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Carnival of Personal Finance #258 – Cities at Night

Adam — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:00:31 +0000

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance! My name is Adam and I am your host this week. It was an honor reading everyone’s submissions this week. There were a TON!

For a theme this week, I thought about pictures of cities at night. I’m not sure what it is about these types of pictures, but I absolutely love them. So, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for stopping by!

Shanghai, China

Editor’s Choice

Jason from Live Real, Now has a great piece on Garage Sale Management. With the garage sale season well underway, following Jason’s plan can net you a lot of extra cash. You can use that extra cash to GET OUT OF DEBT!

Pop Economics has some great new ways to Trick Yourself Into Saving for Retirement. Personally, I love behavior economics. When I learned about it during my master’s degree, I just couldn’t get enough. Check out this great piece!

Flexo from Consumerism Commentary wants to know, Should We Discourage Students From Attending College? When I graduated in December of 2008 and couldn’t find a job, I often wondered if it was a waste of money and time. Looking back, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I learned so much both educationally and socially.

Los Angeles, California

Budgeting

Craig from Free From Broke presents Organic Food Is Not Expensive, and says, “Reports keep coming out suggestion possible links to problems with non-organic foods. Can you afford NOT to eat organic these days?”

Elizabeth from Modern Gal presents What is an Emergency Fund?.

Paris, France

Debt

Kim Snider from Kimmunications presents How to Get Rid of All Bad Debt, and says, “If you follow the guidelines and steps in this article you will have a systematic plan to eliminate your bad debt and get closer to true financial independence.”

Jason from One Money Design presents How Should I Start Paying Off Student Loans, and says, “Many students will graduate with student loan debt this year. Follow these steps to get started paying them off!”

Len from Len Penzo dot Com presents 8 Big Reasons Why You’re Getting an F in Personal Finance 101.

Revanche from A Gai Shan Life presents Lingering Side Effects of Debt.

Chicago, Illinois

Frugality

Miss Bankrupt presents Is a Housekeeper Worth the Money?.

Miss T from Prairie Eco-Thrifter presents Dress Well On The Frugal.

Amanda from My Dollar Plan presents 10 Budget Wedding Ideas From a Satisfied Bride, and says, “This is a great article for anyone planning a wedding on a budget!”

Endless Gibberish presents How I (and You) Can Use Fandango to Save Money on Movie Tickets, and says, “I write about how I cut the cost of movie tickets from $68.50 to $36.50 for an outing to watch Shrek 4 in 3d for a savings of $32. I use various methods from 2-for-1 deals, discounted gift cards and using coupons bought off eBay.”

Jim from Wanderlust Journey presents International Restaurant Tipping Guide.

Credit

Ben from Money Smart Life presents Six Credit Card Rewards Tips to Maximize Your Points.

Jim from Bargaineering presents How FICO Credit Scores Work.

RJ Weiss from Gen Y Wealth presents How Important Is Your Credit Score?, and says, “It’s safe to say, understanding how credit, credit cards, and your credit score work, can save you over a hundred thousand dollars over your lifetime.”

J. Money from Budgets Are Sexy presents A Great Reminder to Watch Your Credit Card Statements, and says, “Credit card scams can happen to any of us – be on the look out!”

Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents Can I Lower the Interest Rate on My Credit Card?, and says, “Many credit card holders that have high balances were hoping to be able to lower the rate that they have.”

Tim Chen from NerdWallet presents Durbin Interchange Amendment: Precursor to $132 Annual Fees?, and says, “The new interchange fee, or “swipe fee”, regulation that Congress is proposing may not be all it’s cracked up to be. While merchants will be better off, banks will likely pass off the fees to consumers instead.”

Saving

Big Cajun Man from Canadian Personal Finance presents Registered Disability Savings Plan the Story Continues, and says, “The continuing case study of my attempts to set up a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) in Canada for my son. The program has been in place for over a year, but it still has some “teething pains”.

Not Made of Money presents Save Money On Your Next Water Bill With These Tips.

Career

Darren from MORE than Finances presents Working Overtime – A Blessing Or A Curse?, and says, “What would you do if you were asked to work overtime? How do you decide if working overtime is worth it?”

LeanLifeCoach from Eliminate the Muda presents Money and Loyalty , and says, “To be successful in life maybe we need to take a page from business and build loyal customers.”

Paul from Provident Planning presents How to Start a Corporation in Pennsylvania (and Most Other States, Too), and says, “If you’re looking to start a corporation, this step-by-step guide will show you what you need to do.”

David R. Lampsen from Personal Finance Analyst presents Atheist or Catholic High School Scholarships?.

Taxes

Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents After I Do My Taxes, How Does My Tax Return Get Processed?

Investing

Sun from The Sun’s Financial Diary presents 2010 SmartMoney Broker Survey.

Helen from Science and Money presents Create Your Own Personal Mutual Fund, and says, “With stock transaction fees as low as $2/trade, is it possible to create your own diversified fund?”

2 Cents from Balance Junkie presents Today’s Markets: Not Business as Usual, and says, “This article looks at some of the factors that make today’s markets and financial system different from the past.”

Kristina from Dinks Finance presents 5 Easy Strategies For Smart Investors, and says, “Here are 5 easy tips to help you maximize your investment strategies.”

Clint from Accumulating Money presents Currency Option Trading.

PT from PT Money presents The Best Online Stock Brokers For Cheap Stock Trading, and says, “Begin investing with a low cost brokerage. Don’t pay big trading fees.”

Money Smarts from Smart On Money presents What Type Of Retirement Account Should I Choose? Traditional IRA, Roth IRA And 401k, and says, “Which account type is the best one, which should you choose for your situation?”

FMF from Free Money Finance presents Why I Invest Like I Do, and says, “A successful reader gives his investing philosophy — which is advice I agree with and follow quite closely.”

Mike Piper from The Oblivious Investor presents 401k Rollover Guide, and says, “An attempt to make a comprehensive 401k rollover resource, covering whether you should do it, how to do it, where to do it, etc.”

Russ from Thornton Wealth Management presents When To Buy & When To Sell, and says, “This is a post about the battle between emotions and logic in the quest to make smart investment decisions. This was prompted by a recent voicemail from a client”

D4L from Dividends Value presents Five Dividend Stocks To Buy On A Dip, and says, “Did May 6th frighten or excite you? I received a few emails from frightened dividend investors letting me know they were getting out of the market, while others asked if this was the beginning of another significant downturn. The first group are destined to always lose money in the market (sell low/buy high) and my answer to the second group was, ‘I hope so!’ Let me explain.”

Money Management

MD from Studenomics presents Planning to Start a Business? Read This First.

Panda Mike from Green Panda Treehouse presents Survival Guide to Recession, and says, “This is how each individual should manage a recession; with a survival guide to recession. The best plans don’t have to be complicated.”

Bret from Hope to Prosper presents A Purpose for Wealth, and says, “What if you want to become a millionaire, so you can live the good life? You probably won’t stay rich for very long, because your wealth doesn’t have a purpose, except to be consumed.”

The Financial Blogger presents What is Your Relationship With Money?, and says, “Find out if your relationship with money looks like your relationship with your ex-girlfriend, with your parents or with your dog!”

Finance

Barb Friedberg presents Why I’m Wealthy & My House Is Dusty, and says, “Invest regularly & deliberately to attain wealth. Put time and attention towards what you value; eliminate the unproductive.”

Musings of an Abstract Aucklander presents Mo’ money, mo’ problems?, and says, “If you have the opportunity to make more money for the same amount of work, do it.”

Kevin from Financially Poor presents Make Your Money Work For You.

Real Estate

Jake from Not Rich Yet presents The math behind buying a rental property, and says, “This shows some interesting math behind buying rental properties. Most people find the concept of cash flow positive attractive but have no idea what return on investment they actually get. This article attempts to remedy that.”

Craig Ford from Money Help For Christians presents How to know if you’re ready to buy a home, and says, “Seven questions every first time home buyer must answer.”

Andy from Saving to Invest presents Another 2010 Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Unlikely Based on Stronger Housing Data, and says, “Unfortunately it looks like the chances of a further extension to the home buyer tax credit are lessening by the day as stronger housing data and focus on reducing government debt and foreclosures emerges. Bloomberg reports that purchases of new homes in the U.S. surged 27% in March, the most in almost five decades as buyers rushed to qualify for the home buyer tax credit. ”

Other

VH from Funny About Money presents Good Corps, Bad Corps, and says, “Adventures in customer (dis)service.”

Consumer Boomer presents Things to Know About Comparing Life Insurance Policies, and says, “When it comes to comparing all your options for life insurance, it can be just as overwhelming as a Las Vegas buffet.”

Lucia from moneyStrands presents How To Plan A Garage Sale, and says, “A post on how to make some extra cash and de-clutter your home.”

Mr. Credit Card from Ask Mr. Credit Card presents Anatomy of a Scam.

Lance from Leave Debt Behind presents Avoid These Common Money Mistakes.

Ryan Ayres from The Financial Student presents 10 Lies We’re Told About Money, and says, “A list of some common attitudes and beliefs that are rarely, if ever, true.”

mbhunter from Mighty Bargain Hunter presents Review: Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market?, and says, “A review of Mariusz Skonieczny’s new book”

Austin Morgan from Foreigner’s Finances presents How to Pick a Charity, Track Donations and Maximize Giving, and says, “It’s important to donate, but keeping our donations in order can be tricky. This post shows you how to get the most out of your donations without giving yourself a headache. ”

Wealth Pilgrim presents How to Select the Right Roth IRA Beneficiary, and says, “You should pick your Roth IRA beneficiary carefully. Here are a few unusual tips to help you make sure you select the right beneficiaries.”

Carnival of Personal Finance #258 – Cities at Night

Carnival of Money Stories #53

Adam — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:00:28 +0000

Welcome to the Carnival of Money Stories #53! This is by far my favorite blog carnival. You get to read so many great stories about people lives and how they handle different aspects of their finances. I hope you enjoy these great posts as I did. Speaking of posts, I thought I would plug one of mine while I’m at it. On Friday, I wrote a post over at Frugal Dad about our struggle with an online company scam. Talk about a story!

Anyway, on with the Carnival!

Editor’s Picks

Free From Broke shares a nifty little system for teaching children to budget. My wife and I don’t have any children, but I am bookmarking this one for future use!

Free Money Finance shares with you another chapter of their Comcast saga. All I have to say is, they have waaaay more patience than I do!

Money Beagle talks about the downside of paying down debt. I hope this doesn’t happen to us! I don’t really see us getting a large sum of money so we might be safe.

Debt

Before You Invest talks about the four bad spending habits that they are changing today. I think we all have the same problems!

Cash Money Life shows you how and where to get a personal loan. Personally, we couldn’t have been more thankful to get rid of our personal loan.

Good Financial Cents shares with you week 2 of Financial Peace University. I’ve always want to take the classes but just can’t foot the bill!

Business

The Financial Blogger lets you know why they blog. I blog to be held accountable for my financial actions.

Shopping

Canadian Finance Blog talks about reward points, loyalty cards and lies. I think cash back credit cards are what got me into trouble!

Credit

Miss Bankrupt got selected for Chase Bank’s Reage Program. Not sure what it is? Head over there and check it out!

Credit Card Offers IQ got an offer to get cash back from swiping their credit card. Say what?

Investing

FIRE Finance shares a wonderful story about Sandy Aldridge and Dale Lugenbehl. A must read!

PT Money shows you why he bought 1,000 shares of Blockbuster.

Personal Finance By the Book let’s you know how to ensure you will never be a millionaire.

Other

My Dollar Plan is thinking about a vacation home again! Man, I wish I was just thinking about a regular home!

The Sun’s Financial Diary asks, how would you treat your neighbor? Very interesting piece!

Funny About Money shares with you the cost of commuting. Luckily, I have to drive 1 mile to the train station and then take the train to DC. Heck, even the train is paid for by work!

Jeremy at Dinks Finance talks about the chances of his in-laws moving in. I would say they are rather high!

J Money wants to know if you are middle class. I’m not as well of as J, but I consider myself middle class.

Financial Tales shares with you a wealthy tale.

Squirrelers talks about squirrelers gone wild.

Early Retirement Extreme shows you how to say no to a new car.

Foreigner’s Finance show you how to make an Olive Garden dish at home for much less. Mmmmm….I think I might have to try this!

The Writer’s Coin asks, more money, more better?

Thanks to all of the participants this week! It sure was great reading them all! Next weeks edition will be held at Personal Finance Journey. Head over to the carnivals submission page to get your post included!

Carnival of Money Stories #53

Carnival of Personal Finance #219 – Little League Edition

Adam — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:00:10 +0000

Welcome to the 219th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance! My name is Adam and I am VERY pleased to be your host. I have been dying to host this carnival and when I found out I was on the list, I was ecstatic. I have decided to base this weeks theme on little league as they are currently playing the Little League World Series. Many of us have played little league, have kids playing it or just love the game. I was surrounded by it my whole life, living 15 minutes south of where they host the annual Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA.

: Lamade Stadium is located in South Williamsport, PA. This is where they host the Little League World Series each year.

Editor’s Picks

M is for Money helps you decide What to Do When Your Partner Doesn’t Care About Money. Luckily, both my wife and I care dearly about our money situation. It’s great to have that other person to talk to.

Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck presents Bank Fees and Billing Errors. I bet this bank is wondering why they are losing customers. Do companies not understand that their income comes from it’s customers?

Weakonomics wonders What Kind of Saver Are You? I think that my wife and I are “Sweepers”. We low spending ever dollar on paper every month. However, we never use credit cards. Does that make us a different kind of saver?

Darwin’s Finance shows you The Cost of That Puppy in the Window. Ever think that a dog could cost you $100,000+? This post gives you an extremely detailed view of the cost.

: Team Japan

The Little League World Series includes 16 teams from all over the world. There are 8 teams from the USA and 8 others from Canada, Japan and more. The USA teams are automatically guaranteed one birth in the finals.

Frugality

Punch Debt in the Face says Go Little or Go Home.

Man Vs Debt shares with you 25 Essentials That Are Better and Cheaper to Make at Home.

Free by 50 gives you some reasons Why They Don’t Like Giving Friends a Ride to the Airport.

Money Under 30 presents Confessions of a Textbook Salesman.

Budgeting

Bucksomeboomer’s Financial Path to Retirement presents 5 Free Budget Tools.

Wisebread talks about Using Prepaid Gift Cards for Modern Envelope Budgeting.

The Little League World Series began in 1947 with just a few teams from Pennsylvania. To no surprise, a team from Williamsport, PA won the first World Series title.

Credit

Ask Mr Credit Card has some new Updates to the Credit Card Bill of Rights.

Credit Card Offers IQ has 10 Super Cool Credit Card Offers (You’ve Never Heard Of).

The Smarter Wallet shares with you a Review of Equifax Products.

Funny About Money talks about Toothless Credit Card Consumer Protection Laws.

The Digerati Life shows you How to Use Secured Credit Cards to Boost Your Credit.

Funny About Money talks about the Toothless Credit Card Consumer Protection Laws.

Rabbit Funds share with you his Review of Credit Karma.

Accumulating Money has some Tips on Improving Your Credit Score.

Career

FiscalGeek shares some tips on How to Boost Your Income for a Season.

MoneyNing lets you know What to Do When You Hate Your Job.

Budgets are Sexy presents A Day In the Life of a Poker Player.

Bargaineering presents Get Towed Twice a Year.

MoneyMonk wants to know What is “Upper” Middle-Class?

Every umpire at the Little League World Series is a volunteer. Now that’s what I call dedication to a sport!

Finance

Doughroller shares with you 11 Simple Ways to Improve Your Credit Score Today.

Fine Tuned Finances talks about the Lending Club Scam.

Fiscal Fizzle presents Extremes in Personal Finance and the Conventional Approach.

FIRE Finance presents Free Money – Online Bank Account Signup Bonuses .

TIPBlog presents Alternative Income Streams.

Investing

Redeeming Riches presents Who Can You Count on For Retirement.

Good Financial Cents presents How To Survive a Stock Market Crash.

Affine Financial Services presents The Three-Minute Portfolio.

The Canadian Finance Blog presents Dividend Funds That Don’t Pay Dividends.

Investing Toolkit presents How To Find A Good Mutual Fund.

Prime Time Money presents My 403(b) Rollover to a Traditional IRA .

Saving to Invest presents How to Invest in Mutual Funds.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job presents How Does Your 401(k) Stack Up?.

Financial Highway presents Emotions and Investing: 4 Tips to Keep Emotions Out of Investing.

The Incidental Economist presents Need For Risk: The Details.

In 2007, there where over 2.2 million kids playing Little League around the world. There were also over 350,000 softball participants. Little League is a great organization to get your kids involved in.

Money Management

Mrs Bankrupt from Mrs Bankrupt presents 5 Ways to waste money.

Banker, Saver presents CD Ladder Basics: Diversifying With Certificates of Deposit.

Free From Broke presents Americans To Spend Less This Holiday Season.

My Dollar Plan presents The Best Bank for Your Money.

Help for Your Personal Finance presents How And When To Refinance A Mortgage: Rule Of Thumb.

Saving

My Findependence Day presents How Much Should You Spend When You Travel?.

Personal Finance By The Book presents Do it Yourself Car Transactions Can Save You Thousands.

Saving Cents in the City presents Lessons I Could Learn from My Younger Self – Value Work.

PennyJobs presents In the Eye of the Storm, Get a Jump on Frugal Living and Start Saving Today.

Other

The Happy Rock presents 13 Simple Tips To Make Tent Camping Easier And More Fun.

Personal Finance Software Reviews presents Weekly Envelope Review – Personal Finance Software.

Wealth Pilgrim presents Funeral for a Friend.

Provident Planning presents New Covenant Giving: Give with Sincere Desire and Love.

Christian Finances presents 10 best tipping celebrities.

Amateur Asset Allocator presents Mortgage Life Insurance Is A Rip-Off.

One Money Design presents How Web 2.0 and Bloggers are Helping People Thrive in Personal Finance.

The Frugal New Yorker presents Time Management: A Better Way.

Green Panda Treehouse presents Weighing the Pros and Cons of Home Ownership.

The Little League World Series will continue through this week with the Championship game taking place on Sunday. Be sure to check out this great tradition with various games on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2.

Thanks for letting me be your host this week! I hope you enjoyed all of the great articles!

Carnival of Personal Finance #219 – Little League Edition

Festival of Frugality #185 – Barbecue Edition

Adam — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:00:01 +0000

Welcome to the 185th edition of the Festival of Frugality! My name is Adam and I am grateful to be your host this week. After you are done reading these great frugal tips, be sure to poke around the site for some great information. Also, you may want to consider subscribing to the blog as we recently added a new blogger to the site (Chris) who will chronicle his journey out of $150,000+ in debt. You can subscribe via RSS or you can subscribe via email.

Over the past holiday weekend, it’s pretty easy to guess that you were at some sort of barbecue. My fiancee and I were at 3! Barbecues are a great time to eat some great food, spend time with family, and meet exciting new people. However, they are also a time to put on about 5 pounds!

Main Dishes (Editor’s Picks)

One of the best parts of a barbecue is the main dish. Whether is hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken or steaks, you just can’t get enough of these!

Paula presents Do Not Buy These School Supplies Unless Required posted at Monroe on a Budget.

Jeff presents How To Save On Your Property Tax posted at Good Financial Cents.

Heather presents How Costco Primes Us To Spend More Money… posted at The Greenest Dollar.

Barry presents Learn To Survive On A $100 Grocery Budget posted at Associate Money.

Casseroles (Some Good Stuff)

MMMMM! Some of my favorite things at a barbecue are in this category! I would have to say that macaroni and cheese is my favorite.

Jenn presents Frugal Summer Fun for Kids Part II posted at Frugal Upstate.

Curt presents How To Prepare For a Long Recession, Start Savings 50% of Your Income posted at PennyJobs.com.

PT presents Blockbuster Takes on Redbox with $1.99 One-Night DVD Rentals posted at Prime Time Money.

Kathryn presents Banks Increase Overdraft Fees; How to Prevent Them posted at Out of Debt Christian.

Miss M presents Companies Value Your Opinion posted at M is for Money.

David presents Tax Day Discounts: Celebrating the Un-Celebratable posted at Personal Finance Analyst.

Debt Ninja presents Banks Are To Blame For The Rain Forest Woes posted at Punch Debt In The Face.

Joe presents Should I Bail Out Mom From Financial Struggles? posted at Personal Finance By The Book.

Sun presents Free Online Money Management Tools That Make Your Life Easier posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

The Smarter Wallet presents How To Manage Debt: Credit Management Tips For College Students posted at The Smarter Wallet.

Patrick presents Cash For Clunkers Scams posted at Military Finance Network.

Matt Jabs presents Follow Through on Financial Goals posted at Debt Free Adventure.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Budgeting Tools and Software Products in Lieu of Microsoft Money posted at The Digerati Life.

Patrick presents Free Coldplay Live Album Download posted at Money Saving Deals.

Make It from Scratch presents Pretty, Simple, and Economical posted at Make It From Scratch.

Lazy Man presents Save Money on Glasses and Contact Lenses posted at Lazy Man and Money.

FFB presents US Savings Rate At 15 Year High posted at Free From Broke.

Darwin presents Flexible Spending Account: Rules, Eligibility and Savings Explanation | Darwin’s Finance posted at Darwin’s Finance.

VH presents Borrowing Trouble: Planning For a Government Shutdown posted at Funny about Money.

Bank Savings Review presents EverBank FreeNet Checking Account Review posted at Bank Savings Review.

Dessert (Save the Best For Last)

I hope you saved room for dessert! This is where to good stuff is!

Patrick presents Cash for Clunkers Bill posted at Cash Money Life.

Christian PF presents What is a Roth 401k? posted at Christian Personal Finance.

Kelsey presents Sympathy Plants » How Much to Spend on Plants for a Funeral posted at Sympathy Plants.

J. Money presents Financial Checklists Are Key. What’s Yours? posted at Budgets are Sexy.

Jim presents Easy Budgeting for Non-Budgeters posted at Bargaineering.

Ben presents Should You Pre-Buy Your Heating Oil This Year? posted at Trees Full of Money.

Madison presents 12 Tasks for Your Mid Year Financial Checkup posted at My Dollar Plan.

MoneyNing presents How to Be a Millionaire posted at Money Ning.

FMF presents How to Save $200 on Your Car Insurance posted at Free Money Finance.

Wealth Pilgrim presents These Three Killer Ideas Mean Small Business Success posted at Wealth Pilgrim.

Four Pillars presents Balance Transfer Credit Cards – What Are They And Why You Might Want To Get One posted at Four Pillars.

Nicki presents OK, I’m Frugal – Now What? posted at Domestic Cents.

Melissa presents Frugality is Not a Competitive Sport posted at Saving Cents With Sense.

Festival of Frugality #185 – Barbecue Edition

Carnival of Top Personal Finance Posts #10

Adam — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:00:28 +0000

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Carnival of Top Personal Finance Posts! My name is Adam and I am glad to be your host this week. Please be sure to check out each article this week as they were all great. Once you find your favorite, be sure to vote for it!

Also, you may want to consider subscribing to the blog. We recently added a new blogger to the site (Chris) who will chronicle his journey out of $150,000+ in debt. You can subscribe via RSS or you can subscribe via email. Thanks again and have fun reading!

Carnival of Top Personal Finance Posts #10

Vote For Me Today!

Adam — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:27:16 +0000

Pete from Bible Money Matters selected my article on creating a financial mission statement as one of the top 6 personal finance posts from last week.

Want to know who the winner is? Well, that is up to the readers. Head over to his site, check out the other great posts and place your vote!

Vote For Me Today!

Carnival of Twenty Something Finances – DC Edition

Adam — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:00:47 +0000

Welcome to this weeks edition of the Carnival of Twenty Something Finances! Last weekend, the future Mrs and I headed down to Washington, DC to check out the famous cherry blossoms. Although it was VERY crowded, I must admit that it was an amazing time to see them. DC is a great place to see on the cheap. Most museums in the city are free and they have a great transit system. Personally, we parked outside of the city at one of the free metro stations and rode the train all day. It cost us about $5 per person and we did not have to deal with the horrendous traffic and confusing streets.

Sprinkled throughout the carnival this week are some common places to see while visiting DC. Like I mentioned before, most of these sites are free to the public. You can get away with spending very, very little compared to other cities. I advise packing a lunch for you and your family as food can be rather pricey if you purchase it from vendors. Anyway, off to the carnival!

This is a picture that we took in the midst of the trees. The cherry blossoms were at their peak this year from around March 28th through April 12th.

Editor Picks

Debt Kid shows you that getting a mortgage after foreclosure is not so simple.

Debt Ninja at Punch Debt in the Face wants to know what’s your favorite dumb but fun expense? I would have to say that mine was my iPhone. I love it with a passion but I really do not need all of the features and the added expense.

Jerry at Deal Supermarket talks about getting unplugged with frugality. This was a very creative post!

DR at The Dough Roller gives you 10 tips to declutter your finances.

The Washington Monument is the most prominent structure in DC. It was built in 1884 in honor of George Washington. It’s free to get in but make sure you get their early!

The Rest of the Field

KC Lau shows you 5 ways to take charge of your finances.

Fabulously Broke in the City shows you why a small space does not mean you put your life on hold and whine.

Bank Savings Review let’s you know about four banks that gave their TARP funds bank.

Kathryn at Out of Debt Christian has the top ways to waste money on your home.

Shaun from Learn Financial Planning shows you why being frugal is just the first step.

SVB at The Digerati Life helps you choose the best online stock brokers for cheap stock trades.

Personal Finance Analyst wants to know if saving money damages your quality of life.

Patrick at Cash Money Life tells you when you should tell your boss that you are pregnant.

The Smithsonian Institution has a ton of great free museums to see in DC. You can go to the Air and Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, Freer Gallery of Art, etc.

Mr CC at Ask Mr Credit Card let’s you know how American Express submits your credit information to the credit bureaus.

Matt at Fine-Tuned Finances compares new credit card programs for saving for college.

Ginger at Ginger Won’t Snap has some credit card fraud problems.

Peak Personal Finance has 3 smart personal finance tasks that you are probably putting off.

Diego at Bankling shares with us his top 50 economics blogs.

Big Cajun Man at Canadian Personal Finance Blog has some advice for new grads.

Patrick at Money Saving Deals gives us the lowdown on how to get up to $150 from TradeKing.

RJ at Our Financial Planner shows you the miracle of compound interest.

The Lincoln Memorial is another great (free) site to see in the city.

MoneyNing shares with your his review of Everbank.

Jeff Rose at Good Financial Cents let’s you know what to do if there is a layoff pending.

Destroy Debt shows you how to get the last drop out of many popular products.

Pinyo at Moolanomy shows you how to transfer credit card balances.

Raj at DebtGoal is cutting the bill on digital services.

Wren at True Adventures in Money Hacking shows you how to get a free car. Really!

Dan at Everyday Finance gives you the best CD yields in April.

Jim at Bargaineering shows you how to pick the best credit card.

J Money at Budgets are Sexy gives some advice on Roth IRAs vs 401ks.

Visit Arlington National Cemetery and pay your respects to the thousands of fallen soldiers. You can also view the resting place of JFK and see the Eternal Flame.

Patrick at Military Finance Network shows how the stimulus plan assists military members affrected by the mortgage meltdown.

Credit Card Assist wants to know if you have ever looked at your credit card closely.

Apply 4 Credit wants to know if credit card protection plans are really worth the added cost.

Christian Personal Finance is giving away a free subscription of Kiplinger’s personal finance.

Investing School compares Etrade, TradeKing, and Zecco.

Mike at Money TLD lets you know that some expired foods can still be edible.

Eric at Twenties Money has five pieces of advice for twenty somethings.

BillEater shows you how to avoid debt reduction scams.

Kyle at Suburban Dollar gives you his review of CashCrate.

Carnival of Twenty Something Finances – DC Edition

Money Hacks Carnival #51 – The Office Edition

Adam — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:00:15 +0000

Welcome to the 51st edition of the Money Hacks Carnival! My name is Adam and I am pleased to be your host this week. Please feel free to poke around the site if it is your first time visiting! You can subscribe to the blog using the links on the right or you can follow me on Twitter to stay up-to-date.

NBC’s The Office is my favorite show on TV. I just love watching the office banter and politics. Every week there is a moment that reminds you of something a co-worker did recently. For this carnival, I decided to categorize the topics by some great characters in the show.

Editor’s Picks

Michael Scott is the Regional Manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. If anyone has the right to pick this week’s best articles, it’s him. He is the glue that holds his team together. Did I really just say that?

Credit Shout tells us to Beware of ATM Scams. Honestly, I really had no idea about some of these. I will be thinking twice about going to the ATM now!

Living Almost Large talks about a family that is in trouble and Their Ship Is Sinking. Looking at this person’s cash flow, it’s hard to believe that they did not see the major problem.

FIRE Finance shares a great story on how Smart Refrigeration Lowers Electricity Bills. Who better to tell you about saving energy on your refrigerator than someone who works with them every day?

PF Credit Cards shows you How to Beat Priceline and Get a Winning Bid. Personally, I have been using Priceline’s Name Your Own Price for over a year now. I will never go back to paying full price again! You really have no say in the brand of your hotel, but you still get to pick the star level. I have yet to be disappointed in the hotel I end up getting.

Career

To me, no one seems more focused on their career than Dwight Schrute. He is constantly reminding everyone about his position with the company and how he is the top salesman. He is also good at sucking up to the boss. Watch the show and learn from Dwight if you are searching for a new job!

Tom at The Strump gives his opinion on How to Translate Employment Ads.

FMF at Free Money Finance lets you know How to Waste Money on a MBA.

Debt and Credit

Kelly is really into fashion and fancy things. Only working at Dunder Mifflin, I can imagine that she has some major credit card debt. Hopefully, some of these articles can help her get on the path to becoming debt free.

Jim at Bargaineering has a Review of MyFICO ScoreWatch. He says it’s perfect for credit score junkies!

Tyler from CreditCards.com talks about how Credit Card Regulation is Brewing for College Campuses Again. Personally, I have never signed up for a credit card at a table at college, sporting event , airport, etc.

Looking for a new rewards credit card? Credit Addict tells us about the Pentagon Federal Visa Rewards Card.

Shaun from Learn Financial Planning gives his 5 Principles for Getting Out of Debt. Some great insights here!

Mr. Banker at Best Interest Rate Banks gives us his review of High Interest Savings Accounts.

Studenomics Breaks Down Student Loans in a non-confrontation manner.

Chris at StumbleForward gives you some tips on Becoming a Blogger to Get Out of Debt.

Housing

Jim just recently bought a house from his parents. I bet he wishes that he could have had some of these great articles to read!

Len Penzo provides us with A Layman’s Guide to Mortgage Application Junk Fees.

Passive Family Income talks about The Recession in America and Home Foreclosures.

Frugality and Saving Money

If anyone on the show is frugal, it’s Pamela. She dresses simple, religiously watched her money while going to college, and was thrifty while planner her first wedding.

Silicon Valley Blogger at The Digerati Life has a Valentine’s Day Tip on Using Ebates to Get Cash Back.

Pete at Bible Money Matters reminds us that Small Decisions Equal Big Results.

J Money at Budgets are Sexy says The Budget is Back, Baby!

Lisa from Greener Pastures presents Economic Collapse-R-Us: 22 Lifestyle Changes of Middle Class America.

The Writer’s Coin presents Am I a Thief or an Entrepreneur? The overwhelming majority of the comments suggest a thief. Head over there and give your input. He has even written a response post to the naysayers.

Matt at Stupid Cents gives us Five Simple Ways to Buy Everything Cheaper and Save Money.

The Shark Investor gives us Strategies for Raising Savings.

Mr. Tough Money Love show us how Arming Ourselves to Save Money on Car Repairs can be a good thing.

Patrick at Money Saving Deals has some Godaddy.com Coupon Codes to share.

David at Personal Finance Analyst gives us The Best Free Budget Worksheets on the Internet.

Dana at Not Made of Money tells us How Her Family Keeps the Breaks on Spending.

The Smarter Wallet shares some delicious Cheap Meals You Can Cook at Home to Save Money.

Debt Kid shows us Why Budgets Don’t Work for Everyone.

Hank at Own The Dollar wants to know Is Three to Six Months of Expenses Enough Money For Your Emergency Fund?

Aryn at Sound Money Matters shows you The Pros and Cons of Homemade Yogurt.

Taxes

When I think of someone who would evade income taxes, I think about Creed. Hopefully some of these articles will help him file his return this year. His first return ever?

Money Tipper lets us know about TurboTax Discounts for Vanguard Customers.

Nickel at Five Cent Nickel gives us Ten Common Income Tax Credits. Head over there to make sure you are getting all the money you deserve.

Thinking of buying a new house? Madison at My Dollar Plan talks about the Possibility of a $15,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit.

Patrick at Military Finance Network answers a question about What You Need to Do If Your Stimulus Check Was Lost of Stolen.

Christian Personal Finance found some places that have Free STATE e-file Online! Living in Maryland, I know that we have free e-file for the state return. It makes it nice and easy!

Insurance

If I had to guess which employee had the greatest amount of insurance, I would say it was Andy. I’d bet he has whole life, term, universal, two health policies and a deferred annuity. He also seems to be the most likely to be a insurance salesman. He just has that way about him!

Mr. GoTo at Go To Retirement gives you an idea about Fixed Annuities and Financial Risk. I think fixed annuities are a great thing to have in retirement. It’s unfortunate that they get such a bad rep from many mainstream media types.

Junior Boomer from The Consumer Boomer talks about Women and Long-term Care Insurance.

Economy

Now honestly, who cares more about the economy than Stanley? Just look at that face!

Kathryn at Out of Debt Christian tells us about The Importance of Shopping Local.

PFR at Personal Finance Reviews tells how the FDIC Plans to Restrict Interest Rates of Troubled Banks.

Curt at Penny Jobs presents The Fiat Money System is Failing.

Money Blue Book Finance wants to know is there a Second Stimulus Check for Obama in 2009?

Investing

Toby is the head of human resources at Dunder Mifflin. If anyone was maxing out their 401(k) there, it would be him.

Sun at The Sun’s Financial Diary alerts you to a Free Stock Analysis Tool.

The Financial Blogger shows you some Options to Secure Your Investment Portfolio.

The Intelligent Speculator wants to know if Super Bowl Ads are Really Worth It?

The Investor at Monevator gives their 10 Reasons to Be Cheerful as an Investor.

Jeff from Good Financial Cents has 7 Things to Know About the 2010 Roth IRA Conversion.

Dividend Tree shows us how Everyday Life Teaches us Dividend Investing.

Other

When I was thinking about what character would be good for the category other, I thought of Ryan. He definitely had some ups and downs with Dunder Mifflin!

MoneyNing presents What Everyone Ought to Know When Applying for Free Stuff.

Patrick at Cash Money Life has some $25 Sign-up Bonuses from Lending Club. You even have 2 chances to win $100!

Mara Rodgers at Secrets for Money gives some great Tips To Teach Kids About Money.

Chris at Financial Reflections lets you know How Identiy Thieves Sell Your Data Online.

Mighty Bargain Hunter gives you Some Great Sources for Free AudioBooks.

Miss M at M is for Money shares with you Deliverance from Debt: Budget Basics.

Mike at Money TLD shares with us 10 Places to Click for Cash. There are quite a few things on this list that I have never heard of. I think I will check some of them out!

Money Hacks Carnival #51 – The Office Edition

Hosting Money Hacks Carnival This Week!

Adam — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:00:03 +0000

This week (Wednesday) I am hosting the 51st edition of the Money Hacks Carnival! Recently, I held the Carnival of Money Stories and I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait to get this one live!

Anyway, if you have yet to submit your article, head over to blog carnival now. I will be accepting submissions until 5pm on Tuesday. Please limit your submissions to 1 per site.

Hosting Money Hacks Carnival This Week!

Carnival of Money Stories #93 – BCS Edition

Adam — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:00:03 +0000

Welcome to the 93rd edition of The Carnival of Money Stories! My name is Adam and I am pleased to be your host this week. This carnival is one of my favorites. I love reading the great personal stories every week and it’s even better hosting the carnival as I get to choose my picks as the best for the week.

Last week Florida was able to beat Oklahoma 24-14 in the College Football BCS Championship. That game (and the BCS in general) gave me an idea for a great theme this week. This week we are holding the BCS of Money Stories. In other words, the Blog Championship Series of Money Stories. I am going to mention my 2 favorite entries for this week and you can decide on your own who the champion should be. There are also different “bowl games” in which other great stories are mentioned. All I have for the winner is a picture of this amazing trophy seen above. Cherish it as best you can as you will never receive anything of its kind again in your life! Anyway, let the games begin!

BCS Championship Game

These two stories made it to the championship game. There was a unique selection process in order to earn a bid to this game. First, I added all of the numbers of the date that it was submitted with the time of day it was submitted. I then subtracted 100 because I can. I then compared their strength of schedule against those who made it to this weeks Carnival of Personal Finance. Simple process, right? Without further ado, here are my two picks:

Curt at PennyJobs.com wants to know which pays better, popular investing or staying in front of the crowd? I think I agree with Curt on his conclusion. When people are greedy, I am afraid. When people are afraid, I am greedy.

Papa Boomer at Consumer Boomer tells his tale about almost getting hosed by Terminix and the importance of doing research before buying. I just picture the poor old ladies in my mind that the Terminix guy has already ripped off.

Shopping Bowl

The Shopping Bowl includes posts talking about shopping experiences, customer service, etc.

FMF at Free Money Finance hates getting gift cards from Macy’s (and Macy’s shopping in general). Unfortunately, someone decided to get him a card for Christmas and he let’s us know how much Macy’s rip you off!

Jim at Blueprint For Financial Prosperity is heading to Walt Disney World! A day after he booked, his wife received a better offer in an email from them. Much to his surprise, they matched the offer!

Coupon Artist over at Art of the Coupon talks about their quest to spend $0 on groceries this year. A little unrealistic, but definitely some great ways to at least try! They will spend way less than me, I can tell you that!

VH at Funny About Money went shopping for shoes that don’t hurt. Sometimes you need to spend money for quality things. They will definitely last longer!

Single Guy Money got a new car and best of all, it was free! Well, at least it was free for him.

Abby at I Pick Up Pennies gives her personal opinion on warranties and their usefulness. Personally, we bought one on my fiances laptop. Mostly because it covers accidents and spills.

Investing Bowl

The Investing Bowl shares personal experiences with investing.

Silicon Valley Blogger at The Digerati Life talks about her experience with college savings plan rewards like Upromise. I have Upromise to help pay off my loans but I have not made $4,000!

Jeff at Good Financial Cents shares a story about a man who did not utilize the match on his 401(k). A 401(k) match is one of the only things in investing where you can get a guaranteed rate of return. Make sure you are utilizing yours!

Sun at The Sun’s Financial Diary shares with you their passive income for 2009.

Mr ToughMoneyLove from Tough Money Love presents to you his year end financial performance review. He definitely made out better in the market than most!

Billy at Beginner Investing shares his story about keeping emotions out of investing.

Ryan at Uncommon Cents had a GREAT investment in 2008. Want to know what the investment was? Click to find out!

Housing Bowl

The Housing Bowl has a wide variety of posts on renovations, mortgages, etc.

LAL at Living Almost Large has basically rented his house over the past few years even though he owned it. I can imagine that there are MANY individuals in this position. Hopefully prices will rebound in the coming months.

Miss M at M is for Money needs $153,000 and your help. Miss M is in the same position as many Americans these days: upside down on her home.

Cathy at Money to Spare lets you know that one expense no homeowner should never forget. Ah, the joys of home ownership!

The Financial Blogger gives you his final thoughts on his home renovation.

Credit and Debt Bowl

The Credit and Debt Bowl showcases stories on credit and debt stories.

Mr CC from Ask Mr Credit Card was asked by his credit card company if he wanted higher rewards. His response was certainly positive!

PFR from Personal Finance Reviews shares some tips on what to do when your credit cards are closed due to inactivity. They called up the companies and to my surprise, the company actually listened!

Len from Len Penzo shows you why paying off your mortgage is a no-brainer.

Random Bowl

The Random Bowl is for those posts that just could not be placed in one of the previous bowl games. Do not let them fool you though. There are some great stories! DON’T STOP READING!

J Money from Budgets are Sexy won the lottery! Well, he isn’t the next Bill Gates, but getting closer to that cool million!

Grace from GRACEful Retirement was born without a silver spoon in her mouth. Be sure to check out this post as there is some great discussion going on!

Patrick from Cash Money Life shares with you his 2009 personal finance goals. Just the way I like them: short and sweet. It makes them much more attainable!

DD at The Happy Rock goes over their December monthly expenses. Let’s just say it was a rough month!

The Smarter Wallet gives some great tips on saving time and money with quality cookware.

Vilkri from Our Personal Finances shares with you his own personal finance story.

Z Petals shares with your her financial past.

Pete at Bible Money Matters shares a guest post from Jason at Forward Habit. Jason shares his story of how he went through a $100,000 inheritance in 6 years.

Well there you have it! Thanks for visiting my site and be sure to poke around for just a little bit. You know you want to!

photo by: coda

Carnival of Money Stories #93 – BCS Edition