Comments on: The Simple Dollar Morning Roundup: Philosophy Edition

By: thribble

thribble — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:14:10 +0000

I shouldn’t be saying this, but your comment about well water made me nostalgic. I work in the water industry, and one of my jobs was on site for upgrading 5 water treatment plants in the south of England. The water here is so good all they do is pump it out of the ground and stick some chlorine in. Except I used to fill my water bottle from the raw water sample tap. I’d have probably got shot if anyone found out, but for 8 months I had the best supply of fresh, fantastic tasting water I’d ever had! I don’t miss the job, but I do miss the water. Where I live now, it’s not as easy to get nice water!

By: pam

pam — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:12:52 +0000

“If I occasionally sound a bit repetitive, it’s because every once in a while I am – and it’s worth it to me to vaguely annoy one regular reader (who is already financially savvy) once in a while if I can maybe change the thinking and spending habits of another person.”

Good post Trent. I think regular readers forget that new people stumble onto these sites all the time. I’ve been reading for only two months and before that, I had NO IDEA how many personal finances sites are available.

As a person who is in the beginning phase of crawling out of debt, a daily dose of info helps keep me motivated and repetition helps drive home the point. I may not pick up on something the first time around, or someone else’s comment gives a new perspective.

By: The Digerati Life

The Digerati Life — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:15:28 +0000

Thanks for the mention again Trent! :) I need to seriously check out how you juggle your life as you’ve written up. I am a very harried person and am always at my wits end by end of day. I need to commiserate here…!

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:54:22 +0000

We wouldn’t drink nearly as much water if not for the filtered whatever we get 5 gallons per jug. The local water tastes horrible to us.

Yes, I am too picky, but I also know that reality is reality. :)

Brad

By: !wanda

!wanda — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:24:04 +0000

I wasn't bothered by the fact that you had mentioned those ideas before. I was bothered by the fact that you wrote it from a first person POV when I know for a fact that you can't trim the fat from your budget in the ways you've mentioned because you've done those things already. I was also bothered because you've placed a lot of emphasis in this blog on spending in alignment with your values, which is more sustainable way to spend money, and this post on the iPhone was in direct contradiction with that philosophy. The way I've read your blog, buying an iPhone would be far less in accord with your values than spending nothing or even than buying a Wii (which at least can be used with family and friends). The whole post was jarring and felt inauthentic, because it was written in the first person but it didn't sound like it was coming from you. If it were written slightly differently, the post wouldn't have bothered me nearly as much.

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:54:31 +0000

Hydrogen isn’t an energy source. It’s an energy storage medium – and not a particularly good one, at that. It’s not very energy dense, it’s corrosive as hell, and it tends to explode when it’s released under pressure, which it often is when used as an energy storage medium.

By: theCase

theCase — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:50:37 +0000

Yea the idea of using Hydrogen as a fuel for autos is so utterly bogus. Anyone can do a bit of research can find out there are no easy answers for a replacement fuel for automobiles.

The problem is that hydrogen is an energy CARRIER not an Energy SOURCE,. i.e. where, oh where, do you get the hydrogen? Use expensive solar cells to create electricity to electrolyze water, then use a compressor to jam it in into a reasonable sized storage container? oh please. Why not run a car on batteries then??

How about hydrogen from natural gas as it is done for commercial uses? Well then, why not just have a natural gas powered car?

Not wanting to sound like a nut-case, I’ll leave it here. In summary there are no easy answers when one is looking for a “drop-in” fuel replacement for gasoline. I’ll get off my soap-box now.

By: Amit

Amit — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:35:49 +0000

The next big thing that be commercialized in the US is pocket sized oxygen cylinders…breathe better air..i foresee that coming..” we have the right amount of oxygen..but that cylider as a bag pack and breathe fresh air” …and there will be people that would buy that as well…

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:20:31 +0000

Hydrogen? I understand the appeal of the concept – it certainly is elegant – but seriously. Even if you could get over the serious inefficiencies of the electrolysis process, you’ve still got the fundamental problem that hydrogen just isn’t that dense of an energy storage matrix.

By: Paula

Paula — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:01:23 +0000

I am using a Visa with rewards to save for a lamp that will make me very happy, but that I can’t justify spending money on. I only use that Visa when our Discover card (which gives us cash back) isn’t accepted. (we pay all cards when due. We make money on credit cards, because we use them when we could use cash, save the cash, and get the rewards)It will take me another six months at least to get that lamp, but I will get it!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:56:40 +0000

While they -do- have a World of Warcraft visa, you only earn money towards your subscription fees, not any in-game currency or items.

For the best, really. I’m sure there are a lot of gamers out there (myself included, when I was playing regularly)who would be tempted if it helped your game.

By: Corey

Corey — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:33:43 +0000

There is a World of Warcraft rewards Visa. 1% of your purchases are credited directly towards your account. Blizzard and the creditors are ahead of you on this one :)

By: Ty

Ty — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:32:46 +0000

FYI … http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/visa/

By: R Kyles

R Kyles — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:22:11 +0000

I agree with you Trent. I read your blog daily because the suggestions are practical, and I actually feel that I have a chance at digging out of debt because these are things I can try myself. Sometimes repeated ideas are necessary to drive home a point, and to simply get back down to basics. Keep doing what you do.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:46:12 +0000

They’ve actually already got a World Of Warcraft Credit Card

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/visa/

it uses gametime as the reward, and of course they will give you free stuff for signing up.