I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a little freaked out by the lack of winter going on! It’s in the high 40s here right now, with three days in the 60s (WTF?!?!) coming up Sunday through Tuesday. It’s only snowed once here so far, and what little bit we got melted the next day. I’m pretty sure we are going to get a snowpocalypse if this keeps up. Who knows? Maybe it really is the end of the world.
A few of you have asked how self-employment is going, and I would just like to say that it is AWESOME! I work about a million hours a week, but I do it in my pajamas. I get to pick Jay up from school every day and actually hang out with him (when he lets me). I’ve passed my income goal for the month - check out that action in the sidebar! I don’t ever remember being this happy and (relatively) stress-free. My income and spending roundups will return at the end of the month for those who are freaking out because you don’t know what I’m buying lately. Here’s a hint: very little!
Some of you know this already, but I’ll confess for everyone else - I got another dog for Christmas. Ever since my little tiny 4-pound Pekeapoo got hit by a car in 2010, I’ve missed having a micro dog around the house. A friend of my mom’s breeds Yorkies and offered me an awesome deal on a 4 month-old puppy. So meet Moxie, AKA 1.5 pounds of awesome:
Onto the links!
A ton of bloggers have been nice enough to link to my posts lately, and I am very appreciative. So much that I want to return the favor by linking to some of their fantastic content! I’ll be doing this in two posts so it’s not completely overwhelming. If you linked to me and I didn’t include you, I promise it’s because I didn’t know you linked. (Blogger sites don’t give trackbacks like WordPress does, so I don’t really know when Blogger sites link to me and I’m sorry!)
Jeffrey at Saving Advice gives us 20 (yes, 20!) ways to break the TV habit. I’ve never been a big TV watcher - I could go without one entirely if Jayden would allow it. But I know most people love TV. This post will show you some unique ways to save money without suffering.
LaTisha at Young Adult Finances shares tips for a job-getting resume. I actually need to update mine, though I haven’t quite figured out how to account for my self-employed status just yet. Good thing I (hopefully) won’t need one anytime soon, though you never know! You should always be prepared even if you aren’t actively looking.
S at American Debt Project lists the things she’d like to accomplish once she becomes debt-free. I think this is an amazingly useful exercise. Think about all the things you can do without debt holding you back, and you’ll be motivated to keep the payoff going! Go check out her post and share some ideas of your own.
Crystal at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff went on an adventure this week - she visited a psychic monk! Personally, I’ve never had the opportunity for a psychic reading, but after hearing this story, I’m determined to do it! I think most true psychics aren’t reading palms for $10 a pop, but it would still be interesting to see what s/he had to say.
Jeff at My Multiple Streams shares some Adsense tips and tricks for bloggers. If you’ve considered monetizing your blog, this post is an excellent place to start. Jeff has written posts about all kinds of blogging concepts lately, so there is lots of content to check out.
Erin at Dog Ate My Wallet discusses her modified clothing diet. She answers every woman’s burning question: How often can I repeat an outfit without anyone noticing? I won’t spoil it for you, but the answer might surprise you! I’m contemplating some wardrobe purging in light of this discovery.
Fig at Figuring Money Out wants to attend FINCON12 in Denver this year, but she needs some convincing. For the uninitiated, that’s the Financial Blogger Conference, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time! Head over and read the reasons for her hesitation, and threaten encourage her until she decides to come!
Average Joe at The Free Financial Advisor teaches us how to set goals that we’ll actually follow. You guys know I’m not a huge fan of goals (or posts about goals in January), but this is a good one. His method is actually very similar to the way I used to help my therapy clients set treatment goals.
Janet at Credit Cards Canada invites us to test our knowledge of credit cards. Given my extensive history of owning and maxing out credit cards, I thought I had the first quiz licked. Turns out I knew quite a bit - until there was math involved! Go over and take the quizzes for yourself to see if you’re as smart about credit cards as you think!
Shaun at Smart Family Finance explains what to do with a windfall of cash to avoid wasting it all. Believe it or not, many lottery winners end up broke in a matter of a few years! While most of us probably won’t win millions of dollars anytime soon, we can still behave responsibly with smaller windfalls to avoid regret later.
