March Madness on Free Money Finance

Oh man, how come so many people write so well?! I'm starting to get an inferiority complex here.

Hurry on over to FMF to read and vote for the latest and the greatest posts from the past few months. I submitted my Minimum Wage post and would love to get your vote! (In fact, I would really really really love it. Thank you!)

Some of my favorite picks from Round 1:

• Saving Money by NOT Changing your Own Oil - Many people believe they are saving money by changing their automobile's oil themselves. Are they really? Others believe they can only be sure the job's done right if they do it themselves. What's the truth? Let's find out...
  

(Yay! Someone's giving me a financial reason to avoid learning how to do that!)

• Your First Million Dollars - To plan to be rich, it takes just that . . . planning. Becoming rich is hard work that requires a great deal of self discipline, basic money management skills, goal setting, focus and diligence. This post breaks down in very simple terms how to build wealth in an easy to follow step-by-step process.

(The charts here got me all excited. Compound interest rocks.. specially after you hit a million dollars!)

• A little-too-late advice on building wealth - Well, we're all stupid. Some of us stupider than others, but mama always told me stupid is as stupid does. If you can read this list and you haven't messed up all of these points already, you may find a way to destupidify.

(When I can admit I'm being stupid, I will happily take advice to destupidify. I have much to learn.)

• Personal Finance Is Like Learning to Ride a Bike- There are a lot of extended analogies in personal finance writing - budgeting is like dieting, money management is like football, debt reduction is like a snowball rolling down the hill - but I haven't seen one comparing personal finance to learning to ride a bike. Both personal finance and bike-riding are intimidating to newbies, but everyone can learn how by starting with the basics. This article draws parallels between basic biking skills and basic personal finance principles, hopefully making personal finance more accessible to everyone.

(Outstanding post! Analogies are great and this is one of the best I've come across.)

Help me get to the next round dear readers! And be sure to visit all the other great bloggers I haven't mentioned here.

Carnivals and Choices

I've had a slow month of posting and I did not submit any articles to carnivals this week. However, I have been reading through the fabulous posts at Carnival of Money Stories at Collecting My Cash and the Festival of Frugality at No Credit Needed. I think Carnivals are a great way to find new blogs and new perspectives.

I was struck by a number of articles that reminded me of the power of choice. The value I put on choice and individual empowerment and responsibility runs through most of my posts (if it doesn't then I need to become a better writer because I'm certainly thinking about choice whenever I'm writing about money)

Cash Money Life describes an instance where he had to make the choice between what is is right and what is easy.

Small Cents tells us about a friend who is having trouble making the choice to get out of her financial mess in The Grass is Browner on the Other Side of The Fence.

The Wastrel Show has a detailed article about how she and her family set priorities and now live debt free.

Smart Easy Money argues that you don't have to judge someone for the choices they make. Those choices may not work for you but they may be perfectly appropriate for them. Read her thoughts on why she doesn't think living a frugal life means being anti-luxury in Consumerism vs Frugality.

And finally, Quest for Four Pillars gives us an example of how luxurious our lives can actually feel if we choose to take on a different perspective in Living the Good Life as a Custodian.

There are many many worthy articles at these carnivals so be sure to check them out!

Of Courage and Carnivals

Once again, I am awed by the number of bloggers out there who share such fantastic information and insights with the rest of us on our personal finance journey. I've been perusing three carnivals this week and thought I would pick out a few articles that highlight something I've been thinking a lot about lately: courage.

Courage
It takes courage to make changes in your life.
It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone.
It takes courage to look at yourself and admit you've been making mistakes.
It takes courage to keep pushing through even when things are really hard.

Congratulations to all of you who are working courageously towards your goals.


Where I Need Courage

The gaping courage-hole in my life is my resistance to stepping out of my comfort zone. For some reason I have decided that most DIY projects are too much for me. If I could just muster up the courage to learn a few skills and not be so afraid, I could definitely save a few hundred more dollars every year.

At the Carnival of Money Stories, Getting Out Of Debt writes about a simple car repair that I don't yet have the courage to handle. I've Paid For This Twice Already talks about a simple dryer vent repair that I would have spent way too much money on.

At the Festival of Frugality, A Dollar a Day asks what unnecessary expense is worth it to you? I have a few that I could give up if I had the courage to deal with the inconvenience of creating and adjusting to a new routine.

Big Courage
There are some things that require tremendous courage. It is when we tap into this "big courage" that we begin to find out what we're really made of. These posts from the Carnival of Personal Finance might give you some food for thought .

My Two Dollars reminds us that we are not our "stuff". How many of us base our identities on our possessions because we're too afraid to look ourselves squarely in the mirror?

A Dollar a Day is reflecting on some emotional issues surrounding money. As women, many of us have been raised to reject our power and it is going to take a lot of courage to reclaim it.


I've only pulled out a few articles here but I highly recommend that you check out the rest of the great entries at the following sites:

Carnival of Money Stories at College of Cash
Festival of Frugality at Mighty Bargain Hunter
Carnival of Personal Finance at The Financial Blogger

Carnivals Abound

I've had a very busy week of not posting. I am a little taken aback at how quickly this week has flown by. I need to make some sort of commitment to myself about posting more frequently. More on that later!

In the meantime, if you're looking for useful personal financial stuff to read, head on over to some of the carnivals published today:

Lazy Man and Money has put together the Festival of Frugality #112. There are links to a great set of articles about frugal tips, romance, grocery spending, travel, money management, health, and entertainment.

Mrs. Micah is hosting this week's Carnival of Money Stories. This carnival is a good resource for learning about people's personal experiences on their journey to controlling their financial lives.

I also discovered The Random Yak. They hosted the Showcase Carnival (of new blogs) yesterday. There are numerous posts worth reading, and some new blogs I am tempted to bookmark! I enjoyed this personal story by Tiffany about taking responsibility for missed opportunities.

Happy reading!