Enjoying a casual evening at home, Tip of the week Maybe. (Financial)

Enjoying a casual evening at home, reclining in my favorite easy chair reading, while the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage was chatting on the telephone. I seldom pay attention to phone conversations. After all, I only get one side of the conversation, which may be misleading at the very best. I've been caught in that trap before with some pretty dire consequences. I am not going to get caught again, if I can help it.

Then an odd phrase caught my attention: "plastic surgery." My ears perked up and I heard my wife say, "I certainly agree with that article and I'm going to do some plastic surgery myself."

Well, you can imagine what thoughts were racing through my head. When she hung up the telephone, I queried her about it.

In my book, plastic surgery is a big step.

"You do support me in this plastic surgery plan, don't you?"

There are times to disagree with your spouse, but as a husband for over 45 years, I have never discovered that time. Forcing a smile, I nodded in the affirmative and told her she had my full support in whatever she decided.

I had to admit that the "time" had finally come to our humble abode. Who am I to fight it? I go by this motto, "He who smiles and agrees with his spouse lives to smile another day."

I plan to smile until the day I die.

I never really thought about plastic surgery, but perhaps my wife was right. Perhaps she could use a little face-lift. For me to get a face-lift, the surgeon would need a huge construction crane. Then comes the awkward part, what do they do with my face after it was lifted?

Women, more than men, are a little sensitive about their appearance. For a man, "appearance" means he showed up. A woman has an altogether different approach to the term "appearance."

Some women look in the mirror and see where some improvements could be made. For example, they see bags under their eyes that could not get through the airport carry-on luggage size requirement.

Then there is the problem with their nose, which could stand a little tweaking. For all practical purposes, one of those double chins has to go. Moreover, what woman couldn't use a tummy tuck and other snippings of the flesh?

Believe me; I never would have brought it up, but if that makes my wife happy, then whatever it costs, we can put it on a credit card. The only problem with putting something like this on a credit card is that by the time you pay it off you need another procedure.

But, she is worth it in my checkbook. I have no compunction whatsoever of writing out that check.

Each day I checked the appointment calendar hanging on our refrigerator to find out when she would be going in for the surgery. Day after day, I looked, but could never find any appointment.

I supposed she was a little sensitive about the whole thing and did not want it staring at her day after day on the appointment calendar. Whatever the reason, she had my silent support, for all it was worth. I am sure she would do the same for me. That is what marriage is all about. Supporting one another in the developments of life, whatever that development might be.

I decided to tuck this little bit in the back of my mind and, however it developed would be all right with me.

One day this week, I went to the Slurp N' Burp Café for a quiet lunch. The issue was far from my mind as I enjoyed a delicious lunch. As I finished my last cup of coffee, the waitress brought my bill and I pulled my wallet out to pay for it.

In searching my wallet for a credit card I discovered, much to my chagrin, that there were no credit cards to be found. Somehow, I had lost my credit cards. Perhaps, in the morning when I was getting dressed they dropped out of my wallet as I was placing it in my trousers.

The problem with that theory was that all the other cards in my wallet were intact.

Fortunately, I had my cell phone and called my wife.

"Honey, I've lost all my credit cards. I'm here at the restaurant and I can't find any credit cards in my wallet. Do you have any idea what I did with my credit cards?"

"I cut them all up."

"You did what?"

"You said you supported my plastic surgery plan, didn't you?"

"But, I thought... "

"You, thought what?"

Oh boy.

Dear reader: please disregard the first part of this column. If you happen to read my obituary in next week's newspaper, you will know that my lovely, vivacious, eternally youthful wife did not disregard the first part and I'm currently Resting In Pieces.

Being the fifth largest city in Canada and the home of almost 1 million people

Being the fifth largest city in Canada and the home of almost 1 million people, Edmonton is flourishing. Together with its infrastructure growth and population, there is a surge of vehicles on Edmonton's roads. All these drivers need to get around, and there's no shortage of routes to get anywhere; with a network of connecting roads, you can get from Summerside to St. Albert with ease.

Whether you're taking a road trip across the prairies or commuting daily via Calgary Trail, all Edmonton drivers need car insurance. Rates are changing in Alberta, which is why every driver in Edmonton should take advantage of price comparison shopping to get the best rate.

Let's see what's going on with auto insurance in Edmonton.

The Average car Insurance rates in Edmonton and Alberta

Alberta auto insurance premiums on average were $122/month in 2017, while Ontario auto insurance premiums averaged around $161/month in 2017. Drivers in Albertan pay around 25 per cent less for car insurance than Ontario drivers.

It's interesting to note that on average, women pay less for Alberta auto insurance premiums than men - $116/month compared to $126/month paid by men in 2017, but this is pretty much standard across Canada.

Young drivers in Edmonton (aged 25 and under) paid around $187/month in 2017 for Alberta car insurance. Alberta auto insurance premiums go down as drivers grow older. For example, in 2017, people aged 31-35 paid around $152/month, people aged 46-50 paid around $122/month, and people aged 56-60 paid around $100/month.

Alberta drivers with a taste for luxury vehicles can expect their car insurance rates to increase. Drivers with cars valued between $40,000 - $80,000 paid around $170/month for their premiums in 2017.

For Albertans choosing to buy a modest vehicle valued between $10,000 and $20,000, they can expect their Alberta auto insurance premium to be about $123/month. This means rates would be similar for luxury brand older models of compact car brands such as Kia, Mazda, Ford etc.

Facts to Know about Auto Insurance

LowestRates.ca (an online rate comparison website for auto insurance, credit card rates, loans and mortgages) launched its 2018 Auto Insurance Price Index report. This is Canada's only price index to use proprietary data to track the average quarterly cost for car insurance paid by Canadians. The data comes from the hundreds of thousands of quotes processed every year by LowestRates.ca. The index report shows that since the fourth quarter of 2016, the price for Alberta auto insurance has been increasing by 5.1 per cent in 2017, which means that the average Alberta driver paid more for car insurance in 2017 than in 2016.

Police have jurisdiction when it comes to deciding who is criminally responsible for a motor vehicle accident but when it comes to the auto insurance claims, the insurance company makes the decision. It's the insurance company that will investigate the crash and make a ruling about who was at fault - which ultimately decides whether or not the insured will have to pay the deductible.

Statistics from the Insurance Bureau of Canada's (IBC) 2014 top 10 most stolen cars revealed that cars made between 1999 and 2007 were in the top 10. Industry experts believe that part of the reason thieves target older model cars is because fewer of them have anti-theft devices. Additionally, the IBC states that sometimes car owners make it too easy for car thieves to get away with their vehicles. Around 20 per cent of all stolen vehicles had the keys left in them.

Although parking tickets are a pain and an avoidable expense for drivers, insurance companies aren't concerned with how many a driver has; thus, they don't affect car insurance rates. However, if tickets aren't paid, you won't be able to renew your driver's license or registration; and if get your driver's license suspended it will affect your insurance rates.

Here are my favorite pages for home insurance quotes

(Here are my favorite pages for home insurance quotes)

Best rates (home and car Insurance) are very easy to get if you know where to look and how to look. I'll take you through a short process that could save you anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands (This would be subject to a number of factors).

I'd have to assume you already know the best coverage for you in your present circumstance. However, since I can't be too sure, here are a few things to bear in mind about your home and car insurance policies...

1) Make sure you understand the coverage you're getting. It's very painful to learn what's not part of the deal when you make a claim. Make sure you only sign when you understand everything about the policies. Ask and ask every question that crops up in your mind. Remember, it's your money and your protection that are in question here.

2) The minimum coverage required by law or a lender may or may not be good for you. Too much insurance is expensive. However, insufficient insurance is much more expensive. If you ask the right questions as suggested earlier, you'll know if you need something more.

Now that I've those off my chest, here's how to get the best rates in home and car insurance.

Simple. Visit at least three insurance quotes sites and obtain quotes. They are free, quick, easy and non-obligatory.

You'll be through with each site within 5 minutes. For each request you'll get up to five or more quotes from A rated insurance companies (That is if you use sites run by independent insurance brokers).

Compare the quotes returned and then pick the best price to value ratio. You might have noticed that I did not say the lowest price. You certainly know that the lowest is not always the best priced. Look for the lowest price that gives you the coverage you want. If in doubt, apply and then ask the agent assigned to you before paying.

You'll get better rates on your home and car insurance policies if you obtain an auto/car quotes rather than an auto and car insurance quotes separately. You'll save anywhere between a few hundred dollars to a thousand or much more if you stick with this advice on getting the best rates (home and car insurance).