Aha, it is my turn to host the Carnival of Pecuniary Delights and I get the lucky 21st edition. Originated by my friend Penelope at Pecuniarities, the Carnival features some of the best personal finance reading available. Due to a lack of sleep and some less-than-sound thought, I decided to dissect the carnival name and group the articles that way. We'll see if it works!
But first, the Editor's Pick. I've only chosen one because I think this is such a fantastic post and it deserves star billing. The Happy Rock from The Happy Rock presents A New Stage In My Financial Journey. I don't want to give away too much (I like that the title is enigmatic) but I think he's on to something here and he's given me a new goal.
All definitions from Merriam-Webster.com:
- Main Entry: car·ni·val
- Pronunciation: ˈkär-nə-vəl\
- Function: noun
- Etymology: Italian carnevale, alteration of earlier carnelevare, literally, removal of meat, from carne flesh (from Latin carn-, caro) + levare to remove, from Latin, to raise
- Date: 1549
- a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent
- a: an instance of merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading, b: an instance of riotous excess <a carnival of violence>
- a: a traveling enterprise offering amusements, b: an organized program of entertainment or exhibition: festival <a winter carnival>
Carnivals can be expensive - it seems like the money just falls right out of your pockets. Unfortunately, real life can seem that way, too. J. Money from Budgets Are Sexy helps us get a handle on the lost money with his post Find Out Where Your Spending Leaks Are, and Fix Them.
Once upon a time, when I was a child, my father was working at home one night and I asked him what the project was about. He told me that they were mapping out the world so that they could put up satellites to cover most of the earth's surface, and someday everyone would be able to carry a phone around in their pocket instead of using phones at home. I was pretty sure that he had enjoyed the 70s a little too much - phones in pockets? Crazy. Well, 20 some years later, Wojciech Kulicki from Fiscal Fizzle presents The Days of Land Lines are Numbered. I guess that my dad wasn't so crazy after all.
Whether you love him or hate him, Dave Ramsey has certainly had a huge impact on the world of personal finance education. jim from Bargaineering.com (plus his commenters) offer an excellent overview and discussion at Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Review.
I'm including this one in the carnival section because it is starting to seem like the entire investment world is just one big celebration of excess. Fortunately, Natalie MacLellan from Before You Invest presents Choosing a registered financial adviser - one step in fraud prevention. Hopefully her tips will help you to chose wisely.
Finding just the right rewards credit card can make you feel like you've hit the jackpot, or at least fill you with a happy feeling. david from Credit Card Offers IQ presents 10 Super Cool Credit Card Offers (You've Never Heard Of).
- Main Entry: >pe·cu·ni·ary
- Pronunciation:\pi-ˈkyü-nē-ˌer-ē\
- Function: adjective
- Etymology: Latin pecuniarius, from pecunia money
- Date: 1502
- consisting of or measured in money
- of or relating to money
Online bank accounts can be useful tools for many reasons. CPF from Christian Finances presents Where to open a free online bank account?
No one wants to talk to a collection agency, but talking is probably your best strategy. Fortunately, Ray from Financial Highway presents Dealing with Collection Agencies- Tips on Handling Collection Agencies.
I'm not much into investing outside my retirement accounts, so this subject is pretty foreign to me. The Digerati Life from The Digerati Life presents Best Online Stock Brokers For Cheap Stock Trades and helps a newbie like me to understand a little more.
As the worlds financial markets change, some people are finding that their access to affordable, prime credit is shrinking. As a result, the sub-prime credit market is reaching out to more people. There are plenty of things to know about sub-prime credit. The Smarter Wallet from The Smarter Wallet presents Credit Crisis and Subprime Card Traps.
Ever wondered what this "dollar cost averaging" stuff is? Learn from Investing Toolkit, who writes Dollar Cost Averaging Basics. Not a glitzy and exciting post, but certainly important, Banker Saver from Banker, Saver presents Living With Low Interest Rates and Poor Investment Performance.
- Main Entry: de·light
- Pronunciation: \di-ˈlīt, dē-\
- Function: noun
- Date: 13th century
- a high degree of gratification: joy; also: extreme satisfaction
- something that gives great pleasure <her performance was a delight>
- archaic: the power of affording pleasure
A great reminder from Baker at Man Vs. Debt: What Money Can't Buy: Share Your Priceless Moments. What a lovely combination of lighthearted-fun and a serious prompting to look around and enjoy the gifts that life has given.
The comments fmd included with this submission sum it up better than anything I can say: "It is easy to make a budget. It is harder to make a budget that works. Read this article and get some help." He's right, so click on over to My Findependence Day to read Making a Budget that Works.
A different sort of delight: a good credit score! If you are striving to improve your score, DR from DoughRoller presents 11 Simple Ways to Improve Your Credit Score Today I found it interesting and I hope you find it helpful.
First time homebuyers are a huge part of the current upsurge in sales. PT Money from Prime Time Money presents $8000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Details. Don't forget that you must close by November 30th in order to be eligible for the credit - time is running out!
I keep a separate line item in my budget for pet supplies, and sometimes the numbers make me wonder about pet expenses. Even so, I was amazed by the analysis that Darwin from Darwin's Finance presents in How Much is that Puppy? The Most Detailed Dog Cost Analysis You've Ever Seen. Wowsers - that is a lot of money.
Some people may find this odd, but I delight in checking out new personal finance software. Chance from Personal Finance Software Reviews presents New Personal Finance Software Review - Weekly Envelope. (Just so you aren't confused, Weekly Envelope is the name of the software being reviewed.)
For many people, a small business or work at home job sounds positively delightful. Check out this article where Buck Weber from The Buck List presents Nine Ways to Find a Job or Work at Home.
I was so impressed with the quality of submissions in this week's Carnival of Pecuniary Delights. Thank you for joining me and be sure to check out next week's edition hosted by The Canadian Finance Blog. Submit your articles here for consideration.
