of living has gone up. In retrospect, minimum wage technically hasn't increased, because the money is still spent at the same rate it was over ten years ago.

So you take your typical teenager, working through their last years of highschool with a part time job at McDonald's. If they don't have a cell phone (ya right) or a car, they can probably save a couple grand a year.

At my local college, the cheapest tuition hovers around $3000. This does not include textbooks or any other fees - like in the case of the course that I'm going to be taking, laptops.

How are people supposed to be able to afford this on their own? Generally, we can't - which means we have to get loans. What's on loans? Interest.

This creates a mess of a circle in which we're paying even more money for school, which takes sometimes many years to pay off once we've entered the work force. 

And we're not even guaranteed a job when we graduate!

There needs to be another, better system in place. I don't have the answer, but I'd like to start that conversation.

Ah the great West. Such a wonderful place to go to school, get a career, and raise a family. Why, then, do westerners find themselves short-changed? I can't speak for everyone of course, however everything I write here is from my own experience so I feel that it's valid. 

When I started life, I lived in an apartment with my parents. I don't remember this part of my life, though, as shortly after I was born we moved to a small starter home in the town of Whitby, Ontario. This was where I've lived the longest so far - where all of my childhood memories stem from. I remember times where my father had some difficulties making ends meet, but for the most part we were your typical middle-class citizens.

Today, it seems, times have changed. No longer are you able to leave highschool with mediocre marks and expect to make a decent living - everything these days involves a piece of paper stating that you are educated enough to be able to do what past generations learned in a day or two. This piece of paper that I'm talking about comes from either college or university.

When did it become such a government institution, I'm wondering? Have you checked recently the price of tuition for even the (seemingly) most trivial of courses? Over the past few years it seems to have doubled from what it used to be - with compulsory fees for new building construction, athletic improvements, etc. That is just included in tuition nowadays. And forget government assistance.

Try going to your local agency and ask for a loan, or even go as far as asking for free money to better yourself. HA! Not only does no one in the office know who it is that you need to talk to, but the paperwork required for the smallest of requests is insurmountable. It's almost as though they want you to give up halfway through and just pay for yourself - and I have a feeling that it's exactly what they're expecting.

Well, not this girl.

I WILL NOT let the people who are coming into this country take advantage of all the 'free money' when I'm the one who's been paying taxes since I was 16. I'm the one whose parents worked hard for years and years doing everything 'by the books' to raise their kids right. I'm the one who's a Canadian born citizen and deserves a break once in a while! Why does no one understand this?!?!?!

I will ensure that I have the same opportunities as those entering the country this week. I will ensure that any grants, loans, bursaries or scholarships that are within my grasp will be applied for. I will be heard - and I will not go away.

Like most people, I don't have much money.

This translates into doing less - because I can't afford it.

Then, once in a while, you think.... screw it - I'm going to treat myself.

This was my thought on the weekend. My friends and I decided to go out and watch a movie in the movie theater. Luckily, I am a Scotiabank customer and had earned enough points to be able to have a free ticket, technically saving myself $10.99. My boyfriend, however, needed to pay - as did the rest of our troupe.

This particular movie had just been released - so it was quite busy, to say the least. Elbow to elbow we crammed ourselves in the overcrowded theater eager to enjoy our one night out.

My boyfriend and I had arrived only a few minutes before the show was scheduled to start - luckily our devoted friends fended off other movie goers to ensure that we had seats next to them. Clambering through the too-small isles we finally arrived next to our friends about five minutes before the insanity started.

I am talking, of course, about advertising.

When was it implemented to have actual commercials before movies? I don't think that it was too long ago - within the last three or four years, maybe? I don't remember seeing a memo about this, one day - they were just there.

I hate advertisements - funny ones, long ones, soppy ones - it doesn't matter, they're shouting at you convincing you that you need to purchase their product or service. I don't appreciate being told what to buy or what to think, I do happen to have a head on my shoulders that has served me quite well.

The fact is, advertisements will be there whether we like it or not - so we just have to learn to live with it. This is one reason why I don't subscribe to cable television, it seems that commercials dominate the airwaves more than the actual content we're paying to see.

Anyways, back to the movie. So, it was set to start at 8:10pm. Right on cue, the lights go dark and the screen changes sizes (what's with that, anyways?!?!). Right away, we're pelted with a too-loud advertisement about some product.

And then another one comes on.

And another.

They continue to happen for over five minutes. Remember, this is not previews - this is commercials. I just paid $10.99 to sit in an over crowded theater and listen to what turned out to be just under 10 minutes of obnoxious advertising.

What am I paying $10.99 for, exactly??? I mean, if you're going to insist on the insane amount of commercials then at least subsidize the pricing of the movie - who is benefiting from this? I honestly don't understand. And the big companies wonder why so many people download or pirate movies? It used to be an experience - something exciting to look forward to. Now it's just an overcrowded room filled with people playing on their phones, having loud conversations and advertising.

Remind me why we think that this is a great form of entertainment?

I love animals. Big ones, small ones, weird looking ones, and the pretty ones.

This love is not shared by all.

That's ok - I don't expect everyone to share the same beliefs and values as I do, however I do expect everyone to respect mine. I don't like it when someone looks at my dog and has the nerve to say that she's a vicious creature which should be put down. You've never even had the chance to get to know her.

I own a dog that is widely viewed as a menace to society. If she had lived in the 70's, she would have been fine. If she had lived in the 80's, she would have been adored. If she had been born in the 90's, she would have been popular. But, because she'd had the misfortune of being born in the new Millenia, she's looked upon as a beast. I am talking, of course, about a Pitbull.

It's funny, though, calling her a Pitbull - that's not even a breed of dog. It's actually a classification - like calling a dog a terrier or a teacup. It's not correct. And yet, stories continue to circulate about Pitbulls attacking innocent people and their dogs. Who classifies what a dog is, anyways? Not the media, nor many "dog experts" who decide on which poor animal lives or is killed. If you ask your typical "Pitbull fearing human" what makes a dog a Pitbull, I bet they couldn't give you a correct answer.

The truth is, many dogs could be considered to be this type. And, I may point out that many stories that the media is reporting about dog attacks are actually not involving Pitbulls at all. It just looks better on a headline.

Do me a favor. Before you judge an animal based on media hype, take a moment to talk to a person who owns one - or better yet, go play with one. They may just change your mind for you.

So today while I was on the bus returning from my latest Physiotherapy appointment, I had an errant thought. It led to my new blog - and I will explain my thought process which brought me to this decision.

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of "inconsistencies" with daily life. Why do some people seem to have it so much better than others? What am I missing? And then it hit me - it's not true. The thought that others have an easier life than me is a fallacy, and I intend to start discussions about our daily struggles.

Here is my very first, of what I hope to be many, daily struggles in which I've been encountering.

This is a bagel, from Tim Hortons. More specifically, this bagel is from the Tim Horton's Drive Thru at Harmony Rd and Taunton in Oshawa, Ontario. The reason that I decided to take a picture of this normal - looking bagel is because I requested it to be double-toasted, with herb and garlic cream cheese. Not only did I request this, but I also asked the gentleman at the speaker to ensure that it was in fact double toasted. Does this look to be double toasted to you?

Me either.

I couldn't believe it - and it's not the first time. In fact, every time I have ordered a bagel double toasted, it looks similar to this one. I am tired of it. Why am I requesting something if no one hears me? Why do I bother spending my $2+ on something that I didn't ask for?

Because this occurred in the drive thru, I wasn't actually in a position to return to the restaurant and complain about this. I will, however, be writing to Tim Hortons (again) in regards to my complaint. I believe that it is founded - and am sure I'm not the only one affected by this.

It's outrageous that in the world we live in we're more focused on convenience and speed than on individual customer satisfaction. Things seem cheaper on the surface when in reality they're more expensive than they used to be. I don't like paying for something that I don't enjoy - and I'm assuming that you don't either.

Thank you for sharing my first blog post with me :)