Florence - A fine city

In Singapore, where there are fines for everything from chewing gum to jaywalking, there are 1000 naff souvenirs that you can get saying Singapore - a fine city.
I am learning that the phrase applies here in Florence too.
Having a car is pretty much essential in Italy. The public transport is not bad at linking the main cities, but to really see the place, you need to have wheels to get around.
But in the cities, this is not always an advantage.
Friday I received a racomandata (registered letter) at work from the Municipal Police, containing a fine for 84 Euros for passing in front of the station on a forbidden stretch of road (about 50 metres in length.) It is true, guilty as charged, that I used this road, because honestly I had no idea how to reach the other side of the station without crossing this little bit. Of course, there are no signs to the station that let you avoid this bit of road.
The issue is that the penalty was from 11am on December 21st 2007. We are now half way through April. And, in all ignorance, I have used this little stretch many times since then. I am expecting that a large chunk of money could be heading the way of the Florentine local authorities.
Yesterday, following a relaxing day that ended with a stroll in the city with my friend Chiara, I remembered that I needed to move my car from its parking spot as it was street washing night. (This means that if your car is parked in an inopportune spot at an inopportune moment, it is towed away, leaving you carless, with a bill of 150-odd euros to shell out for).
I went off to get the car, parked in its blue line parking. A bit of background at this point. Blue lines mean pay and display here in Italy, but, in theory, if you have a residents permit for that area you do not have to pay.
Residents permits are based on the zone in which you live. I am in zone 3 (dark blue permit) which stretches from my road to Piazza della Libertà, some 10 minutes on foot away. Its a reasonably big area, and very residential, so parking is not normally a huge issue.
But my flat is right on the edge of zone 3. One cross street over and the same road turns into zone 4, meaning I have no right to park there.
But as the place where I had left the car was parallel to my street, I assumed that the Zone 3 pass would still cover me.
Either I was wrong, or given that the parking label is the same colour as the car, the ticket inspector didn't see the permit, as when I went back to the car, I saw the telltale green slip that means you have a fine. This time 36 euros.
Yesterday whilst strolling around the shops, I saw a lovely pair of shoes that I was keen to buy. But at 115 euros, I will have to put them on the list for next month, as I have already spent their equivalent in fines for the car.