Credit Crunch Finance

Welcome back readers, I’m hosting the 19th Finance Fiesta today.  My name is LAL and I’m excited to be hosting the Finance Fiesta again.  Please look around and explore the site, and check out my new site LALMusings!  Also check out the Finance Fiesta webpage and look around. They are always looking for new hosts.  Also check out the 79th Carnival of Money Stories hosted here earlier in the week.

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…..I would be very grateful! But onto 19th Finance Fiesta - Oktoberfest Edition!  So why Oktoberfest?   Well I enjoy beer and would love to go. Perhaps I should have gone this year because we don’t have kids yet.  But instead I’ll put up beers my DH loves and you can weigh in.

Editor’s Picks

My DH’s favorite beer is Hoegaarden. It’s a belgian wheat beer.  It’s pretty expensive and can be hard to find at times. I can’t recall the first time we had it.  But sometimes I’ll buy a 6 pack because it’s worth spending the money.

• FMF suggests not counting your eggs before they hatch in Don’t Stop Looking for a Job Just Because the Interview Went Well posted at Free Money Finance. I agree because I’ve interviewed people only to find out the money for the position disappeared and we wasted ours and the candidates time interviewing.
• Lazy Man jokes about saving money in Three Ridiculous and Stupid Ideas that Save You Money posted at Lazy Man and Money. I think they are hilarious! For the record my aunts and mom lived the Ramen diet and at the end of the month they were not doing physically well in college.
• Amy talks about wants, needs, and savings in How to Finance Your Dreams, Day by Day posted at My Daily Dollars. I have to remind myself that we don’t have to save every penny and life needs to be lived.

Frugality

So why blue moon beer? Did you know they are one of the best microbrews in the US, rating very highly in the annual beer competition, but they are made by Coors?  Coors prefers to keep it quiet so people think it’s a small microbrew company and it doesn’t ruin the “image”.  But that’s how they keep the price for this awesome brew cheap!

• Ken Schulte talks about using alternative energy in your home in How To Generate Your Own Alternative Energy At Home posted at Alternative Energy Secrets. I think you should do this in a home you plan on staying in long term because it can take a long time to recoup costs.
• Ben Dinsmore talks about maintaining cars in Avoiding the Stress of Costly Vehicle Repairs posted at Trees Full of Money. I have to agree that it’s expensive to maintain cars, right now we have a 1999 and 2000 models starting to need some work. But it’s still cheaper than buying a new car.
• Anna gives us frugal tips on water conservation in Slash Your Water Bill posted at On a Quest To Be Debt Free…. I have a low flow and I never notice until I go somewhere else with a real flow and then I miss having high pressure showers! But it does save us a lot.
• The Shark Investor talks about going green for savings in Your Money, Your Health And The Earth posted at The Shark Investor. He just described me! I bike, don’t buy organic, and have a heat pump, LOL.
• Cash Money Life gives us free movie rentals in Netflix 30 Day Free Trial posted at Cash Money Life. Great way to trial netflix!
• Heather Johnson gives us some holiday shopping tips in 50 Best Firefox Add-ons to Make Holiday Shopping Easy (And Save a Ton of Money) posted at The Daily Netizen. With the economy being poor I wonder if we shouldn’t skip holiday spending period?

Credit/Debt

I guess if you are in debt perhaps you should be drinking cheap beer if you must.  So the best cheap beer, I guess is coors. I’m not a fan but many are.  Quantity over quality beer.

• Ace Elliott talks about debt programs in Learning About Debt Relief Programs posted at CareOne Debt Relief Myths and Facts. I like the way he presented different options to get out of debt and what the real situation is instead of rose colored options.
• Silicon Valley Blogger gives us a list of reward Credit Cards in Best Cash Back Credit Cards: Your Rewards For Spending posted at The Digerati Life. I personally love my Citibank Simplicity Cash Rewards card, it’s no longer offered and I’m grandfathered in. I get 5% back on gas, groceries, pharmacy, 1% back on all else capped at $300/year. And no late fees ever.
• Alexander discusses relationships and money in What’s Your Credit Score, Baby? posted at Wealth Junkies. I polled once readers about money and relationships, and most 80% I think, said you shouldn’t talk money until it’s a very established and serious relationship. I think that means more than 1 year and talking marriage or permanent relationship, not just a casual relationship.
• Austin gives us tips for using credit cards in 7 tips to make the most off your credit card posted at The Orange Paper. I agree that you have to understand your card features to maximize rewards.
• Jonathan talks about balance transfers on credit cards in Balance Transfers: How They Work and Do They Help? posted at Master Your Card. He discusses whether they are good or bad, and if they are helpful. I think they can be good in many cases.
• Mr credit card is asked if one account is ruins a credit score in Can One Bad Account Ruin Your Credit Score? posted at Ask Mr Credit Card. I think the article gives you good tips on raising your score. It also helps explain being an authorized user.
• RC recaps a SNL classic about debt in Funny but True: SNL- Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford posted at Think Your Way to Wealth. I’ve seen the skit, in fact you can watch it here.
• Kelly gives us ideas for keeping our spending in check in 5 Ways to Keep Your Credit Good In Hard Financial Times posted at Credit Help 2 You. She talks about keeping good credit from the perspective of not overspending.
• Surfer Sam talks about payday loans and their costs in Payday Loans are Expensive. Here are Dozens of Alternatives posted at Surfer Sam and Friends. I think that it’s easy to get caught in payday loans, but I am not sure which is worse. Payday loans or cash advances on credit cards? They are almost the same thing.
• Ken talks about credit card rewards in The Best Grocery Credit Cards posted at Frozen Food Journal. Right now with rapidly rising grocery prices I think saving every penny counts!

Economy

Well I first had this beer when we lived in San Diego. It actually is a really great microbrew!  Anyway I was thinking how would I talk about our current economy?  Those arrogant bastards on Wall Street greed got us into this mess.  So why not pick the arrognt bastard ale.

• Donna Freedman asks us what we think about the current economy in When will things get better? (And how bad are they now?) posted at Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money. I think that things are going to get worse for the next 6-12 months before they get better. And we’d better hold on for a rough ride and not panic.
• Sean Reynolds tells us 9/11 wasn’t the economic meltdown starting point, it already began in Economic Meltdown posted at Creativity. I think there were other factors at play and 9/11 might have had psychological impacts on how people viewed returns on stocks versus real estate.
• Alli talks about the bailout in Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF) - WTF? posted at The Smoking Argus. She says that we’ve leave capitalism behind, and I have to agree unfortunately.
• The Smarter Wallet talks about survival in this market in How to Protect Yourself Against the Economic Crisis posted at The Smarter Wallet. Right now the best thing is to not panic. Panic and the herd mentality will hurt more than just sitting and waiting out the storm.
• Ryan Suenaga talks about not affording the bailout in No, Then Yes? The Mother of All Bailouts Makes a Comeback posted at Uncommon Cents. The truth is it’s more unpalatable now with $110 billion dollars in earmarks added on to make law makers pass the bailout! Ugh!
• Mr. ToughMoneyLove gives us some laughs in Need a Laugh? Consider these Economic “Solutions” from Across America posted at Tough Money Love: Hard Truth about Money and Personal Finance. I think they are hilarious as well, especially buy land instead of stocks because it never goes down. Guess that person has never been to California, Florida, or Las Vegas.

Personal Finance

Just a great overall beer.  I enjoy all of the seasonal brews from Sam Adams. And since the theme is Oktoberfest, I figured I should at least mention the 4th most popular brewer in the US.

• FIRE Finance talks about recession proofing your life in How To Protect Our Finances From A Market Crisis? posted at FIRE Finance. I agree and have often discussed that in a bad economy the most important tip is keeping your job. Money coming in will always be the most important thing.
• Abigail Perry talks about the reality of money in Is your money real? posted at Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money. Because of the electronic nature of money do we spend more she asks? I guess, but what is the difference between depositing a check and writing checks versus direct deposit?
• Heather Levin tells us to cut expenses in this economy in Tips to Lower Your Monthly Bills posted at The Greenest Dollar. It’s definitely better to cut bills, but I think bigger bills like a car payment, too expensive house should be cut before the smaller bills like cable, energy, insurance, etc.
• J. Money brings up a random topics of finance in It’s Friday, and I’m feeling random. So let’s talk sillyness. posted at Budgets are Sexy.. He made a list of fun personal finance topics; I am most curious about his flight on American Airlines and what the costs turned out to be.
• Kevin talks his first home purchase in How We Prepared for Our First Home Purchase posted at No Debt Plan. He gives a pretty complete list of goals and ideas to think about when purchasing your first home.
• Lisa Spinelli talks about budget killers in 10 Ways to Bury Yourself In Debt | Greener Pastures: Personal Finance posted at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance. Definitely a list most people could write but rarely follow!
• ChristianPF compiles a list of free budget software in 15 Free budgeting tools posted at Christian Financial Help. I use excel to track my spending because it’s free and easy.
• FWP talks about the richest man in babylon in on paying yourself first posted at the financial wellness project. I’ve always budgeted with savings first even before rent/mortgage and food. It seems to really work well, although right now I might have lost what I put into the market.
• Save Money tells us her customer service nightmare in Customer Service Issues At CVS posted at How I Save Money.net. I used to love shopping at CVS, but recently they have become a problem! They no longer take printable coupons! Ugh!

Career/College

Living in San Diego, the beer most commonly served was Corona. Must be the proximity to Mexico.  But most people drank Coronas and that’s what we always had.  Not my favorite beer, but not terrible.

• Hank gives us the heads up on scammers in Work At Home Scams Are On the Rise In Tough American Economy posted at Military Money Might. I always wondered how to tell legitimate work at home opportunities versus scams.
• Jim gives college students some helpful tips in 40 Money Tips for College Students posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. A must read for any newbie college students.
• Hank encourages us to use 529s to save for college in A 529 College Savings Plan Is One of the Best Means to Save for Your Children’s Education posted at Own The Dollar. I think the reason people don’t use 529 for college savings is because they aren’t saving anything for college. When we are drowning in debt and saving 0% for retirement, college is the last thing that should be saved.

Investing & Taxes

My DH took a risk and picked up this new brew at the store one day and it turned out great.  Currently his beer of choice the Dogfish Head Beer has been winning a lot of awards as a top microbrew.  Unfortunately not cheap like the blue moon, more along the lines of Hoegaarden prices, still it’s a great occasional treat.

• MBB discusses where our money is safe in Where Is The Safest Place To Save Or Invest Your Money? posted at Money Blue Book Finance Blog. Is invested money really safe? I would argue no, but his suggestions of bonds/cash equivalents really aren’t investments I think. I guess because it won’t necessarily keep up with inflation, IMO.
• Sam gives us an example of how to calculate your taxes in How to Lower Your Taxes posted at Fix My Personal Finance. I know people complain about their tax bracket, but your marginal tax rate is your real tax rate. I pay “only” about 15% because of our 401k, tuition, deductions.
• Trading Sphere talks about being a trader in Is Trading For You? posted at Free Stock Tips. I would call people who trade every day, day traders not normal people IMO.
• Timothy Lutts talks about healthcare in Our Broken Health Care System posted at The Iconoclast Investor. He thinks there’s money to be made in biotech and healthcare. What he doesn’t realize is it takes about a billion dollars to bring a drug or device to market with all the FDA regulations. Biotech is one of the most volatile industries and rightly so.
• Steve Faber talks about the demand for diesel in Why is Diesel More Expensive Than Gas? posted at super gas saver. I think diesel cars get way better gas mileage, too bad there are so few with diesel engines in the US. I wonder why?

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you had a great time and enjoyed the Festival.  Please stop by again sometime or signup for RSS feeds!  I hope to see everyone agains soon!

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