Comment Re:The question is still absurd... (Score 1) 1042
Saving is what happens when one takes an action to reduce consumption or increase rate of accumulation. For example, if I spend two dollars a week on coffee, and then cut back to one dollar, I save one dollar per week.
It is impossible to "save" by consuming, only by *changing consumption*. How much money did I save by renting a movie on iTunes? None -- I *spent* $2. How much did I save by renting instead of going to the theater? Now we're getting somewhere -- I saved, say, $9. A new urinal at work has a sticker on it, advertising that it saves 88% more water than other urinals. Wrong! It bothers me every time I see it. Other urinals don't save water; they just use it. This urinal uses less water than they do, so it does save water relative to them. It just doesn't save 88% more than they do because they don't save any at all. Likewise cars don't save fuel; they just use more or less than other cars. The savings is all in the transition to a different car.
