Hello everyone!  I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of Squirrelers, whether you’re a regular commenter, lurker, or first time visitor.  This blog is a lot of fun because of all of you, and feel free to jump in and participate and share your thoughts whenever you’re so inclined.

So, as I write this, I’m working outside the home at a place that offers wi-fi.  It’s one of those time where I just had to get out of the house to get a few things done online….some of which included blogging-related activity today, but also included other work I needed to do. I suppose if I decided to cancel cable and do away with home internet, leaving this house might need to be a necessity. But since I haven’t done that yet, this was just one of those days I had to work elsewhere..

Anyway, with respect to things I need to do online, I almost always work on things at home. Today though, I decided to head out to a Starbucks that’s right down the road a mile or two from home. There’s another one the same distance the other direction, but today I headed to the first location with the intent of getting some things done. Lo and behold, I saw that all the tables were occupied. Ok, so this won’t work! No worries, I’ll just drive 5 minutes to other one…or so I thought.

The second location was totally packed as well. What to do? I might as well go home rather than drive around, right?

I almost went back home, when I saw the golden arches and remembered that they were supposed to have free wi-fi now at most locations.  The thought of sitting in a McDonald working on a computer repulsed me a bit at first, but then I thought “Why not?”. After all, Starbucks is pretty much ubiquitous as well anyway, and what’s the worst thing that could happen?

Besides, my decaf coffee would only cost $1 plus tax here, while it would be closer to $2 at a coffee shop.  Saving money is a great thing, especially on discretionary purchases, right?

In retrospect, maybe I should have trusted my instincts - this place is NOT conducive to getting things done!

Now, there is internet access and room to work, so that’s not a problem. It’s just the overall atmosphere, which I should have expected. At a Starbucks or other coffee shop, you might have a mix of people working/reading, as well as others who are chit-chatting.  At this fast food place, it’s a different ballgame. Distractions everywhere, and it’s practically a circus-type atmosphere!

First, there’s the guy sitting in the adjacent booth in front of me. He’s gentleman with glasses salt-and-pepper hair, more gray than not, who’s icing his face. Yes, he’s icing his face. Not sure what’s afflicting him, but he’s got a wad of napkins that he put some ice cubes in, and he’s applying that makeshift icepack to his face. He’s not eating anything or drinking anything, just periodically going back to the soda machine and taking a new batch of ice and napkins.  When he gets back to his booth, he’s just applying the ice pack to his face while staring out the window with a sideways smik.  I’m a “live and let live” person, but this is a little strange. But hey, whatever.

Second, there’s this lady and her friend sitting not far from me, who just came in. She is talking VERY loud, and laughing even louder.  It’s one of those things where anybody would notice right away, where you won’t forget it for a while.  She’s trading stories about her mother-in-law and how she succeeds in her attempts to avoid seeing her.

Third, there’s a family here with kids that are running around chasing one another. Now, I have kids of my own and totally get that kids will get a little rowdy sometimes. It’s just that when they were chasing each other one kids jumped in to the opposite side of my booth and other kid jumped in to “tag” him and very nearly knocked into my computer. No harm, no foul I guess, but these parents aren’t controlling their kids and this isn’t exactly something that you’ll see at a coffee shop!

So, I learned my lesson here: if you want to leave home to get work done for whatever reason, go to a Starbucks or other similar type of coffee shop. Or, go to your local library, assuming it has wi-fi as well.  Just don’t do what I did and actually go to a McDonald’s to get any work done. Not sure what I was thinking, but I’ve got to laugh at myself for this.

I definitely got what I paid for in this case.

Anyway, that brings me to my questions:

• Do you ever get any work done (online, studying, etc) at coffee shops, libraries, or other places outside the home?
• If so, why have you done so, and did you find it helped or hurt your productivity?

Squirrelers in Blog Carnivals

New Crazy Keywordswas included in the Yakezie Carnival at The Amateur Financier

Could You Cover a Sudden, Unexpected $2,000 Expense was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at A Gai Shan Life

How Many Shoes Do You Buy Annually? was included in the Festival of Frugality at Debt Free by Thirty

Is Home Ownership Different From What Meets the Eye? was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Stupid Cents

Recommended Reading from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

Boomer and Echo shared Networking to Advance Your Career

Cash Flow Mantra shared Four Ways to Make Money in Real Estate

Everyday Tips shared  Take Care of Your Health – Don’t Hesitate to Get Medical Care

Five Cent Nickel shared Does Early Retirement Make You Live Longer?

Maximizing Money shared 39 Ways to Save Money This Summer from Financial Bloggers

Money Cone shared Unconventional Income from Unconventional Stocks – MLPs

Money Mamba shared Real Estate in an All Cash Market

Money Talks shared Positive Thinking Can Affect Your Life

The College Investor shared Building a Diversified Bond Portfolio

Untemplaters shared Why Timeshares are Bad Investments

Wealth Informatics shared How to Get Cheaper Car Insurance

Yakezie shared Real Estate Mistakes I Made and How to Avoid Them (guest post by Studenomics)

101 Centavos shared Alternative Investments: Dirt

20 Something Finance shared 5 Craiglist Power User Tips to Sell Anything Super Fast

Have you ever made a resolution – new year’s or otherwise – that you kept for a long period of time? Even better, one that you thought could be a permanent change?

For me, there has been one this year and it’s been health related: giving up caffeine.

I set out at the beginning of the year to give up caffeine, and eliminate any caffeinated drinks from my diet. These drinks were primarily diet sodas, but sometimes coffee or tea.  I just didn’t feel right, and thought that cutting out caffeine could help out.

What happened? Well, I stopped drinking caffeine entirely this year. Stopped cold turkey, in fact. No sodas, and only decaf coffee on occasion (with tiny amounts of caffeine technically, but essentially caffeine free).

The health benefits were noticeable. I just felt better overall, as there were less ups and downs in energy levels throughout the day. Given my caffeine consumption before, this change was noticeable. Plus, I slept better through the night without any caffeine in my bloodstream. In short, my giving up caffeine had been a real success.

Just today, I broke the streak. After just over 5 months without any caffeine, I broke down and had a large, 32oz diet soda today.

Here’s my rationalization of the breaking point: I have had a couple of nights of poor sleep due to allergies/sinus issues that flared up, and I am exhausted. Plus, I was solo taking care of one of my kiddos earlier. I needed to be alert and plus I was in the car really thirsty on a hot day. Being tired, I just didn’t have the willpower – so I caved and decided to swing by a drive-thru and pick up a Diet Coke.

Certainly, this is no big deal in the big picutre. I mean, plenty of  poeple guzzle tons of coffee or sodas daily as a part of their normal lives….I was one of those people, and it’s unfortunately quite not uncommon I think! However, I did set a goal for myself and after 100% success for this year I just now caved.  This streak is over, and that’s what’s on my mind here….as I’m now a bit wired and feeling much more alert than earlier

Anyway, it got me thinking that sometimes we make missteps in our lives, whether small health/diet ones like this, or bigger ones. This can include the realm of personal finance, where people may blow their budget for a month, splurge on something, or carry a credit card balance after committing to not do so. Whatever the case, we’re human and don’t always follow our plans exactly to the letter.

However, many such mistakes are correctable. We can work to recongnize the mistake, diagnose what caused the slip up, and determine what we can do to move past it. And then, just move forward and learn from the experience.  Whether it’s a small thing like this or a bigger issue, sometimes you just learn from a slip up and move ahead.

My Question for You:

When have you ever “fallen off the wagon”, so to speak, only to get back on track with a goal or behavior you’ve set out to make habit? Any example can be shared.

Squirrelers in Blog Carnivals

Car Longevity: How Far Will You Go to Save Money was included in the Totally Money Blog Carnival at The Family CEO

Cheapskates Visit Vegas was included in the Festival of Frugality at My Personal Finance Journey

Are Stocks Ready to Take a Summer Vacation was included as an Editor’s Pick in the Carnival of Personal Finance at My Personal Finance Journey

Myths About Retirement was included in the Yakezie Carnival at Bucksome Boomer 

 The Recency Bias and Investing was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Miss Thrifty

Personal Finance Geekdom: The Economics of Picking Up Pennies was included in the Festival of Frugality at Bible Money Matters

Favorite Posts from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

101 Centavos shared Long Supply Chains and Business Ideas

Barbara Friedberg shared 3 Tips to Get Richer and Thinner

Budgeting In The Fun Stuff shared Freecycle – My Personal Experiences

Everyday Tips and Thoughts shared  Why I Hate Clothes Shopping

Financial Samurai shared The Average 401k Balance and Why It’s Too Low

Money Cone shared 10 Questions to Ask Your Bank Before Opening an Account

Money Talks Coaching shared I Quit Caffeine

Minting Nickels shared A New Tune For June

No Debt MBA shared The Graduate Student Lifestyle

PFFirewall shared How to Have a Perfect Vacation

Wealth Informatics shared Make your home safer with these cheap/free tips 

Hello everyone! I hope a great weekend is being had by all. Thanks for coming by, I appreciate you visiting and being a part of this blog.

Squirrelers wins Yakezie March Madness!

Eric at Narrow Bridge Finance ran a “March Madness” tournament of sorts, where 64 blogs in the Yakezie network were matched up in brackets much like the college basketball tournament. Ultimately, based on voting, a Yakezie “Blogger of the Year” was chosen.

I wasn’t expecting my blog to get out of the first round, as there are a ton of incredible bloggers in the network – many of which I’ve learned quite a bit from in terms of blogging, frankly. However, to my surprise, Squirrelers kept advancing and ended up winning the whole thing.  Pretty neat.

Thanks to Eric for running a fun contest, and to everyone for participating.

Squirrelers in Blog Carnivals

Income Growth vs. Savings: Where Should Your Efforts Go? was included in the Totally Money Carnival at The College Investor

Squirreling Gone Wild #24: Cheap Hosts and Cheap Guests was included in the the Festival of Frugality at The Wealth Pilgrim

401(k) Planning: Will it be Enough for Retirement? was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Financial Digital, and selected as an Editor’s Pick

Recommended Reading

There were some great articles around the personal finance blogosphere recently. Here are some that caught my eye this week:

• Florida’s Beach Property Boom: A Real Estate Lesson, at Consumerism Commentary (guest post by Dr. Dean Burke)
• Dividend and Conquer at The Wealth Artisan
• How I Hedged Summer Gas Prices with ETFs at ETF Base
• We Can’t Afford That at Canadian Personal Finance Blog
• Go Green: Recycle Computers and Other Old Stuff at Yes, I Am Cheap
• The One Asset You’ll Always Have at Financially Poor
• 3 Ways to Deal With a Declining U.S. Dollar at Money Help for Christians
• The Time vs. Money Continuum – It Changes as You Age at Darwin’s Money
• Part-Time Job for Retirees: Blogger? at Bucksome Boomer

Hello everyone! With the weekend upon us, I wanted to announce the winners of the H&R Block Online Premium Edition, as well as provide updates/favorites, and top referring sites.

I appreciate everyone who’s been a part of the blog as it continues to grow. Whether you’re reading, commenting, lurking, or visiting for the first time – thank you for being a part of things here. You guys and gals are great and make this a lot of fun.

Giveaway Contest Winners

Winners have been contacted this week for the H&R Block Online Premium Edition giveaway. They are:

1. Sandy
2. Buck Inspire
3. Crystle
4. Tim
5. Ohkeeka
6. Andrew

Blog Carnivals

After a busier previous week, Squirrelers submitted to one carnival for this past week: Carnival of Money Stories at Money Crashers, which featured the post Financial Windfall: What a Week!.

Speaking of the Carnival of Money Stories, it will be hosted here on Monday, March 7.

Squirrelers on MSN

Squirrelers is proud to have been featured this week on MSN’s Smart Spending Blog, with the post The Extractor.

Guest Post

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff hosted my guest post 10 Tips to Reduce Healthcare Expenses.

Top Referring Sites for January – February

Counting just independent bloggers in the personal finance/lifestyle areas, the top 10 referring sites for the 1^st 2 months of 2011 were:

1. Free Money Finance
2. Yakezie
3. Everyday Tips and Thoughts
4. Grumpy Rumblings of the Untenured
5. Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
6. Broke Professionals
7. Young and Thrifty
8. The Saved Quarter
9. Cash Money Life
10. First Gen American

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Unemployed Need Not Apply?

I recently read an article on Yahoo! Finance which relayed a growing trend: if you don’t have a job, you may not be considered for an open job.

Basically, the logic is that those who are not employed, having been laid off – for example – they’re not “A” players. If people are unemployed, they’re seen as being expendable. After all, if they were so great, why were they let go before? Clearly, they were replaceable or not necessary, so why should we hire them?

Now, I can understand the logic of this way of thinking. However, I think it’s foolish. These days, people get laid off jobs for all kinds of reasons. There are plenty of very talented people out there that have really good skills and the ability to excel at what they do. Sometimes things are circumstantial for people, and they’re caught up in bigger-picture economic conditions.

If someone is out there looking for work – and I mean ACTIVELY looking for work – they just well might be highly motivated. With bills to pay, and a family to support, people can be driven to do really good things.

I hope this “unemployment discrimination”, so to speak, can eventually be seen as being foolish. Personally, I think it’s great to give people a chance when they’re hungry for the opportunity and need it. There’s good business sense there.

Giveaways

There are just a few days left for the giveaway contest here at Squirrelers. I’m giving away 6 copies of H&R Block’s Premium Edition (Online)!  Go here to officially enter. Hurry, as the giveaway contest ends Monday, February 28.

Also, check out the fantastic giveaway at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, as Crystal celebrates her blog’s 1 year anniversary.

Blog Carnivals

This week, Squirrelers was included in several carnivals:

• Squirreling Gone Wild #22: Drive-Thru Discount was included in the Festival of Frugality at Money Crashers, and was bestowed the host’s honor of being the Festival’s Valedictorian (always nice to get such cool feedback!) 
• Time is Money: How Many Hours Did You Work to Buy That? was selected as an Editor’s Pick in the Carnival of Personal Finance, at MoneySmartLife
• Squirreling Gone Wild #21: Caveat Emptor was included in the Carnival of Money Stories and at Invest It Wisely
• Who Pays on the First Date: A Financial Lesson Learned was included in the Totally Money Blog Carnival, at Fat Guy Skinny Wallet
• Snow Insurance? Be Sure to Manage Weather Risks was included in the Cavalcade of Risk at Free Money Finance

Recommended Reading

Here are some articles from the personal finance blogoshphere that caught my eye :

• Did You Beat the Market, Mr. Market? at Money Cone
• 9 Sectors, 9 Great Dividend Stock Picks for 2011, at The Dividend Guy
• Why I’m Getting Out of Debt, at Deliver Away Debt
• 10 Innovative Ways You Can Invest in Real Estate, at Invest It Wisely
• 101 Tax Deductions for Bloggers and Freelancers, at Wisebread
• The 5 Most Financially Dangerous Haters, at You Have More Than You Think
• Why You Must Start Saving Now!, at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Is Your Emergency Fund in Good Shape, at Not Made of Money
• 10 Things I Want My Kids to Learn About Money Before They’re Adults, at Frugal Dad
• I Grew Up Poor and Survived, at Yes I am Cheap

Below is an update on recent activity related to Squirrelers:

Blog Carnivals

This week, Squirrelers was included in several carnivals:

• Top 5 Job Search Strategies was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance, at My Personal Finance Journey.
• Fun Times with Last-Minute FSA Spending was included in the Carnival of Money Stories, at Out of Debt Again
• Andrew Luck Stays in School: What Would You Have Done? was included in the second edition of the Totally Money Blog Carnival, at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff

Recommended Reading from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

This is a mid-week update, but there has been some really good reading so far this week :

• What’s the Best Hosting Provider for Bloggers, at Car Negotiation Coach
• The Second Yakezie Scholarship is Now Live, at Yakezie
• The Devil and the Simple Pleasures in Life, at Minting Nickels
• Hoping for Something to Break in Order to Buy Something New, at Financial Samurai
• Fiverr: Five Dollar Logos, at Buck Inspire
• Investing vs Gambling: Are You An Investor, Trader or Gambler?, at The Digerati Life
• The Social Part of Retirement Planning, at First Gen American
• Why I Think Minimalism is a Good Idea, at PF Firewall
• 10 Old Wives Tales Masqurading as Rules of Thumb at LenPenzo.com 
• 5 Eco-Friendly Products for the Smart Saver, at Money Cone
• Charitable Donations: 10 Ways to Stretch Your Dollar, at Wealth Informatics
• 20 Financial Milestones for Your 20′s, at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
• Buying Dividend Stocks for Christmas Expenses, at Money Reasons
• A Couple Quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr, at Everyday Tips and Thoughts
• Swiss Bank Account Owners Handed Over to WikiLeaks, at Consumerism Commentary

20 Degrees never seemed better!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Still cold here. Not much has changed in that regard.  It’s not getting out of the 20′s here in Chicago, and there’s a coating of an inch or so of snow on the ground that’s not leaving anytime soon. 

Despite that, I feel great about the conditions here, after a phone call I had this week with a friend of mine from near South Bend, Indiana. That’s a city about 2 hours from the Chicago suburbs, and is best known for being the home of The University of Notre Dame. Well, despite being so close by, they have had drastically different weather conditions. From 1/8 to 1/9, South Bend recorded an offical 38.6 inches of snow.

Yep – just an inch or two here, but over 3 feet of snow just 2 hours away. With 20 degree weather and just a bit of snow instead, Chicago winter weather seems great by comparison!

Before talking to my friend, I had no idea that South Bend got hit so hard. It’s all about lake effect snow, where one side of the lake may get little snow, but the opposite side gets hammered. Such is the case with Lake Michigan in Winter. You can go from calm weather to a blizzard within a minute by driving into lake effect bands.

Taking this a different direction, it’s another example of how when things may seem gloomy for your own situation, be thankful that you’re not in the position of certain others. You may not realize it, but they may be dealing with an avalanche of problems that makes your life look like a picnic.  Just another way of getting at the concept of being thankful for what you have, even if it may not be ideal. 

This can apply to personal finance too, where you might not ever know that your neighbor is eyeballs deep in debt while you’re worried about saving more. While you’re worried, the other person would trade place in a second and would be so thankful.

Yes, I must be thinking about personal finance a lot, if I’m finding ways to relate it to weather:)  But think about it…

Free National Park Visits

OK, now that I got done talking about cold, this might not be the time that seems the most interesting to visit many of the great national parks here in the U.S. However, in case you’re interested, they’re free this weekend!

The National Parks Service has announced their list of free admission days to the the parks:

• January 15-17
• April 16-24
• June 21
• September 24
• November 11-13

While I won’t be exploring any of the parks nearby this weekend, the other dates provide a chance to go for free! What a nice opportunity to check out some amazing places.

Personally, I’ve been to a number of parks that were amazing. My favorites that I have visited:

• Yosemite (CA)
• Zion (UT)
• Rocky Mountain (CO)
• Grand Canyon (AZ)
• Olympic (WA)

I’ve been to others, but these were my favorites. All were a great time, though many years ago. Would love to go back and show kids these wonders.

If I had to pick a new park that I would really like to visit, it would be a tie between Yellowstone and Acadia (Maine). Something about both of those places has always been enticing to me, ever since reading about them as a kid. With warmer weather, I’d love to check one of those two out sometime soon.

What’s been your favorite national park to visit? Which one would you most like to see for the first time?

Blog Carnivals

This week, Squirrelers was included in several carnivals:

• 5 Rules for Achieving Debt-Free Living was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance, at Wallet Blog.
• 6 Key Personal Finance Lessons was included in the Carnival of Wealth, at Personal Dividends
• The Role of Money in Our Life was included in the Yakezie Carnival at Well Heeled Blog
• The Importance of Sleep for Wealth Creation was included in the very first edition of the Totally Money Blog Carnival, at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff

Also, Squirrelers had the honor of having a post being named one the “Best Posts of 2010″, at Political Calculations: On the Moneyed Midways. There were 16 posts on this list, and Squirreling Gone Wild #16 – The Crafty Waitress made the cut.

This list closed out a great 5 year run for On the Moneyed Midways, and it was great to be a part of it. What a nice surprise – thank you.

Recommended Reading from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

Here are some articles that caught my eye this week, which I recommend:

• The Snowball of Savings and Health Benefits From Eliminating Soda/Pop, at Everyday Tips and Thoughts. I can attest to how much better one can feel when going from regular consumption to minimal consumption – or zero, in my case of late.
• Nature vs. Nurture: How Important are Parents to our Success, at Financial Samurai.  Engaging topic, one that resonates on some level with me as a parent.
• Free Money Finance: Top 10 Excerpts of 2010., at Free Money Finance.  Solid list that was pulled from all book quotes published on the site from the past year 
• Don’t Get Rich any Slower than You Have To, at Get Rich Slowly.  It’s smart to analyze and evaluate what happened retrospectively, rather than just charging ahead; we can learn from our immediate past.
• Centavos Portfolio Update and Allocation Strategy, at 101 Centavos. It’s often interesting to read other bloggers talk about their portfolios and financial activity. This one was particularly interesting to me in that it included quite a few penny mining stocks. Not an area I’m particularly experienced with, which is what got my attention here.
• Waxing, Screaming, and The Bucket List, at Yes I am Cheap. Even though I’ll never really personally “get” the topic at hand (you can read for more details), it still made me laugh.
• Going Carless: Does it Make Sense, at Invest it Wisely. I can totally see it making sense for some folks, and think it’s a good idea if you can do it. For me: not a chance. I need my car.
• When Enough Really is Enough, at PF Firewall. Kudos to you, Jesse, for you handled that situation. You did the classy thing by not being an Extractor:)
• 100 Words on: Why A Penny Saved is More than a Penny Earned, at LenPenzo.com. Who knew 100 words about a penny could be interesting? Ben Frankin might have been really proud of this, Len!
• 10 Money Quotes Worth Remembering, at Free From Broke. Nice group of quotes, and good responses. Wisdom is a great thing.

What’s “Normal”

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Here in the Midwest, we’re in the middle of the winter cold. Which I’m cool with, as it’s totally seasonal and not bitterly cold. This time of year, it can get below zero around here, so temps in the 30′s seem just fine for now. Those of you in warmer climates probably think that people in the Midwest, North, or East are all a bit nuts, which may be partially true. It’s just something you get used to.

We all get used to our situations, and it becomes our own version of  “normal”. 30 degrees in January is normal here in Chicago, but it’s crazy for someone in Los Angeles.  I have known some folks that have lived much of their lives in cold weather, then went to warm weather climates, and couldn’t imagine going back. Their version of normal had changed.

Well, even though I’m not moving, I can see the lesson here. With respect to personal finance, our version of normal is often based on what we know and have experienced.  If what you have done to date has not resulted in the kind of financial situation that you are wanting, then it’s time to rethink what “normal” should mean. For some, normal means living paycheck to paycheck and not prioritizing savings. For others, normal might mean saving 30% of income.

As the new year has started, I’m thinking about this topic a bit more.  Sometimes it takes doing things that might not seem normal (there’s that word again!), in order to accomplish things that you haven’t been able to do before. 

• Is normal working at a 9-5 job, saving 10% of income, and hoping for social security – or is it focusing on obtaining multiple streams of income and saving more?
• Is normal taking out a 30-year mortgage for a home, as many people do, or is it minimizing the mortgage you take on, paying as much as you can in cash, and focusing on being debt-free and financially independent?

Things to ponder as we’re starting a new year…..

Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone for being a part of Squirrelers!  The blog started back in March 2010, but has grown quite a bit in the last 10 months. Hard to imagine that we haven’t even been around for a year yet! As I type this, this is the 141st post, and we’re almost at 1,800 comments.

Anyway, just wanted to say thank you to everyone – whether you’re a subscriber (if not, please do!), commenter, or lurker. We’re only beginning here, and I’m excited to continue discussions with you about personal finance topics in 2011, including some tips as well as good money-related stories which can inform, maybe entertain, and help you squirrel away your money to grow your wealth and live well!

Blog Carnivals

This week, the Squirrelers article 5 Ways to Save Money at Airports was included in the Festival of Frugality, at PTMoney.

Also, I want to pass on that there are two new carnivals that are being launched, both from the Yakezie Network of fantastic blogs:

• Totally Money Blog Carnival – run by Crystal of Budgeting in The Fun Stuff .
• Carnival of Seasonal Finance - run by Suba of Wealth Informatics.

Check out these two sites to learn more about the new carnivals that are about to launch. I’m looking forward to seeing them both!

Recommended Reading from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

This year has started out really strong, with a lot of really good articles. Here are 12 that I recommend reading:

• Intimidated by the Mistakes of the Past, at The Simple Dollar. There is wisdom here that we should all pay attention to, about letting go of things from the past that may be holding us back today. The past is just that, past. We can learn from it, and make our present and future better.
• A Weight Loss Tip to Die For, at Financial Samurai. Gets you thinking about the relative abundance most of us have compared to many in the world. Let’s be thankful, instead of overindulgent to the point of hurting ourselves!
• SEP IRA: Have Side Income? Save for Retirement, at Well Heeled Blog. There are other ways to practice tax-deferred savings for retirement than a 401(k), and this option provides some real advantages that might be worth looking into for many. 
• Diagnose Your Financial Health – Do an Annual Wealth Checkup, at Wealth Informatics. This is a very comprehensive look at how one can take stock to determine personal financial fitness.
• Why Should Successful Corporate Employees Not Start a Side Business?, at Easy Extra Money Online.  Thinking of things in terms of eliminating the middleman (you) and capturing some margin is interesting fodder for those looking for income streams.
• Setting the Course for the Impossible, at Watson, Inc. Reflective yet inspirational, this is reading that will get you thinking about your goals. I really enjoyed this piece.
• New Year’s Resolutions – The 5 S’s, at Everyday Tips and Thoughts. This reflects her personal resolutions that are very well stated and can be considered by all, written as part of the “Coffee Talk” blogger writing experiment conducted by First Gen American.
• My Secrets to Successful New Year’s Resolutions, at Krantcents. Good tips on how to turn your resolutions into success.
• Truly Inspirational – $600,000 Raised on a Street Corner, at Finance Fox. Touching story about how someone with his own serious disabilities is working hard to help the lives of others.
• IRA Contribution Limits for Both Roth and Traditional, at KNS Financial. Simple yet timely recap of contribution limits for 2010 and 2011
• MozRank: Drop that Zero and Get With the Hero, at Buck Inspire. Any post from a personal finance blog that quotes Vanilla Ice is going to get a second look. This one speaks to website ranking issues facing bloggers.
• Auction Strategies, at 101 Centavos. Have you ever participated in an auction? I have not, which made this piece quite interesting to read.

Expecting the Unexpected

Many of us, myself included in this group, tend to keep our eyes on the big picture. Which is good, because it’s in our best interest to have a sense of purpose, work toward goals, and be able to discern what’s truly important and what isn’t.

Sometimes, a part of this big picture is what like to think of as “Expecting the Unexpected”. Now, sometimes the unexpected can be great. For example: a promotion that comes out of nowhere, winning a contest, or even finding out that the great looking person in accounting is interested in you:) Other times, however, the unexpected can be not so great…and not necessarily fair either. But things happen.

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal described the story about how a woman was unable to refinance her home due to an erroneous medical bill being sent to collections. Basically, she had been mistakenly billed with two $11 charges by her doctor’s office. The bills went to collections, her credit score plummeted from 757 to 680, and she was told that she would have to pay sky high closing costs for the refinancing deal she hoped to complete.

According to the article, she has since disputed the charges, and they will be gone from her report in 30 days. However, if interest rates go up, she could have missed out on an opportunity.

Another situation, this one relayed to me by a friend, illustrates how unexpected situations can arise.  The friend and his colleague were on a business trip, and rented a car to get to their hotel late at night. They tried to get onto a toll road, and found that there were lanes for a) drivers with a toll road transponder, and b) drivers who had to pay cash.

They were from out of town, so naturally they didn’t have a transponder. So, they went to the lane for drivers with cash. The only problem was that there was nobody in the booth! So, not knowing what to do, and with no way to turn around, they drove past the booth. Just as they passed the booth, they were stopped by a cop. The way the story went, the guy pulled them over for not paying. Naturally, the driver pleaded his case, saying they were from out of town and were provided no options to pay.  Apparently, from what I was told, the guy let them off after they pleaded their case.

Still, the whole thing wasn’t fair, right? Who could expect to have something like that happen?

Well, things do happen.

Ultimately, this is an example of how things aren’t always fair, but we have to deal with them. Sure, we can try to rectify injustices, as how the lady in the aforementioned article did.  If we’re truly not at fault, we should get things corrected. Sure, not always without big hassles, but through perseverance and a clear mind and perspective, problems can be resolved and/or minimized.

An example of how somebody was not able to expect the unexpected is the Ryanair  passenger who lost out on a lottery winning of 10,000 euros. This story  from the Telegraph highlights how the passenger won a scratch-off card game, and expected that he would be able to collect his winnings on the spot. When told that he wouldn’t be paid immediately, and had to collect the money from the company running the competition, he lost it. Apparently, in anger, he ate the winning ticket!

He wasn’t able to handle the unexpected, and it cost him.

My takeaway from these stories: Expect the unexpected, and realize that things will happen to us that might be unfair. These events might require us to fight to get our money, and sometimes we might not succeed. If that happens, move on.  But if we aren’t able to deal with these realities….we have the Ryanair passenger to serve as an example of where that can lead us:)

Have you ever experienced any such situations? What was your approach to handling them? 

Giveaways and Scholarships

• Invest It Wisely is holding a “Skinny Christmas” giveaway. Numerous copies of books in the “Skinny on” series will be given away, covering credit cards, real estate, and creativity.
• Happy Heart and Mind, a blog I recently discovered, is giving away a free copy of her E-Book: “Meaningful Celebration”.
• Yakezie, as many of you might know,  is currently publishing essays from applicants for the first monthly scholarship. Check out the site to see program rules.

Recommended Reading from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

There were some really good articles this week around the personal finance blogosphere.  Here are 10 that particularly caught my eye:

• Christmas Experiences During the Great Depression, at Money Reasons. This is a neat story about family and being thankful for what we have.
• Beware the PayPal Email Scam, at Everyday Tips and Thoughts. Good reminder to be careful!
• How I Make Money Blogging, at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff. It’s neat to see how a successful blog does it, and Crystal has impressed me with her accomplishments. 
• Restaurant Gift Cards – Holiday Promotions, a Comprehensive List, at Wealth Informatics. This is a really good list of opportunities to save, and I have to say that I’ve actually used her tactics as well.
• 20 Ways You can Save Money on Gas, at My Personal Finance Journey.  Check it out, it’s a comprehensive list, and besides – who doesn’t want to save money on gas?
• The Gap, at Free Money Finance. Simple, concise, and echoes what I advocate here.
• The Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur, at Pop Economics. This piece highlights the commonalities that successful entrepreneurs have, some of which are counter to popular myths
• Will Your Legacy Be More Than Money?, at Money Ning. One can leave money to future generations, but it’s important to focus on making sure memories and lessons get passed on as well.
• Financial Areas of Improvement, at The Wealth Artisan. Good reminder to take stock and evaluate how you’re doing things, and I also like the line ”your finances should overflow”!
• My Life Without Christmas, at Aloysa’s Kitchen Sink. It’s interesting how Christmas can be approached very differently depending on where one lives, and this post brings that idea to life with a first hand account. 

In case you missed it, the Squirrelers Thanksgiving Giveway Contest was announced on Monday, 11/8.  Since it went live, it has grown to over $400 in total prizes!

To enter, go the announcement post here, review the contest rules, and fill out the entry form toward the bottom of the page. Please note you can receive additional entries by subscribing to Squirrelers via email, following Squirrelers on Twitter, or making comments on different posts in the blog.  See rules for details.

The top prize is a $100 gift card to Amazon.com. There are some other great prizes as well, ranging from gift cards to books. So, head on over to the announcement page, and join the fun!

Favorites from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

This week, I’d like to focus on the generous prize sponsors who helped contribute to the giveaway. Rather than go through articles as I usually do, and originally planned to do, I’ll instead provide links below to to these fantastic sponsors. Their sites are this week’s “Favorites”

Please check them out!

• Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
• Budgeting In The Fun Stuff
• Control Your Cash
• Couple Money
• Doug Warshauer
• Everyday Tips and Thoughts
• Invest It Wisely
• KNS Financial
• Maximizing Money
• Money Crashers
• Mr. Rebates
• Out of Debt Again
• PF Firewall
• Wealth Informatics
• Young and Thrifty

Yakezie Scholarship

As a proud member of the Yakezie network, I also encourage everyone to check out some of the great things happening there. Just this week, the Yakezie Scholarship officially launched – read about it here. It’s great to see this transpire, as it’s a really cool way to give back and help a lucky recipient achieve his or her dreams!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!