We’re back! Although the popular thing to do right now is a staycation [1] to avoid high gas prices, we still went on our vacation. And it was wonderful!
It’s always so hard to switch back from vacation mode to work mode after a long break. I’m just starting to get caught up on email.
Thanks to all the guest posts while we were gone: Rich [2], Ben [3], and Tisha [4].
If anyone ever wants to guest post in the future, feel free to contact [5] me.
Working
While I was on vacation, I couldn’t help but think about unplugging permanently from the real world…
Work-life balance is a false choice [6]
Clearly, I’m struggling with this right now. Hopefully I’ll get it straightened out soon!
Building Multiple Income Streams As A Career [7]
Look at where the job ends up – very active. I need to reassess and make sure that I’m focusing on some more passive income streams.
Who’s Your Favorite – Meet the Money Smart Life Writers [8]
I think Ben has a great idea, he’s hiring some writers to help him out on his site. Maybe I should learn something from him and get a little help here at My Dollar Plan. Anyone interested?
Downsizing Your House
Sell Your House, Downsize and Give The Proceeds To Charity? [9]
Interesting story about a family downsizing their 6,500 square foot mansion. They’re off to travel the world for charity work with half the proceeds.
Living Like Millionaires: Day 12 [10]
This family is moving to a resort. I pitched a similar idea to my husband over dinner last night, but he wasn’t real keen on the idea… back to the drawing board.
The Final Tally – Moving Costs And Our Cost of Living Differences. [11]
See how much David saved by relocating from California to New Mexico. While it would save us money to relocate, we’re close to my family here, so I wouldn’t consider this option right now.
Downsizing Your Stuff
I guess everyone out there saw my eyes get wide on vacation, thinking we might want to purchase a boat again, maybe a vacation home, and a bunch of junk. Luckily many articles stopped me in my tracks!
How To Avoid Buying Things You Do Not Need! [12]
The way to avoid ending up with a big cluttered house is to not buy the junk in the first place. Here is how to keep yourself from spending.
Detaching From Material Possessions a Sign of Emotional and Financial Maturity [13]
Since I sold my sports car and bought a cheaper minivan, I guess I’m growing up in the world of financial maturity….
28 Unique Bits of Financial Brilliance [14]
Stop buying stuff you don’t need is the first tip. I’m sensing a common theme here about my crazy spending thoughts I had on vacation!
Bank Failures
Banks Taken Over by FDIC in 2008 [15]
Our construction loan on our house was with IndyMac when we built, so I was closely following the FDIC takeover.
FDIC Insurance Q&A: Businesses, Joint Accounts, CDARS, WaMu, and More [16]
Everything you need to know about bank failures and how it affects your accounts.
More articles I liked this week:
- Make Sure You’re Taking Advantage of the Additional Tax Credit on IRA and 401k Contributions if Eligible [17] at Generation X Finance
- How Many Retirement Accounts Can You Have? [18] at Cash Money Life
- Free Credit Scores from Credit Karma [19] at Lazy Man and Money
- The GM/Chevy Volt – The Future of Green Vehicles? [20] at Million Dollar Journey
- Small Cities Better at Growing Net Worth [21] at Free Money Finance
- New Social Security Calculator [22] at The Wisdom Journal
- Airline Baggage Fees: Another One Bites the Dust [23] at Five Cent Nickel