America's rich, in these volatile economic times, are becoming more value conscious than ever.  One Telegraph article even quotes the head of a private jet brokerage firm as saying that customers, while flying private, can no longer find value in paying $50 for an in-flight lunch.  Considering the amount of spending attributed to the top 10% of income earners, I'm not surprised that I've seen so many articles published on this topic in the past several days, including one in my local Toronto Star.  However, it seems to me that a lot of this is based solely on the perception of value, rather than actual dollar-over-dollar savings.  It's not like those choosing private jet travel have to save, they just want to feel that their spending is a little more reasonable than it used to be.

Here are a few interesting blog posts and articles that I've collected over the past week.  Depending on the amount of quality content I can find, I may end up making summaries like this into a weekly thing.  If you've written about something interesting or entertaining over the past seven days that you think should be included, feel free to contact me using the form on the Contact page of this website.

The Financial Blogger discusses television, the biggest time waster in everyone's life:

http://www.thefinancialblogger.com/my-tv-is-eating-out-my-brain/

Jonathan Chevreau from the Financial Post talks about good debt vs. bad debt:

http://www.financialpost.com/magazine/family_finance/story.html?id=610662

For the home and garden fans, Kathleen N. Brenzel covers how to build a patio for under $200:

http://realestate.msn.com/improve/Article_sunset.aspx?cp-documentid=9127735&GT1=35000

The Canadian dollar is weakening in comparison to the US dollar, and the slide doesn't appear to be slowing.  However, the latest downturn may be a result of the US dollar's sudden comeback; a result of a surprise rise in June home sales.  For certain Canadians, this slide may actually be of benefit, as many internet businesses get paid in US dollars, and a sliding Canadian dollar yields larger pay after the exchange.  Canadian companies who sell to American customers in Canadian currency may also benefit, as the US dollar will now go a little farther for those consumers.

Nissan is planning to sell cars that push back on their gas pedals when they feel drivers are speeding up too quickly.  It will be available next year, and I will not be buying a Nissan.  The idea is to increase gas mileage and efficiency, but aren't there already enough people out there who slow down traffic by taking as long as possible to get up to speed?  A special gauge on the dashboard changes color and flashes when drivers aren't accelerating "optimally", but a grille pressed into their bumper by the angry person behind them may prove to be more compelling.  Fortunately, the feature can be turned off.

Cell phones should be banned on airplanes because they're annoying, according to some legislators in the US House of Representatives.  TheInquirer.net is reporting just that, and that the discussion is being driven by the legislators' personal experiences tolerating inconsiderate phone users while traveling back and forth between Washington D.C. and their home districts.  Feel free to click through to the article for a few detailed examples of conversations that should have been kept private, but the bottom line is that this is really about courtesy, and that's not as easily legislated as one might think.