Author Topic: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving  (Read 11034 times)

citycat

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Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« on: November 25, 2014, 09:19:48 AM »
With the most recent post, What to Buy on Black Friday, I finally unsubscribed from the Get Rich Slowly blog.  Beginning by making fun of those who abhor the thought of shopping on Thanksgiving as "pearl clutchers" and ending by providing a long list of ideas for stuff to buy, it seemed more like an April Fools post than real advice.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2014/11/25/what-to-buy-on-black-friday/


solon

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2014, 09:25:10 AM »
Thanks. I just reviewed the last dozen or so articles and realized I don't need to read that blog anymore, either.

sheepstache

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2014, 09:35:15 AM »
Quote
(Hint: Blank books, picture frames, novels, DVDs, scarves and candles are all good for those OMG-I-totally-spaced-on-my-good-friend’s-birthday-tomorrow moments.)

Yes, nothing says 'you're a good friend' like 'here's some crap I bought as a generic gift.'

Chranstronaut

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2014, 09:48:38 AM »
....I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

I agree.  I was pretty sad when I read through all of ERE and there was no new content, but I'm glad Jacob handled it by recycling old posts.  When something ends near it's peak, you are left wanting more.  But when something drags on into a slow death and changes into something worse, it's really depressing.

iris lily

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2014, 10:30:29 AM »
There was a blog post a coupla months ago from a guy who is tried to crowdsource payments of his mortgage. There was no illness or tragedy in his family, he just wanted others to pay his mortgage.

I though that was probably intended as clickbait. While the editor of the site posted "thoughtful" introduction and responses, it was still clickbait. 

eyePod

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2014, 10:36:36 AM »
....I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

I agree.  I was pretty sad when I read through all of ERE and there was no new content, but I'm glad Jacob handled it by recycling old posts.  When something ends near it's peak, you are left wanting more.  But when something drags on into a slow death and changes into something worse, it's really depressing.

Blog's slow death slowly.

eyePod

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2014, 10:39:29 AM »
JD Roth really started rubbing me the wrong way when he ditched the wife he met in college, once we was well off and thin. She had stayed with him when he was fat and broke and working in the family box factory and I felt like now was the time that she should be reaping some rewards for that commitment. When blogging about their divorce he out and out said that this wasn't something his wife wanted. I realize that you never really know the details of another person's marriage, but it just seemed kind of lousy to do.

And then the quality went downhill when he sold out. I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

I stopped reading around that time too. The hard part for me was that the wife seemed to still want the relationship (from what he said). I got a "creepy" vibe from him.

Oh, and there was the whole "hey, btw, the reason the content has sucked and wasn't personal anymore is because I sold the website SUCKAS." If he had been upfront, I wouldn't have minded.

In the whole PF spectrum, he's a little better than Dave Ramsey, and he was a nice stepping stone to build off of. They're all useful at different points in your life. I started with Ramsey, then GRS, and now off to MMM and hopefully retirement in less than 10 years!

Chranstronaut

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2014, 01:39:30 PM »
They're all useful at different points in your life. I started with Ramsey, then GRS, and now off to MMM and hopefully retirement in less than 10 years!

Excellent point. Whether or not the blog grows out of it's purpose, the readers probably should grow past it at some point if they are really making progress.  Even with MMM, I find myself not getting much out of the posts the last few months.  I enjoy knowing what the mustache family has been up to lately rather than hearing any wisdom or lessons... I would be A-OK if it turned into a DIY specific blog.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2014, 02:19:13 PM »
I stopped reading it after they posted the story about (if I remember correctly) the financial pitfalls of self-managing your investments... that was later proved to be written by a shill for a financial group. Seriously, it took readers less than a day to research and discover the shill, but they couldn't do their own due diligence apparently? Was a big red flag as far as I was concerned, and made me wonder if they were trying to sneak a paid-for "advertorial" into their mix to try to drum up even more profit, but got caught. Definitely not a good fit for me after that since I'd always wonder.

I didn't discover that Roth had dumped the first wife and sold off the site until after I'd been reading a little while and that really soured me on the whole thing, so that bad reporting (if you could even call it that) just hammered the final nail in the coffin for me.


Zikoris

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2014, 02:32:44 PM »
I stopped reading it after they posted the story about (if I remember correctly) the financial pitfalls of self-managing your investments... that was later proved to be written by a shill for a financial group. Seriously, it took readers less than a day to research and discover the shill, but they couldn't do their own due diligence apparently? Was a big red flag as far as I was concerned, and made me wonder if they were trying to sneak a paid-for "advertorial" into their mix to try to drum up even more profit, but got caught. Definitely not a good fit for me after that since I'd always wonder.

I didn't discover that Roth had dumped the first wife and sold off the site until after I'd been reading a little while and that really soured me on the whole thing, so that bad reporting (if you could even call it that) just hammered the final nail in the coffin for me.

Do you have a link to the article, if it's still up? I haven't read GRS is a while, but would love to see the comments tearing the person to pieces!

Frankies Girl

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2014, 02:40:34 PM »
I stopped reading it after they posted the story about (if I remember correctly) the financial pitfalls of self-managing your investments... that was later proved to be written by a shill for a financial group. Seriously, it took readers less than a day to research and discover the shill, but they couldn't do their own due diligence apparently? Was a big red flag as far as I was concerned, and made me wonder if they were trying to sneak a paid-for "advertorial" into their mix to try to drum up even more profit, but got caught. Definitely not a good fit for me after that since I'd always wonder.

I didn't discover that Roth had dumped the first wife and sold off the site until after I'd been reading a little while and that really soured me on the whole thing, so that bad reporting (if you could even call it that) just hammered the final nail in the coffin for me.


Do you have a link to the article, if it's still up? I haven't read GRS is a while, but would love to see the comments tearing the person to pieces!


Pretty sure they zapped it as soon as they realized they got caught out. It disappeared within a week. I think it was discussed on the MMM forum so I'll try to find that post and update here.

ETA: Tried to search, but the search function works for shit on here, and definitely didn't find any signs of the original story on the googles. So it's gone, and possibly I just dreamed it (unless someone else says they saw it too before it disappeared into the ether... I swear I'm not crazy!)
« Last Edit: November 25, 2014, 02:54:07 PM by Frankies Girl »

NumberJohnny5

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2014, 03:58:07 PM »
I read the post in question.

I've read the author's posts before. I don't recall anything way off the mark, but I also haven't read that site in the last year or more, so who knows.

I don't think it was BAD. For the majority of people, it's relatively sane advice. I didn't read anywhere where it said you must BUY BUY BUY whether you need the item or not. In fact, it said to make a list of items you need, and check prices. Well, sounds like good advice regardless of your frugal level.

"I want a brand new car, should I pay $40k or $30k for the exact same thing?"

"Well, that washer needs to be replaced soon, I'll keep an eye out for a replacement, be it a good deal at Sears or an awesome deal on a barely used model on Craigslist."

Yeah, at one point the blog had a different audience. Now it's mainstream. You're seeing advice that's good for the majority of consumers. The sad thing is the fact the blog used to be more about getting people out of the mainstream. Ah well.

I do wonder which site I'll latch onto next. First The Simple Dollar, then Get Rich Slowly, now Mr. Money Mustache. On the one hand, it's sad to think that MMM may/will devolve the same way the other sites did...on the other hand, it's exciting to think there'll be another site that's even more awesome, that I can learn even more from.

Kaspian

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2014, 02:20:25 PM »
I pretty much stopped reading after staff writer Honey Smith was talking about paying off her hundreds of thousands of debt and recommending when hitting small debt payment milestones people reward themselves with something like a dinner out at a fancy restaurant or a Caribbean cruise!  (I really, really wish I was joking about that.) 

Kristin Wong is the only writer worth reading there.  She's frugal and writes some great stuff about the psychology of money.  Sadly, her thrift and minimalism is lost on most of the readers as they're too busy searching for sympathy and easy answers.

iris lily

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #13 on: November 26, 2014, 06:32:38 PM »
I pretty much stopped reading after staff writer Honey Smith was talking about paying off her hundreds of thousands of debt and recommending when hitting small debt payment milestones people reward themselves with something like a dinner out at a fancy restaurant or a Caribbean cruise!  (I really, really wish I was joking about that.) 

Kristin Wong is the only writer worth reading there.  She's frugal and writes some great stuff about the psychology of money.  Sadly, her thrift and minimalism is lost on most of the readers as they're too busy searching for sympathy and easy answers.

Oh, Honey is a bit of a train wreck. She is the only GRS writer I know by name because she's just so out- there impractical, although in the context of the average in-hock American I suppose she is just clueless within the GRS group. Then the boobs who comment on her posts are just as crazy. I think they will all be out of debt about the year 2063 but good for them, they've enjoyed life with big vacations and houses etc. during their paydown-debt years.

Interesting tip about Kristin Wong, I'll check out her posts.
« Last Edit: November 26, 2014, 06:37:03 PM by iris lily »

thylacine

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #14 on: November 26, 2014, 09:23:08 PM »
JD Roth really started rubbing me the wrong way when he ditched the wife he met in college, once we was well off and thin. She had stayed with him when he was fat and broke and working in the family box factory and I felt like now was the time that she should be reaping some rewards for that commitment. When blogging about their divorce he out and out said that this wasn't something his wife wanted. I realize that you never really know the details of another person's marriage, but it just seemed kind of lousy to do.

And then the quality went downhill when he sold out. I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

Delurking because I randomly have to white knight for JD on one small point. (I haven't read GRS in years.)

I also thought it was really crap of him to be so specific that he wanted to divorce his wife, not the other way around, or a diplomatic "it's mutual." IIRC, there was some big "We're Getting Divorced!" post and he mentioned that he wanted out.

I was outraged on her behalf because she was there for him when he was poor, fat, depressed, etc. and he just seemed to be rubbing it in. So I left a comment saying that it was kind of crappy of him to keep harping on the fact that he was the dumper, she was the dumpee.

He actually responded that she very specifically requested that he mention that the divorce was all his idea. For whatever reason, it was important to her that it was clear to readers where the divorce came from. So he wasn't just being a dick, it seems he was honoring his wife's wishes since the blog was her story too.

sheepstache

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #15 on: November 27, 2014, 08:12:09 AM »
JD Roth really started rubbing me the wrong way when he ditched the wife he met in college, once we was well off and thin. She had stayed with him when he was fat and broke and working in the family box factory and I felt like now was the time that she should be reaping some rewards for that commitment. When blogging about their divorce he out and out said that this wasn't something his wife wanted. I realize that you never really know the details of another person's marriage, but it just seemed kind of lousy to do.

And then the quality went downhill when he sold out. I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

Delurking because I randomly have to white knight for JD on one small point. (I haven't read GRS in years.)

I also thought it was really crap of him to be so specific that he wanted to divorce his wife, not the other way around, or a diplomatic "it's mutual." IIRC, there was some big "We're Getting Divorced!" post and he mentioned that he wanted out.

I was outraged on her behalf because she was there for him when he was poor, fat, depressed, etc. and he just seemed to be rubbing it in. So I left a comment saying that it was kind of crappy of him to keep harping on the fact that he was the dumper, she was the dumpee.

He actually responded that she very specifically requested that he mention that the divorce was all his idea. For whatever reason, it was important to her that it was clear to readers where the divorce came from. So he wasn't just being a dick, it seems he was honoring his wife's wishes since the blog was her story too.

I remember him responding with that! While I don't think of myself as being judgmental about divorce, I admit the divorce was what turned me off the blog too (though it could have just been the last straw). And it didn't bother me that he was explicit about dumping her, it was the fact that he was actually dumping her :) And I gave him the benefit of the doubt at first that maybe it was a mutual thing but he wanted to err on the side of taking the blame since he was the one making the public statements. Then that comment was like, nope, he's totally the one walking away from the marriage.

I think something that's great about marriage is that people might evolve into different lifestyles and ideals but still find a way to stay together, so you have these people with very different ideas living a life together and maybe constantly re-examining their assumptions because of it, which is different from the echo chamber we normally think of home life being. So the 'I want different things so I'm outta here' mindset bugged me. The 'I don't want a big house so I can't be married to someone who does' thing seemed superficial. Like, what, are your minimalist friends going to make fun of you?  That said, his wife may have been really blocking him from what he wanted and maybe not realized it. Maybe she didn't just mean that she wanted to keep the marriage intact but that that entailed his falling in line with what she wanted. And he wouldn't have written about that because he obviously was trying not to badmouth.

Kaspian

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #16 on: November 27, 2014, 11:34:20 AM »
Interesting tip about Kristin Wong, I'll check out her posts.

They are worth a read, for sure.  Sadly, many of her best frugality articles are scattered on sites all around the Net.  I wish she kept them all archived on her own web site (http://www.kristinwong.com/ ) because I think her compiled articles, stories, and info could compete with the best FI sites out there.  (Certainly it would beat the drivel that GRS now is.) 

GrayGhost

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2014, 10:33:10 PM »
I pretty much stopped reading after staff writer Honey Smith was talking about paying off her hundreds of thousands of debt and recommending when hitting small debt payment milestones people reward themselves with something like a dinner out at a fancy restaurant or a Caribbean cruise!  (I really, really wish I was joking about that.)

See, I don't think the idea is all that bad.

For example, if you have a bunch of RE properties that you bought with the standard 30% down loans, and you pay them off 15ish years later, I think that's a major milestone in life and you ought to mark the occasion. A cruise is not an altogether bad way to celebrate such an achievement.

Other than that, I can't fault other people for eating out, as I do myself quite frequently, almost every weekend in fact, for a healthy $15 at a time.

For me, Mustachianism is about taking advantage of the possibilties of modern life--in moderation. So yeah, you can travel and eat out and all that stuff, as long as you're maxing out that 401k and IRA and are saving at least 50% of your income.

Kaspian

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #18 on: November 28, 2014, 12:03:25 PM »
I pretty much stopped reading after staff writer Honey Smith was talking about paying off her hundreds of thousands of debt and recommending when hitting small debt payment milestones people reward themselves with something like a dinner out at a fancy restaurant or a Caribbean cruise!  (I really, really wish I was joking about that.)

See, I don't think the idea is all that bad.

For example, if you have a bunch of RE properties that you bought with the standard 30% down loans, and you pay them off 15ish years later, I think that's a major milestone in life and you ought to mark the occasion. A cruise is not an altogether bad way to celebrate such an achievement.

Other than that, I can't fault other people for eating out, as I do myself quite frequently, almost every weekend in fact, for a healthy $15 at a time.

For me, Mustachianism is about taking advantage of the possibilties of modern life--in moderation. So yeah, you can travel and eat out and all that stuff, as long as you're maxing out that 401k and IRA and are saving at least 50% of your income.

Ummm... No.  Somebody who is hundreds of thousands in consumer and student debt should not reward themselves for paying off $10K by taking a $3K holiday.   And if a person is stupid enough to do such a thing, they should certainly not be in charge of writing articles to dispense financial advice to others through a site like GRS.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/18/news-flash-your-debt-is-an-emergency/

Quote
The response should be:


SHIT!!! I just totally blew it and spent more money than I earned! I need to fix this immediately, so obviously all spending beyond food, and getting to and from work in the cheapest way possible, is now suspended. No, I don’t need a budget to pay back my debt, and I certainly don’t need two more credit cards. I simply need to do zero extra spending until my debt is corrected.

Gin1984

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #19 on: November 28, 2014, 12:35:53 PM »
I shopped today, lol.  I went online and got $300 worth of target gift cards for $270.  Given that we spend at target and normally I buy them for 3.5% off, 10% seemed like a lovely idea. 

iris lily

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #20 on: November 28, 2014, 09:09:45 PM »
Agreed, Kaspian, sort of.

There was one such GRS thread I distinctly remember. A poster was talking about one of those ridiculous modern weddings, something like $25,000 and he was in debt a couple hundred thousand and he basically whined: you mean we can't have any fun for the rest of our lives?

 Dude, nope. Or else get off the website. :)

But then, Grey Ghost's example is a little different, that subject has shown great financial acuity by paying off several mortgages. And let's say he hasn't had a vacation of more than 3 days in 15 years. So yeah, a Carribbean vacation is inexpensive and might be worth the guy's life energy dollars.

« Last Edit: November 28, 2014, 09:13:05 PM by iris lily »

Kaspian

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #21 on: December 01, 2014, 12:45:12 PM »
But then, Grey Ghost's example is a little different, that subject has shown great financial acuity by paying off several mortgages. And let's say he hasn't had a vacation of more than 3 days in 15 years. So yeah, a Carribbean vacation is inexpensive and might be worth the guy's life energy dollars.

There is no way in hell Honey Smith was ever buying mortgages for income properties. No. Way. In. Hell.  This was a spendthrift who probably threw tantrums because a gumball machine wouldn't take a credit card.  Very close to the last person on earth who should be writing articles about how to "Get Rich".  Slowly?  Never.  Just another of the mass of debt bloggers out there who seem to congregate/commiserate together, supporting each others' bad decisions like so much curds in sour milk. 

iris lily

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #22 on: December 01, 2014, 01:35:46 PM »
But then, Grey Ghost's example is a little different, that subject has shown great financial acuity by paying off several mortgages. And let's say he hasn't had a vacation of more than 3 days in 15 years. So yeah, a Carribbean vacation is inexpensive and might be worth the guy's life energy dollars.

There is no way in hell Honey Smith was ever buying mortgages for income properties. No. Way. In. Hell.  This was a spendthrift who probably threw tantrums because a gumball machine wouldn't take a credit card.  Very close to the last person on earth who should be writing articles about how to "Get Rich".  Slowly?  Never.  Just another of the mass of debt bloggers out there who seem to congregate/commiserate together, supporting each others' bad decisions like so much curds in sour milk.
Honey Smith has hitched her star to a star husband. She's convinced that he only will go up in income and while that may be true, it may not. Or he may go up and leave her behind. Or other possibilities.

She's old enough to know better, but she's still there, justifying buying a house that she considers modest and etc  racking up the debt.

frugalnacho

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #23 on: December 01, 2014, 01:38:54 PM »
JD Roth really started rubbing me the wrong way when he ditched the wife he met in college, once we was well off and thin. She had stayed with him when he was fat and broke and working in the family box factory and I felt like now was the time that she should be reaping some rewards for that commitment. When blogging about their divorce he out and out said that this wasn't something his wife wanted. I realize that you never really know the details of another person's marriage, but it just seemed kind of lousy to do.

And then the quality went downhill when he sold out. I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

Delurking because I randomly have to white knight for JD on one small point. (I haven't read GRS in years.)

I also thought it was really crap of him to be so specific that he wanted to divorce his wife, not the other way around, or a diplomatic "it's mutual." IIRC, there was some big "We're Getting Divorced!" post and he mentioned that he wanted out.

I was outraged on her behalf because she was there for him when he was poor, fat, depressed, etc. and he just seemed to be rubbing it in. So I left a comment saying that it was kind of crappy of him to keep harping on the fact that he was the dumper, she was the dumpee.

He actually responded that she very specifically requested that he mention that the divorce was all his idea. For whatever reason, it was important to her that it was clear to readers where the divorce came from. So he wasn't just being a dick, it seems he was honoring his wife's wishes since the blog was her story too.

I don't get it.  You said you were white knighting for him, but I don't see how this makes him look any better or like any less of a dick.

eyePod

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #24 on: December 03, 2014, 05:56:02 AM »
JD Roth really started rubbing me the wrong way when he ditched the wife he met in college, once we was well off and thin. She had stayed with him when he was fat and broke and working in the family box factory and I felt like now was the time that she should be reaping some rewards for that commitment. When blogging about their divorce he out and out said that this wasn't something his wife wanted. I realize that you never really know the details of another person's marriage, but it just seemed kind of lousy to do.

And then the quality went downhill when he sold out. I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

Delurking because I randomly have to white knight for JD on one small point. (I haven't read GRS in years.)

I also thought it was really crap of him to be so specific that he wanted to divorce his wife, not the other way around, or a diplomatic "it's mutual." IIRC, there was some big "We're Getting Divorced!" post and he mentioned that he wanted out.

I was outraged on her behalf because she was there for him when he was poor, fat, depressed, etc. and he just seemed to be rubbing it in. So I left a comment saying that it was kind of crappy of him to keep harping on the fact that he was the dumper, she was the dumpee.

He actually responded that she very specifically requested that he mention that the divorce was all his idea. For whatever reason, it was important to her that it was clear to readers where the divorce came from. So he wasn't just being a dick, it seems he was honoring his wife's wishes since the blog was her story too.

I don't get it.  You said you were white knighting for him, but I don't see how this makes him look any better or like any less of a dick.

LOL. Well, he seemed like one because he posted online and discussed how it was only his decision, but apparently his wife made him do that. So really, she's was just outing him as one. I don't know if that makes it any better.

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #25 on: December 04, 2014, 02:56:00 PM »
In the whole PF spectrum, he's a little better than Dave Ramsey, and he was a nice stepping stone to build off of. They're all useful at different points in your life. I started with Ramsey, then GRS, and now off to MMM and hopefully retirement in less than 10 years!

I'm right there with you.  I don't see MMM selling his web site any time soon.  He's actually in it because he believes in it.  Others just want to make some cash.

frugalnacho

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #26 on: December 05, 2014, 12:11:44 PM »
JD Roth really started rubbing me the wrong way when he ditched the wife he met in college, once we was well off and thin. She had stayed with him when he was fat and broke and working in the family box factory and I felt like now was the time that she should be reaping some rewards for that commitment. When blogging about their divorce he out and out said that this wasn't something his wife wanted. I realize that you never really know the details of another person's marriage, but it just seemed kind of lousy to do.

And then the quality went downhill when he sold out. I think it's hard to sustain a PF blog in the long run. The getting out of debt journey is really interesting and there's a narrative, but it's harder to have an interesting "story" once you've paid off the debt, set up frugal systems, and are gradually accumulating.

Delurking because I randomly have to white knight for JD on one small point. (I haven't read GRS in years.)

I also thought it was really crap of him to be so specific that he wanted to divorce his wife, not the other way around, or a diplomatic "it's mutual." IIRC, there was some big "We're Getting Divorced!" post and he mentioned that he wanted out.

I was outraged on her behalf because she was there for him when he was poor, fat, depressed, etc. and he just seemed to be rubbing it in. So I left a comment saying that it was kind of crappy of him to keep harping on the fact that he was the dumper, she was the dumpee.

He actually responded that she very specifically requested that he mention that the divorce was all his idea. For whatever reason, it was important to her that it was clear to readers where the divorce came from. So he wasn't just being a dick, it seems he was honoring his wife's wishes since the blog was her story too.

I don't get it.  You said you were white knighting for him, but I don't see how this makes him look any better or like any less of a dick.

LOL. Well, he seemed like one because he posted online and discussed how it was only his decision, but apparently his wife made him do that. So really, she's was just outing him as one. I don't know if that makes it any better.

Wait a minute, the poster said:

"He actually responded that she very specifically requested that he mention that the divorce was all his idea. For whatever reason, it was important to her that it was clear to readers where the divorce came from."

I took that as it actually was his idea (to divorce), and his wife simply requested that he mention that fact (ie tell the truth).  If the whole thing actually was his idea then he kind of is a dick for dumping her after she stuck with him through all the shit, and her request was very reasonable.  He didn't white knight for him and make him not look like a dick, he just clarified that he is willing to admit responsibility for his dickish behavior, which still makes him a dick.

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Re: Get Rich Slowly...by shopping on Thanksgiving
« Reply #27 on: December 08, 2014, 06:47:15 AM »
Wow.  Donna Freedman has become a real asshole. 

I used to have sympathy for her when she was a broke, struggling single mom trying to finish school.  Years ago when I worked in retail, I was always so glad to have family time off and we still got paid here anyway.  Sometimes I think the "they are just lucky to get the extra hours" is a cop out to make the better off feel better about their own consumerist behaviour that impacts family time for those in retail.   

Thanks for pointing this article out.  I used to google her from time to time to see what she was up to.  I won't bother any more.

As for JD Roth...I occasionally read GRS years ago, but didn't find that I was learning much although it was good to find someone who was less consumerist than the mainstream.  I learned a lot more from ERE.  I knew he had gotten divorced, but didn't realize that he was a dick about it.  I hope his ex-wife is finding happiness without him now. 

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!