Tag Archives: carnivals

TGIF Round Up: Love & taxes edition

Looks like I spoke too soon when I sung the praises of TurboTax last week. Ugh.

I’ve had some issues that I’ll share with you in a later post (probably this weekend). For now, I’m just happy it’s over and hoping there won’t be any additional snags.

I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. I’m not one to make a big fuss over Valentine’s Day — I prefer to spend every day of the year showing my husband how much I love him. **sap alert**But it’s nice to have an extra excuse to give him a kiss and a hug and let him know that I still think I’m the luckiest girl in the world. :) **sap alert ended**

And now for some great writing from the blogosphere:

Paid Twice shares why spending sacrifices the future but savings sacrifices today. I agree that balance is best.
On Simplicity shares her favorite online organization resources. We have some visitors coming in March, so I’ll be using these resources to get organized in the coming weeks.
Bargaineering offers tips for free tax filing resources. I probably should have used some of these instead of dropping the cash on TurboTax and getting a massive headache.
The Happy Housewife is saving money this Valentine’s Day by dining in. We haven’t decided what we’ll make for dinner, but we’ll definitely be eating at home.
Frugal in Virginia shares some great tips for saving money in Washington DC, my favorite frugal vacation destination. We’ll be taking a trip there at the end of the month (we also got a great deal on HotelClub.com).

Happy Friday the 13th!

TGIF Round Up: Recession anxiety edition

With all of the terrible financial news lately, it’s been getting harder and harder to stay upbeat. I’m taking all of the steps I can to ensure our financial security (we eliminated our credit card debt, we’re spending as little as we can, and we’re saving as much as possible). I also have no reason to believe that my job is in jeopardy (as far as I know, my company is doing great compared to other recession-strapped businesses).

I still can’t help but think about the worst case scenario. I guess that’s for the best. If we’re always prepared for the worst, then we’ll be prepared to weather it. I just hate this feeling of instability.

All I can do is keep on keeping on. Pay down our debt, save as much as we can, and hope for the best. I just feel like the recession anxiety hit me late, but it’s hitting hard.

On the bright side, there were a lot of great posts in the blogosphere this week! Here are my favorites:

This post from Sense to Save is actually from last week, but I didn’t do a round up then so I’m sharing it now. Kacie shares so great tools for figuring out your tax liability for this year so you can get your deductions right. I never can figure out those W-4 forms.
Cash Money Life shares some helpful information on how last year’s economic stimulus check affects your taxes. (He also just announced that he and his wife are expecting their first baby. Yay!)
Northern Cheapskate reminds us that there’s no such thing as “recession-proof.” Don’t I know it. All you can do is spend less than you make, save as much as possible, and hope for the best.
Not Made of Money offers some tips for beating recession depression.
Paid Twice made the decision to wipe the slate clean at the start of February and move on after a month of emergency spending in January. Sometimes the best thing to do is start over again.

I’m hoping to have some frugal fun this weekend to cheer myself up! I hope you do the same. Happy Friday!

TGIF Round Up: Fighting a cold edition

Ugh. I don’t know why I’m surprised that I’m coming down with a cold. I haven’t been sick since October and we’re right in the middle of flu season, so I’m due. I just always feel so shocked when I start to get sick, like I can’t believe it’s happening to me.

Hopefully I’ll suffer the worst of it over the weekend. I hate to use my vacation time when I’m sick, and there’s nothing worse that working through a cold when all you want is to be in bed.

Being sick on the weekend is no fun, but at least I’ll have plenty of time to rest. I’ll park myself on the couch with the remote control and plenty of fluids. I guess the upside is I can skip the gym until I’m feeling better. :)

Here are my favorite reads from the blogosphere this week:

Mrs. Micah asks what kind of work is beneath you? Working in retail with thousands of dollars of student loan debt was no fun for me, but it helped me pay the bills. Honestly, though, I found that a lot of employers were wary to hire me if I was overqualified — they weren’t looking to hire someone who was looking for “something better” and might leave at any time.
Northern Cheapskate was looking to simplify her life, but decided that sometimes the extra work (and income) is worth the chaos.
Sense to Save reminds herself what motivates her to get out of debt. We all have our reasons, and it’s good to take a step back and remember them every once in a while.
Almost Frugal offers helpful tips for drastic frugality when there’s more month than money. I’m glad that we no longer live paycheck to paycheck, but I’ve certainly been there.
Being Frugal explains how budgeting provides freedom. I feel the same way! When I know exactly what I can spend, I feel more free to live my life without worrying if I’ll have enough money.
Frugal Upstate offers a handy guide for creating a budget in 5 steps. It really is that easy.
Being Frugal is Fabulous is enjoying the convenience and simplicity of meal planning for the first time. It can be a hard habit to start, but once you get into it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Now I just have to make it through the work day, then it’s off to bed for me. :( Happy Friday!

TGIF Round Up: Totally Fried Edition

Do you ever have those weeks where it feels like it’s just piling on one thing after another? That’s the kind of week I’ve had. One thing after another.

I’m adjusting to my new schedule, which includes an hour at the gym before I come home every night. Losing that hour has had a surprising impact on my productivity in the evening. By the time I get home, all I want to do is relax.

I’m working on a new routine so I can get things done at home when I’m finished working out. Hopefully this adjustment period passes quickly! All this constant rushing is exhausting!

And now for a round up:

On Simplicity shares simple ways to start enjoying today. This is definitely something I need to work on. One of my resolutions was to stop looking ahead to the next big thing. These tips helped me find joy in the little things right now.
Wise Bread offers tips for avoiding recession weight gain. When money’s tight, it’s tempting to load up on cheap, unhealthy convenience foods, but you can eat healthy without spending a fortune!
Pecuniarities has some great ideas for burning extra calories in daily life. Moving a little more every day is really all it takes.
Budgets are Sexy questions whether pet insurance is a worthwhile investment. My advice? It’s better to self insure with an emergency fund and skip the monthly insurance premiums for a policy that most likely won’t pay up.
Money Ning shares tips for traveling on a budget. Now really is the best time to book your trip if you want to travel cheap. Prices are super low right now, especially if you’re not traveling somewhere warm. :)

I’ll be relaxing this weekend, and hopefully using as little brain power as possible. Hope you do the same! Happy Friday!

TGIF Round Up: Fresh new start edition

Weeks after vacations are always so long. We’ve been home since Saturday night, but we spent all day Sunday running around restocking our kitchen, unpacking, and taking care of errands.

A week and a half of travel including almost 40 hours of driving left me drained and exhausted. I’m looking forward to taking it easy this weekend.

Lots of New Year’s resolutions floating around the blogosphere this week. I hope you’re all sticking to your resolutions so far! I’m still committed to getting in better shape in 2009 – physically and financially. It’s only been a week, though. I hope this motivation lasts!

Here are my favorite posts from around the blogosphere this week:

Small Notebook shares some thoughts on finding the motivation to make a change. So true. In the end, the best tool for change is your own determination.
Wise Bread offers six painless ways to cut calories. Definitely useful for anyone trying to drop a few extra pounds in the new year!
Also at Wise Bread: six frugal hacks from the Great Depression. Great tips from some of the hardest times.
Northern Cheapskate offers some helpful tips for damage control after the holiday spending spree. The most important thing after a spending spree is to get back on track and learn from it! In my experience, debt always breeds more debt until you break the cycle.
Common Sense with Money shares the results after tracking baby expenses in the first year of her son’s life. She managed to spend a fraction of one article’s estimates on food and diaper costs. Yay for frugal baby-raising!
Speaking of babies, happy belated birthday to Jonathan Michael. Kacie at Sense to Save and her husband welcomed him into the world on December 20. Congratulations to the happy family!

Happy Friday everyone!

TGIF Round Up: Final Countdown Edition

Only five more days until our Christmas road trip! I’m really feeling the stress of last minute planning, but I’m doing my best to take it in stride.

I’m really excited for a weekend of frugal holiday fun. I spent last night baking brownies and cookies for a holiday party at my office today. Then tonight Tony and I are seeing “It’s a Wonderful Life” on the big screen for free!

Saturday night we’re having a private Christmas celebration so we can make a yummy Christmas dinner and exchange gifts. Then we’ll spend Sunday doing laundry, packing, cleaning, and doing other last minute preparations for our trip.

Lots to do, but so much to look forward to!

And on to my favorite posts from this week:

Free From Broke asks is now the right time to buy a house? This buyer’s market makes me wish we could take advantage.

The Simple Dollar shares some great tips for how to avoid the expensive ups and downs of the holiday season.

Mrs. Micah shows how not to handle overspending and also offers some helpful tips for damage control.

Budgets are Sexy shares his rules for cash gifts. It’s so easy to lump cash gifts in with regular money, but I agree with him that it’s important to honor the wishes of the giver and use it for something fun.

Kacie at Sense to Save has an incredibly helpful and comprehensive list for parents to be of what she’s spent on her baby so far (he’ll be born any day now!). While you’re there, make sure you read her simple tip for weighing packages before you head to the post office.

Now I’m off to enjoy some (hopefully stress-free) holiday cheer. Hope you are, too!

TGIF Round Up: Wanna write a guest post? Edition

With only 12 days to go until we head out for our holiday vacation, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Lots of last minute planning, cleaning, packing, and errands. I’m excited to see friends and family for the first time since the wedding 6 months ago!

I should be able to post daily until Tuesday, December 23 when we leave town. After that I’ll have some posts scheduled, but probably not every day. No biggie, though. I’m sure you’ll all have much better things to do over the holidays than read my blog. :)

However, if you’re interested in reaching a different audience (or reaching an audience at all if you aren’t already a blogger), I would love to run some guest posts during the week and a half that we’re gone. Just shoot me at email for the details. I’d be more than happy to return the favor sometime when you’re out of town.

But I know we’re all busy, so it’s likely that I’ll end up with some sparse posting over the holidays. C’est la vie. We all need a break sometime, right? :)

And now my favorites from my Reader:

Simple Mom offers 10 tips for looking your best. I generally don’t agree with “must-have” lists for clothing, but I have to say, this list from Tim Gunn is pretty close. She also shares some practical, non-wardrobe ideas for looking good.

The Happy Housewife has been full of great ideas for a simple Christmas lately. Her post on frugal gift wrapping offers some cute tips for wrapping beautiful packages almost for free. She also has a fantastic, fun idea for how to handle the sibling gift exchange.

Being Frugal shares some tips for frugal personalized gift baskets. I love gift baskets. With some effort and planning, they can save a lot of money.

Small Notebook is looking forward to simpler gift giving this year. Me too. Gift giving shouldn’t be stressful, especially in this economy. Her tips can help you keep it low key but memorable.

Cash Money Life shares some practical rules for regifting. With a little tact, your unwanted gifts could make someone else in your life very happy.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty burned out lately. I can’t wait for vacation, but I’ll have to settle for the weekend in the meantime.

TGIF Round Up: Holiday Countdown Edition

I can’t believe we’re down to 3 weeks until Christmas! Time has been flying by.

The decorations are up, most of my shopping is done, and our plans are all set for our trip to see family. I just can’t believe how soon it’s coming. Despite the fact that everything’s pretty much done, I’m still feeling pretty unprepared for the holidays this year. Like they snuck up on me. Anyone else feel that way?

Tonight we’re going to a holiday party. I’m looking forward to getting all dressed up and enjoying some holiday cheer. :)

And onto my favorites from my reader this week:

Emily at Remodeling this Life is slowing down this holiday season. I absolutely agree with her. We’re all so stressed during the holidays, but it should really be the time to slow down and enjoy ourselves.

Paid Twice writes that spending less than you earn is actually number 2. The first rule of personal finance is planning.

Christina at Northern Cheapskate shares how you can be generous even if you’re broke. It’s really important this time of year to remember that even when you’re struggling, it’s still important to help others.

Get Rich Slowly shows how to afford anything (but not everything). It’s so easy to get blinded by all the things we want, that sometimes we forget how easy it could be to get one thing with a little focus and effort.

Free From Broke shares some advice for last minute year end tax savings.

On Simplicity offers alternatives to traditional gift giving. In the economy, we should all be thinking outside the box for ways to make the people we love feel special without spending a lot of money.

Hope you’re all enjoying the holiday season so far. Happy Friday!

TGIF Link Round Up: Countdown to Thanksgiving Edition

Photo by dongkwan

Less than a week until Turkey Day! I can’t tell you how excited I am for four days of cooking, eating and relaxing. I absolutely love Thanksgiving.

We have pretty much everything we need for our no-stress frugal Thanksgiving for two. We bought it all in advance. We might have to pick up a thing or two at the grocery store this weekend, but for the most part all that’s left to do is cook and eat! Yum!

For those of you who haven’t finished menu planning and shopping for the holiday, I wanted to share some Thanksgiving recipes/ideas from my Reader this week:

Frugal Upstate has a huge compilation of favorite Thanksgiving dishes from her readers.

Money Saving Money and Erin from $5 Dinners shared several great recipes for Thanksgiving on a budget.

Green Baby Guide has some great ideas for how to save money on holiday groceries.

Kelly at Almost Frugal Food shares a delicious recipe for Clara’s Pumpkin Nut Cookies. Yum!

Common Sense with Money featured a great guest post from Jennifer at The Life and Times of the Lady Riposter on Fun and Frugal Thanksgiving Decorations.

Amy at MotherLoad has some great frugal food storage ideas for sending leftovers home with Thanksgiving guests.

Happy Friday! Yay for a three-day week next week!

Living Well on Less

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