Can we set up a separate board for...

[Gina]

---------------------------

I agree.. Sometimes people just need a friendly ear.. Sometimes they are so close to the situation, they can't see a solution that might be readily available - yet someone here will point it out..

Sometimes people can avoid ending up in a similar situation after reading what has happened to someone else..

Information is definitely power!

If there are threads here (or on any of the DIS boards) that don't interest me, I just skip over them..

For most people going to Disney definitely involves your budget, so I don't really see how you can separate the two.. It pretty much goes hand in hand..

I couldn't agree more, C.Ann. And sometimes just the venting helps to refocus and recommit to your goals (which for all of us usually involves Disney in some way, at least in part!). And sometimes, you are sick to death of surprise expenses and just plain need a

I guess I should feel bad for starting my "things need to quit breaking" post yesterday, but I so don't. Unexpected expenses drain my Disney budget, and where else but here am I going to find people who can appreciate how not-cool that is??

Seriously, if all someone is looking for is a way to save money by making their own soap or grinding their own wheat or something, there are plenty of places to find such specific info out there on the intrawebz. This is a community of friends here and we share even "trivial" budget issues, and try and lift each other up in some small way.



-gina-

 

[CherylA]

I have to agree with the OP on this one. The Budget board used to be my favorite board but now I find myself spending little time here. Some days most of the posts seem to be about people's 'budget busters' or depressing financial woes. It used to be the community baord was the place where all that depressing stuff got posted! I've taken to the Cruise Board lately. Very little complaining on that board! All that said I have used the budget board for advice on financial matters, I like that the information is out there and people are so helpful, I just miss the old more upbeat feel of the Budget Board.

I don't mean this as anything personal, but could it be that the budget board is less upbeat today because we are going through an economic crisis? Times change, and people are affected. I think it is great that people who are going through difficult circumstances have a place to come for some support and suggestions.

Funny as I came back to this thread I was thinking that. The change in the board may be due to the downturn in the economy. More people out of work or on the brink of losing their jobs or taking pay cuts. I guess it is reflected here on the boards. It's just not as fun here on the budget baord as it used to be but maybe life isn't as fun as it used to be 3 years ago?

For all those who talk about something like $800 in car repairs being a budget buster, it doesn't have to be, I understand that some people are living so close to the edge financially that thay have exhausted all their emergency funds but for a lot of people who post it's just poor planning. Cars do have repairs from time to time and often they are very expensive. If you are putting aside money every month specifically toward car repairs whether you need them or not then on the months you have no repairs it builds up and when you finally do have an $800 car repair bill the money is sitting there in your account waiting specifically for that cause. Then it isn't a budget buster at all, it is spending money that was set aside in your budget for that reason, thats what a budget is for.

Someone on the DIS a couple of years ago suggested to me YNAB (you need a budget). It is software that lets you plan in exactally the manner I was just writing about. It is extreemly liberating to not be worried about Budget Busters, with YNAB theres no such thing. In the 10+ years I have been on the budget board YNAB has been the absolute best thing I have gotten from here.

 

[mrsklamc]

That would be quite appropriate -- FWIW, you got my vote!

Except it's not a democracy, it's a privately owned board, and the people who OWN it have chosen the description.

 

[ajh88]

I can sort of see the OP's point...but I wouldn't have the Budget Board any other way. I learn things about saving money at Disney, I learn about saving money and budgeting in every day life, and I learn about how different people approach problems from MANY different angles!

The Budget Board IS my community board - I've tried on other Disboards for size but this is the one I keep coming back to. Budget-minded folks are the community to which I belong, whether it is in relation to Disney or just to life in general.

I filter which threads I read just as I filter anything on any other website. For example, I don't think "John Goodman loses 100 pounds" is really a CNN-worthy headline, and yet, there it is on CNN's front page. Good for him, I say, but breaking news, it is not. So I don't click and I move on.

 

[LuLuO]

No I think its fine the way it is...I also find it kind of ironic that the thread above this one as I post is about a budget buster and in ONE post another Disser gave advice that worked and saved the stressed out OP a fortune

I too think it is fine the way it is. I just wanted to post that the description of this board, at least to me, does not limit the topics to Disney only content. If the owners intended it for it to be Disney content only then a description change may be needed to avoid confusion. I like this board the way it is.

 

[CherylA]

The Budget Board IS my community board - I've tried on other Disboards for size but this is the one I keep coming back to. Budget-minded folks are the community to which I belong, whether it is in relation to Disney or just to life in general.

I feel exactly the same way about the Budget Board, it was my community board because there are a bunch of cost conscious people on this board and I am so like that, we are a different breed I think. The Budget Board was always full of those people. Coupon clippers, price matchers, second hand buyers. But lately there are more people who aren't that type of person coming over here for advice on how to dig themselves out from under piles of debt. I guess it would be mean not to welcome them in their hour of need but it just has changed the board for me, the feel isn't the same.

 

[Karenj2]

The Budget Board IS my community board - I've tried on other Disboards for size but this is the one I keep coming back to. Budget-minded folks are the community to which I belong, whether it is in relation to Disney or just to life in general.

Ditto for me, too! I've tried peeking in the Community Board every once in a while, and there are so many "inside stories" that I never really felt a part of the group. (Not to mention that there were more posts on there that I'd scroll on by that it wasn't worth going there...)

The DisBoards (especially the Budget Boards) is my community board - even when I'm not actively planning a trip - for all the reasons other people have mentioned... I'm a Disney nut, and Budget minded, so it's a good fit! (Try going to a regular budget board and post about Disney & see how long you end up staying there... )

If I feel that a post is not something I care to read about, I SOB. No biggie! (Actually, if the Budget Buster posts bothered me, I'd RATHER the title indicated that, so I'd know to SOB!) The posts that bother me are the generically labeled ones, so that I keep clicking on the same post again & again because I've forgotten what it's about...

 

[honeydiane1953]

I agree with OP. boo hoo my mascara is old and i had to buy another one is soo sad.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I agree with OP. boo hoo my mascara is old and i had to buy another one is soo sad.

Your post makes no sense. Aside from
being rude, of course.

 

[Virgderon]

Funny as I came back to this thread I was thinking that. The change in the board may be due to the downturn in the economy. More people out of work or on the brink of losing their jobs or taking pay cuts. I guess it is reflected here on the boards. It's just not as fun here on the budget baord as it used to be but maybe life isn't as fun as it used to be 3 years ago?

I think it goes back to Sept.11th, 2001. I'm probably a bit older than many of you. September 11th was devastating in so many ways. People suddenly did not feel safe, and the economy was struggling as well. The economy never really got back to pre- 2000 health, and the last couple years have been downright terrible.

People in their 50s have really felt it. If we lose our jobs, we are going to have a heck of a time getting another one because they can hire younger people more cheaply, or they just get someone else at the company to do 2 jobs for the price of one.

I would say that I was happier from a financial point of view in the 90s. I had a great job, and my kids were younger and still living at home. Since then, DH has been laid off twice and I was laid off in the early 2000s, and never got back to the income I was making in 1998!

So maybe I have more empathy for people here who are struggling. Heck, I'm still strugggling, but luckily not as much as some others.

 

[DawnM]

The only time it really bothers me is when people post things they aren't willing to give up, and yet they are huge expenses, and then ask how they can save money.....well, if you aren't willing to give anything up, you can't!

I have cut back our spending tremendously in the last few years and it is a bit painful, but it was SO worth it!

Dawn

 

[kimsuenew]

The description of this board is: Learn the 'in and outs' of smart earning, saving, and spending your money. Our motto: 'Any dollar saved or earned is another dollar for Disney!' Be sure to visit our DIScounts Page for more Disney money saving tips!

I take that to mean that this isn't just a board for budgeting specifically for a Disney vacation but any aspect of budgeting and saving that may help others save money whether it be couponing, sales, reducing daily expenses, etc. If this board is only supposed to be for budgeting as it directly relates to Disney, meaning travel to and from, resort, tickets, etc., then both the title and description need to be changed.

Maybe the title needs to be something like Disney Money Saving Tips or something similar and the description something like Disney doesn't have to break the bank. Join in and learn how to have a great Disney vacation on a budget.

I agree (bold)!

I have no problem with any posts on here. If a title does not appeal to me, I do not open it! If I begin to read and it has no bearing or is no interest to me, I close it. No biggie! Everyone needs a safe place to go, a place where they feel free to ask questions, seek financial advice, or share a bargain... I feel this is quite an appropriate forum area for that.

I for one am hoping that it does not change!

 

[EKW]

Can we have a board where nobody is allowed to post posts that sound as if they think they run the universe...and get in a snit when everything isn't to their liking? I wanna post on that board!

 

[irishsharon]

I have to say that I'm very new to the DIS and the budget board.I was spending most of my time in the pre-trip board.We had planned our 2 DS first visit they are 8&4 for this aug 23-31.We had to cancel because we had to get a new to us car unexpectedly.We had no emergency fund for this so our trip money had to go towards the purchase(thank goodness for travel insurance)It has been wonderful to read all of the advice and even more importantly all the kind words people have shared.While I realise that not everyone is interested that my husband was out of work for seven months because of medical reasons(total hip replacement) adding this information helps explain why our budget is in trouble.Also reading this board has helped me realise that holding of until 2012 for a disney trip would help me gather enough money for the trip and an emergency fund instead of saying too heck with the budget my family deserves it.So I hope that when I do my own post asking for tips and help with cutting my budget all you friendly people will be their to help as you have for so many others.

 

[abmitch01]

I leave this board open on my computer to remind me to keep my feet on the ground when I'm tempted to overspend or to coax me to stay on budget on a daily basis. Doesn't always work but it helps. I'm grateful for that so I can let slide threads that don't interest me

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

This being DISboards indicates to me that Disney was intended to be the primary topic of discussion here. Using Disboards Budget Board space to discuss the Dugger family, why someone is jealous/mad that they have to work and their bil is on extended unemployment and they don't approve, whether someone they don't know should pursue a new job (how could anyone make that decision for someone else??), the adventures of a purple van, vacation trips to destinations other than Disney, how people spend inheritances or swapping Poptart codes really is off topic to me.

I don't begrudge anyone asking for and getting (as I have done for the last 10 years and will continue to do) advice, support and ideas on budgeting in general or simple living or homesteading or whatever, even tho that seems a tiny bit broad to me also. I'm just tired of seeing people complain about things we all face...we put four new tires on our car last week but i didn't feel the need to complain to y'all...we have to take a mortgage on a paid for home to cover extraordinary expenses...I have to pay for prescriptions...I live in Taxachusetts...etc, etc, etc. That's life. We have to make hard budget choices sometimes, too..we all do. It's just part of life.

All I'm saying is there ARE other boards for venting (community board, i guess tho I rarely stray over there) and other functions. There's a board, if I remember correctly, JUST for good wishes and support. I'd just like to see less extraneous stuff and more budget/Disney budget focused topics.

And not for nuthin, but ...I am not a mean, hateful person. I am in the best days of my life...marrying the man I looked nearly 50 years for in less than 6 weeks, taking a Disneymoon AND an Italian Honeymoon in January (gotta love them FF miles!!!) I NeVER get up on the wrong side of the bed.

I'm just tired of the whining and sour grapes on some posts. You may continue flaming me now.

The adventures of the purple van are Disney related, there are pics posted of various places around WDW.

 

[DisneyKT]

Can we have a board where nobody is allowed to post posts that sound as if they think they run the universe...and get in a snit when everything isn't to their liking? I wanna post on that board!

Now that is a board I would love to see.

 

[cm8]

I agree (bold)!

I have no problem with any posts on here. If a title does not appeal to me, I do not open it! If I begin to read and it has no bearing or is no interest to me, I close it. No biggie! Everyone needs a safe place to go, a place where they feel free to ask questions, seek financial advice, or share a bargain... I feel this is quite an appropriate forum area for that.

I for one am hoping that it does not change!

 

[DVC-Don]

I don't mind most posts here, but some clearly should be moved to the Community forum.

 

[powellrj]

I don't mind most posts here, but some clearly should be moved to the Community forum.

I think many people are afraid of the community board! I post over there all the time because I am old and have a thick skin, but I can see how someone who is new to the internet and message boards would be intimidated over there!

I think this is a smaller group that people feel safe with is why they ask some of the questions that they do.