Weekly Roundup: The Showdown Edition

In case you missed the Twitter/Facebook notes, I’m in a blogger showdown with Clever Dude over at Budgets Are Sexy. Check out the interview responses if you’d like to learn a little more about either of us, and of course, vote for your favorite.

Hope everyone is enjoying the current series running here at FD – Saving With Purpose: How To Live a More Intentional Financial Life. I’ve enjoyed sitting down, crunching the numbers and sharing some specific goals. I thought the discussion in the comments has been particularly good on these posts, and I thank you for participating. I always learn a few tips, or look at things from a different angle, when readers share their comments.

The Frugal Roundup

Mammoth 2009 Tax Credit and Deduction List. Quite possibly the best compilation of tax resources put together at any personal finance site…ever! Definitely want to give this a look before running through your taxes in the coming weeks. (@Finance for a Freelance Life)

Great Depression Cooking With Clara. I couldn’t remember if I shared this with readers or not, but it’s worth another mention if I already did. Clara is 94 years-old, a great grandmother and YouTube sensation!

Where Americans Pay The Most To Live And Why. A thought-provoking post which asks why we live where do. For many of us, family ties cause us to plant roots. For others it may be our careers. But for many I suspect it is the fear of moving to an unknown city. (@Financial Samurai)

Simplifying Simplicity With Five Simple Questions. Flexo provides an excellent guest post which shares five questions to ask yourself when trying to determine what is really necessary in your life, and what is just clutter. (@Man vs Debt)

Maximize Your Membership: 16 Tips to Shopping Warehouse Stores. My wife and I have been considering cancelling our Sam’s Club membership because we don’t think we go often enough to justify the membership fee. Notice I said “think” because we aren’t really sure without tracking receipts and doing more comparative shopping for prices at other stores. My gut tells me we’re breaking even, at best. (@Wisebread)

Do Expiration Dates on Drugs or Vitamins Matter? Considering I don’t like to keep left overs in the fridge longer than 3 or 4 days, I subscribe to the “when in doubt, toss them out” method of managing vitamins and drugs. Then again, those pills can be quite expensive! Check out the article for guidance. (@Bargaineering)

Best of the Rest

• Haiti Relief Efforts and How To Help
• Introducing Bundle: The Number One Source for How People Spend and Save Money
• Capital Gains Tax Q&A
• Seven Things You Must Do to Prepare for an Emergency
• The Two-Income Myth
• How to Donate Your Used Cars
• Six Steps To a Great Retirement
  
• Where and How to Stash a Stockpile
• 3 Ways Being Organized Can Save You Money

That’s all for this week’s roundup. I plan to resume the Saving With Purpose series next Monday, but have a few posts on other topics lined up between now and then.