How to Avoid Those Ridiculous ATM Fees

I think it's safe to say that very few people today have never used an ATM. I'm sure you're quite familiar with those nasty little charges. If you're not careful, those charges can add up quickly. Although banks will not disclose how much profit they make from user fees, it doesn't take an expert to realize that ATMs are the banks' cash cows. It's hard to feel sorry for corporations that announce record profits every quarter when they explain the need for these high fees as a way to keep the costly machines in operation. The only way to beat them is by becoming informed consumers. Don't give them more money than you need to. Here are some tips to help you avoid those fees.

1. Stick to your bank's ATM. This is the most obvious tip but sometimes a difficult one to follow depending on where you are. For those who don't know, when you use a competing bank's machine, you're charged twice. You typically end up paying as much as $3.00 in fees (maybe even higher). You should definitely avoid those "white label" machines where you could end being charged even more.

2. Determine your ATM usage and look at the number of locations where your bank has a machine in place. If you're a frequent user, you may want to go with a bank that offers ATMs in more locations. Many credit unions have an agreement in place that allow their customers to use ATMs of competing credit unions without additional charges. This may not apply to all credit unions so buyer beware.

3. Select an account that offers a maximum number of free transactions that fits your needs. The only catch is you will likely need to maintain a minimum account balance every month or else you'll be hit with a monthly service charge.

4. Reduce frequent trips to ATMs by taking out larger amounts of cash. Don't pay $1.50 to $3.00 in fees to withdraw $20. However, this strategy requires you to be more diligent with your money management.

Remember, big banks only care about growing their profit, regardless of what they may want you to believe. Don't make it easy for them. Follow these simple tips and you'll be able to keep your money where it belongs.

Finally Banned...For Now

So the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has finally banned the use of cellphones and other wireless communication devices. Bravo. If I was teaching and some idiot started getting calls or sat there texting away, I would be pretty pissed off. We were all teenagers at one point and we know how self absorbed teenagers can be. Heck, many have grown up to become self absorbed adults. There is absolutely no reason a student should be getting or making phone calls during class time, unless there's a 911 emergency.

It annoys me to hear parents talk about how important it is to have instant access to their precious kids and that the school has no right to take it away from them. Students survived just fine before cellphones and other personal communication devices were invented. If there is a real family emergency, school staff would certainly not hesitate to pull the student out of class. That's assuming little Jimmy or Suzy isn't skipping.

I don't think anyone should be surprised to see kids using these devices to capture school fights and acts of bullying. No one should be surprised that the devices are being used to cheat on tests and exams. Of course, no parent wants to believe their children would participate in such acts. If I had a camera phone back in the day, who knows what I would've recorded.

Beware of Facebook

I didn't hear about this site until some people sent me invites to join. For a long time I chose to ignore the invites, until yesterday when I chatted on MSN with a friend of mine. I decided to try it out. All I can say is if you're busy and don't need another thing to occupy your time, avoid Facebook like the plague. It can be very addictive. I have to say, it's pretty cool reaching out to people you haven't seen in many years. What I find most interesting is seeing who others are friends with. You'd be surprised to see just how small of a world you live in. Talk about six degrees of separation.

What a Circus

Ever since the death of Anna Nicole Smith, the media has just been on a feeding frenzy, not just the men in her life. Every news cast is talking about the court room drama and showing photos and video footage of her. I'm so sick and tired of this bullshit. It's unfortunate for a mother to lose her son so early in his life. It's unfortunate for a woman to lose her own life at such a young age. Nevertheless, her death does not warrant this type of coverage. It's absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. Some idiots in the media have made her sound like someone who was of such significance and importance to our society. One moron, possibly from Fox News, went as far as considering her America's Lady Di. I'm not trying to demean a woman who just passed away. I just don't think she did anything with her life or for society that deserves this kind of coverage. As soon as I see her image pop up on the tube I move on to the next channel. Please let this circus end soon.

Rippetoe's the Name, Strength Training's the Game

Mark Rippetoe is a well established strength coach in the US. He created a weight training routine for beginners to help establish strength gains through 5 traditional compound exercises: squats, bench press, deadlift, power cleans or barbell rows, and military press. This can also be used by intermediate trainees looking to buildup more strength, which is exactly what I was looking to do. I had been following a traditional bodybuilding routine for about 3 years and decided it was time for a change. I thought this would be good for me to rebuild my leg strength since I had messed up my right knee last summer while training for dragon boat racing and couldn't perform any leg training for months. I lost a lot of strength and muscle mass but with the help of this program, I managed to squat the most I've ever done to date and regained the inch and a half in size I lost in my legs after 3 weeks.

I'm almost done my 7th week on this rountine and although I've made pretty good gains, I think squatting three times a week at 3 sets, 5 reps each time has gotten to the point where my body is having a harder time to recover. Most of my lifts are beginning to plateau. I think I'm going to do one more week and then switch to my newly planned routine that's more of a mix between strength training and bodybuilding.

If you're new to weight training, I highly recommend you look into Rippetoe's program that's in his book, Starting Strength. It's an excellent program that focuses on the basics. Go to the forum at bodybuilding.com and you'll be able to find all you need to know.

Grow Up Already

That's what I'm sure many Torontonians would love to tell the city council. How can anyone expect these morons to run the largest city in Canada when they can't even get organized for a group photo, which, by the way, will cost taxpayers a grand. If you didn't already hear it in the news, the mayor and councillors were supposed to get together for a scheduled group shot. Some staff had worked out a plan on where everyone would be placed for the photo. However, tempers flared when some councillors refused to move from the spot they wanted to be. School kids don't even act like this. David Miller ended up cancelling the photo shoot. It has since been rescheduled. We'll see if they can get their act together.

Killing Your Kids With Food

I caught the last half of the Dr. Phil show when I got home from work yesterday. Yeah, yeah, I know. My wife was watching it. Anyway, it was about babies and toddlers who were morbidly obese. It's incredible to see how many parents today still don't think twice about feeding their "precious" kids with garbage. I think anyone who lets their kids become morbidly obese, especially a baby, should be charged with parental neglect or something. I recognize that some kids are born with genetic problems or predisposition to excessive weight gain. However, if you choose to indulge your kids with junk food even when they are overweight, you are a bad parent. Period.

Look, I'm not saying people should never enjoy junk food. I indulged on KFC during the Super Bowl. It's about balance and moderation. Unfortunately, too many parents do not understand this. If you see a child who is overweight or obese, chances are one of his/her parents is also in the same boat. It's just sad to see the direction our society is taking. In the next 10-20 years, people in my generation will be supporting both a population of seniors that outnumber us and a population of obese youths with weight related health problems. Get ready to pay more taxes.