Welcome to your Link Payday for March 5, 2008. This past couple of weeks we’ve had some great personal finance posts from around the Internet:

Paid Twice posts a very timely post on the differences between some name brands and generics when she writes that Cheap Is Not Always A Good Thing. Those of us who try to make frugality a way of life have to be reminded that having an umbrella that costs $10 but lasts ten years is better than paying $1.49 for an umbrella that lasts six months.

The lady who is fast becoming has become one of my favorite bloggers, Mrs. Micah, had several posts this past couple of weeks on hiding money from an abusive spouse. As a social worker who works often with children and women, I find this to be a very valuable subject (and I contributed a comment to the discussion as well).

The Simple Dollar has a great post on Planning a Kitchen Garden and discusses one of my favorite vegetables that used to grow here and I hope will grow here again (tomatoes) as well as a fantastic investment slant: one tomato plant can produce $200 worth of food–and the fact that you can insure the organic quality yourself. Now there’s an investment I like!

Finally, Rather-Be-Shopping talks about what might be construed by some as an extreme frugal experience–Kyle’s dad riding the Greyhound; he saves money but not time but he definitely says he’d do it again… although he may consider getting a mobile phone in case the trip goes awry again.