Weekly Review

Wise Bread - How Haggling Taught Me About Life Haggling is an artform that most Americans have lost sight of. In many countries its considered an insult if you don't participate. What we don't realize is that successful haggling is a way to get ahead in both our careers and our personal lives.

Being Frugal - My Clutter Is Making Me Fat Maybe its the great desire for spring to arrive and maybe its going stir crazy from all of the holiday clutter, but the idea of purging clutter is heaven.
Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge - Laser Eye Surgery: Summary of Costs and Other Thoughts I admit that I have my surgery scheduled and while this post may not be for everyone, I found it incredibly helpful.

The Simple Dollar - The Value of Investing in Yourself Before we build an investment portfolio, before we make any major purchases, the first investment we need to make is in ourselves.

Frugal For Life - Save Money with Organization I admit it. Alot of my debt was caused by poor organization which cost money in NSF fees, late charges and overlimit charges. When I feel myself slipping, I organize.

Weekly Review

Wise Bread - Feeling Stuck? 100 Ways To Change Your Live by Nora Dunn - Nora Dunn writes an excellent post describing an excercise to help get out of a rut and discover what is most important.

Wise Bread - The Pros and Cons of Dollar Cost Averaging by Kate Luther - I know its a bit unusual to have two posts from the same blog, but I'm pleading indulgence since it is from two different authors. Great post on investing basics.

Being Frugal - 7 Things Women Wished Men KnewAbout Money - A must read for men, especially with the upcoming Valentine holiday.

The SimpleDollar - Little Steps - 100 Great Tips For Saving Money For Those Just Getting Started - An amazing list for everyone, but especially for those just getting started.

Dual Income No Kids - Budgeting For Vacation - I'm on a travel theme, but with the struggling dollar we may need a bit more advice on keeping the cost of vacation down.

Weekly Review

The Simple Dollar - Should You Cancel Your Credit Cards Or Not
This has always been a question on my mind. Once you pay off a credit card, do you close it? Some say yes, but others say it will hurt your FICO score. The Simple Dollar weighs in.

Being Frugal - 75 Frugal Hacks For Your Home
This is a great post with 75 frugal ideas from cleaning, to DIY, to planning.

Zen Habits ~ Simple Productivity - The Minimalists Guide To Simple Housework
Anyone that can mediate while cleaning has peaked my curiousity.

Working For Financial Freedom - The Scoop On The Tax Rebate Checks
Are tax rebate checks really going to prevent a recession? Working For Financial Freedom answers all sorts of questions you may have about them.

Weekly Review

This week's picks are a mixture of Learning the Basics, Remembering the Path, and Goals for the Future.

The Simple Dollar - Six Steps For a Beginning Stock Investor While most people are panicking in the stock market, the bargains are all over for the smart, long term investor.

Wise Bread - Eating Cheap While Abroad by Thursday Bram I must be on a roll because everywhere I look, I'm finding posts on travelling inexpensively.

I've Paid For This Twice Already - Developing a Snowflaking Mentality Taking smaller bites out of debt make debt repayment easier to stomach. This post helps to refocus after a season of spending.

Map Girl's Financial Challenge - Laser Eye Surgery In Detail Okay, I confess I have my appointment scheduled for the next month. I've been wanting to do this for the last few years and have set up my FSA to cover the expense.

Saving For A Home Of My Own - What Would You Do With Google Adsense If you haven't noticed, I've added Google's Adsense to my blog. I'd love to have your thoughts on the subject. In the meantime, Saving For A Home Of My Own is asking the question, "what would you do with an extra $100?"

Weekly Review

Its a new year and a new start. This week's blog recommendations are a compilation of tips for the start of a great year to come, attaining aspirations, and planning for mishaps.

The Simple Dollar - The Little Things Do Matter Twelve Hacks That Add Up To A Lot In the spirit of keeping costs down, The Simple Dollar examines those little expenses that add up.

Wisebread - Farecast Your Flights For Big Savings As someone who loves to travel and travels each year to visit family, this post offers great suggestions for keeping costs down.

Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge - Planning Your Exit From Work - Financial Side Don't miss the posting before it that also covers the non-financial side of leaving a job.

Iowa Hippie Chick - My Real Life Frugal Tips... Always great to get frugal ideas from fellow bloggers and Iowa Hippie Chick put together a great list.

Weekly Review

There have been a lot of interesting posts this week, but the following is a list of the ones that really stood out for me.

The Simple Dollar - Everything You Ever Really Needed To Know About Personal Finance On The Back Of Five Business Cards A good basic reminder on why I am on the path towards debt elimination.

Wise Bread - Grandpa's Penny, If You Never Spend It You'll Never Be Broke by Sarah Baughman Wisdom from generations before that we've forgotten along the way.

Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge - Best Way To Use Up Medical FSA Funds
Its December and time to have a look at our benefits during open enrollment again. I read somewhere that only 4% of employees actually take advantage of the Medical FSA offered through their employers.

One Frugal Girl - Clutter Free Christmas Gifts A good reminder that in my quest to simplify my life and become debt free, I shouldn't burden others with clutter either.

A Week In Review - A week of firsts

I've meant to start a weekly highlight of blog postings I've enjoyed during the week, but until this week have not had much success getting myself organized enough to do it. Well, its a new month and a great time to get to those things I've been putting off. So without further procrastination...

The Simple Dollar discusses Customer Loyalty Plans and how to make them work for you in his post How to Maximize Customer Loyalty Programs - Even If You've Never Tried One.

Being Frugal shows us tips for a children's birthday party with Frugal Birthday Party Planning.

No Credit Needed is adding another day to his 33 Days and 33 Ways to Reduce Debt and Increase Savings. He's created a great tool for those needing help with budgeting. Check out Single Page List Of Monthly Expenses No Credit Needed Notebook Page 2.

Its time for a new month of the "Reduce A Bill" Challenge. Check out Working for Financial Freedom's site to join the challenge.

Also, I've Paid For This Twice Already is hosting the Festival of Frugality this week. I've submitted my first post and hope to improve participation in future weeks. Check it out if you are not familiar with it already.