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Week in Carnivals - Second Week in April

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

I just submitted to one carnival this week. Mostly because of my lack of worthy articles, and I’m not going to just submit any old post to a carnival. I’m only going to submit the ones I think are legitimate submissions. So here’s my summary and favorites:

Carnival of Personal Finance #147 - hosted by MoneyNing

My Post:	3 Surefire Methods to Paying Your Bills On Time - Something we still struggle with from time to time just because we don’t DO it. We’ve had far more success when we actually pick a system and stick to it though.
Others I liked:	No Credit Needed - Getting The Entire Family Involved With Managing Our Finances - We don’t involve the kids with the specific numbers, but they are aware of our short term goals and the process we go through to achieve them.
	The Penny Mine - How to Get Great Credit in 2008 - Good list of things to consider with the change in how credit scores are affected by your actions. I didn’t even realize some of these.
	Squawkfox - Top 10 80s Songs About Money - This was a fun read. The scary thing is that I know most of those songs word for word. I can totally feel the mixed-tape flashbacks…(nightmares?) Good times!

Until next week!

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Week in Carnivals - 4th Week in March

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

I submitted to a few carnivals this last week so want to share some of the highlights of each. This is the 2nd week in a row that I had an editor’s pick on the Carnival of Personal Finance! I’m really glad that I’m able to provide stuff people like to see. I’m hoping there’s more in my head where those came from. I’ve simply loved the sense of community around some of these carnivals. Here’s the list for the fouth week of March:

Carnival of Personal Finance #145 - hosted by Million Dollar Journey

My Post:	How to Create an Envelope Budget System - I’ve been doing pretty well with envelope budgeting, so I thought I’d share how we did it. This is my 2nd editor’s pick in a row too!
Others I liked:	Free Money Finance: How to Keep Your Child’s Identity Safe - I have 6 children. I love articles like this that people with children need to read and apply.
	Squawkfox: Just say "NO" to crap! - I loved this post. I’ve been telling my wife for years that we buy too much crap. I’m printing this one and hanging it on my fridge or something. Also, I love the blog. Lots of potential there.
	The Honest Dollar: 11 Ways to Trigger an IRS Audit - Good stuff to know here, even though I’ve already done my taxes and all. Never hurts to tuck this stuff away for next time.

Carnival of Debt Reduction #132 - hosted by Debt Reduction Formula

My Post:	How to Evolve an Envelope Budget System - My follow-up to the How to Create an Envelope Budget System post.
Others I liked:	I’ve Paid For This Twice Already: Debt as the American Way - Amusing post. The fact that I was not surprised by the story at all tells you just how comfortable people are with debt as a good plan. Eww.
	DebtFREE Revolution: Too Much Debt - Nice rant on how much debt is negatively effecting everyone. It’s certainly caused me some grief, but at least I know what the real problem is and not just the symptoms!
	No Credit Needed: 5 Questions To Ask Your Creditors When Making Debt Reduction Payments - It’s amazing how many people make extra payments only to find out they just paid some of the future interest instead of the principal balance. Great list of things to do when pre-paying any debt.

Carnival of Financial Planning - hosted by The Skilled Investor

My Post:	The Budget Buffer - The key to how I stopped living paycheck to paycheck.
Others I liked:	Frugal Dad: Use Social Security Statement to Determine Lifetime Earnings - This is something I’ve always thought was neat to do just because it was interesting. Frugal Dad puts a twist on it by thinking about how much he’d have if he saved/invested 50% of the amount his whole life. Ugh, my statement says over $500K and I got didly squat to show for it.
	Free Money Finance: How to Determine the Amount of Life Insurance You Need - Great things to think about here if you’re trying to minimize the amount you sign up for. I’ve always just tried to go with the 10xincome estimate which would set my family up pretty well.

Well, that’s it for this week, we’ll see you all next time!

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Week in Carnivals - 3rd Week in March

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

I submitted to a couple of carnivals this last week so want to share some of the highlights of each. I’m noticing that it’s taking me longer to dig through them and it’s harder to narrow down to just a couple to link to, so there’s 3 this week for both. Oh well, it’s all worth sharing, so here’s the list for the third week of March:

Carnival of Debt Reduction - hosted by Ask Mr. Credit Card

My Post:	Cut Up My Credit Cards - Not only did I surprise the kids with some shredder action, but I won a contest as well while doing it!
Others I liked:	Savvy Frugality: How to Know if You’re in Deep Financial Trouble - This list hit home for me because I’ve lived just about all of them at one point or another.
	Debt Reduction Formula: Why People Stay in Debt - To get out of debt, you certainly can’t have any of these issues lingering around.
	Paid Twice: Don’t Set Yourself Up To Crash And Burn - Wiggle - I liked this one because it describes a scenario like the one we hit every time we want to splurge outside the budget. I think working in some wiggle room into your budget is a good idea so you decide what to splurge on with planned money instead of unplanned money.

Carnival of Personal Finance #144 - hosted by Being Frugal

My Post:	13 Disadvantages of Living Paycheck to Paycheck - The first of my paycheck-paycheck "theme of the week" posts. It also got selected as an editors pick!
Others I liked:	Monevator: Who’s Your Star Wars Money Hero - Huge star wars fan. Loved the character analysis done here.
	My Dollar Plan: Five Fundamentals of Financial Success - I caught this one over the weekend and stumbled it. Excellent list.
	No Debt Plan: The Concept That Changed Our Financial Life - This post outlines how applying a budget buffer helped change things for good. I can relate so much to this post, and proof of that is in the fact that I ended up posting a scary-similar post the same week as part of my paycheck-paycheck theme. We use a buffer now too and it helps immensely.

Well, that’s it for this week, we’ll see you all next time!

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This Week in Carnivals - 2nd Week in March

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

I submitted to a couple of carnivals this last week so want to share some of the highlights of each. I think I’m going to make carnival participation a pretty regular thing going forward as I’ve had many great opportunities to interact with some neat people out there because of them.

Here’s the list for the first week of March:

Carnival of Personal Finance #143 - hosted by Quest for Four Pillars

My Post:	Tax Refunds Applied - I outlined everything we did with the $7000 we got back this year.
Others I liked:	So Sick of Debt: Trying to have patience - Patience is one of the most difficult things to deal with when trying to follow a plan, be it short term or long term. I can totally relate to the anxiety.
	Being Frugal: How to Make a Budget That Works - I remembered this one right away as one that I reviewed on StumbleUpon. I love stuff that simplifies how to get started with a budget!

Carnival of Debt Reduction #130 - hosted by DebtFREE-Revolution

My Post:	Floating Credit Card Balances - Success #1 - where I share how I simplified some of my chaos by consolidating many of my bank accounts into just a few. I also was able to put all those little chunks of money to work for me in one place.
Others I liked:	Paid Twice: The Irony of Debt - This is another one I remember reviewing on StumbleUpon right away too. Great insight on how we must use some of the same mind-set that got us into debt to get us back out of it!
	No Debt Plan: Mistakes: Procrastination - I’m a procrastinator. A horrible one at that. Around my chaotic life, things just don’t get done until everything else in life stops for them. Becoming proactive instead of reactive is always a good topic to read about.

So there you go. Hope those were enjoyable, and we’ll likely see some more carnival action next week!

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This Week in Carnivals - 1st Week in March

Thursday, March 6th, 2008

I was pretty busy this last week, but a lot has happened around me too. I actually submitted to a couple of carnivals this last week so want to share some of the highlights of each. Some pretty good stuff to read this week. I actually found a lot more articles of interest and spent a lot more time reading than writing. Great job people!

Here’s the list for the first week of March:

Carnival of Personal Finance #142 - hosted by The Baglady

My Post:	My Financial Epiphany - Pretty much the only real post I had last week, but it was fun to write and just flowed from my fingers with little effort because of how much I remember it.
Others I liked:	Wise Money Decisions: Using Allowance to Teach Kids About Money - this one I can relate to and have been meaning to share my strategies for teaching kids about money as well.
	Hunter Nuttall: Where Have All The Dollars Gone? - great post to help you get started with budgeting with examples. I use a 2-week budget system since we’re paid bi-weekly. You can check out my budget page for actual worksheets used as well if it helps.
	The Financial Engineer: When are the Peak Earning Years? - I always find data analysis interesting. Guess I’m just a numbers guy. I’m also a very visual guy though, so pretty charts and graphs are my thing. Very interesting bit here on when most people make the most money during their career.

Carnival of Financial Goals IV - hosted by The Dividend Guy

My Post:	Closing Old or Unused Bank Accounts - where I share how I simplified some of my chaos by consolidating many of my bank accounts into just a few. I also was able to put all those little chunks of money to work for me in one place.
Others I liked:	The Penny Saved: How to get a raise - Guaranteed best guide to salary increase on the web or at least the most entertaining - some great preparation tips followed by some humorous do’s/do-not’s of the salary business. I’ve had horrible luck with negotiating starting salaries in the past, but have made up for it a bit by doing some of the things mentioned here coupled with some very hard work. Great advice.
	Investor Blogger: Ways to create additional income - I love the idea of incorporating multiple streams of income to support yourself. I’ve been learning a lot more about this the last year and have just recently started applying myself toward some of my goals. There’s some great examples in this post if you want to get started doing the same.

So there you go. Hope those were enjoyable, and we’ll likely see some more carnival action next week!

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This Week in Carnivals - 2nd week in February

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

I decided it was time to try out some carnivals again this last weekend. I submitted posts to FOUR carnivals and am just amazed at how much content people are writing these days. There’s just so many good posts out there just begging to add feeds to my reader! For my weekly (when I participate) carnival posts I’m going to just list the carnivals I submitted to along with the post I submitted and a couple of others that I enjoyed in it.

So here’s the list for the 2nd week of February!

Carnival of Personal Finance #139 - hosted by My Dollar Plan

My Post:	Values - not exactly the ideal post for PF, but it was one of my favorite posts to write with just a bit of PF twist tied to my own personal values.
Others I liked:	Blunt Money: Poor Planning = Higher Spending - this one I can totally relate to, and I deal with it all the time by looking for ways to help myself avoid the impulses.
	Smart Easy Money: When do you change your budget? - totally hit home for me. We need to get through a month on a budget again so we can start changing it every month as needed so we’re not always blowing away our allocated amounts.

Carnival of Debt Reduction 126 - hosted by DebtFREE-Revolution

My Post:	Out of Control: Are we like this lady? - An example of what it can be like if you don’t take control of your finances now.
Others I liked:	One Girl’s Quest: secret to debt reduction success - Another thing I can relate to. Making a game out of the entire thing. My family loves games and it’s my "secret" addiction. I should apply this to reducing debt more.
	Ask Mr Credit Card: Most Common Debts - Funny, I only have 3 of these and I’m still over a quarter-million in debt! (can you guess which 3? hint - I have a budget page!)

46th Carnival of Money Stories - hosted by Mrs. Micah

My Post:	Analyzing the Holiday Financial Setbacks - Yeah, we had setbacks alright. Too much for my liking…
Others I liked:	DebtFREE-Revolution: Stupid Tax: Overdraft Fees - We do this way too much. Stupid indeed!
	Credit Withdrawal: Should you Share Financial Information with Family? - We don’t, but perhaps someday we will. We keep things pretty ambiguous to avoid any "keeping up with the Joneses" contests that always seem to come up.

Festival of Frugality #112 - hosted by Lazy Man and Money

My Post:	Examine Your Credit Card Interest Rates Often - This one hurt. We’ve wasted so much money because our creditors have changed rates on us unnoticed.
Others I liked:	Being Frugal: 75 Frugal hacks for your home - I have a fairly big house for my big family. Lot of good tips in here.
	Early Retirement Extreme: List of 25 Money-saving Tips - We’ve just recently been trying to adopt a frugal lifestyle applying one tip at a time. We’ve done a few of these, but some tips we hadn’t thought about.