Welcome to the 412th edition of The Festival of Frugality! While there have been several hundred rounds of this carnival, I am pleased to note that this is the first time Money is the Root has hosted this carnival, or any carnival for that matter. As I peruse the quality submissions for the week I find myself lucky to have a number of interesting and well written articles to choose from, though that only makes it more difficult to choose which ones make it in. I’m one to regularly read through the weekly finance carnivals out there and I wanted to make sure that when it came time to host on my site that I provided you with the TOP 10 of the week. I want to make sure that my readers know I wouldn’t post just anything, so these 10 deserving articles should be given the appropriate time and attention. So, without further adieux…
Little House in the Valley says “This year, I’ve been invited to a cookie exchange. Basically, I bake one type of cookie, bring a huge amount (because we’ll be taste testing and swapping), then package them up as gifts. I’ll leave the event with about 60 different types of cookies packaged into a handful of gifts. It will be another great way to give gifts to colleagues and friends without spending a ton of money.”
Reach Financial Independence asks a great question here, “My laptop is dying. I couldn’t find a replacement that really convinced me so I kept it a while longer. But it was time for a change. Should you buy something that only half convinces you?”
Not only do I enjoy any articles that include living in Newport Beach (how I wish I was there), but I think PF Pro provides food for thought when he says, “Ever since I moved up to Newport Beach a few months ago, I have been biking nearly everywhere. When you don’t have a job, you have a lot more free time on your hands so you’re not in quite as much of a rush. A lot of people think riding your bike takes significantly more time than driving in a car, but once you’ve got a few weeks of riding under your belt, you can make surprisingly good time. You might show up to your destination a little sweaty, but you’ll save a ton on gas and you get great exercise while you’re at it. It’s also never a problem finding a parking spot on my bicycle!”
This time of year usually brings out a cash crunch, so I can appreciate The Penny Hoarder providing us with “10 weird ways to make money this Christmas”.
The Money Principle is never short on quality articles, and I enjoy her piece about getting her sons a breadmaker for Christmas. Saving money, and teaching responsibility, doesn’t get any better.
Budgeting in the Fun Stuff provides some “mind bogglingly cheap ways to travel.” Since this is the point in the year I’m itching to get away from the cold weather here in Michigan, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
My Family Finances provides “some ways to keep health care costs under control!” No matter how many health care cost saving tips you read, it’s not enough. Each and every one could provide important information on reducing costs to the most vital type of insurance you will ever hold.
I love bloggers that make a ton of money blogging, and then disclose to the rest of us J Great job to the Budget Blonde…if you’re as nosey as I am go and check it out!
Have you ever lusted after a luck making machine? Haha yeah I didn’t know what one was either…stop by Root of Good to find out.
Aaron Hung says, “Today we have a quick little blog to help you in determining the difference between APR and effective APR, something that can make a big difference in the amount of money you are going to pay in interest on your credit cards.”
