Carnival of Financial Independence, 47th edition

 

 

Welcome to the 45th  edition of the Carnival of Financial Independence, a selection of the best articles related to Financial Independence this week. If you would like to be included next week, please submit your post via Blogger Carnivals. If you would like to host for a future edition, you can contact Pauline at Reach Financial Independence.

The guidelines are:

• You can submit a post that was published during the last month
• The posts have to relate to reaching financial independence, and fit within the following categories: Savings and Simple living, Travel and Lifestyle, Wealth and Passive income, Real Estate and Investing, or Self employment.
• Submit by Wednesday night for the Saturday edition
• Please mention the carnival in your roundups if you have been featured!

 

 

 

TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE

 

 
Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes I Loved Having a Vacation Budget – I loved having a vacation budget! I saved up $1,500 for this getaway. We ended up spending just around that even with a lot of nice meals and a massage!

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes How Much Time Do You Really Waste? – As the age old adage says, ‘time is money and money is time’. If you consider this for a moment, time is really the great equalizer in life.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Five Ways to Keep Your Energy Bills Down this Winter – Close the curtains, block the drafts and optimise your radiators; these are some of the ways to keep your energy bills down this winter.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes How Do You Handle Rough Times? – We’ve all had a really bad day…heck, weeks or months can stink too. It could be anything – money problems, relationship problems, illness, etc.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Getting Specific with Savings Goals for the Year Ahead – We’ve talked before about the idea of setting goals so you can save what you want to save (and ideally more besides). But there is a big difference between setting goals and setting specific goals that are packed with detail.

Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes An Interview with PT Money – My first ever video interview features Philip Taylor of PT Money. PT and I talk about how he got started and his best money advice for teens today.
Hank @ Money Q&A writes How To Beat The Airlines During Flight Delays – Nothing is worse on a vacation than a cancelled flight or really long flight delays. Here are a few great tips to beat the airport flight delays.

Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes January Financial Housekeeping – The holidays are over, and now could be a great time to tighten your financial belt. Here are some tips for financial housekeeping that can work right now!

Harry Campbell @ Your PF Pro writes My Costly Wedding Mistakes (and How You Can Avoid Them) – “If you’re like that poor young woman in the photo that went viral a few weeks ago, you’re probably glad “engagement season” will be over soon. Don’t get me wrong: getting engaged is fun and exciting time in someone’s life. ”

Brent @ PersonalFinance-Tips writes A Joint Bank Account or Separate Finances? – One of the trickiest decisions you must make when your relationship becomes serious is how you will approach your finances as a couple. Are you going to pool finances, split bills or are you going to keep everything separate? Read our free guide to tackling the tricky issue of handling finances as a loved – up couple in these tough economic times.

Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Going to Miami! – We are going to Miami! We made the decision at the end of the year, and will be going with BF’s sister and her boyfriend.
Jason @ The Money Makers writes Tootsie – Does Beauty Have to be Expensive? – Many remember Dustin Hoffman dressed in drag in the classic film Tootsie, a movie that he now says made him realize how many women he’s missed out on meeting in life simply because he judged them by their looks.

Graham @ Moneystepper writes Christmas Retail Sales – 2013 December Sales in the UK – Retail figures for December 2013 were released by the Office for National Statistics on Friday (17th January 2014).
Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes 10 Cheap Ideas For Keeping Young Kids Entertained – Any parent of toddler to preschool aged kids knows that keeping kids this age entertained requires constant attention. And, I prefer to spend a little money so I can save myself from playing hide and seek for hours on end.

Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes January Financial Housekeeping – Now is the time where we all experience a financial hangover. We have had all too many gingerbread lattes and peppermint chocolate bark.

Larry @ KrantCents writes How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions and Much More! – Keeping your New Year’s Resolutions is easy! If it is so easy, why do so many people break them every year?

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Starting an Online Business for Fun and Profit – Have you ever thought of starting an online business? If so, there are plenty of benefits for doing so. Read this post for a few of them.

Aaron @ Aaron Hung writes Gift Cards – What’s not to like? – Many people have a negative opinion about Gift Cards. They call them the lazy option and say that they are much too impersonal or that they will just be put aside and forgotten in the sock drawer.

Marissa @ Finance Triggers writes The Perks of Living in the Suburbs – More and more people are moving are looking to move out of the city core, find out The Perks of Living in the Suburbs.

Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes Why You Should Start Buying Your Christmas Presents in January – I know, I know! We don’t really want to think about gift giving so soon. Heck, some of us may even have charges from this past Christmas sitting on our credit cards right now. And there is no way that we want to think about spending money on stuff for a holiday that is 11 months away.
Andrea @ So Over This writes A New Year Brings New Beginnings – It is officially 2014, and with that comes a sobering hangover from the holiday binge spending! Sure we read the how-to tips on saving money during the holidays, but do we actually follow them?

Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes It’s time to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses – More than likely you have heard the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” more than a few times in your life. What it refers to is the phenomenon of using your neighbors as a standard for which to compare your own life and material goods.
Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes Travel on a Budget – Do you dream of taking a vacation to one of your favorite destinations only to be awakened by the fact that you do not have adequate cash to take that trip? Discount travel packages make those dreams a reality.

Harry Campbell @ The Four Hour Work Day writes What’s Wrong With the Bare Minimum? – Going above and beyond the call of duty has never been one of my strong suits. In fact, there aren’t many things that come to mind that I’ve ever really over-achieved at. But I think I’ve done pretty well for myself with this attitude of not wanting to be the best, but also not wanting to be just average. I like being a little bit ahead of the curve but never too far out of sight.

WEALTH & PASSIVE INCOME

Moneycone @ Money Cone writes My Best Financial Move Of 2013 – Year 2013 was a record year for the stock market. The S&P 500 returned 32.39% last year, including dividends. 2013 was an unusual year for my 401K.
KK @ Student Debt Survivor is Planting the Seeds of Wealth

Michael @ Save-Invest-Grow helps you Build Wealth by Creating Systems

 

Michael Kitces @ Nerd’s Eye View explains how to Recouple, Repeal, Or Enact Gift Taxes
JC @ Passive-Income-Pursuit writes 2013 Goals – Full Year Checkup – One year ends and another begins. That’s a perfect time for review of the previous year. I set a lot of goals for 2013 and while some were huge successes there were still some failures. Overall I’m very happy with the way the year turned out.

Marvin @ Brick By Brick Investing writes Tax Free Municipal Bonds – A detailed description of tax free municipal bonds and how to implement them into your investment portfolio.

Alice @ Hurricanes, Panties & Dollars writes The pterodactyl retirement plan – An interesting conversation, a plan to trap a pterodactyl and waking back up in the real world. Plus a fun, catchy video and perhaps a little talk about retirement.

writing2reality @ Write Your Own Reality writes 2013 Lending Club Tax Guide – A brief summary of what to expect when you receive your 2013 Lending Club tax forms based on the tax guide released by Lending Club.

REAL ESTATE AND INVESTING

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Living and working in Canadian, American, and Australian mining towns: what are they like? – Canada and the US are home to a number of mining towns and communities. They always have been, since the days of the first pioneers. But modern day mining towns are a far cry away from the Wild West image of hard drinking men, bar room brawls, boom and bust.

Steven J Fromm @ Philadelphia Estate and Tax Attorney Blog writes The Biggest (Tax) Loser: Misguided Gifts of Real Estate By Uninformed Do It Yourselfers, Realtors & Attorneys – With no regard to the income tax implications, many times elderly people get the idea that the transfer of real estate to children during their lifetime is a good idea

Irfan @ Being Investor writes Warren Buffett Investing Quotes – He’s called the oracle of Omaha and has established himself as the greatest investor of all time. He has always been sharing his investing secrets though many forums notably through Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder letters.

Gary @ Gajizmo writes Top Mutual Fund Companies – Planning on investing in the stock market this year? Interested in learning about the largest mutual fund companies in the industry? Here is a list of top mutual funds by assets.

Brian Fourman @ Luke1428 writes The Attitudes of a Successful Landlord – There are five key areas to focus on that will help facilitate your success as a landlord. The more you flesh these out before starting, the better the chances of long-term success are going to be.

Erastus @ Saving Advice writes Alternative Investments to the Stock Market – If you’re thinking of investing your money, not only consider investing in the stock market as the only option, but also consider; Real Estate, Private Equity, Certificate of Deposit, Peer to Peer, Lending, Fine Art, Hedge Funds, Venture Capital and Commodities as other alternatives.

Justin @ Root of Good writes Budgeting For Home Repairs: Lessons Learned Running A Billion Dollar Project – Running a billion dollar project taught me how to properly account for long term replacement costs when the stakes are huge. I apply the same methods used on big projects to estimating the replacement costs on my house for components like the roof, air conditioner, and major appliances.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Landscaping for a Dry, Hot and Windy Environment – A nature-inspired look using information about the local climate and flora, xeric gardening and landscaping can minimize water waste and save money.

SELF EMPLOYMENT AND CAREER

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Saving Money On Your Trip Back To College – When I was in college, the trip back to college cost me a decent amount of money since I lived on the opposite side of the state. But, over the years and trips back and forth, I found a few ways to help me save money, which allowed me more money for late night pizza!
Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes When Should I Start Saving for My Childs College Years? – Ways that you can start saving money for your childrens college education. Have you started saving yet?

Jason B @ The Butler Journal writes What is a Vision Board? – This post describes what a vision board is and how to make one.

Dee @ Color Me Frugal writes 6 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Getting Student Loans – Student loans can be a necessary evil when it comes to getting an education, but they do not come without certain dangers! Here are the top 6 things I wish I would have known before getting student loans.

David @ Financial Nerd writes Where the Global Economic Center of Gravity is Moving and Why? – Where will the world economy center be in 2025?

Dollar @ Easy Extra Dollar writes Make Money Blogging Online – When you first start blogging online you have to decision to make that will affect your whole blogging experience. You have to decide whether you will choose a free site that will host your blog for you like Word Press or Blogger for example or build blog under your own domain name.

Gabe @ Taxes 101 writes CPA advice – Here are some tips and ideas to save money on taxes before April 15

Steve @ 2010 Tax to 2014 Tax writes IRS Free File To Open 2 Weeks Early – The IRS, internal revenue service, has announced the early opening of the free file. The free file will open as early as seventeenth January 2014.

SAVINGS AND SIMPLE LIVING

 

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes Reflections On an Indebted Life – I’ve spent a lot of years being in debt. Basically, I’ve been in debt since I left home for college at 17 years old. The thing is, while I was a hard worker but I didn’t have the type of financial education that is shared through generations of wealth building.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes 8 Strategies for Eliminating Debt – A short guide to strategies for eliminating debt, enabling people to pay their debts off more efficiently and without spending as much money.
Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Forget the Past and Focus on the Financial Future – You can’t go back in time to correct your financial mistakes — at least not until the time machine is invented. Time to focus on your financial future.
Jacob @ AllPersonalFinance writes Rich kids: making your pocket money go further – Pocket money is serious business for children. Whilst adults can earn a real salary, use credit cards, have mortgages and take out loans from business loan companies such as everline.com or utilise the dubious payday loans available.

Mark Ross @ Money Saving Dude writes 25 Easy Ways To Save Money On Food Without Going On A Diet – Are you looking for ways to save money on food without reducing your food intake? If you are, then these money saving tips are perfect for you.

Mr.CBB @ canadian budget binder writes What type of bank should you stash your cash in? – Deciding where to open a bank account, invest your money or apply for a mortgage can be an overwhelming process with more than the traditional banking options available.

Joshua Rodriguez @ CNA Finance writes Are There Any Alternatives To Secured Credit Cards? – Secured credit cards are touted as the best way to add positive marks to your credit report and improve your credit scores, but are there any alternatives? In this post, Joshua talks about why secured credit cards help and possible alternatives to look into.

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Financial Heroes or Financial Zeros? – When rich people look like poor people and poor people look like rich people, how do you tell who are the people to emulate?

Dee @ Color Me Frugal writes I Was Flushing Money Down the Toilet- Literally – Little leaks in your financial plumbing can have a big ripple effect! Find out about one of our recent “leaks.” Could there be a similar leak in YOUR financial plumbing?

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes How to Start Saving Money (Even if you’re always broke) – Each month our debt was growing, so how could I save 10% of nothing or $50 we didn’t have? I couldn’t, so I had to come up with another solution to be able to save money even though we were beyond broke.

PFC @ PF Carny writes The Starter Emergency Fund – Sure most people would agree that keeping money set aside in case of emergency is a wise idea. But not everybody has the money or interest needed to have a fully funded emergency fund.

Adam @ Money Rebound writes How on earth do celebrities go bankrupt? – Reasons why even the biggest celebrities get into huge financial messes.

Jeremy @ Modest Money writes How To Save Money On Groceries – We all know that grocery shopping adds up to a lot of money over time. Learn the best ways to save money on groceries and save big money!

Gary @ MCI123 writes Car Insurance Coverage – Liability, Comprehensive, Collision, and Full Coverage – Not sure what types of car insurance coverage are available? Maybe you don’t know the difference between liability, comprehensive, collision, GAP, PIP, and full coverage? Check out our 3,000+ word guide on almost every aspect of your auto insurance policy and learn how to protect yourself properly.

John @ Frugal Rules writes I’m On a Mission to Save Money – Making a large purchase, like a house, requires many to save as much as they can. While it may be difficult to spend a significant amount of money with one purchase, you’re well served to save as much as you can for it.
Jacob @ Cash Cow Couple writes Discover Cash Rewards – If you are looking to save a little money on purchases, take a look at this option.

Mark Ross @ Money Saving Dude writes Why You’re Having Trouble Saving Money And How You Can Fix It – Any one can have trouble saving his or her money. If you know that you have a problem saving your hard-earned money, then you should read this and find the right solution to your problem.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes How to Live Off the Land Even If You Don’t Own Land – Even if you live in an apartment in the city, there are still things you can do to live off the land as much as possible considering your circumstances.