Non-Refundable Tax Credits and Trade War Marketing Trends

Darryl:
You know how there's the no Fly List?

René:
No, I swear I'm not on it.

Darryl:
Not this week. I'm starting to think I am on a list though.

René:
Yeah, you're on a shit list somewhere.

Darryl:
Well, kind of. I'm starting to think I'm on some kind of no peace and quiet list in every hotel in North America.

René:
Oh, isn't that fucking annoying?

Darryl:
I don't know what I did. I used to work at a hotel in high school and early film school days.

René:
I remember those days.

Darryl:
Yeah, And I'm starting to think maybe I pissed off, like big hospitality or something. I don't know what it is, but no matter what, what hotel I book, I always get the adjoining room.

René:
I think you're an ass and karma's teaching you a lesson.

Darryl:
Maybe, like I can't escape it. I swear to God, I could book a fucking tree house and somehow it'll have a door leading to the next tree house.

René:
I've had a few occasions where like you hear the banging of the headboard just like in the movies where they're just, just pounding each other in the next room. Like feel like high five in them afterwards.

Darryl:
See, I don't get that lucky. I get the "Hey, babe, they got HBO" at like 3 in the morning. Like this guy just fucking discover Sopranos or something. Like the worst part is for a few years I was like, I'm going to try in the notes, like it asks requests. I say, please, no adjoining room and the hotel obliges. Except I'm next to the fucking ice machine or I'm next to the elevator. I don't know what to do. Like maybe hotels are just not for me.

Darryl:
I don't know.

René:
Start Airbnb in it, man.

Darryl:
Yeah, because nothing says relaxing like wondering if the heavy breathing guy wearing the dirty tank top who owns the house is watching me through the frickin nanny cam. This is taking the hustle...

Darryl:
Or Something of the Sorts.

René:
Let's never attempt to record an episode in a hotel room. Not your room at least.

Darryl:
Oh my God, I couldn't imagine.

René:
I'll book the room.

Darryl:
I once had an adjoining room all by myself. I was in Halifax. I get the adjoining room. Like, you got to be kidding me. Three in the morning, I swear to God, there's a knock at the door. So like, I get up, I go to the main door and I'm like, what the hell? And I look through the peephole, there's nobody there. And then that adjoining door a few feet away. Like creepiest time ever.

René:
You have to stop staying in hostels. But try the Ritz or something. Fuck. At least a Hilton.

Darryl:
I guess I got to stop booking my hotel rooms off of Craigslist. So what are you talking about today?

René:
Well, we're in the last few weeks to this year's tax deadline, so I wanted to talk about non refundable tax credits.

Darryl:
If I was a cat, I would hiss at you right now. But we'll continue.

René:
Super dry. But you know what, we could put a lot of money in your pocket.

Darryl:
I like that, I like that. That would let me get a better hotel room.

René:
So I want to talk about the tax credits that some people might not know about. Right. There's some that are very obvious, some that people don't understand and there's a lot, of course, misconceptions. So I want to demystify a few things. ,Like we could talk about this all day. The Canadian tax laws are so fucking complex. So I'm going to keep it limited to non refundable tax credits except for a couple of exceptions that I want to bring up.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Like we won't talk about the refundable credits that you get throughout the year like the Canada child benefit, the GST credit, any of those.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
So let me get at it. First one is the age amount.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
So you can actually get up to $8,790 a year of credits if your income is below $102,925 if you're 65 years or over.

Darryl:
Okay.

René:
So you have an age amount right there. So if you have someone preparing your taxes, this is going to be done automatically because usually the software will automatically apply for it. But also if you have a tax preparer, your tax preparer might not be talking to you about this. So it's just interesting to know what kind of credits are available, depending on your income, depending on your age, and some credits dependent of where you live as well.

Darryl:
And it goes back to what you keep saying is ask questions to who's preparing your taxes or who's doing your planning.

René:
Well, I'll tell you what, because we do nearly 700 tax returns a year, what we've discovered is a lot of people will fail to tell us what their situation is. So we don't know what questions to ask.

Darryl:
Ah, interesting..

René:
Right. Do you have a mother in law that's disabled that you're caring for essentially 24 hours a day that lives with you?

Darryl:
Oh, I have A mother in law. I wish I could get a tax credit.

René:
There should be a tax credit available for everyone who has a mother in law. Next is eligible dependent credits. So what is an eligible dependent? Well, it could be your spouse that is a low income earner or disabled or both. It could be a child or grandchild if the grandchild is living with you. And it could also be a parent or a grandparent if they're living with you as well. So the eligible dependent credit is, let's say your spouse has no income at all. Well, the personal exemption amount. So say a Canadian living in Ontario, the first $15,705 is non taxable.

René:
So the first 15 grand essentially that you earn is, is tax free. But if your spouse has no income, you can then earn the first 30,000 because you can use up her credits.

Darryl:
Yeah, yeah.

René:
And if you're separated or divorced and you have children, you can actually use your child as an eligible dependent to replace your spouse.

Darryl:
Okay.

René:
What a lot of people. So here's one. Demystification. Is that a word?

Darryl:
It sounds like a real word.

René:
Sounds good.

Darryl:
Yeah, I like it.

René:
Is that you and I had a kid together.

Darryl:
Okay. Oh, that's going to hurt one of us a lot. Just saying.

René:
So you and I have a kid together. One child. We can't split the credit.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Only one of us can have it.

Darryl:
Gotcha.

René:
More often than not, the mom will be awarded it or the primary caregiver if you can prove it. Right. So there's, I wouldn't say gray areas, but you essentially have to justify it to the cra, to who is actually rightfully eligible for it. So if you're in an amicable, a relationship with your ex, you can say, okay, well you take it and whatever it represents, if it's $2,000, then you can cut me a check for a thousand bucks. Right. Or you can kind of factor that into your support payments if that's the case. But if you have two kids, however, you can each claim one.

Darryl:
Okay.

René:
Right. So if you're my client, I'm going to tell you to use the youngest child so that you get the credit for longer than your ex spouse.

Darryl:
Oh, yes, I see what you're saying. Oh, that makes sense.

René:
Right. Once the child is over age, you can't get the credit anymore.

Darryl:
Interesting.

René:
And then you have the disability tax credit. So disability tax credit is if you qualify. So who tells you if you qualify or not? There's an actual application where you have to have your doctor fill out the form and if your doctor helps you justify that you actually qualify for this, you can actually get a credit up to $9,872 a year. And if you have a child that's under 18, that's in firm, you can get an additional 5,758 as well. So depending on income, that could be pretty significant, like two, $3,000 a year.

Darryl:
Yeah, no kidding.

René:
So when people haven't thought that this credit was available, I try to substantiate what that credit represents. Like, listen, that could pay for your auto and home insurance for a year. Like that's how significant that is.

Darryl:
Yeah. And just to clarify, you said disabled, not unstable.

René:
Yeah, that's right.

Darryl:
Just want to make sure because like, I could qualify if it's unstable. I could.

René:
Low income, unstable, mother in law, $10,000 credit. It's really getting cloudy between the facts and the fiction here. So let's get back to the disability tax credit. You could qualify for the credit. You can qualify for additional credits if it's an infirm child that's under 18. And if you're disabled, let's say you have a hereditary disorder, you're disabled and so is your child, you can actually double up on the credit.

Darryl:
Oh, wow. Which is good.

René:
Which is good. And on top of that, you have the family caregiver amount. So if you have a child that is infirm, that is your dependent, or let's say a parent. So you're a parent, has dementia and lives with you full time and you know, whether it's in a spare room or you built a, like a nanny suite for them, you get to apply for the family caregiver amount as well. So now we've got all sorts of stuff that's available for people with low income and disabilities.

Darryl:
Yeah, no kidding.

René:
And the eligible dependent is pretty significant. That's the one we see most common, I would say, with the divorce rate that we've seen in Canada in recent years.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Okay. Then you have medical expense tax credit. So people don't really understand this one because I get this question, I would say 8 out of 10 people that bring their taxes in saying, should I be bringing you my medical receipts?

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Well, the answer is yes, you should be bringing me your receipts every time. So the rule is any expenses that exceed 3% of the lower income earner.

Darryl:
Okay.

René:
So if you're a very high income earner and you're making $300,000 a year, then it becomes more difficult to qualify because you need a fuck ton of expenses, you know, but if you're making like 75 or $80,000 a year, it's not impossible that if you have some medical costs, maybe some medical travel cost, you've got glasses, prescription glasses you had to pay for yourself, maybe a hospital stay, you know, the big, big ticket items that are like hearing aids, for example, or Lasik surgery, or someone has to get a bunch of work done, like they have to get bridge work done on their teeth. Like, those are big ticket items that sometimes it's a one off. You know, the regular year, you've got two $300 in medical expenses through your, your plan, you're paying the deductible for your prescription. But it's those big ticket items sometimes that push you over that 3% threshold that could, that could be beneficial.

Darryl:
Yeah, no kidding.

René:
And on top of that, the government allows you to use 3% of the lower income earner. So even though you may be making $300,000 a year, if your spouse is only earning 60,000 dol 60, then it's 3% of 60,000 and you can also elect to optimize it. So for people that are doing it themselves online, be very, very certain that you click the optimization button on your tax software so that your combined medical receipts will total up to 3% or more. So if Erin has 300 bucks a year, but this particular year, you know you had a breast reduction for medical purposes and it costs you 10,000 bucks.

Darryl:
Well, that's why the divorce rate's going up. I'm sorry, bad joke.

René:
Yeah, regular cosmetic boob jobs are not a medical expense. People try to deduct that all the time, which I'm fine with. But if you get audited, they're going to say that is no bueno. So combining the two means that you're using your medical expenses and your spouse's medical expenses, tallying them up and using them on the lower income earner so that you can get to that 3% threshold as quickly as you can.

Darryl:
One button, One button could change everything.

René:
Yeah, you press the right buttons. Oh my God, it's so easy to press those buttons. Preparing your taxes is like a, it's like a relationship. You don't want to press the wrong buttons.

Darryl:
Exactly.

René:
100% home accessibility tax credit. Here's one very few people know about. So under certain conditions, you may qualify for a home renovation modification tax credit. So if you have a disability, let's say you need to put like safety handles on next to your tub so you can get a good grip when you're Trying to get in and out or getting off of the toilet or you have to put a ramp in in the back of your house because you're in a wheelchair or you're using a walker like any of those. Right. So just make sure that if that is something that's, you know, even under the radar for you, that you inquire with your tax preparer or at least do your own research by googling it like all other geniuses on the planet. Yeah, make sure that you do your homework on that.

Darryl:
No doubt.

René:
Another one people often forget or overlook. It's funny, back in the early 2000s, everyone knew about this credit. I don't know why, but it's interest paid on student loans. I have a theory on that. Is I think that the lending organization at the government would send you a receipt at the end of the year. So it would remind people to think about it.

Darryl:
Yes, yes.

René:
Yeah, I think that might be the, that, that might be the mystery there. But grab it, whether it's the government site or on like a student loan from your bank, grab the interest that you paid. Because if you paid 1000 doll interest on your student loan and you're in a 30% tax bracket, you're going to get 300 bucks back. So it adds up.

Darryl:
Yeah, no kidding.

René:
I've seen loan interest way more than $1,000. So it could be impactful for sure.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Next, speaking of education tuition and education tax credit, so this is usually in a form of a T2202. So this is another one. So people that are away at university, they give me their tax stuff or their parents give me their tax documents, but they don't think of getting the tuition credits. Well, the tuition credits could be impactful. The rules have changed in recent years. I'd say last seven or eight years where you used to be able to transfer all the credits to the parent, but now the child has to use it first provided they have taxable income. Because remember, it's non refundable.

Darryl:
Yeah, yeah.

René:
Side note is non refundable tax credits is that if you're not owing any taxes, they're not going to give you more money.

Darryl:
Yeah, yeah, right.

René:
So let's say your tax credit represents $7,000, but you only had $5,000 of taxes owing. Well, it'll zero out your taxes and you won't have to pay 5,000 in income tax, but the $2,000 extra is dead in the water. It's non refundable, so it'll help you zero out your taxable income. Up to zero, but nothing more than that.

Darryl:
The government's nice, but not that nice.

René:
Not that nice. And then once the child has used up all their credit. So let's say your kid. So, okay, Lucas is in school and he works all summer and makes himself 18 grand while he's $3,000 over the personal exemption amount. We use his tuition credits to zero out whatever taxes he owes, and then he's able to transfer up to $5,000 in any given year to you guys to use to offset your own income tax. And then the rest gets carried forward into future years for him to use up and then to further transfer $5,000 worth of credits to you guys, provided he's still in school.

Darryl:
Gotcha.

René:
Okay. Charitable donations, very important. We talk about legacy giving a lot. We're going to be talking about it some more. Charitable donations is the first $200, you get 15% back.

Darryl:
Gotcha.

René:
But anything above $200, you get 29% back. So now it get impactful.

Darryl:
Yeah, yeah. So this is why the rich really donate.

René:
Well, yes and no, because there's also a rule there.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
That you can carry forward your donation credits up to five years. So let's say you have $150 in one year. Well, you can choose to carry forward that $150 to next year to push you over the $200 so that you can get the 29% credit as opposed to just 15. So if you're okay with sitting on your credit for a year or two or three years, then it may be beneficial from a tax credit perspective.

Darryl:
Especially if you are in the type of business where you know your wealth is going to grow each year.

René:
100%, Or that you know you're going to be making a contribution like a donation.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Right. So those are the main ones that are, I would say, more relevant and that we see regularly with the tax preparation that we do. There are more, of course, but. And again, communication is key. Like all aspects of life, if you communicate with your tax preparer what your situation is, we're going to be able to do a better job looking for these tax credits for you.

Darryl:
Yeah, exactly.

René:
And there's one I want to talk about that is refundable that I think is important to note, given the environment that we live in now with our aging population, is that starting in 2023. So now we're into calendar year two of qualifying for this refundable tax credit. If it applies to you, it's called the multigenerational home renovation tax credit, the MHRTC Mouthful. What that means is if you create a self, self contained secondary unit for one of your parents. Okay.

Darryl:
Ah,, yes, yes, yes.

René:
So let's say your mom is coming to live with you because you're going to care for her. She's closer to home.

Darryl:
No.

René:
You don't have to worry about her so much.

Darryl:
No.

René:
You can just go next door to check in on her

Darryl:
No.

René:
Yeah, yeah, no thank you. I will pay for your nursing care.

Darryl:
I'm just kidding, Mom. You can live with us if you need to.

René:
You're going to Hairy Oaks Nursing Home.

Darryl:
Shady Acres, Sorry.

René:
So the refundable tax credit.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
Is eligible to people who create a self contained secondary unit. And they'll give you 15% back up to $50,000 in renovations. So that's $7,500. That's up for grabs if you spend 50 grand on a secondary unit like a nanny suite.

Darryl:
Crazy.

René:
So that's my spiel, man. Cuz I know this is dry and boring and really not interesting, but it could really put a lot of money in people's pockets if they pay attention to what their situation is and what credits might be available to them. I've come across every one of these so far and I'm only halfway through the tax season.

Darryl:
Yeah, well, I find that a lot, especially with do it yourselfers is that they think they know everything because they know how to put their name in the box on the software and they know how to put in a number 100%. But they miss out on these tax credits that they have no idea. There's so many things involved and I can't even imagine. There's got to be some document that lists every tax credit somewhere. And I'm sure that list is crazy long. And you have no idea if you are eligible for any of these or none of these?

René:
Well, it's called the Income Tax Act. Try reading that fucking book.

Darryl:
Well, exactly. And that's the thing. That's why I know I'm like beating a dead horse here, but Jesus, hire a professional.

René:
Broken record.

Darryl:
Yeah, I know, I like beating dead horses. over a broken record.

René:
Just tax deductions. Like you can deduct the tax software that you buy to do your own taxes.

Darryl:
There you go.

René:
If you have management fees on your non registered investments or you have trading costs, so you're trading a non registered stock portfolio and every time you move a stock around it's you know, 899. Well you can deduct all of those. Like do it yourself doesn't always pay.

Darryl:
Like, if you're doing it yourself and listening right now and you didn't deduct the software you paid for, you need a professional.

René:
Yeah, 100%. It'll cost you less. Honestly, if you're missing out on credits, you're better off to pay someone to do it right and get all the credits and deductions that are available. And it'll be less expensive than the cost of the tax preparation. But people just don't see that. It's insanity.

Darryl:
Do it right. Do your taxes, hire a professional and roll in the coins like Scrooge McDuck. We'll be right back.

René:
Darryl. Yeah, I think we need some Astroglide after that one. She's pretty dry.

Darryl:
It was a little dry.

René:
Holy. I'm so sorry, but so important to talk about.

Darryl:
You know what? Anytime we talk about taxes, my ass does pucker up and.

René:
Almost spit out my coffee.

Darryl:
And you always warn me it's going to be dry. And I'm like, nah, it won't be. I like the topic, man. It's putting money in people's pockets. This is important. I get why we're doing this, and I encourage you. And then by the end, I'm like, that was a really dry topic, but so important. But you were right.

Darryl:
Yeah, you're always right when you tell me it's dry.

René:
I'm going to pull a Darryl. I'm sorry.

Darryl:
Well, speaking of sorry.

René:
Even sounded like you.

Darryl:
You kind of did. Today, I want to talk about trends. I know there are two types of people listening right now who say I jump on every marketing trend out there. And then you have the others who say that trends are overrated. Now, what's the truth? Well, not every trend is worth your time. You don't need to be dancing on TikTok with your cat to be relevant. But there are times when trends are so obviously aligned with your business or your values that not jumping on it basically is just leaving money and attention on the table. So you need to kind of fall somewhere in the middle.

Darryl:
Which brings me. And you said sorry, so that was a good tie in. That's a good. That's good on you. You should do some marketing sometimes.

René:
Sorry.

Darryl:
I want to talk about the current Made in Canada movement.

René:
Oh, yeah. Nice.

Darryl:
Yeah. And with this, I'm talking about, like, recognizing a trend when it's literally screaming in your face.

René:
It's like the big obvious carrot that's being dangled in front of the horse that you've been beating.

Darryl:
Exactly.

René:
It's true.

Darryl:
It's true. So let's talk about the current trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. the whole tariff war. And this is not a political thing.

René:
What tension?

Darryl:
Yeah, this isn't going to be a political rant on my part that I'm talking about. It's a marketing opportunity.

René:
Yes.

Darryl:
So for those listening, our audience is actually made up of 86% Canadians, so I'm focusing on that. But this pertains to any country, any business. You just need to tweak my message and look at what's out there trending to make it work for you. Okay? So right now, Canadians are on social media yelling, support local. Buy Canadian. Keep our dollars in Canada. You've seen it, I've seen it..

René:
Buy Canada, Buy. It's everywhere.

Darryl:
I see businesses, Canadian businesses just sitting there like, wow, that's cool. Anyways, here's our generic ad with stock footage from 2015. Hope you like it. And that doesn't work. And then they'll come to an agency like mine and say, we've been doing this really good ad, got this flashy graphics or this really cool video, and it's not landing right now. We don't know why. And this is the moment to lean the hell in. If your products are made in Canada, say it, shout it, stamp it, write it on a little maple leaf, and serve it with a side of poutine.

René:
That's Canadian, eh?

Darryl:
Exactly. It's what people want right now. And yet there are so many brands staying silent because they're too focused on, you know, staying neutral or not rocking the boat.

René:
Well, that's one of the thoughts I had, and I wanted to ask you the question. Is, if you're a Canadian company that also has, you know, a large clientele in the US Is there a fear there that you can rub them the wrong way and further affect your bottom line? Like, how do you make those calls?

Darryl:
Guess what? You're not Switzerland. You're Saskatoon. You're Cornerbrook, you're Flinfon, you're Thunder Bay. Own it and be Canadian. But like you said, I have American clients, I have American customers. Won't jumping on this trend ruin that and take it away? And I agree. However, that's where you're going to use target marketing to maximize the trend's power and not alienate your American Friends. So you're going to set up geo targeted ads aimed at only Canadians who are searching for that local alternative.

René:
Geo targeted ads. Darryl! Wow! Sound like a fucking rocket scientist. I love it.

Darryl:
I know. Well, I. I am a rocket scientist. But if you don't know what geo targeted ads are, I need you to go back a few episodes and listen to us talk about when the right time to hire a professional is.

René:
Yeah.

Darryl:
And the answer will be clear.

René:
Here's your sign.

Darryl:
Not every trend is your trend. That's a big takeaway here. But if you are a Canadian company, this is your trend.

René:
Especially if your target market is already in Canada. I mean, you should be making that stamp the biggest thing on your product. You know that Made in Canada label.

Darryl:
And we've seen businesses who are Canadian who say this like, oh, we don't want to rock the boat because we have American customers. And then I've said to them, what percentage of your demographic in your. Your clients are American? And they're like, oh, about 13%. So let me get this straight. Almost all the money you make is from Canadian people. Very little is from Americans. But you don't want to rock the boat. You don't want to upset a small group.

Darryl:
Even again, if you geo target those ads, they're not even going to see it.

René:
You may not even offend them. Yeah, yeah.

Darryl:
And post some behind the scenes content showing your Canadian process to these people. Feature employees, bonus points if they're wearing plaid. And I know that sounds silly, it sounds ridiculous, but in marketing, it catches people's eyes. And immediately they're saying, that plaid dress motherfucker has to be Canadian.

René:
Yeah. And a fur hat.

Darryl:
Exactly. And tell your story. Why your brand exists, why buying Canadian matters. It's so hot right now. Literally. There's, you know, Instagram's version of Twitter called Threads? If you go on there, like, my feed is just all people saying, I'm Canadian. Hey, I'm Canadian. Introduce yourself.

Darryl:
Holy shit. That is a marketing gold mine. When people are emotionally charged, whether it's pride, frustration, community, spirit, that's when marketing lands the hardest. And like I said before, not every trend is your trend. But like I said, this Canadian one, if you are a Canadian business, do it. The key is not jumping on every wave. It's to ride the ones that make sense for your business, your brand, and your audience. So here's what I want you to do.

Darryl:
Ask yourself, does this trend align with my brand values? Can I authentically tie this into my product or service? And will my audience care or cringe that I'm part of this. And trends move so fast, you don't need to be first, but you do need to be smart. When the message actually fits the moment, people notice. When it feels forced. And we've talked about this countless times, people scroll right past it.

René:
Sounds like just about everyone's sex life. It's got to feel right. Can't be forced. You got to execute at just the right time.

Darryl:
It depends on the type of guy. Could move really fast.

René:
I never realized until right now how much marketing is involved in healthy seduction in relationship.

Darryl:
Why do you think I do this?

René:
Yeah. Yeah. You must have a really healthy sex life. Wow. And be a fly on the wall. Speaking of the creepy guys at the Airbnb. I'm watching you again.

Darryl:
So creepy. So the biggest mistake people make with these trends is jumping on after the moment has passed. And we are in this time right now with this whole Canadian movement. By the time you've gotten around to it, customers have already moved on to something else. You've got to move fast, but not recklessly. Speed plus strategy is the golden combo. I'm going to say that again. Speed plus strategy.

Darryl:
Say with me, people.

René:
Speed plus strategy. Speed plus strategy.

Darryl:
You cannot forget the strategy. If you keep your eyes open, stay connected to what your audience is feeling, and have a plan in place for how to respond when that next opportunity hits, it's going to succeed. Before we go, here's the biggest misconception. Trends aren't about being trendy. They're about being timely.

René:
Very well said, sir.

Darryl:
When something aligns with your product, your values, your audience's mood, that's a big one. That's when it's go time. So here's my challenge for business owners this week. Look around. What are people in the community talking about? What matters to your audience right now? And how can your business be part of that conversation? An authentic, meaningful, and strategic way. Be Canadian.

René:
I'm so much in the mood for poutine right now. I don't know why.

Darryl:
I know I'm gonna have some maple syrup on my pancakes after this. All right, that's it for now. Go out there, find a trend worth riding, and for the love of ketchup chips, you're made in Canada. Start acting like it.

René:
French's ketchup chips. Not Heinz.

Darryl:
We'll be right back.

Darryl:
All right, speaking of sex, I want to talk about growth. Okay, I'm not talking about sex. I'm sorry. I'm talking about real growth. And I'm not talking about seeing an inspirational quote on Instagram that changed your life life. I'm talking about the kind where you wake up one day and you realize you're just not doing certain things anymore. Not because you're better than anyone else, but because they just don't fit who you are now.

René:
Yeah, it's just us evolving as human beings.

Darryl:
Yeah, I call it my 'Not Anymore List".

René:
Well, that's fitting.

Darryl:
Actually, I think so.

René:
And it's not necessarily because we're getting older. I think we just. You take on, you know, different likes and dislikes and you take on different habits and I don't know.

Darryl:
Well, exactly. It's like habits and peoples and patterns that once had a place in your life, but they no longer get a seat at the table.

René:
Like, I used to look forward to sleeping in a tent when I'd go camping. You would have to pay me a lot of money to stay in a tent. Rains, if you happen to be touching these, the side of the tent you get all wet. The humidity, it's uncomfortable. The noises are just annoying as hell. You have to get up to the bathroom now you got to go outside. And of course in Northern Ontario you get eaten alive with mosquitoes and black flies. No thank you.

Darryl:
You know what? When I bring this conversation up with other people, they get weirdly guilty about change, which I find is funny.

René:
Really? Eh.

Darryl:
Like, I used to be the like, oh, I love staying out till 4am every Friday night type of guy and now I'm guilty of this too. I'll be having a conversation with somebody and they'll be like, oh, I went out partying last weekend with my, you know, with a bunch of friends and geez, I know we're in our 40s, we were out till like 4am and I'm like, your idea of wild to you is so much different than mine. Like mine is being in bed by 9:30 with a good show and no pants.

René:
That's wild.

Darryl:
Like that's growth, baby.

René:
Well, you know what? And I'm kind of in the middle where I like, I love to socialize, I love to go out and do stuff and I love to have people over and have cocktail parties and have even friggin Club Kitchen. But like, I like being in bed by like 10 or 11 so that I can get up and have a productive day the next day.

Darryl:
Oh, exactly.

René:
Some people are like, oh, I gotta. Like, I got so pickled. I was hungover till like 5 o'clock the next day. I'm like, yeah, that's all fun and dandy, man, but I just lost a day and I can't afford to lose a day right now.

Darryl:
Oh, exactly. That's the thing. Just because something once brought you joy or comfort or even chaos doesn't mean it has to stay forever. Because, like, I think growth isn't about never having like, those things. It's kind of more about realizing that they don't serve you anymore. Kind of like you just said.

René:
And the ones that are partying till 4am, kudos to you. I'm not bashing that, man. That's fun. I just, I physically can't do that anymore. Just. I'm just not strong enough. I guess I'm one of the weak ones.

Darryl:
Yeah. Like an example for me that I find is funny and my wife kind of laughs at it, is arguing with strangers on the Internet. Done. I am so done with that.

René:
Like, I was never there.

Darryl:
Well, see, I'll see a post or a thread with some dumbass who, who hasn't done research or is clearly uneducated about a topic or someone just being a plain old asshole. Before, I would try to be polite at first and educate them in my hopes of making the world a better place. Like, oh yeah, I'm going to educate. I'm going to change this guy's mind. But I learned that can turn quickly. And now I become an adult and I feel like I'm so smart for this that I scroll past these trolls.

René:
You know what?

Darryl:
I'm done.

René:
As soon as you come to the realization that you can, you can't fix stupid. It solves a lot of the world's issues.

Darryl:
Oh my God, no kidding. Like, I would spend so much time going back and forth with some dumbass from who knows where, arguing about something that was so meaningless or trivial. Like, I'd rather argue with the fucking thermostat at this point. It just makes no sense to me. And that's the thing. You don't owe anyone an old version of yourself, right? You're allowed to change. You're allowed to outgrow people. You're allowed to outgrow habits, places, and not apologize for it.

Darryl:
And I think that that's the key. When you out grow something, don't be sorry. I know you're going to make fun of me because I say sorry a lot for everything.

René:
Yes, you do.

Darryl:
But I'm not sorry for some of these things. I'm happy I found that growth.

René:
What did you call your list to be again?

Darryl:
My 'Not Anymore List'.

René:
You should not say sorry anymore. You should add that to your list.

Darryl:
Well, see, that's part of my Canadian trend that I'm working with.

René:
Oh, there you go. One for me being the foodie that I am, dude. And I don't want to sound like I'm a little princess or something or hoity toity. I'm going to clarify. Is like a shitty meal experience. I'm out for that.

Darryl:
I'm with you.

René:
We don't have to go to this really expensive restaurant. Like last December we were at this restaurant in Mexico that were family of friends that had a little restaurant. And some of the walls were old shipping pallets. Like that's how basic this place was. But the food was so authentic and so amazing that I would trade that in any day for a fucking Arby's or Wendy's. Like for me to have shitty fast food or just crappy restaurant. You order a fajita at the restaurant and the green onions are wilted. Is like, fuck this.

René:
I can't. This is something I cannot do.

Darryl:
I'm with you. Yeah. I'm not gonna lie to people here. I do still eat fast food, but I don't enjoy it anymore.

René:
Oh, dude. Like some of these food trucks and stuff. Super basic. It's fast food. But like when you go to like a little Mexican joint.

Darryl:
Exactly.

René:
And they're you a taco. But like your cilantro is like crisp and fresh and your avocado is like bright green and just perfectly ripe. And it's like six bucks.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
It just has to be good. You know, you have to have a certain standard to say this is quality food. I'm not talking about very expensive, you know, thousand dollar meals. I'm talking just good food. I'm out on shitty food.

Darryl:
I'm with you. And if someone makes you uncomfortable with this growth and I have to, I really want to say this because I think it's important. Important. That is their issue. That's not your issue.

René:
My brothers tease me all the time. You know, of course I post the odd picture and stuff. But with my siblings, I share a lot of them. And my brothers always call me the one upper because I always want to have like the best of the ingredients and I always want to have my plate looking like a million dollar plate. And they're like staged.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
I'm not trying to one up. I cook like that behind closed doors and those are my standards.

Darryl:
Yeah. And that's my point, is that that's their issue, not yours. You enjoy the shit that you like and just that's again, that's their problem. If they're jealous because their plate has a Big Mac and fries on it, yours has this amazing dish that you created with your own hands, with your own tools, that's their problem.

René:
And that happens at all stages of life too.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
And I just remember back as a freshman in school, you know, you would walk and of course you remember the Kirkland Lake days of 40 some below. You'd walk to school with no toque on freezing. Like getting frostbite on your ears because you didn't want to mess up your hair before getting to class.

Darryl:
Yeah.

René:
You know how awesome it felt to freaking wear a toque for once and just be warm?

Darryl:
No kidding. I know. It's so ridiculous.

René:
I'm done with frostbite.

Darryl:
Yeah, same. Yeah, bundle me up. Okay, so you're 'Not Anymore List' is a boundary setting, confidence building reminder that growth is happening in your life, even when it's quiet. And it's funny because there are people out there who are like. Like, nothing in my life has ever changed. Well, if you take two minutes and think about it, you are growing every day. You're becoming a better person.

Darryl:
So here's my challenge for you.

René:
You hope you're becoming a worse person. You need to look in the mirror.

Darryl:
And yeah, if that growth is going in the negative and down, that's not good.

René:
If you used to stay at the Hilton, but now you stay in a tent, you're going backwards.

Darryl:
So here's my challenge for everyone. Make your list. I know I'm very big on the list, but seriously, keep it in your phone, post it on your mirror, whatever. It literally be a little tiny sticky note. You're not who you used to be. And that's something you need to celebrate. All right, that's it for today. Go make that list.

Darryl:
Light it on fire. If you need closure, metaphorically, of course. I don't want to burn anybody's house down.

René:
Yeah.

Darryl:
And celebrate who you are now. And if this episode made you laugh, made you think, made you nod along aggressively, hit that follow button on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or wherever you're listening to us ramble right now. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram. For more chaos and share this episode with a friend who needs a little reminder that it's okay to leave some things in the past and make room for a new podcast. Just saying.

René:
And if it made you cry, it's probably the tax segment of this episode.

Darryl:
We'll see you next time.

René:
Ciao.