Not Made Of Money » Morning Roundup

Weekend Roundup - Getting Ready for Thanksgiving Edition

Dana Joseph — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:11:04 +0000

Well with Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I’ve been busy making my shopping list and my cooking plan. As has been my tradition for years now, I cook our Thanksgiving meal on the day before Thanksgiving, and then reheat it for Thanksgiving dinner. This way I can enjoy the holiday and not fuss over a sink full of dirty dishes or the fact that I spend all my time in the kitchen.

Here are some interesting articles I came across this week from the Frugal Blog Network and beyond:

From the Frugal Blog Network:
Tight Fisted Miser shares some thoughts on finding affordable health insurance.

The Frugal Duchess muses about her dream house.

Frugal Zeitgeist writes that conspicuous consumption is no longer cool.

Frugal Babe outlines her holiday gift giving plans.

Almost Frugal shows how to look fabulous, frugally.

From beyond:

Living Well On Less lists some ways to buy time between haircuts.

The Saver Queen throws a tea party at home and saves a bundle.

Money, Matter, and More Musings shares the silver lining to the dark financial cloud.

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Weekend Roundup - Super Soakers on Clearance Fun

Dana Joseph — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:48:03 +0000

This past week I was lucky enough to find two super soaker water guns on clearance at Target for $1.98 each and at that price, of course, I purchased them both! Mr. NMOM and the kids have been having a great time today playing in the backyard with the water guns and enjoying the beautiful weather we are having here in Florida. It’s given me a chance to get caught up on my reading (and my chores!).

Here are some highlights from the Frugal Blog Network for this past week:

Almost Frugal shows how to cut a little boy’s hair. I admire her hair cutting ability; I have not been nearly as successful at cutting my own children’s hair. Frugal Babe talks about giving an unconventional gift for a wedding. I think this is a great idea and anyway how many toasters does anyone really need? Frugal Zeitgeist discusses spending money to save money. When I find nonperishable items at bargain prices I stock up. Tight Fisted Miser shares some thoughts about how much you should save for retirement. I agree that there is not a “one size fits all” formula.

Not Made Of Money participated in the Carnival of Personal Finance this past week which as hosted at One Caveman’s Financial Journey. I loved the “grilling” theme in honor of Labor Day. Here are my favorite articles from the carnival:

Christian Personal Finance writes “Starting an Ebay business - A step-by-step guide“.

The Smarter Wallet with How to Save Money On Generic Drugs.

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Tuesday Roundup - Carnival of Personal Finance and Festival of Frugality

Dana Joseph — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:05:52 +0000

This week’s carnival of personal finance was hosted at Budgeting Babe. Here are my favorites from the carnival:

In Debt Because I Like Nice Things writes a very in-depth guide on how to downsize your stuff in “How Do I Sell My Stuff: Part I Determining What You Can Sell.” The article states the hardest part is learning to let go of your stuff and I agree with that 100%

Blue Jeans Millionaire shares her process in choosing a health insurance plan in Not-So-Slacker Insurance II: …And Love My HSA. Our insurance is through Mr. NMOM’s employer and we always “crunch the numbers” when choosing our plan.

Chief Family Office writes how fake coupons cost everyone. Fortunately, I haven’t had trouble stacking coupons at my local Target but with coupon fraud on the rise, I wonder if stores will become more restrictive in coupon use, or cut it altogether.

This week’s festival of frugality was hosted at On Financial Success. There were lots of great articles on frugality - here are my favorites from this week:

Debtopedia writes How to Avoid Debt With Good Budgeting.

Natural Moms Talk Radio shares that Natural Product Bargains Can Be Found.

Amateur Asset Allocator provides some Frugal Ways To Lose Weight.

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July 8 Roundups - Broken Garage Door Edition

Dana Joseph — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:15:36 +0000

photo credit: swruler9284

This past weekend our garage door decided to take a vacation. Fortunately, we had the car outside when it happened. Turns out the garage door spring broke (big spring!) and we had it replaced yesterday to the tune of $180. Thank goodness for the emergency fund!

On to some highlights from this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance at Mighty Bargain Hunter and Festival of Frugality at Squawkfox.

Mend Your Money discusses how people try to make themselves feel better through shopping too much. I have extended family members who sadly subscribe to this form of therapy.

I’ve Paid For This Twice Already takes the first steps in buying long term disability insurance.

Discover Debt Freedom gives 5 tips for finding financial freedom.

Frugal Dad shares his 75 Tips to Survive a Down Economy.

MoneyNing details a cool way to find coupons and how to “setup Google alerts to get coupons and deals.”

Frugal Fu talks about Putting off Pests for Less.

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Festival Roundup - Reuse Glass, Save on Breakfast, Plant a Garden

Dana Joseph — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:49:23 +0000

The Festival of Frugality #132 was hosted this week at Budgets Are Sexy. Here are my top picks from this week’s entries:

Natural Family Living Blog gives 10 Ways to Reuse a Glass Jar .

No Debt Plan shares How I Saved 30% on Breakfast.

Savvy Frugality shows a way to save on food costs in Grow Your Own Recession Victory Garden

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PF Carnival Roundup - #159

Dana Joseph — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:05:12 +0000

The Carnival of Personal Finance #159 is up over on Greener Pastures: Personal Finance. This week’s carnival is quite large and has a “zero-emissions” theme. Here are my faves from this week’s carnival:

How I Teach My Kids About Money and Life By Using Bricks at The Wisdom Journal. A great analogy which provides an inspiring visual goal - build a “rock” solid financial foundation!

Is Getting an MBA Worth It? Part 2 at Harvesting Dollars. I really enjoyed this 4-part series on pursuing an MBA.

Cool Your House Frugally at My Small Cents. Cross ventilation really does work. I have wonderful childhood memories of the draperies flowing in the cross breezes throughout our house on the farm.

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Festival of Frugality #131 - Roundup

Dana Joseph — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:07:38 +0000

The 131st Festival of Frugality is up over on Broke Grad Student. My top picks from this week’s festival are:

Costco Doesn’t Always Have the Best Price at Uncommon Cents. We have definitely found that you have to constantly watch the prices at the wholesale clubs as they do tend to creep up over time.

A Real-Life Example of How to Save $1,300 in Less than Two Hours by Shopping Around for Car Insurance over at Free Money Finance provides very helpful info when shopping for car insurance.

Trimming Our Gas Costs, Plus Saving $5,500 a Year Off The Road at the Digerati Life shows some number crunching examples of how they are saving money.

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The Carnival of Personal Finance #158 Is Up

Dana Joseph — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:40:01 +0000

I’ve just finished reading the 158th Carnival of Personal Finance over at Mrs. Micah. As always, there were many good entries so you really need to head on over there and check them all out. Here are my top picks from this week’s carnival:

Comparing The Cost Of Moving - Do It Yourself Or Hire Movers? at My Two Dollars walks you through the pros and cons - We’re in the “hire a mover camp” too!

Patience Will Keep Us from Spending Unnecessary Money at MoneyNing with some great tips to keep impulse spending in check.

Protect Your Medical Information from Theft at American Consumer News provides tips on protecting your medical insurance info.

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Carnival of Personal Finance #156 Is Up!

Dana Joseph — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:19:18 +0000

The 156th Carnival of Personal Finance is up over on PT Money. Here are my favorite picks from this week’s carnival:

13 Free or Cheap Ways To Keep Your Home Cool This Summer at One Caveman’s Financial Journey. Some great ways to reduce the power bill this Summer especially since it is looking like it will be a blistering one here in Florida.

The Parallels Between Fitness and Finance at FiveCentNickel. I’ve noticed quite a few of these similarities myself. My favorite quote from his article, “Nothing will work if you’re not ready for change.”….so true, so true.

Subscription Math at Keeping Feet. Definitely always “due the math” when making price comparisons.

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Monday Morning Roundup - Simplify Your Finances, A Cash Versus A Credit Purchase, and A Debt Reduction Journey

Dana Joseph — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:18:28 +0000

We’ve been doing some more simplifying in the house (getting rid of clutter). It was a very “get organized” weekend here in the Not Made Of Money household. Now I have to decide if we’ll donate it all to Salvation Army or Freecycle it.

The Sun’s Financial Diary discusses a plan to simplify which includes closing a virtual bank account. I agree that simplifying is a great idea!

Consumerism Commmentary discusses a gas station that is charging different prices based on the use of credit or cash for a transaction.

Five Cent Nickel hosts guest blogger No Credit Needed who shares how my debt reduction journey began.

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Thursday Morning Roundup - 401K, Found Money, & Don’t Use A Shopping Cart

Dana Joseph — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:19:18 +0000

Our 401K has been on our mind a lot lately. Mr. Not Made Of Money’s employer is changing the plan administrator so our investment choices are changing and the fees are going up. Darn! Anyway, here are some interesting posts I’ve found recently:

Generation X Finance writes that your 401K is not a savings account. An informative article dealing with the correct way to view a 401K plan - it’s for retirement and not a savings account or an emergency fund.

Grad Money Matters asks “what would you do with found money?” Interesting article that discusses the tendency to treat some money as more valuable.

Frugal Gal shares the easiest way to save money when shopping. I absolutely agree!

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Morning Reading Roundup - Save $ In The Bathroom, Get Rid Of Junk, and 25 Ways To Save

Dana Joseph — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:39:25 +0000

The garden the kids have been growing is doing well and producing some great results. Yesterday we harvested a handful of broccoli and two turnips so guess what we are eating today? Here are some money saving ideas to start the day off:

The Simple Dollar shares 10 ways to save money in your bathroom. Great and practical list of everyday ways to save including buying needed items in bulk.

Wise Bread writes about how to get rid of your junk. We’ve been working on a garage cleaning project lately so I can really relate to the mixed feelings of getting rid of stuff.

Money, Matter, and More Musings describes the 25 things we do to save money. We do a lot of the same saving things here at the Not Made Of Money household.

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