Furthermore, I read my local paper and trust me if you want crappy writing and be grammar that is the stuff to read. Many times you have to reread something to try and figure out what it actually says. But just like this blog, I filter the information, taking what I need and leaving the rest. And yes the paper is still in business and still continues to put out crap each week. So I don’t see the issue with Trent making money from his blog. I see the issue of consumers complaining about the quality of the product while continuing to consume it.

My only criticism would be that I agree that that Trent should be more responsive to the comments. That being said, if I was getting bashed the way he is I might consider ignoring all of you to.

Bravo Trent, keep the articles coming. I enjoy that parts of your blog that I choose to read. As an informed consumer I know how to filter and apply only what works for me. Also know how to use your information as a catalyst for further research.

There’s a disconnect between what Trent tells and what he shows. He tells us this blog is (relatively) important. He listed TSD as a reason he didn’t take the job offer because the quality would suffer and it takes time.

He tells us he’s passionate about writing and helping others but his writing is sloppy. In almost every post and that sloppiness often leads to confusion and people misunderstanding what Trent is trying to say. He makes big mistakes when giving financial advice and yes he’s not a professional but he’s prsenting himself as someone who is knowledgable but he still makes the same mistakes.

There’s barely any acknowledgement about the questiosn brought up in the comments or clarification when there’s confusion.

After the big career post we’ve had 4 more posts – two of them should be bullet points – fill a water bottle and drink from that and heat beans and wrap them in a tortilla for a cheap meal.

When he did a rehash of how to save on phone bills recently he mentioned using his Skype on his iPhone. BUT there were 2 posts devoted to how it died and how he replaced it — witih a Nano. So either he has another one (which is no big deal) or he just cut and pasted from an old post and didn’t update it. That’s a problem.

Again in the Career post almost every commenter said they wanted quality over quantity and that isn’t the first time people have said that. Yet what does he give his readers? Filler.

Maureen — Well said! Very well said.

Or that person might sleep very well, secure in the knowledge that their hard work allows them to live comfortably. It sounds to me like you don’t believe that people deserve to enjoy the fruits of their industry. Perhaps YOU could not afford expensive cars, clothes or houses without being buried in debt (I only suggest this since you made the quoted assertion), but others may earn incomes that support that lifestyle without debt. Perhaps if you looked a little deeper you might see that the ‘debtor’ was an individual that worked hard getting a good education, applied that to a career and made wise choices along the way. There is no particular virtue in driving a rust bucket or wearing rags if you can afford more expensive items.

It makes me cringe when I think how the author considers writing his passion/calling, but forgets periods, or leaves off halves of sentences, or uses the same phrase or word in an article five times, or comes up with unnecessarily dramatic phrases (“my taste buds long for the sweet flavor of …etc.”).

For me, it would be bearable if updates were made, or a comment stating “Thanks for the feedback, edits will be completed soon” was posted. However, the complete lack of attention paid to comments and errors is a bit laughable. I feel like if you want people to take you seriously at something, you cannot consistently make mistakes or errors that are preventable.

It touches on challenging assumptions, as well as breaking out of old habits. I think of patterns of behavior that are remnants of the past, or held true for your parents or your childhood but no longer apply. I’d be interested to hear you develop this further.

“Splashy” adds the connotation of affecting people in more ways than simply visually, which “flashy” would imply. A guy in a flashy suit could simply stand in the corner talking to the boss, while someone who wanted to make a splash would start a conga line.

So is Trent discouraging the ostentation of conspicuous consumption or is he encouraging quiet competence?

It must be holding you back in ways you don’t see and I *know* it’s holding your writing back and frustrating your readers.