The Carnival of Financial Camaraderie #41

BUDGETING

Steve Zussino @ Grocery Alerts writes How to find quality cookware on a budget – Obtaining the right tool for the job is always important, but nowhere does it have a more significant impact on the enjoyment one receives from using those tools than in the kitchen. The price of cookware can range drastically, starting as low as a few dollars per pan to as high as several thousand dollars for complete professional sets.

BUSINESS

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes Improving Your Marketability as a Small BusinessOwner – Running a small business in an economy that is filled with large national corporations can be difficult. Small businesses have always had a difficult time competing with companies that have the resources of small countries.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes The Beauty of an Online Business – These days it seems like everyone is out to make money through small business. Everyone wants to come up with the next great idea to establish a money-making business. Despite the competition, it has become remarkably easier than ever before. The main reason it has become easier is for one reason – the internet. The internet has transformed small businesses.

Robert @ My Multiple Incomes writesJune 2012 Monthly Income Stream Report – I’m a little late getting this up this month, but better late than never! June was another great month for my multiple income streams, and I don’t see it letting up any time soon.

Timothy Artisan @ Wealth Artisan writes Business Lessons From Pixar – Entrepreneurs can learn a lot from Pixar. From the high levels of quality, to their commitment to their customers, they have a lot of interesting lessons to teach. Did you know it took them 3 years to develop the software for one character’s hair? Learn more money making wisdom from Pixar.

CAREER & EDUCATION

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Youth Sports, $5 Billion, And Your Kid – The world of youth sports is a $5 billion a year industry – what can you do to cut costs and avoid some of the most expensive sports?

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Job Hunting Success – Job Interview 101: Preparation – A look at the first step in the job interview process, getting ready to go to the interview, preparing your questions to dressing properly.

JP @ My Family Finances writes How Does the Average Family Budget Compare to Yours? – We are obsessed with being more than average. So, if you want to avoid the average family budget, it helps to know what it is.
Glen Craig @ Free From Broke presents Have a Student Going Off to College? Teach Your Child about Student Loan Debt - If your child is accepted to number of great colleges that’s awesome. But she should understand the costs and how student loan debt will affect them later on.

YFS @ Your Finances Simplified writes Could You Survive At the Povery Line? – Sometime ago, very early in my blogging career. Ha, I’m writing this as if I didn’t start blogging in October of 2011. Time sure does fly..

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Crazy Ideas and anEntrepreneurial Spirit – When setting out on an entrepreneurial path, it’s also important to prioritize jobs. My salaried job comes first, all other side income comes in second and those that are more profitable get pushed ahead of others which are not. I don’t find much pleasure working for “free” unless that free project is my own.

FINANCIAL ADVICE

Everything Finance @ Everything Finance Blog writes Marital Property and Debt in Divorce – Money problems cause conflict in many relationships, but what happens when you get a divorce? How do you separate assets? How do you deal with marital debt?

Marie at FamilyMoneyValues @Family Money Values writes Financial Fables – A Slave for Great Black Bear – A fable to read to your kids about being a slave to debt.

SB @ One Cent at a Time writes 20 Best Practices for Retirement Saving – 60% of Americans are either not saving for retirement, or saving too little. If you’e one of them, start acting now, here’s the 20 nest practices for retirement saving.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Why Is Gen XY Worth Less Than TheirParents? – Common sense says it’s no surprise that older Americans are wealthier than young Americans.

Young @ Young And Thrifty writes Get Others to Pay Your Fees – If you’re like me, you hate those pesky fees in life. You know the ones I’m talking about, the little things that get tacked on wherever you go.

Jeremy @ Modest Money writes Thank You For Getting Speeding Tickets – Have you ever considered that you should be thanking people who are pulled over for speeding? They may be making the roads less safe, but they are actually doing you a favor.

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes Manage Personal Cash Flow as if You are a Business – ash Management is vital to the success of a business because it allows the business to pay it’s bills while using cash efficiently to fund day to day operations. Consumers can benefit from managing their own cash in much the same ways a business does.

FRUGALITY

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes Save Money by Using Home Appliances Efficiently – Today, the current financial situation may require a much more stringent management of your household expenses. Domestic appliances account for a large portion of your home’s energy usage. There are, however, a few things you can do to trim the budget.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes What is Freecycling? – What is Freecycling? The idea is simple: If you have an item that you no longer want there is a chance that someone else wants – you offer to give it away for free.

Miss T. @Prairie Eco Thrifter writes How to Save Money Visiting Yellowstone National Park – It isn’t cheap to visit a national park, if you stay in the park lodging and eat at restaurants – which we did (because I am NOT a camper!), but there are some things you can do to trim expenses.Here are some of the things we did to curb our spending:

Peter @ Bible Money Matters writes How to Put Together a Low Cost Blog Video Setup: All the Tools You’ll Need To Do Video for Your Blog – I’ve now been doing video for a year or two now, and I thought today would be a good time to do a review of why I do video for my blog, what I think it adds to the site, and then walk everyone through how to put together a low cost blog video setup for themselves.

SB @ One Cent at a Time writes 25 DIY Car Repairs to Save Money – Save money and time by doing basic troubleshooting andrepairs on many car issues. Gain experience to fix complex issues by doing simple DIY repairs first. Keep your car in top condition by following these 25 DIY car repairs

INVESTING

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes My Financial Bucket List – I’m trying to get the highest return on investment… the investment of life. Here are the top five financial goals on my bucket list. What are yours?

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Why Being Debt Free is Great for Your Family – Find out why being debt free is important for your family.

Ryan @ Early Retirement Investments writes A Few Ways to Save Money Around the House… – Read my ways to save a money around the house!

Tyler @ Poor Student writes June Dividends – It is that time of the month. That came out wrong perhaps. I mean that I have now collected all my dividends for the month of June. And it was my best month yet.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes All About High Yield Bond Funds – Everything you want to know aboutinvesting in high yield bond mutual funds and ETFs. How they work, who should invest, and more!

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes I Was Housed By A Homeless Guy – Sounds ironic, doesn’t it? How could “he who don’t own home” be capable of housing “he who own home?” Confucius can’teven provide understanding on this matter so I suppose I’ll have to explain further.

MMD @ My Money Design writes How Much Money Would I Make If I Rented Out A House? – What kind of rate of return would I make if I bought a house and rented it out for rental income? This example will walk through buying a house in my neighborhood and then crunching the numbers to see how much I could make in a year.

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes Using Chaikin Portfolio Health Check to Analyze My Portfolio – If youhave an active portfolio it is worthwhile to check out the Chaikin Portfolio Health Check since it is not really telling you what stocks to buy but rather how the portfolio you put together is doing with analysts.

Robert @ The College Investor writes A Cheat Sheet for Value Investing – Value investing was pioneered by Benjamin Graham and made famous by Warren Buffett, both of whom are some of the best investors of all time. Here are some of the fundamentals that they look at when evaluating companies, put together in a cheat sheet at the end for you.

Jeff Rose @ Good Financial Cents writes 7 Alternatives to Investing inthe Stock Market – As a financial planner I work with a lot of clients and most of our investments are related to the stock market.We invest in bonds, mutual funds, ETF’s, and the occasional individual stock.Every so often I’ll get some people that want to invest into “stock market alternatives“, meaning that they are a little bit fed up with the ups and downs of the market.

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Lending Club (July 2012 Update) – I’ve been a very busy beaver, with all things related to peer-to-peer investing. As of today my NAR is 10.24% and increased from the last update. My ROI is currently 8.31%. I now have over $9,000 invested, of which $1,000 was deposited from a matured 5 year CD.

OTHER

SB @ Finance Product Review writes Chaikin Portfolio Health Check Review – A review of the newest tool from Chaikin suit of trading tools, the Chaikin portfolio health checker, a fee based stock recommendation service.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Can You Make Money Online Without Selling Your Soul? – This article talks about ways to make money online without it consuming your every waking minute!

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes Earn Money Online: Cash Crate – Ways to earn money online with Cash Crate, how much money you can earn with Cash Crate, learn ways to earn moremoney with Cash Crate, Cash Crate payments, etc.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Investing as science, an art form and a game – Investing is challenging not because of the amount of knowledge we need but because we need different kinds of knowledge.

Shawanda @ You Have More Than You Think writes 7 Non-Extreme Ways to Slash Your Restaurant Bill – You don’t have to stop eating out to save money. Here are 7 simple tips to save money when eating out.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes What Is A Cafeteria Plan For Health Insurance? – What is a cafeteria plan for health insurance? It is a type of employee health insurance plan that allows employees to choose from different types of health benefits

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes Passive Income with a Bed and Breakfast? – It was just last week that I was at a friend’s wedding. It was a great time to celebrate with them, and as it turns out, it was my first time at a bed and breakfast. For the first time, I got a close-up view of what it takes to run a bed and breakfast.

Jason @ Work Save Live writes Why I’ll Never Get My Future Kid a Credit Card – Here are my experiences with a credit card as a kid, and why I will never add my future kids as authorized users on my credit card…

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes Interviews With The One Percent – I previously wrote about Occupy Wall Street and how the 99 Percent can make it.

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes Have Fun on a Budget This Summer? – We look forward to the summer months all year long. Summer for many of us means vacations, roadtrips, concerts, and backyard barbeques.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes Zen Personal Finance: My Philosphy, and What It Means to Invest It Wisely – What is zen personal finance? Is it a new-age thing? Is it a type of meditation? Is it a new way of looking at our finaces? Read more to learn what it really is!

Aloysa @ My Broken Coin writes How Much Your Car Really Costs You? – This is an analysis of the real cost of owning and using your car.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Using the Library As A Mobile Office – Why not consider using your local public library as an mobile office? There are empty meeting rooms available, and are just wasted space waiting to be used.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes What Dating Etiquette? Coupons Are Sexy On First Dates! – Looking to impress your next date? Simply use a coupon. Yes, you read that right, coupons are sexy even on first dates.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Paying off Debt? Follow your Own Rules – When it comes to payingoff debt, I’ve realized two things: it’s a long process, and you have to make your own rules. Depending on how much debt you have to begin with, it can take years to get yourself out of the red.

Bridget @ Money After Graduation writes Avoiding Debt After Graduation – As college leavers know, taking another course is a great way to delay the start of paying off your student debts. Unfortunately, once you’ve passed the post and enjoyed graduation you quickly head towards the time you need to start making those repayments.

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes EasyInvesting With Computershare – Are you familiar with Computershare? I learned about the marvels of Computershare in my mid-thirties and I must admit that I wish I had learned about it in my early twenties.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Does the Cash Method Really Work? – One of the many ways that people try to curb their spending habits is to go to an all-cash budget. The reason for making the adjustment is that it helps you weigh the actual cost of each expense because it is actual bills leaving your pocket. It’s not a method that my wife and I use, but it has been helpful for some of our closest friends. Find out why it could help you.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Is the “College Experience” Worth Student Loan Debt? – My husband and I have disagreed about the point of an undergraduate degree. I think college is for growing and he thinks college is for getting a job.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Alleviating Financial Stress for the Sake of Your Health – Stress can do horrible things to your body. While everyone’s body reacts to it differently, some of the common ways stress manifests itself is through headaches, migraines, stomachaches, sleep deprivation, ulcers, and panic attacks. Learn how I manage such issues.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes Will There Always Be Poor People? – The issue of poverty is a complicated social issue. Jesus is often quoted as saying You will always have the poor with you. Find out what he really meant.

Kevin @ Thousandaire writes Your Investments Are in Big Trouble – If the government bubble bursts your money is in big trouble if you aren’t prepared

L Bee @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes How I cut my spending 38 Percent by simply by writing it down. – You may have heard me gushing on my blog/twitter about this FREE debt worksheet I’ve been working off starting last month. A fellow pf blogger, John at Married with Debt is kind enough to send over the excel spreadsheet he and his wife use to track their finances FOR FREE to anyone who wants it.

John @ Married (with Debt) writes I Bought a Tablet (Which Makes Me a Jerk) – So I finally broke down and bought a tablet computer, which officially makes me a jerk.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes 5 Things That Can Be Outsourced On Your Blog – Blogs are a lot of work.For me, anyway. I spend a lot of time, every single day, doing blog related activity. Even when I am on vacation I still try to answer blog related emails.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Do You Pay Student Loans Bills With a Credit Card? – I love using my credit card for gas (3 percent cash back) when I can, but there are certain situations where you simply can’t use a credit card to pay your bills. I would love to get 1 percent cash back on my rent…

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Are Your Parents Jeopardizing Your Savings Plans? – Are Your Parents Jeopardizing YourSavings Plans without even knowing it? After all, we are a product of our childhood and the way that we were raised…

krantcents @ KrantCents writes The 3 W’s of Success – The 3 W’s of Success is the twenty-third in a series of articles to help you reach your goal.

SB @ Finance Product Reviews writes Disney Premier Visa Card from Chase Review – Review of Disney premier Visa card from Chase offers unique advantage for Disney fans, but is it good enough card for you? find out more.

CCS @ Credit Card Smarts writes Avoid the Credit Card Minimum Payment Trap  – That credit card minimum payment looks pretty alluring, doesn’t it? Pay only that much and you have more money to spend. But watch out, it’s a trap.