The human race is constantly plagued by its short memory cycle. Some say it was an evolutionary benefit that allowed us form and further our societies by forgetting the ills of the past. Others have likened it to a natural check on human society from achieving some form of social stability, forcing us to probe and question and push the boundaries of our existence – and often unleashing detrimental effects as a result.

The repeated occurrence of the recession is a testament to the short-lived nature of the human memory. Not only do we forget the precise social conditions that existed in the run-up to recessions past, but we also forget how we had to adapt and drastically alter our lifestyles in order to survive through them.

But that’s exactly the danger of something as widespread and damaging as a recession. Its ability to slowly steal away from the ragged edges of the human memory and then pounce on us when we seem least capable to deal with it is a recurring theme.

This recession witnessed the U.S. government printing vast amounts of money in order save its flailing economy. As any economist will tell you, what this does is weaken the U.S. dollar against other currencies, meaning that those countries bordering the States with an eager pool of dedicated cross-border shoppers (ahem Canada), should all be rejoicing. Heavily.

For the past couple of months, the loonie has slowly been catching up with the greenback, meaning that smart shoppers should soon realize that they have a golden opportunity at their fingertips.

How?

Well, in order to combat the steady inflation, many U.S. brands and outlet malls have aggressively (almost cut-throatedly) slashed prices on thousands of products – meaning savings abound for any adventurous shopper who sleuths for them. But if you’re feeling particularly deterred by the thought of having to wait hours at the border in order to immerse yourself in the frenzy of those Meccas of shopdom, don’t be. Use online comparison shopping and cross-border shopping sites instead.

There are scores of these sites lying around on the internet. Use them! They’re still operating for a reason. Use their comparison tools in order to find those best deals from the comfort of your own home…while others sweat, fume and burn all that gas getting across the border and lugging all those goodies back.

The best thing about these sites is that they usually get direct information from the stores posting these massive sales, so you can bank on these deals being more or less accurate. Like they say, the early bird catches the worm, and since nothing can be earlier than an eager internet shopper swooping in on those sweet deals hours before those tired and dusty road shoppers arrive from across the border, it pays to be hooked up to an ISP with a laptop.

Kapische? (Yes, I spelt it like that on purpose.)