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Festival of Frugality #218- America Saves Week Edition

RC — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:53:04 +0000

Festival of Frugality #218- America Saves Week Edition

Welcome to the Festival of Frugality #218- America Saves Week Edition.
It is America Saves Week this week, February 21st -28th, 2010, and what better way to save money than by practicing frugality! Honestly, the fastest way to save money is by being frugal and spending less than you earn, as for most people it takes time in order to increase their income. Since the theme is saving money this week as well as frugality, I tried to include as many money saving related articles as possible with this week’s festival. My thoughts or comments follow each article in italics. Hope you enjoy!

To read more about the America Saves Campaign and America Saves Week, visit America Saves and America Saves Week.

Editor’s Picks

It was tough to pick, but here are my favorites from this week’s submissions:
Frugal Babe presents When The Going Gets Tough posted at Frugal Babe. Great thoughts and tips for avoiding “frugality fatigue”.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents How To Use Electronic Coupons With Your Grocery Card posted at The Digerati Life. This is something new to me-have you tried electronic coupons yet with your grocery card?

Jason presents Finding Happiness: How You Can Own More by Owning Less posted at Redeeming Riches. Living on less can lead to a more rewarding life.

Nicki presents Drawing The Line With Cell Phone Plans posted at Domestic Cents. Waiting as long as possible before upgrading electronics and other gadgets is a great frugal tactic.

Now, on to the rest of the festival!

Frugality and Spending Less

PT presents Fun, Frugal, Family and Friends Outings posted at PT Money. Good tips on getting frugal outside of the house.

J. Money presents Life in Grad School Doesn’t Have to Suck…All Your Money posted at Budgets are Sexy. Some great tips from Mrs. Sexy (had to point that out-its not often you get to use “Mrs. Sexy” in a personal finance blog post unless you happen to be J. Money ) on saving money in grad school.

Jeff Rose presents How to Keep Your Computer Files Safe and Sound posted at Good Financial Cents. Ways to back up your important files on the cheap.

Sally presents 5 Ways to Save Money On Cosmetics and Toiletries posted at Money Crashers. Tips on saving money by examining your habits and the brands you buy.

FMF presents Save Money by Shipping Your Luggage posted at Free Money Finance. With all of the extra fees most airlines charge for luggage these days, it may save you money to ship it separately, believe it or not.

Selina Johnson presents Cheap Date Night Ideas posted at Tips and Snippets. Just because Valentine’s Day has passed doesn’t mean you can’t be romantic on a budget on a regular basis.

Oilandgarlic presents Simple Living, Italian Style: The Kitchen posted at Oilandgarlic’s Blog. Do you really need the latest kitchen appliances and gadgets to cook- or is it really a want and not a need?

Joe Johnson presents How to Be Fashionable on a Budget posted at Fashion Merchandising. I don’t know much about fashion, but these are good tips on spending less whether you are fashionable or not, I think.

Nicole presents Fix-It Friday: Cat Door posted at Rainy-Day Saver. Doing it yourself is a good way to be frugal.

Polly Poorhouse presents Negotiating camp prices posted at Economic Crunch. Always ask if there is any type of aid or discounts for camp and other school activities or functions-it could save you money.

Bucksome presents 4 Steps to Successful Gift Giving posted at Buck$omeboomer’s Journey to Retirement. Simple tips, but effective!

Financial Samurai presents Let “Freement” Reign! Spending Paralysis, Material Lust And Obsession posted at Financial Samurai. If freement becomes a word in the Oxford English Dictionary one day, you can say you knew the guy that coined the word!

Penny presents Tomato Tandoori Seitan, and Miso Seitan Stir Fry posted at Penniless Parenting. Kick your frugal cooking skills up a notch!

Dawn presents A Crockpot Succeed and Failure posted at Frugal For Life. My wife uses the crock pot all of the time (she does let me turn it off for her sometimes but that is the only time I’m allowed to touch it), she would be totally bummed out if her’s broke! (Read part 2 of the article for positive results though!)

Kyle James presents Frugality In Practice: Needs Vs. Wants posted at Rather-Be-Shopping.com. Have your needs vs. wants changed over time?

Taxes & Credit

Four Pillars presents How Long Before I Get My Income Tax Refund? posted at Quest For Four Pillars. Get your money back as quickly as possible to start saving right away! Giving free loans to Uncle Sam isn’t really frugal.

Peak Personal Finance presents Don’t Forget These Home Office Tax Deductions posted at Peak Personal Finance. Not taking deductions you are entitled to is definitely not frugal!

Single Guy Money presents Taxes Filed – Results Not As Bad As I Thought posted at Single Guy Money. Minimizing your tax refund can be a great way to increase your cash and save more during the year.

Craig Ford presents How To File Federal Taxes Online For Free posted at Money Help For Christians. A good guide to free tax filing online, and we know free = frugal.

David deSouza presents Tax Rebate Forms – Tips and Advice posted at Tax Return Blog. Tax rebate tips for those in the U.K.

Money Beagle presents How Citibank Paid For Our New TV posted at Money Beagle. If getting a TV for free isn’t frugal, I don’t know what is!

MDP presents New Credit Card Laws to Protect Consumers Begin posted at My Dollar Plan. Make sure you know what effect the new credit card rules may have on your finances.

FIRE Finance presents Annual Fee Introduced for Citi Cash Returns Credit Card posted at FIRE Finance. Paying unnecessary credit card fees is undoubtedly “unfrugal”. So don’t do it!

Budgeting and Debt

The Smarter Wallet presents Dave Ramsey: A Debt Fighting Guru’s Money Philosophies posted at The Smarter Wallet. Frugality and debt reduction can be a powerful combination.

Jim presents Budgeting Is About Your System, Not Your Tools posted at Bargaineering. Budgeting can be a great way to live more frugally and save money.

Jason presents Budgeting Bulimia posted at Live Real, Now. The binging in government spending has been going on for a long time know-when will it end?

Other Great Frugal & Money Saving Articles

vh presents Rant: Costco’s consumer-proof packaging posted at Funny about Money. It is ridiculous how much waste some companies use when packaging their products- and how hard they are to open!

DR presents Are Discount Health Plans a Scam? posted at The Dough Roller. Getting ripped off while trying to save money is definitely not cool- especially on something as important as health insurance.

The Investor presents Should you lose pay when snow keeps you from work? posted at Monevator.com. Not getting paid is certainly no way to save money-avoid it if you can.

LeanLifeCoach presents The Space Pencil posted at Eliminate The Muda!. I must admit, I love my Fisher bullet pen (fits easily in my pocket), but how many things are wants instead of needs? I am still not sure what I would do with an apple iPad (what is it supposed to be used for?), although of course, they do look cool!

Wealth Pilgrim presents Financial Aid Forms ? Best Way To Increase College Aid for Free? posted at Wealth Pilgrim. Saving money on college expenses can be huge.

Joe Plemon presents Lessons Irvin Taught Us on Driving, Finances and Life posted at Personal Finance By The Book. Great tips on driving that relate to finances learned from a father-in-law.

Paul Williams presents How to Find $50 a Month to Give to Charity with Minimal Effort posted at Provident Planning. Want to give more? Start by cutting your personal spending.

Financial Uproar presents The Solution To Financial Literacy Doesn’t Lie In Public Schools posted at Financial Uproar. Is school really a good place for kids to learn about personal finance? Is it better than nothing?

Darwin presents Is Paying Kids for Good Grades Wrong? posted at Darwin’s Finance. Is it OK to bribe kids for good grades? It may not be frugal for parents, but it could save them money in the long run.

Case Ernsting presents Unemployment Doesn’t Have to Suck posted at FinditLocal411 Blog. Some tips for staying positive & cutting expenses if you lose your job.

Next week’s Festival of Frugality will be hosted at Miss Thrifty, so be sure to send in your submissions!

Great personal finance photos courtesy of alan cleaver

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Personal Finance Links- Getting Back to Normal Edition

RC — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:53:31 +0000

I’ve had a lot of distractions lately- plenty busy at work (which I am grateful for), the Saints winning the Superbowl, and Mardi Gras here in New Orleans ending last Tuesday. All of these things have left me with very little free time and lots of distractions over the last few weeks (as well as being tired out!), but over the last couple of days things have finally been getting back to normal- whatever that is.

Anyway, here are some great reads over the last week or so from the PF blogosphere:

Marketing or Manipulation, a guest post by Lean Life Coach at Financial Samurai

14 Tax Time Tips at PT Money

How to Rise from Poverty at Brip Brap

Couples and Money: Learn How to Stop Fighting Over Finances in Your Marriage at Generation X Finance

9 Ways to Multiply Your Sources of Income and Pay off Your Debts at Gather Little by Little

I also participated in the following carnivals over the last couple of weeks:

The 241st Carnival of Personal Finance at My Journey to Millions

Festival of Frugality at Ultimate Money Blog

Carnival of Personal Finance #243 at Get Rich Slowly: Valentine’s Day Edition at Get Rich Slowly

I‘m hosting the Festival of Frugality #218 this coming Tuesday, so if you are a PF Blogger be sure to submit an article !

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Personal Finance Links- Saints in the Super Bowl Edition

RC — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:01:31 +0000

Well, the reports are in, and it’s official. Hell has frozen over, as you can see from the accompanying photo.

The New Orleans Saints have finally made it to the Superbowl after 42 years. It’s still hard for me to believe, and I have not been suffering the full 42 years as I am a little younger than that. Win or Lose, they had a great season (although I think they will win, of course), and the irony on playing against a Manning (the 1st family of football in New Orleans and probably the rest of the NFL as well) makes it an even more exciting match-up. I can’t wait!

On to this week’s links- I would be remiss if I did not give a shout out first to two personal finance bloggers who are also Saints fans-I am sure there are others, but I have known these two were Saints fans for a while so I thought I would start off by highlighting a couple of their recent articles.

2010 Roth IRA Conversion: Should You Make the Move by PT from Prime Time Money

How Shopping Helped Me Save over $500 on Insurance by B Simple from Simple Financial Lifestyle

Geaux Saints!!

photo by southerntabitha

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Personal Finance Links- Help Relief Efforts in Haiti Edition

RC — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:11:10 +0000

Living in New Orleans and having gone through Hurricane Katrina and the the aftermath, I’ve seen what the destructive forces of nature can do to a community.

What has happened and is happening in Haiti, however, is 1000x worse. Haiti is a country that was already wracked by extreme poverty and substandard infrastructure compare to anything here in the U.S., before the earthquake, so they need assistance from others that much more.

If you have the ability to donate some amount, no matter how small, please do so to help the relief efforts going on there now, which will have to continue for a very long time in the future before there is some resemblance of normalcy.

You can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by sending a text message stating “HAITI” to number 90999. A $10 charge will appear on your phone bill.

You can also make donations to the American Red Cross via their Haitian Relief donation page.

Other groups providing assistance in Haiti:

Doctors Without Borders donation page

Partners in Health Haiti Page

Unicef Haiti Donation Page

There are probably dozens of other charities, legitimate ones, that are assisting in the Haitian relief efforts, so if you have one in mind, please donate. If you are unsure on the legitimacy of a charity you are considering making a donation to , make sure to check it out first before you donate so that your donation will have a positive impact.

Here are a few great posts I read over the past week:

The Two Income Myth at Brip Brap

8 Steps for Having a Financial Game Plan at Couple Money

How We Paid Off Our Mortgage in Under Ten Years at fivecentnickel

Are Prepaid Legal Plans Worth It? at Bargaineering

Coupons 101-Frequently Asked Questions at Northern Cheapskate

The Best 101 Debt Busting Posts of 2009 (from 101 Frugal Bloggers) at CESI Debt Solutions

I participated in 2 carnivals over the past week:

Carnival of Personal Finance #239- Hot Money Trends for 2010 Edition hosted at Darwin’s Finance

Festival of Frugality #21-New Beginnings Edition at Yes, I am Cheap

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Personal Finance Links- Start of a New Decade Edition

RC — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:13:49 +0000

Well 2009 is officially in the books, and we are now into the start of a new decade. (At least that is what they are saying- I am not exactly sure that the new doesn’t start on Jan 1, 2011, but that is another issue all together.)

Since it is 2010, I figured I’d share 10 great personal finance articles I’ve enjoyed over the last few weeks:

Why Frugal is About Living at Moneyning

New Credit Card Legislation at Gather Little by Little

Should You Wait to Give Until You Have Enough Money? at Redeeming Riches

Good Jobs Without a 4 Year Degree at Free By 50

5 Essential Money lessons From 2009 at Fiscal Fizzle

Let Freement Reign! Spending Paralysis, Material Lust, and Obsession at Financial Samurai

Top 135+ Personal Finance Posts that Can be Used in 2010 and Beyond at Good Financial Cents

The Ingredients Necessary for a Healthy Financial Plan at Christian Personal Finance

It’s A New Year to Pimp Your Finances at Budgets are $exy

Uglify Your Stuff to Keep it Safe at Wisebread

I also participated in the Carnival of Personal Finance- Parts of Speech Abuse Edition at Mighty Bargain Hunter, and the Carnival of Personal Finance-Thanksgiving Survival at Fiscal Geek (mea culpa for the late shout outs-haven’t done a roundup in a while!)

Here’s to financially successful New Year!

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Personal Finance Links- New Orleans Saints 10-0 Edition

RC — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:03:15 +0000

Although my LSU Tigers disappointed this past weekend, the New Orleans Saints cruised past the Tampa Bay Bucs today 38-7 to reach 10-0 and remain undefeated. Only time will tell if they make it to the Big Game, but things are looking pretty good for it being the best season ever. It will likely be tough though, as there are still 6 games left, and the in the playoffs just about anyone can win on any given Sunday…..

Some good personal finance articles from around the web this past week:

My SUV will Beat Up Your Hybrid & Save the World at Financial Samurai

Best of MyWifeQuitHerJob on Entrepreneurship at My Wife Quit Her Job

The Holidays Begin at Bad Money Advice

Gift Cards: The Envelope System of the 21st Century? at Enemy of Debt

How to Fight Your Health Insurance Claim Denial at the Wisdom Journal

I participated in the Carnival of Personal Finance # 230 at the Canadian Finance Blog, and the Festival of Frugality held at Domestic Cents over the last couple of weeks-be sure to check them out!

Photo by dbking

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Personal Finance Links- End of Summer Edition

RC — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:31:36 +0000

Summer is wrapping up, and hopefully we’ll get some nice cool weather down south pretty soon. Fall is my favorite season of the year (it may also have something to do with football!), so I can’t wait!

It has been a while since I posted some links to some of the great personal finance posts from around the web. Here are a few great reads from the last week or so:

How to Keep Your TV from Stealing Your Money and Your Life from Prime Time Money

JD from Get Rich Slowly posted his free e-book, The Get Rich Slowly Guide to Roth IRAs

51 Unusual Money Saving Tips from Readers at Wisebread

Money Lessons from Classic Movies at Bargaineering

Lazy Man and Money chronicled his experiences regarding cease and desist letters from Monavie because of his post asking if Monavie is a Scam. If they are that persistent in trying to quiet him, it make me wonder if they are trying to hide something.

Below are some of the Carnivals I participated in over the last few weeks or so (A belated thanks to the hosts!):

Automatic Finances hosted the Festival of Frugality #192

The ABC’s of Investing hosted the Money Hackers Carnival No. 81

The Centsible Life hosted the Festival of Frugality

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Weekly Personal Finance Links- Cool Front Edition

RC — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:29:38 +0000

Very nice weather down here this weekend in New Orleans- an early cool front (really, a dry front) lowered the temperature to the low to mid 80’s with low humidity, making it a very nice weekend for spending time outside with the family, which I did.

I participated in 2 carnivals this past week:

Frugal Upstate hosted the Festival of Frugality # 191 and included my article “Save Money Grocery Shopping- Try Shopping at a Salvage Grocery Stores“.

Great reads from the festival:

Delayed Gratification:The frugalist’s secret weapon at Funny about Money

11 Things We All Buy, But Don’t Need at The Doughroller

Why I Cancelled My Collision and Comprehensive Insurance at Fiscal Fizzle

Counting My Pennies hosted the Carnival of Pecuniary Delights #20, and included my article“25 Smart Budget and Money Saving Tips for College Students”.

Good reads from the COPD:

Grocery Hacks- How to Save Money on Groceries at Debt Free Adventure

Stop Worrying About The Things You Can’t Affect, And Work On Those You Can at Bible Money Matters

5 Reasons Not Saving Money is Saving Me Money at the Paycheck Chronicles

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Personal Finance Links- Mid Week Edition

RC — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:40:41 +0000

It’s almost the middle of the week, but it has been a while, so I figured I’d share some of the great personal finance articles I’ve read over the last week or two.

Why Frugal People are Happier, Healthier, and Safer at Prime Time Money

True Frugal Living-Homesteading in the Wilderness at The Digerati Life

Staying Sane (and Frugal) When Flying Across the Country at BeingFrugal.net

Simplicity Redefined: Be Open to What Emerges at Zen Habits

I participated in a few carnivals over the last week or two as well:

Will at Wisebread hosted the Carnival of Pecuniarities -Sweet 16 Edition, and included my article “30 Ways to Save on Your Grocery Shopping or Food Bill”

Stephanie at Poorer Than You hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance -United State Presidents Edition, and included my article “Basic Money Management – Creating and Living on a Budget”

Jeff at the Go Frugal Blog at Freeshipping.org hosted the Festival of Frugality Stops at Go Frugal and included my article “Save Money on Car Repairs- Tips on Finding a Good Mechanic”.

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Weekly Personal Finance Links- Hurricane Season Begins Edition

RC — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:52:03 +0000

It’s June 1st, which means the start of hurricane season for those who live in coastal areas on the eastern seaboard or the gulf coast, where I live (New Orleans). While the season usually doesn’t kick up until mid-August or so, it never hurts to start preparing early.

Some great reads over the last week:

Trent from The Simple Dollar did a great comparison of Amazon’s 25 Software Bestsellers- and Their Free Equivalents. I use several of these currently, but there were quite a few I was not aware of. I recommend you check it out to save some dough on expensive software for your computer.

FFB from Free From Broke provided a summary of Unbroke -What You Need to Know About Money- A Recap- which is great for me, since I missed it Friday night!

Bob from Christian Personal Finance is giving away a Nintendo Wii and an iPod in celebration of 2 years as a blogger. Congrats!

I participated in several carnivals over the last week or so:

Kelly at Almost Frugal hosted the 8th Edition of the Carnival of Pecuniarities, and included my article “15 Ways for Teens to Make Money this Summer.”

Lisa at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance #206, and included my article “Is Buy and Hold Investing Dead or Just Misunderstood?”

Meadowwood Garden hosted the Carnival of Homesteading- Vegetable Gardening Edition, and included my article “Create an Edible Container Garden This Spring.”

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Weekly Personal Finance Links- Late Cool Weather Edition

RC — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:47:11 +0000

It’s been a little cool out today, with an unusually cool (not really cold, though) front coming through yesterday after a whole lot of rain. The kind of day you wish you weren’t locked up inside at work-since the rest of the summer will be hot and humid. In spite of this, I opted to go to work and not play “hooky” for the day. Oh well, maybe next time!

Some great articles I’ve read over the last week or so:

6 Small Things You Can Do When You Lack Discipline- at Zen Habits- I see a lack of discipline/focus as one of the things I need to work on, so this hit home for me.

Why Australia? Financial Implications of Our Move Overseas- at Man vs. Debt- I applaud anyone who is bold enough to pick up and move across the world. Good Luck!

40 Most Useful Travel Websites That Can Save You a Fortune at Wisebread- The most comprehensive travel website compilation I have seen-great for planning summer travel!

And if you are planning summer travel, check out Airline Fees for Checking Bags at Consumerism Commentary.

I participated in several carnivals over the last couple of weeks:

Always the Planner hosted the Festival of Frugality-Remember When Edition, and included my article ” Thoughts on Going Cash Only- The Benefits and Drawbacks of Not Using Credit Cards“.

I Pick Up Pennies hosted the Money Hackers Carnival-Swine Flu Edition, and included my article “20 Ways To Reduce Your Household Energy Use”.

Money Hacks hosted the Kids and Money Carnival, and included my article “From the Economic Stimulus Plan- 529 Funds Can be Used for Computers, Software, and Peripherals”.

Earn What You Spend hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance #204- and included my article “What Does Retirement Mean to You and What Will Your Retirement Needs Be?”

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Weekly Personal Finance Links- Cinco De Mayo Edition

RC — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:53:25 +0000

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Cinco De Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Now you don’t have to drop large chunk of change on a Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker to have a great time- you can be frugal and make your own with a regular blender or make one “on the rocks”-(I prefer on the rocks myself, with salt).

Here are some great articles I’ve read over the last week or so:

Common Credit Report Errors at Prime Time Money

Resigning on Good Terms at Cash Money Life

The Secrets of Financial Freedom: An Interview With the Millionaire Next Door at Get Rich Slowly

Congrats to nickel - Check out Four Years of FiveCentNickel at FiveCentNickel

I participated in 2 carnivals last week:

Fire Finance hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance #202- The Lao Tzu Edition, and included my article “Mark Cuban, Naked Pizza, and Being Passionate and Persistent about Your Dreams“.

The Paycheck Chronicles hosted the Festival of Frugality- The Spring has Sprung Edition, and included my article 20 Ways To Reduce Your Household Energy Use“.

photo credit: holisticmonkey

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