Comments on: Talking to a Reader

By: KimC

KimC — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:10:11 +0000

I love meeting “fans” like that! I’m sure it happens to you far more often than to me since your feed subscribers are over 80k, but I did run into a reader once in a coffee shop 3 hours from my home, and many other times in less random places.
Comments are nice, but there’s nothing in the world like real-life feedback!

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:03:56 +0000

I loved this post. Like Melissa, I am also curious to know what you thought the Count was. :)
And like Adam, I wouldn’t mind a post every now and again on the failures. In addition, I do think it would be helpful. I was incredibly discouraged the other day when a series of little frustrations seemed to conspire to keep me from getting anything done. In times like these, it would be great to be reminded that I can laugh at myself.
Finally, your thought that we must keep our own houses in order is one that I agree with wholeheartedly but had forgotten lately. I feel like over the last few months, as I’ve strayed from that value and worried more about outside factors, life has gotten more difficult. Looking back, nothing actually changed except for where I directed my energies. Thanks for the reminder!

By: oregonsun

oregonsun — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:25:44 +0000

Thanks for the good article. Especially thank you for not delving into political issues. There are plenty of places to get into that issue.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:57:11 +0000

I’m really intrigued to know what you thought the Count actually was.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:53:00 +0000

#40 Jessica – Thanks for the suggestions. I might try one or two.

I also enjoyed the post. I also never read one without reading all the comments. I love to hear what people think – good or bad. (Johanna – I love you. I rarely agree with you completely, but I love when people think through what they want to say, and do it.)

And, Trent, this proves that finance does not have to be boring or stringent, when you tell of some of your mishaps. We might follow through and tell you some of ours.

By: MichaelT

MichaelT — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:28:03 +0000

Trent,
I’m grateful that you don’t discuss political issues on your blog. I often find your writing to be inspiring (and calming). For me, reading political opinions, and the ensuing debate, would not be enjoyable.

By: Pat Chiappa

Pat Chiappa — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:36:21 +0000

Regarding smooth:
Sometimes folks think that your (my) life is so ‘easy’ and that we are ‘lucky’. I too tend to look at the bright side of life, relishing what I have, being grateful and happy for my good fortune. Every once in a while I’ll relate a funny story about the ‘blooper’ that happened behind the scenes of my outwardly golden life – but mostly, I skip the drama – I’d rather have my interactions be positive. I also don’t want to feel responsible for entertaining others with my mishaps – although I have considered a comic strip…

Regarding easy:
And creating the life you desire comes with many sacrifices. If you want to be financially secure, you take the steps to get there which often include serious actions like saving, doing without, knowing when enough is enough and planning smart. It’s hard work and often hard choices, but well worth the effort. So if it looks easy – take a closer look.

Regarding politcal ranting:
My husband is a political junkie which is difficult for me, because, well, I live with him and am exposed to some of the sounds and sights of current events. My humble opinion has always been that unless you are going to take action on a particular political crisis or event – don’t bother kvetching about it.

Building your own stable life so that others don’t have to prop you up – well said Trent.

Thanks for another enjoyable post.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:24:06 +0000

I never read or listen to American news… I don’t like being sold the latest sensational fears on the market. Instead, I read world news from BBC, and my local news (because that’s important to me, despite most of it being terrible). I also have my regular feeds of good news – Gimundo, Good News Network, Great News Network, and HappyNews. And for news with a funny edge, I read Fark. :)

By: JB

JB — Mon, 31 May 2010 05:57:50 +0000

Agree that revealing little personal anecdotes like you did in this article is great!

By: Kristin

Kristin — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:03:04 +0000

I loved this post too! Thank you for reminding us that you are human! I’ve been trying to break the 24 hour news and fear cycle, and I’m surprised how difficult it is. I’d be so much happier focusing on my family and my economy. You’re right- when my house is in order, I’ll have so much more to give to others.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sun, 30 May 2010 10:58:21 +0000

Loved the descriptions of the trainwreck situations. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to mention these all the time, but do agree that it makes you more down-to-earth to hear them once in a while. It takes away one of the excuses – I can’t say “it’s all very well for Trent to do X, his children behave perfectly and he never makes mistakes/has accidents”.

And it doesn’t take away from the frugal message of the blog either – if statistically you’re going to have to take a cork in the eye and smash a bottle of bubbly on your toe at some time, it might as well be a good value bottle to begin with, no sense wasting the more pricey stuff..

By: FinanceFreak

FinanceFreak — Sun, 30 May 2010 02:35:24 +0000

Great post. Want to echo the appreciation conveyed by others for keeping politics out of this great blog.

By: David

David — Sun, 30 May 2010 02:09:47 +0000

“All politics is local.”–Tip O’Neill

I’m with Trent. If every one of us took care of him/herself, and reached out to help their neighbor on the left and their neighbor on their right…I think very few problems would remain.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Sun, 30 May 2010 01:28:10 +0000

Trent, your posts lately (since your son was born) have seemed more inspired. I have had a newfound enjoyment of this blog. Keep up the great writing!

By: sylrayj

sylrayj — Sat, 29 May 2010 19:41:08 +0000

“It’s a lot easier to sell the negative than it is to sell the positive.” You’ve commented before that in general, what you buy is what is provided. If we keep buying the negative, if it keeps producing the high ratings, we’ll get to see more death and destruction and drama. Not giving money to the fear-sellers isn’t enough, as you said; we need to be buying the positive news. Not so sure where to go for that, unfortunately, although my local paper does cover when the teens do a great fund raising job or when passersby perform CPR on a lawn maintenance worker who’d suffered a heart attack. We need more of that.

By: KC

KC — Sat, 29 May 2010 18:33:05 +0000

If you dove into political discussions I would stop reading this blog. The people who are loudest and most angry are always in command even if they are the minority. And the most negative people (trolls) always surface in political discussions. Like you said – the single biggest influence you can make on your life is to get your own house in order. Regardless of which party is in power, who the pres is, etc – take care of your own house and you will make the most positive change in your life.

By: Helena

Helena — Sat, 29 May 2010 18:09:35 +0000

1. Stumbling along the way helps for us failing and getting back up people to keep doing it again. I learned to cook through countless burnt offerings to my children. It makes you more real!
2. I don’t watch the news for that very reason. I take time to read some so as to not be completely ignorant.
3. If there is a criss in each persons future from any source it will be easer to handle if your own house is in order.

By: Cristina

Cristina — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:47:38 +0000

Trent, I agree with everyone who said that writing about your occasional stumbles and how you dealt with them would actually make people relate to you more easily. It amazes me that you have time to do everything you do AND write about it. It would encourage me to know that not all your endeavors go as smoothly as you make them sound in an article.

I also don’t think you should write about politics. That’s not to say people should never discuss politics, but I don’t think your readers come here for political commentary. The way I see your blog, it teaches us about how to make the best of our current situation.

By: BirdDog

BirdDog — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:39:16 +0000

I really enjoyed this post, Trent. I appreciate the time and effort you put into your work. I’ve really been thinking about how I support things and people in my life that are available at no cost to me. Anything that a twice a day reader could do to help you out?

By: MelodyO

MelodyO — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:22:29 +0000

Thank you Trent for one of my favourite posts of yours! The stories of your funny mishaps may not be helpful per se in teaching us finances, but it sure does brighten our day, so don’t be afraid to share them.

I saw an interview with Will Smith, who said that he worries about his money just as much as he did fifteen years ago. So do I, even though my DH and I are in a very solid financial position. It’s always the “what ifs” that make us scared, and you are so right that it’s important to look at the positives each and every day. What if we lost all our money? We’d still have our family, we’d find a way to move on together, and that’s all that really matters.