Sexy New Look: The Savvy Scot Does The Carnival of Financial Camaraderie

I have the pleasure of hosting The Carnival of Financial Camaraderie today… How do you like my sexy new theme? Early Christmas present for you all…. Thoughts?

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BUDGETING

Deacon @ Well Kept Wallet writes How to Track Your Finances Online for Free – Do you want to get a handle on your finances? Have you ever thought about tracking your spending? It is amazing how fast money can disappear if we don’t have a plan. There are many different resources out there to help you manage your finances, however, there is one website that I use that has helped us to become debt-free (except the home).

Michelle @ Making Sense of Cents writes Buying a House at 20 (How I did it) – We bought a house at the age of 20, there I said it. Most people think we are crazy and either think the house is something dumpy, that someone in my family pays for it, or that I’m lying (yes I’ve been told that). I am often asked how I bought a house so young and what I learned from it.

Lance @ Money Life and More writes Use Credit Card Rewards to Pay for Christmas! – The holidays can be a very expensive time of year depending on your gift giving tendencies and how much you celebrate the holiday festivities. Luckily I’m going to share a unique way to pay for your Christmas this year that is a bit out of the box.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes How to Improve Your Budget – Everyone who has been budgeting for a while knows that the perfect technique with budgeting isn’t developed over night. It’s more of a process than people often like to admit. Sure, budgeting may sound simple when we talk about it, but it’s much more complex. It’s not merely a step 1, step 2, and step 3.

Matt @ Live Real Now writes Living Beyond Rich: You Gotta Read This Book! – Living Beyond Rich isn’t just financial advice. It’s a personal story, full of heartfelt emotion and passion. It’s the true story of how one normal, everyday family got rid of $150,000 of consumer debt in a REALLY short period of time. Jen McDonough bares it all in the book, sharing her family’s most intimate financial details for the world to read – so that the world may learn from their mistakes and experiences.

 

BUSINESS

Robert @ My Multiple Income writes Two Awesome Articles You Must Read This Week – There are two articles that I come across with that have something that I need to share with all my readers. There were actually two different things that I think you’ll find extremely value-added.

Ryan @ Early Retirement Investments writes Protect Your Business and Employees from Fire – How to protect your business and employees from fire. Read what I thinking!

 

CAREER & EDUCATION

Your Boss @ What Your Boss Really Thinks writes Ask Your Boss: When a Boss Doesn’t Deal With an Office Bully – “I am in a unique position. I am an onsite vendor working for a client. The job is going pretty well except for one thing: One of the members on our small team is very difficult to work with.

Mike @ The Financial Blogger writes Random Thoughts on How To Make More Money – How will you increase your income?

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Passive Income: Let Someone Else Pay Your Mortgage – Learn how you can have someone else pay your mortgage for you! You can generate passive income through real estate.

Derek Knight @ Freeat33 writes Nobody Like A Know It All – Engineers are Better than Plumbers. Except that I am a Plumber, and I don’t think I like that idea.

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes Hospital Stay – Last week I wrote about how my husband was changing companies and that the new company has expensive health insurance.

harry campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes How Much Money Would it Take to Leave a Great Life? – When I graduated college four years ago, I faced a tough job market with very few prospects. I had a couple interviews but I was only offered one position as a navigation/systems engineer in Palmdale, CA. Even though it was my only offer at the time, it was still a tough decision. I debated about taking the job because I had lived in SoCal all my life(never more than 10 minutes from the beach) and I can assure you that Palmdale was/is no Southern Cali! I really wanted to turn down the offer b

Teacher Man @ My University Money writes Last Minute Gift Ideas – A Financial Education – So you’re down to the nitty gritty for Christmas gifts yet again. Last year you promised yourself it would never come to this again. No more last second stressful dashes to the mall to fight crowds of other anxiety-ridden zombies. Yet somehow December just flew by again this year…

DPF @ Digital Personal Finance writes 12 Tips on How to Use Linkedin to Help Grow Your Career – Using Linkedin can be helfpul for your career, but only if you know what you’re doing. This post shares 12 tips on how to use Linkedin to potentially benefit your career.

Justin @ Young And Thrifty writes 7 Well Paying Jobs that Don’t Require a University Degree – If you are thinking about making a career change, or spooked by the cost of a university education for yourself or your child, there are well-paying jobs that don’t require university degree.

 

FINANCIAL ADVICE

Philip @ PT Money Personal Finance writes How to Pay for College If You’re Starting Late – What if you (or your child) are about to leave for college this year and you never actually saved any money? How can you pay for it? Here are some tips.

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Hotel’s “Broken Computer” Credit Card Scam – Someone tried to steal our credit card information a couple of hours ago. It was a pretty ingenious scam too. I’m hoping that you’ll read this and share this story so that people won’t fall for it like we almost did.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Optimizing Your Return on Savings (and Keeping it Simple) – Everyone wants to earn more money with the money that they already have. As a basic rule, investors want high returns in order to grow their wealth faster and easier. If earning more money were as easy as merely desiring it, everyone in the world would be a rich person. Instead, it is often quite difficult. It’s hard to predict when a company may go under.

My Wealth Desire @ My Wealth Desire writes The Best Ways to Use Credit Card – Credit card is one of the financial tools that makes our life convenience and easy. It is safer to carry credit cards rather than cash especially if we are purchasing items that cost a large sum of money. There are a lots of benefits of using credit cards like airplane air miles points, cash back, special insurance (from some banks), discount from accredited stores, rewards, useful during emergency cases and many more.

Beating Broke @ Beating Broke writes Are You Waiting on Your Finances to Change? – Your finances aren’t going to change if you only wait on them to. If you want them to change, you’ve got to make a directed effort to change them.

Peter @ Bible Money Matters writes Christmas Can Quickly Become a Celebration of Things Rather than Faith and Family – So this Christmas I hope to celebrate the birth of Jesus by finding ways to give, by showing the people in my life that I love them, and by trying to keep the focus where it should be, on the sacrificial giving exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ.

Grand Per Month @ Grand Per Month writes How to Make a Grand Per Month Selling Plasma – There are plenty of ways to make extra money in a bad economy to make ends meet or for some extra spending money in college or during the holiday season, but none is quite so easy as donating plasma and getting paid to sit back for an hour or two doing virtually nothing. The question is, “Can someone actually make a grand per month selling plasma?”

FMF @ Free Money Finance writes Stacking Multiple Discounts to Rack Up Big Savings – A few weeks ago I noted how I save while shopping at outlet malls. The key: stacking multiple offers on top of each other to get substantial discounts. Well, our family recently had a big success doing this on a much larger scale and thought I’d share the details.

Everything Finance @ Everything Finance Blog writes How to Recover from a Financial Holiday Hangover – The problem for me is the aftermath. Those dreadful few weeks at the beginning of every new year when I lament my financial bad behavior and nurse one heck of a financial holiday hangover. Here’s what I plan to do this year to soften the blow.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes First Time Home Buyer Tips – I’m beginning to realize that I might be purchasing my first house without the golden standard of 20% down. For personal finance gurus who are guffawing and shaking their heads, the truth is I live in an expensive area and 20% down on homes in my area is more than most people make in a year.

 

FRUGALITY

Girl Meets Debt @ Girl Meets Debt writes Girl Meets Debt (No Longer in Financial Denial) – They say that the first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem. It is actually very intimidating yet liberating at the same time to say (or write!) that I have a debt problem. I am ready to be proactive and tackle this debt on.

James Petzke @ This Is Common Cents writes Oh Drat, My Computer is “Outdated” – Keeping up with technology used to cost me over a thousand dollars per year.

Mr. Money @ Smart on Money writes How to Avoid Paying 3 Common Fees – No one likes to pay extra money. However, there are a number of fees that you end up paying as you go through life. Indeed, it seems as though there are always new fees cropping up everywhere you turn, whether it’s an increase in ATM fees, or whether you discover that you can no longer check even one bag for free when you fly.

Matt @ Stoic Insights writes The Simplest Method to Eat Healthy – It can be really tempting to cut corners on food for the sake of frugality, but this article outlines several reasons to spend more on food now.

Andrea @ Modest Money writes 7 Ways to Lose Money with Last-Minute Gift Shopping – Last minute Christmas shopping is never fun, but on top of that you might be losing money by proscrastinating. Learn how.

Jason @ Live Real Now writes Dreams – It’s hard to raise a family on a stablehand’s income. My wife’s alternative was to own horses. This comes with a different set of problems.

Girl Meets Debt @ Girl Meets Debt writes Have Yourself a Very Merry and Not So Expensive Christmas – This holiday season, I have been surprisingly really good and resisted many spending temptations. I am going to share with you some tried and true tips I used to save money this year:

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Confessions of a Cheap-Ass Santa – I admit it. I am a cheap-ass Santa. Yet, I don’t let it bother me. In fact, here are a few confessions of ways I’ve saved money on gifts this Christmas.

John S @ Frugal Rules writes 10 Ways to Stretch Your Grocery Budget – Many can struggle with keeping their grocery spending in check. With a few minor changes and some planning you can stretch your grocery budget and still have high quality meals.

The Happy Homeowner @ The Happy Homeowner writes $1400+ of Travel for $520 – Want to take a trip but don’t think you can afford it? Read about my latest deals and how I make travel a reality no matter how tight the budget may be–you can do the same!

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Super Saver Holiday Ideas – Here are a few ideas for the holidays, which hopefully will help you save money, time and reduce those stress levels!

Penny Thots @ Penny Thots writes A Spirit-ed Flight Review – After comfortable seats, polite staff and a ride to Chicago that was just fine, I wondered: why are the other airlines charging so much, if Spirit has the same service for such a low price?

 

INVESTING

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes Personal Capital Review – A One Stop Financial Center – Wouldn’t you love to see all of your investment account in one dashboard? Enter Personal Capital where you can connect all of your accounts. See more in our Personal Capital Review.

IMB @ Investing Money writes Understanding a Roth IRA and its Advantages – A Roth IRA is a nice investment vehicle to use for retirement planning. Find out more about it.

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes How Living in a Small Town Affects Our Finances – I knew moving from a large city (population of 165,000) to a small town (population of 5,500) would have some sort of effect on our finances…I just wasn’t….

Div Guy @ The Dividend Guy Blog writes Fortis FTS Dividend Stock Analysis – Is this investment worth your money?

TDB @ Tax Deduction Blog writes How to Make Penalty-free Early Withdrawals from your IRA and 401(k) – Here are some ways in which you can get money (early withdrawal) from your 401(k) or your IRA before maturity and not incur any penalty.

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes December 2012 Dividend Champion Watchlist Update – Every few months I like to update the watch list for my Dividend Investment Portfolio (last update was in October of 2012). As explained in great detail below, I apply various metrics to the Dividend Champion List (defined below) to weed through the list to create a watchlist that I’ll buy lots of over the next few months.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes How to Host a Christmas Party on a Budget – We usually host the annual family reunion in our home so we learned how keep control on spending while still enjoying it.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes What are the Best Oil Mutual Funds? – Why buy oil stocks when you can but a plethora of oil companies? Read my take on the best oil mutual funds.

Bryan @ Gajizmo.com writes Mutual Fund Companies By 2012 Assets – In previous years, mutual funds have seen huge outflows in net assets. In 2012, due to more stability in the stock market and solid returns, mutual funds have began to see growth in their assets under management. Investors can learn about the advantages of mutual fund companies and find the largest ones by assets managed.

Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy writes The Vagaries of Life – Soo my darlings, how do you strive to balance it all? Any particular coping mechanisms to slash through all of the objectives etched into your daily agenda?

MMD @ My Money Design writes Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Early or Look for a Better Return? – Should I pay off my mortgage early or look for other opportunities with a better rate of return? What about inflation or other investment goals?

Matt @ Dividend Monk writes How to Invest with a Margin of Safety – A comprehensive overview of how and why to invest with a margin of safety.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes How to Shop for Eco-friendly Appliances – New eco-friendly appliances, especially the big ones such as refrigerators and washing machines, are a serious commitment for homeowners.

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Five College 529 Plans Worth Investing In – If you are looking for a 529 plan, you might try one of the following 5 plans that offer solid value:

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes Dividend Stocks I Purchased Over the Past Two Months – As I mentioned in my dividend retirement plan, I am an investor in the accumulation phase. I typically purchase somewhere between one to three investments each month.

Wealth Effect Blogger @ www.yourwealtheffect.com writes Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs and Enticing Yields – When you’re hungry the smell of bacon wrapped hot dogs cooking on the grill is almost irresistible just as the allure of enticing yields is enticing to those hungry for income.

 

OTHER

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey @ My Personal Finance Journey writes Are Debt Management Plans Worth the Cost? – This post follows one writer’s journey to debt, and how he and his family started their road to financial recovering by taking advantage of debt management plans. This post debates whether or not these plans are worth the cost.

Robert @ Kids Ain’t Cheap writes Free iPad Mini Giveaway at The College Investor – The College Investor, along with 11 other awesome websites, is hosting a giveaway that includes an iPad Mini and other great prizes.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes Is Parking the Car Worth It? – I never thought I would say this, and I can’t believe I’m writing about it, considering how passionately I hate the alternatives to driving, but: There was a brief moment, last week, where I considered parking my car. To give … Continue reading →Is Parking the Car Worth It? is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes What Is a Progress Report and Why Is It Important? – A progress report is a report of work accomplished during a specific time period. Simple enough, but how often do you reflect on your progress? Although I monitor my progress and adjust my efforts often, I very rarely prepare a report. Just recording your progress is not enough to accomplish your goals either.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Options to Deal with Buyer’s Remorse – Have you ever had buyer’s remorse? I like to live my life with no regrets—I am a true believer that every moment, both good and bad, has been integral to

MR @ Money Reasons writes Financial Year End Strategy – Have you started your financial year end strategy yet? I have and I explain why this is the perfect time to do so!

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Buying Life Insurance For Your Kids – Buying life insurance for your kids is an important and very mature choice to make. While it’s another expenses, you can rest easy that your family will be fine.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Can We Just Skip Gift Cards This Christmas? – I haven’t done any of my holiday shopping at this point, but I’m going to declare a new theory of relative proportion at Your Smart Money Moves today.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes Does Money Grow on Trees? – You hear it all of the time: money doesn’t grow on trees! Growing up, I heard my Mom use that phrase or a similar one to me multiple times.

Jason @ Work Save Live writes 6 Ways to Involve Your Children in Giving This Holiday Season – Children are born with giving hearts, and if they are taught at a young age that giving should be a part of their lives, they do so naturally and compassionately. Here are 6 ideas to get your children involved in giving this holiday season.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes How to Make Money Sharing Your Christmas List – Modern technology has made our time the age of the Penny Hoarder. Only ten years ago, companies paid large chunks of change to one massive advertising agency to get the word out on products and build a brand.

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes Things to Do After Getting Married – In the past year, I’ve attended four different weddings. It was a busy and exciting year, yet as I reflect back on those union celebrations, I can’t help but think back to what my wife and I have done after saying, “I do.&

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Four Financial Changes For When You Have a Baby – If you’re a regular reader, you’re probably well aware that there is a baby about to enter my life.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes 4 Frugal Gift Ideas for Acquaintances – Today we will be talking about 4 Frugal Gift Ideas for Acquaintances and service providers. With the holiday upon it can be a challenge upon us to know what can be appropriate to gift to the people to help us all along.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes I’ve Forgotten How To Buy Christmas Gifts For My Husband – After years of no-gift Christmases and going Christmas shopping for myself, I’ve forgotten how to buy gifts for my husband without him finding out.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Adventures in Landlording – So Far, So Good – It’s been a while since I talked about our rental income. Here is our most recent updates on our adventures in landlording.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes How to Improve Your Finances – As the Holiday season approaches, many families are left wondering where all of their money went.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Saying Goodbye to Your First Credit Card (the balance, anyways) – Maybe it’s time for you to consider thinking about saying goodbye to your first credit card. Find out how it might affect you.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Some Marry The Wrong Person Knowingly – Marriage is one of those subjects that requires certainty, and not a lot of potential. Despite this, some marry the wrong person knowingly.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Watch your money this festive period – Many people use Christmas as an occasion when they ‘let their hair down’ and spend without cpntrol or responsibility. Don’t forget to watch your money.

Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Fourteen days to go till payday – 14 days until payday is a long time, but at least I’m half way there! Read my take on this payment arrangement!

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes TFSA Explained – Find everything you need to know about the Tax Free Savings Account or TFSA

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes Which Accounting Method Should You Use for Your Small Business – The end of the year is coming up and my wife has a big accounting decision to make. This year, my wife started a music studio. Since it’s her first year of operation, she has to pick an accounting method to properly report the taxes owed from the business. Perhaps you’ve never given your choices much thought.

Aloysa @ My Broken Coin writes Love Skiing But Hate Spending? Go Nordic. – Utah. Dry summers. Cold winters. Snowy mountains. Expensive ski resorts. Utahns love their snow so much that they claim to have “The Best Snow on Earth.” I can argue with this statement. To say something like this means you are way too arrogant to my liking.

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes Unconventional Investment Series: Investing in Wine – Unconventional Investment Series: Investing in Wine

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes What Causes Inflation? – Most of us consider inflation to be a general rise in prices. While this is a valid observation, the rise in prices is actually the effect. Higher prices don’t cause inflation. An increase in the money supply causes inflation.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Planning To Donate To Charity? Do It Before The IRS Deadline – Thinking of donating a little more to charity this year and hoping to get the tax deduction you’re owed? Make sure you’re aware of these IRS deadlines.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Help Your Children Buy a House Without Getting Into Trouble With the Taxman – Thinking about lending money to family to buy a house? How you structure the loan has a lot of tax consequences. Get the answers you need here.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Legitimate Ways To Make Money At Home – Many people are always looking for legitimate ways to make money at home. As a result, there are a lot of scams out there that prey on people. Here are some great ways to legitimate ways to make money at home.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Variable Annuities and 401(k) Plan Combo: More Losses than Gains – Over the years, variable annuities have gained popularity. The reason, perhaps, is partly because it is marketed more aggressively by many financial institutions these days.

Buck Inspire @ Buck Inspire writes Meet My New Virtual Assistant, Siri! – Since time is so hard to come by these days, I needed help making phone calls, looking up directions, and most importantly, creating content. Fortunately for me, my new virtual assistant lives in my smartphone!

Wow!

What a list right?! If you made it this far, I would say you have waaay to much time on your hands and you should probably be doing something else… it’s three days until Christmas!!!!

imagesource: thefeltedchicken