To Stimulate Or Not To Stimulate?

Posted on May 12, 2008

The Happy Rockette mentioned something about our stimulus check that got me thinking. We already have a plan to spend the money on some improvements to the condo. We can enjoy then for the next year our and they will help our house sell when the time comes. I mentioned that the $1500 would look pretty nice in our down payment account, and she hinted that we should use the money for its designed purpose….to stimulate.

She was being somewhat tongue and cheek to counter act my subverting of the plan, but until that moment I hadn’t considered that people might feel obliged to spend money to ‘help’ the economy. In my opinion, the money was ours not the governments and we are free to do whatever we chose with it. This includes paying consumer debt, if we had it, or even throwing it under the mattress. Is it our patriotic duty to spend the money? Will it even make a difference? Thought-provoking questions.

To help answer the question I did a little digging into what kind of effect stimulus payments can have on the economy. Here are a few quotes from the Congressional Budget Office(CBO) on the matter :

“Most studies of purely temporary, one-time changes in taxes have suggested that they have only a moderate effect on household consumption,” the CBO said, noting studies of a rebate issued in 1975 “suggested that only 12% to 24% of the rebate was consumed in the quarter that it was received.”

CBO said though “the experience of the 2001 tax rebate appears to differ from the findings of these earlier studies.” CBO noted the 2001 rebate was part of a broader tax package which lowered tax rates and applied those reductions retroactively. In 2001, most households received rebate checks of either $300 or $600 from late July 2001 to the end of September 2001 during a recession.

“Most analysts agree that the 2001 rebate stimulated the economy,” CBO said, “although there is some debate about the magnitude of the effect.” Households, according to one study, spent between 20% and 40% of their rebate amount in the quarter in which the rebate was received.*

So it looks like there is potential for the stimulus checks to infuse economy with a little money, but there is plenty of debt as to whether our government borrowing money to give to people to spend will do anything to truly stimulate the US economy.

So the question remains stimulate or not to stimulate, what’s your answer?

*Source - The Winners and Losers of the Stimulus Package

No related posts

» Filed Under Spending, Taxes

Demystifying The Budget - Don’t Be Afraid

Posted on May 10, 2008

I am not sure many other finance terms inspire more fear than the word ‘BUDGET’. Ok, well maybe bankruptcy, foreclosure, and a few others, but you get the point. Some people even will physically squirm when they think about having to adhere to a budget.

I am here to squelch some of those fears and I am not even a fervent budgeter. A budget is nothing more than a plan for your money. That’s it! There isn’t anything magical, nothing scary, no straight jacket, just a plan.

Here is the formal definition :

Budget : a scheme or method of acting, doing, or making developed in advance

That captures what a budget it beautifully. You decide were your money should go before you spend. You can be objective and rational about were you money is going, rather than being ‘forced’ into decisions at the cashier’s counter. You also have a metric to help keep you accountability and give you feedback on how your spending is proceeding. Just, list your all your bills, debt, and goals like savings and divide up your monthly take home pay between the categories however you see fit.

One of the big concerns people have is that it will take the joy out of spending and turn them into a cheap miser, but the only way that will happen is if you let it. You are free to budget however you want. If you want to spend $500 a month on movies and eating out, by all means. I think what most people realize when they start to budget and track their spending is that you have more money than you think, or at least it will feel like you have more money.

Another concern is that you will miss something or not budget enough money. I am hear to tell you that a budget is a continual process. You will make mistakes. You will blow the budget, but with each mistake you will be able to budget better and better. Adjust and tweak is the name of the game.

So don’t be afraid, be willing to try it for a few months. Here is an online budget calculator from Crown Financial that will help provide a little context.

» Filed Under Debt Elimination, Financial Succes, Planning

The Library Isn’t Free When You Pay $17 In Fees

Posted on May 8, 2008

Just got back from getting another round of books for The Pebble, but I had to pay $16.95 in back fines/fees just to checkout. Being a couple days late when you have 2-3 books out isn’t too bad, but ever since The Pebble hit reading age we have been getting out 10 books at a time. Leave for one vacation without returning books, and be a couple days late a few times and you are paying $17 to rent books rather than utilizing a free public service. We still probably got great value despite the fees, but it could have been FREE!!! Children’s books + library + inadequate return planning = the potential for some financial leakage.

Anyone with children have a great system for using the library efficiently and free?

» Filed Under Money Savers

Vacation and Perspective - Simplify Your Finances

Posted on May 6, 2008

The Rock Garden went vacationing this past weekend to Pocono Mountains of Pensylvania just outside of Jim Thorpe, PA. We got a great a good deal on a modern three bedroom house with a scenic view that I will post about later. Despite a wash out on Saturday and some allergies, it was a great vacation. I am not here to talk directly about the vacation though, but rather something peculiar that I noticed.

The Satelitte TV wasn’t working in the house and there was no internet. The amazing thing was that after the 36-48 hour withdrawal period, I began to notice some changes in my brain activity. The further I was removed from overloaded email boxes, must see TV, Twitter, flashing phone messages, to-do lists, and daily bustle of life my brain began to exercise areas that it doesn’t normally use. It seems like the immediacy of our daily lives keeps our brains focused on surface tasks. These surface tasks often impede us from focusing on the things that will truly bring us joy or things that will provide much greater value.

I was able to think about were I wanted to be in a year, or five years without getting overwhelmed. I was able to step back and view some of the daily grind with objective glasses. Our spending patterns became much more visible when I wasn’t focuses on the latest Target receipt. I found new oppurunities for passive income and areas for frugality, all because I had time and mental energy to devote to thinking about such things. One of the big things we realized is that we really need to tighten the reigns on the budget/spending if we want to have the type of down payment we desire to move in around a year.

So what does this means to our finances? It means that our lives and our financial systems need to be simplfied to the point that our brains can jumpstart idle areas of our brain back to life. Areas like creativity, chasing dreams, and romance. I think it will take years constant growth and changes to really understand, but I know that when I look back in five years I will be amazed out who much more my brain is alive.

Here are a few ideas that I will be doing to help simplify and set the daily tasks on auto-pilot:

Cancel Those Extra Savings And Checking And Credit Account - If I am honest, the added headache and management time just isn’t worth it.
Improve Your Bill Pay And Budgeting System - Setup up automatic reminders. Call and change the due dates on bills to be the same time.
Get Out Of Debt And Get Security- Finances are so much easier without debt and with an emergency fund. It really is night and day.
Sell Or Give Away Stuff - Furniture you don’t need. The garage full of junk. Books. You may need it someday, but it probably isn’t worth the hassle of keeping it around just in case.

» Filed Under Chasing Dreams, Personal Finance Systems

Community In Action - Pursue Your Dreams Edition

Posted on May 1, 2008

First was an article on Life Hack called Personal Development, Canine-Style. It is a long read, but well worth the time. It is written from the perspective of a man’s dog while the owner’s life and finances grow over the years. It shares some of the potential dangers that come with chasing our dreams and getting on top of our finances. Great life perspective with an funny amusing edge.

Second, I wanted to highlight one of the best Personal Finance blogs on the net, The Simple Dollar. This story is quite inspirational. Just about two years ago he hit financial rock bottom, and now he has quite his steady job to pursue his dream of making a living as a writer. I suspect that he we will make judging from his motivation and body of work. Here is one of his recent pieces that provides a wonderful framework for making your dreams look possible. If you haven’t ever checked out his blog, I highly recommend it.

» Filed Under Bloggers, Chasing Dreams, Links

The $400 Phil and Ted’s Stroller - Dissecting The Purchase

Posted on April 28, 2008

Sticker shock. That is probably your first thought, I know it was mine when The Happy Rockette first told me about the stroller. A little more than 3 months later, we own one! See the picture below for a quick look or click here for an in depth look at PhilandTeds.com.

Here are the criteria I used to evaluate the purchase and why I think it was a great purchase:

Pay Cash. The Rockette had been working every other Saturday to help out at her former job and decided she wanted that extra effort to go towards something. We had the money in two weekends or so. That month gave us some time to do some extra research and really get behind the purchase.
Aligned With Our Values. Being in a small condo, going outside is a must. We love going the park and hiking the trails, walking the boardwalk, going to museums, etc. With the addition of Pebble Jr. two strollers just made everything much more of an ordeal. The purchase would help us cope with a small house, provide us with much more convenient time outside, and contribute to the positive welfare of our children.
Get Good Value. Could we have gotten a $200 double stroller? Sure…so that what did we get for the extra $200 dollars.
- When we went to the store to check the stroller out in person, it was quite apparent that this stroller had years of research and design put into it compared to the other double stroller. It folded up smaller then our current one seater. Size is a big deal for double strollers. It provided multiple child configurations that accommodated our baby and a toddler all the way to two toddlers. The current setup has the Pebble Jr. laying down, and the Big Pebble perched on top. There was even enough room to change the Pebble Jr. which has come in quite handy. Handles are adjustable, covers and rain protectors are easy to use and store nicely, it is easy for The Rockette to push, and the list goes on. The value is in the design.
- Pretty much everyone who owns a Phil and Ted stroller raves about it. Not in an I drive a BMW or Mercedes kind of way, but in a “it’s made my life so much easier” way.
- The resale value on used strollers was not much less than brand new, usually $300 or more. This is an indicator of people’s willingness to pay and the quality of the product. It also helps justify the purchase to know that you can unload the stroller and get a decent portion of the purchase price back.
Get A Good Price. We searched for about a month until with found a new one for $399 with free shipping from Pish Posh Baby. I even emailed to see if there were coupons available, but they didn’t respond until they included a coupon code for pishposhbaby.com with my order. You can get 5% with the code Save5 though 5/30/2008.

So far we are very happy with our purcahse, even though I still have a little sticker remorse from time to time when I realize the the stoller is almost worth the same amount as my car. What do you think? Am I crazy and just justifying a silly purchase?

» Filed Under Cash, Children and Money, Spending

Sleep Your Way To Better Finances

Posted on April 25, 2008

With the car breaking down on Sunday and still having a ton of work to do for the 149th Carnival of PF, I ended up only getting 8 hours of sleep on Sunday night. I can survive, and ten years ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. The thing I noticed for the next 48-72 hours was how much that lack of sleep effected my whole life. I was much more pessimistic, less energetic, less patient, less productive, and grumpy. Since I have been getting fairly consistent sleep for about two years, I didn’t realize how good I felt. I have even felt more energetic and rested since I went mostly vegetarian and have been eating healthier. When we constantly deprive ourselves of sleep we tend to acclimate to limitations on how we feel, how we act, and how much we can get done. Changes, both positive and negative, take a while to show themselves. During that time we easily forget how we feel until we experience something different sometime down the road. Those differences can have a huge impact on every area of our lives, espcially our finances. Below is a list of ways that our finances can be directly affected by lack of sleep:

Increased food costs. When we are tired we tend to eat out a lot more or by more expensive pre -packaged food.
Increased risk of accidents and sickness. This includes driving and normal around the house type injuries. These types of setbacks can cost money for medical services and oppurtunity cost at work and other endeavors.
Lower self control. The lack of control can lead to increased extraneous spending and debt.
Lack of energy and productivity. This means no energy to sell stuff on eBay or Amazon or to invest in other extra income tasks, perform well at work, or invest in budgeting and financial planning and learning.
Lose of creativity and intellectual prowess. Have you been stuck on how to solve a money problem? Well, research shows you really could find the answer in your sleep.
Grumpiness and impatience with others. This means less communication and teamwork in a marriage or with people who can keep you accountable. It means less satisfying relationship which will directly effect happiness and ultimately your wallet.
Pessimism and depression. In just a few days, I saw how quickly my outlook was effected in negative ways. Getting out of debt and having financial discipline isn’t easy and you need all the help you can muster.

So next time that you want to stay up late to watch some movie you have seen 5 times already, play a Wii game, or spend some not so productive time on the internet, remember what it might cost you. Some of you may be thinking that it doesn’t matter how much sleep you get because you feel about the same no matter what. I will tell you that I used to feel the same way, until with the Rockette’s help, I was able to consistently go to bed and wake up at similar times for an extended period(months). I didn’t realize how good I had been feeling, until I didn’t get enough sleep and felt like my old self again. If you are getting around 8 hours of sleep consistently and you still feel bad, it might be worth having some sleep tests done to make sure there aren’t any apnea or other sleep issues.

There is plenty of research on the benefits of sleep, but I don’t think we even need to go there. In my experience a little experimentation and anecdotal evidence will give us all the ‘research’ we need. Solve your sleep problems and your finances will most likely show a marked improvement.

» Filed Under Careers, Debt Elimination, Happiness, Health, Marriage, Spending

Breakdown - Is Triple A(AAA) Worth The Money?

Posted on April 24, 2008

As we were driving home from watching some of our nieces and nephews for the weekend, I realized that pushing on the gas pedal of our Nissan Murano was not doing ANYTHING! I quickly pulled over and coasted to a stop. I figured I would try a restart and see if that fixes anything. Nope, the dreaded low battery cranking and then clicking. We were stranded!

Deep breath, stay calm. Call The Happy Boulderette(Mom) and arrange ride. Call AAA to get towed. Entertain The Happy Pebble and The Not So Happy And Hungry Pebble Jr. for about 45 minutes. Luckily we had a spare bottle that we heated with body warmth to keep Jr. content enough. All in all it was actually kind of endearing to see the family huddled together in the front seat making the best of a not so perfect situation.

Both my mom and the tow truck arrived almost he same time. We arrived home without incident and our car ended up at the mechanic. Got the car back today and it turned out to be the drive belt pulley and bracket to the tune of $400 with oil change and tune-up.

So no the real question, is AAA worth it……Yes. The trick in trying to analyze the whether AAA is truly worth the cost is to realize what you are paying for. For those that don’t know what AAA is or what they have to offer, here is the link to the benefits page of Mid-Atlantic AAA. People sign up for the emergency roadside services, and rarely use the discounts or travel planning from what I can tell. The point to remember is that you are buying insurance. Like most insurance the percentages and math say that it is isn’t worth it, but that doesn’t mean the protection, convenience, and psychological aspects don’t make up for it math.

First, if you use the discounts for things like movie theater, hotels, and other related activities, the membership will probably pay for itself pretty quickly. For the most part though, you can get similar or better discounts and planning on the web for free.

Second, the road services value will depend on the kind of car and driving you are doing, so these numbers will vary by family. For us, we have been paying the $150 a year for AAA Plus(150 mile towing package) for 6 years now. Including Sunday’s use I have used it 5 times. Two lock outs in the hectic time leading up to our wedding and three tows, two 5 miles and the other 50 miles. Mathematically the numbers are ugly. $900 paid and only about $350 in services used. I suspect that those numbers will be pretty close to the same for ‘most’ people.

Even though the math doesn’t work out in your favor, most people are still willing to pay for the insurance. They want to know that their wife can easily get out of a jam or that someone will be there relatively quickly with just a phone call when something does happen. Just from talking to people this aspect of the AAA coverage is generally accepted as well worth the money.

So, is it worth? I say yes, as long as you realize that you are paying for piece of mind and not getting a good deal on roadside coverage.

* Note - Some auto insurance policies provide emergency roadside clauses, but I have had to dig for information on my previous policies. I have now learned to call and ask.

» Filed Under Cars

149th Carnival of Personal Finance - Chasing Dreams Edition

Posted on April 21, 2008

If this is your first time visiting, feel free to look around. You can join the others by subscribing to my RSS feed or you can receive updates via email so that you don’t miss The Happy Rock’s articles!

Welcome to the 149th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance! Below are 86 personal finance articles from the last week or so. In the articles you will find awesome information, but the real question is…”why do we care”? What motivates us to spend less and save more? Without being lead by our dreams and desires our enthusiasm and motivation can quickly fade, but if you figure out why you want to get out of debt or save money than it becomes amazingly easier to make wise money decisions. This is edition is dedicated to those dreams!

Without further adieu, here are all of the entries organized by category. Pay special attention to the Editor’s Picks which are listed in the first section. As you read through the carnivals, you’ll notice pictures that represent some of our common dreams to help inspire us to greater heights.

Editor’s Top Picks

Frugal Babe presents The Choices We Make - Frugal Babe gives an inspiring snapshot of the money decisions that have set the foundation for their happiness and success.

MomAdvice presents This American’s Dream - Amy Allen Clark shares an motivating post about their completed journey out of debt and what it means to their family.

Free Money Finance presents The Spending Smart Philosophy: Controlling Spending is the Key to Building Wealth - FMF writes that controlling spending is the key to wealth. A long but energizing read.

You Might as Well Burn $5! presents What If Rent Was Already in the Bank? - Margaret tells us how to reframe our emergency fund saving. Sometimes these little tricks can go a long when in seeing us through to the end.

Greener Pastures presents The Psychology of Money-”I Have to Have It”-The Impulse Purchase - Lisa teaches us where impulsive shopping urges come from and how can we control them. The layout and insight here is helpful in examining our own spending foibles.

Rather-Be-Shopping presents 5 Ways to Survive on One Income - Kyle James writes that having a parent at home with the kids is often more doable then you might think. These personal glimpses into lives of others provide a great backdrop to give us perspective about our own decisions.

I‘ve Paid For This Twice Already presents The Psychology of the $1000 Emergency Fund - paidtwice shares his thoughts on why having a small emergency fund helps you attack your your debt. $1,000 is just the beginning, but it shares a big psychological and practical purpose.

Saving

The Personal Financier presents How to Make Saving more Rewarding and Tangible: 5 Practical Tips - Dorian Wales writes that increasing the tangibility of your savings and rewarding yourself for achievements is crucial for success in this long term effort.
The Baglady presents Is Inflation Eating Away Your Savings? - The baglady discusses protecting your savings from inflation.
How to make $7 million in 7 years presents How much interest do you earn on one million dollars? - AJC writes teaches us why just leaving your money in the bank is a high risk strategy … you are much better off OWNING the bank!
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity presents Laddering Your Emergency Fund - jim discusses maximizing earnings for emergency funds.
Are You Going To Be This Way the Rest of the Time I Know You? presents How I Use My Bank Accounts to Manage My Bills and Save, Save, Save - BeThisWay shares about her banking setup.
Smart Easy Money presents How I Save Money (aka Why I Have Seven Savings Accounts) - Shana writes about here savings setup with seven accounts.
Sick of Being Poor presents Thank Goodness for My Emergency Fund - shelbug99 shares about needing to dip into her emergency fund.
Saving to Invest presents I am NOT going to cut back on my cup of coffee - Andy S writes that life’s daily little pleasures like my morning cup of coffee have an intangible value to me which far exceed the $3 or so I spend on it.

Debt

Dreaming of Ferraris presents Preparing for the Debt Attack - Foxie writes that it’s always good to have some idea of what you want to do in the future with your money. and outlines here own future plans for reducing my debt.
LivingAlmostLarge presents Should you Pay off your student Loans? - livingalmostlarge asks should you pay off your student loans? Or are they last on the list after even a mortgage?
Chic Saver presents Sharper Image? - Chic Saver shares how some business are using debt too much like herself and other consumers.

Career

INDEBTED 2 YOU - Freelance and Contract Technical Writing Rates - Starving Artist presents an excellent personal look at trying to find out what your worth.
The Digerati Life presents Get Hired, Get a Raise and Get Paid More By Improving Your Appearance - Silicon Valley Blogger writes about the effect that appearances can have on your income.
Know The Ledge presents When Opportunities Knock You Better Be Prepared - Joe D shares his experience on being laid off and how he learned to prepare in the future.
Think Your Way To Wealth presents Two of the Most Important Work Habits for Increasing Your Income - RC gives his insight on two solid career tips.
Girls Just Wanna Have Funds presents Beat The Rat Race: Work from Home as a Virtual Call Center Agent - Ginger writes that opting out of the rat race is an eventual goal as I’d like to be ale to pursue different interests as long as I have an internet connection. However, there are a few considerations before jumping ship.
Feminist Finance presents Equal Pay Day - f.f. shares about getting equal pay for women.
HelpMyCashGrow presents Retirement Is Not For Everyone - Anthoney Grigsby shares how retirement isn’t what he is shooting for.

Money Managment

Debt Marathon presents The Freedom - Cynthia shares the freedom a budget has given their family is a wonderful thing!
Alpha Consumer presents Debunking the Money Myth - Kimberly Palmer writes that Despite all the bestselling books, women really aren’t worse with money than men!
Life Lessons of a Military Wife presents Place Oxygen Mask Over Your Face Before Helping Children - Veteran Military Wife writes Teach ‘em right so they don’t have a lifelong screwed up relationship with money.
The Penny Mine presents On Intermediate Goals and their Importance - Hannah shares here success with setting intermediate financial goals.
squawkfox presents Ten Things You Should Never Carry in a Purse or Wallet - squakfox writes that he opened my wallet and dumped my purse. The results are financially terrifying as I found ten things you should never carry in your purse or wallet!
Saving Advice Blog presents When Staying In Becomes More Expensive Than Going Out - Jennifer Derrick shares an example of how not to manage your money.
Move To Portugal presents Organising my paperwork - Laura shares how they organize their financial paperwork.
My Dollar Plan presents Do You Back Up Your Financial Data? - Madison DuPaix shares his experience with backing up his financial data.
The Financial Blogger presents How To Create An Alternative Source Of Income Part 7 - The Financial Blogger that administrating profit from an alternative source of income can become tricky.
Ask Mr Credit Car presents Emergency Sources of Funds + Income Compliment Your Emergency Funds - Mr. Credit Card talks about various possibilities for backup emergency funds.
Moolanomy presents eFinPLAN Online Financial Planning Software Review - Pinyo shares his initial thoughts on a trial run with some financial planning software.

Finance

Master Your Card presents Banks vs. Credit Unions: Which is Better? - Jonathan gives us his take on the beauty of the credit union.
The Wealth Accumulator presents Calculating your expected net worth - Enoch Ko teaches us to calculate our expected net worth.
Tales from the road less traveled presents I’m Only On Page 7! - Momma shares how she has problems with the victim mentality of Suze Orman’s The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom.

Investing

Thicken My Wallet presents Share Buyback or Dividend Increase - Thicken My Wallet shares a look into whether a share buyback is all that it is cracked up to be.
Investing Lessons presents Are You Ready for the Next Bubble? - Mark Runta arms us with some information on how to protect ourselves from the dreaded ‘bubble’.
Save and Conquer presents Protecting Downside - Stop Loss Order - Bryce teaches that a stop loss order is where you set a price for a stock at which it will be automatically sold. This is a very useful tool if you will be away from investing for a while, or want to limit a possible loss.
Dividends4Life presents Who is Charles Mangum and Why Should We Listen to Him? - Dividends4Life says Charles Mangum is an interesting man with an excellent investing track.
record.
Canadian Capitalist presents Top Three Investing Mistakes - Canadian Capitalist explains why chasing performance, not paying attention to expenses and not focusing on the big picture were my biggest money mistakes.
Quest For Four Pillars presents Early Excitement in New Investments - Mr. Cheap says that Mr. Cheap new investors get too excited!
The Dividend Guy presents Do Stock Charts Have a Place for Long-Term Investors? - The Dividend Guy suggests that stock charts do have a place in long term investing.
Mrs. Micah presents Spousal IRAs Make Sense for Stay at Home Moms (SAHMS) - Mrs. Micah talks about retirements planning for stay at home moms.
ProBargainHunter presents Stocks investment strategy - buying on weakness - Yan discussing buying stocks on weakness.
My Retirement Blog presents Guaranteed 4.625% Ain’t Bad - retirehappy talks about investing in treasury notes.
financesimplified presents How to identify the quality of a share - sunitha writes about finding a quality stock.
Asset Allocator presents Invest In The Long Tail: An Amazon.com Case Study - Kyle writes that the term long tail refers to a socio-economic trend away from a hit-based economy to a niche-based one. See how companies like Amazon.com profit from this trend by capturing the long tail of retail sales.
Uncommon Cents presents High and Low: Keeping Perspective - Ryan Suenaga writes that eeping your head on straight whether the market’s soaring or diving is critical.

Budgeting

TV Girl and Money presents Choosing Fight Over Flight - TV Girl shares about the day she decided to do something about here debt.

Real Estate

Funny about Money presents Home Inspections: Hire Your Own Craftsmen - vh shares advice on how to get around the home inspectors conflict of interest.
Smart Money Daily presents Selling Your Home Series - Part One - FSBO - JS shares the pros and cons of For Sale By Owner selling.
All About The Ben presents Save Money On Your Home Purchase With The Broker’s Commission - Jacob teaches us a about For Sale By Owner buying.
Living After Foreclosure presents Why get foreclosed on when you can just “walk away” - mbhunter thinks that there will be a lot of companies doing this.
Searchlight Crusade presents Retirement Account Contributions and Mortgage Loan Qualification - Dan Melson discusses the effects of 401k contributions on mortgage qualifications.

Taxes

Don’t Mess With Taxes presents The out-of-control tax code - Kay writes that Congress talks a lot about making our tax chores easier, but every piece of tax legislation adds more pages to the tax code and turns into “The Accountants Full Employment Act.” This article is worth the read for the tax code size graph alone!
FiveCentNickel presents Ten Things to Do With Your Tax Refund - nickel give us ten tips for using your tax refunds.
Money Blue Book presents How To File A Form 1040X To Correct A Tax Return Mistake - Raymond share his experience about fixing his tax mistakes.
FIRE Finance presents Short on Tax Money - Pay in installments via IRS’s OPA! - FIRE finance gives us information on filing for extensions or requesting installments for our US Federal taxes.
Finance Gets Personal Next Year Will Be Different - Finance Girl writes that it is time to get organized for next year’s tax season!

Frugality

Wealth Junkies presents Going Green In The Wallet - Alexander writes believe it or not, going “green” isn’t just good for the environment; it is great for your wallet as well.
Sound Money Matters presents Six Affordable Summer Vacation Ideas - Aryn writes that you can still take a vacation without going into debt. Here are six ideas for affordable summer vacations.
SavingFreak presents Cutting the Cost of Food - Paul shares his tips on how he saves at the grocery store.
Hustlermoneyblog presents Free DVD Rental Every Monday - Hustler shares how to get some free Redbox rentals.
Money Under 30 presents An Expensive Mistake: How I Overslept and Missed My Flight - David shares about his non-frugal mistake.

Credit

creditaddict presents Beware the Promise of Interest Free Purchases - Credit Addict teaches us about some of the caveats with zero percent purchases.
Not the Jet Set presents Ever Taken a Financial Beating? - NtJS gives us a look at the Universal Default policy and shares that some credit card companies seem to follow patterns of abuse.
Trees Full of Money presents The Complete Guide To Protecting Your Identity and Credit - Ben Dinsmore shares his attempt to write the only identity theft prevention article you may ever need.

Reviews

Dividend Growth Investor presents Rewards Checking Accounts Overview - An inside look at the mechanics of rewards checking accounts.

Economy

Wide Open Wallet presents Are hybrid’s cheaper - Mom her analysis on why a hybrid isn’t cheaper for them.
Journey To Financial Freedom presents Understand Recession in Simple Language - Harrison teaches us more about Recession with the simple language.
Pinching Copper presents Being poor is a state of mind - Seb writes that some people are portrayed as poor in today’s society, and they live like kings.
Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck presents Retirement for Gen X: Black Hole or Perfect Storm? - Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck writes that some experts blame Gen X’s high expectations for their financial challenges. Yet a recent study found that 43% of Gen Xers don’t ever expect to be able to retire. Sounds like pretty low expectations to me. Maybe the black hole of Social Security should shoulder some of the blame too?

Other

Prime Time Money presents My Interview with United States Postal Inspector J. Krafels: All About Identity Theft - PT shares a a great interview packed with identity theft information.
Chief Family Officer presents Teaching our children value and to accept - Chief Family Officer shares teaching children the value of money and potentially saying no to paying for college.
Cash Money Life presents Spending Money is Good - Patrick writes that sometimes it’s easy to forget that spending money is a good thing.
MoneyNing presents Being in Las Vegas and not Gamble - MoneyNing shares how he is in Vegas and not gambling. How do you treat gambling?
Living the Cheap Life presents How to work at McDonald’s and retire rich - Mike runs some numbers on being able to retire while only working for McDonald’s.
Lazy Man And Money presents Monavie scam? Was my wife recruited sell snake oil - Lazy Man writes about a multi level marketing drink sale that his wife was presented with.
Growing Money presents My Goals and Project Statuses April 2008 - Smarty discusses how we plans to make his money in the upcoming year.
Mighty Bargain Hunter presents Why PayPal makes it a chore to pay by credit card - mbhunter talks about the hoops PayPal goes through to keep people paying by checking account.
Can I Get Rich On A Salary presents The 9 Or So Paths To Getting Rich—And My Purported Analysis Of Them(Part 2 of 2) - GBlogger writes about 9 paths to “get rich,” what are the upsides, downsides, risks, andtimelines of each path?
Millionaire Money Habits presents Title: Teenage Millionaires - Ryan Taylor writes that making millions even for these teenage millionaires did not happen overnight. Maybe it was a bit of luck or being at the right place at the right time, but these kids found a way to provide something of great value and capitalize on it.

» Filed Under Blog Carnivals, Chasing Dreams

Hosting The 149th Carnival Personal Finance On Monday

Posted on April 19, 2008

Just a reminder that The Happy Rock is hosting the 149th Carnival of Personal Finance. Come back on Monday to view a collection of 100 or so of the best personal finance articles from the last week. The guidelines for submission can be found here. Use this form to submit your articles.

I also have a special request to help support the theme of the upcoming article. If you could post a short comment on what your reasons are for trying to get on top of your finances? What dreams are you chasing? I appreciate the help.

» Filed Under Blog Carnivals

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