Welcome to the 39th edition of the Lifestyle Carnival! Submit your blog article to the next edition using our carnival submission form at Blogger Carnivals.
TRAVEL
James Petzke @ This Is Common Cents writes A Nice Car Won’t Get You Promoted – A nice car won’t help you live a higher class lifestyle, contrary to popular belief.
Joe @ Midlife Finance writes Car Buying: The Basics – What kind of car is in your future? It could be a reliable clunker like my Duster, or a classier vehicle that takes your boss to the airport or the kids to the soccer game with equal aplomb.
Grayson @ Debt Roundup writes Are You In Debt? Stop The Expensive Vacations! – I love vacations, but when I was in debt, I decided that it was unnecessary to take an expensive vacation because I couldn’t afford it. I think that if you are in debt, then you should take expensive vacations.
FASHION
Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes How to Make the Most out of a Small Bathroom – Although small bathrooms may seem less inviting than their roomy counterparts, there are some simple tricks you can use to make even the smallest washroom cozy and accessible.
HEALTH
Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes How to Pack a Waste Free Lunch – There are well-made reusable and washable containers, bags, drink holders, and even straws sold at places like Reuseit.com. With a small upfront investment, you can reduce – or even eliminate – all the waste that comes from eating a “disposable” lunch at work or school. Here’s all that you need:
Penny Thots @ Penny Thots writes Planning Your Chicken Garden – January is a great time to start planning spring vegetable gardens. If you raise your own chickens, you may want to include growing an organic chicken garden in your plans. Feeding chickens organically and naturally is a great way to cut down on the costs of feed or to be able to get rid of commercial feeds altogether.
Andrew @ 101 Centavos writes Stupid Labeling Tricks – What’s not to like from organic whipping cream and kefir? Kefir will keep your gut well-populated with new lactobacillus and saccharomyces probiotic bacteria. Be like Turkish an Greek shepherds, drink a daily glass of kefir with your morning bread and olives, and live well into cantankerous old age (without getting into a border war over a little island). Simple stuff. And yet, labels are totally confusing.
Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes 5 Strategies for Keeping the Peace When Parents Move Back in with Their Adult Children – It can be stressful on both parties when parents move in with their kids. Take a look at five strategies to help you keep the peace between parents and children.
Mandy @ Money Master Mom writes Real Life Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom – Staying at home isn’t all smiles and Playdoh. Mandy discusses some of the challenges that stay at home Moms face.
ENTERTAINMENT
Jules Wilson @ Fat Guy,Skinny Wallet writes Helping Hands and Finger Swipes – I bake with my daughter Tessa learning some important lessons along the way.I have learned to never underestimate the power of the simple things in life.
John S @ Frugal Rules writes Tips For Shopping Smarter – In today’s marketplace there are many ways you can save money while shopping. By doing a little homework online before shopping or using your smartphone you can find some great deals.
Jason Hull @ Hull Financial Planning writes What Jürgen Klinsmann Can Teach You About Personal Finance – The coach of the United States men’s national soccer team recently came out with a fiery tirade against the historical mediocrity and laurel resting of the team. We examine his approach to improving their performance to see if we can learn any personal finance lessons from him.
HOBBIES
Alice @ Hurricanes, Panties & Dollars writes Shopaholics are like Superheros – I ended up spending around 9 hours shopping (with an official shopaholic) by my side. When I finally got home, I was freakin’ exhausted; not mention broke as a…
GOOD EATS
eemusings @ NZ Muse writes Review: Cazador – My eat of the week: Cazador, where we enjoyed a rad anniversary dinner recently.
Alexis @ FITnancials writes Healthy Living Isn’t Expensive Living – Many people don’t have the extra money for a membership, which isn’t a problem. You can still live the healthy lifestyle, and get fit at the same time! There are so many different types of activities you can do to get your heart pumping, and they all don’t require a lot of money.
WEALTH AND RETIREMENT
Lance @ Money Life and More writes How Federal Tax Rates Work – Not What You May Think – Have you ever heard people complain that “The government taxes my bonus checks at a higher rate, even more than they take out of my regular paycheck!”? While more federal tax is withheld, you aren’t actually taxed anymore on this income. Intrigued or confused? Read on to learn more about why these commonly believed statements are FALSE!
Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes Spring Cleaning My Dividend Portfolio – In a long term dividend portfolio, I expect that there will be lots of change occurring over time in both company’s business prospects and portfolio composition triggered by the business environment changes. As a result even if you picked the best stock in the world at the best price, you might still need to consider selling for one reason or another.
harry campbell @ Your PF Pro writes Be Wary of Frontloading Your 401(k) Contribution and Losing Company Match – January is a great time to re-assess your retirement accounts. It’s important to review your 401k contribution and at least consider re-balancing your accounts at the beginning of every year. You’ve probably made a couple New Year’s resolutions so why not add this one to your list? 2013 will be the first official year I’m able to max out my 401k since last year I received a raise about halfway through the year so I just missed out on contributing the full $17,000.
Jon Rhodes @ Affiliate Marketing Blog writes How To Save Money AND Improve Your Life – It is possible to save money and improve your life all at the same time. It just requires the right mind set and some creative thought.
MMD @ My Money Design writes P2P Investing Denied! What Should be My Next Passive Income Ambition? – The tires on my P2P investing efforts quickly went flat last week when I discovered some very important information – Michigan doesn’t allow it!
Marvin @ Brick By Brick Investing writes People Are Funny About Money – Addresses the harsh reality that we do not talk about money as much as we should.
Brad Jones @ Structured Settlement Quotes writes Information on Using Structured Settlement Money for Needs of Today – The structuring of your settlement was done for a number of reasons, including to help ease the financial burden on the defendant, and it was also based on your needs at the time, but needs change. Can you use structured settlement money for todays needs?
John @ Fearless Men writes Most Common Money Lies We Tell Ourselves – We’re bombarded daily with Money Myths that get us thinking that financial wisdom doesn’t apply to us. Maybe the other guy, but not me. But then we’re in debt, part of a poor economy and a recession. The simple rule is we need to manage our finances better. Whether it’s living frugally, budgeting or saving.
Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes The Truth About Side Hustling – In this post, I highlight the truth about having a side hustle and give real life examples of my 1.5 years as a freelance writer. After reading this, you’ll know exactly what it takes to have a successful side career and a kick in the pants to jumpstart your own.
Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes We Finally Bought a House – Notwithstanding the current and short term pain of the dollars and cents I am very happy for The Wife and I. The home is beautiful and something we can grow into and best yet we didn’t get sucked into the whole buying more than we can afford, or buying a project that I knew we would never complete.
Jason @ Live Real Now writes Why Do You Need a Trailer? – We found a 4×8 utility trailer for $300. It came home with us. The first thing I heard was “Why do you need a trailer?” Now, we could have made do with delivery fees or rental trucks, but that seemed silly to me
Christina @ MyLifeInsuranceQuotes101.com writes Is Universal Life Insurance Right For You? – Most consumers are aware of term life insurance as the cheapest way to protect your family; however, many don’t consider universal life insurance! Universal policies offer the permanent aspect of whole life, with the affordability of term life, but with investment options for retirement. For the right family, universal life insurance can be a good investment. Learn more about the ins and outs of universal life coverage.
Wealth Effect Blogger @ Your Wealth Effect writes Want to be Rich, Don’t be Fat – Thoughts on a Wall Street Journal article titled “Want to be CEO? What’s Your BMI?”
Jules Wilson @ Faithful With a Few writes Discovering the Right Business for You – With the economy showing little hopes of improving greatly, more people are looking to start their own business. Here’s how to discover the right one for you!
Mike @ Modest Money writes The Fastest Way to Get Started Flipping Houses – I meet many people who want to learn how to get started flipping houses. Many of them seem to want to do their twelfth house flip before they have even done their first one.
Girl Meets Debt @ Girl Meets Debt writes Saving for Retirement Early: I Get It Now! – It is a given that most people know you are supposed to start saving for retirement early. The ambiguous part is how early?
Will @ Card Guys Blog writes Do You Have a Spending Plan? 3 Budgeting Strategies to Try – If you want to take back control of your finances, you need to have some sort of budgeting strategy. One type of strategy doesn’t work for everyone, though. Here are 3 different budgeting strategies you can try.
Suba @ Wealth Informatics writes Make more money: 9 reasons why you are NOT earning more money – f only I could make more money, I would save more and everything will be great – How many of have felt this way? If you do want to earn more money, what has been holding you back? I have compiled a list of reasons why you are NOT earning more money.
Mr.CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes How I Turned My Passion and Skills Into Making Extra Money – Using her skills, single Mom Katrina posts a wanted job ad online which jump starts her new part-time business to make extra money for her future.
Marie at FamilyMoneyValues @ Family Money Values writes Keeping the Extended Family Connected – How is it that some families manage to hang together – for several generations – when others fly apart as soon as the kids are grown? Is there a special ingredient, some magic that families can use to keep the kids, grand-kids and great grand-kids coming together for family projects, fun, meetings and activities?
Bryan @ BryanMaltier.com writes How To Help A Friend In Financial Trouble – We all want to be nice and caring individuals, especially with our friends and family. Unfortunately, what happens when you have a friend in financial trouble? Mixing personal relationships and money can be tricky. Learn more about things to consider before helping a friend in financial trouble.
John @ WILD about Finance writes How to Keep Heat in the Home and Reduce your Bills this Winter – With the winter really taking hold and snow falling on a daily basis, I thought it’d be a good idea to share some ways to save on your heating bills, and keep the warmth in!
Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Making Your Financial Goals a Reality in 4 Steps – Today we will be talking about Making Your Financial Goals a Reality in 4 Steps. With the New Year here you probably have a list of resolutions and financial goals you would like to accomplish this year.
CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Mystery Shopping Revealed: It’s Passive Income – Find out how you can make passive income from being a mystery shopper. It may be the perfect thing for you if you like to shop.
Rod @ ROD Blog writes Lending Club IRA Review – Peer to peer lending is becoming a popular investment. Is Lending Club IRA Is Right for You? What are the advantages and disadvantages?