For Sale or Trade: My Soul

[hvaces42]

by selling?

I dont sell. Just accumulating.

[sky121]

I actually specifically fly coach often enough to prevent getting "used" to better and to save money. I've also never flown First though it's still on my list of things to do.

Also at the end of the day people have very different situations financially but that stuff obviously doesn't get talked about.

 I save the money I "save" by flying coach for a rainy day.

[cozmohoot]

I too would save the extra cash by flying coach

[Aj3042]

You're being honest with yourself and asking very important questions that most here should be asking. This is more than a hobby-it's a lifestyle shift that costs a lot (though true, it would cost 10 times more without the points). It's also as addiction in many people.
Thumbs up for your honesty!!

[Achas Veachas]

Time to revive this thread?

[yuneeq]

I have been in this game for about a year now. In this past year I have flown around the world several times and stayed 50-100 nights in 5 star hotels. I am looking back now and wondering, is it worth it?

I go to a hotel now and I will not stay there if I do not get a decent room. I will walk out and be upset. I now get very irritated when I have to wait in lines anywhere. I can no longer fall asleep in economy class. I have raised my lifestyle. This lifestyle has cost me financially more than I wish to admit. I will now pay a lot more for comfort than I would have a year ago. The feeling is amazing and I do not think I can go back.

The average several star DDFer has spent days, weeks if not months of their time on DDF. Yes, hobbies are great, but this is more. This eats up so much of our time. Conversation topics with other travelers always end up being about this lifestyle. Which airline, which hotel etc. All of these hours used (wasted?) playing the game could have been used better elsewhere. In retrospect, if I had spent all of these hours really working hard at work, I would be able to afford to pay the full cash price of this lifestyle. (ok, not a 20k flight to MLE and 2k per nights, but there are more affordable options)

Here is the main problem: I think the ethic standard I set for myself also lowered in the past year. My business ethics have not changed, but I now do some things that I would have never done. I am afraid it will only get worse. We can give excuses for ourselves for SBS and CC sign up bonuses, even MS and corp codes with fake corp ID's. But those are just excuses. At the end of the day, if it was in a different context, we wouldn't do it.

Is it worth lowering my ethics level to save money? I feel like I am trading my soul for comfort and pleasure.
 
#RANTOVER #IAMTOOADDICTEDTOLEAVE

I've been down this road before. I spent to much time on the forums, lowered my ethical standards, chased after deals that I didn't need, and was always searching for the latest and greatest MS method that nobody knows about yet, so I can milk it before it dies.

Since then, I reversed course and settled at a much more comfortable lifestyle (for me).
I left DDF for 6 months and post far less often, I don't sign up for every credit card and don't spend much time in grocery and drug stores, and started a successful new business.

I also stopped feeling fine about "okay" ethical standards, I wanna strive to have great standards, not just "okay". That being said, I don't think these issues I faced are inherent problems with DDF but rather consquences of the path I took after getting too addicted.

I disagree with those thinking that it's so simple to quit this game.
Our emotions and habits aren't simple binary switches waiting to be switched on or off.
Some people have addictive personalities and they shouldn't be mocked or ridiculed for asking for help.

[Sport]

I've been down this road before. I spent to much time on the forums, lowered my ethical standards, chased after deals that I didn't need, and was always searching for the latest and greatest MS method that nobody knows about yet, so I can milk it before it dies.

Since then, I reversed course and settled at a much more comfortable lifestyle (for me).
I left DDF for 6 months and post far less often, I don't sign up for every credit card and don't spend much time in grocery and drug stores, and started a successful new business.

I also stopped feeling fine about "okay" ethical standards, I wanna strive to have great standards, not just "okay". That being said, I don't think these issues I faced are inherent problems with DDF but rather the path I took after getting too addicted.

I disagree with thise thinkig that it's so simple to quit this game.
Our emotions and habits aren't simple binary switches waiting to be switched on or off.
Some people have addictive personalities and they shouldn't be mocked or ridiculed for asking for help.

Like! I don't have anything to add but well said.

[dealfinder85]

Like! I don't have anything to add but well said.

it is well said
each person needs to take a step back and see if they are going overboard. see what things used to be priorities in your life and are now taking a back seat bc you need to huca this and huca that. are you driving 45 minutes to target to load redcard? are you ignoring ppl who deserve some of your time?  are you pushing the ethics boundaries further and further? and most importantly, are you giving the rest of "the folk" a bad name by anything you do?
if any of those were answered yes, there may be an issue at hand

[lunatic]

+1

[jj1000]

I have been in this game for about a year now. In this past year I have flown around the world several times and stayed 50-100 nights in 5 star hotels. I am looking back now and wondering, is it worth it?

I go to a hotel now and I will not stay there if I do not get a decent room. I will walk out and be upset. I now get very irritated when I have to wait in lines anywhere. I can no longer fall asleep in economy class. I have raised my lifestyle. This lifestyle has cost me financially more than I wish to admit. I will now pay a lot more for comfort than I would have a year ago. The feeling is amazing and I do not think I can go back.

The average several star DDFer has spent days, weeks if not months of their time on DDF. Yes, hobbies are great, but this is more. This eats up so much of our time. Conversation topics with other travelers always end up being about this lifestyle. Which airline, which hotel etc. All of these hours used (wasted?) playing the game could have been used better elsewhere. In retrospect, if I had spent all of these hours really working hard at work, I would be able to afford to pay the full cash price of this lifestyle. (ok, not a 20k flight to MLE and 2k per nights, but there are more affordable options)

Here is the main problem: I think the ethic standard I set for myself also lowered in the past year. My business ethics have not changed, but I now do some things that I would have never done. I am afraid it will only get worse. We can give excuses for ourselves for SBS and CC sign up bonuses, even MS and corp codes with fake corp ID's. But those are just excuses. At the end of the day, if it was in a different context, we wouldn't do it.

Is it worth lowering my ethics level to save money? I feel like I am trading my soul for comfort and pleasure.
 
#RANTOVER #IAMTOOADDICTEDTOLEAVE
 

If it's the loss of money that you are worried about, make up to only sell the points and then decide at the end of 6 months if the money you earned justified the time spent.....

[dealfinder85]

If it's the loss of money that you are worried about, make up to only sell the points and then decide at the end of 6 months if the money you earned justified the time spent.....

theoretically speaking, of course?

[etech0]

If it's the loss of money that you are worried about, make up to only sell the points and then decide at the end of 6 months if the money you earned justified the time spent.....

Unless you think that selling points, when against T&Cs, should be below your standards...

[eis517]

If it's the loss of money that you are worried about, make up to only sell the points and then decide at the end of 6 months if the money you earned justified the time spent.....

I could be wrong, but isn't selling points an ethical issue also?

[Aj3042]

Another thing not being mentioned is the common practice of selling points. Not only is it clearly against the T&Cs I believe its reprehensible because it legitimizes the practice and makes it seem like a legit business. It's one thing to make the points and use them in travel but to do this to sell them makes it look all kosher and it's not. I understand that many in the frum world feel the need to supplement their income but there are better (and more honest) ways if doing it.
One reason frum people get in trouble from scams is because they to have an awful sense of smell at sniffing out shady dealings. Business is business. Shadiness is shadiness. Stop confusing them.

[dealfinder85]

Another thing not being mentioned is the common practice of selling points. Not only is it clearly against the T&Cs I believe its reprehensible because it legitimizes the practice and makes it seem like a legit business. It's one thing to make the points and use them in travel but to do this to sell them makes it look all kosher and it's not. I understand that many in the frum world feel the need to supplement their income but there are better (and more honest) ways if doing it.
One reason frum people get in trouble from scams is because they to have an awful sense of smell at sniffing out shady dealings. Business is business. Shadiness is shadiness. Stop confusing them.

there are many threads/posts to apply that last line to. selling miles isnt the right one

[Aj3042]

there are many threads/posts to apply that last line to. selling miles isnt the right one

It is because it's not a legit or kosher way of making a living just like many of these other ideas that hit the frum world every once in a while. It's all the same-make a living on the straight and narrow and that's that. You want to get points to stay in a nice hotel-fine. But that's not a way to support a family.

[MosheD]

I actually specifically fly coach often enough to prevent getting "used" to better and to save money. I've also never flown First though it's still on my list of things to do.

Also at the end of the day people have very different situations financially but that stuff obviously doesn't get talked about.

 I save the money I "save" by flying coach for a rainy day.

+1
Ive only flown J a couple of times. I def enjoyed it but dont want to get used to it

[Ephcc90]

Another thing not being mentioned is the common practice of selling points. Not only is it clearly against the T&Cs I believe its reprehensible because it legitimizes the practice and makes it seem like a legit business. It's one thing to make the points and use them in travel but to do this to sell them makes it look all kosher and it's not. I understand that many in the frum world feel the need to supplement their income but there are better (and more honest) ways if doing it.
One reason frum people get in trouble from scams is because they to have an awful sense of smell at sniffing out shady dealings. Business is business. Shadiness is shadiness. Stop confusing them.

Please share the better way to supplement your income.

[sky121]

Just because it's a good deal, doesn't meant it's one you can afford, or need.

Using miles and points should always be thought of as cash in a way before you pull the trigger on your next trip.

Whether you sell points or not you may be better off doing things differently.  If its focusing on cash back cards, selling your points and skipping the extra trips you wouldn't necessarily be taking or flying coach and skipping out on the business flight.
 
It is money.

However free a trip is there is always money spent. 

[Aj3042]

Please share the better way to supplement your income.

Working, the way everybody else does it.