Entries Tagged 'Top Links & Blogs' ↓

My ultimate n3rd New Year resolution - originally posted by jonolist

 

I’m in the process of writing a post about how to set short, medium and long term financial goals which I’ll be posting next week along with my financial goals for 2008. In the meantime I thought I would use New Year’s Resolutions as my inspiration for this week’s round up.

 

Before you even have to worry about trying to stick to you resolutions, you need to consider the best way to decide on them? Trent, over at The Simple Dollar, offers some great advice in his article ‘How to Define and Stick To a Successful New Year’s Resolution, Financial or Otherwise’. Paid twice also had a great article this week on ‘How To Set A Good Financial Goal’.

 

One you have chosen your resolutions they can so easily fall by the wayside. Often, this is not because people don’t have the will power to stick to them, but because they don’t know ho w to go about implementing them. This shouldn’t be as hard as it seems though. There are some great resources on the web which can give you ideas for implementing almost any financial resolution you can think of. I have listed some of the most popular resolutions below along with a selection of articles showing some great ways you can go about implementing those resolutions . These articles are only my selection from this week, which gives you an impression of how many great bloggers and great ideas are out there if you go looking. Hope you enjoy!

 

Resolution #1 - Learn More About Personal Finance

The Simple Dollar - Six Invaluable Online Resources for Personal Finance Education

brip blap - cash rules

Get Rich Slowly - Asking for a Better Financial Future

Lazy Man and Money - Playing For Perfect Personal Finance

Get Rich Slowly - The Architecture of Personal Finance: Choosing the Right Materials

 

Resolution #2 - Pay Off My Debts

I’ve Paid For This Twice Already - The Snowflake Revolution

 

Resolution #3 - Save For Retirement

My Wealth Builder - Dealing with the issues That Can Ruin Retirement

Generation X Finance - Teens Don’t Save For Retirement: Are You Surprised?

 

Resolution #4 - Save Money

Wise Bread - When going green is classy

The Simple Dollar - The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to Riches

Gather Little By Little - Being Frugal Isn’t Being a Miser

 

Resolution #5 - Buy My Own House

The Digerati Life - How Much House Can You Afford? 10 Steps to Determine Your House Buying Budget

 

Resolution #6 - Become a Smarter Shopper

The Digerati Life - 20 Ways to Shop Safely: Watch Out For Those Shopping Scams!

Cash Money Life - Supersize Me: The Art of Upsell

 

If none of these appeal to you, you could always go with some of Wise Bread’s suggestions for 6 New Year’s Resolutions that will help others and not hurt you financially.

 

~

 

On a final note, I has just applied for a barclaycard one pulse when I stumbled upon plonkee’s article, barclaycard one pulse - is this a good idea? It makes for interesting reading, especially if you are based in London like me.

 

Merry Christmas … - originally posted by Tio

Yet another crazy week. I know posts have been a little thin on the ground this week but I’ve got 5 days off starting tomorrow, so we should be getting back on track. Even though this week has been a bit thin on the ground for me, it’s been another great week for everyone else. Every week I’m finding more and more great blogs, and my list seems to get longer and longer. Hopefully everyone’s enjoying it. If you think there are any great blogs or posts I’m missing out on, please let me know …

Festive Fun

• Wise Bread - I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas

• Dual Income No Kids - Giving at the Holidays

Money Saving

• brip blap - How paying attention to your wallet can improve your financial outlook

• Gather Little By Little - Money Saving Tip #20 - Keep the Change

Managing Your Money

• plonkee money - it’s not what you make, it’s what you keep

• brip blap - spend less than you earn - the wrong way to think

• Get Rich Slowly - Advice and Tips for First-Time Homebuyers

• The Digerati Life - Profiling Debt: Some Thoughts on Handling A Heavy Debt Load

• Moolanomy - A Deeper Look at the 80% Retirement Rule

• Get Rich Slowly - The Random Walk Guide to Investing: Ten Rules for Financial Success

News

• Generation X Finance - The Fed Endorses Plan to Curb Shady Mortgages

• Five Cent Nickel - Thoughts on the New Energy Bill

Musings

• The Simple Dollar - Heroes, Role Models and Mentors: Finding People to Believe In

• Get Rich Slowly - It’s A Wonderful Life and the Value of Social Capital

• Wise Bread - The New Face of Poverty is Fat

5 - originally posted by Leo Reynolds

After getting off to a slow start we seem to be rattling through my countdown quite quickly. It’s time for Number 5 already, and this time it goes to someone who probably has the most in common with me …

plonkee money

You might be wondering how we have anything in common … we’re both English personal finance bloggers, something which makes us a little like an endangered species.

And now for a selection of my favourite posts:

• additional income possibilities: side jobs
• pension allsorts
• british money slang
• what is the Bank of England base rate and why is it important?

Nature’s Number 6 - originally posted by CarbonNYC

My Two Dollars

David, from My Two Dollars, writes about all things related to personal finance with an emphasis on frugality, money saving and lifestyle articles. Like so many of us, David has been overload with debt. This blog offers us all some great advice on personal finance whilst also telling his story of his fight to get out of debt.

I’ve had a hard time picking my favourites, so apologies if I’ve missed some out, but here is my final selection …

• Getting Organised Does Not Have to Cost A Lot of Money
• Places You Can Still Stretch Your Dollar While Traveling Internationally
• Making the Financial Sacrifice To Get What You Want
• Should They Teach Personal Finance In High School?
• Getting a Green Mortgage Using an Eco-Broker
• Which Jones Family Are You Trying to Keep Up With?

Number 7 - Originally uploaded by Leo Reynolds

Monday morning and it’s that time of the week again. I have already got the point where I wish I was doing my Top 20 Personal Finance Blogs becuase it is already getting hard to decide which ones to include. This blog definately deserves a place though:

Lazy Man and Money

Rather than try and sum up Lazy Man’s philisophy for him, I’m going to let him speak for himself:

“This blog is about a man, a lazy man, and his quest to not only retire early, but to retire rich enough to live a comfortable lifestyle. I believe that a penny saved is a penny earned — and that’s a penny that can be invested. While I’m at it, I strive to bring in more pennies.”

 

Even though his monkier is ‘Lazy’, I think his blog proves he’s anything but. One of the things I love about Lazy Man’s blog is the sheer range of topics he writes about. All of them are realated to personal finance in some way shape or form, but you never quite know what the next topic is going to be.

And now for a selection of my favourite posts:

• The Toughest Questions for Me To Answer
• In Defence of McDonalds’ Double Cheeseburger
• Save Money On Hobbies
• Top Ten Ways Personal Finance Blogging Has Helped Me

Too much work? - originally posted by Ipiepiora

Another crazy week at work. It’s that time of year again, the one I have affectionately nicknamed ‘Silly Season’. Silly season is when our hotel, and every other hotel, is stuffed to the rafters, when the office Christmas parties are out in full force, and when the hotel staff spend most of their time either trying to control or mopping up after the guests at said office parties.

Due to the craziness at work this week and also the amount of excellent posts that have been coming through, I have decided to post my ‘Best of the Year’ separately. I’ve also divided up my picks of the week into categories so that it’s easier for you to find the ones of most interest.

Anyway, hope you enjoy and please let me know if I’ve missed any you think are must reads …

Money Saving & Frugality

• plonkee money  - 4 Calling Tips

• Wise Bread - Healthy Eating: It’ll Cost You!

• Gather Little By Little - Holiday Helper: Tips for Buying Gift Cards

• My Wealth Builder - Doing Routine Home Maintenance in The Fall and Winter

• The Digerati Life - Simple Tips for Grocery Shopping that Will Pad Your Pocket, Guaranteed

Debt Reduction

• I’ve Paid For This Twice Already - Five Golden Rules of Snowflaking

• Get Rich Slowly - Ready To Tackle Your Debt; Five Alternatives to Home Equity Loans

• Get Rich Slowly - Using a Home Equity Loan to Pay Off Credit Cards

Savings & Investments

• The Digerati Life - Learning To Invest: The Education of a Long-Term Investor

• Moolanomy - 12 Investing Mistakes I’ve Made & How You Can Learn From Them

• No Credit Needed - $10 a Day Equals 3/4 of a Million Dollars

@ Work

• Wise Bread - Five Efficient Ways to Boost Productivity 

• The Simple Dollar - Maximising That Hourly Rate: Figuring Out How To Best Use My Working Time

• Wise Bread - 7 Tax Efficient Perks to Ask Your Employer For

Miscellaneous

• Five Cent Nickel - Eleven Great Books About Money

• Wake Up Later - 5 Good Ways to Waste Time

• The Simple Dollar - The Meaning of It All

Pick of the Week 

Because there have been so many excellent posts this week, I also decided to include a Pick of the Week category highlighting my absolute favourites for the week.

• The Simple Dollar - Going Inside the Wall: What are We Fighting For?

• Generation X Finance - Santa Isn’t Coming This Christmas Because There Isn’t Any Home Equity To Tap Into

Visiting Number 8? - Originally uploaded by davefitch

Time for Number 8 on the list already. This time the winner is:

No Credit Needed

NCN managed to get out of debt in 2006 and has since sworn off credit cards credit cards. Writing from experience, No Credit Needed provides some of the best personal advice on the web.  Not only is his easy to understand advice is a must for anyone looking to get out of debt, it is supremely well written and a pleasure to read. NCN doesn’t just focus on debt reduction though, there are huge variety of articles on all things realated to personal finance. All in all, if you have an interest in personal finance, this blog is a must.

On another note, NCN other project No Calories Needed is other well worth a look for anyone looking to lose wieght or follow a healthier lifestyle.

No Credit Needed :

• 33 Days and 33 Ways to Save Money - one of the best series of posts ever
• $10 a Day Equals 3/4 Of a Million Dollars
• Avoid 10 Common Debt Reducation Mistakes
• Credit Card Fees (Further Motivation For Getting Out Of Debt)
• 10 Ways to Prepare For Losing Your Job

Number 9 - Originally uploaded by SeraphimC

I know it’s been a little while since I stared this thread - apologies for that - but now it is finally time for #9 on my list of Top Personal Finance blogs. And the prize goes to:

I’ve Paid For This Twice Already

I’ve Paid For This Twice Already tells the story of of a family trying to get out of debt, and focuses on “the realities of living in debt and the struggles and triumphs of getting out.” 

One of the things I like the most about this blog is the down to earth style. It tells the story of a real family, of how they got into debt and how they are now getting out again. Not only is this one of the things I like the most, I think it is also one the blogs greatest strengths. It means that the stories are easy to relate to, meaning in turn they are more likely to have an impact on people. Added to this, the advice offered is always valuable yet easy to understand and follow. What more could you ask for?

And now a roundup of some of my favourite posts:

• Considering the cost of things I took for granted
• The Beauty of Organising Your Money
• Another Way To Break Brand Loyalty - Embrace Free Samples
• Brown Bagging the Simple Way: Lunch-overs

Thank You Trash - originally posted by Daniel Slaughter

First things first. I just want to say a big thanks to both plonkee and glblguy who have both been kind enough to Stumble me in the last couple of days. This is my first time blogging and I am amazed that anyone at all is reading, let alone the number of people that have appeared thanks to the Stumbles.

On another note, welcome to all the readers of plonkee money and Gather Little By Little. I hope you like what you find here. If you have any suggestions at all, please leave me a comment or drop me an email - the more suggestions the merrier.

For those of you how haven’t visited plonkee or Gather Little By Little yet I really recommend you check them both out. They are both equally outstanding personal finance blogs. To get you started here are a selection of their best posts:

plonkee

• a David Ramsey success story: interviewing Steven

• british money slang

• I don’t give to charity because … debunked

Gather Little By Little

• DIY Financial Planning

• How To Save Money By Increasing Your Expenses

• What is Frugality and are we Frugal?

No Time - originally posted by bombhead

Staffing problems at work have meant that the biggest thing missing from my week has been time. As you may have already noticed, today saw my first post since last Monday - apologies for this one. Thankfully I have had some time to kick back and relax today. Some of that time has been well spent catching up on my reading for the week and these are my picks for the week. Hope you enjoy …

Best of the Year

Moolanomy: 7 Bookmarkable Personal Finance Communities

This post really does what it says on the tin. While it is not inspirational or earth shattering, I think it really does warrant a mention as it is just so useful. I know that I personally spent many hours reading posts on personal finance blogs and reading personal finance books without ever really getting into a debate with anyone else. One of the great things about becoming involved in one of the seven communities Moolanomy recommends is that it really gives you an opportunity to debate and dicuss your ideas with others … and maybe learn something in the process.  

 

Generation X Finance: 24 Signs That You Could Be In Financial Trouble

I am including this series of posts because, although thankfully I am already on the road to financial recovery, for those of you who aren’t or who aren’t even sure if you need help this is an invaluable post.  I think one of the great strengths of this post is that it can really bring home to people the reality of their financial situation. If you find yourself in a couple of these situations or more on a regular basis, then it really is time to sit up and take a long hard look at your actions. Even for those of us that are already on the road to financial recovery or are already in a strong position this series make great reading as it makes us aware of either the traps we have already fallen into, or those that may be waiting around the next corner.

 

I can’t emphasize it enough … this series really is a must read for everyone.  

 

Get Rich Slowly: How To Organize Your Finances in Four Easy Steps

Another one of many great posts from Get Rich Slowly. This one really stood out to me personally because when it comes to organisation, I swear I have split personalities. When it comes to work I am organized to the point of bordering on obsessive, however the minute I walk through my front door that all seemed to disappear in a puff of smoke. For any of you out there that are like me, this article is well worth taking the time to read. Even if you only implement one of the four ideas you will still be far better off than before.  

 

Weekly Round Up

• The Simple Dollar: Does Peer Pressure Keep Us From Succeeding?
• Gather Little By Little: How to make paying your year end property taxes painless
• plonkee money: 7 tips to manage your cash when travelling abroad
• Wise Bread: Stick With It (even though its Christmas)
• My Two Dollars: Places you can still stretch your dollar while travelling internationally
• Get Rich Slowly: Free at Last! Saying Good-Bye to 20 Years of Debt
• The Simple Dollar: Twelve Great Gifts Under $10 I’d Love To See Under My Tree
• Wise Bread: 5 Foods I Grew Tired of Buying and How I Quit
• My Wealth Builder: Our Journey to Financial Freedom #10 - When Preparation Met Opportunity