Today is your day Boomer! As I head off for my weekly coffee with golf friends, I think about things like this: Ten things that used to be free and now cost money. (1)free refills at the coffee shop, uh uh. No way. You pay for what you get, even with big corporations like Tim Hortons. (2) Speaking of restaurants, what about free water and bread? Maybe tap water in nations like Canada, but not bubbly water. (3) Grocery bags used to be free, plastic and paper, but now? You may spend $200 on groceries, but they won't give you a 25 cents bag for free! (4) At the gas station, wasn't air for your tires free? Now, bring lots of loonies. (5) Also at the pump, didn't we get "fill-er up" for free....along with our windows washed? Gone now. (6) On airplanes, checked luggage was free; not so much anymore! (7) No service fees on chequing accounts at banks....bye bye, as major banks look to make even more money. (8) Television used to be free; get me a good set of rabbit ears and I could get CBC any time, any day! (9) Back to gas stations, what about free road maps? Check out the prices next time you go in. (10) And finally, advice used to be free...get it from friends, family, and neighbours. Now, we pay a huge internet fee for good or bad advice from pretty-well everyone....including social media bloggers like me! Ahhhhhh! Boomers, we lived through these "free" times; get out your already-stretched wallet NOW! Cheers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Today is your day Boomer! Baby Boomers, another health benefit is back! It is backward walking and the trend-often associated with the 1980s-is making a return as grey-haired wonders, like you and I, look for new-or-newish ideas to help keep us fit! According to cbc.ca, "walking backwards has shown that there's less impact on the joints by using these different muscles — and it can increase flexibility and even help alleviate back pain." One 62-year-old Boomer says "Every time I walk, I just do a little twirl and walk backwards for a bit, and I'll do it just a few times during my walk." It may look a little unusual and may get a few laughs from passersby....by consider the actual benefits. Clinical exercise specialist André Noël Potvin says "When you start to walk backwards, you actually start to rebalance the forces around the ankle, knee, hip and lower back." This really helps Boomers recovering from knee surgery and older Boomers who are havi...
Read more
Image
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...
Read more
Image
Today is your day Boomer! Booze is becoming a bummer Boomers! That's right, we are drinking less...way less, according to the researchers. In fact, drinking rates across Canada have just reached a 20-year low. Stats Canada numbers look like this: "On average, Canadians bought the equivalent of eight drinks per week between March 2024 and March 2025, down from 8.7 a year earlier and 9.7 a decade ago. Beer, wine, and spirits sales all fell in both dollar amount and volume. Ciders and coolers were the only category to grow in that time period."(cbc.ca) This trend is especially prevalent in younger people, who maybe are turned off by the high cost of alcohol, their increased use of cannabis, and the social trends of having fun without suffering the next day. I don't see any numbers for Boomers yet....but I bet we remain as a near-the-top consumer as we grew up with booze as a recreational mainstay. By the way, some so-called experts say we are now entering a "po...
Read more