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The Lake That Vanished, Flood Insurance, and Lots of Links

We don’t live anywhere near a flood plain; however, after this weekend, I’m tempted to get flood insurance. Nearby Lake Delton vanished [1] in two hours! When the 267 acre lake drained it took several homes and a huge amount of tourism revenue with it.

It’s completely unbelievable! The homes were not in a flood plain and were uninsured. It occurred to me that something like that, crazy as it might be, could happen to us. So yesterday I got a quote for flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program [2]. I probably won’t purchase it, but it was an eye opening experience to have an entire lake disappear.

Now onto my favorite personal finance finds of the week.

Pinyo at Moolanomy recently launched PF Buzz [3]. It features popular personal finance articles of the week. You can submit articles and vote for your favorites. So far I’ve had a lot of fun discovering new sites with it.

Gas Prices

Trimming Our Gas Costs, Plus Saving $5,500 a Year Off The Road [4]
See what they are doing to save money on gas. There’s a neat link in the article that can show you how fuel efficient your vehicle is.

Hybrid vs. Gasoline Vehicle Comparison – Are Hybrids Worth it? [5]
Great analysis to see the break even point on a few popular hybrid cars. We considered the Toyota Highlander when I was shopping for my new car, but the price was just too high to justify, even with the savings.

The Housing Market

How to Get the Most for Your Home When it is Time to Sell by Making a Good Impression [6]
Painting, cleaning, and landscaping. A little goes a long ways when it’s time to sell!

How to Sell a House in a Down Market [7]
Have you ever thought about hiring a home stager? We’ve watched the show on TLC (or is it HGTV?) where the stagers make houses more appealing. It never occurred to me to hire one!

Just for New Graduates

Have a new grad in your life? Check out Gift Ideas for College Grads for a Financial Headstart [8].

In addition, last week The Life Skills Network [9] had a whole series for new grads. In case you missed any, here are all the articles featuring tips for new graduates.

I also skipped the roundup last week to feature tips from readers in: New Grads: 29 Money-Smart Tips [15].

More Great Personal Finance Articles

Make money now versus make money later [16]

Would you take a job for free now if it offered the chance at a double payout down the road? What if the flip side was zero?

Amazon Kindle: Buy or Not? [17]
I mentioned the Kindle in my list of gifts for dad. Check out the review and find out if the price is right.

Five Jobs with Surprisingly High Salaries [18]
Hmmm, gaming managers? Is that the pit boss at the casinos? As a gambler, I find that salary a little low since the dealers could do the same if not better with tips.

TransUnion Settlement to Let You Get Free Credit Score [19]
I just missed being able to participate in this settlement. Although, I’ve found other options to use for reporting and score monitoring. Check to see if you are eligible for the class action.

Double Carnivals

There’s two weeks worth of carnivals to catch up on: