I have been away for a long time from Money.Stackexchange, I came back last month and I found it changed. I might be wrong but in the past I felt it was more a place to talk about economy and money investments, markets, shares, etc. [*]

Anyway what I really do not understand is: is this type of question "Should I make my own clothes?" a good fit for this site?

I'm not picking on the question itself, I just choose the last one it came into my view. So are these type of subjects the main subjects of this site now?

I'm not criticizing, I'm simply asking because I would like to understand.

I was surprised that someone even took the time to answer to such a question. But since he is even someone with a big reputation, I really started thinking that it's me the one who completely misunderstood the main subjects of Money.Stackexhange.

So is this site about little things about money like "Would you suggest me to buy the pen at the shop under my house at 10$ or should I rather take the car go to Walmart and pay it 1$?"

Again, I'm not criticizing, I'm simply asking because I would like to understand.


[*] Someone could argue that place was Economics StackExchange http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/1618/economics and it was closed. But I disagree, Economics was for academic questions only.


I agree this is a slippery area. I'm inclined to allow the question in the hope that it might encourage a discussion along lines of, "Great question! Speaking from personal experience, I tried making my own clothes, but found that while I saved $X per year (i.e. 4% of my annual income), it consumed 20% of my discretionary time every month (i.e. what time I have left after sleeping, hygiene, working, commuting, etc.) If you love sewing so it's a relaxation too, go for it, otherwise, I think there are better ways to invest your time."

  • Not only a great discussion, but re-writing the question. I don't think we do that enough.
    – MrChrister
    Jun 15 '12 at 16:55
  • @MrChrister- would you lean towards the (a) how do you decide make vs buy? or (b) for someone trying to conserve money what things can one do themselves vs buying? Or something different? Jun 23 '12 at 22:19

I agree that this particular question is pushing the envelope of what's encouraged here. I voted to close. I have my own idea of what's personal finance and what is only vaguely related. Not every question that has money involved is appropriate. Again, if you agree, just continue the 'close' vote.


I too agree that the question is not the best but I did not vote to close because it does relate to something of importance to personal finance, viz. the money value of time.


I originally posted the question.

It was about a potential means of saving money and not a topic banned by the FAQ, so I figured it was an acceptable question.

Furthermore, I've been reading some blogs related to personal finance (e.g. Early retirement extreme, Mr. money mustache) which firmly link self-sufficiency and financial independence.

Evidently personal finance has a more specific meaning, of which I was unaware.


For a question like this, another option that's relatively recent would be the Sustainable Living site; they might frown on it if it's too focused on the personal finance aspect of the question, i.e. "precisely how much money could I save by doing this?" but you could always ask on their meta and get feedback.


I think it's a good fit when the question is asked more abstractly i.e. "What are some ways I can save more money", but some of the other questions might be better for a Maker, Thrifty/Frugal/Simple Living, or Economics board (let's hope this comes back!).

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .