Dave commented yesterday that the Dulux paint cans are 17L. We looked at a previous Glidden paint can, and it was 18.5L. Not only does the price go up substantially, but the quantity goes down. This isn’t only applicable to Triscuit crackers and Cheez Whiz spread but everything else including construction products.
economy, finance. money
return deposit
I took back the cans and bottles. Some were from home but most from work.
Holy crap. 455 cans! This is the largest return I’ve ever done.
van expenses
I got my van back from Tom & Gerry’s. I blew a radiator hose a few days ago, but while it was in the shop I asked them to look at why the steering is so stiff. It turns out the entire rack and pinion steering system was worn out. Total cost for replacing all those parts and repairing the cooling system: a little under $2000.00.
The steering is now a lot more responsive, easier to handle. It was like a stubborn mule before, having to strong-arm it to turn. Now, all is well.
desk work
I’m back doing desk work again, adding receipts to Microsoft Money. It’s been raining off and on for a few days, so I’m not working outside in the mud.
Besides that, my right wrist is sore (beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome), so I’m taking it easy with the physical work. I wear a wrist brace most days.
No morning is complete without my cup of joe.
downloadable
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had this discussion with credit card companies. “I want to download the transactions made,” I say. “Yes,” they say, “you can download statements online.” “No,” I say, “I don’t want statements. I want transactions, downloadable into my accounting software, Microsoft Money.” “That’s the same thing. All the transactions are listed on the statement. Isn’t that the same thing?” “Ah!” I exclaim. “No! I don’t want PDFs! I want the transactions!” “Oh – … you can get the statements and then just type it into your program,” they offer.
another one bites the dust (HBC Neo MC)
I cancelled another credit card – this time HBC’s Neo MasterCard. Why? I think 24% is a bit excessive, don’t you? As well, I can’t download transactions into Microsoft Money (my accounting software).
You’d be surprised at how many banking / credit card people who don’t know the difference between transactions and statements. Transactions are they actual purchases, payments, charges, etc. that one incurs, downloadable as digital whatnots that financial or spreadsheet software can read. Statements are paper or PDFs that you can download to view the transactions of a given period.
Scotiabank, Home Depot, HBC Neo, and Walmart MasterCard all have no downloadable transactions. So, I rarely use them … except for Scotiabank because they give me a sweet interest rate.

