Welcome to the 430th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance! I’ve hosted this carnival a few times in the past so hopefully you know a bit about it. Basically, this is a celebration of some of the better personal finance posts from around the internet in the recent past. So let’s get started and dig into the best of this week’s submissions!
Editor’s Picks
Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents What is Renter’s Insurance and Why You Need It, and says, “Renter’s insurance is an important coverage that most renters don’t think they need or think they can’t afford. See what renter’s insurance is and why you need it.”
Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance presents Is it Too Early to Start Shopping for Christmas Gifts?, and says, “It’s hard to believe it, but Christmas is only about four months away! If you gauged its arrival off of what I’ve been seeing at our local Costco, it’s been getting close for the last month or two. While I think we go a bit overboard in regards to over-commercializing the Holiday season and buying Christmas gifts in particular, I do believe it can be done in wise fashion without breaking the bank.”
Harry Campbell from The Four Hour Work Day presents Vacation is More Meaningful When You Have a Job, and says, “I’ve often found that returning to work after a long and restful vacation is one of the most depressing feelings on earth. I know you’re supposed to feel refreshed and relaxed after vacation, but for me, going back to work is what I dread most about vacation. It’s not like I’m thinking about work during my vacations, but when I’m back at work I can’t help but remember how much fun I was having the week before.
All Of The Rest
Clint from Accumulating Money presents Top 7 Ways to Save Money on Your Next Family Vacation, and says, “For some reason, travel is one of those things we take for granted as having to be expensive. There are lots of ways to save money on family vacations. Here are just a few of them.”
Lazy Man from Lazy Man and Money presents Is Being a Full-Time CFO the Wave of the Future?, and says, “In a lot of ways being a full-time family CFO simply means keeping an ear to the ground listening for opportunity. When you hear it coming, you get ready to pounce. It also means putting out fires that threaten to take money from you.”
FI Pilgrim from FI Journey presents Considerations When Waging A War On STUFF, and says, “Having a sparsely decorated, neat and tidy house has been more than worth the effort of waging a war on stuff! In this post I explain the obstacles we faced.”
Monica from Monica On Money presents Free TV, Just Like It Used To Be, and says, “I gave up cable 7 years ago and estimate that I have saved over $8400 by not having cable.”
Holly from Club Thrifty presents A Career in Sales Isn’t for Everyone, and says, “Have you ever considered a career in sales? Read this post for one man’s story of how it didn’t work out like he planned.”
Barbara Friedberg from Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance presents MBA Class: Time Value of Money In Financial Decision Making, and says, “Net present value makes financial and investment decision making more accurate. Use future value to compare spending and saving.”
Ray from Squirrelers presents The Surprising Extra Costs of Driving an Expensive Car, and says, “It can be nice to drive an upscale car. However, the incremental costs are more than might meet the eye and might be enough to convince one to choose a more practical alternative.”
Daniel from Make Money Make Cents presents How to Live Within Your Means but Still Live Well, and says, “If you have any doubt that Americans love their credit cards then all you need to do is look at the latest Federal Reserve figures showing that we have nearly $860 billion worth of credit card debt to our names.”
Oscar from Money is the Root presents The Best Investing Advice for Newlyweds, and says, “The simple fact is, couples who educate themselves about investing and set goals for savings not only increase the chance of being able to take a second honeymoon someday, but also that they’ll head into retirement not only still together but in excellent finance shape.”
Harry Campbell from Your PF Pro presents Another Tough Run In With Best Buy, and says, “Even though I often see a lot of negativity towards Best Buy, they are still in business and somehow opening more stores than they’re closing. When was the last time you saw one of their stores go out of business(a la Circuit City)? I have even noticed a trend of lower prices at Best Buy over the past year or so that seem to coincide with when online retailers had to start charging sales tax.”
Matt from Budget Snob presents Why many good people have problems following sound financial advice, and says, “The basics of personal finance is very simple. But many people do not follow the rules and that has led to some of the most difficult financial times in generations.”
Lily from Paying Debt Down presents Finance Tips for 20 Somethings, and says, “The average 20-year-old is being forced to make many more financial decisions than ever before. The ones at the beginning of a career are especially important.”
Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents How Much Is Your Commute Costing You?, and says, “For some, commuting is just a part of life. If that’s what you have to do in order to make it work, that’s what you do. However, if you are looking to reduce your commute, here are some ideas:”
Adam from Adam Hagerman – Financial Coach presents Setting Financial Goals Is Crucial to Your Success, and says, “It’s tough to sit down and plan out your financial future. How can you think about something 5+ years from now when you can hardly handle what’s going on right now. However, setting financial goals is crucial to your success. Click through and find out how to set attainable financial goals and learn how to strive for something special!”
Daniel from Sweating The Big Stuff presents The 5 Worst Ways to Save Money, and says, “There are some good ways to save money and there are some bad ways to save money. Do not go too far in your quest to save!”
Pauline from Make Money Your Way presents How I make money as a DJ, and says, “This post will show you how Evan made $50,000 as a DJ.”
Andrea from So Over This presents Several Good Reasons to Not Contribute to Your 401(k), and says, “A very common piece of advice that is given about retirement is that of maxing out a 401K plan at work. More than a few people, including professional financial advisors, will tell you that this is a way to make sure that your retirement is truly golden.”
Pauline from Reach Financial Independence presents Would you buy a 5 bedrooms, $100 house?, and says, “Detroit is dirt cheap, is it time to invest?”
Gary from Gajizmo presents How To Lower Your Utility Bill, and says, “Chances are, your utility bill is anywhere between $100 and $400 per month. But what if you could save $1,000 per year on your utility bill? Check out our guide on lowering your water and electric bill every month by making minor lifestyle changes or small upfront investments. Most of these strategies even offer the dual benefits of saving you money and the environment.”
Daisy from When Life Gives You Lemons, Add Vodka presents How I Started Side Hustling: Staff/Ghost Writing & Freelancing, and says, “Daisy gives real-life, applicable tips on how to start a writing gig (even if you have never had one before)”
Big Cajun Man from THE Canadian Finance Blog presents Personal Auditor General, and says, “Do you have your own personal auditor general to make sure you aren’t buying silly stuff?”
Jon from Novel Investor presents Traditional IRA Rules: Everything You Need To Know, and says, “Everything you need to know about the traditional IRA rules (and probably some stuff you don’t) so your retirement plan goes off without a hitch.”
Jason Hull from Hull Financial Planning presents 4 Reasons to Avoid 401k Loans, and says, “We may think 401k loans are acceptable because we are paying ourselves interest on the loan. They are bad; here are 4 reasons why we should avoid them altogether.”
Nicole from Nicole and Maggie: Grumpy Rumblings presents September Mortgage Update and I hate budgeting, and says, “Nicole and Maggie discuss ways to get around having to have a zero-sum budget, and how having that kind of budget can suck for some people.”
Shawna from Money Misfit presents My Biggest Financial Mistake: Student Loans, and says, “I’ve made many bad money decisions, but this one is at the top of list when it comes to bad ones.”
photos by:
NeilsPhotography &
JanetR3,
JoeInSouthernCA,
Hamed Saber
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