Favorite Blog Posts: 11/21/2008

I haven't done a "favorite blog posts" article in awhile, but I came across some stories recently that I really liked.

Glblguy over at Gather Little By Little shared a thought-provoking tax story he received in an email. Interesting way to look at things!

I recently started reading a cute, fun blog written by Big Mama. She just came back from a trip to the Dominican Republic with Compassion International and had one last story to share. This one is a real tear-jerker!

Lastly, Rocket Finance is starting a new series on Finances and Freedom. He leans right, so you may or may not want to keep up with this one ;) I'm really enjoying it so far.

Have a great weekend!

Favorite Blog Post: 8/1/08

I was going through my Google reader today and came across this post over at Gather Little By Little.

Glblguy is letting his readers know about bump keys. Bump keys are a special key readily available on the internet that allows anyone to open just about any lock, including the one on your front door. Pretty scary. Check out Glblguy's post and the link to a website that would like to ban the sale of these "skeleton" keys.

Have a great weekend!

Favorite Blog Post 7/4/08

I watch very little, if any, television, but I still seem to get bombarded by society's and the media's opinions on what my life should look like. I read two excellent articles this week, both focusing on determining what actually makes you happy, not on what our society or the media tells us should make us happy (or unhappy, as the case may be).

On Simplicity is a great blog I just stumbled upon recently. Sara wrote a great article this week titled Redefining the American Dream. What is YOUR American Dream? Mine doesn't look anything like Desperate Housewives or Friends, that's for sure!

On a similar note, Frugal Dad discusses how media outlets seem to enjoy telling us that we are miserable and that buying more stuff will fix that.

Have a great Independence Day, everyone! And turn off that stinking idiot box! ;)

Favorite Blog Post 6/27/08

I turned the central air on for the first time last night. Living in Wisconsin, we usually only need to turn it on a few times a year. It went back off this morning. I might keep track of the days and nights we run the AC this year and put something up on the right-hand column. We'll see if I can find the time!

My favorite blog post this week was from Stop the Ride!. I really enjoyed her article about things to do in North Carolina since my husband and I frequently visit our friend who moved there. We now have tons of fun ideas for our next trip!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I get to go bouldering at my favorite place in the whole world tomorrow. Yah!

Favorite Blog Post 6/20/08

If you enjoy the Drugstore Game, you have to check this out (and even if you don't, you still need to check this out!).

Money, Love, and Change wrote a post this week about a website called AnySoldier. It's a way to send items to our troops that they are requesting. You can search for what you want to give (ie. shampoo, toothpaste) and it will list troops that are requesting these items! I had no idea that our troops needed things like toothbrushes, deoderant, tons of little things I get free quite often!

I love that I can help our troops in such a tangible way. I hope to send my first package out next week!

Favorite Blog Post 5/16/08

This weekend's going to be pretty busy. On Saturday morning, my husband and I are helping a friend move, and my husband's mom is having a rummage sale at our house at the same time! I'm hoping to catch the Preakness Stakes late Saturday afternoon - go Big Brown! Then, I'm going to be grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon with some friends for an upcoming backpacking trip while my husband and a friend take a little pine tree out of our front yard. Like I said, we'll be busy :)

At any rate, my favorite blog post this week came from Mrs. Micah. She wrote a great post to get her readers thinking about what they would do with a million dollars. Her excellent point was that we should actually start doing those things now with the money we have! Definitely check it out - it's inspiring :)

Lastly, in honor of the upcoming horse race, I'm including a picture of my old girl, Silky. She's a 22-year-old quarter horse whom I've owned since I was 11. Isn't she a beaut?!

Favorite Blog Post 5/2/08

My favorite blog post this week was from That One Caveman and is titled The Key to a Successful Financial Plan: Flexibility. I really liked it because I tend to get frustrated with changes to my financial plans and feel like I have failed. I needed to be reminded that changing your plan is not a failure, it's flexibility!

Carnivals
My story about How NOT to Handle an Inheritance was included in the Carnival of Money Stories this week. Make sure you check out all of the money stories!

Favorite Blog Post 4/25/08

Since I took a little vacation to Washington DC last weekend, it's been tough getting caught up around here. I haven't been able to read and comment on as many blogs as I usually do. I did come across a few good articles this week, including a post from Cash Money Life about improving your computer's performance. It's not directing related to finances, but if you can keep your current computer longer, you will definitely save money!

Favorite Blog Post 4/18/08

I have a favorite blog post and a favorite blog quote this week!

Gather Little By Little told a great fact-turned-fiction story this week about two friends and the power of peer pressure. I thought it was well-written and thought-provoking. Go check it out!

I read an article this week at Frugal Dad in which he coined a new phrase that I really liked: “Sure, the grass is greener on the other side, but the water bill is higher, too.” I thought it was a neat way to be reminded that the "Joneses" don't always have it as good as we think they do!

Favorite Blog Post 4/11/08

My favorite blog post this week was from Mrs. Micah. I really need to get a little more organized with an "alien abduction manual". This is a fun way of saying that you (and I) should have our financial paperwork organized in case something should happen to us. That way, our spouse (or whoever will take over our finances if something happens to us) isn't at a complete loss during a difficult time.

I'm off on another vacation next week. I'm heading to Washington DC (which, ironically enough, is where Mrs. Micah lives)!

Favorite Blog Post 4/4/08

This week, I'd like to bring your attention to a blog I always check out when I need a good laugh. Nick at Punny Money writes some really funny stuff about personal finance and the world we live in. So if you want to know about the kind of crap people are buying on Amazon or if you'd like to find out what Nick is willing to do for a bored millionaire, you really need to check him out!

To see a little more serious side of Nick, read about how you can ignore homeless people and not feel guilty about it. This post was very timely since I'll be going to Washington DC in two weeks on vacation. I've already donated to the Salvation Army, so I'll be sure to leave the cash at home :)

Favorite Blog Post 3/28/08

My favorite blog post this week is from Lynnae at beingfrugal.net. She had a really neat way of cleaning her daughter's bedroom over spring break. It sounds like her method worked really well and she even got her daughter to get rid of some clutter!


Carnivals
My post about removing our escrow account was a pretty big success in the blogosphere (for me, at least!). It was included in the Carnival of Money Stories at Dividend Growth. Paidtwice read the article through that carnival and included it in her carnival round-up post. Thanks, guys :)

Favorite Blog Post 3/21/08

My favorite blog post this week was from Frugal Dad. He wrote about lessons he's learned from living on one income. I thought it was a fitting article for me since I plan to stay home once my husband and I have children. From what Frugal Dad wrote, I think my husband and I will be ready!

I hope everyone has a very blessed Good Friday and gets to spend quality time with family and/or friends this weekend for Easter!

Favorite Blog Post 3/14/08

If you've meandered your way over here from Gather Little By Little, welcome! Please check out some of my recent posts below :)

For everyone else, please check out my guest post The Next Big Thing over at Gather Little By Little. I want to thank Glblguy for the opportunity to post on his awesome site!

My favorite blog post this week was It Doesn't Matter What My House is Worth from I've Paid For This Twice Already. Like, PaidTwice, I don't really consider my house an investment, it's just my home!

Favorite Blog Post 3/7/08

My favorite blog post this week was from Rocket Finance. Rocket reminds us to keep things in perspective in his post Relativism. I think part of the reason I liked this post is because he's talking about the ending of this cold Wisconsin winter!

Also, Mrs. Micah started a great new wiki website for personal finance websites, particularly blogs. It's called Finwikian. Check out my entry! This is an awesome idea, Mrs. Micah. I'm somehow not surprised that a librarian came up with an idea like this :)

Carnivals
I was very excited to discover that my post Getting the Best Deal on Airline Tickets was an editor's pick over at Broke Grad Student! Thanks! Make sure you check out the rest of the great articles at the Festival of Frugality.

I'm having my parents and some siblings over for lasagna on Sunday. I hope you get to spend your weekend with family, too!

Favorite Blog Post 2/29/08

My favorite blog post this week was 5 Reasons to Abandon Television at The Wisdom Journal. My husband and I very rarely watch live tv. We do own the House tv series on DVD, but even then we only average about one episode a week and about one movie a month. There's so many other fun things to do with your life!

Carnivals
Check out this week's Carnival of Money Stories at Collecting My Cash. My story about getting my free credit report was included.

Have a great weekend :)

Favorite Blog Post 2/22/08

I've had a nasty cold since last week Friday, but it's finally starting to get a little better. Most of this week, I just went to work, came home, and laid around/napped. I'm hoping it won't hang on too much longer!

My favorite blog post this week was from Gather Little by Little. It's the third part of a series on buying a new car at a dealership. I learned quite a bit about the tactics that dealerships use; you really have to check it out. Make sure you go back and read parts one and two, as well!

Carnivals
I was included in the Carnival of Money Stories hosted by College of Cash. I submitted my story about our $250 refund.

Have a great weekend!

Favorite Blog Post 2/15/08

My favorite blog post this week was posted at Get Rich Slowly but written by Lynnae at BeingFrugal. Here's the link:
How to Prepare for a Baby (Without Going Broke)
Sure, it's a little premature for me to be thinking about having a baby, but I really enjoy reading and learning about these things before the hormones kick in :) For example, I'd never even considered the idea of using cloth diapers instead of disposables or of using a midwife instead of going to the hospital. Now I have a couple of years to casually read about these topics as I see articles about them!

Carnivals
I was included in the Make It From Scratch carnival this week. I entered my recipe for Easy Lasagna. I definitely want to try out the recipe I saw for Dark Molten Chocolate Cakes - they look so delicious!

I was also included in the Carnival of 20-Something Finance. I entered one of my "Saving Money of Your Wedding" articles: Bridal Accessories.

Lastly, my husband did the sweetest thing for Valentine's Day. There were 3 roses in the bathroom when I got up. Later, I found 3 more by my breakfast bowl, 3 more by my hot chocolate mug, and 3 more by the front door! Each set of flowers was in a plastic water bottle with a handmade wrapper on it where he wrote something sweet.
Pictures are below. I sure do love that guy!

Favorite Blog Post 2/8/08

Him over at Make Love, Not Debt had a funny article this week about his mom. There are links to past articles about his mom, as well. Him's mom sounds like she could be difficult to deal with, but he sure handles it well! Here's the article:
Mom's Ring Finger

In other news, I went back to the orthodontist on Wednesday. I got fitted for my "appliance" and then the annoying rubber band spacers went back in. I found out the appliance is going to have two metal bands that will be visible when I smile. I almost starting crying right there in the dentist chair, all 28 years of me. Pretty vain, huh? :)

Favorite Blog Post 2/1/08

My favorite blog post this week goes along with the wedding posts I've been doing. Mrs. Micah said something that I've been wanting to say for a long time in her post Bridesmaid Dresses - we need a solution.
Make sure you check out the comments, as well. Did you know that in the UK, the bride pays for the bridesmaids' dresses and shoes?