I noticed a redditor by the name of thebitcoinwife, commenting and I decided to check out this users site. The blog turned out to be beautifully designed with posts on the practical items you could purchase with Bitcoin. Mrs. P wrote in such a charming witty way that I had to find out more.
Ruben Alexander:Could you describe your lovely blog for those who don’t know you?
Mrs. P: The Bitcoin Wife is a light-hearted blog where I showcase products and services that I use or that I find interesting in the Bitcoin community, and muse about being a Bitcoin enthusiast and user. I wanted to provide a different voice for Bitcoin usage and demonstrate its real-world application from the point of view of a wife and mother.
Some of the businesses I review offer discounts on Bitcoin purchases, and if they send me free shwag, I’ll pass it along to my readers through giveaway contests.
RA:When did you first hear about Bitcoins?
MP: February 2011, my husband first heard about it on a tech podcast. We immediately bought our first coins, and have been along for the ride ever since.
RA:What response have you gotten from your readers who are hearing about Bitcoins for the first time?
MP: They are very curious about mining and about what you can actually do with Bitcoin, which I think is par for the course. It’s difficult to wade through the saturation of misinformation out there, and people are still trying to wrap their heads around such a progressive movement. I really enjoy running into others who are just learning about it, and have the same awe and limerence over Bitcoin that I had when I first got involved.
RA: I see from an old twitter post you have a speedy Butterfly Labs miner. I will ask the next question with as little jealousy as possible. What is it like living with a BFL miner?
MP: It’s as amazing as it looks. We originally started mining with BFL FPGA Singles in early 2012, which we have since upgraded to BFL ASIC SC Singles. Butterfly Labs get a lot of flack from the community, but their hardware speaks for itself: well designed, plug n’ play devices that look good and work well. They’ve provided us great customer service since day one, and have always been very accommodating.
Our biggest challenge as miners is the energy costs in Hawaii, which make it nearly cost-prohibitive. Remotely hosting our rig at a co-location facility in the states comes with good and bad, but has allowed us to reduce our operating costs significantly.
RA:Kids seem to enjoy tangible concepts. How have your children responded to hearing about and owning a virtual currency?
MP: They love it. Kids today are so tech hungry. They get to experience an amazing time in human history where technology is developing just as fast as they are. They are used to things being automated, instant, and overall integrated. Bitcoin has fit right into that expectation for them.
Our older kids are more interested in the Bitcoin miners and growing their investments. The younger ones like helping me with my Bitcoin cookie cutters. Overall they enjoy that, because of Bitcoin, we are both able to stay at home and spend more time with them.
We’ve also recently inter-weaved Bitcoin micro-rewards into our household chore and allowance routine, which I talk about on my blog.
The rest of this interview can be seen in Bitcoin Magazine, Issue 14
If you are looking for a good laugh or a fun light-hearted story, go check out TheBitcoinWife.com.