If you are new to WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com, every Friday I run a post called “A Lap Of The Blogs” which provides links to articles I found interesting and think that others may want to read for themselves. I also sometimes include some commentary on what’s going on in my personal life and a weekly “racing video” since my former life was in the auto-racing industry. The name “Lap of the Blogs” is in reference to “A Lap Of The Gods” which is an old video series which chronicled on-board footage of the world’s greatest F1 drivers lapping various racetracks from around the world. NOTE: you have to visit the actual website to see the embedded video – it may not appear in your email. Just click on the title of the email to see it…
So has everyone lined up their Valentine’s Day celebrations? I’m taking Fiona to La Bodega Friday night for dinner and then making dinner at home on Sunday. I used OpenTable to make the reservations and what’s nice about OpenTable is that you can accumulate points which can be exchanged for discounts at many restaurants with no enrollment fees. If you book a reservation during promo periods (which happen fairly often) you can earn 1,000 points. 2,000 points gets you $26 off your next visit to an OpenTable registered restaurant. I prefer booking online and it saves you money too – what’s not to like? It has about 130 restaurants in the Toronto area and about the same for Vancouver (not much utility for smaller cities yet though). Check it out here (not a sponsored link): OpenTable.com
From Around The Blogosphere
Jon Chevreau notes that the CD Howe Institute is calling for RRSP contribution room to almost double.
Rob Carrick covers an investment strategy some people are looking at for 2010.
Michael James on Money explains his problem getting Good Life to stop taking money from him. I recently spoke to someone at Good Life about a membership and tried to pay up front for a three month membership. They told me it would be cheaper to pay monthly and told me they would write “no termination fee” on MY copy of the contract (not theirs) so I would sign up for a 1 year term but be able to cancel after three months. I thanked them for the laugh and walked right out.
Canadian Capitalist discusses real estate agent incentives.
Thicken My Wallet gives you three ways to set yourself apart from other job-seekers.
Big Lovin’ Man explains Financial Valentine’s Day.
Four Pillars has A Numbers Approach to Finding True Love.
This Week’s Racing Video
Some funny crashes. The last one looks painful. Have a great weekend everyone! (Email/Feed readers click here)
Oooohhh baby… (I never know how you would right something the way Barry White would say it).
Thanks for the mention, enjoy the Valentine’s and the Olympics!
C8j
Wow! Your experience with Good Life Fitness is almost exactly the same as mine. The difference was that it was our son who wanted the 3-month membership and we didn’t have the heart to walk out. So, now we’re in the middle of trying to straighten it all out. There have been a few more twists and turns since I wrote my post. You can expect an update from me over the next few weeks. Thanks for the mention.
These Fitness Clubs are unbelievable. The number of people caught in their shenanigans is simply staggering.
Thanks for the link.
The fitness club scams are one of the reasons I’m hesitant to join a gym. The other reason being pure laziness of course…