Weekly Roundup: Extra, Extra, Read All About It

 
photo by Lisa Andres

Frugal Dad appeared in Thursday’s edition of the Chicago Tribune!  My thanks to Sandra Jones for taking the time to talk with me about my blog, and for mentioning it in her article, Even Now Retailers See a Blue Christmas.  If you haven’t had a chance to read the article, go check it out–it is a great read.  I agree this could be a tough Christmas, especially if another round of stimulus checks doesn’t make it out of Congress in time for the holidays.  Actually, that might be a good thing, but I’ll save my commentary for another post coming out next week.

Who Are Your Personal Financial Heroes?   I always enjoy reading who inspires others.  I’ve had a few people I would consider financial heroes, but none of them outrank my grandfather, who I’ve referred to here before as my “frugal mentor.”

RSS Subscription Options Explained in Plain Language.  An excellent overview from Simple Mom explaining the ins and outs of RSS.  I’m never good at explaining this myself, so I think from now on I’ll just point people to this post.

What Everyone Should Know About Selling Hours for Dollars.  I have been thinking a lot about this subject lately, and Marc and Angel’s post is sort of the condensed, blog-post version of Your Money or Your Life, my all-time favorite personal finance/frugal living book.  If you aren’t maximizing your remaining life energy by living life to the fullest, you need to read this.

20 Ways to Train Your Brain for Peak Performance.  I really need to incorporate more of these into my daily routine.  Like I mentioned in the comments on Jeff’s article, I’ve been trying to convince my wife #10 was legitimate, but I still don’t think she’s buying it.

The Ups and Downs of Buying a Home.  Lynnae over at Being Frugal is buying a new home, and chronicled some of that process here for her readers.  Lots of ups and downs in the process, and a good read heading into a real estate transaction so you’ll know what to expect.

What Will Your Children Inherit?  My take on this great read from Ron (of The Wisdom Journal):  If we lead frugal lives because we are poor, broke and feel generally unlucky then our kids won’t find much appealing about this lifestyle, and will likely react to it the first time they have money by spending wildly. However, if we live frugally because we choose to, because it makes us better stewards of our money and our resources, and we do so with a positive attitude, then our kids will be much more likely to repeat our behaviors.

I Quit.  Looks like Madison is joining the ranks of probloggers who’ve left the rat race in their dust!  I suspect the great work she is doing over at About.com Kids and Money helped her make this move.

Is it Ethical to Walk Out on a Mortgage?  This conversation-starter is closing in on 200 comments, with some passionate discussion happening.  For what it’s worth, I don’t think it is ethical to walk out on any debt assuming you have the means to repay it.  There are justifiable reasons for bankruptcies, foreclosures, etc, but simply not wanting to pay your debt is not one of them.

Carnivals/Festivals

I participated in the Festival of Frugality #135 where I was selected as an editor’s pick.  Some great reads over there!

I also joined in the fun at the Carnival of Debt Reduction #149.  Plenty of motivation here to get out of debt!

That wraps up this edition of the roundup.  I hope everyone has a great weekend and stops by to checkout my Saturday post, and the Sunday conversation.