When did the Budget Board become the off-topic board?

[RachaelA]

-1 here too

I can't even begin to count the great non-disney deals I've found just by frequenting this forum, and I frequent a lot of budget forums

The budget board actually makes me spend more money

 

[puffkin]

They did try to crack down and limit it to just Disney budget related items a few months back and it was awful. Zero movement on the board. They switched back pretty quickly.

I like this board the way it is. It is friendly than the Community Board and I still find tons of great deals and ideas here. For disney related stuff, I go to that appropriate board for codes and such (ie transportation for car rentals, resort for room codes, etc).

 

[Colleen27]

This is the budget board, in the general sense of the word budget, and even most of the off-topic threads tie in to that. Just look at the board description - "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!'"

If I'm looking for tips on cutting down my cable bill or keeping an eye out for a great deal on something I need, this is the best board I've ever been on for that kind of info without a ton of spammers and scammers stinking up the place as seems to happen on many other free savings-oriented forums. Disney isn't the only thing I budget for and it is great having a place to ask questions, share deals, and get opinions on all manner of budget-related issues.

And speaking from experience, it is also a good place to get more like-minded responses on those non-Disney topics - I once asked for recommendations/ideas for a closer-to-home family trip on the community board and most of the answers were expensive resorts, amusement parks, etc. Not exactly what I was looking for when I started by saying "Disney isn't in the budget right now so I'm looking for a family destination closer to home..." Ask that same question here and you'll get suggestions of free/cheap attractions, off the beaten path destinations that aren't charging resort-inflated prices, and other answers that better fit the question.

 

[lc1965]

It's always interesting to see how people interpret what you say in writing. Some understood me the way I meant & some didn't.

To the folks who say to "skip over what doesn't interest you", I woudl say they fall into the category of "didn't". lol

 

[North of Mouse]

I don't agree. Any money saving tip, means more money people can put toward their vacations. I like the board the way it is.

Me too!

 

[ilovemk76]

"brags"?? What does that mean? Seemed like a simple question to me.

The poster really thinks they are the only person in the world? Really?!!

They want to show their superiority in not needed a certain item/experience/thought or in having a certain item/experience/thought. There is not need to announce this to anybody. If you want to buy an item then do. If you want to travel without an item then do. Why the need to announce it to the world?

 

[Neesy228]

They did try to crack down and limit it to just Disney budget related items a few months back and it was awful. Zero movement on the board. They switched back pretty quickly.

I like this board the way it is. It is friendly than the Community Board and I still find tons of great deals and ideas here. For disney related stuff, I go to that appropriate board for codes and such (ie transportation for car rentals, resort for room codes, etc).

Ditto!

 

[DizneyDogs]

this topic has come up several times in the past. I think the problem is people feel that more attention is given here than other boards. For example I see so many cooking/recipe related threads on the budget board when there is a dedicated cooking board but not many people visit/respond there so they post here instead - I have had to learn to skip over and ignore the posts that don't interest me as I agree it's a whole mishmash of topics here

 

[Tink9295]

I love the board the way it is. I pick and choose which threads to read. If it peaks my interest, I'll read it. If not, then it's skipped. I have saved a ton of money because of the budget board.

 

[Marionnette]

As does the majority of the posters that post here.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2865197

Threads are easy enough to skip over if they don't interest you.

Actually, the poll only shows that the majority do not want a subforum. There were quite a few posters in that thread who mentioned that they would like to see the "off topic" threads moved to a more appropriate location.

 

[DawnM]

And then there is a category who fully understand but just disagree.

It's always interesting to see how people interpret what you say in writing. Some understood me the way I meant & some didn't.

To the folks who say to "skip over what doesn't interest you", I woudl say they fall into the category of "didn't". lol

 

[dumbocutie]

I like the budget board just the way it is, it has such useful information on all kinds of topics. Alot of the information is very current and on the pulse of what is happening in our country. I can easily scroll thru and look up what interest me and skip threads that currently I have no interest in at the moment.

 

[crisi]

I'm sort of wondering which threads are off topic. Once is a while a regular will post a thread that's more community board appropriate, but its the regulars who want this crowd, not that crowd, to know. This is the "personal finance board" - and I've been here ten years. That means that sometimes the threads are "free silver jewelry" (not my favorite thread, but other people LOVED it - and frankly, its nice to see that the Yankee Candle threads have all but disappeared), sometimes its discussion on the general state of the economy or a news tidbit on how to pay for college, sometimes its how to coupon, or how to pay down bills, or budget, or if someone should take a job if it means giving up Saturdays with their kids, and sometimes its "where are the meals large enough to share and who has the best ticket discount at Disney."

Disney has cracked down on a lot of what used to be money saving tricks - like sharing codes. The board rules keep you from talking about the "tricks" that are against policy (which I won't mention and most of us know anyway). How to get a deal on airfare or a rental car is over on the transportation board, the dining plan board is full of speculation and fact on when free dining will be offered, the resorts board - onsite and off - has the deals and discussions about which resorts are good values. What's left to keep this board moving is "how much do you spend on groceries each week" and "do you really find half a dryer sheet works as well as a full one" and "we are just starting Dave Ramsey, is there anyone here who has done that."

 

[Anne34]

And then there is a category who fully understand but just disagree.

 

[kimsuenew]

I don't agree. Any money saving tip, means more money people can put toward their vacations. I like the board the way it is.

Me, too! ITA!

 

[kimsuenew]

I like the budget board just the way it is, it has such useful information on all kinds of topics. Alot of the information is very current and on the pulse of what is happening in our country. I can easily scroll thru and look up what interest me and skip threads that currently I have no interest in at the moment.

Me, too! ITA!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Gotta say I enjoy it just the way it is. I'm saving for a spur of the moment (7 months away!) Disney trip and my rule is that we don't go if it isn't paid for and it can't come out of our "normal" savings. So I'm cutting every single thing out of my budget I can until then to save for Disney!

So the money I save by reading the tips of the advanced frugalistas here may not be money saved at Disney or in Disney but it is certainly money that will eventually funnel into the open maw of Disney. (And well worth every penny, IMHO!)

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm sort of wondering which threads are off topic. Once is a while a regular will post a thread that's more community board appropriate, but its the regulars who want this crowd, not that crowd, to know. This is the "personal finance board" - and I've been here ten years

Just skimming quickly:
Small towns in the Baltimore/DC area
Baby shower ideas
Help with teenager's party meal
Am I the only one traveling without a laptop/smartphone
Disney cranking out Blu-ray movies
OT-Chicago people and Brookfield zoo

The community subforums on the Theme Parks, Camping, and disABILITIES boards work great! I'm not sure why the posters on the budget board have such an aversion to separating budget-related posts from off-topic posts within the same forum

 

[kaytieeldr]

Overactive posting system

 

[cats mom]

Just skimming quickly:
Small towns in the Baltimore/DC area
Baby shower ideas
Help with teenager's party meal
Am I the only one traveling without a laptop/smartphone
Disney cranking out Blu-ray movies
OT-Chicago people and Brookfield zoo

The community subforums on the Theme Parks, Camping, and disABILITIES boards work great! I'm not sure why the posters on the budget board have such an aversion to separating budget-related posts from off-topic posts within the same forum

Maybe it's just me, but from the titles alone I can see a budget tie in for most of the threads you cited as examples of OT posts.

I was curious about the small towns thread, so I popped in to check it out. The op is thinking about relocating. If moving isn't budget related, I don't know what is.

Like others have said, when you try to restrict what can be posted too much, this board tends to stagnate. I've been around a long time and have seen it first hand.

The budget board has a reputation for being one of the most welcoming, least intimidating forums on the boards - maybe why so many people call it home. I think there's a perception that when you spin off a community subforum it can beome a bit clique-ish. Maybe that's true, maybe not, but I know there are people who have no problem posting on the main boards who are hesitant about venturing onto the community subforums.

Personally I like being able to log onto the budget board, skim the threads to see if anything interests me, and quickly move on. Would it kill me to have to do that with a main budget board then a community subforum? No, but it wouldn't be as convenient either.

Put me down as happy with things the way they are; with a broad definition of what is budget related, plus a few scattered OT posts thrown in for good measure.