On being ... too many choices

By Ingrid Sapona 

I’ve decided to renovate my bathroom. The extent of the changes I can make hinge primarily on two factors. The first is the basic structural limitations related to the condo building itself. For example, I don’t think I can change the toilet’s location, as the refuse has to flow through the pre-existing piping. Actually, maybe there is a way to make drastic changes, but that brings me to limiting factor number two: budget. In my case, the sky is definitely not the limit! 

So, the only (arguably) structural change I’m planning is replacing the tub with a large shower. Since that involves removing floor and wall tiles, rather than try to salvage any, I’m going with all new tiles. And, though I’m perfectly happy with the size/shape of the vanity, the top is dated (Formica, if you’re wondering), so I’m replacing the entire vanity. Actually, the lighting is probably the most dated looking thing in the bathroom, so I’ll be replacing that too. 

Because the shower is the focal point, I’ve put a lot of thought into how I want it to look. I poured through photos of bathroom renovations. They all looked beautiful, of course. (No one posts pictures of their ugly renovation, right?) I was surprised at how quickly I managed to rule out certain looks. Take shower niches, for example. Though they may have started out as utilitarian – a place for your shampoo and stuff – they’ve become focal points in so many design magazines. But the more sumptuous or intricate the niche, the less likely you are to see any shampoos or toiletries in them. And, if there are things in them, the stuff is all in beautiful, opaque bottles. My Pert shampoo and can of shaving cream are UGLY – they’re not something to display. So, no niche for Moi! Ultimately, I came up with a design I like that is simple and yet I hope reasonably elegant, and highly functional. 

Once I made the threshold decision of what to keep (basically just the toilet) and how the shower would be configured, the next step was shopping for materials. When I re-did my kitchen a couple years ago the colour choices kind of revolved around the kitchen counter material. That made sense at the time – and I do LOVE my kitchen – so my first stop was the countertop folks. They were happy to show me things, but they urged me first find shower floor tiles that I love, and then choose a countertop that would go with them. Ugh… 

There are so many tile places and hundreds of tiles to choose from. In short order they all started looking the same to me and none of them seemed right. Eventually, however, I found some that I did fall in love with for the shower floor. Then I had asked one of the designers at the tile store to suggest some wall tiles that worked with the floor tiles I liked. The designer showed me a few and the choice was pretty straightforward. I then took the tile samples to the countertop folks and in two minutes they pulled a couple samples and one of them was exactly what I was hoping to find. 

But that wasn’t the end of the choices. I knew what I wanted in terms of the sink faucet, so that was pretty easy. But silly me, I thought picking shower hardware was all about the type of showerhead. Turns out shower technology has evolved, with decisions about things like pressure balance and built in thermostats to be considered. I haven’t chosen the shower hardware yet – I suspect that’ll come down to price. 

The options for towel racks and toilet paper holders almost pushed me over the edge. There are all sorts of shapes and details to consider, like flange (aka rosette) or no flange? Visible or concealed screws? As I was mulling the options, I looked at the installation instructions on a few. The diagrams were straightforward, but mention of a backing plate was off-putting, especially since I didn’t see one in the diagram of parts included. I decided to email my contractor the instructions to get his thoughts on whether they might be more trouble than they’re worth. So, that decision is pending too.

After settling on a light fixture, I went on the lighting store’s website to find out about the type and the maximum wattage bulb that the fixture accommodates. Such details were found under the “additional product details”. In scrolling through this info, I noticed two items that piqued my curiosity: Prop 65 and Prop 65 Description. Turns out Prop 65 is a California law from 1986 that requires businesses to provide warnings to California consumers (that end up benefitting non-Californians like me) about whether a product contains certain chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.  

Regarding the Prop 65 issues, the product details for the fixture I chose indicated No and No listed chemicals. To that I say double WHEW! Whew that the fixture has no such chemicals and Whew – I though had a lot of choices to make with this reno. I can’t imagine all the choices manufacturers have to make! 

© 2024 Ingrid Sapona

On being … “free” food

By Ingrid Sapona 

In May I applied for a new credit card. I met the minimum financial thresholds to qualify for the card and applying on-line was easy. Within a week I had the new credit card. I wanted this particular card because it does not charge an additional fee on foreign purchases – you pay only the foreign exchange rate. My other cards charge a fee of 2-2.5% on top of the foreign exchange rate. So, even with an annual fee of $150 (waived the first year), given that I’ll be travelling overseas later this year, I’m sure the savings will cover the annual fee. 

The credit card is a VISA card and it’s co-branded with a rewards program called “Scene”, which I’ll explain about in a minute. Because the VISA card was issued by a bank I don’t regularly bank with, to get electronic statements I had to register on-line with that bank. During this on-line registration process, I inadvertently registered for a Scene membership. About a week later, a separate Scene card showed up in my mail and so I stuck it in my wallet and forgot about it. 

When Scene was launched years ago, the rewards were mainly free movie passes and popcorn at a cinema chain, so I never bothered registering for it. Last year a major grocery chain adopted the Scene rewards program. I shop there sometimes, but not regularly because their prices are always a bit high. I also find that often when they put items on sale (like coffee), they don’t stock extra – so they run out quickly. They’ll issue a rain check, but that’s time consuming and a hassle. And, since they’ve adopted the Scene program, I’ve noticed more and more of their specials are exclusively for Scene members, which just annoyed me more, causing me to shop there even less.  

Well, the first time I was checking out at that grocery store after getting the VISA card, when the clerk asked if I’ve got a Scene card, I wasn’t sure which she meant so I pulled out both cards. She scanned the Scene “member” card and asked if I would be paying with the Scene VISA card. I said yes, but I asked why I have two different cards. She explained that you get more rewards if I you scan the Scene member card and then pay with the Scene VISA card. Ok – whatever, is what I thought. 

The next time at that grocery store I was buying a $13.00 rotisserie chicken. After swiping my Scene member card the clerk said, “Oh, you have $10 in Scene points – do you want to use them?” I did and so my bill was reduced to $3.00. Wow, I thought… The same thing happened to me the next two times I shopped there. Most recently I was stocking up on coffee (using a rain check from a prior sale) and a few other things and my total bill was about $55. After swiping the Scene member card, I was invited to redeem $50 of Scene points! Jeez… Since I got the credit card and signed up for Scene membership, I’ve saved $90 on groceries. (I suspect these benefits might be some sort of sign-up bonus I wasn’t aware of.) 

I find these lavish windfalls troubling. Though I don’t mind saving money – these rewards come at a cost to all of that store’s customers. The high cost of groceries has been in the news a lot here. Earlier in the year grocery CEOs were called to testify about their business practices – everything from questions about price fixing to squeezing suppliers for better margins. The end result was the grocers agreeing to a code of conduct for fair and ethical dealing with respect to producers and suppliers.  

But, the grocers weren’t asked about the impact on overall grocery prices of special deals only certain customers can take advantage of. For example, it’s quite common these days for sale prices to apply only if you purchase multiple units of a given item. I get that such “deals” drive increased purchases, but they end up penalizing people who don’t have the money to make multiple purchases. Similarly, not everyone has enough income to qualify for special credit cards that offer cash-off bonuses, like that VISA card. 

At a time when food insecurity is at a crisis level – one in10 Torontonians rely on food banks to make ends meet – I would rather have grocers drop prices by a nickel across the board, instead of favouring certain shoppers or shopping habits. That would be fairer and better for all, I think. Meanwhile, to compensate for the “free” groceries I’ve received through the Scene program, I’ve donated the equivalent to the food bank. This small gesture, however, is just that – a gesture. Donations to food banks are a short-term solution. We need to raise our voices and urge grocers to treat all shoppers equally. In the end, society would be better off… 

© 2024 Ingrid Sapona