One more thing...

I forgot to mention the most important thing!!

I was editor's pick this week on the Carnival of Personal finance over at Canadian Dream: Free at 45! Thank you very much Tim,for highlighting my article. It was very exciting for me.

Roundup

Happy Saturday! Not to much to report this week. So we'll just get straight to business...

From the PF Bloggers:
Get Rich or Die Trying wrote about how to spot an addiction to plastic. Funny cause I was just researching this same topic. Oh well....
Master Your Card discussed what to do when the collectors come calling. I know it's stressful but it's better to face your debts head on. You can't run from it.
No Debt Plan is offering financial planning help to a few readers. If that sounds like something you would be interested in head on over there.

From around the blogsphere:
Not the Jet Set taught us how to make a rain water collection bin. Unfortunately it doesn't rain in the desert enough to be able to collect very much water. But I still think it's a great idea for other places.
Rocket Finance has an interesting post about national oil. Head over and leave a comment with your feelings on the topic.
Frugal Dad talks about the most expensive $2 he ever saved. The psychology of saving money is pretty interesting.
Mrs. Micah discusses why it was better for her not to have to work during college. I've always been a believer of working during college, but she gives an interesting view point.
Paid Twice gives us 10 ways to stay in debt. If you're doing any of these things, stop right now!


Well that's it. I hope you have a great weekend. See you on Monday!

Roundup

It's my birthday! Happy birthday to me.... I know it doesn't hold quite the same excitement as when you're a kid but I still get excited. Our favorite BBQ place lets you eat for free on your birthday and I'm planning on taking full advantage. They make their own rootbeer and have the world's greatest floats. I'm looking forward to it.


But here's my roundup..


PF Bloggers:
Get Rich or Die Trying laid out his wedding budget.
Kristy from Master Your Card let us know what she thinks of Dave Ramsey. Make sure you check out the comments. It gets interesting in there.
Living Almost Large asks if you can hide debt. Leave a comment and let her know what you think.

Around the Blogsphere:
Mrs. Micah suggested keeping wedding costs down by having frugal favors. I agree wholeheartedly.
My Two Dollars does a great job of explaining how credit card companies calculate interest. This is so important and was one of the questions I got most often when I worked in credit card customer service. A must read.
Paid Twice gives some steps to take to get your family on board with debt reduction. It's a big source of conflict when one person want to make a change and the other don't. I can see how that would be frustrating.
Being Frugal lists some frugal living tips for beginners. This is a great place to start if you're beginning your frugal living journey.
Blunt Money indulges the idea of gas rationing. That's a pretty scary thought.

pic by: wishymom

Roundup

Another crazy week has gone by. It’s about to get even crazier as this upcoming week is the last week of school for my 6 year old. Yipes! I hope we don’t drive each other too crazy for the next 8 weeks. Anyways, on with the show…

I participated in the Carnival of Personal Finance over at Money Under 30 this week. They included my post: Millionaires Drive Minivans. Go check it out if you haven’t already.

PF Bloggers:

Master Your Card presented 6 ways your kids can help out with the budget. I have spent a lot of time considering how much info to give our kids about our budget. On one hand I want them to have a clear understanding of how household finances work, but on the other hand I don’t need them telling their little friends how much our mortgage payment is.
Living Almost Large reminded us to keep contributing to our retirement accounts even though it frustrating when the market isn’t doing so great.
No Debt Plan disagrees with an article that says you need 7 investments.

From my reader:

Tight Fisted Miser admits to 5 crazy things he has done to save money.
Being Frugal says to make reducing your debt a priority even when you don’t have an emergency fund. I agree.
Sense to Save has a guest post about what to ask your insurance company before you have a baby. I wish I had read this article before I got pregnant with my son. I got a lot of unexpected bills during my pregnancy, some could have been avoided if I had only known.

Roundup

Hello everyone! Another weekend is upon us. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I hope you have a great one.

Master Your Card gave us five ways to teach kids about finances. Which is something of great interest to me.
Girls Just Want to Have Funds navigates the murky waters of the US health care system. I agree that it's a mess. I'm sorry she has to deal with it. I'm sure she will share what ever she learns.

Blunt Money shares a trick to painlessly increase your 401(k) contributions.
Frugal Dad had the great idea of recreating his first date. How romantic... and frugal!
Remodeling this Life discusses why she likes being frugal.

Round-up

It's been another week already. Every week when I sit down to do my round-up I can't believe how fast the week went. The semester ended for me, to which I believe I got all A's. So wohoo for that, both on my grades and that another semester is over.

Now it's time for this week's round-up.

The PF bloggers
Get Rich or Die Trying discussed why sometimes it's not a good idea to contribute to your 401(k).
Living Almost Large gave 5 frugal wedding tips. I love a frugal wedding!
Our Fourpence Worth has some ideas for frugal mother's day gifts. Don't let it sneak up on you.

Other bloggers
Change Your Tree talked about our GDP and why it means we are not in a recession. I get so tired of listening to all the negative talk, it's nice to read something that isn't gloom and doom.
Punny Money highlighted an interesting problem facing gas station owners. I would have never thought about a 4 shortage.
Frugal Dad turned off his TV and has 12 reasons why you should do the same. While the kids watch quite a bit of TV I sometimes surprise myself when I haven't turned on the "grown up TV" til after dinner time.

Roundup

Happy Saturday! I have a great roundup for you this week so let's just jump right in...

First of all I participated in two carnivals. I participated in the Carnival of Personal Finance and the Carnival of Money Stories. So make sure you check them out.

The PF Bloggers:
No Debt Plan showcased the weehouse. I find little houses like this amazing. I can't imagine living in one. It takes a special person to live in a tiny house. They obviously don't have kids.
Master Your Card reminded everyone that yard sale time is coming. Read his post to brush up on your yard sale skills.
Pinching Copper took the stance that the housing bailout is a terrible idea. Leave a comment and let him know your opinion of it.

Around the blogsphere:
Frugal Dad highlighted how he pays his kids allowance. We do generally the same thing but on a lesser scale.
Blunt Money posted snippets from an article about a real estate agent who got caught in the housing bubble. She says it's pathetic on so many levels and I couldn't agree more.
Remodeling This Life reflects on the Velveteen Rabbit and what it means to "be real". I haven't read the Velveteen Rabbit in years, I think I will read it again as soon as I get the chance.
Tight Fisted Miser told a story about how a Mexican fisherman is living the dream and teaches an investment banker a thing or two. I loved this story!

Roundup

Well, it's Saturday again. Nothing exciting really happened this week, I just made a lot of plans for next week. I got a job and I also finally have a schedule for doing the volunteer work I applied for like 4 months ago. So I will be a busy bee. I have something planned for every day of the week.

Change Your Tree posted part one of six concepts you must teach your child. I love this series. While you're over there make sure you check out the rest of the series too.
Our Fourpence Worth taught us 7 cost cutting and safer household tips. I will totally be using spaghetti to light my hard to reach candles from now on.
Master Your Card gave us an indepth look at the credit card bill of rights.
No Debt Plan reminded me of the importance of disability insurance. This is pretty close to my heart since a member of my family is currently living on the disability insurance she had through her job. She is only 25 and came down with a rare disease one day out of nowhere.
Remodeling This Life discussed snow flaking your way to a better self. I love this concept. It has really helped me accomplish things in my life.
Family and Finances looks at the lottery in a new way. Why buy a chance at a million when you can guarantee yourself a million? Beats me. This is why I don't play the lottery.

Roundup

This week's roundup features only members of the PF bloggers network. I hope you enjoy it!

For some reason the PF bloggers had cars on their mind this week.
Get Rich or Die Trying got saved from getting in over his head by a car repair.
Living Almost Large contemplates how much money she is willing to spend to fix her car.
Saving Savy wrote about her thoughts on the proper timing of buying a new car.
If you are already car shopping then you need to read Pinching Copper's article about the dangers of blindly trusting Carfax.

Not interested in reading about cars? That's ok... maybe frugal living is more your thing.
Master Your Card gave us some frugal living tips for the recession.
Our Fourpence Worth has a fast and frugal homemade pizza you can try. Mmmmm.

See you on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Roundup

It's Saturday again. Was that the fastest week in history? It was to me. I have to have a quick mommy brag before we begin. My son sat on the potty! Which is huge since until about two weeks ago he would get down right mad if I even brought it up. Down with diapers in 2008!

Ok, here we go...

Frugal dad discusses the difference between being cheap and being frugal.
Paid Twice also participated in the group writing project over at We're in Debt.
Pinching Copper listed ways to get ready for the recession. Something that is probably on everyone's mind.
Get Rich or Die Trying bravely posted his monthly budget. I wrote a similar post regarding my budget but if you're a daily reader you know I never posted it. I chickened out. Maybe this will give me the guts to post it.
Remodeling this Life wrote about how she hates Wal-mart. I personally find the great Wal-mart debate very interesting.

Have a great weekend!!

Roundup

It's Saturday again! Ahh... the weekend. I'm looking forward to a nice quiet weekend.

Here's a review of my favorite posts of the week.
Jonathan over at Master Your Card explained the details of the a new law that will affect your credit card (for the better) if it passes.
Seb at Pinching Copper thought about what it would be like to live on minimum wage. I say if you are going to do the minimum, you are going to earn the minimum, and then you will have the minimum.
JB over at Get Rich or Die Trying explained how important it is to have a personal finance class in our schools. This topic is very close to my heart. I don't think our kids have a clue about how to handle their money. This is a tragedy.
Ben at Trees Full of Money told everyone to optimize their 401(k) plans. Another topic that I love. If you don't have 401(k) print this article and tape it to your desk. Read it every day until you set up your plan.
Becky at Family and Finances explained how she got rid of her escrow account. I didn't know that was even an option. I will have to think about this one.
My Money Blog breaks down the details of the Money Merge Mortgage. If you have ever wondered about these types of loans this is the place to get the lowdown.

I hope you find all these links as interesting as I did. Have a great weekend!