Weekly Roundup: Become a Frugal Dad Fan Edition

I have finally taken the Facebook plunge! I created a personal account some time ago to reconnect with friends, but just this week I set up a fan page for FrugalDad.com. My goal for the fan page is to provide a place for readers to interact with me outside of the comments section, Twitter, etc. I enjoy chatting in those environments as well, but let’s face it – having a discussion is tough to do in 140 characters, or through the back-and-forth nature of blog comments.

Yesterday I tossed out a “Discussion” feature and a few questions to get things going. Since I removed the forums feature here at Frugal Dad, I’m hoping this can replace some of those features. Because many of the discussion topics are seeds for future posts, your feedback is greatly appreciated. Who knows, I might just mention one of your comments in the post and reference your blog.

Hope you’ll join me over at the new Frugal Dad fan page at Facebook! Click the banner below to join, and be sure to check out the roundup below.

The Frugal Roundup

Want to Get Out of Debt? Become A Master at Instant Gratification. Sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?  Read on to find out what Neal means about mastering instant gratification and using it to your advantage. (@Wealth Pilgrim)

Do You Need a Local Bank? We are fans of ING Direct, but also maintain a local checking and savings account. We keep a local emergency fund (the first couple thousand of our fully funded emergency fund) here just in case we need cash in a hurry. (@My Dollar Plan)

Finally Out of Debt? Here’s How to Stay Out. So many people fight for years to obtain debt freedom, only to fall right back in the trap of living beyond their means. (@Wisdom Journal)

Google Street View – Great For House Buyers. We have been entertaining the idea of relocating here lately and have found Google Street View to scope out a number of properties in other cities. (@Four Pillars)

Sneaky Ways Restaurants Use Menus to Entice You to Spend More. I’ve read a number of articles on the ways grocery stores use consumer psychology to make shoppers spend more. This is an interesting piece on similar strategies employed by restaurants. (@Wallet Pop)

Why Freelancing Benefits Your Day Job. Those who have read FD for a while now know I’m a big proponent of the “side hustle,” for exactly the reasons pointed out in this post. (@Fiscal Fizzle)

The “Local Store Premium” – How Much Is It Worth to You? This weekend I worked on a couple major household repair projects. Rather than going to the big box warehouse store, I decided to try our local hardware store for supplies. I paid a little more, and they had less product options, but I felt good about helping a local store this time around. (@The Simple Dollar)

Best of the Rest

• Become a Fan of Generation X Finance on Facebook
• Organizing Your Way to a Simple Christmas: Gift Lists
• What Kind of Spender Are You?
• How to Get Rid of $106,000 in Debt
  
• Price-Placebo Effect: Are You a Victim, Too?
• Trusting Your Intuition
  
• 3 Quick Tips to Make Your Life Better Today
• 7 Ways to Build & Maintain a Personal Network that Works for You
  
• Learn More About Lending Club Credit Rating and Collection Process
• How Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Works
• Loan Modification Companies vs The Fair Housing Authority

Hope everyone has a great end of the week. Just a heads up – only 10 weeks until Christmas. Don’t wait for the last minute and charge presents on a credit card. Start saving now and enjoy a cash-only Christmas!