Very patriotic, indeed

Mighty Bargain Hunter hosted this week's Carnival of Personal Finance: American Flag Edition! I have to say, I really like the history included in the Carnival this week. The themes are always fun, but as an American history buff, I was delighted to see all the flags.

My post on going cashless was included. As usual, here are some articles that caught my eye.

Surviving on a Single Income - Great tips for any families considering going to a single income.

Debit Card Fraud Much More Damaging than Credit Card Fraud - I have presented this view many times when explaining the reasons that I prefer credit cards to debit cards.

Career vs. Family - I know this is a struggle for a lot of young female professionals right now. It's not something I'm facing right now, but I'm sure that it's something I will be facing in the future.

Don't Gamble Your Safety Net - My retirement accounts have taken a sizeable hit in recent weeks, and I find myself wanting to pull out, but I just don't know what else I would invest in. Plus I have no plans to retire anytime soon, so I plan to just stay the course.

Three years!

This week, Flexo is hosting the third anniversary edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but here are some of the standout posts for me. But be sure to check it out for yourself!

• My Top 5 Personal Finance Blunders - We all make mistakes, and we can all learn something from the mistakes of others.
• My Personal Finance Tipping Point - I always enjoy Chief Family Officer's posts.
• Direct Sales - Good Way to Make Extra Money or Fast Way to Lose Friends? - While I can't speak to the earning money part, as I've never participated in direct sales, I can say that some of my friends selling things like Avon or Pampered Chef have driven me CRAZY. Others were perfectly lovely about it.
• Our Financial Progress Over the Last 10 Years - I wonder where I'll be in 10 years. Hopefully well on my way to retirement!
• $150K Got Me Nowhere - We can all learn something from this post. Best of luck to Dog Ate My Finances!
• Saving for Retirement vs. Living Your Life - I truly believe that you can't just live for tomorrow. You have to live for today AND plan for tomorrow.
• The Emergency Fund - Where Should I Keep It and Why? - Some good points when considering an emergency fund.
• A Refreshing New Idea - I like the idea of a sunny day fund. I have a "wishlist fund."

Carnival is up!

My post on Continuing to Simplify is included in this week's Carnival of Personal Finance. Lots of great posts included, as always, so be sure to check it out.

Here are some that caught my eye:

• Stop Complaining About Gas Prices - It's true, there's not a lot we can do about it except work on tightening the budget to pay for the added expense.
• Five Things Indiana Jones Can Teach Us About Personal Finance - I love Indiana Jones. I love personal finance. Win.
• 26 Ways to Make Extra Money - I can't say I agree with all of these suggestions, but there are a few good ideas in here.
• I am a phantom power ninja - I admit, I live in an apartment building where electricity, gas, and water are included in my rent. So I'm not as good as I should be about watching for power wasting. Even though it won't save me money, I still should attempt to better conserve for environmental reasons.
• Still Hungry With Food Stamps - Looking at my food budget, I think that $280 would cover me and a child for the month here in the D.C. area, but I'm also good about watching for sales and using coupons. Not everyone has the time for that, nor does everyone always buy the most economical things. It's especially hard with kids, who can be picky about what they eat.
• What Do You Think of Bankruptcy? - An interesting look at bankruptcy.
• Certificates of Deposit - Don't Bother Unless... - I do think that putting a chunk of your emergency fund into CDs isn't a bad plan, especially if you use a short, 6 month CD. The point of an emergency fund is that you shouldn't need to use it unless a big emergency happens, and if you put it in a CD that's easy enough to redeem early (I use ING Direct), you're only really risking a loss of a few dollars and the odds are good you won't need the emergency fund at all.
• Wants vs. Needs - Most of the time, I'm pretty good about this. I have a big list of "wants" that I continually add to, and often find that things that I wanted a month ago are things I don't really want anymore.
• $300 Monthly Passive Income by Year End - I've never thought of making a passive income goal or even a "side" income goal (because I don't know that things like surveys and mystery shopping can really be considered "passive"). Maybe something I should look into!
• When do parents hold the financial hammer? - I have mixed feelings about this. As a kid, I had a bank account, but needed my parents to access it, because this was in the days of bank books and pre-ATM. To this day, my mom's name is still on one of my accounts, though it's an account that sits dormant for the most part. But a friend of mine had his bank account drained by his father in order to save the family business (that was failing due to his father's awful bookkeeping), and suddenly, he had no college fund whatsoever. Interesting discussion.

Carnival #152 is up!

This week's Carnival of Personal Finance is hosted by Money Under 30. My post on disaster readiness was featured as an Editor's Pick. Thanks!

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye:

• The Personal Financier writes on accounting for cash expenses. I sort of do a combination of his first three steps. I have a budget category called "cash," and it is a very small category, and is most often used for drinks out with friends and purchases at the Farmer's Market.
• Can I Get Rich on a Salary puts together a lot of generalizations about Generation Y's financial habits. It's an interesting read, regardless of whether or not you're in Gen Y.
• Christian Finances writes about minimalist living. I spent some time this weekend going through my closet and getting rid of a chunk of clothes that either didn't fit or that I never wore. It's silly to hang on to a shirt for the memories.
• Mighty Bargain Hunter points out the great food selections on Amazon. I think it's no secret that I love Amazon.
• Feminist Finance writes a great post about marrying into debt. Yet another reminder that you should probably talk exact numbers before getting hitched, just so everyone's got all the facts.
• Chief Family Officer talks some more about the drugstore game. That reminds me that I need to hit up CVS for a few things.

Check out the post for many many more great links.

Irish Carnival!

Lynnae of Beingfrugal.net hosted this week's Carnival of Personal Finance. My entry on intangibles is included. Some of my favorites are:

• How to Get Rich Quick!
  
• How to Celebrate Being Debt Free
• 6 Easy Ways to Battle Rising Food Costs

This is a bit of a fly by post. Started a detail at work today, which is like starting a new job, while still being paid by the old job. Government service is strange. Once things get settled there, I hope to have posting back to normal again.

Darkness Now Means More Light Later

I have been eagerly anticipating time change. Sure, it means that it's darker when I leave for work, but the sun will be out longer tonight, which means that I can finally run outside again and not have to run on the treadmill. I can only take the treadmill for so many months.

In a strange way, this is like personal finance. You give up something now (putting money into retirement and savings and therefore, spending less) to get something later (money for retirement, a downpayment on a house, etc). There's just a bit more instant gratification.

I just returned from the wedding of two of my closest friends. While it turned into an expensive trip, it was absolutely worth it to get to be there for their wedding, plus it was wonderful to get to see so many old friends who I don't get to spend a lot of time with. While there are a number of other things I could have done with the money it cost me to fly there and stay in the hotel, this expense was worth it to me.

On this slightly sleep deprived day, there is a new Carnival of Personal Finance available! My entry about education is included, and here are some of the other entries I enjoyed:

• How to Use Variable Annuities The Right Way - I often hear that VAs are not the best idea, and this post explains that statement.
• Should We Ask for More Service From the Government? - Big issue in this upcoming election. After talking to a number of friends from Canada, I too lean away from the idea of national health care (though I think that the option of free healthcare for those who can't afford it isn't a bad idea)
• Who Says Money Doesn't Buy Happiness? - I admit, I am happier when I do have the money to pay all my bills and take nice vacations.

Carnival #142

This week's Carnival of Personal Finance is being hosted by The Baglady, and my post about the Federal Reserve is included. I very much like that The Baglady chose to highlight the myths and facts about the homeless in her post.

The following are some of my favorite posts from this week's Carnival:

• Musings on UltraRunning and Finances - As a short distance runner, I'm very impressed by UltraRunners, and I like the link between finances and UltraRunning
• Why do people hate the word "Budget?" - I love budgets!
• Hunkering Down Financially - With the market as it is, this is never a bad plan. Don't completely hide out, just watch what you're doing
• Working Backwards: What's an Exchange Traded Fund? - There are words we hear tossed around in the financial world, but we might not really know what they mean.
• Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps - I have to admit, I've never read any of Dave Ramsey's books, but I think he does have good advice.
  

Presidents and Prison

Since yesterday was a holiday, I opted not to post and take the day to celebrate the presidents. Or to go running and enjoy the beautiful weather. Either way, that means that today, you get a recap of both the Carnival of Personal Finance and the Festival of Frugality!

This week, The Financial Blogger is hosting the Carnival of Personal Finance, Prison Break Style! My entry about Emotions and Money is included, and following are some of the entries that I enjoyed:

• Lessons I Wish I Learned Earlier - I'm in the middle of my late 20's (it sounds better than my late 20's), and a lot of these things really rang true to me as things I should be doing or things I should have been doing already
• Breaking Down the Details of the 2008 Economic Stimulus Plan and Your Tax Rebate Check - There has been a lot of talk about the economic stimulus plan, and Money Blue Book does a great job of breaking it down and giving you the information you need. And helping you figure out if you're getting anything from the plan.
• What One Area of Your Personal Finance Management Would You Like to Improve? - This is a call for responses. I plan to write a post on this in the upcoming week, I just need to figure out which area I would most like to improve

The Festival of Frugality is being hosted by Mighty Bargain Hunter, and in true holiday style, features the U.S. Mint's new dollar coins. My entry on "necessary unnecessaries" is included. Lots of great content here as well, but here are some of my favorites

• Do's and Don'ts of Choosing a New Cookbook - I am so easily suckered in by new cookbooks, and yet ask me how much I actually cook. I always say I'm going to cook more, but essentially, what I need are cookbooks that have recipes that are easy, fast, and make good leftovers. Or ones that come with a free chef.
• No More Deprivation in the Name of Being Frugal - I think this is an important point. While frugality is great, and saving money is wonderful, if you have the money to spend, and you want to spend a bit more on groceries one week, why not? You've earned it.
• How Americans Spend Their Money - A link to a very interesting post about how people spend money, broken down by income. It's not what I would have expected.
• My Clutter is Making Me Fat! - I also dream of cutting back on the stuff I own and buy.
• Five Inexpensive Things You Can Buy Today That Will Help the Environment - I struggle to balance saving money, saving the environment, and staying healthy. This is a great list!
• Ode to the Humble Handkerchief - I've been thinking of going this route. No more destroyed tissues in the bottom of my purse and no more bits of tissue all over the laundry after accidentally leaving one in a pocket.

Carnival - V-Day Style

It's Monday morning, and you know what that means. Time for the Carnival of Personal Finance and the Festival of Frugality! My post on credit reports is in this week's Carnival of Personal Finance. Check it out, it's a Valentine's Day edition!

I'm still going through the Carnival, and haven't gotten a chance to look at the Festival yet, but here are some of my favorite posts so far:

• Struggling on a Six-Figure Income - I live in the Washington, D.C. area, and am well aware that six-figures here means something very different than six-figures in the midwest where I grew up. The discussion in the comments on this post is fascinating.


• What Women Wish Men Knew About Money - I absolutely agree with number 3. Day to day actions do speak so much louder than gifts!


• How the Federal Reserve works and why the interest rate on my savings account dropped - I was frustrated by the recent rate drops on my ING Direct account. This helps explain why it happened. Doesn't ease my frustration though!

Carnival is up!

Check out this week's Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted by Green Panda Treehouse. My post about hidden fees is featured! There are a lot of great links, which I am still perusing. There are so many wise Personal Finance bloggers out there, and the Carnival is a great way to find them.

Tax Season

First off, this week's Carnival of Personal Finance was just posted. I love these carnivals, and Plonkee has included a photo quiz. Definitely worth checking out.

This week, I got my first tax form. Oh joy. Since then, I've been debating what to do about my taxes this year. No, not whether or not to file a return, that's not really an option. Rather, I'm trying to decide if I want to do my taxes myself or if I want to pay someone to do them for me. This year, I have income from two different states and a move across the country for a new job. I've also got some dividend income from investments, but I didn't sell any investments this year, so that does make things easier.

Last year, my taxes were a giant hassle, so I ended up paying a tax professional, because I filed them myself, then got a very late form from one of my banks that I was not aware I was getting. (Let this be a lesson to everyone - be aware of every form you should receive and also be aware of the deadlines by which they have to be sent to you - while a lot of forms have to be sent by January 31st, some can be sent as late as March). I had to file an amended return, so I opted to pay a tax professional to help me with this process.

While I have no complaints about the end result, I feel as though I'm in the process of really taking control of my finances, and to continue that, I should do my own tax returns. If I do them on my own, however, I think I want to get a computer program to assist. I've been looking at TurboTax, but I can't decide which version I need. I do have investments, which leads me to believe that I need the Premier version, but on the other hand, I only have dividend income from those investments. Since I didn't sell any investments, maybe the Deluxe version would work just fine. And the difference is $30 (priced at Amazon).

Plus, if I'm paying $70 for a program to help me with my taxes, how much more would it cost me to have a professional do it? Additionally, I think the price only includes one state - will I actually need to download for the other state (I earned very little there), or will I be able to do it on my own?

I think I need to ask more questions and do more research before I make a final decision.