Comments on: The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Freebies Edition

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:40:45 +0000

I also don’t give to phone solicitors. I feel that if they have the money to hire an outside firm to harass me, they don’t need my money. Plus once you get on a charity’s list, it takes a LONG time to get off it. I learned this the hard way from Habitat for Humanity and Doctors Without Borders.

I now give to local organizations by anonymous money order and to Ronald McDonald House. The latter is easy–I dump the change from my order each time I get lunch there into the donation box. I don’t get the tax write-off this way, but I get less phone calls and less junk mail. I’ll take it.

By: The Frugal New Yorker

The Frugal New Yorker — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:40:00 +0000

I can’t believe there’d be anyone selfish enough to not want to pay for public libraries or parks. How about roads and stoplights—-or should we just let all the car crashes happen in the poor parts of town?

Anyway, I agree with the above commenter on the nonprofits—you have to let them know first that you don’t want calls. But the fundraiser FMF spoke with sounded particularly obnoxious, so I can’t blame him.

By: john deflumeri jr

john deflumeri jr — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:34:26 +0000

Yes we already paid for it, so we are stupid if we don’t use it. Advice to yong men, is good, too!

John DeFlumeri Jr

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:05:53 +0000

On the “off my giving list” thing, I think that’s fair… IF you already indicated to the charity somehow that you didn’t want telephone solicitation. Join the national Do Not Call registry to take care of charities you don’t already support.

Then, for charities that you DO decide to give to, write it on the coupon when you originally make your gift, or tell them when you call, not to contact you by phone. Otherwise, you can’t blame them for trying. It’s a sad fact of nonprofit life that you DO have to ask people for money, or you won’t get any money! They don’t want to waste money and alienate you by contacting you irritatingly so help em out.

By: Sheila

Sheila — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:52:49 +0000

Rick (#1), I’m assuming that you’d only use the amount of money YOU actually paid in taxes for any government services since you are opposed to people receiving government services. So, for example, if you became disabled and needed SSD, and had paid $20,000 into the system as your share, the minute you received $20,000 in benefits, you’d quit receiving SSD. Would that be correct?

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:11:28 +0000

Interesting argument. There are those that criticize libertarians and other “conservative” groups for speaking against government services, and then turning around and using those very same government services.

I, like you, see no contradiction in this. We have paid for them. May as well make use of them.

I fundamentally oppose most government services. However, I gladly make use of (say) the fire department, because it’s available, and my tax money pays for it. If the government did not provide a fire department, I would instead use my dollars to purchase private fire protection. Likewise, I oppose government-run health care. But where it currently exists and will exist in the future, I will make use of it, since my tax dollars support it.