Carnival of Personal Finance

Every now and again, I like to draw attention to other personal finance blogs. There are zillions out there, covering almost every niche you can imagine — women’s money management, Christian money management, blogs that focus purely on buying dividend stocks.

So today I’m hosting a blogging “carnival,” a term that describes a round-up of blog posts from the past week. Welcome to the Carnival of Personal Finance. This list might help you discover some new blogs.

Plus, I threw in a bunch of my travel photos to make this post more interesting. Yeah, that’s right — I’m subjecting y’all to my vacation photos.

Top Three Editor’s Picks:

#1: Peter Anderson, who writes the blog Bible Money Matters, posted a hilarious video of the crowds at Walmart on Black Friday, set to a cirus/polka music soundtrack that makes you want to dance in your office chair.

“I didn’t know Walmart could fit that many people,” Peter says.

#2: I admit it: when I saw that yet another person wrote yet another post outlining 10 frugal date ideas, I inwardly groaned. These types of posts are normally generic laundry lists of trite, cliché suggestions.

But I was wrong! Craig Ford, the author Money Help for Christians, wrote a post filled with genuinely creative date ideas. I won’t spoil them for you – check out his blog to read it.

#3: I choose this post because of it’s usefulness: the blog Stumble Forward warns us about Facebook and Twitter identity-stealing scams.

And Now for the Rest …

If you’re nosy like me, you’ll enjoy reading how much Crystal earned this month. (It’s a lot.)

Adam graduated college debt-free, partly thanks to the fact that he worked the 9 pm to 2 am shift as a custodian.

Speaking of college, the blog My University Money argues that you should take a full course load so you can graduate as early as possible, saving yourself as much as a year in tuition. (I took this track and finished in 7 semesters.)

Pinch That Penny describes five ways the San Diego Chargers are like debt. I don’t understand a thing about football (though I love the pun on “debt” with the team name “Chargers”) but if you’re into tight pants and shoulder pads, the 1980’s – um, I mean, this article – is for you.

Ashley at Money Talks Coaching has the best tagline – “Your future called. It said “Send Money”.” She reminds us that despite all the applause credit unions are getting, they have the same business model as banks. “Big or little, banks make money by charging interest.”

One Money Design offers tips for changing your cell phone carrier, including my favorite tip – get everything in writing!

Novel Investor reminisces about getting money as a child – “birthdays were obviously the big payday.”

For the Ladies!

Miss T posts the cutest baby photo EVER! I’m not even that much of a sucker for baby pics, and I “aww”-ed at this one. Her post describes saving money on baby products.

Shopping Detox reminds us that fluctuating in weight and body size isn’t cheap.

Odd Cents shows us how to create a work wardrobe on a budget.

Narrow Bridge explores who should pay on dates: guy, girl or both?

For the Holidays

In a post about tracking your holiday spending, MoneyBeagle tells us to “take a small notepad, or use your smartphone, and take a running total of what you’re spending on each person.”

Speaking of holiday spending, Justin at Money is the Root describes three ways to find deals without losing a whole bunch of time. I like his idea of making a charitable donation as a gift.

Modern Gal tells us why she skips the stores during the holidays. But if you choose to go shopping, the Totally Money Blog shows you how to outsmart the crowds.

Christian Personal Finance shows us how they saved $500 Christmas shopping, while Your Life, Their Life rants against the commercialization of Christmas.

Videos, I Like Videos!

If you’re tired of reading, Matt About Money posts a video about daily deal sites, and Barb Friedberg posts a video about shopping, complete with a funky soundtrack.

The Posts Keep Comin’!

Deliver Away Debt posts a photo of a toy blue dragon. Sir, my photo of a blue-tongue lizard is just for you. Check out his post about not buying useless stuff.

The Chicago Financial Planner reminds us that – as a starting point – we should focus on our financial plan (the big picture) rather than any specific financial product like an annuity.

Dividend Growth Investor shows us how to build a retirement portfolio on $1,000 a month.

Let’s Spark Controversy!

Greg at Control Your Cash spends a post ripping apart another blogger. Yikes. I don’t like speaking negatively about others. It makes my stomach hurt a little.

I’d like to assume that Greg’s post is constructive criticism. I’d like to assume that the blogger he’s ripping apart understands that his comments are all in stride. But I’m probably deluding myself. Here’s his post — judge for yourself.

PT Money answers a question about whether or not you should stop contributing to your 401(k) in order to afford private school for your children. We disagree on this one; I’m a big private school advocate, unless you live in a top-notch public school district. PT, on the other hand, thinks that attending a mediocre public school isn’t so bad, as long as the student is motivated and the parents are involved. Read PT’s views here.

Real Estate!

The author of Darwin’s Money got blindsided by his insurance company, and his once-favorable real estate investment started looking a lot less pretty. I’ve had the exact same experience.

Kay Lynn from Bucksome Boomer says that even if you make responsible choices, “you still might be broke for life, and it only takes one decision to get there.” presents  (Spoiler alert – she’s talking about your home! Buy unwisely, and you’re on a straight shot to paycheck-to-paycheck living).

Briana writes on Passive Income Now about whether or not you should hire a property manager for your rental.

Debt Stinks

Roshawn, who writes the blog Watsons, Inc., tells us that the rich people on the Forbes list “said the best way to build wealth is to become and stay debt free. Notice that they didn’t say, “I got wealthy first and then lived a debt-free lifestyle.”

Money Health Central cautions us against forming a creditor-debtor relationship with our family and friends.

Dividend Guy Blog wonders if you should borrow money to invest in the market. I say no, but he seems to be leaning in favor of it …

Thirftability reminds us to automate our bill payments and to pour every spare cent into paying down credit-card debts.

But Wait! There’s More …

Money Cactus reminds us to invest at least 10 percent of our income, plus keep an emergency fund.

The Financial Blogger discusses pro’s and con’s of having a side gig: it might give you some extra income, but it might also distract from your day job.

Intelligent Speculator writes a list of top 100 dividend stocks.

Compounding Returns wonders if you’re spending more money just so you can accumulate credit card rewards points.

Green Panda Tree House posts some questions you should ask yourself.

Free Money Finance explains the difference between various life insurance policies.

Quit Your Preachin!

Nicole and Maggie rant about people who are preachy about how others spend their money.

Girls Just Wanna Have Funds is a fantastic blog title, and the girl who writes it takes issue with detached, impersonal personal finance experts. “I don’t need Suze yelling at me telling me how silly I am for wanting to take that trip to Costa Rica because I am in debt.”

Speaking of awesome blog titles, I also discovered – for the first time – a blog called “So You Think You Can Save?” This week the author writes about – you guessed it! – 8 ways to save.

The blog Boomer & Echo tells a scary truth: 80 percent of Canadian drivers admit to bad driving habits. The author, Echo, cautions that your insurance rates can jump 15 percent after just one ticket. I’d like to add a second warning: unsafe driving can kill you. Or – perhaps worse – you can kill someone else. Yeah, that’s right, now it’s my turn to be preachy … be safe on the roads!

Back to Money Again …

Miranda wrote at Smart On Money about an associate who uses her Roth IRA as an emergency fund. She describes why this is possible – and why you should think twice before you do it.

Free from Broke discusses improving your credit score.

The Jenny Pincher says she knows people who don’t even like to say the word ‘budget.’

When SB from One Cent at a Time started chatting about spread betting, I thought: “Huh? What’s that?” A few paragraphs down, I learned that this type of betting is illegal in the U.S. Ah, no wonder I’ve never heard of it. My Canadian/British/Australian friends, read on.

Money Thinking wrote about how to save for retirement AFTER you turn 65, a topic that’s often ignored.

Money Walks discusses economic factors, like unemployment, that we should be watching.

The author at Dividend Growth Investor combines two of my favorite topics: dividend stocks and index funds, together in one!

The Net Worth Journey tells us to be abnormal by paying yourself first rather than just saving whatever is left over.

The blog Sustainable Personal Finance suggests that you cook a huge batch of food and save the leftovers for the rest of the week, even if you’re cooking for one.

Neal Frankle from Wealth Pilgrim reminds us that knowing the truth – knowing how much we really spend — might inspire us to save more of our cash. His post is called How to Control Spending In 5 Minutes A Month.

Jacob outlines various types of loans on his blog, My Personal Finance Journey.