When I seen the title, I laughed and I realized it’s exactly what I’ve done in a prev job. I wanted to “Go Green”, to support a local business and to help the corp company look good in the community (it’s all ready got a great image) I’m no longer there but I know my efforts are being kept up.

I am with a new company now and I’m going to be pitching more recycling ideas (plastic bottles mostly). They have a promo going right now, to do with Going Green, working ten hours shifts, riding the bus, etc. Do you have any creative suggestions for me?

In terms of how to spread your ideas, I’d suggest branching out. I think frugality is a good idea and people who are inclined towards it will find you – that’s how I did, through a Google search on frugality. However, you might attract and seduce others, who do not necessarily like or know of frugality, to consider boiling their life down to its essentials (something like love your close ones and work your passion, and cherish both), and in effect living more frugally in a different manner. By branching out (or linking to, cooperating with) “living your best life” type of subjects (or blogs, writers). For example, “glamming up” some really savoury dishes, that happen to be frugal. Post a super mouth watering pic of a homemade muffin for your kids to take to school etc. Paradoxically, shift focus away from frugality and you may find that you will attract and possibly convert a whole new type of reader. Not convince them with the idea, but with the positive life effects the idea may have.

Also, hope this doesnt sound silly, have you tried contacting the Oprah show? She has me believing that she is committed to helping individuals conquer their personal credit crises. I can only guess what mention of your blog on the show could do for your traffic…

Hope this makes sense, keep up the good work!

Also as America moves from bubble inspired spending to forced frguality (via a nasty rescession) blogs like yours will become more popular.

Also I’m one of your sucess stories, starting this paycheque the extra money will actually be real true disposible income! A really really wierd feeling.

Anne K.

@Brad – I don’t care how much you make, spending $1500 less a month is a tremendous change in lifestyle. Congratulations!

@Trent, I really enjoy your site because it keeps me thinking about my finances and where I want to end up. Your site sets the perfect tone for me, friendly and informative, so I come back for my daily dose. I haven’t really bought into the frugality message as much as I should – I’m naturally cheap in most basic spending areas (food, clothes, car), big on doing things myself (yard work, repairs), yet not inclined to start a garden, do a month’s worth of meal planning, or give up my completely unnecessary mountain of video games and electronics. I do enjoy reading those articles too, even if they don’t always inspire me to action. Your site has been invaluable in so many other ways though, I’m taking a much closer look at savings and investing options (I would have left my savings in my .00001% bank account if I hadn’t read about ING direct), and I’m actively seeking out more work to pay down my debt that way, since I’m unwilling to make the tougher cuts in the budget (I just can’t give up my high speed internet or blissful A/C!)

I think the greatest service the TSD provides is to show that there are a lot of options and that you’re not forced to do the stupid consumer thing. Everyone is different so every article doesn’t apply, but the vast assortment of topics and solutions can help you find something that will help your situation.

I really think your writing style would appeal to younger people as well. We need to start teaching the kids the ways of frugality and show them they don’t “have” to go down the same free-spending road as their parents.

By the way, congrats on cracking 40,000 subscribers – you have a small city reading your blog it seems!

Kudos to you for following your passion – I’m sure your motives are part of what keeps so many of us coming back.

Perhaps you could try to tackle each individual’s problem, lay out their specific issues and then show them how they can make all these changes you’ve been touting, and then come back to them in a month, a half year and a year with follow-ups. Then you could re-analyze what they’re doing right and what they still need to do, to be more frugal and to get out of debt.

I think that’d be an interesting direction this website could take. In my mind there’s nothing more powerfully motivating that seeing advice put into action to make change. Real change isn’t talked about, it’s seen!

Of course that’d take a substantial amount of time, video editing, and then finding candidates in your area that would be willing to share their story. But if you could do it, I think it’d be awesome and would represent something to seriously distinguish this site from others (not that it needs to but it would definitely be different)

I’m thinking of trying something like this for Christmas with my family. I really don’t need anything, so if people want to get me something anyway, I like the fact that they’ll have to think carefully about what to do for less than $10. It would certainly inspire more creativity than is frequently put into gift exchange.

Making positive impact on people’s lives–that has to be pretty motivating!

It’d be a great incentive not to spend money, and I know some people who I could give them to!

As a “thank you”, I try to tell my friends and family members about your blog so you’ll have more readers. I’m always forwarding your URL to folks. I know a couple of friends who have started reading regularly because of my recommendation.

I really do think you should work toward a book- the blog could promote the book and vice-versa.