This may be a really stupid question....

...but my husband is no help to me on this one and I can't seem to figure out any answers any other way.  So please forgive my ignorance (stupidity).  Can anyone explain to me train passes in the UK?  Mostly Scotland, I guess because Britrail is different than Scotrail (right???)  You would never know I lived in the UK for half of 2009 would you?  
I am going to be taking the train everywhere and I want to understand how the system works and make it as economical as possible. 
I come from Minneapolis and it is all so easy here.  Of course we can't go all over the country either
Any info at all on public transit would help a great deal.  I want to be informed about this before I get back to Scotland so I can get around on my own!

Scotrail is the brand name for train services in Scotland. Britrail passes are tickets that allow visitors to the UK to have unlimited travel on trains in all or various parts of Britain and Ireland. That is, you can get passes at different prices for England Wales and Scotland, or just England, or just London, or London plus Southern England, or just central Scotland, or all of Scotland, or the whole of Britain and Ireland.

There are lots of different packages which you can check out on the website.

http://www.britrail.com/

Pass or ticket holders must be non-UK residents, although you can get a "Britrail guest pass" which allows a non-UK resident and a UK resident to travel together. You can get tickets for all of Britain.

"BritRail Passes must be bought before you arrive in the UK and are only available to those who do not reside in the United Kingdom, unless sharing a BritRail Guest Pass. Train staff may ask at any time for proof of foreign residency."

Yeah, if you're living here, you would normally get a localised rail pass (season ticket) - usually available weekly, monthly, or annually.  You'll have to see what is available for where you are living & how much it costs.  Be sure to compare though, because if you are not traveling every day, it might be that a daily fare would be cheaper in the long run.  For example, where I live (I ride the bus), the weekly bus pass pass is £17, but I only go into city centre (normally) about 3 times a week, paying the peak fare of £4 for a daily pass.  So it's cheaper for me to pay by the day.

http://transportdirect.com/Web2/Home.aspx

http://www.travelinescotland.com/welcome.do

Angelique, if you're wanting something like a monthly or annual travel card for travelling from (for example) Dumbarton to Glasgow on a regular basis (like if you are working in Glasgow) try this link:

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/content/season-tickets.html

How does your husband get to work... doesn't he get a train?

Info for Glasgow buses:

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scotland/swscot/home/

You guys are awesome!  Really, I knew nothing about any of this.  My husband does take the train to work, but he just buys a ticket every day.  I hate having to pay for a ticket every time I get on the train and really would like to buy some kind of pass.  I am sure I will be working in Glasgow when I get back, but would love something that gave me some freedom.  I am just clueless about how all of this works   Thanks so much for the links.  I am determined to figure this out.  My husband isn't much help because he just gets stuck in a rut and never tries to figure any of this out.  When we made a trip to Edinburgh I had to figure out the whole trip myself, including the train, because he had no clue.  You would never know he had lived in Scotland his whole life!

My husband does take the train to work, but he just buys a ticket every day. 

that's ridiculous!  (and you can tell him i said so!  )
He could be saving a fair amount of money by buying a season ticket.  It's a large outlay at the start, but it does save you money, and is also convenient.

Quite a few employers offer interest-free loans to spread the cost of the season ticket, too.

Genau, I know!  I asked him about passes and such for the train and he just kind of shrugged, like he had never heard of such a crazy idea.     Like I said I am from Minneapolis and I buy a monthly pass for $90.  It is valid on all buses and trains. 
I think I am going to look at getting a flexipass between Glasgow and Edinburgh (because Edinburgh is my sanity in Scotland.  I love it there).  And a season pass between Dumbarton and Glasgow.  That seems to make sense to me.
Now I just need to find a job and I will be all set