Totally Money Blog Carnival for May 14, 2012

I’m lucky enough to host the Totally Money Blog Carnival today (and thanks to being away for the weekend, I’m late. Sorry guys!). A carnival, for those of you who are new to them, is a list of some great posts that were recently published on the web all in one location. Today it is here at The Debt Princess.

My blog is about being in and getting out of debt. I talk a lot about the “how’s” and “why’s” I got into as much trouble as I did and I stress the importance of having financial conversations with those you love so that they can avoid the same issues that I have had to deal with. I wanted this carnival to be in that same realm. Tips on how-to manage finances better, educational posts that explain topics that may be foreign and other informative pieces that can help keep you out of debt or assist with moving you toward a debt free life can be found within this carnival.

Without further adieu, here are some great posts around the personal finance community that you may have missed. You should definitely check them out!

Money Management

Saving money is so important. I’m taking a couple of trips this year and definitely need all the tips I can get on saving money while traveling. Here we have a great one. Suba presents How to Save Money on Hotel Rooms posted at Broke Professionals.

From paying bills, to storing coupons today’s smart phones can help you manage your money on the go. Do not underestimate this potential and be aware how to use apps on your smart phone. SB presents How Smart Phones Can Help Manage Finances posted at One Cent at a Time.

Do you know a recent, or soon-to-be college graduate? If so, they definitely should be reading this series from The College Investor. Today is the final article in the post-graduation series, be sure to check all five posts out. Robert presents 5 Steps Toward Post College Financial Bliss posted at The College Investor.

One way to help get you out of debt sooner is to have a lower APR. After all, the lower the interest rate, the less money you’ll be paying, right? Calling credit card companies to lower the APR is something we should all be doing regularly while paying them off, Shannon at Ready for Zero documents the calls she made and the results she received. I was surprised they weren’t better results, honestly. Check out My Story: How I Got My Credit Card Company to Lower My Interest Rate posted at ReadyForZero Blog.

Investing

I don’t know much about investing so I’m always happy to read about those topics in simplified terms. Your Finances Simplified is the perfect site for that. YFS presents What Is Asset Allocation and Why Is It Important? posted at Your Finances Simplified.

Google has been a hot stock for the last few years, and if you’re thinking about getting started investing, you may be considering investing in Google stock. I mean, why not? If you could double or triple your investment, who wouldn’t? Well, you should carefully consider your investment in Google stock, or any stock, based on these following things. Van Beek presents Investing in Google Stock posted at Stock Trend Investing.

Speaking of investing, don’t you love the guys/gals that get their investment advice from the water cooler? You know the guys and gals that are constantly hopping on the bandwagon of whatever terrible investment advice that their co-workers heard on the radio on the way in this morning? Teacher Man presents Choosing the Latest Investing Fad posted at Young And Thrifty.

Kids & IRAs? Two years ago I never would have thought the two can go together in the same sentence, let alone in the same investment strategy. I’m happy that the Personal Finance Blogging community has changed that for me. Ryan presents Retiring Early is Only Going to Get Harder posted at Early Retirement Investments.

Careers

I have recently acquired a new gig doing the social media for a blog. This was very topical for me and I found it both informative and intriguing. Robert presents The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Backlinks posted at My Multiple Incomes. He gives you some tips on how to execute a social media backlinking strategy that will save your time and effort.

Blogging has changed my life and I’m not the only one. PITR presents How Blogging Has Changed My Life posted at Passive Income To Retire. Check out this post to see how blogging has changed his life too.

Various Topics in Personal Finance

I really wish I had thought about debt and marriage more when I was married! Please don’t be like me, have those very important money conversations before you make a very important commitment. Ashley presents Should I Get Married with Debt? posted at Money Talks Coaching.

I like this idea of saving for luxuries. It really makes prioritizing well, a priority. What’s more important to you? A salon haircut or a pedicure (Pedicure by far wins here!). Here’s a great idea on how to afford those luxuries that you want to enjoy, Using Extra Income to Pay for Luxury Items posted at Master the Art of Saving.

(Editor’s) My Picks

I am going to need all the help I can get if I am to save any money for my children’s future. I have a goal to save 2 year’s worth of college education for my boys. I plan to start that saving within a year and I think I’m going to do it with a 529 Plan. One Money Design shows us how to pick an independent 529 plan for your child education savings plan. Jason presents Tips to Pick a 529 Plan for Your Child’s College Savings posted at One Money Design.

Another very topical area for me is Savings Accounts. I have recently become better at saving money and I’ve been trying to find the right balance between saving too so much that I drain my checking account (it actually happened) to not saving enough. This great post from Cash Money Life is a good read. Ryan presents How to Find Balance With Your Savings Goals posted at Cash Money Life.

My newest “career” of being a freelance writer and blogger was born out of desperation. I haven’t done as well as the couple in Phil’s article but I think the story is very inspiring. I bet we all have something in our head that could be a money-making business, we just need to tap into it. Here, Philip presents From Unemployed to Entrepreneur: Susan Devitt and Tom Gallo of GalloLea Organic Pizza Kits posted at PT Money Personal Finance.

I’m an ultra-feminist. I was raised by a woman who is an ultra-feminist. She commonly repeats the statement “who needs men?” I love my mom for her independence and everything she has done on her own that many women would defer to men. From jack hammers to laying tile to putting up drywall, my mom can do it all. I loved Daisy’s post this week and I’m happy to include it in my editor’s picks! Daisy presents 4 Things All Women Need to Know How to Do posted at Add Vodka.

I absolutely LOVE this post by Aloysa at My Broken Coin. “Making It” needs to be redefined as does “The American Dream.” As an American, my dream is totally different than it once was and I’ll have “made it” when my life is greatly different than the majority of Americans (I won’t be in debt, for one!) Definitely check out this post that Aloysa presents How to Make it in America posted at My Broken Coin.

 

Thanks to everyone who submitted articles for this week’s carnival. I enjoyed reading them and learned a TON, mostly I learned that I have a TON TO LEARN! It’s been fun!

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