The Carnival of Wealth, Money and Life

Welcome to the (belated) January 25, 2009 edition of carnival of wealth, money and life.

First off, I wanted to apologize (again) for this carnival being delayed. My first priority has been my job (working my ass off so I don't get layed off), so I'm only finding time now to go through the submissions and get this carnival up.

In this economic climate, for most of us we want to know how to make the most of the jobs we currently have, the money we've made in the past (esp around tax time), and what to do if we're caught unemployed - like so many who are losing their jobs each day around the world during this "Great Recession."

Your Job (or lack thereof)
and Ways to Make Money in Tough Times...

To start off, I'll point y'all to Matthew Paulson's write-up Are You Getting the Most from Your Employee Benefits posted at American Consumer News. Here, Paulson details how to get the most out of a Flexible Spending Plan (FSA.) I don't have one, but if you do, he's got some good advice for you.

Here's some more invaluable advice. Wenchypoo offers up tips on how to Fireproof Your Job over at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket. So the tips are fairly obvious, and directly quoted from CNN (do a lot and make the company money and remain positive), but Wenchypoo also links up to her related past posts on getting the most out of your job, and keeping it. Also check out her bullet-point post Bail YOURSELF Out in 2009 for more of that obvious wisdom we need to hear daily.

Knowing how to deal with stress is always important, but when bills are piling up and your next paycheck is looking more and more uncertain, you need to keep your stress in check. Can't afford a therapist, or a treat-all pill? Joel Gray presents Healthy Stress Management Tips over at Health Tips 101.

If you're working as a freelance copywriter, the economy is probably hitting you hard. I'm aware of that first hand - my freelance writing well has dried up. Steven Lohrenz links back to an older post about the Prediction On Copywriters During The Financial Mess (posted at Stephen Dean's Copywriting And Internet Advertising Blog - Copywriter.)

Whether or not you're employed, you still have to pay taxes. (Who said life was fair?) Check out Ben's post on Tax Forms to Gather For Your Tax Return over at Money Smart Life to get a head start (or a late start, if you're one of those do-everything-ahead-of-time type people.)

Whatever Happened to the West-Coast American Dream?

the baglady asks Is this the death of the California dream? over at xynny. Apparently there has been a "mass exodus" from Cali over the past four years. How ironic that I moved into the state around that time. She writes "It’s really not a surprise to me because I have seen the rapid rise in cost of living, taxes, and unemployment in the past few years." For her, California may no longer be the best place to realize the "Californian dream."


Enough of This Pessimism, Start Making $$$!

*FIRE Getters lists the Top Ten Paid Survey Sites to Make Extra Money over at FIRE Finance.

*Dave presents Extra Income Ideas I at Cheapo Groovo.

*Malcolm Clarke writes why You Should Start a Business Now! at Mal255 - Poker Strategy, saying, "Why everyone should start a business and take control of their future today."

*Kevin writes you can be Making Money with Affiliate Programs at Trafficteria.com Blog Optimization.

*Praveen presents Making Passive Income With Minimal Niche Sites posted at My Simple Trading System.

Save Your Pennies

Savings Toolbox presents Stashing Cash at Home posted at Savings Toolbox.

MoneyNing presents 50 Ways to Budget Travel and Save Money on Vacations posted at Money Ning, saying, "Being a frugal traveler can save you so much money!

Deposit Accounts presents Understanding the Differences Between a Money Market Deposit Account and a Money Market Mutual Fund posted at Deposit Accounts.

Frugal Living Tips

Annette Berlin presents How To Cook A Restaurant Quality Meal For Fifty Cents posted at Craft Stew, saying, "I just made myself a meal that was so good, so fast and so cheap that I have to brag about it."

Denis O'Leary presents Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling in Today?s Economy posted at LEAD Construction.

The Smarter Wallet presents A Look At Costco, Sam's Club and Other Wholesale Shopping Clubs posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "Thank you!"

Z.Petals presents Frugality and the Environment posted at zpetals.

Invest Now or Forever Hold Your Pense

Jeff Williamson presents Best Way To Invest Money posted at PE Financial Services.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Lending Club Review: A Leading Peer To Peer Lending Network posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "With tighter credit these days, here is one option for obtaining liquidity in the financial system -- through social lending."

Pinyo Bhulipongsanon presents Five Reasons Lending Club Beats Credit Cards When Funding a Small Business posted at Moolanomy.

Investing School presents Bid Ask Spread posted at Investing School, saying, "Learn everything there is to know about bid, ask spreads"

Jed Norwood presents Volatility And Wider Spreads posted at Forex Strategy, saying, "This article is about the forex market, it helps explain why the market is the way it is. Fore ix a unique way to invest so if you haven't already considered it I would look into it."

The Shark Investor presents It's Not Hard To Be Good posted at The Shark Investor.

Banks and the Housing Market

Dividends4Life presents Bank of America Headed Back to the TARP ATM posted at Dividends Value, saying, "Someone once said that there is no such thing as bad publicity. I think Bank of America (BAC) would take exception to that statement. BAC has been in the news all week and it has not been flattering. This once proud dividend aristocrat continues to struggle even after slashing its dividend."

Tristan presents How Long Does It Take To Remortgage? posted at Find Financial Freedom, saying, "How long does it take to remortgage if you don't have adequate income? A long time, same problem if you are in negative equity, or have bad credit. It's a brave new world out there thanks to the credit crunch, the mortgage market is a much different place now than it used to be."

Chris presents Home, Mortgage, Landlords and Renters Insurance explained posted at Home I Own, saying, "How to choose the right type of insurance that will save you money."

David presents How Much Home Can You Afford To Buy? posted at Personal Finance Ology, saying, "Calculating how much home you can afford is an important precursor to house hunting. Do your homework before investing your time and money!"


Keep Your Credit In Check

Finance Tips 101 presents Identity Theft Prevention Tips posted at Finance Tips 101.

Woman Tribune presents Living Off of Your Credit Cards posted at Woman Tribune.

The Investor presents The really obvious thing we all forget when borrowing money posted at Monevator.com, saying, "Have you ever wondered who you’re borrowing money off when you go into debt? If you think you’re being given money by a bank or credit card company, think again."

The Dough Roller presents Business Credit Cards Guide posted at The Dough Roller, saying, "A complete guide to some of the best business credit cards."

Debt Freedom Fighter presents Why Reading a Credit Card Review is Important posted at Discover Debt Freedom!. CreditCardAssist.com presents How to Travel With Credit Cards posted at Credit Cards Blog | CreditCardAssist.com. apply4-credit presents And the Credit Fraud Continues posted at Credit Card Applications Expert | Apply4-Credit.com. Mr Credit Card presents Fraud Alert vs. Freezing Your Credit Report posted at Ask Mr Credit Card. Credit Shout presents 0% Introductory APR: Golden Opportunity or Quicksand Trap? posted at CreditShout. David presents Citi PremierPass Elite Review posted at Credit Card Offers IQ, saying, "The Citi PremierPass Elite offers industry leading points rewards, including 20,000 bonus points."

Finance Philosophy and Life Musings

Broderick Allen presents Persistence posted at Broderick Allen - Personal Growth and Enjoying Life's Journey.

KCLau presents Procrastinator, plucker, plotter, and prober posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "Recently I was reading the book titled “The Number: What do you need for the rest of your life and what will it cost?” A rundown on what the book has to offer"

Isaac Yassar presents How To Realize Happiness posted at Isaac Yassar's Overture, saying, "People seek happiness. That is the reason of their studying and working, improving their personal quality to achieve success. The question is what will happen after we reach success. Probably the answer is getting piles of money and massive personal consciousness, the mediums to reach happiness. At least that is what most people think. Is that true?"

Ariel Bravy presents What Is Abundance? | You Are Truly Loved posted at You Are Truly Loved, saying, "Let's better define "abundance" and notice how much it can positively affect our lives."

Chris presents If You're so Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? posted at financial reflections, saying, "A few ideas on how to be smart with your money and end up rich."


That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of wealth, money and life using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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