There's A Big OUCH Coming

I'm the first to admit it -- I don't understand economics.  Except for balancing my budget and cheque book.  I kick ass at that.  I'm talking about world economics.  The things that happen that cause one country's currency to be valued more highly than another country's currency.  I've even googled it. And frankly, I still don't get it.  

Take Canada for instance.  We're a pretty stable first world country.  We weathered the recession of 2008 better than most.  It even says so on Wikipedia.  And if you can't believe Wikipedia, who can you believe?  It says our dollar is "popular with central banks" apparently due to our "relative economic soundness" as well as our stable "legal and political systems."  

And yet our dollar is worth shit.  I know.  Because every day I check it's value against the Euro and the British Pound (GBP).  Waiting, waiting, waiting to see if it will inch up even a teeny, tiny bit.  I was fully prepared for our dollar to tank when we changed our government this past month.  Of course it could also have done the opposite and soared but nope, it didn't do either.  It just keeps meandering along at about $0.75 compared to the US dollar.  We haven't been worth more than the US buck since 2007 and it had been 30 years before that since we'd achieved that status.  Sure, it didn't last out the year, but it shows it's possible.  I'm just not betting there will be a repeat before I have to shell out my hard earned loonies and toonies for Euros and British Pounds.

As it stands right now the value of the Canadian dollar $1.42 Euro and $2.01 GBP.  But of course that's not the exchange rate.  For example...I booked a tour on line with my credit card and when the bill came in the exchange rate was damn near $2.10.  That's what I call a big OUCH.  So when saving for a trip these days you really have to save double just to cover the cost of exchange.  

And it's not like the prices go down to offset the exchange rate.  Take for example our recent foray into the US -- a $5 latte at Starbucks is still $5. Making that latte about $6.75  Because even though our dollar is worth about $0.75, when you do the conversion it is C$1.00 to US$1.34.  Never been a whiz at math, but I don't get it.    

But enough belly aching.  I'm lucky I'm in a position to travel at all.  And once the money is exchanged I stop converting in my head just how much things are really costing.  Well, I try to anyway.  And because we will be booking and paying for the majority of our tours ahead of the actual trip, the ouch will be much less come trip time.  Unless of course things go for a shit and our dollar tanks.

'Cause that never happens...right?

Book Reviews:  A couple of disappointing YA reads.  Dumplin' by Julie Murphy was highly predictable and read much younger than YA despite the main characters being 17 year old high school students.  

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs is the third and final instalment in the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series.  After loving the first one, being so-so on the second, if this wasn't the last in the series I wouldn't be reading another.  Love the premise of mixing in the vintage photos but this book didn't really get going until well over half way in.  Bogged down by endless description, if I hadn't been invested in the whole series I would have put it aside.  As it was it took me two weeks to read and I really had to force myself to pick it up.