Links | Uncommon Cents

We’re a few days late, but welcome to your November 8, 2009 edition of the Link Payday! Halloween’s done, American Thanksgiving’s on the way, and it’ll be the end of the year before we know it! Before the rest of the year slips away, let’s take a look at some of the best blog posts in the personal finance and productivity blogospheres over the last few weeks:

Lynnae over at Being Frugal asks What is Success? Success is not something that can be judged the same way in every instance. I love her conclusion about what the basis of success is–reading that, I feel like I’m more of a success than I could ever imagine.

Frugal Dad throws us a curveball when he gives us 5 Reasons to Dump Your Strict Budget. He has a point–a strict budget is in many ways like a strict diet. It’s hard to make those work!

Her Every Cent Counts learns a life lesson when she tells us that Medical Costs, Life Costs, … are Expensive. Yes, this is one that we all need to learn and figuring out ways to keep those costs down is one of the ways we help our budgets.

JLP over at All Financial Matters looks at an old comparison and finds that the relentlessness of the index wins again–at least right now–when he compares Bill Miller vs. the S&P 500 Index. Miller’s done well, but the last few years have taken its toll and higher expenses vs. a low cost index fund would put the index even further over the top.

Finally, Moolanomy compares several ways to view movies when they look at Redbox Movie Rentals Versus Netflix Versus Blockbuster. We don’t have Redbox here although we have similar services–I’d like to see the comparison include the local public library!

And that’s our Link Payday for November 8, 2009!

Welcome to our September 20, 2009 Link Payday! As the seasons change over, in this episode we will once again look at some of the best personal finance blog posts from all over the Internet in the past few weeks:

One of my favorite bloggers and Twitterers, Mrs. Micah discovers there are No More Paper Paychecks at Walmart. As the nation’s largest employer this is a huge step–there are lots of positives and some negatives, and her opinion seems to be this is a move for the best.

A post on Get Rich Slowly asks Should You Buy it? It also gives a flowchart to help people evaluate potential purchases. If you’re someone who likes flowcharts (some days I do, but not all that often), this might help you.

The Online Savings Blog asks Should You Keep Multiple Investment Accounts? It’s an interesting question. I have several, but they’re that way because they have to be–my 403(b) is separate from my Roth IRA is separate from my traditional IRA is separate from my taxable brokerage account–although I guess I could combine that and my Sharebuilder account. But one of their points is that there are some advantages to having multiple accounts. Definitely worth a read.

Beks at Blogging Away Debt discusses Stretching to New Goals. As a guy who is constantly finding new challenges, I’m interested in learning about the goals others are interested in. One of hers right now: learning to swim.

Finally, Lynnae over at Being Frugal shares Lessons From a Little Forced Frugality where she (re)learns what’s really important in light of a check that was bounced to her.

And that’s your September 20, 2009 Link Payday!

Welcome to our September 6, 2009 Link Payday! Once again, we take a few minutes to look at some of the best posts in the personal finance blogosphere over the last couple of weeks:

Spilling Buckets covers something that’s not just about personal finance when they remind us to Don’t Become a Victim of Yourself. It goes in line with some of the things that have been going on in my life recently.

The Frugal Duchess tries to get us to do the impossible (I was just traveling in late July!) when she tells us How to Find Cheap Food at Airports. I particularly use her final hint: pack food! This is what cargo pants are for.

Trent from The Simple Dollar gives us some great advice and practical tips when he covers 21 Ways to Reduce Your Spending Without Making Your Life Miserable. Way one is the best: “Get rid of stuff you don’t use.”

Mrs. Micah does the math for us when she asks Wanna Pay $228.79 for a $200 TV? This just shows what a horrible idea charging something without paying it off in full at month’s end really is.

Finally, David at My Two Dollars covers a topic that is becoming more and more important as the unemployment levels continue at high levels when he asks What is COBRA Health Insurance?

And that’s our Link Payday for September 6, 2009!

Welcome to your it’s even busier than ever Link Payday for August 23, 2009. I keep hoping for a break but it’s busier than ever! Not our latest version ever, but we’re a few days behind here in looking at the best of the personal finance blogosphere over the last few weeks:

Ron over at The Wisdom Journal tells us what are The REAL Top Money Drains. Interestingly, lots of these are surprising to many (but not so much to me) such as houses and cars.

My Canadian buddy Squawkfox, always practical, gives us a lesson in dusting with 4 Swiffer Cleaning Hacks for Cheaper Dust-Free Living. My mother is a Swiffer fan, so I’ll be bringing this one to her attention.

Mrs. Micah looks at the ages old statement–100% true–that time is money but takes a bit of a twist on it when she tells us how to Spend Time to Save Money. This is something the frugal among us often have issues with–and it’s something I need to learn about, for sure.

Spilling Buckets says something those of us in health care know, but don’t really say, which is that The Health Debate Isn’t About Health At All. Yes, it’s about dollars. Just like almost everything else.

And finally, The Frugal Duchess gives us a little look into retail as a Sales Clerk Offers Inside View: ‘We’re Supposed to Befriend Kids’. When I worked retail I wasn’t told this, but it doesn’t surprise me at all.

And that’s our Link Payday for August 23, 2009!

Welcome to your late but ready now Link Payday for August 9, 2009. Let’s not take up any more time before checking out the best of the personal finance blogosphere over the last couple of weeks:

For something fun, Frugal Dad put together his Top Ten Songs About Money–The Frugal Dad Soundtrack. Funny, funny, funny.

JLP over at All Financial Matters asks Are Your Credit Cards’ Minimum Payments Going Up? It appears that some folks are having the minimum on their credit card payments going from two to five percent. While I don’t advocate keeping a balance on your cards, if you do, this could more than double what you’re required to pay and put a serious dent in your budget!

Beks over at Blogging Away Debt writes a letter about her School Tuition Nightmares. As a former undergraduate and graduate student, I can remember the financial struggles to get through those times–but I’m glad I did it.

My favorite personal finance librarian blogger, Mrs. Micah, tells us Where Your Library Fines Go as well as how to support your public library. I am a big fan of the public library, so I love to do things to support them when I can (but as she says, fines are not helping).

Finally, my buddy Ron over at The Wisdom Journal asks Who is the Fool in Your Life? Interestingly, it’s not about someone who is the opposite of smart.

And that’s our Link Payday for August 9, 2009!

Welcome to our on-time-for-once edition of the Link Payday. This day after United States Independence Day, we take a look at some of the best posts on personal finance blogs of the last few weeks:

This is a conversation that comes up fairly often: how much or what to give for a wedding gift? Lynnae over at Being Frugal asks the readers the question in You Tell Me: Favorite Frugal Wedding Gift. This is a tough one to tackle and opinions seem to vary wildly, so thanks for taking it on!

Blogging Away Debt tackles a close to home subject (everyone in this state is affected, either directly or through a friend or family, by the crunch here which is possibly leading to furloughs or layoffs) when she talks about Understanding Government Spending… Since she’s a government employee herself, she has a view that’s right in the midst of this controversy.

Ron at The Wisdom Journal might be talking to me when he says Having Too Many Goals is Like Having None. Yes, I have a lot of goals, but I’m hoping they’re not too many; I do, however, run out of energy and not get everything done the way I want them too. I’ll have to consider that a bit.

Spilling Buckets tells us 10 Things I Wish I Knew as a First Time Homebuyer. Considering that they just purchased their home, I think they’re far ahead of the game; after all, I wish I knew a lot of things as a first time fill-in-the-blank only months or years later!

And finally, David over at My Two Dollars tells us How to Fix a Mistake On Your Credit Report. I‘m hoping I can finally get one of the bureaus (after years of trying) to fix a mistake on mine (they think I lived somewhere in California–I’ve never lived off this island!).

And that’s your Link Payday for July 5, 2009!

We’re back again. It’s been a real struggle to get everything done as of late, and while we haven’t missed a day of blogging here at Uncommon Cents, we’re having a lot of difficulty keeping up with Link Paydays. So with a sigh, here we go with a new edition highlighting the best of the last few weeks around the personal finance blogosphere:

JLP at All Financial Matters has a question I consider totally sensible: Can We Have a Recovery When People Have So Much Debt? I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to encourage folks to spend even more money we don’t have–that’s how we got into this mess in the first place!

Lynnae at BeingFrugal.net writes about homeschooling and personal finance intersecting when she says that Character Matters. It’s a great question–do you pay back what you owe? Do you do do what you say you will? These are great questions to ask yourself when you work on not just your finances, but just about anything.

Frugal Dad takes yet another tack on how to work on an impossible situation–When Stranded in a Forest of Debt, Just Keep Chopping. I agree one hundred percent. Sometimes anything is better than nothing, and when you’re too overwhelmed to come up with a plan, at least you can attack something–anything–until you can recover enough to come up with one.

I’ve Paid for This Twice Already brings up a sad tale of trying to cancel a family phone plan for a deceased family member, and she warns (and after reading the post I think it would be appropriate to scream it from the rafters) Verizon Family Plan Members–Be Aware.

Finally, Mrs. Micah looks at May’s Budget Successes and Failures. While she was certainly worried about what it might look like, it wasn’t as bad as she thought it was and she and her husband were able to put a hefty amount of money toward her husband’s college loans. That’s a big win for them!

And that’s your Link Payday for June 21, 2009!

We’ve been skipping paydays for awhile but we’re back into it now with an all new Link Payday for May 25, 2009. Let’s look at some of the best blog posts in the personal finance blogosphere of the last few weeks:

While not really a blog post, CNNMoney.com’s Are Stocks a Loser’s Bet? points out, once again, how difficult it is to pick individual stocks that outperform the market (and, again, at least indirectly, making a case for low cost index funds–exactly the kind I like).

Frugal Dad helps in the battle against clutter by giving us 5 Reasons Not to Save Stuff for Later. I am still struggling in my fight with clutter–and losing. I think the next time I have a couple of weeks off work I am going to try to make major progress on that front.

Mrs. Micah tells us How to Live Like a Grad Student (and for a couple of years there I was a graduate student, so it’s a nice refresher). Student debt can be crushing, but there’s ways to handle it better than others.

The Online Savings Blog gives us 3 Easy Tips for Easy Short-term Savings. Quite frankly, while Americans have been doing much better with savings recently, I think we can use every tip we can get, particularly if they are easy!

And finally, The Frugal Duchess gives us a lesson in How to Be a Great Party Guest: 7 Mostly Frugal Tips. Yes, it does cost money for someone to host a party, and you can help them spend less on you, or at least be a big help in other ways.

And that’s your Link Payday for May 25, 2009!