Dollar bills are being thrown around like confetti, raining down on us as we contemplate what's real and what's Monopoly money.

Labour comes out with a policy, National doubles down on it and vice versa. Think about it, doctors visit for many of us will be $18 said National, Labour said with them it'll be $8.

Other figures are also smoke and mirrors, like the Government's yesterday increasing elective surgery to 200,000 a year in four years' time whereas in reality the real news if they'll be increasing them by just 22,000 over that period to reach the target.

The list goes on and the public could be forgiven for treating the sudden rush of generosity from the Beehive with a grain of salt as the politicians scramble to outdo each other.

Most of us have probably already made up our minds anyway and many of us these days go to the polls early rather than having to wait in the queues on the official polling day.

The number choosing to vote early has increased significantly since National came to power in 2008 when 270,000 turned out before polling day. Last election that number had grown to almost 718,000, and with an additional 429,000 registered to vote this election, early polling booths are expected to be even busier.

If you're overseas you can start voting from today by mail, on a fax, over the internet or in person at an embassy.

If you're disabled and can't manage ticks on the ballot paper then you can also cast your vote from today over what they call the secret telephone dictation service.

If you're blind for example you can register to vote right up two days before the election and you'll be asked to give them a question that no-one else can know the answer to. They'll give you a registration number and when you call back to vote you'll be asked to give that number, correctly answer the question and you'll then be given the candidates in the electorate and which party they're standing for and your paper's in the ballot box.

Don't worry it's just 17 more days to go before we put someone out of their misery even though this changeable campaign seems to have been waged for months now - and to think a week is said to be a long time in politics.