Comments on: Reader Mailbag #54

By: denise warner

denise warner — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:24:29 +0000

hi first id like to say thank you as you have inspired me to walk thru my fears and start selling and writing along with persuing my lifetime dream of becoming a multimedia artist. so my question to you is, are there any places to start your own website that are very user frendly and reasonably priced as im working on a budget.
i currently sell on ebay and etsy but im looking to link my own site to it and dont really know too much about writing scripts and things so any help would be more than i have now. thanks denise

By: Tina

Tina — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:35:43 +0000

I stumbled upon this oatmeal recipe and now I’m addicted:
4 tablespoons instant oatmeal with just enough water to cook it- microwave for 1 minute
Add:
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (has omega’s and fiber and gives the oatmeal a good texture)
1 cup of vanilla yogurt
1 handful of walnuts or any nut you like
1 cup of your favorite fruit. Pineapple/peaches/banana work very good

Stir it all up and enjoy! You will be full for hours.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:56:09 +0000

Trent,

Here’s a question for you: I got a Canon Powershot camera two Christmases ago, and just a little over a year later, the display went black and it won’t take pictures. I sent it back to Canon for repair and since it’s just past the one-year warranty, Canon is giving an estimate of $100 with no guarantee that the problem will be fixed. The person who bought it for me paid $200 on Amazon and it’s currently priced at $277. What is the frugal thing to do here – buy a new camera or take our chances with the repair? Is there a point when a repair isn’t worth it?

By: Charlette

Charlette — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:13:07 +0000

Trent,
Have you ever tried adding any additional ingredients (ie: Oxy Clean) to your laundry detergent receipe?
I have been making my own laundry detergent from your receipe for a few months now with great results. Recently, I tried adding Oxy Clean and the results were not the same. The batch came out separated with a thick, creamy top layer and a clear, watery bottom layer. No matter how much I mixed it, it would not blend.
I was wondering if you had any similar results?

By: Another Elizabeth

Another Elizabeth — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:58:16 +0000

My two-year-old daughter has been eating oatmeal for breakfast since she graduated from infant rice cereal. We put fruit in it, or spices like cinnamon and nutmeg; and of course we stock up when the instant stuff is on a good sale. I agree with Lenetta that making it a little bit thick helps with the self-feeding messes. Also, having it thick to start with allows me to stir in a little milk to cool it without excessively thinning the stuff. This was important during her no-milk-drinking phase.

By: Jake

Jake — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:43:44 +0000

Think rolled oatmeal is better that steel cut (In my opinion anyway) and cooks in 20 min. It can be cooked in a coffee pot so it’s ready when you get up.

By: Ilah

Ilah — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:13:06 +0000

I’d like to weigh in on the health benefits of oatmeal. My father ate oatmeal every day for breakfast, he was 94 when he died. As an old butter maker and creamery manager he loved his butter. I’ll bet he ate at least a stick a day plus about 1/4-1/2 pound of cheese every day. Loved his eggs and pie also. He was scrawny as they come with no cholestral problems and was about 91 before he had any health concerns.

By: Gwen

Gwen — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:38:46 +0000

Hi Trent,

I have a question for your next mailbag.

I discovered your blog a few months ago and quickly subscribed to it via Google Reader. I find many of your ideas very helpful. I have noticed that every so often you write about an email you receive of someone who has criticized your ideas and/or style of writing pretty harshly. Do these emails make you feel bad? How do you resist being offended or resist taking these criticisms personally?

By: leslie

leslie — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:43:02 +0000

I just wanted to add that although I no longer use my Discover Card, I don’t ever remember receiving calls from them ever.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:25:42 +0000

I don’t even remember how i happened on your site, but I’m glad I did. You are insightful and inspiring and I appreciate reading what you have to say. Thanks so much and God bless you even more on St. Patricks Day!

By: Mary Nasfell

Mary Nasfell — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:56:55 +0000

I belong to a group of volunteers sponsored by AARP and the IRS, called TaxAide. About 60 of us here in Boise (and others in sites across the nation) do taxes for free, specializing in low-income and seniors, though we do all taxes except for some complicated things, such as rental income or depreciation. We work in donated spaces, mostly libraries, churches and senior centers, complete and e-file (for free) about 3000 returns a year here in Boise, and would love to do more. Would you consider including this great service in your blog?

By: Carrie

Carrie — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:34:44 +0000

Breakfast ideas for kids:

++Trent’s Apple & Granola “5-item” crockpot breakfast, with whole milk plain (or vanilla) yogurt over it.

++Oatmeal (make Steel-cut in the Thermos the night before like Martha does!) with a bit of peanut or almond butter stirred in.

++Homemade French Toast made with cinnamon-raisin bread.

++Whole-grain pancakes and scrambled eggs.

++Eggs over medium on whole-grain english muffins with a bit of cheese on top.

++Fruit muffins (prevention magazine has a great recipe for ‘no-cancer’flax-seed muffins) and scrambled eggs.

++Fruit smoothies (banana, frozen strawberries and whatever other frozen fruit we have on hand, raw baby spinach and a bit of soy milk and water) with any of the above.

I try to get three things in the kids in the morning: whole grain (complex carbohydrate), protein, and fruit (or veg, but that’s never been successful!). Now that I think about it, it’s probably what I should aim for for the adults in our house, too! I DO put more effort into breakfast because I believe so strongly in the value of it. Most of the prep can be done the night before, and that not only helps our nutrition level in the morning, it also helps our emotional stress level. When I come downstairs at 6:00am and see a nicely set table (with cloth napkins and everything) and know what we’re having for breakfast, I feel like I’m so far ahead on my day already. Juggling 3 kids, a part-time job and a husband who’s gone during the week, it’s amazing how much that helps me!

By: Mary

Mary — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:40:03 +0000

Hi Trent,
Perhaps you’ve covered this before but I am new to your site. I have been out of the work force for 20 plus years (stay at home mom) and now would like to get back in. I know I lack many skills that employers are looking for today and would like to know a couple of things, 1. how and where do I go for general training for (office) skills? and 2. would you recommend going to a temp agency for part time employment? I am a bit overwhelmed starting this process,so any suggestions you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mary

By: J.

J. — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:04:41 +0000

Ken>> he said “he tends to believe that many people…” As someone who subscribes to a particular religion/denomination something very close to 100% (at least on the important stuff), I agree with him. Most people just don’t dig that deep, and those who do often find more questions than answers, which fits in some religions and denominations but not others.

so to answer your question, yes, it is possible. but in his estimation and mine, not the most typical possibility.

By: Mol

Mol — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:37:02 +0000

Any word on how your adoring public can get an autographed copy of your book? =)

By: Ken

Ken — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:53:19 +0000

Trent – not looking to start a flame war in the comments here, but is it possible that those people who “absolutely subscribe to a particular religion” have thought about things critically and found that their beliefs line up pretty well with a particular religion? Just because someone is (close to) 100% on board with a religion/denomination doesn’t mean they have no critical thinking skills or will just agree with everything someone tells them.

By: Mo-Town

Mo-Town — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:52:14 +0000

Trent:
As Aryn notes in comment no. 14, your response to the mortgage question fails to discuss several important factors. For example, California is a “non-recourse” state where the lender’s only recourse upon default is to foreclose upon the house.

If a person living in a non-recourse state is underwater and really can’t afford to pay the mortgage, his best bet is to stop paying the mortgage and live mortgage free until the lender forecloses. It can take up to a year for the lender to foreclose, and that’s a significant amount of cash the person could put toward paying down his bills.

Now this isn’t “ethical” by most people’s standards, but it’s perfectly legal, and doing this isn’t going to hurt a person’s credit any more than negotiating a deed in lieu of foreclosure would.

I love your site, and I’m not trying to criticize you personally, but I think you really missed the boat on this particular question.

By: Timothy Smith

Timothy Smith — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:59:45 +0000

Trent great answer on you commenting on everyone’s “comments” Love your brutal honesty, while RESPECTING others way of doing things. Also about not publishing something if it didnt have enough Value.. you must be a disciple of Seth Godin. He’d be proud iof you

I am.

Tim at Smile-Therapy.com

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:44:34 +0000

pink oatmeal vomit! that’s hilarious! thank you for making my day end on a high note. HAHAHA!

By: SteveJ

SteveJ — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:13:43 +0000

I’m thinking about the commenting thing. I think in general the reason I might want an author to respond to comments is that his/her response validates how smart I am and what good points I make. To provide that reassurance for thousands of readers seems impossible, I can barely do it for the kids.

I don’t know, but what I’ve gleaned from Trent’s description of his habits, I imagine he’s working a few posts ahead, and he may not check the comments for a particular entry in a timely fashion. I tend to read all the posts and comments, but I’ll batch process when I get busy. What’s the point of commenting on a post from 4 days ago? If Trent followed a similar procedure everyone would complain that he doesn’t work to their schedule. I know I’ve killed hours of what could have been productive time trying to have a civil argument with people on a message board. That time could have been much better spent.