I’m taking over for Pauline this week and hosting the 39th edition of the Carnival of Financial Independence, a selection of the best articles related to Financial Independence this week.
If you would like to be included next week, please submit your post via Blogger Carnivals. If you would like to host for a future edition, you can contact Pauline at Reach Financial Independence.
The guidelines are:
You can submit a post that was published during the last month
The posts have to relate to reaching financial independence, and fit within the following categories: Savings and Simple living, Travel and Lifestyle, Wealth and Passive income, Real Estate and Investing, or Self employment.
Submit by Wednesday night for the Saturday edition
Please mention the carnival in your roundups if you have been featured!
Travel and Lifestyle
Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes Take the Stress Out of Christmas Shopping – Christmas shopping can be an expensive and stressful event! Use these tips to make your shopping list, set a budget, and the reduce stress of the season!
Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes 5 Practical Christmas Gifts for Kids – If you want to save money and buy Christmas gifts kids will love, you need practical gifts. Here is a list of five practical Christmas gifts for kids.
Andy Prescott @ Art of Being Cheap writes Review of the Moto X and Republic Wireless smartphone plan – A review of the Moto X from Republic Wireless. This phone comes with the cheapest plan in the phone industry, but how does it work? I tested it out and the results are amazing.
Brian @ Luke1428 @ Luke1428 writes What Good Is Freedom When You Are Told What To Do With It? – Freedom is the foundation upon which the United States was founded. The implementation of Obamacare seems to have blurred the lines between personal freedom to choose and the government’s role to better society.
Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes It’s Time To Stop Trying to Keep Up With The Joneses – Keeping up with the Joneses is the phenomenon of using your neighbors as a standard for which to compare your own life and material goods.
Mr.CBB @ canadian budget binder writes Comparing Comparison Sites In Canada – If you are one who loves to score a great deal and wants to find the best price there are comparison sites that will help guide you in the right direction.
Brock Kernin @ Clever Dude writes Budgeting for the Holidays Late, Again – Every year I plan to save up for the holidays early, but as usual, I’m Budgeting for the Holidays Late.
Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes I Bought a New TV – I just bought myself a new TV. There wasn’t anything wrong with my old TV. I just wanted a new one. Before you start typing, let me explain.
Arnel Ariate @ Money Soldiers writes 4 Major Reasons You Don’t Really Need to Hire a Financial Advisor – The fact is that most people don’t really need a financial advisor, and most of the things that you’d be paying a financial advisor to do for you are things that you could do yourself.
Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Hand Me Downs: Why They Win the Battle of New VS Used – Need clothes for your child? Consider the money savers that are hand me downs, or even used clothing from other sources, instead of buying new.
SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Ready, Set, Shop! Tips on Getting Through the Holiday Shopping Season – The things to watch out for as you begin your annual holiday shopping experience.
CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Getting a Kickstart: How to Use Donation Sites – Most people are either unaware of or are reluctant to use donation sites. For some, this may seem like virtual panhandling, but the exact opposite is true.
Mrs. Accountability @ Out of Debt Again writes Shopping Cart Abandonment: Three Ways to Drop the Rate – Have you ever logged onto a store’s website and browsed around, maybe clicked on a couple of items to add them to your cart, then left the page without buying a single item?
Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes The No-Spend Clothing Challenge Wrap Up – Was the no-spend clothing challenge a success? I cheated, but ultimately it was a success and I reduced my clothing spend by 73 percent.
Tushar Mathur @ Everything Finance writes How To Save A Few Bucks When You Go Out To Eat – If you want to go out to eat but you’re on a tight budget, here’s how to save a few bucks when you go!
Ben Luthi @ The Wealth Gospel writes What I Learned About Financial Independence as a Mormon Missionary – My experience as a missionary in Germany was unforgettable. Beyond meeting all the crazies and getting to serve others, I learned a lot about financial independence
Dee @ Color Me Frugal writes 7 ways to (happily!) contain your standard of living – Ways to keep your standard of living in line with priorities
Fehmeen Khan @ Loans & Lifestyle (Cutting debt, Improving lifestyles) writes 5 Tips To Save Money Before Your Vacation Begins – It’s easy to go over-budget on vacations but these simple vacation-planning tips could save you hundreds of dollars.
Daisy @ When Life Give You Lemons writes Learning from Your Awkward & Embarrassing Life Phases – If you are a woman in the professional workforce, perhaps you, too, have experienced very strong, completely opposite reactions to the phase of life you’re in. And no doubt you 100% felt those feelings when you had them. But then they left and you just didn’t feel that way anymore. Sarah writes about four phases that she wishes she didn’t want to share out loud, but feels compelled to
Holly @ Club Thrifty writes 5 Ridiculous Gifts I’m Not Getting My Kids – As the mother of two toddler daughters, I am horrified by some of the toys I have seen in stores. Read this post for 5 ridiculous gifts I will not be buying.
Jason @ The Money Makers writes Olivia Wilde is Having a Baby: What are the first-month expenses? – Olivia Wilde recently announced her pregnancy with fiance Jason Sudeikis as she is due with her first child in the coming year. Although the couple have declined to reveal their due date, they likely are expecting to set aside a budget for their baby, even with their high incomes.
FI Fighter @ FI Fighter writes You Only Live Once (YOLO) Every 7 Years – Live 11 different lives instead of just 1
Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes What Are Your Priorities? Choosing Where You Spend Your Time – While I’m excited about these newfound projects, I do need to be careful about over-scheduling. One of the pitfalls of modern society is the tendency to be out and doing for the sake of being busy. I want to stay carefully balanced.
Grayson @ Debt Roundup writes The Black Friday Spending Spree – As a fan of infographics, I was able to find one about Black Friday and how much money is actually spent during that day and the weekend following. You might be surprised how much people spend and the trend seems to be increasing.
Amy @ Money Mishaps writes Online and Mobile Retail make Black Friday practically obsolete – Ladies and gentlemen, here is a certifiable fact; marking down prices for Christmas is an American tradition. Here is another fact that is a bit newer; today, those markdowns and bargains come right to you at home so there is no need to actually go to the store to get them.
Wealth and Passive Income
Lindy @ Minting Nickels writes Top Mistakes to Avoid in Online Forex Trading – There are plenty of places that tell you what you should do when you’re trading Forex online, but not as many telling you what you shouldn’t.
Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes A Yummy Retirement Recipe – A while ago, I thought of a clever idea; write up the steps to a budget like a recipe.
Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes The Top Survey Sites for Making a Little Extra Cash – Many people ask us about survey sites that we recommend and which ones they are. The fact is however that survey sites are not really a particularly good way to make money.
Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Do You Have 6.2% Extra In Your Paycheck? – It’s pretty amazing to me how many people truly still don’t understand our payroll tax system.
PPlan @ Provident Plan writes Is Income Protection Necessary? – My wife and I have finally gotten to a point where we are earning a decent amount more than our expenses.
Sam @ The New Business Blog writes Over 70% of Employees Missing Out on Pretax Dollars for Medical Expenses – In 2013 fewer Americans than ever put pretax dollars a way to cover future medical expenses but changes in 2014 will make these flexible spending accounts bit more attractive. These new changes will actually give taxpayers a bit of extra time to use their money.
GenY @ Gen Y Finances writes Does Everyone Need an Emergency Fund? – You’ve probably heard more times than you can count that you should have savings put away for a rainy day. You may have also heard the old phrase that one size does not fit all.
Adam @ Money Rebound writes Who Are the Richest Fictional Characters of All Time? – Fictional characters that made you wish you had their riches when you were younger.
Matt @ Living in Financial Excellence writes Do You Have Enough Money to Retire? – If you don’t want to end up greeting strangers at the door of Wal-Mart (and I know I don’t!), then you might want to sit down and figure out how much money you’ll really need when you retire.
Dollar @ Easy Extra Dollar writes Blogging: Quick Money – Blogging is by far the simplest way to start attracting visitors in to your autoresponder promotion funnel (fully explained in earlier tips). What they now require to speak about is how to get surfers to your weblog. As you might guess, there’s plenty of ways to do it.
KK @ Student Debt Survivor writes The First Time I Needed My Emergency Fund – Do you have an emergency fund? Have you ever had to use it? I have!
Self employment and Career
Daisy @ Suburban Finance writes Want to Learn About Personal Finance? Play Monopoly – According to dictionary.com, the term -monopoly- is defined as “exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices.” I highly doubt I knew what that meant when I was younger, but read what I learned.
Pauline @ Make Money Your Way writes I bought another PF blog! – I just bought a third PF blog, here are the details of how to value a blog and the expected returns!
Buck @ Buck Inspire writes Tis The Enrollment Season To Be Jolly – It is time to enroll for your employee benefits! Some basics are pretty straightforward and really depends on personal preference like HMO versus PPO.
Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes Personal Finance 101: Back to the Basics – To layout a strong financial foundation you need to know the personal finance basics. In this post we go back to the basics for you.
Claire Murdough @ ReadyForZero Blog writes What To Do With Your Financial Documents – The new year is fast approaching! Get a head start on organizing your finances in the new year with these tips on how to organize and store your financial documents.
Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes A Great 14 Year Old Entrepreneur – You may remember me writing about Abigail Martin and her $500 wedding. At the time I called her my hero. Today, I add Willow Tufano to that list. A few more of these stories and I’ll have to come up with a Lazy Man Hall of Fame of Amazing People.
FI Pilgrim @ FI Journey writes Is Patience Still A Virtue? – There are a lot of things in life that money cannot buy. But in my experience there are also a lot of things that debt can take away. I council patience!
Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes Paparazzi Business Update – I started a new business in September and spent my entire emergency fund in the process. This is my first paparazzi business update!
SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes How to Set Yourself Up To Be a Financial Success When Starting the First Job—— – Whenever anyone starts out at their first job, it is a process of learning few significant lessons in order to succeed in the real world.
Jessica Moorhouse @ Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses writes Career Lessons from Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In – I just finished reading Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In and wow was it inspiring. She touches on a number of career related issues specific to women in the workplace that I don’t think anyone has ever really written about. I’m going to go through a few important lessons I learned from Sandberg’s book about being a woman in today’s workplace and becoming a leader in the future.
Michelle @ Diversified Finances writes Tips To Land That Online Job – Something that I am e-mailed a good amount about is how a person can land an online job. I have had a decent amount of online jobs, and I’m always out there looking for new ones. I feel like a professional in applying for online jobs!
Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes The Joys of Being a Freelancer – While I do not consider my consider my consulting role that of a freelancer, I have, at times, taken on freelance clients for various projects. The beauty of being a freelance is not necessarily the freedom to work wherever you want, but more so the ability to work with whomever you feel is a great fit.
Adam @ Money Bulldog writes 5 Signs You Chose the Wrong Career – Do you find yourself getting bored at work way too often? Maybe it’s time to switch career paths.
Mr. Frenzy @ Frenzied Finances writes Common Personal Finance Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – There are widespread personal finance mistakes made by many Americans that can easily be avoided. What mistakes are you making? Read here to find out!
Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Internet Tips: How to Make Extra Money Online – Looking for some extra for your wallet or savings? Here are some of the legitimate ways to make extra money via the Internet.
Saving and Simple Living
Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes 10 Tips to Save Money – Here’s an oldie but goodie from early 2011! Here are my top 10 tips to save money: 1. Save Automatically. Setting up automatic contributions is the best way, in my opinion, to save money…
Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Is it Justifiable to Spend a lot on the Holidays?- Whether you think that it is OK to spend a lot on the holidays is up to you and your situation, but you can certainly cut back if you don’t have the funds.
Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Should You Blow Your Savings on Christmas? – This has to be one of the most tempting times of the year. It’s like a diet you stay on for 95% of the duration, only to fall at the final hurdle and let yourself down during those last few days that could have made a real difference.
Minimalist @ Minimalist Finance writes Ways to Find Money to Save – Over and over again, we hear about people that use the excuse that they can’t save money for the future because they don’t have enough money in the now. Many people struggle to put money away when they are already living hand to mouth.
Hank @ Money Q&A writes How You Can Save A Ton Of Money With Coupons This Holiday Season – You don’t have to go to extreme measures to make coupons, coupon codes, and deals help you and your family save money with coupons. Here are some great tips to save a ton!
Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Save Money While Job Hunting: A Few Simple Tips – A contribution discussing some ways to keep your cost of going to interviews and job hunting to a minimum while you are getting a number…
Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes 3 Reasons Why Bargain Shopping is Bad for Your Wallet – The economy is still shaky for the most part and everyone wants to be a bargain shopper nowadays. The problem? Bargain shopping can often be bad for your wallet. Here’s why.
Maria @ The Money Principle writes Frugality or folly: stop wasting food! – We all waste too much food and it is time to stop. As a bonus you’ll learn how to make spaghetti carbonara and meringue.
Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Digging Into LED Lightbulb Savings – Here in New England, it’s become clear that winter is coming. With that in mind, it seems natural to look towards saving some money on energy to offset some of the costs of heat.
GenY @ Gen Y Finances writes How to Negotiate Lower Rent – Where you live is in important. It often times not only determines your lifestyle, but it consumes a majority of your income as well. Fortunately as a renter, you have a bit more negotiating power than that of a homeowner in terms of how much you will end up paying each month.
Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes Wow, It’s Really Hard To Save Money Here! – Now that I’ve been back in the U.S. I’ve been spending money left and right. It’s really hard to save money here! There are so many unexpected expenses!
Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes Five Ways for Parents to Save on Tutoring – You may be starting to notice your child’s strengths and weaknesses in school, as far as grades go. There is a solution: tutoring.
Matt @ Budget Snob writes How your Upbringing Affects your Money Habits Part 2 – Something that most people do not realize is that how they were raised as children can actually have a big impact on how they make decisions as adults, especially with money.
Jack @ Money Saving Ethics writes http://www.moneysavingethics.com/old-fashioned-money-saving-tips-that-still-work/ – These days everyone is looking for newfangled ways to save money and, in the rush to do it, some people overlook old-fashioned tips and tricks that have been around for ages.
Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes Avoid these Common Mistakes or you will Always be Broke – Part 2 – While being broke may just be the fault of your circumstance because you are out of work, underemployed or just went through bankruptcy, the fact is that most people are broke all the time because they make a lot of financial mistakes.
Andrea @ So Over This writes More Money, More Gifts: Effective Ways to Save on Holiday Shopping – There are so many people looking to save money during the holidays while also getting the gifts that they want for their family and friends. Fortunately, there are several effective ways that this goal can be accomplished.
Bob @ Dwindling Debt writes Here are 4 Fees that you actually Should Pay – There are a handful of fees that it actually pays you to pay (no pun intended) and our little blog today will let you know what they are and why you should do it. Enjoy.
Katie @ IRA Basics writes The Secret of Saving for Your First Deposit – Are you ready to become a homeowner and do not fancy a no-deposit home loan? Then the biggest obstacle standing in your way is the first deposit or down payment.
Larry @ KrantCents writes Everything Is Always on Sale! – Everything is always on sale seems like an exaggeration! If you are expecting to go to your local store and find absolutely everything on sale, you will be disappointed. Then again, you can find just about everything on sale somewhere.
Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes Can Frugal Be Taken Too Far? – I was perusing the Netflix selection on my computer one afternoon and I found a show called Extreme Cheapskates.
Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes Saving For The Future – When money is tight we look towards brighter days. Having an account where your money is not locked away is critical when the economy is not doing well.
Alice Sibley @ Earning My Two Cents writes How to Handle Medical Bills (Without Freaking Out) – Don’t panic! It’s just a medical bill. You can work out a way to pay it.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich writes Five Dolla’ Make You Holla’Day Series: Teachers & Hostesses – A post about how to keep the holidays thrifty – focusing on gifts for teachers & hostesses
Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes The Importance of Saving Early – When my husband and I first married, we were poor and in debt. It was a difficult place to be, and, even as we made inroads and improved our finances, we still felt pinched
Andrew @ Micro’s Missions writes Saving Money on Software Part 1: Open Source Software – A description of open source software and examples of open source alternatives that can replace proprietary software.
Thank you for reading, have a great weekend!
Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net