May
16
We’re back in full carnival swing this week! We have three carnivals to review.
We’ll kick things off with the Carnival of Personal Finance #152, hosted by Money Under 30. This one included my post on car insurance. If you liked that bit of car advice, you might as like $aving to Invest’s post on preparing for $5 gas. Yikes.
Next up, the Festival of Frugality #125, hosted by Quest for Four Pillars. This one included my post on renter’s insurance. If you can’t find the money for the insurance, try Personal Money Tips 10 ways to save money.
Finally, the Money Hacks Carnival #12, hosted by Can I Get Rich on a Salary. If you liked my tips on selling or donating your clutter, you’ll also enjoy Free Money Finance’s tips for saving money by stockpiling. When the pantry’s full, it’s time to start donating!
May
9
This week I was only in one carnival, with a friendly link from another. BlogCarnival.com was down on Friday, and I forgot to submit the rest of the weekend! I was planning to submit to four, so boy am I mad at myself.
What does that all mean? We have a briefer carnival round-up this week.
I was able to submit to the Carnival of Personal Finance #151, hosted by Alpha Consumer and U.S. News. In addition to my post about zombie debt, you might also enjoy the Baglady’s exploration of the nuances of good and bad debt. I think we can all agree that zombie debt would be the worst kind.
The Festival of Frugality #124 linked back to me as last week’s host. Thanks Frugal for Life! If you enjoyed my tips about air conditioning, Be Thrifty Like Us has additional tips, which she learned from her HVAC repairman, aka her dad.
And that concludes our round-up. Check in next week when I have more carnivals to cover!
May
2
This week I hosted the Festival of Frugality, and did a fantastic job, if I do say so myself. I recommend all of the included posts!
In addition to the Festival, we also have the Carnival of Personal Finance #150, hosted by Lazy Man and Money. He featured my post about saving money and the environment. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Money Crashers’ 10 inexpensive ways to be green.
Rounding out the festivities, we have Money Hacks Carnival #10 at the aptly named Money Hacks. This one included my post about when you’re entitled to a free credit report. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Free From Broke’s IRS tax refund scams warning.
Apr
29
Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life is a new book by Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary under Clinton. If you listen to NPR’s Morning Edition or American Public Media’s Marketplace, you’ve probably heard one of his commentaries.
The book delves into the development of US economy during the last century, mostly since the 1950s. His central argument is that the power and influence of capitalism has risen while the power of democracy has declined. We’ve now reached a point where most laws and regulations are passed due to corporate lobbying. Our power as citizens now lies mostly in our ability to make decisions as consumers. He also argues that our never-ending search for a better deal or a lower price forces producers to cut costs, which usually means cutting wages. We’ve created an endless circuit where our search for deals results in the decline of our own wages.
He offers two solutions to the problem:
Become aware of your choices as a consumer and consider paying more to support a company that supports your values. For example, saying you want corporations to help the planet, and then buying an SUV rather than a hybrid undermines your statement of your values and encourages corporations to continue supporting the SUV lifestyle.
Realize that corporations are not people, and therefore should not have the same rights or responsibilities as people. They should also not be expected to act in ways that are “socially responsible.” Corporations are solely charged with producing profits for shareholders. They will only act in the public good when it benefits the bottom line. Pretending anything else is foolhardy. He argues that corporations should not pay tax, but they also shouldn’t have the right to sue to block legislation or be able to donate money to political parties or candidates.
With these concepts in mind, we turn to the articles in the Festival of Frugality. True, we’re all still interested in the deal, but most frugal people understand that being frugal sometimes means spending more to get a better value for a better product or to achieve the kind of world you want to live in.
Editor’s Picks
Money Blue Book manages to find the upside to higher gas prices - less traffic and more use of public transportation.
Mrs. Nespy’s World runs down the job benefits that can be a deciding factor for prospective employees. It pays to treat employees well.
Cheap Healthy Good explains why diet foods are actually not good for your weight or health and suggests ways to eat more healthfully instead.
Frugal Homemaker Plus discusses the importance of teaching children about frugal values early.
Just Shoot Me Now shows you how to outwit the stores by always checking the unit price. Bigger isn’t always cheaper.
Credit Addict explains how to combine the stimulus checks, grocery gift cards, and rebate credit cards to save loads on groceries.
Saving Money
The Digerati Life shares 25 tips for saving money with grocery coupons.
Save and Conquer explains how home health remedies can save you lots of money.
FIRE Finance shares the top five freebie websites.
Funny about Money shares his cost-effective home renovation strategies.
I Create for Less shares her tips for saving money on framing art.
Home Life Weekly explains how to make dishwasher detergent.
Monroe on a Budget shares how she learned to love iced tea, the money-saving alternative to soda.
On Financial Success shares his astounding $92 savings on a $122 grocery bill.
Gagazine offers helpful tips for saving money on baby items.
I Want Better Gas Mileage argues that premium gasoline isn’t always worth the cost.
Free Money Finance shares more ways to save money on wedding costs.
Be Thrifty Like Us explains how to make a $19 swingset.
Finally Frugal switched from rice to Top Ramen to save money.
My Daily Dollars explains how to make homemade crackers.
Buxr explains what refurbished really means, and how to buy refurbished items.
The Financial Engineer discovered a way to stop roots from clogging his pipes - thus avoiding a costly plumber.
Lazy Man and Money explains how members of the military can take nearly free vacations.
Wealth Junkies shares her strategies for saving money with coupons.
Stop the Ride offers a simple tip for making your own plastic scrubber.
Living the Cheap Life provides a tip for earning money without doing anything.
Smart Easy Money shares her love of thrift-store shopping.
Hustler Money Blog offers 10 quick ways to save money.
Finance Gets Personal argues that you can save money by planning ahead and shopping less.
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity lists sales tax holidays for various states. Plan to shop then so you can save money on sales tax.
Money Ning discusses occasions when saving money shouldn’t be your goal.
Dough Roller offers 25 ways to save money on gas.
Frugality
The Wealth Accumulator compares consumerism and thrift, and shares tips for becoming more thrifty.
My Family’s Money presents five deceptively simple ways to change your saving habits.
Saving Advice wonders why more faith communities don’t promote simple living.
FinancialZip suggests four ways to make more intelligent spending choices.
Tight Fisted Miser explains that tracking every penny is his way of budgeting and controlling spending.
Moolanomy shares his top 5 budget busters.
Frugal Fabulous proves that it is possible to entertain friends on a budget.
Five Cent Nickel continues the ongoing debate about frugal vs. cheap.
My Small Cents demonstrates that being organized can save money.
Cash Money Life tells you how to extend the life of your computer.
You Might As Well Burn $5 suggests ways to create your own financial windfall.
Freezing in NH discovered the joys of making and freezing her own toaster waffles.
Green Living
Gardeners Tips brings us money saving advice from the garden. Growing your own food is a surefire way to ease the impact on your wallet while also helping create a more sustainable world.
Oh My Aching Debts shares tips for saving money with alternative forms of energy.
The Q Family Adventure shares her tips for saving cash and the planet.
Not the Plan offers more tips for saving money while going green.
Green Pastures wonders how long you could go without buying something new and offers strategies for buying less and reusing more.
Paid Twice also makes the argument for reusing perfectly good items.
Paying Off My Future found new uses for junk mail envelopes.
Money Crashers offers ten inexpensive ways to live a greener life.
Frugal Babe shares her success with homemade diapers.
Hunting Happiness explores the new all-electric Chevy Volt and whether it can save money.
Planning
Phil for Humanity argues that not planning ahead is stupid, and explains why. Robert Reich would agree.
The Personal Financier teaches us how to enjoy budgeting and saving.
Chief Family Officer explains how to choose a college by comparing the costs.
Uncommon Cents offers another take on managing college costs.
Christian Personal Finances teaches us the simplest way to make a budget.
Financial Learn walks you through the process of setting up a budget.
Miscellaneous
KC Lau reviews a book on insurance for Malaysians, but he also includes a few tips that are helpful for everyone.
WenchyPoo argues that shortages and inflation are stealth tax increases. Robert Reich would agree.
Forex Trading Strategies shares strategies for knowing when it’s time to get out of a stock.
My Dollar Plan shares her found money success - an unclaimed bank account.
Saving to Invest presents the hard numbers about the rise in food costs.
Squawkfox offers several strategies for improving your education for less.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Festival of Frugality. Be sure to submit to next week’s festival, hosted by Frugal for Life.
Apr
25
Welcome to my weekly blog carnival round-up. Next week I’ll be hosting the Festival of Frugality, so get your submissions in!
This week we’ll kick off with that very festival - the Festival of Frugality #122 at On Financial Success. He takes a sort of Mad Libs approach, except in this one the sentences make sense. He included my post discussing whether pets are frugal. In the same section about different financial choices, Financial Zip examines how frugal choices impact your health.
Next up, the Money Hackers Carnival #9 at Quest for Four Pillars. I had to look away a lot because he features horror movies, but I did see that he featured my post on reducing prescription drug costs (which can be truly scary.) You might also enjoy another savings tip that offers a scary realization: what’s your furnace pilot light costing you?
Finally, the grandmama of the finance blog carnivals, the Carnival of Personal Finance #149 at the Happy Rock. You’ll find my six ideas for an affordable vacation, along with a stern warning about the expensive mistake of missing a flight.
Apr
18
MSN Links and Blog Carnivals
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This week I was thrilled to be featured in the MSN Smart Spending blog. She focused on my post about saving money during wedding season. Thanks for the link and welcome new readers!
And now onto the weekly blog carnival round-up. We’ll kick things off with the:
Carnival of Personal Finance #148 at Gather Little by Little. In addition to my post about saving money during wedding season, you might also enjoy Financial Gals’s tips for resisting the urge to splurge on your own wedding.
Next up, the Festival of Frugality #121 at Rather Be Shopping. In addition to my post about my $14 kitchen makeover, you might also enjoy Frugal Gal’s post on the wondrous nature of caulk.
And last, but definitely not least, the Money Hacks Carnival #8 at Be Thrifty Like Us. In addition to my post on using CVS Coupons and ExtraCare Bucks, you might also enjoy Moolanomy’s free money opportunities.
Apr
11
Another week, another set of carnivals. Once again, we have three. That seems to be my magic number.
We’ll kick off with the Money Hackers Carnival #7 at Mommy Gets Paid. In addition to my post on the foreign transaction fee settlement, you should also read Generation X Finance’s Signs You May Be a Victim of Tax Fraud.
The next carnival was the Festival of Frugality #120 at A Penny Saved. In addition to my post about clearing clutter to free your money, you might also enjoy Save and Conquer’s advice for avoiding impulse buys. My take: impulse buys become clutter!
The final carnival was the Carnival of Personal Finance #147 at MoneyNing. If you liked my post about the new gas mileage ratings, you’ll really enjoy reading about Lazy Man and Money’s dream car: the tank. Talk about bad gas mileage!
Apr
4
It’s Carnival Time
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Another week, another batch of carnivals. Money Hacks Carnival #6 at Bible Money Matters selected my post on 10 Inexpensive Hobbies as an editor’s pick. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Home Life Weekly’s tip for making free printable birthday cards.
Next up, Festival of Frugality #119 at Consumerism Commentary. They also selected one of posts as an editor’s pick: Is a Frugal Lifestyle Always Environmentally Friendly. If you liked that, you’ll enjoy Money and Values’ 10 ways to use less artificial light.
Rounding out the carnivals, we have Carnival of Personal Finance #146 at Stock Trading To Go. It featured my post on 7 Things You Should Always Buy New. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy creative strategies for coping with rising costs from Chief Family Officer.
Mar
28
The Carnival Round-Up
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This week I once again bring you three carnivals.
We’ll kick this round-up off with the Festival of Frugality #118, which wisely made my post on 13 ways to celebrate spring fever and editor’s pick. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Money and Values’ discussion of delicious homemade ice cream (which I also love.)
Next up, Money Hacks Carnival #5, which featured my review of Yodlee. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Moolanomy’s review of SmartyPig.
Finally, the always fantastic Carnival of Personal Finance #145. This week’s edition included my comparison of leasing vs. buying a car. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Single Guy Money’s advice on buying a used car.
Mar
21
The Carnival is Here!
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Before I get to the blog carnivals, I want to mention Alltop, a new blog aggregator from Guy Kawasaki. It aggregates feeds on just about every topic on the planet, from celebrities to Linux. Of course, I’m partial to the personal finance section.
And now on to the carnivals!
Festival of Frugality#117 was hosted by I’ve Paid for This Twice Already. In addition to my post on wondering if frugality is in the air, you might enjoy Lazy Man and Money’s ponderings about what it means to be cheap.
Next up, the Carnival of Debt Reduction by Leading Online. Going one better than my February debt progress, the Chic Saver is now credit card debt free!
