The Carnival of Financial Camaraderie #38

Here’s another carnival for everyone to enjoy for the weekend, we’re still looking for carnival hosts so if you’re interested please contact us. Enjoy!

BUDGETING

Sean @ One Smart Dollar writes How to Eat Right on a Budget – Most people think eating right is expensive. I want to show you that it’s possible to eat healthy and stay within your budget.

Sicorra @ Tackling Our Debt writes Tips for Couples Traveling on a Tight Budget – If you are a couple living on a tight budget is it still possible to travel and enjoy yourself? You bet it is! Check this out to learn how.

YFS @ Your Finances Simplified writes My 1000 Dollar Budgeting Mistake and How You Can Avoid it – I want to talk to you about budgeting. I am actually going to give you a story about budgeting mistakes. By this time I feel that you should know how to budget. But, if not, I will create another video.

Jason @ Live Real, Now writes 10 Tips to Help Parents Stay Out of Debt – For a hundred thousand years, people raised babies with nothing more than a scrap of hide to alternately chew on or wipe with. You can probably get buy with just a bit more. Relax and enjoy the process of raising your kids. Money doesn’t matter nearly as much as your presence.

Miranda Marquit @ Ready For Zero writes How to Negotiate Your Bills-  When you receive a bill that seems impossible to pay, you may feel like the situation is hopeless. However, you may be surprised which bills you can get a break on. This article will help you understand how to negotiate various types of bills.

Mike @ Rewards Cards Canada writes RBC Cash Back MasterCard Review - Royal Bank introduced a new cash back credit card in December called the RBC Cash Back MasterCard.  Their research showed a growing consumer demand for cash back rewards, particularly one with no annual fee.

BUSINESS

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes 5 Tips to Help You Land a Job Out of College – Find out how you can get a job out of college. Learning these tips will improve your changes of making a decent salary.

CAREER & EDUCATION

CF @ Outlier Model writes Tackling my student loans - Student Loan debt is on of the most common forms of debt. Having a clear plan going in is key to achieving financial success.

Everything Finance @ Everything Finance writes What If We Lost Our Jobs? – What if we lost our jobs? With Eric’s recent stint into unplanned employment (he got injured outside of work and was unable to work for five weeks), we started to realize what would really happen if one of us lost our job.

Janet @ Credit Cards Canada writes Could You Be Better Off with an Apprenticeship Instead of University? – One of the up and coming ways to reduce the costs of an education is to seek an apprenticeship, rather than a degree program. You develop a marketable skill, but without the cost of attending university.

Kraig @ Young, Cheap Living writes How to Handle Stress at Work – I had a stressful day at work and to get through it, I’ve learned to go through 4 steps that help me out of messes like this one: relax, think positively, formulate a winning plan and execute on it.

Philip @ PT Money writes 15 Fun Summer Jobs for Students - I share 5 of the summer jobs I worked when I was younger and offer 10 more to consider, along with reasons why students should get a summer job and what to do with their money when they’ve earned it.

Dr. Dean @ The Millionaire Nurse Blog writes Don’t Text These 5 People! – Texting is fine, usually. But there are people you just don’t want to text.

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes How To Get A Job and Girlfriend – Have you ever been without a job? I have heard that, aside from losing a child, being unemployed is one of toughest experiences to go through. If you have been fortunate enough to have not experienced this anguish, lets find another angle.

Vanessa @ Vanessa’s money writes Mini-Economics Lesson: Opportunity Cost – I explain how the seemingly complicated economic principle of opportunity cost can be applied to personal finance

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes 3 Lessons to Boost Your Positional Leadership – Most people need to begin a career at the bottom of the totem pole, then work their way over the years to a more prominent position in the company.

Steve @ BripBrap writes 6 Things to Avoid If You Want to Be Creative - I came up with a list of ways that my creativity gets stifled in order to fight that tendency. Here they are:

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Amazing Workplace Perks – Office perks are added benefits that employees get to use and enjoy while they are at work, and some office perks help employees make every day errands easy and within their reach. Don’t You Wish Your Office Had…

FINANCIAL ADVICE

J.P. @ Novel Investor writes How to Get Your Social Security Statement Online – A step by step guide on how to create a My Social Security account and access your Social Security statement online.

FamilyMoneyValues @ Family Money Values writes The Millionaires – Where is the Help for the Mere Millionaire? - Where does the lowly millionaire with wealth in the 1 – 5 million dollar range go for help with wealth management, peer level interaction and education on wealth topics?

Beating Broke @ Beating Broke writes Don’t Leave Retirement Savings on the Table - You’ve got to think about your retirement sooner or later. And, the sooner you start thinking about it, and preparing for it, the better off you’ll be when it comes time to face it.

Lance @ Money Life & More writes I Got A Crazy Deal: Samsung Galaxy Skyrocket – After crafting a list of reason why I thought AT&T should give me a free $150 smartphone I picked up the phone and gave them a call. What follows is how I got them to give me the phone for free…

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes We Decided to Go with a Real Estate Broker after All – When we first decided to put our house on the market The Wife and I talked about using a real estate broker or agent for selling our home, and opted against it since the price on the home is priced way under the market. However, after losing our buyer The Wife and I were pretty stumped how to get the word out.

Joe @ Personal Finance By The Book writes 4 Great Reasons Not To Payoff Credit Cards with 401k Funds - When you see that money sitting in your 401(k), it can be easy to think about tapping into it to make that credit card debt disappear – but these are a few reasons why you may not want to . . .

Dave @ Debt Black Hole writes Does A “Goldilocks Zone” Exist For Debt? – Personal Finance is filled with extremes and polarized opinions. Some people believe you should not have any kind of debt, others think certain kinds of debt are useful to build wealth. Is it possible to have a debt load that’s “just right”?

Roshawn Watson @ Roshawn Watson writes presents Your Financial Crisis Manual - Men don’t drown by being underwater; they drown by staying underwater. You can come out of hardship, and the best way to do this is with a plan. Here are 9 steps to navigating a financial crisis.

Jeff Rose @ Life Insurance by Jeff writes 6 Key Steps On How to Pass Your Life Insurance Medical Exam - Before making a commitment to their clients, life insurance companies require you to take a medical exam in order to find out the best policy for you. In order to get the best possible coverage without having to pay a stiff price, you must have an idea how to pass the life insurance exams.

FRUGALITY

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes How to Save Money on Health Care – Health care continues to get more and more expensive each year. And it is one expense that everyone incurs at some point in their life. As such, it is important that you understand the drivers of health care costs, and what you can do as an individual to save money on all costs associated with your health.

Lina Zussino @ Baby Alerts Frugal Fun: Free Remedies to Family Boredom - Do not be disheartened by bored children, or immediately dip into your wallet for expensive but brief commercial entertainment ventures. Consider instead their lack of imagination to be an opportunity for all of you: turn it into the chance to spark their creativity; or family fitness time; or even a Tom Sawyer moment wherein you get them to whitewash the fence. Here are 5 activities – all without spending a dime.

Steve Zussino @ Grocery Alerts writes The Most Commonly Shoplifted Items - Shoplifting is a big business in the United States where people sell products with a long-shelf life at flea markets like laundry soap, razors, shaving cream, deodorant, etc. Chronic shoplifters try to steal high-margin items they can put up for online auction, sell to pawn shops or return for a full refund.

Mike Collins @ The Wealthy Turtle presents Are You Frugal or Just Cheap? - There’s nothing wrong with living a frugal lifestyle. But if any of these money saving tactics sound familiar, you’re not frugal. You’re cheap.

Kyle @ Evolving PF writes Frugality in Moderation – I had a really negative experience splitting a check once when my friends and I came up short. Here’s how that episode changed my outlook on frugality.

Robert @ My Multiple Incomes writes How to Help Your Business Save Money on Utilities - Where would we be without gas and electricity? It doesn’t bear thinking about, but the reality is that businesses of all sizes need it to get everything done, from manufacturing goods for sale to doing the accounts and everything in between. However, despite it being a necessity, you won’t want to pay too much for it.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes My Wedding Guest Costs – As excited as I am that my little sister is bubbling over with enthusiasm and love, and I’m looking forward to the wedding in the coming weeks, that means there are expenses that I need to shell out to attend her fairy-tale wedding. But not to fear, I’m always on the look out for frugal choices and thankfully I’ve planned ahead for the expenses this year as well.

Steve Zussino @ Canadian Personal Finance writes What’s next for the US – A recession or a recovery? - What would happen if the US economy were to experience another recession similar to the scale of the Great Economic Depression, 1929? Wouldn’t your life change dramatically? The unemployment rate would rise from 9% to 25%, economic output, as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would drop by 25%, from $14 trillion to $10 trillion.

INVESTING

Kanwal @ Simply Investing writes Are You An Investor Or Speculator? – Are you an investor or speculator? Or are you a speculator thinking that you are investing? Over the years I’ve heard people say things like, -I’m going to play the stock market. I’ll gamble a few hundred dollars on this stock.

Dividend Growth Investor @ The Dividend Growth Investor writes Dividend Investors – Do not forget about total returns - Dividend investors often get into the strategy because the dividend component of total return is more stable. This makes it an ideal strategy for retirees to live off dividends and not be dependent on short term market fluctuations.

Jeff Rose presents @ Good Financial Cents writes - Ready to Start Investing? Here’s the Best Online Brokers for Beginners -  I can remember the first time I made my first stock trade.  I was an intern at the investment firm that eventually hired me.  It was right around when the tech bubble burst, and tech stocks were trading at extreme discounts.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes How To Invest When You Are Scared of The Stock Market – There are many stories about the younger generation being scared to invest in the stock market because they started to invest at the peak of the market back in 2007 and lost almost everything.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Can You Become a One-Car Household? – If you’re interested in cutting your living expenses radically the best way to do that is by eliminating big expenses.

Ryan @ Early Retirement Investments writes 7 Savings Steps to Take Before Retirement – Here are 7 saving steps to take before retirement. Are you making them?

Jason @ Work Save Live writes How to Invest in Consumer Debt – How to Invest in Consumer Debt Many investors are familiar with investing in corporate and government debt through the purchase of bonds. Bonds are often attractive because they’re considered one of the safer types of investments. This is especially true of U.S. Treasury bonds which are guaranteed by the U.S. government.

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Magic Formula Investing – The Magic Formula described by Joel Greenblatt looks for undervalued companies based on earnings yield and returns on capital. Here are the steps to implement this strategy:

SAVING

Echo @ Boomer and Echo writes Where To Find The Best Savings Accounts For Children - Whenever our 3-year old daughter finds a quarter or a loonie lying around the house, she takes it and puts it in her piggy bank.  Some people might call this stealing, but I see it as the early signs of a good saver.

My Own Advisor @ My Own Advisor writes My plan for a prolonged low interest rate environment – No doubt interest rates play an important role in the economy. They are a vital tool of monetary policy. Interest rates affect all of us but not necessarily in a good way. Check out this post that will outline what I’m doing in our low interest rate environment.

Sandy @ Yes, I Am Cheap writes Teach Your Children About Money Now! - Remember that term, “it takes a village to raise a child”? I’m a part of that a village called my family, and I feel that it is my responsibility to teach this particular kid about money, no matter how hard the lesson.

OTHER

Corey @ 20s Finances writes 7 Ways To Pay Off Your Student Loans Quickly – I am an advocate of paying off your student loans quickly. With the average graduates student loan bill coming in around $24,000 many feel overwhelmed with the standard 10 year repayment plan. This post is designed to show you ways how you can make a big dent in your student loan balance and get rid of the debt quickly.

JP @ My Family Finances writes My Biggest Money Mistake – My biggest money mistake ended up being a chain reaction of mistakes.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Financial Infidelity – A Growing Concern On The Rise – Nearly 60 percent of women, and 50 percent of men admit to some form of financial infidelity.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes The 3 T’s of Success – The 3 T’s of Success is the twentieth in a series of articles to help you reach your goal.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Smart Phone App Pays You to Look at Displays While Shopping – Surely there is an app that will pay you while you shop? As it turns out, there is such an app and it’s called EasyShift.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes Trick Yourself Into Saving Money – In the past couple of years, my income has doubled, and so has my desire to buy, buy, buy.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Battle of the Bulk: Costco, Sam’s Club, & BJ’s – I’ve broken down the membership costs of some of America’s biggest bulk retailers for you.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Professional Profiles: Sarah, the International Grad Student – My best friend earned admission to graduate school across the pond. Turns out, she’s not the only American flocking to Britain for business school.

Jeremy Waller @ Personal Finance Whiz writes My Search for Residual Income – Over the last 5 years I have constantly had a number of side projects to earn an extra income. In most cases it wasn’t much, maybe a couple hundred per month. There have been a few times I did really well and brought in over $1,000 of extra income.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Would You Rather Have One-Time or Passive Income? – I think personal finance bloggers have an unhealthy obsession with creating passive income. It sounds great, but they’re giving up lots of money!

Kevin @ Thousandaire writes I Paid Off $33,850 in Student Loans in 4 Years – I graduated from college four years ago with almost $34,000 in student loan debt. I paid off the last dollar and now I’m saving for a house.

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes How To Know If You Have A Debt Problem? – Many people make far more money than they really need to live. However, somewhere between lifestyle inflation and the requirement to make large minimum payments on debt balances each month, many who earn a sizable income are struggling to make ends meet and are living paycheck to paycheck. Debt is an issue that those in all income brackets must contend with.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Killer Stock Characteristic #4 – Dividend Growth Rate – A company’s dividend growth rate is a good proxy for how much their share price should also grow. A company’s share price is the present value of all its future cash flows.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes How to Work Your Way Out of Debt Quickly – Many young families are struggling to get out of their debt. As a result of college expenses and traditionally lower salaries, overcoming large amounts of debt can be quite the challenge.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes No Medical Exam Life Insurance – Many insurance companies require that applicants for life insurance undergo a medical examination before they will issue a policy.

SHAWANDA @ You Have More Than You Think writes Seriously, You Really Do Have More Than You Think: How to Earn Extra Cash With Ordinary Stuff – Use what you have–right now–to bring in extra cash. You don’t have to wait until you start a business or get a raise to increase your income.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Striving for Income Diversification – Why have one income stream when you can have many? This is my attempt at creating multiple income streams.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes Living to 100 and Beyond: Building Your Portfolio – This is the third in a series of articles on living to 100 and beyond. In this article, I discuss the investment vehicles needed after retirement!

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Staycation: Better for Your Wallet and the Environment – By staying home during your time off you save money and the planet.

101 Centavos @ 101 Centavos writes What You Know Ain’t So – Or rather, what you know may not necessarily be so. Conventional wisdom has a conventional way of being frequently turned on its head. Myths get bust…

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes Avoiding Having Kids Costs Money Too – There are a ton of posts out there that talk about the cost of having kids, but not many (or any) about the cost of not having kids. While we already have a kid and know how expensive it is, our goal since then has been to not have any more kids. Oddly though, avoiding having kids can still cost money.

Dave @ Financial Conflict Coach writes Do Group Dynamics Influence How You Spend Your Money? – As social creatures, we’re drawn to groups. In these groups, each of us assumes a specific role. These roles may have an effect on the way you spend or save money.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Do you really need insurance? – We all need insurance because shit happens; and when it hits the fan we have to be protected. If you are thinking that while this is true, the statistical probability of something happening to you is pretty slim you are wrong. For two reasons, read more to find out why!

John @ Married (with Debt) writes Free Debt and Budget Spreadsheet – A debt and budget spreadsheet is an essential tool to help you take control of your money and get out of debt. Get a free spreadsheet here.

Aloysa @ My Broken Coin writes How to Negotiate A Raise From an Insider’s Point of View – I have to admit that supervising people can be a very rewarding experience. It also can be frustrating, sometimes even maddening. People come to me with different set of problems. Some like to complain about others. Some like to ask for advice or direction they need to take with a project.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes We Were Swindled, in Our Own Home – We were so swindled and managed over the last 45 minutes that we literally escaped to the top of our two-story home and shut the door to my office to regroup. I am not even close to exaggerating.

Carnivals

• Carnival Of Personal Finance

Have a great weekend everyone!