As you might – or might not – know, when you write a comment on a blog entry here, it does not appear until I approve it. (This is why comments might not show up right away – I don’t spend 24 hours a day in front of a computer screen.) This is to keep out ads for ED remedies, porn sites, and a never-ending flood of spam. I can also keep out comments I think are inappropriate although this is rarely the case. On the whole you are a very well mannered group of readers – and for that I am very grateful.
I also don’t respond to every comment. Often there is no need to do so or another reader might answer a question before I get to it. If there is a negative comment of a personal nature, I usually ignore it, embracing the concept that it is good to have a wide variety of opinions on any one subject.
However, I am sometimes puzzled by a comment, such as one short outburst on my entry called “Scrambling.” Was the writer upset by dumpster diving? Actually I didn’t climb into the dumpster – I could use a grabber and not touch any garbage gook. Was he/she upset because we won $7000 using the 2x coupons? Should we have won more? Upset over winning $2500 for 2nd place in the drawing instead of the first-place $5000? (Actually I was happy I was drawn at all and I could have been drawn 10th and got only $250.)
Or, perhaps the commenter didn’t believe the whole story. Perhaps he/she can stop Brad in a casino sometime and ask him about the details. Brad would readily verify the story, shaking his head, “I got her too late in her frugal life to even try to change her.”
Maybe the commenter has been on a long losing streak and that is making him/her cranky. I understand that. Or, maybe there is some jealousy involved. So the fact that there was no fairy-tale ending to this story might bring him/her some satisfaction. My name was not called for the car. However, I did win $250 as a consolation prize. I hope that won’t be upsetting!
I love to read about people winning. It gives me some hope. I do love your columm. Thanks for putting up with some of us.
There are more of us than them. You and I are of one mind on many things. I have been known to scoop out discarded mailings at the post office, a practice that does not hurt anyone. While you might not have time to respond to all I can say it meant a lot to me when you answered my email after an incident involving my son at a casino several years ago. You were the only one who seemed to care and I appreciated it very much especially as the casino did not get back to me for weeks and in typically lukewarm fashion
Since the graceless comment appeared immediately after my comment on that topic, it could be construed as a response to my comment rather than Jean’s original post.
In any event, there is often a rather sharp dividing line between the “frugal” mindset and the “gambling” mindset. The gambling mindset often ignores small gains and modest incremental values, or professes to do so, because paying attention to them seems too much like work. Also, the gambler plays for the “thrill”, and saving $5 (or $50, or $500) isn’t thrilling. My take is that a $10 matchplay coupon gives me as much value as playing about 40 minutes of FPDW, so I’d be silly not to use it–it would be like throwing away a $5 bill, something that I doubt I would ever be rich enough to contemplate doing. I don’t gamble for the fun of it, because I don’t consider gambling to be fun! I enjoy earning money, and the benefits therefrom. I also, I must admit, enjoy beating the casinos at their own game, since they destroy 99.99% of their customers. Bambi SHOULD get to stomp Godzilla every once in a while!!!
Probably they were just jealous! I loved that post and love hearing about your winnings! My husband and I very much enjoy playing video poker when our budget allows, which is not often right now so we live vicariously through you!
Oooo…SNAP! Queen of Comebacks. You totally burned that bullshirt comment with your grace and intelligence. Just another reason I love this column.
Maybe dumpster diving was just something he/she couldn’t do. It doesn’t bother me or my wife but sometimes using coupons does. A couple of years ago we had two Palms coupons that could be used to double a $10 bet on any table game. My wife only plays VP so I determined that the best bet there would be “Don’t pass” at the craps table. The only active craps table was completely filled with people, so she went to a waiting table and gave the boxman, the dealers, the stickman, etc. something to do… chase her dice twice as she shot them off the table. She only threw them off the table one more time before she sevened out, collected her winnings, and left. Then as they looked at us she gave me a $10 chip and encouraged me to go to the table. I couldn’t do it. Maybe I’m reading more into it than there was, but the table personnel seemed to be looking daggers at me, my chip, and my coupon. I couldn’t play, I could just imagine how they would feel about me getting my EV out of my coupon and then leaving. Do matching coupons make other people uncomfortable?
It’s called sour grapes by a few of the “half empty glass” part of our society. For your loyal followers and friends, it gave us all a great story to talk about.
Sorry you didn’t win the car, but you and Brad DID GREAT!
Thanks again
I love your gambling wisdom and stories!! I’m always happy to know how people win. Maybe I will have some luck one of these days.