Celebrating the best in personal finance! Flexo from Consumerism Commentary devised up these Plutus Awards, and they encompass everything from the best savings account to the best personal finance blog around. And many of you nominated Budgets Are Sexy for 7 incredible categories!!! Un-fing-believable (you can't see me right now, but I'm tipping my hat and paying you some major respect).

Here are a few of the categories we're up for: "Best Personal Finance Blog for Generation Y or X," "Best Multi-Part Series" (for the blogger showdowns), "Best Micro-Blog" (@BudgetsAreSexy), "Best Designed Personal Finance Blog," and "Blog of the Year!"

Thank you guys so much, it means a lot :) You can check them out and vote here, but regardless I'm totally honored to be in the mix with these guys. My congrats to Enemy of Debt, My Next Buck, Man vs. Debt, The Centsible Life, Squawkfox, Good Financial Cents, Well-Heeled, Financial Samurai, the infamous Punch Debt in The Face, Bargaineering and all others who've also been nominated. Cheers!

Labels: awesomely awesome, blogging, thank you

Every year I put out a "10 Ways to Woo" post around this time (although once I did it in October?), but it seems like I've already given out most of my romantic secrets already.

So this year, I thought I'd round up some of my all-time favorites, and then sprinkle in a few new ones to give you the best of the best. I doubt most of you have seen what I brew in the WOO department anyways ;) So if you're scrounging around this Valentine's day, be sure to give one of these some thought! Here we go...

The Top 10 Ways to Woo on Budget:

1. Set up camp in your living room! This is one of my favorite ideas cuz you get the best of both worlds :) Pop up a tent, gather a few sleeping bags and blankets, and enjoy some peace and quiet in the comfort of your own home. Could probably even do s'mores depending on your stove.
2. Replace the Hershey Kiss tag thingies w/ your own words.** Cut up some small paper strips, pick up a bag of Hersheys, and swap out the tags w/ your own creative ones!
   
3. Make her/him a mixed CD! This is a classic all the way from high school my friends ;) And you KNOW chicks love it. You don't necessarily have to go w/ all romantic songs either - hook it up with those that remind you of each other, or just your favorites.
4. Pick up two matching goldfish, and name them after yourselves. Cutest/cheeziest thing I've ever written, but def. a fave.
5. Put some naughty into your board games. Like Jenga? Try out "lovers" Jenga by writing down some punishments on each of the blocks. That way, EVERY turn is fun!
6. Hook your other half up w/ a massage!** And a decent one too, not your 2 min. quicky she's probably used to ;) (sorry, the Mrs. made me put that...guess she's trying to tell me something)
7. Get all lovey by putting a "Just Married" poster on your car. You'll have to drive around for a bit to get the effect, but it's still cute.
   
8. Place Post-It notes all over the place.** As the link suggests, I've actually done this one before ;) And it wasn't even on Valentine's Day! (Awwwww). That's the beauty of this one - you can rock it any day. Just jot down some lovely memos and then plop 'em throughout your home. On doors, closets, mirrors, cabinets, tv's, anywhere.
9. Cook dinner WITH each other. Find a good recipe, go shopping together, and spend some good quality time together. Whip out the fancy silverware and never-opened candles if you want! Anyone can PAY for a fancy dinner, but making it yourself is sometimes better.
   
10. And my all-time favorite....the whipped cream birthday suit! A la Varsity Blues (sfw, but barely). I swear, you pull this one off ladies and it's a done deal.
    

Whatcha think? Got any better ones to add? We'll be rocking the "make your own dinner" deal ourselves, and then maybe a dabble of #6 and a I-totally-wish-but-it'll-never-happen #10 ;) But as long as we spend it together, it doesn't really matter what we end up doing.

----------------
Previous Woo'age: 2008, 2009
** These are fail-proof, baby!

Labels: awesomely awesome, bargains, holidays, one of my lists

Did I get your attention? ;) I hope so, cuz this hip-hoppin' rabbit is awesome. And even more so if you're a little kid! (which, let's face it, is like 1/2 of us.) So today's post is a bit of budgeting, a bit of fun, and bit of a cool giveaway. And no I'm not getting paid to say any of this, I genuinely think this is an awesome product for any rugrats you may have.

First, a little summary on Sammy The Rabbit:

"Sammy Rabbit is a nationally acclaimed bunny who teaches children to save money (and other good habits) through story books, music, coloring books, stickers, standard-based lesson plans, training guides, and live author-character appearances. He's been featured by Kiplinger's, MSN Money, the Motley Fools, etc. and has been recommended by numerous experts including author David Bach, the Automatic Millionaire. As Steve Rosen, Kansas City Star Editor pointed out, Sammy's multi-media approach to financial education that includes toe tapping music is intelligent and infectious. Sammy is easy and inexpensive for adults to use and easy for kids to understand."

What probably sold me on this, though, was that fact that this rabbit raps! And not only that, but he has a Budget Rap! So naturally I was impressed from the get go. So much so that I'm now going to copy and paste the lyrics to this budgeting greatness, and then give you the link to listen to the mp3: Play Me. It's not as great as MY rap song (thank you very much) but it's definitely more appropriate for the youngin's ;) Check it:

B-U-D-G-E-T BUDGET!

Chorus
A budget is a money plan
Tells you where and when your money's coming in
Tells you where and when your money's going out
Keeps you from spinning round and round
Shows you just how your money flows and where your money goes

You add it up, you subtract it down
In and out, up and down
That's what a budget's all about
Answers all your who, what, when, where's and why's
Gives you the 4-1-1 doesn't tell a lie
Let's you know if your ahead or behind
Keeps worries from your mind
Free from money binds
In, out, up, down no spinning round and round
That's what a budgets all about

Chorus

Let's not debate
Let's talk straight
A budget backs you up
Same as a measuring cup
Keeps you out of quick sand
On the road to the promise land
Gives you the time and date
Of everything you spend, everything you planned
It's just a chart
That let's you know how your money flows
Where your money goes
You'll stay out of the hole so you stay in control
So you have plenty of money to rock an roll

Chorus

If only everyone listened to this furry young man! Now to keep his words alive, we'll be giving away 3 Celebrate Savings! CDs. It contains 15 songs from a variety of genres of music (pop, gospel, rock, rap) that promote smart money management, choice making, and leadership. The It's a Habit group was also kind enough to add in 3 packages of "Sammy Sayings" stickers too!

To win one of the CD/Sticker packs:

- Drop a comment sharing a tip on how to teach children about money!
- OR/and respond to any of my newsletter emails w/ your tip! (you can sign up here if you want the extra chance.)

I'll be giving away 2 CD packages here, and 1 to a newsletter subscriber. And instead of using Random.org this time, I'm going to hand select them myself :) So the most clever/interesting/fun tips will get you closer to winning! Good luck! And thanks again to the Its A Habit company for donating them.

*Contest ends this Saturday, 1/30, @ midnight. Winners will be posted back on THIS post*
*Open to only U.S. Residents, sorry!*
---------------
WINNERS --> Sal & Becky CC - Congrats guys! Stay tuned for more giveaways later :)

Labels: awesomely awesome, budgets, giveaways, kids finance

Just when you thought finance couldn't get any more exciting - the guys over at Credit Card Finder come up with a whole new PF Comic series! And lucky ol' me gets picked as one of the featured bloggers ;) I can now retire! haha...although I must admit I'm much uglier in real life....so uhh....yeah. Click the image to start the adventure! (and keep your eyes open for the 3 easter eggs)

Labels: about j., awesomely awesome, blogging, lottery

I've had my iPhone 3GS for a good 4 months now, and overall I'm pretty impressed. You really don't realize how much down time you actually have until you've got one ;)

I had already counted on commuting time (45 mins each way, M-F) but every day something else seems to pop up. Today it was the 25 mins. waiting in the dentist's chair, and yesterday it was the 15 hours or so (it seemed) waiting in line at the Post Office. But having your trusty friend there by your side keeps you productive!

The iPhone = time saved = money saved. Now if I'm just playing games then obviously it's not saving me any money (in fact, it's doing the opposite - all those Yahtzees & Monopolies downloads add up!) BUT for the most part I'm good. 90% of the time I'm checking personal email, work email, Facebook, Twitter, my 100+ financial blogs I subscribe to - and that inspire the pants off of me!, The Huffington Post, WSJ, you name it. All things that generate money in the end by making me more productive and saving me TIME.

I know some people don't consider that "saving money", but in this particular case I do since it then frees up extra time to work on my blog, or jump on other projects that could be bringing in revenue. Also, if you're one to pay bills online (or you're one to forget to pay the bills!), having apps at your fingertips helps you to knock it out the second you *think* about it. This, along with having most account #'s on hand (by using other secure apps), definitely helps you avoid late fees and save more money in the long run.

I would also like to add that having rollover minutes is awesome! It has nothing to do with the iPhone itself, but it's a helluva reason to like AT&T more (which you'll need in a second). Not only can it cut down on your overage charges, potentially to ZERO, but you don't have to check it every week just to make sure you're still on track!

The iPhone can iSuck though.

The iPhone runs on AT&T which, as everyone knows, charges you up the a$$ to be able to use it (Plus, their coverage isn't all that great - Verizon's "there's a MAP for that" campaign really was pretty accurate! Even if they're getting sued for it).

You've got the $30 unlimited internet package that's mandatory PER phone, the $15-$30 text packages, and then you've still got to add in the normal "calling plan" package so you can actually call people ;) Mix in the costs of the phones now - $99-$300 all depending on what model & size memory you want (I picked up the 16G one (in white) for $200, while Mrs. Budgetsaresexy picked up the 3G model for $99 in black - with a hot pink case), and you've got your hands full. We now pay roughly $170 a month - a good $40 more a month than we did on Verizon.

Then, of course, there's the extra warranty if you want total peace of mind. We declined it so I can't remember how much it was gong for ($15/mo. maybe?) but it was a pretty penny. Now add on any protective screens you might need, as well as new car chargers & cases, and it gets even higher. Btw, I *highly* recommend going on eBay to pick these up MUCH cheaper :)

It's all about the iPhone Apps

I know the blackberrys and Palm Pres do too now, as will the Sidekick shortly I'm told, but my goodness does this make all the difference in the world. It's seriously incredible the amount of time savers & toys produced for this phone. Without 'em, I would have never even considered switching. I won't go into it too much (there are a ton of reviews out on the google for ya), but here are the ones I currently use and like a lot - in no particular order:

USAA, Twitterific, SplashID, WootWatch, QuadCamera, Huffington Post, Yahtzee Adventure, GoDaddy, iGarageSale, Starbucks Card, PhotoSwap, and Facebook.

iPhone Final Thoughts

So you have the pros, you have the cons, and you have the apps. Is it all really worth it in the end? For me, absolutely. I get inspired more, connected more, I take better pictures (and now video!), and it's just so much easier & faster to manage my online life now.

Yes, it's more expensive than the other phones, but if you can afford it and maximize the potential (for all you other bloggers & online entrepreneurs out there), you'll *easily* get your money's worth in no time. Hell, just finding a single major discount while in a store can do the trick! I have yet to do it myself, but I know plenty of friends who have :) There's no doubt about it, the iPhone is killer. It's not for everyone, but it certainly makes my life a lot more easier.

------------------
PS: If you ever want to take a screen shot of your iPhone like I did above, just press the HOME button and the Sleep/Wake (on/off) button at the same time & it'll save a copy of it right there in your photos.

Labels: awesomely awesome, life

This is a guest post by Sox, and I think this it's BRILLIANT!

Some of you might not remember, but giving up 'shopping' for Lent myself 2 years ago REALLY put things into perspective. I learned that it is actually possible to not step into stores every other day ;) Plus, you really do save a ton of money. Hope you enjoy this:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I came across your site today and thought I would share an idea that I've been doing for several years now. It started out as a 'Lent' type thing where I didn't spend money for 40 days. Now I just do NoSpend November. I take a month and 'fast' on spending. It's not easy, but it's quite helpful in many ways.

Each time I've done this I have actually made between 50 and 200 dollars. Combine that with the money I didn't spend, and the fact that I reformed my spending, it can have a big impact financially. Best of all, next month you'll have a lower credit card bill. Here are my rules:

Unless otherwise indicated you can't spend any expected income.

• Salary
• Wages
• Rent owed
• Established court settlements
• Alimony

NO spending of already existing money in your possession.

• Cash on hand
• Gift cards

NO stockpiling.

• You can't buy gas on the day before it starts unless you need it.
• No loading up on extra food. If you're low on milk that's ok, but you can't buy a dozen frozen dinners

If you have any bills, you can pay them.

• Credit card purchases from previous months
• Medical prescriptions
• Mortgage/rent
• Utilities
• Cell phone

If you have any thing owed to you, you can call it in.

• Owed lunches/dinners
• Money
• Take someone to court (hah!)
  
• Stuff that was borrowed

You can use money you get from selling things in your home.

• Selling on Craigslist/eBay
• Returning things to Home Depot/Lowes (easy to find for any home owner)
• Unused gift cards

You can spend money that is refunded to you in that month.

• Credit card cash back checks/ gift cards
• Medical reimbursement

Anything that you sell or get refunded must be spent after you get the money back.
So if you submit a reimbursement for medical expenses, or sell something online, you can't spend money in anticipation of getting it. If you submit it and you don't get anything sent to you that month... tough noogies. If you find out someone owes you money, you have to wait until they hand it to you.

Gambling is allowed with any eligible money (but I don't recommend that) .

You can consume anything that you already have.

• Food
• Toiletries
• Fuel (hard for those that are big commuters)

You can barter.

• Make dinner for someone with your own food, get someone to take you out for dinner
• Help someone out with a chore, get food or something else (not money) in return
• Sell anything you receive by doing chores for others
• Sell anything that was borrowed and then returned to you
• Sell anything for profit that you buy that month with eligible money

I think that's all... In the end you can potentially:

• Reduce excess crap in your pantry
• Eliminate items you shouldn't have bought
• Get evened out on things that people owe you
• Get in better shape from walking instead of driving
• Hang out with friends more
• Lose weight by eating more frugally (saving and eating leftovers)
• Eat healthier by cooking your own food
• Best of all, next month you'll have a lower credit card bill.
  

----------
Big thanks to Sox for sharing his thoughts! You can track his progress over at No Spend November.

Labels: awesomely awesome, guest post, money hacks, saving

We're all used to online savings accounts and banking now, but remember what it was like pre-internet? When we had to literally walk INTO a bank to get anything done? Or when we had to fill out 15 pages of paperwork and show 13 ID's just to create an account?

Well the times have changed my friends, and today we go back down memory lane to remind ourselves how grateful we should be for all this new technology! It's added a lot more distraction to our lives, but it's also done wonders for our financial management. Do you know how much FASTER we can do things now? Here's a list of all the differences I could come up with this morning, check it out:

Banking: Before the Internet

ING, Emigrant Direct, they were mere embryos waiting to come out and play. If you wanted your bank accounts, you had to roll up to a building and get them. Remember how UNTRUSTING people were even when the internet did come around? Trying to get people to enter their socials or xfer money online was like pulling teeth. Before the internet, we had a whole other way of doing our banking:

• You had to walk into physical stores to open/close bank accounts.
• You had to walk into physical stores to deposit checks.
• You might have been lucky enough to have automatic paychecks deposited, but if not then it was time to make yet another trip.
• And my favorite (by which I mean it makes me want to cry): You had to wait for statements in the mail to see how much damage you've caused on your credit cards! Something tells me this only encouraged bad spending habits as you could never tell how well you were doing until after that statement came in the mail. Bleh.
  

Bill Paying: Before the internet

You needed 3 main things before the internet: checks, stamps, and good handwriting (you mess up a check and it was the end of the world). We still use these in some fashion or another, like for those who refuse to live in the 21st century, but for the most part they're archaic methods. Back in the day:

• You had to write a check to pay the bills, no online bill pay.
• Attach those weird "payment coupons" along with that month's payment (for mortgages, car loans, etc - remember that?)
• You spent a lot more on stamps
• You allotted much more time for delivery - which probably was a good thing!
  
• Balance your checkbook (you still have to now, but not as much)

Budgeting/Money Management B.I.

No Mint, Yodlee, Wesabe, Google Docs, or Budgets Are Sexy :( We either used pen & paper (or, pencil I should say for all those mistakes!) or we booted up our computer and opened up Excel. Which, I might add, still does the trick just fine. For most people though, having your accounts pinged every day and seeing all your gritty details on a single page has done wonders. The fact that we can now see our savings, checkings, credit cards, mortgages, utilities, etc, etc on one digital page is unbelievable. I'd go as far as listing it in the Top 10 Best Uses of the Internet!

Stock Trading: Before Internet

Do you have a broker? You better. There weren't no Zeccos, E*Trades, or Scott Trades, or "Enter your name here"Trades. You had to ring your financial adviser or place a call to your long lost cousin in NYC to make it happen. And doing your research before you picked your stocks? Hah! I couldn't tell you what, exactly, you needed to do back then, but I can only imagine the pain you'd be in.

And those are just a few of the things that come to mind right now. I was only 15 or so when the internet first made it's appearance @ our house (kinda like my puberty), so if I've missed anything big or small, drop us a note! Regarding money, that is. We all know what porn and twitter has done to the landscape ;)

Labels: awesomely awesome, banking, life, money management

A new TV show premieres tonight called "Bank Of Mom And Dad!" Haven't heard much buzz about it, but I have to tell you it looks all sorts of fascinating. Imagine YOUR parents moving in to help you get YOUR financial life in order? Hah!!! Here's a blurb from SOAPnet.com:

Each week, one twenty-something woman who is drowning in debt must pay the ultimate price: having her parents move in. With the assistance of financial expert Farnoosh Torabi, Mom and Dad teach their daughter to rethink her spending habits and transform her relationship with money.

It's too bad it circles around women only (maybe the guys were too panzy to try it?), but nonetheless it's juicy enough for me to watch. Check it out on SOAPnet tonight (Wed.) @ 10pm EST if you're around, and let me know what you think!

Labels: awesomely awesome, debt

This is GREAT news for anyone who's ever wanted to join USAA :) Consumerist "broke the news" on Monday (although one of my favorite twitterati, @AskJune_USAA, says it's been around for a while?), and I checked out their site and indeed it's true! The stars have aligned and USAA is now open to the general public.

Non-Military folks don't get access to *everything* they have, but pretty damn close. It would be enough for me to change over if I was unhappy w/ my current getup! Here's a list of everything via their Become A Member link (at the bottom under "Other Individuals"):

USAA's investment products, most bank deposit products, life insurance, and shopping and discounts are available to other individuals. While auto and property insurance policies are not available due to membership eligibility requirements, we can still help. USAA's General Agency has a 20-year relationship with Progressive insurance.

The following products are available to other individuals:

Product	Availability
Insurance	Life insurance Auto insurance not available through USAA. Please call 1-888-870-8096. Property insurance not available through USAA.
Banking	Checking Teen Checking Savings College Checking Certificates of Deposit (CDs) CD IRAs Youth Savings Prepaid Card
Investments	All products
Shopping and Discounts	All products

I can't tell you how excited I am for this! Seriously, It's like getting asked out by Megan Fox (only dorkier). If you've ever wanted to join, or know of anyone who does, now's the time baby! Get ready for awesome rates, plenty of options, free* atm withdrawals!, and the most important: Excellent customer service. I've probably called them at least 100 times before, if not more, and only once was I surprised with bad service. I'm telling you, they rule. And I'm not getting paid to say that (though that would be nice! haha...).

There really is a reason I have 15 accounts with USAA - they know how to rock the business. We have our savings (2), checkings (2), roths (2), money market, credit cards (2), heloc, insurances, etc, and I'll continue using them for as long as they'll let me ;) But ask around and learn for yourself. If anyone reading uses USAA, what do you think of them? Are you happy?

Whether you use USAA or not, just know that it's now an option. That's really the point of me expressing my undying love for them here. If you're completely satisfied with what you've got, great! Leave it alone and be happy. If not, might be worth checking out?

------
PS: Major thanks to donkee for the heads up on this!

*USAA does not charge a fee for the first 10 ATM withdrawals and refunds up to $15 in other banks' ATM usage fees each month. A 1% foreign transaction fee applies to withdrawals outside the United States.

Labels: awesomely awesome, banking, insurance, USAA

I was forwarded this kick Ass graphic by College Scholarships.Org. You have to click over to see it, but here's my favorite line: "Look for scholarships and grants, or anything that can reduce borrowing. Otherwise you could be drinking PBR well past your P.H.D." Hah! I happen to love Pabst Blue Ribbon, but yes, very very good advice ;) You can check out the pretty picture here.

Labels: awesomely awesome, education, grad school

I've been blessed like crazy since launching Budgetsaresexy. We have have received over 350 THOUSAND hits since the debut in Feb '08, and 600 posts later we're still rockin' :) And it's all because of YOU, the readers & fellow pf bloggers, that this blog is still around. Seriously, I appreciate every last comment, tweet, email, everything. THANK YOU! You sure know how to get a brother excited.

Here is the list of mentions so far across all media, big blogs, "top" lists, and now magazines! (well okay, there's just 1 right now in that last department but still! SEXY!):

In The Media:

Consumerist: 2009: The year free office holiday parties went bye-bye (12-24-09)
MSN Money: Weirdest College Scholarships (Editor's pick! 12-23-09)
MSN Money: Uncle Sam will pay for your golf cart (linked 12-18-09)
L.A. Times: Bloggers share their tips for frugal living (12-13-09)
MSN Money: The $100 Scratch-Off Lottery Project (12-1-09)
WSJ: Mint.com Launches 'Money Tweets' Delivering The Best in Personal Finance... (11-12-09)
CNN Money: Mint.com Launches 'Money Tweets' Delivering The Best in Personal Finance... (11-12-09)
PC World: Mint Puts Twitter To Work (11-12-09 in the picture! haha...)
MSN Money: Why Are You Asking About My Salary Again? (11-10-09)
MSN Money: Cheap And Last-Minute Halloween Costumes (10-30-09)
Wise Bread: 3 Ways Paying Off Credit Cards Is Like Playing Beer Pong (10-22-09)
Consumerist: What's the Difference Between a HELOC and a Second Mortgage? (10-16-09)
Oregon Live: Links: I-Bond rates and Premier Bank's 79% interest credit card (10-16-09)
Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine: September Issue (1st Magazine Mention!!!)
Wise Bread: Top 5 Articles of the Week (9-17-09)
MSN Money: Should Wedding Guests Pay For Their Meal? (9-14-09)
Consumerist: Saving Money Is Better Than Sex (8-27-09)
Everyday Money (MSN): Survey says: Saving money is better than sex (8-27-09)
MSN Money: Secrets Of An Online Poker Player (Editor's Choice & hit front page of MSN! 8-7-09)
Consumerist: Pitfalls Of Being A Pro Poker Player (8-5-09)
MSN Money: How Do You Manage Your Financial Success? (7-3-09)
Glamour: Little Miss Fortune: Sex, Love & Life (Blogroll!)
MSN Money: Money Lessons Learned The Hard Way (7-31-09)
MSN Money: Money Genie Can Fix Your Financial Mistakes (6-3-09)
The Art of Manliness: How To Be A Financial Stud (Quoted) (5-26-09)
MSN Money: Your Choice: Butt-Ugly And Loaded Or Poor And Sizzlng HOT (3-17-09)
MSN Money: The Awesomest Compilation Of Weird And Crazy Jobs Ever (Front page of MSN! 2-5-09)
MSN Money: It Pays To Blog About Bad Customer Service (12-16-08)

Interviews:

Clarifinancial: Fresh Perspective Interview With J. Money (12-14-09)
No Debt Plan: Subscriber Swap Saturday: Budgets Are Sexy (2-28-09)
A Gai Shan Life: Interview: J. Money of Budgets Are Sexy! (2-19-09)
FiLife (A WSJ Partner): Pocket Profile: J. Money From Budgets Are Sexy (2-12-09)
Studenomics: PF Blogger Interview: J. Money (2-5-09)
Holly Is Stopping Shopping: Five Frugal Minutes With...J. Money At Budgets Are Sexy (10-13-08)
Budgets Are Sexy: Interview: Me on Me (haha... 2-12-08)

"TOP" Lists:

Technorati: Top 100 Business/Finance Blogs
Wise Bread: Top 100+ Most Popular Personal Finance Blogs
Facebook (Networked Blogs): Top 50 Blogs in Personal Finance (#2)
Facebook (Networked Blogs): Top 50 Blogs in Budgeting (#1)
Facebook (Networked Blogs): Top 50 Blogs in Budgeting (#8)
Credit Card Finder: Top 25 Most Badass Personal Finance Blogs
The Happy Self: 10 "Un-Boring" Financial Blogs You Need To Read
Fire Finance: Top 100 Personal Finance Blogs - Ranked By Traffic
Evan Carmichael: Top 50 Debt Blogs To Watch In 2009
The Debtress: The Debtress 100 Best Financial Blogs
10 Links A Day: Money Blogs - Saving Money is the New Black
Efinancial: America's Top Financial Bloggers
Online Degrees Hub: 100 Inspirational Blogs For Life After College
Political Calculations: The Best Blogs We Found in 2008
PaydayLoans.org: 50 Best Financial Blogs

Twitter Stuff:

Mint.com: MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice
Wisebread: Top 100+ Most Popular Personal Finance Blogs On Twitter
The Debt Hawk: Top 100 Personal Finance Bloggers On Twitter
Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan): Tweeted me :)
The Dave Ramsey Show (@ramseyshow): Retweeted me :)
David Bach (@AuthorDavidBach): Tweeted me!

Other Fun Encounters:

CreditCard Daily: "Mo Money" Comic series, featuring J. Money! (my own comic!)
UnFunded: A Man's Opinion (J. Money on fashion.)
Suburban Dollar: Wealthy Blogger's List (PF blogger net worth comparisons)
Budgets Are Sexy: Interview with Ramit Sethi - NY Times Best Seller & Blogger!
Budgets Are Sexy: Famed Financial Planner Deena Katz on whether Budgets are Sexy?

Labels: awesomely awesome, blogging, in the media

My entry into Poorer Than You's free laptops giveaway :) If every dollar looked like this I guarantee people would spend less! haha...Drop by her site and leave your own piece of multimedia/art that embodies a sound personal finance concept and get entered. As long as it's in by noon tomorrow, you've got a chance to win TWO free laptops! Then try and beat me to the $207 Mega Millions...

Labels: art, awesomely awesome, giveaways

This is part 2 of 2 in the confessions of an online poker player series by a friend of mine who goes by the name of "NNNobodYYY" in the online poker world. Enjoy!

The life of a poker player can range from really boring to really exciting, depending on what you make of it. For me, when it gets too exciting (volatile), I make it more boring with changes to my playing system. When it gets too boring, you can make it more exciting, but if you want to succeed you have to be persistent and put in the hours at the table.

For the last week, my life has shifted from a very monotonous, grind it out poker system to one of the most exciting weeks in my poker career. This happens every time a championship series rolls around, but I usually end up miserable and full of regret. This Sunday I won the FTOPS VIII Heads Up Holdem Event for $72,000. That is more than I earned all year grinding it out! It makes the most sense that I'd win that event, rather than any other in the 27 Event online poker championship series, because I am a Heads Up ( 1 on 1 Poker) specialist.

Heads Up Freeze Outs

On a standard day, I play heads up freeze out (freeze out is a poker term for a game that is played until one player has all the chips and the other player(s) are eliminated) matches, $100-$200 per match and I play 30-50 matches each day. It is a very simple system; if you play for $100 a match the winner wins $100 from their opponent. If you can manage to win 60% of your matches, that's $1000 a day in a 50 match day, minus the $250 that will go to the poker site in rake, which would total to $750/day.

It's not nearly as easy as it sounds. Heads up poker requires complete focus to maintain optimum play so it is almost impossible to play more than 20 games in a row and maintain the discipline and focus to play your absolute best. You cannot play as many tables at once and it is much more mentally draining. The reason I chose this system is because I struggle with the swings, this system mitigates swings because it has the lowest standard deviation for returns. You could do the same thing playing 9 person sit and go tournaments, but the swings would increase because you aren't going to win as often against 8 other opponents as against 1 opponent, but when you win, you will obviously win a lot more. I feel it is necessary to split up daily sessions with hour or longer breaks between every ten games. During the prime hours 10PM-2AM, I will play 20 consecutive matches.

My Work Day

My work day is pretty flexible, but I do have some rules. It's not necessary to play during the day, but I try to play a couple hours during it just to get a ten game session out of the way - generally between 2PM and 6PM. It's not a great time to play, but it's not bad either. I wouldn't recommend playing before 2PM. The best time to play is between 10PM and 2AM (I think 6PM to 10PM is fine too, but that's usually my time off). I force myself to play these hours almost every night, sometimes starting at 11.

I used to treat the weekends like anyone else and took a break from playing poker, but since I bought my house a month ago I've been playing both Friday and Saturday Nights. This experiment in a really crappy life (in order to rebuild my reserves after the big down payment) has made me realize how necessary it actually IS to play on Friday nights. Friday nights are the most profitable because you have a lot of bad amateur players coming home from the bars (*cough * cough* J. Money). But for some reason Saturday nights are NOT as good, and I'm not really sure why.

During Championship Series

During Championship Series I change my whole schedule around to a much more brutal workload. I tend to work 12-16 hour days playing satellites into major events, winning a lot of event entries and never doing much in them. A satellite is a smaller buy-in tournament that awards a certain number of seats into a major event. Satellite poker is played slightly different because you're trying to survive 'till 20 or whatever number of players are left, rather than trying to win the entire tournament. Satellites are easy to win and a good way of playing the major events without having to front $200-$1000 entry fees (but they do require a lot of time). The actual events are much more difficult because they have massive fields that pay out about 10% of the field, and the payouts are very top-heavy so you have to be making final tables to be profitable playing tournament poker.

Even in the Heads Up event, which is my expertise, winning is still close to impossible. You have to win 10 consecutive matches to win the tournament, 3 to make the money, which is more reasonable. All I can say is Sunday was my day, and things HAVE TO go your way to win a tournament. I think to the 6pm event where I got eliminated ALL IN on with 1 card coming with AA on a 7 high 3 club board, holding the ace of clubs vs a guy holding two tens without a club. He had one out in the entire deck and it came, a 44-1 shot.

That is tournament poker and that is why it is generally miserable. Now I figure, normally I win that hand double through with 2000 players remaining, maybe make the money, but likely something else happens long before the final 100 players, and I'm eliminated. I guess you never know, though. I was only all-in as a statistical underdog once in my ten matches and it was the second match. I pushed in with Q8 on a 976 board on a semi bluff, was insta-called by J9 and hit running diamonds to double through. If I didn't get lucky there, the following 8 matches wouldn't have occurred and I wouldn't have won that $72,000. In fact, I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

Since I did win the event, though, I had to press on and fight for the top slot on the tournament leaderboard. Just one significant win in another event could have been enough to score it, which would then have given me free entries into all of the FTOPS IV events, not to mention serious prestige. I know better than to play the hold'em events with massive fields and bad structure - those are not my events and I generally do poorly in them. I came super close in a $300 shootout event (each 9 person table is played down to 1 winner and then those winners get reseated and have to win another table) on Tuesday, losing heads up with a chip lead to a bad player.

Then I lost a $530 Horse event on terrible luck - Horse is a fixed limit event, I've had a lot of success with it in the past, but if you can't win any hands you don't have a chance. Today, I ran my chipstack (not to be confused with chapstick) up to $20,000 in a Pot Limit Omaha event, before taking a few bad beats and losing on a foolish play.

Tomorrow is the end of the road for me, with the Pot Limit Omaha heads up event. It's heads up which is good, but I actually don't think Omaha is a game that fits well with Heads up tournament style freeze outs. Pot limit Omaha is a drawing and money odds math game, so most freeze-outs end on essential coin flips between made hands and great drawing hands, unless you're lucky enough to play someone horrible :)

Moment of Clarity

Over the past week, every waking hour was in front of my computer playing poker. I ordered 2 large pizzas from Papa John's on Sunday and been eating leftovers, since. Naturally, I got sick from such an unhealthy lifestyle. I had the same problems when I'd go to Vegas and Atlantic City for major events too - eating unhealthy foods and buffets all the time, being up all hours of the night.

I finally had a moment of clarity and introspection to write this after 5 days of nonstop play. The life of a poker player is always going to be more stressful than pretty much any other job, but you can choose how stressful you make it. My day to day life is pretty normal (compared to other poker players) and requires about 5-6 hours of work a day for a steady solid income. I choose to bump up my days during major events for a shot at a big win and when you get it, it feels great.

In the end, I am happy with my big win, a little disappointed I couldn't do better in the other events, and very much looking forward to taking a week off and things going back to normal.

I hope everyone enjoyed the read,
- NNNobodYYY

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This Series in the news:
- MSN Smart Spending: Secrets of an online poker player
- 2+2 Poker Forums: Confessions of an online poker player

(Part 1, in case you missed it: Confessions of an online poker player)

Labels: awesomely awesome, career, guest post

I don't know how I landed this interview, but I'm pretty damn excited about it: Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You To Be Rich! Aka New York Times best-selling author! Aka blogger extraordinaire! Aka....I'm honored to be posting this ;)

For any of you who've read my review of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, you know how much of a fan I am of Ramit's work. Not only does he get his points across in a fiercely entertaining way, but they WORK. And it doesn't take selling an arm on the black market, or jumping into any get rich quick schemes either. Nope, it's about big wins, smart management , and spending money on the things you ENJOY over things you can do without.

So stop working, get your caffeine, and enjoy some wisdom from the Indian brother himself! (Then buy his bookand spread the wealth - you can thank @Ramit later .) I hope you enjoy this as much as I did in getting it:

1. What are the first 3 sites/blogs you check in the morning?
Techcrunch, the New York Times, and my friends' delicious tags (mine are at http://delicious.com/ramitsethi).

2. Now that you're big pimpin', do you still use some sort of budget?
I use a combination of Mint, Excel, and paper. Whatever works!

3. Having met you in person, I know you dish it out straight whether online or in print. What's a piece of advice you hate hearing from us bloggers/talking heads?

Oh I have about a billion. Some sacred cows that drive me crazy are:

• MYTH: Getting a tax refund means you've failed at managing your finances and given the government your money (not true)
• MYTH: Buying a new car is ALWAYS a bad decision (it isn't)
• MYTH: Buying real estate is a good investment (buying a house usually isn't a good investment)
• MYTH: Saving money is only about frugality and cutting back on the things you love (not true)

4. You must get a ton of hate mail ;) What would you say the ratio of fan vs. hate is?
Mostly 95 positive to 5 negative. That's good, though -- at least people are thinking about their finances, even if they don't agree. The worst thing is for nobody to read your stuff because it's so boring or me-too-ish. And frankly, my site isn't for everyone. If you're trying to pay off debt and living with 3 kids, for example, there are a lot of better blogs to read besides mine.

5. Are you rockin' out any good financial iPhone apps these days?
I'm working on my own...stay tuned.

6. What can we look forward to next out of Ramit?
More multimedia stuff, some cool super-tactical products I'm working on (people on my newsletter get 1st crack), and some more TV.

Labels: awesomely awesome, interview

Then swagger on over to Wellheeled and spit it out! Your PF Blog Crush can be any personal finance blog written by a member of the opposite sex (or the same sex) and it doesn't matter if they are attached or not - it's just for fun ;) I've already left mine, so get on over there and check it out...who knows, maybe she'll feature a "Win a date with ____" next?

Labels: awesomely awesome, blogging, randomness 3000

As many of you know, The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act was passed a while back and some of the stuff coming out of it is just plain AWESOME.

Not only will it improve a lot of the shadyness going on, but it'll hopefully get the average American back on track and *paying attention* again (see #4). It may also means entirely new fees to watch out for as the credit card issuers fight back, but all in all I'm personally pleased by it. While I promote smart leveraging of credit cards, I know very well of the trouble many people get into when they fall behind and it becomes a downward spiral. So if you're one of them reading this, pay attention and see what we all have to look forward to! Hope is on the way, baby...

Credit Card Legislation: The Good :)

Money Magazine breaks down 13 of the new mandates that affect us (print edition: Aug, pg107) so that people like you and me don't have to. Rather than list them in the same order as they did though, I figured I'd list them in order of the ones I think are MOST IMPORTANT first. Numbers 1-5 are the key ones in my opinion, followed by some others that are great, but not *as* sexy as the previous ones. But again, I pay my credit card off in full every month so it may just be that they don't pertain to me. Let's get started:

1. Payments in excess of the minimum owed must first be applied to the balance with the highest interest rate, and then to other balances in descending order. YES!!!! OMG this helps so many people. Even I have fallen for this at times. You have your normal rate set at let's say 6%, and then you withdraw cash @ 18% due to something unexpected and quickly turn around the next day and pay it off "in full". That might be fine and dandy but the old rules say you just paid that XXXX worth of $ towards the 6% instead of the emergency 18%!!! And if you have a large balance already that you can't wipe out? Sucks to be you. But now anytime you pay money it goes to the highest first, and THEN the next lower one in line. A++ politicos. (by Feb 2010)

2. Applicants under age 21 must have an adult co-sign, or show proof of income for approval. DAMN that's genius! Not only does this make the kid think twice, but now it puts more responsibility on the parent :) Again, another A++ for the nation. (by Feb 2010)

3. Issuers can't offer sign-up gifts on or near college campuses. Looks like no one will be getting any free shirts or stress balls anymore! Do you hear that Debt Free Dad of 6? If this were around when you got one of the first credit cards in history things might be better. A+ (by Feb 2010)

4. Issuers must indicate in statements how long it will take to pay off a balance (and the total cost) if you make only minimum payments. WOW. I guess sorta like a mortgage, eh? If this doesn't help educate the average American, I don't know what will. A+ (by Feb 2010)

5. Cardholders assessed a penalty APR for late payment can reclaim the lower rate if they pay on time for six consecutive months. Sexy! So no more "Well I'm screwed now and there's nothing I can do about it"-type mentality. You mess up, you pay the penalties, and you get right back on track 6 months later. I'm all for that. (by Aug 2010)

*****Other Great Ones****

6. Statements must be mailed 21 Days before bill is due (up from the current 14). (by Aug, 09)
7. Issuers have to give 45 days' notice (vs. 15) before increasing interest rates and fees. (by Aug, 09)
8. Issuers can no longer raise rates on an existing balance, unless payment is more than 60 days late or a teaser rate expires. (by Feb 2010)
9. Teaser rates must be in effect for at least six months. (by Feb 2010)
10. Except for expiring teasers, the rate on new purchases can't be hiked in the first year. (by Feb 2010)
11. Over-limit fees can be applied only if a consumer opts in for approval on going over the credit limit. (by Feb 2010)
12. Issuers can no longer practice "universal default" - that is, raise your rates if they learn that you were late on another account. (by Feb 2010)
13. In calculating finance charges, issuers cannot average in daily balances from the previous billing cycle. (by Feb 2010)

Credit Card Legislation: The Bad :(

Okay, so this new legislation is AWESOME in so many ways, but what about the consequences? You better believe the credit card issuers aren't going to just take it up the $%!* and let go of all that money. Instead, Money Mag predicts that we have the following new charges to look forward to:

• Late Fees: We may see a rise from $39 (average in '09) up 25% to around $49 in 2010!
• Customer Service Calls: Get the first one free, and then pay $4 for each additional call/month!
• Credit Line Increases: If you call to increase your credit line, you may now face a $35 fee.
• Cash Advance: Perhaps @ 4% with no cap. That cap one will get ya...
• 2nd Card: Need a 2nd card? Pay them $30 extra (instead of nothing right now).
• Paper Statements: Remember how they always want you to "save the Earth" and go electronic? Maybe now they won't be as pushy if they're charging you $4 PER MONTH!
  
• Credit Card Rates: And finally, they predict average credit card rates to go up to 15.07% by Feb. 2010 - up from an average of %13.76 in June of '09. Boooooooo.

So what's my overall take on this? I say LET'S ROCK IT OUT!!! Yeah the extra fees/charges/rate increases will suck for all those not paying attention, but guess what? PAY ATTENTION. We all slip up some time (except for maybe Brad who never uses credit cards), but the pros heavily outweigh the cons here. Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act - I love you.

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Related posts you might enjoy:
- It's all About the Credit Cards Baby! 4 Steps to Success...
- I'm all for The Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights no matter what.
- Top 4 Credit CardIssuer Traps
- Credit Card Roulette - To Play or Not to Play?

Labels: awesomely awesome, credit cards, one of my lists

Why hello there, and welcome to my blog. Today I offer you the chance to travel back circa 6th grade and divulge the secrets of being YOU. In other words, it's time for a rousing game of Financial Mad Libs! (crowd goes wild) If you haven't seen the start of it over at Punch Debt In The Face, I highly recommend checking it out - everyone's doing it.

So sit back, relax, and get ready for some crazy awesome mad-libbing! It may sound a little silly at first (because it is), but you just might learn something today. At the very least, you figured out a way to waste even more time @ work ;)

Financial Mad Lib: J. Money

Hi my name is J. Money. I currently have 17 dollars in my wallet. When I started managing my finances I was worth $58,769.65, and now have a net worth of $95,149.11. I currently work for a start-up and have been doing it for 6 years. I make roughly $80,000 per year. I want to have $1 Million waiting for me when it comes time to retire. Aside from learning about finances, I really enjoy flying to new places. I think the world would be a better place if idiots didn't exist. I had a chicken quesadilla for dinner last night and it was bar food. I have had 10 significant others over the course of my lifetime (counting awkward middle school relationships). One thing that makes me different is that I smell my food & drinks before I consume them. Now that I'm done with this mad lib, I think I'm going to get back to work before I get caught.

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So what do you say there, up for the challenge? You don't have to fill out all the blanks if you don't want to, but the more you do the more refreshing it feels (& you can always go anonymous!). Just be sure to drop it in the comments or link back when you're finished so we can check it out :) Thx again debt ninja!
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Financial Mad Lib: You

Hi my name is (blank) . I currently have (blank) dollars in my wallet. When I started managing my finances I was worth (blank), and now have a net worth of (blank). I currently work (blank) and have been doing it for (blank) years. I make roughly (blank) per year. I want to have (blank) waiting for me when it comes time to retire. Aside from learning about finances, I really enjoy (blank). I think the world would be a better place if (blank) didn't exist. I had (blank) for dinner last night and it was (blank). I have had (blank) significant others over the course of my lifetime (counting awkward middle school relationships). One thing that makes me different is (blank). Now that I'm done with this mad lib, I think I'm going to (blank).

Labels: awesomely awesome, life, randomness 3000

Check that out: IH8 DEBT. Hah! That belongs to my boy Brad from Enemy of Debt and just goes to show how passionate he is about spreading the good word.

And if that's not refreshing enough, just read any of his posts - that guy puts his entire heart and soul into this stuff! So today, I pimp him out to you all ;)

We may disagree on leveraging our credit cards to our benefit, but he's got a firm grasp on what he wants in life and how to acheive it. And one of the ways he does this is by visualizing. In particularly, visualizing a life without debt! It may sound hokey, but it's certainly working for him. And he's now working to convet me as well - check out his latest email to me, freakin' brilliant:

Working subliminally on J's future thoughts --> Breath deep, & clear your mind...Now picture yourself on a tropical island, sipping on your favorite drink. Picture you and your wife on a spontaneous vacation debt free with no payment in the world!

With no debt you have funded this 7 day vacation at the last minute with your last paycheck, after all you are Jay Money who is making BANK now! You are relaxed because you have no financial concerns because EVERYTHING is paid for. Knowing this you decided to have your next 4 paychecks directly deposited into your chosen investments, with the fifth one going to your favorite charities. Compound interest is your bee-otch and is now working harder than you are. Your earnings from Budgets Are Sexy are covering utilities, fun, and other expenses. Playa play on!

At the end of your vacation you pull your paid for car into your paid for garage, and walk into your paid for house. Now you and your wife decide to go chill with some drinks and have a relaxing swim in your paid for pool. Ahhh...complete freedom from ALL debt, even good debt, has more options after all. Now you consider calling Brad from Enemy of Debt, to thank him for being so damn cool! LIFE IS GOOD! VISUALIZE!

I like it! I want in! haha...I sincerely thank him for allowing me to post this up. It's people like him who get us energized and really INTO this finance stuff. Straight up how-to blogs have their part in the online world, but it's that extra "it" factor that really draws you in and gets you to actually act on it. So keep doing good things over there Brad, I'm proud to call you my friend! *end man love*

Labels: awesomely awesome, debt, life

Hah! Good one FTC (Federal Trade Commission). I originally had this post titled, "How to Spot a Scam", but it just didn't do them justice ;) Check out this email below and tell me if it's not the awesomest thing you've ever read from them:

Today's troubled economic waters are infested with a voracious school of sharks -- con artists who are promising people a lifeline through jobs, recession-proof income, and access to free government grant money. They are bleeding money from individuals, and from the economy as a whole.

That's why the Federal Trade Commission and its partners are moving aggressively through enforcement and education. As the nation's consumer protection agency, we've produced a new video to help people learn how to spot a scam. It features two scam victims and a former telemarketer of fraudulent business opportunities who explains exactly how he got people to part with their money:


We hope you'll share this video and help your readers learn just how crooks worm their way into their wallets. More resources about helping people avoid business opportunity scams are at www.ftc.gov/bizopp. Did you like it?

Labels: awesomely awesome, blown money, in the real world, scams

Madoff jailed for 150 years!! WOW. Guess that's what you get for scamming people out of millions and millions of dollars buster. This should at least give some solace to those who were burned by him, although, I'd much rather have part of the money back!

And by "I", I mean those who invested. Fortunately, I was not involved. And it's a good thing too as I would have easily fallen for it had I a) had lots of money to invest, and b) been approached ;) Or at least the old me would have been tricked....I'm a bit more cautious these days.

Anyways, click over to read more on Madoff going to jail for the rest of his life. Sucks to be him.

Labels: awesomely awesome, in the real world, scams

OMG I haven't read anything this funny on Craigslist since I last tried to sell my Humpty Dumpty plate for a $1! A Lil Wayne Impersonator? Hah! It just goes to show what money can buy you...or in this case, all the doors it can open. A+ for effort dad, we hope you find your lil rapper for your party.


(Whaaaaaaaat? Okaaaaeeeeeyyyyyyy!)

Labels: awesomely awesome, blown money, craigslist, in the real world, randomness 3000

How about another financial forward Friday? We deserve a break from all that hard work and number crunching this week.

Plus, I really couldn't keep this one in much longer - it had me cracking up! 2 weeks of sitting in my inbox was enough ;) And as always, it came from my dad where most of the others did. (I wonder if he knows i post these up?) Please to enjoy:

10 Signs the Economy Really IS That Bad.

1. I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
2. CEO's are now playing miniature golf.
3. Hot wheels and Matchbox cars are now trading higher than GM cars!
4. McDonalds is selling the quarter -ouncer.
5. People in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names.
6. The most highly-paid job is now jury duty.
7. People in Africa are donating money to Americans.
8. Motel Six won't leave the light on. (hah! my personal fave)
9. The Mafia is laying off judges.
10. When bank returns your check marked "insufficient funds" you have to call the bank and ask if they meant you or them.

Oh how sad, yet true some of these are...but not to worry, one day we'll all forget about this and go back to the spend thrift ways we've all grown up with! Hooray! (note to self: when this day comes, re-post every crazy economy article back onto this site to remind people that Financial management is important and not to be stupid again!)

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Other financial forwards you may like:
The Financial Crisis Explained via Beer & Puke Bonds
Warren Buffett = The Man...Or Possibly 100 of Them
Wow, Walmart is as Big as My Johnson!

Labels: awesomely awesome, crazy economy, financial forwards

1 year, 3 months, and 500 posts later, this little blog is still around baby! Never in my life have I continued a hobby for so long ;)

I must give you all MAD LOVE for coming out and supporting this site each and every day, you guys are so wonderfull! Without you I'd just be another mumbling fool on the internet - so THANK YOU.

While this blog has transformed into an umbrella of finance-related topics, it was my good friend the budget who got the party started. So it's only fitting that I drop some knowledge about them to commemorate this most beautiful day ;) An excerpt from my feature in The Art Of Manliness blog:

"Maintaining a budget is key in becoming financially studly. If you know where your money is coming and going, you'll know your strengths & limitations. And if you know your strengths & limitations, you can outwit your opponent at any time! Plus, you'll be able to make quick decisions on the spot which girls love. And you know what else girls love? Confidence. And this,my friend, is what the budget gives you."

Yup, I still owe it all to the budget ;) That booger's gotten me to stay on track and allowed me to keep doing my financial thing! And so has a lot of other bloggers around town - their advice and point of views have created a wonderful learning environment for all, and I'm proud to serve on the same internets w/ them (you can find my favorites in the blogroll).

So with that, I leave you with some nifty little stats from these 500 posts, along with this week's financial round up & carnivals. God bless you all!

Current subscribers: 812
Twitter subscribers: 1,562
Total EVER page views: 234,145
Total EVER visitors: 137,460
Number of times I check these stats on a daily basis: 15 (down from 792)

I also gotta give due credit to all those bloggers who continue to send over some great traffic! Here are the TOP 10 all-time refferers (minus google, stumbleupon, etc) along w/ previous rankings:

1. My Money Blog (1)
2. Give Me Back My Five Bucks (2)
3. Bargain Briana (6)
4. Fabulous Financials (-)
5. MSN Smart Spending (3)
6. Clever Dude (4)
7. Chicky Finance (5) *no longer blogging :(
8. Single Guy Money (8)
9. Dinks Finance (7)
10. Always The Planner (-)

And Now, My Favorite Reads O' The Week:

1. Un-Broke: What You Need To Know About Money - Don't forget, the ABC "Money 101" special airs TONIGHT from 9-10pm! Check the link above for awesome-a$$ sneak peaks - Christian Slater, Will Smith, Seth Green, and more. Can't wait.
2. How To Spend Like A Frugal Millionaire - This piece from Yahoo Finance is all over the pf blogosphere, and for good reason. The author interviews 70 millionaires for the inside scoop.
3. Are You Doing Bad Things With Your Money? - Haha...that title says it all, brilliant.
4. 10 Revealing Q&A's By John Chow & Shoemoney - 2 online money-making masters share their answers side by side. Pretty interesting stuff.
5. "Amazing Grace" video - A heartwarming 32 sec. commercial from Salvation Army :)

And lastly, the Carnivals O' The Week:

1. Carnival of Personal Finance #206 - "Memorial Day Stars & Stripes" by Greener Pastures.
2. Festival of Frugality #179 - "Memorial Day" ed. hosted by Suburban Dollar.
3. Carnival of Debt Reduction #139 - "New Credit Card Rules" ed. hosted by PT Money.
4. Carnival of Money Stories - "A Road Map to Money Health" hosted by WalletPop.
5. Money Hacks Carnival #66 - "Family Summer Vacation" ed. by Passive Family Income.
6. Carnival of Pecuniary Delights #9 - "Organic Gardening" ed. by Passive Family Income.
7. Carnival of 20 Something Finances - "May 25th" ed. hosted by How I Save Money.

Thanks again to each and every one of you!!! May we have another 500 posts to look forward to! But for now, it's time to go celebrate Mrs. Budgetsaresexy and I's 1 year anniversary together ;) For anyone still around from those days, here was my wedding day post. haha....

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some babies to make relaxing to do.

Labels: awesomely awesome, blogging, budgets, link lovin, thank you, updates