Squirrelers

Since 2010, sharing my journey to help you squirrel away your money and build net worth!

Crazy Keywords #4

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You sometimes wonder, when it comes to owning a personal finance blog, how some people manage to find their way here. It’s time to take another look at “Crazy Keywords”, which is what I call the strange search terms that have somehow brought people to this site.

I’ve looked at this before, and have seen all kinds of crazy terms, and it seemed like it was about time to take another look through the analytics to find out what’s brought people here lately.

Here are some the latest terms from the first 2 months of 2012, along with my comments.

“grandmas who do too much” – I applaud those grandmas, but I don’t know if we talk about them much here!

“pumpkin patch strategic issues” – Sounds like someone might be taking the tradition of looking for a pumpkin very, very seriously:)

“wild posts” – You might find a few such blog posts here

“2nd wife get nothing” – Tell us how you really feel!

“am I a loser if I’ve never been to vegas” – Well, the main thing you might have lost if you went there is money – unless you’re a cheapskate visiting Vegas🙂

“best job search stragedy” – Improve those spelling skills

“caffeine-free squirrels” – Can you imagine a highly caffeinated squirrel?

“cheep gone willde” – are we talking about frugality, or birds?

“daylight bandit squirrel video” – that’s one risk-taking squirrel

“his kids are his priority” – well, they should be!

“if you leave your daughter a dollar in your will, can she contest it?” – how generous!

“is working 18 hours a day bad?”- I think so

“lady gator animal run wild” – watch out!

“lottery squirrel tax on 50 million” – okay, I see a squirrel theme here:)

“private wild” – that’s none of my business!

My Question for You – If you own a blog, have you seen any interesting search terms that have brought visitors in lately?

 

New Grads Moving Back Home, plus Updates and Favorites

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Hello everyone! I hope you’re having a great weekend.  Thanks for for being a part of Squirrelers, I appreciate it. Whether you’re visiting for the first time, a regular lurker, or consistent commenter, I totally appreciate your involvement.  Feel free to join the conversations in the posts here, and please do subscribe to the feed (RSS or Email) and follow on Twitter!

Below I’ll share some updates and favorites for the week, but first I’ll touch on the topic of new college grads living at home with family.

Living at Home

I was involved in a brief conversation recently with someone who was a few years out of college and paying rent in an apartment. This situation sounded familiar, as it’s exactly what I did upon graduation.

The guy I was speaking with commented on how he had a friend who didn’t get a job for a year after graduation, but is probably not worse off financially since he was living at home with his parents (the friend, that is). The guy was just smirking and shaking his head.  I asked him if he could ever do that, and he told me that it wouldn’t be possible right now since his parents live on the east coast, but if he could do it over again he’d have to think about it.

To me, the idea of living at home with parents was a foreign concept when I graduated undergrad.  Basically, I was conditioned to think that the “normal” thing to do was to go out on your own once you reached a certain age.  Anything else was “odd”, in my view at the time.

These days, I look at it completely differently. While many people simply do not have the option to do so, many people do have an opportunity to live with parents after graduation.  If I had to do it again, I would have done this for a few years, no doubt.

Sure, it would have inhibited some personal growth. However, I might have made a few other decisions better during that time with the steadying influence at home, and I could have saved a fair amount of money.

Now, I wouldn’t have been charged rent or utilities.  Sure, I would have paid for my own food, insurance, car, etc – but I’d have a roof over my head at no cost, which would allow me to save and get a stronger financial foothold.  That would have been a good idea.

What do you think?  Is the idea of a college grad living at home to save money sensible to you, or negative since money isn’t everything and perhaps independence/growth is?

Squirrelers in Blog Carnivals

Money and Relationships: What Should Matter? was selected as an Editor’s Pick in the Totally Money Blog Carnival at Money in the 20’s

Frugal Trophies was selected as an Editor’s Selection in the Festival of Frugality at Sustainable Personal Finance

First Job Lessons Learned was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at  Canadian Personal Finance Blog

Memorable Examples of Witnessing Generosity was included in the Yakezie Carnival at My Personal Finance Journey

Favorites from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

101 Centavos shared Thoughts on Silver Part 2

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff shared Net Worth – Do You Include the House?

Consumerism Commentary shared Should Couples Get a Prenup?

Hope to Prosper shared The Four Seasons of Personal Finance, and 4 Important Lessons on Investing  (note: rare to include 2 articles from one blog, but I enjoyed both of these.  Hope to Prosper doesn’t publish often, but when he does, the articles are quite good)

Life and My Finances shared Retirement is a Matter of Income, Not Age

Man vs Debt shared It’s O.K. to Change Your Course

Mighty Bargain Hunter shared Don’t Settle for $1 per Hour. Please!

Money Crush shared Cashing Out a 401k When Leaving a Job?

Retire by 40 shared 4-Plex Short Sale Experience So Far

Another Example of Getting What You Pay For

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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?

 

Updates and Favorites – September 25, 2010

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Hello Everyone! Thank you very much for being a part of Squirrelers, and contributing to the growing readership. I appreciate your continued interest as we grow, whether you’re commenting, reading, lurking, or stopping by for the first time.

I often say this, but if you have any feedback or comments on things you particularly like, would like to see more of, or would like changed, please feel fee to reach out to me via the contact form. Also, I’m open to guest posts here, so please feel free to get in touch if you would like to contribute in that way.

So, with that opening, here are my updates and favorites:

Personal Finance Blog Giveaways

There are some nice giveaways being held at several really good personal finance blogs:

  • Couple Money is holding a 1st anniversary laptop giveway (it’s almost over – get there by September 26)
  • Out of Debt Again is holding a 3rd “Blogoversary” giveaway (better hurry, ends September 27)
  • Invest It Wisely is holding a 6 month giveaway contest (ends September 29)

Squirrelers in Blog Carnivals

This week, Squirrelers was included in the following carnival:

  • What Kind of Car Should a Teenager Be Driving? was included in the Festival of Frugality #248 at Watson Inc.

Favorites from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

Below are a variety of articles that caught my eye this week. If you have some time, give them a read!

  • In the Trenches – A Reader’s Story, at In the Trenches (Guest post by Practical Parsimony)
  • The Educated Indentured Servant, at Generation X Finance (Guest post by Roshawn Watson)
  • 10 Ways to Budget and Spend Less than you Earn, at Maximizing Money
  • Take this House and Shove It, at Wealth Informatics
  • Going Too Far to Save Money, at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
  • 21 Reasons Why Corner Lots are for Suckers, at Len Penzo
  • What Will Happen When Kids Have to Live in the Real World, at Everyday Thoughts and Tips
  • How to Prepare for a Financial Hardship Before it Happens, at Redeeming Riches
  • Public Safety, or Public Revenue, at Invest it Wisely
  • Financial to a Fault, at Punch Debt in the Face
  • A Solid Retirement Planning Checklist for Your Mid 30’s to 40’s, at One Money Design
  • Sacrifices to Get Ahead, at First Gen American
  • Compare Traditional and Roth IRA, at Cash Money Life

Updates and Favorites – Sept 10, 2010

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Hello Everyone! Thank you very much for being a part of Squirrelers, and contributing to the growing readership. I appreciate your continued interest as we grow, whether you’re commenting, reading, lurking, or stopping by for the first time.

Along those lines, if you have any feedback or comments on things you particularly like, would like to see more of, or would like changed, please feel fee to reach out to me via the contact form. Also, I’m open to guest posts here, so please feel free to get in touch if you would like to contribute in that way.

With that said, I have some updates and favorites to share with you:

Yakezie Member Post

This week, I had the opportunity to have the Squirrelers “Yakezie Member Post” published at Yakezie.com. Check it out to learn a bit more about the guy who’s behind Squirrelers, and how the blog got started.

Poll Results

I recently ran a poll on Squirrelers where I asked the question “What Percentage of Your Total Income Do You Save?” A total of 41 people decided to answer the question, choosing one of five possible answers. Here are the results:

30% or more: 14

20% to 29%: 9

10% to 19%: 8

0% to 9%: 8

I spend more than I save:  2

Although the sample size is very low relative to the number of visitors to Squirrelers, it appears that many readers tend to be able to “squirrel away” their money. I’m glad to see that, and hope that everyone is doing the best they can with what they have!

Squirrelers in Carnivals and Roundups

This week, Squirrelers was included in the following carnivals and roundups:

Favorites from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

Below are a variety of articles that caught my eye this week. If you have some time, give them a read!

  • The Power of Asking, at Canadian Finance Blog
  • 10 Steps to Sell Your Car on Craigslist, at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
  • Save Your Wallet with these Penny Hacks, at FIRE Finance
  • How to Pick a Mutual Fund -Type, part of a series at Hope to Prosper
  • 10 Tips for Buying a New Home, at Everyday Tips and Thoughts
  • Durable Things I Love, at First Gen American
  • Coupons for Lottery Tickets – Seriously? , at Provident Planning
  • Will the Fed Save the Day? , at Balance Junkie
  • 10 Signs You’re Not Prepared for Retirement, at Little House

Have a great weekend!

Updates and Favorites

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Hello Everyone! Thanks for being a part of Squirrelers, and contributing to the growing readership. I appreciate your continued interest as we grow, whether you’re commenting or reading.

Along those lines, if you have any feedback or comments on things you particularly like, would like to see more of, or would like changed, please feel fee to reach out to me via the contact form. Also, I warmly welcome guest posts here, so please feel free to get in touch if you would like to contribute in that way!

With that said, I have a few acknowledgments and weekly favorites to share with you:

Yakezie Launch

For those of you who aren’t aware, this week marked the launch of Yakezie.com, a website which will ultimately contain contributions by a large network of over 100 personal finance bloggers (including yours truly). The site is in its infancy now, but I am looking forward to the development of it. Great work by Financial Samurai and Chris Johnson to get this launched!

Squirrelers in Carnivals and Roundups

This week, Squirrelers was included in the following carnivals and roundups:

  • Making $400,000 Yet Living With Mom and Dad was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Live Real, Now
  • A Great, Refreshing Bargain in Our Midst was included in the Festival of Frugality at Simply Forties
  • How Much Money Would it Take for You to Relocate? was included in the Carnival of Financial Planning at My Traders Journal
  • Wheeling and Dealing for Healthcare was included in the “100 Lessons You can Learn From Frugal People” at College Crunch

Favorites from the Personal Finance Blogosphere

Below are a variety of articles that caught my eye this week. If you have some time, give them a read!

  • Home Based Business Insurance – What Coverage Do You Need, at Wealth Pilgrim
  • What Happens When Your Bank is Seized by the FDIC?, at Good Financial Cents
  • Frugal Parents: What to Buy for a New Baby, at Money Funk
  • Retiring in Luxury Overseas for Cheap – Bargain or Bogus?, at Free by 50
  • How to Own Your Own Restaurant, Pack it in a Shipping Container, and Take it With You, at Invest it Wisely
  • The Economics of Time, at The Wealth Artisan
  • A Simple Trick to Get Your Credit Card Interest Charges Waived, at Len Penzo

Have a great weekend!

Updates and Favorites

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Hello everyone! Just wanted to say thanks again for being a part of Squirrelers. Whether you’re commenting or lurking, I appreciate you coming by.

This week I found some interesting articles that I would like to share with you. For a variety of reasons, I found these to be good reads. So here they are, for your reading pleasure:

  • Car Closing: What to Bring When Buying a Car, at Car Negotiation Coach
  • Extreme Frugalism, How Many of You Have Tried? at First Gen American
  • View Your 401(k) like Social Security and Write it Off, at Financial Samurai
  • How to Save Money with Discount, Cheap, Unrestricted Movie Tickets, at Wealth Informatics
  • Putting the National Debt into Perspective, at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
  • It’s Never Too Late, at Christian PF
  • How Going the Extra Mile Can Pay Off, at Free Money Finance

Squirrelers had the following articles included in carnivals this past week:

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Updates and Favorites

By 4 Comments

Hello everyone! I hope we are all enjoying the weekend.  I would like to share with you some of the articles that caught my eye this week, from the personal finance blogosphere:

  • Buying a House with Cash, at First Gen American
  • Economists Blame ME for the Slow Recovery, at Watson Inc
  • The Importance of Failing Fast, at The Writer’s Coin
  • Healthy School Lunch: Not a Pipe Dream, at The Saved Quarter
  • The Reasons I Like Money Over Gift Cards, at Money Reasons
  • How Mutual Funds Rip You Off With Extra Fees and Charges, at Invest It Wisely
  • Economic Trends Affecting Americans, at Hope to Prosper

Also, Squirrelers was included in the following carnivals this past week:

Thanks for visiting, and happy reading!

Updates and Favorites

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Hello everyone – I thought this would be a good time to connect with all of you on a few things, and share some of my favorites from the personal finance blogosphere this past week.

  1. Thank you for being a part of the growth of this blog. I appreciate the time you spend following the articles here, and hope you have enjoyed it. If you have shared your thoughts via comments, keep telling us what you think. If you’re lurking, feel free to add to the discussions!
  2. There were some very good articles in the personal finance blogosphere this week. Here are a few in particular that caught my eye:
    • What to Do With Your 401(k) When You Leave Your Job, at Free from Broke
    • How Would Life Change if Your Income Doubled?, at Gen Y Wealth
    • Behind the Green Curtain: An Insider’s View of the Millionaire’s Mind, at Len Penzo
    • Three Steps to See if You’re Ready For Early Retirement, at Free Money Finance
    • When was the Last Time… , by Everyday Tips and Thoughts
    • What do You Truly Value Most, at No Debt Plan
    • Which is the Best Way to Save Money, at Balance Junkie
  3. Guest Posts: I have held off guest posts to this point, as I wanted to set the tone for this blog, and provide it with its own “personality”. At this point, after about 3 1/2 months, and a growing group of terrific readers, I’m now welcoming guest posts! Here is the format:
    • Bring content that you believe other readers will find to be compelling; it will reflect well on you!
    • Please keep it original, and non-promotional in nature
    • Please send an article that has not been posted on your site or any other site; in other words, an original piece by you is what would work well. Thanks for understanding.
    • If I post your article, I’ll provide a link to your site in the article’s introduction, which will highlight your site; I would like to help you grow visibility to your blog in this way.

Thanks again. Happy reading!