Giving away $100 in cash in today's newsletter :) This is in addition to yesterday's giveaway here on the blog too! Sign up, and then thank Prosper for hooking us up like that...

Favorite articles (and carnivals) from the week:

1. March Money Madness Round 2 - J battles it out! @ Free Money Finance - My $100 Lottery post made it to round 2 ;) If you liked it & wanna vote, click & drop "Lottery" in the comments.
2. Jon Stewart sums up everything that is wrong with America in under 4 mins (video) @ Gawker
3. The curse of making too much money and not pursuing your dreams @ Financial Samurai
4. "I Had $14,000 in Credit Card Debt. I Paid Off 6K. Now What Do I Do!?" @ Lemon Drop
5. Scarlett Johansson's home for sale at $2mil loss @ Consumerism Commentary
6. The Clarks, An American story of wealth, scandal and mystery @ MSN
7. Empty Spaces (and Moving Past Loneliness) @ Life After College
8. Best of Money Carnival @ Budget Pulse
9. Festival of Frugality @ Miss Thrifty
10. International Personal Finance Carnival #1 @ PT Money - Yours truly represents the U.S ;)

Labels: giveaways, weekly roundup

Today, Prosper & Budgets Are Sexy team up and celebrate the season of Lent! (Didn't see that coming, did ya?). If you've ever heard of "peer-to-peer lending" before, you're probably already aware of Prosper.com - one of the biggies in the industry. The site's based on the premise that consumers should be able to help each other financially by borrowing & lending from one another, instead of through banks. Some people lend money out, and some pick money up! Pretty cool concept really, except for that fact I can't participate cuz I live in Maryland! Boooo...

So yeah, back to Lent. As a Catholic, I give something up every year for 40 days until Easter hits. Sometimes I give up Soda, sometimes complaining (and I charge myself a dollar per complaint!), and most recently SHOPPING! You could probably guess which is more financially rewarding ;) I reckon I've saved at *least* $300 a month since I first gave this up 2 years ago, and it's been awesome ever since (I still shop btw, just not every single weekend like I used to! I'm much better with my habits now).

But enough about Prosper and I, we want to hear from you! How do YOU currently saving money? Share with us and be entered to win a $200 check!!! Here's what to do:

1. Drop a comment letting us know what you're currently doing to save money, AND how much you'll have saved up by Easter! (even if you don't celebrate Lent)
2. Then, leave me a way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, etc)
   

That's it! We'll leave this up for a week, and one lucky bastard will be rewarded with $200. It doesn't get much better than that my frugal friends. Be extra nice to Random.org this week, okay? ;) Mad thanks again to Prosper for hookin' us up! NOW START COMMENTING.

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PS: And if you want *another* chance to win, be sure to sign up to my V.I.P. Newsletter! We'll be giving out a separate $100 check on top of this one come Friday!
PPS: How cool is it that people give us money to give away?
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*UPDATE* Make SURE to leave your contact info! You can go anonymous all you'd like, but if I can't tell you that you've won you're going to be mad at me ;)
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*UPDATE 2* Blogger is only showing 200-something comments, but I AM getting them all! So don't worry if it doesn't show up here, you're still on the list :) Picking winner tonight (Thursday, 3-11)

Labels: giveaways, loaning money, religion, saving

At least here on BudgetsAreSexy ;) It's not *exactly* personal finance related but it does mean FREE coffee for some of you. And actually, YOU guys will be the frugal rock stars today since you'll have to drop your coffee-saving tips to win!

Everyone knows Starbucks so I'm not gonna pimp what they do, but I will say they expanded their packaged coffee portfolio they sell in grocery stores. So for people who want to try a new blend but don't want to commit to a larger size, they're now rockin' 5-ounce sizes for ya. And they've still got their 20 oz'ers around too (as you can see in that pic) which according to their stats means you're getting each cup for only 25 cents! Not bad if you're good at making it at home (I'm surprisingly getting better at this... although we did have that incident).

Okay, so what can you win? A Starbucks V.I.P. Package!

1. A coffee mug! Simple, yet sleek (I use mine all the time)
2. One 20 oz bag of coffee. Which would last 2 days in our household ;)
3. THREE 5 oz bags of coffee. Great for snacks! haha... j/k, you're set for 2+ months here.

To win all this coffee goodness:

1. Share a way YOU save on coffee (or tea? beer? water?) in the comments below.
2. Leave a way for me to holler at ya. Email, blog, twitter, cell # (just kidding)

TWO lucky winners will win their very own V.I.P. Starbucks package, drawn by none other than Random.org, and ending @ Midnight this Saturday - Feb, 27th. Now tell us all your secrets! (and when you're ready to hire me Starbucks, you just let me know)

*************
*GIVEAWAY OVER* The lucky winners are Kevin and Miss Information! Congrats guys :)

Labels: giveaways, starbucks

Giving away another iPod today :) Courtesy of my awesome partnership w/ USAA! Check the info in today's newsletter that goes out - all the info will be in there. Gotta be signed up to win though yo!

And then come back and read some of these awesome articles I found over the week:

1. Spend money on the stuff you love. @ Untemplater (written by ME :) )
2. Should you bring your own snacks to movies? @ Well-Heeled (Yes!!!)
3. I lived 80 years and all they gave me was this lousy box of stuff @ My Next Buck (hah!)
   
4. Millionaire gives away fortune which made him miserable @ Telegraph UK (wow)
5. Debt free news from a debt free reader @Enemy of Debt (I get interviewed)
6. How to get audited by the IRS @ Consumerism Commentary (this scares me)
   
7. 7 Rules for Job Seekers @ Mike Landman.com (#7 is KEY)
8. Carnival of Money Stories - "Just the facts" @ Centsible Life
9. Money Hacks Carnival #104 - "Have you ever?" @ Rabbit Funds
   
10. Carnival of Personal Finance - "Fiscally irresponsible TV characters ed." @ Len Penzo

Labels: giveaways, weekly roundup

We got some killer giveaways lined up again! I've somehow convinced USAA (my favorite bank EVER) to partner up with me, and we're starting out strong by giving out an iPod Shuffle in today's VIP Newsletter! If you're not signed up, you're missing out baby ;)

Favorite articles & carnivals this week:

1. The March 2010 "Manage Your Money" Challenge @ Enemy of Debt - Brad's got a great idea brewing, and is backing it up with all sorts of giveaways!
2. When Stuff Weighs Us Down @ Well-Heeled Blog - "Have you ever looked around your house and wonder, how the heck did I accumulate so much stuff?!" Every day ;)
3. "Jersey Shore" House for Rent at $6,500 a night @ Huffington Post - I know, it's all kinds of dirty sounding but how crazy is this? I need to start letting MTV use my house.
4. Q&A With Six Figure Blogger Flexo @ Studenomics - Very interesting answers here, esp. in regards to blogging un-anonymously - something I often think about.
5. "Only Greedy People Save" And Other Things Crazy People Say @ Debt Hater
6. 9 Unconventional Steps to a Thriving, "Very Small" Business @ Zen Habits - A GREAT guest post by the famous Chris Guillebeau.
   
7. Carnival of Personal Finance @ Get Rich Slowly
   
8. Festival of Frugality #216 @ Sweating The Big Stuff

Labels: giveaways, weekly roundup

And by "financially naked" we mean "financially honest." After all, if you can't be straight with your significant other, who can you be straight with?

So in honor of Valentine's day, we'll be giving away TWO copies of the new hit book - "Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money with Your Honey" by Manisha Thakor & Sharon Kedar.

The winners won't get them until *after* V-Day (cuz a certain someone was slackin' on his game) but you'll still enjoy it just the same! Plus I don't think finances will be on your mind then anyways ;)

Here's what Amazon has to say about it:

"This inspiring, action-oriented guide helps young women in committed relationships understand and manage their money matters. Complete with charts, graphs, case studies, and tip-based advice, this succinct, straightforward guide speaks to worried women in the same way that made On My Own Two Feet a mega-success."

What do you think? Want to win it? I know it says it's geared towards women out there, but having read some of it myself I can honestly say it's still a pretty good read for men. Especially men who want to understand women more, and/or suck at communication ;) Maybe you both could read it together?

Here's what to do to win:

• Leave a comment with what you and the mr/mrs will be doing this Valentine's weekend.
• Leave contact info (email, blog, twitter)

Do it by midnight on Saturday, Feb. 13th, and you'll be entered to win one of TWO free copies! I'll use Random.org to select the winners, and I'll announce 'em back on this post by Monday. Good luck everyone! It's gonna be a great weekend, that's for sure ;)

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*Open to only those with U.S. mailing addresses (sorry)
** But you can always grab the book on Amazon
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*GIVEAWAY OVER* The 2 lucky winners are.....Investing Newbie and Mrs. Money! Congrats ladies :) Stay tuned for more giveaways coming up soon.

Labels: book reviews, giveaways

I'm giving the last $50 Visa card away today! It's given away now! But we got a ton of other stuff coming so be sure you're signed up :) Books, iPods, discounts, lots...

Now for my favorite articles & carnivals this week:

1. FMF's Blogger Bracket: J. Money vs. No Debt Plan @ Free Money Finance - Did you enjoy my Lottery-to-Charity post the other month? I'm battling it out in FMF's blogger bracket and need help winning the 1st round (I never make it! haha..). Would love it if you could drop a comment there and vote for me by leaving "lottery" in the message. Thanks!
2. Jeff joins my Millionaire's Club! @ Deliver Away Debt - Our crazy club now has 26 members in it, but this is by far the funnest millionaire to-do list I've seen yet ;) The pictures alone are worth it!
3. I hate finances and money...simply hate them @ Clever Dude -Haha...
4. Do "C" students deserve "A" lifestyles? @ Financial Samurai - Interesting!!!
5. Who do you trust for online business advice? @ Copyblogger - Not the scorpion!
6. Best of Money Carnival #36 @ Financial Highway
7. Carnival of Money Stories - "Tell me a Fairy Tale" ed. @ Modern Tightwad
8. Carnival of Personal Finance #242 - "Fun Tax Facts" @ Cash Money Life

Labels: giveaways, weekly roundup

We've got 5 TurboTax codes to giveaway my friends! Brought to you by none other than J. to the Money, and T to the UrboTax! Haha...and all because I went out drinking with them the other night (can you find me in the pic?). Well, that and I have a personal finance blog ;)

But because of them, 5 lucky winners will be able to file their federal AND state taxes for FREE. That's a $70-$90 value, all for being awesome and reading this blog - so I hope you guys could use these! Here's a little more info on 'em (I have 3 Deluxes, and 2 Premiers):

1. TurboTax online Deluxe ($70 value): FREE Federal & 1 FREE State filing- Good for those who own a home, made donations, or have medical expenses.
2. TurboTax online Premier ($90 value): FREE Federal & 1 FREE State filing - Good for those who own stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or rental property. Plus all the above stuff Deluxe does.

Keep in mind these are *online* codes, so you'll have to be comfy with filing them at TurboTax.com (but everyone tells me it's a piece of cake). If you file your own taxes, this giveaway is for you! Not even ME who still pays an accountant to do it ;) But considering the jabs I've been taking this year, I might have to own up and see what the fuss is about.

To enter, all you have to do is this:

1. Drop a comment telling me what you'll be doing with your tax return money! And if you're not getting any back, just make something up ;)
2. Leave a way for me to contact you. *very important* (email, twitter, blog, whatev.)

That's it - nice & easy so that everyone can enter ASAP :) The contest is open until Saturday night (midnight), and we'll have trusty ol' Random.org choose the winners soon after. All winners will be updated on THIS post, and I'll contact you if you're one of them. GOOD LUCK!

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PS: After you comment, enter my other friends' TurboTax giveaways --> Mapgirl, Clever Dude, My Next Buck, and Bible Money Matters. If you can't win one of those I'm afraid you're just plain unlucky.
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*CONTEST OVER* Thanks for participating everyone! Here are the beautiful winners --> Andrew, Jennifer, Mike Blythe, Christine, & the "cocaine & hookers" Anonymous ;) Got a ton more giveaways coming up so keep your eyes open!

Labels: giveaways

Yup, it's another Friday and I'll be giving away another $50 Visa card today! But you gotta be signed up to the V.I.P. Newsletter to win ;) We'll do another $50 next week, and then continue giving away something awesome almost every single week! So stay signed up mi amigos.

Now for my favorite articles & carnivals from the week:

1. I'm working to make my slave as big as possible @ Free Money Finance (yes!)
2. 2010 NY's Bash Giveaway: $9,200+ in cash & prizes @ Money Crashers (CRAZY)
   
3. Weird/Cool things that I would not spend money on @ Well-Heeled Blog (Hah!)
4. Where Americans pay the most to live and why @ Financial Samurai (interesting)
   
5. Lifestyle Design and Debt Freedom go Hand in Hand @ Enemy of Debt (100%)
   
6. Overdraft Protection is a good thing @ Bargaineering (esp. if tied to another acct.)
   
7. Carnival of Personal Finance #241 @ My Journey To Millions
8. Best of Money Carnival #25 - "All over the place" ed. @ Studenomics
9. Carnival of Money Stories @ My Journey To Millions

Labels: giveaways, weekly roundup

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!*
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WINNERS --> Sal & Becky CC - Congrats guys! Stay tuned for more giveaways later :)

Labels: awesomely awesome, budgets, giveaways, kids finance

The new book by David Bach! Famous for The Automatic Millionaire - one of my top 3 favorite books ever :) Start Over, Finish Rich drops today, but if you're one of the 3 lucky winners here you get your very own copy for free!

I haven't had the chance to finish the one I was sent myself, but so far it's very Bach-like! haha...which is def. a good thing. Since I can't put my own special review on it, here's a clip from the press release to give you a better taste:

Drawing upon tried-and-true principles of wealth building, Bach spells out the ten most crucial steps for putting a financially secure future squarely back in reach, including how to get out of debt, repair credit, rebuild savings, revitalize retirement plans, rebuild with real estate, and reorganize one's financial life for the high tech age.

The first step to getting back on track financially is to stay positive and recommit to wealth. "Don't stop saving, don't stop investing, and don't give into fear and despair," urges Bach. "There are as many, if not more, opportunities to build wealth during recessions and the recoveries that follow them as there are during boom times. But you won't get anywhere if you are too scared-or feel too defeated-to do anything. You have to have a plan based on action! Doing nothing is the worst choice you can make. You have to hit the reset button and START OVER."

Among the key steps to starting over in 2010 are the following:

• Find Your Money
• Deal with Your Credit Card Debt
• Fix and Protect Your Credit Score
• Rebuild Your Emergency Savings
• Re-energize Your Retirement Plan
• Make it Automatic (link to one of my posts, not part of book)
  
• Rebuild with Real Estate

Is this a book you'd want? Then enter to win a free copy!

1. Drop a comment and tell us what your own favorite financial book is.
2. Then just leave a way for me to contact you (twitter, blog, email)

That's it! Drop it by Friday @ Midnight, and I'll draw the 3 winners via Random.org over the weekend and post 'em up on THIS same post - So be sure to check back on Monday, January 4th to see if you've won. Would be a great way to start out 2010 right, eh? :)

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PS: I've had a few people email saying that they can't comment for some reason. If this happens to you, go ahead and email me & I'll use the time stamp to determine where your entry # is :) Sorry!
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*THE WINNERS* Out of all 89 entries (taking out my own comments & those who entered too late), we had 3 big winners! And those are.....drum roll please....Saving Cents in the City, Laura, and HighClassLowIncome! Congrats my friends, and thanks to everyone who participated :) Be on the lookout for a LOT more giveaways in 2010!

Labels: book reviews, giveaways

This was by far one of the funnest posts yet for me :) Giving away money is cool, no doubt, but it was all your ANSWERS that made it so enjoyable! There is so much negativity out there, and reading through all your comments and love being shared was really refreshing. Thank you everyone for being a part of this!

And now, the winner of this year's 1st Annual Christmas Stimulus - and proud new owner of a $150 Visa gift card is ...Maria (#2)! Who is thankful for her family pulling together during tough times this year. Congrats my friend! I hope this helps out you and your family :)

For everyone else, make sure to check in w/ Brad to see if you won HIS $150 stimulus giveaway!

Labels: giveaways, holidays

Are you ready for the biggest giveaway yet?! The most awesomest festival of love, ever?! Well today's your day lucky badgers - Welcome to the first annual Christmas Stimulus!!! A special $300 cash giveaway just for YOU, courtesy of your boys J. Money & Brad Chaffee :)

Yup, we're emptying our pockets to help 2 lucky winners get a boost this holiday season and we couldn't be more excited! This is an absolutely no-strings-attached deal and our way to give back to YOU - the beautiful & engaging readers of both our blogs. Every day you show up with open arms and you inspire us to keep on going, and we appreciate that. Every last comment, email, and tweet from you guys helps us to keep on blogging & spreading the good word. Without you, we'd just be two random ramblers typing away into a void of interwebs ;) So from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!

The Christmas Stimulus starts today, and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your answers by Saturday @ midnight. We'll then select the winners via Random.org on Sunday, and post up the winners of both contests next Monday - the start of the Christmas week! (and subsequently the same week of a certain person's 30th bday! yikes... ) Ready to roll? Here we go...

What are you thankful or this holiday season? Your friends? Family? A debt-free year? Tell us in the comments and you'll be entered to win a $150 Visa Gift Card from Budgets Are Sexy! Again, entering is easy:

1. Tell us what you're thankful for.
   
2. Leave some way for us to contact you.
3. Check back next Monday to see who won!
   

Then when you're done with that, head on over to the Enemy of Debt and answer Brad's question of the week - What are two financial goals you resolve to complete in 2010? You rock that out and you'll be entered to win yet *another* $150 Visa gift card! Compliments of the guy who thought up this whole giveaway himself ;) (and someone I admire very, very much)

We're really proud to be a part of all your lives, and we sincerely hope this helps with some of your bills or present buying this season. We've all got things to be thankful for, and we hope to continue this new tradition of ours for years to come! If all goes as planned, next year's will be even bigger!!!

So get to it! Drop the comments and enter to win TWO $150 Visa Gift Cards!

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UPDATE: Thanks for participating everyone! The contest is now closed.
UPDATE 2: For some reason all the entries from SATURDAY are not posting here, but I assure you I DID get them emailed to me (all comments get to me, even if they don't post correctly here at times). ***We had a total of 215 entries!!!*** Most. Ever. Stay tuned for tomorrow's winner, and then the winner over at Enemy Of Debt too ;) Best $150 I've ever given...(only $150 I've ever given actually! haha...)

Labels: giveaways, holidays, thank you

It's true, they're awesome. And they also want to give you two $25 gift cards! Well, they actually gave 'em to me to so I can blog about my experience, but I thought I'd pass them along to you instead ;) I don't need any free money to pimp them out - I already love them! T.J. Maxx and Marshalls have always been some of the best places for frugal rock stars to shop.

Plus, I'm on a record for the least amount of stores visited this year. Which will unfortunately be broken as soon as I start shopping for Xmas in a bit...bleh.

But back to the free gift cards! According to the National Retail Federation, the average family is planning on spending $682 this holiday season - but if you win of these $25 gift cards, you'll only need to spend $657! (Oh joy!) That number seems pretty high to me anyways, so hopefully you find ways to cut costs even more (may I suggest making things, or gifting your "services"?) Either way, I have two $25 gift cards to give to someone - one for T.J. Maxx, and the other for Marshalls. If one of these sound good to you, please answer this question:

What's a good gift for a 20-something guy? (I need some ideas for myself! haha...)

1. Drop a comment with your answer.
2. Tell me WHICH card you want. (I will divide up the entries per card.)
3. Leave some way to be contacted! Blog, twitter, email (name (at) email (dot) com works)

That's it my friends! Enter by midnight on Friday, and I'll draw up the winners via Random.org and then post them up HERE on this very same post (so bookmark it or check back later, or just see if I contact you ;) ). Here's to great bargain shopping!

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PS: If you sing, they're also giving away a $5,000 shopping spree if you submit a video and win.
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*CONTEST OVER* And the 2 winners are.... Kara for the T.J. Maxx Card, and Investing Newbie for the Marshalls Card! Congrats guys! And thanks everyone for participating :) We've got a HELLUVA great giveaway lined up for next week so get excited!!!

Labels: giveaways, shopping

Well this took a little longer to put together than I originally thought :) So many of you wanting so many different things. You can check out the time stamps here (pretty big image), but congrats to all the winners! Hope you enjoy your giftcards & piggies & poster. Thanks for playing everyone!

1. $25 Threadless gift card #1: Mapgirl
2. $25 Threadless gift card #2: TexNYQueen
3. $25 NorthWest Airlines cert: Kyle
4. Box full of piggies: Vielka
5. "18x24" Poster: Bex Mex

Labels: giveaways

I've got a handful of extra goodies laying around & I'm going to bribe you with 'em.

Haha... actually they're just taking up space in my new minimalist household and/or I can't use them ;) So naturally I thought of you!

But PLEASE, for the love of J. Money, make sure to leave your contact info in case you win! Half of these are leftover prizes from previous giveaways that no one ever claimed (sorry old winners). Here's what we've got:

1. $25 Threadless.com gift certificate #1: If you win, just be sure to use them when Threadless has their $10 tee specials! If not, you'll waste it all on 1 shirt like I did ;)
2. $25 Threadless.com gift certificate #2: Same for you mr. winner.
3. $25 Certificate off Northwest Airlines: I got this "Discount Travel E-Cert" when they lost my bags the other month. I have no idea if or when I'll use them next (I'm not carrier loyal) but it's all yours if you think you can use it by March, 2010.
   
4. A handful of piggies! That includes 1 Piggy Bank, 1 piggy stress-ball, 1 piggy sticky thing (remember those?), and 1 piggy key chain! You can blow up the picture if you click on it. They came from a prize pack I considered giving away a while back but waited to long to do so :( That's why they're covered with "Feed The Pig" logos all over. If you ever wanna hear a pig talk (& perhaps freak you out) click over to their site and turn up the volume!
   
5. 1 Free "18x24" rolled poster off a picture of yours. I won this gem over at The Practical Nerd but I know for damn sure I won't use it. Thought about printing a big ol' picture of my face and using it to scare the wife, but figured you probably have better uses for it ;) Expires on 10-31.
   

If you want any of these, all you have to do is:

1. Tell me what you're wearing for Halloween. (I'm totally out of ideas...)
   
2. Tell me which you want - only 1 per person.
3. LEAVE YOUR CONTACT INFO. Give me a blog, an email, a twitter, a secret password, just give me something - whatever you're comfortable with.

That's it! I'll randomly select 1 winner from each 5 categories so your odds of winning goes up :) And, I'll close this out tomorrow (Friday) at midnight too. So if you want something no one else does, it's all yours! Now hurry hurry hurry & take these off me me me.
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Giveaway ended: Check out the winners!

Labels: giveaways

The winner of the Tommy Bahama glasses is...drum roll please...Lucky commenter #6: Vidya! (winner never retrieved - gave away on Twitter)

Congrats my friend, you get your choice of whichever Tommy Bahama glasses you want. Pick out your favorite, and then shoot me an email (j at budgetsaresexy dot com) with your full name & address so I can get it over to ya! Thanks for participating everyone :) You might not have won this round, but we've got plenty more to give away soon! Have a great weekend.

Labels: giveaways

VSP Vision Care & BudgetsAreSexy is teaming up to bring you the "See Much More" Giveaway! One lucky winner will get their choice of Tommy Bahama sunglasses (men's or women's), and the rest will learn about keeping their eyes nice & healthy! Which, in turn, saves you money and keeps your pockets full :)

VSP Vision Care, the nation's largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company, created a site dedicated to spreading the good word on healthy eyes: SeeMuchMore.com. You'll find loads of great information on how valuable your vision is in all aspects of your life - personally, professionally, and physically - as well as tips for maintaining healthy eyes, videos, and fun games and apps.

I don't wear glasses or sunglasses myself, but I'm a big fan of keeping those eyes as perfect as they can be. Many don't know, but "computer vision syndrome" is one the most common work-related health complaints. And unfortunately one in four children have undetected vision problems :( That's why everyone, both adults and children, bloggers and non-bloggers, should make sure to get annual eye exams!

The folks at VSP recommend starting this as early as six-months-old, and say it's just as important as going to the dentist on a regular basis (and *that* I do know about, it's not fun but it's important - if you want to keep your teeth and all...) What's more, preventative check-ups help to avoid additional trips to the doctor, saving you money!

Now, who wants a free pair of sunglasses? Entering the giveaway is easy:

• Visit SeeMuchMore.com
• Then just leave a comment telling us something you learned!

You do that, and you'll be entered to win your choice of glasses :) I'll hit up Random.org this Saturday, October 17th, and one lucky person will get their glasses. Here's to healthy eyes!
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UPDATE: Giveaway over - Click here to see the winner!

Labels: giveaways

Thanks for dropping those hot tips of yours! From stealing toilet paper from the gym (and showers), to picking through neighbors' trash for coupons, you guys sure know how to save some dough. Here are the 2 winners: #1) BSquared, #2) Hygd.

If anyone wants it, I could give out a 3rd one too? It's a bit beat up (threw it across the room a few times in fits of laughter), but I'll gladly drop it in the mail for ya. First person who send me an email with their name and address will get it. Thanks for playing everyone! We'll do another giveaway soon...

PS: Winners, make sure to send me your email addy's & addresses :)

Labels: giveaways

Well, I finally finished Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets and it sure was interesting! (and a nice change of pace)

It takes an special person to pull something like that off, and Phil Villarreal does so with the shocking grace you can only expect from such a book ;) I still don't know whether to hug or punch him, but needless to say it was damn entertaining.

That's probably the best word to describe this book: Entertaining. I'm fairly confident that if you were to try and pull off even half of these 100 tips you'd find yourself in jail. Or in an alley somewhere with a broken nose. BUT, a broken nose with an extra $50 in your pocket ;) That being said, there were also a ton of EXCELLENT tips to try out with a good conscience - especially in the first half of the book (the last 20 or so makes you want to take a shower).

Here's a snippet from Tip #38: "Don't Poop On Coupons":

"It saddens me that coupon clipping is viewed as the pastime of the desperate housewife, some meaningless, mundane project to fill the time between soap-opera airings, floor mopping, and self-supplied, amateur porn web-camming. Here and now I want to start an effort to reclaim coupon clipping for men everywhere. I want Harley riders to start keeping plastic, accordion-style coupon holders in the back of their hogs. I want UFC fighters to tout the benefits of $1 off Raisin Bran coupons after bouts. I want John Wayne to rise from the grave, visit a Circle K, and push a buy-one-get-one-free Thirstbuster card over the counter...Coupons are real money, and to throw them away is to ignite your wallet in flames."

He goes on to share his best tips on getting these coupons, but I thought this was an accurate sampling of his hilarious nature. Overall, he did a great job keeping my A.D.D. attention and really opened my eyes to a level of frugality I never thought possible. If you have an open mind, I recommend it 100%. If you're a good little boy or girl, I wouldn't think twice about picking it up ;) Unless, of course, you want to LOOK like a bad ass and carry it around with you? That would most definitely shed your goody-two-shoes image within minutes, believe me. I can't tell you how many stares I got on the train while reading this the past few mornings. It also looks like Phil has earned himself a sexy little fan club:

The Giveaway (if you haven't been scared off yet):

Here's what to do in order to win one of two copies - it's super easy, and super fast:

1. Drop a comment with your very own "dirty little saving secret"
2. And 2, well....there is no #2. Just do #1 and you'll be entered :) And if you're not feeling feisty enough, just make one up or steal someone else's tip so you can be entered - whatever works.

I'll be giving away both copies Saturday morning so be sure to leave some sort of contact info here so I can easily alert you! And I'll be using Random.org to pick the 2 winners so everyone has an equal shot (if you can't wait until then, check out Amazon and get it while it's cheap). Now comment away my dear friends! It's time to rot someone else's brain with such awesome scoundrel-ness :)

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PS: You can also find Phil on Twitter (where he tweets), Consumerist (where he writes), and The Arizona Daily Star (where he reviews). Thanks for the free books my man!
PPS: There's another giveaway at PF Firewall that ends Wed. @ Midnight, so enter there too.

Labels: book reviews, frugality, giveaways, money hacks, saving

Thanks all for participating everyone! The Winners of the two $50 Amazon.com cards:

- Sarah Fowler
- brandysoda

Contact me & I'll send you over the codes :)

Labels: giveaways

We've given out over $800+ worth of goodies so far, and it keeps on coming :) So thanks to all who participate! The more you do, the more stuff we can keep giving away.

This week's giveaway is sponsored by my twitter friend, Austin - who just released his new e-book: Save Thousands on Textbooks. He shares his 8 steps to save over $2000 on college textbooks, and guarantees this e-book will put money back into your wallets this semester. Works for me! He also runs the blog Foreigner's Finance - an American's experience with money abroad.

For a chance to win one of the two $50 Amazon.com cards, follow these 2 rules:

1. Check out this new e-book and find your favorite tip out of the 8 listed.
2. Drop a comment HERE with the tip, and why you like it, and voila! You're now entered.

The giveaway ends this Friday, the 11th, at midnight, and I'll announce the winners on a separate post this Saturday. And if you have any other comments/advice/likes/dislikes about the book, PLEASE tell us about those as well. All comments get reviewed and go to help my man Austin produce a better product to help people :) Thanks so much, and GOOD LUCK!

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PS: As always, the mighty random.org will pick the chosen ones.

Labels: free money, giveaways

I'm out in Boston for the weekend, but just wanted to announce the 5 lucky winners of the $25 Threadless.com gift certificates! I'd copy & paste a screenshot from Random.org here but it's a bit hard on the ol' iPhone ;) Congrats Winners!

1. Matt
2. Nick
3. starrgirl1993
4. molldoll0205
5. Anabel Sanchez

If you see this, PLEASE email me (j @ budgetsaresexy dot com) or drop a comment with your email so I can get you the online coupon codes to use :) I'll shoot 'em over once I'm back in town...Thanks for participating everyone! Keep your eyes open for next week's giveaways.

Labels: giveaways

Retailmenot.com just redesigned their site & are giving 5 Budgetsaresexy.com readers a $25 gift certificate to Threadless.com! (that's a lot of .coms)

It's been a while since my last giveaway, but we're back on track and ready to start dishing 'em out again! And we start with one of my favorites as I'm a HUGE fan of both Retailmenot AND Threadless - they easily dominate their niches and really know how to treat their customers. Plus, RetailMeNot has some of the *best* coupons around! (they're always my first site to check - honestly)

Okay, so how do you win? Like always, it's crazy easy. You don't have to subscribe to my feed or follow me on twitter, although I'd love it if you did, but you DO have to complete the following:

1. Check out the newly revised RetailMeNot.com.
2. Then drop a comment HERE to tell us what you liked, didn't like, or whatever else you feel like mentioning about it :)

That's it! I'll use random.org to pick the 5 winners (your comment # will be your entry #), and you have until midnight on Friday to enter. I'll announce the 5 winners on Saturday, and then email you over those $25 gift cards. Super easy, super fast, and super sexy! Nothing but the best for y'all. GOOD LUCK!

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PS: They also launched a spinoff for all you in the UK: VoucherHub.com. Feel free to comment on that one instead if you'd like. Gotta keep my international readers happy too!
PPS: Just found out Shopaholly and Miss Thrifty are giving away $50 Threadless cards :)

Labels: coupons, giveaways

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

Yup, BillShrink & J. Money are hooking two lucky bastards up with $50 in Gas!

And unlike last summer, $50 should last you a lot longer on the road ;) For anyone who doesn't remember the last giveaway we did, Billshrink is all about helping people like you and me save money. They hook you up with the best cell phone plans, the best credit card plans, and certainly the best gas stations - all based on your specific situation. Here's what their widget popped out as the cheapest gas around my place:



To Enter the Gas Card Giveaway:
It's nice and simple: Hit up Billshrink.com, click on "Gas Prices" (orange button in the middle), and find the cheapest gas around you! Then, drop a comment on Billshrink's facebook page with 2 things:

1. The price of the lowest gas you found
2. And the keyword "Budgets Are Sexy"

And you're done! So your comment should look something like this, "Cheapest gas in my hood is $2.89. And also, Budgets Are Sexy!". The keyword's the most important here so that they count you in our special promotion we're doing outside of their other gas card giveaway. This means WAY BETTER ODDS for you as you're only in the drawing with other fans of this site, not the whole pool ;)

The giveaway ends this Wednesday, July 15th and will be announced on both Facebook & Billshrink's blog. So hurry up and enter! That's a lot of free gas.

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*UPDATE: The 2 Winners: Jennifer Teti & Kelly Whalen. Thx for participating everybody!

Labels: gas, giveaways

Thanks to all 122 of you that stopped by! What a success, you guys are awesome. Unfortunately, only 3 of you were awesome'er than the rest ;) Here are the winners:

$50 Amazon Card: Mindolla
$30 Amazon Card: frugalCPA
$20 Amazon Card: Diann @ The Thrifty Groove

Shoot me an email to claim your prizes! And be sure to subscribe to my blog for all future giveaways too (as well as some financial goodness) I'll catch y'all on Monday, if I don't see ya on Twitter ;)

Labels: giveaways

How sexy is that? 3 gift cards for 3 beautiful blog readers! Just think of all those books, cds, or random toys you can get yourselves :)

Today's giveaway is sponsored by Mr. Rebates: A cash-back shopping website that offers over 1500 stores plus money-saving online coupons that you can stack with the every day cash-back savings. Some of the top name brand stores include favorites like Macy's, Sears, Travelocity and more.

Entering is super easy to do. Check out today's sponsor and let us know what you think, that's it! Do you find the site helpful? Could you see yourself taking advantage of the discounts it provides? Personally, I don't see how you couldn't like a site that shares tons of coupons, but it's your world baby. Just leave a comment and considered yourself entered.

And if you're a blogger and want even more brownie points (and 2 additional entries) blog about the giveaway w/ a link back here, and I'll include these extra entries when randomly selecting the winners (you'll get the 2 spots directly after your comment, for a total of 3 entries) It's totally up to you though, just be sure to leave the link in the comments so I can track it.

The Deadline to enter is this Friday the 12th by Midnight, EST, and I'll announce the 3 winners on Saturday. So enter away! If you hate Amazon, you could always give them away as presents ;)

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Update: The giveaway is now closed, but check in tomorrow (saturday) to see if you won! Here was the final spreadsheet w/ all entries and numbering for drawing time.

Labels: coupons, giveaways

Sidekick Winner: Gloomberg News!
Congrats lucky #8! You know get a brand spankin' new phone to play with :) Let me know if you want the Sidekick or the Motorola ROKR E8 and I'll make sure it gets sent over. Thanks for participating everyone! Stay tuned for more later.


Top PF Posts Winner: Five Cent Nickel!
Congrats my brotha, your collaboration w/ Matt Jabs on the article "Is Personal Responsibility Dead" takes home the prize. AND, with a wopping # of the votes @ 39% :) Well done my friends, keep up the good work.

(2nd place goes to Ready to Rich's Easy Budgeting Strategies w/ 16% of the votes. Yeah budgets!)

Labels: giveaways, weekly roundup

That's right! T-Mobile, BillShrink, and J. Money are teaming up to bring you savings AND a Free phone!

And with the way this economy's been lately, the timing couldn't be better :) You owe it to yourselves to make sure you've got the best cell phone plans and credit cards in your pockets - plain and simple.

For anyone in the dark, BillShrink.com has come out blazing and is all about helping people like you and me save money. They hook you up with the best cell phone plans, credit card plans, and best gas stations centered around YOUR personal preferences. The whole site's pretty clever if you ask me, and I'm kinda pissed I didn't come up with it first ;) But whatever, I've got a PF blog instead, right? So yeah, check it out. All you have to do is visit their site, enter some info and preferences about your current bills, and voila! It recommends some better alternatives to help you save some money. It's easy, it's FREE, and it's awesome.

They also have a freakin' great blog as well (and I'm not just saying that). Their tagline is "Shrinkage Is Good" for crying out! haha...bad to the a$$. Anyways, to give you an idea of what their recommendations are like, here's what they gave ME when I hit them back up again:


Credit Card Recommendation: American Express TrueEarnings

This was based on paying off the card in full every month, spending roughly $1,000/mo, and wanting cash back over mileage and other prizes. And it doesn't surprise me at all - If Warren Buffett's been picking up even more of their stock, they have to be doing something right! Plus, I've always considered them a top dawg in these races. For me though, there's no beating my USAA World Cash Rewards MasterCard ;) If you're not as addicted or faithful to your own card, however, then this tool is def. worth checking out. You can sort from cash back, mileage, whatever your preferences are.


Cell Phone Provider Recommendation: T-Mobile

In all honesty, I didn't think T-Mobile was gonna come out as the clear winner here. I knew Verizon (who I have) is always more costly than the rest of the carriers out there, but I thought AT&T would for some reason win - but I was wrong! Based on my usage and specific needs, T-Mo grabbed the top spot! I know they've been trying to developing strong relationships with their customers, and are always pretty confident they have the best rates going on, so I suppose it all makes sense. I guess that's why they're so keen on pimping out BillShrink, eh? ;)


Best Gas Station in My Area: Liberty

This is true! Where I live Liberty, in fact, IS the cheapest station around...unfortunately I prefer convenience over saving a few bucks when it comes to filling up my Caddy. This station is only a few blocks away (I know, I'm an idiot) but when I'm going to or from work, I'm already in a rush and I'll gladly pay that convenience fee. If you're smarter than me, you'll listen to what Billshrink recommends.

So there you have it - T-Mobile & BillShrink are lighting up the skies! Now, onto the part you probably care about a teenie weenie bit more - THE FREE PHONE ;) Yes, I speaketh the truth. I will be giving one lucky winner a Free Tony Hawk Ed. Sidekick or a Motorola ROKR E8 - whichever you prefer.

All you have to do is visit BillShrink's site, and then drop me a comment with your thoughts about it - that's it! You can tell us how much money they will save you, how much you loved their blog, or even how you'd rather swallow a huge rat turd than switch credit cards, it doesn't matter. Just leave your thoughts on the subject and you will be entered to win the free phone.

So whatcha waiting for? Get out there and see if you can save some big bucks! I'll be picking the winner this Saturday @ 12noon EST via Random.org. God Bless you my frugal ones..

*WINNER: Gloomberg News! Click here for more info...
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*These phones ARE, indeed, FREE! You don't have to activate it with T-Mo or sign up to a plan or anything - you can do as you please with it :) Although, unless you already have T-Mo you may need to get w/ 'em to have it work (not free), but the point is it's totally you're call. (And no, I did NOT get any money or any other sort of compensation for this post. Only one of YOU lucky bastards will get this free phone, not me ;))

Labels: credit cards, gas, giveaways, phone service, saving

Business cards: Candy @ Broke and Not So Fabulous
Brochures: Knockout Niki

I wish I could have given them out to each of you though! You guys had a lot of great reasons to win them :) There were 22 total entries for the business cards, and 6 for the brochures - so I ran 2 sets through the ol' Randomizer to pick the winners in a fair way. BUT REMEMBER - you still have plenty of time to enter the other SAME giveaways over at Financial Nut and Give Me Back My Five Bucks (they end on Sunday Apr 26th, and Fri May 1st respectively), so be sure to click on over! Have a great weekend everybody, and thanks for participating :)

Labels: giveaways

It's time for another giveaway! I'm getting a lot more companies reaching out to give free swag away, so hopefully you all enjoy these :) And I'm trying to only giveaway those items that I would use or appreciate myself. That way, we don't get more junk floating around! Right? Right.

Okay, today's giveaway is brought to you buy UPrinting.com - a leading online printing company that provides high quality printing at affordable prices! For over 25 years, U-Printing's been a trusted leader in online printing and offers convenient marketing support services such as design, lists, and direct mailing to help grow small and medium-size businesses nationwide. (we love that!)

They've been generous enough to not only give us one prize today, but TWO:

Prize #1: 1,000 free standard size business cards!
Prize #2: 500 free standard size brochures!

You can check out there Business Card Printing and Brochures to see all the styles & ideas you can choose if you win :) And shipping will be free if you live in the US or Canada (those living outside of these areas will have to pay for the shipping)

Okay, so HOW do you win? Well, as always, it's crazy easy to enter: All you have to do is leave a comment here and tell WHAT you would use the free printing for - that's it! Actually, tell me *which* prize you'd like to win too so I enter the right people into the right prize to increase your odds ;) And if you'd really want both, that's fine too just holler. Good luck everyone! The contest ends on Friday @ 12 Noon EST, and I'll announce the winners soon after.

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ps: Be sure to enter again over at the other UPrinting giveaways my friends are hosting: Financial Nut and Give Me Back My Five Bucks (those end on Sunday Apr 26th, and Fri May 1st respectively)

Labels: free money, giveaways

And the winners for the "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" book giveaway are... (dim the lights)

Winner #1: Rivard
Winner #2: collegesuitcase
Winner #3: Bob Phangureh


CONGRATULATIONS! Not only did you win a FREE book, but you also forced me to count from 1 to 92 a handful of times to make sure I got it right! haha....Please contact me with your address so I can mail these bad boys out to ya. And THANK YOU ALL for participating - this was by far the biggest giveaway (in terms of comments left) I've done :) Be sure to stick around and subscribe as I've got many other freebies up my sleeve coming soon!

And for all you losers (sorry, didn't know how else to phrase it), I highly recommend picking up the book @ Amazon or @ your local bookstore whenever you get a chance. It could very well change the way you look at finances for the rest of your life! (may or may not be a little exaggerated)

Labels: giveaways

Just when I thought I'd read the best of the best, I Will Teach You To Be Rich comes along and jumps into my Top 3 Favs :)

BOOK: I Will Teach You To Be Rich
AUTHOR: Ramit Sethi
SEXINESS: Off the charts!

While each book I've read adds a little somethin' somethin' to the PF world, this one comes the closest in capturing the main qualities I look for in a book: Theory, practicality, "how to's", and most importantly, entertainment! If you don't enjoy what you're reading, you'll never finish it - and I guarantee this one does the trick (unless you don't have a sense of humor, in which case you should stop reading now...)

But one of the coolest things is that I now have a book that I can recommend to all "young" people, esp. those fresh out of graduation. While The Richest Man in Babylon and The Automatic Millionaire are fantastic reads, they don't completely circle the realm of personal finance (or at least not modernly). IWTYTBR is the perfect mash-up of both of these books, except with even MORE flair and energy. Which is exactly what us young people need - a quick kick in the pants and a few jokes to get us going in the right direction.

If you like my style of writing, you'll definitely love Ramit's....if he weren't Indian I'd have wondered if we were separated at birth ;) Here's what I mean:

"Why does just about everything I read about personal finance make me want to paint myself with honey and jump into a nest of fire ants? Personal-finance advice has been geared toward old white men and taught by old white men for far too long."

So yeah, he's pretty damn funny. But he's also smart as hell. A graduate of Stanford and creator of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com - one of the more successful pf blogs out there - he really knows his stuff. I'd like to think I've mastered most of this over time, but there's always something new to learn! In my case, it was the "investing" section of his book. Unlike the other books, he gets into this pretty well and gives some solid advice as to how to EASILY do this w/out much worry. He also gets into optimizing credit cards, savings accounts, automation, and a handful of other goodies. There's even a 6-week program to follow to REALLY get your ish in order - I highly recommend it.

And while he doesn't regard the budget as sexy (gasp!), he does offer a "Conscious Savings Plan" in its place - which is fine with me, as long as people STICK to it. In fact, I believe Ramit says that budgeting is the worst word in the history of the world! Remind me to punch him in the face later for that, okay? Good, good. Here's a better sneak peek into it (click on link for full-page viewing):

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

So there you have it - one of my new (again) favorite books! It just hit Amazon last week, so it's hot of the press baby! And guess what? Your boy J. Money has 3 copies to give away! Yup, and all you have to do is leave a comment - that's it. Tell us what you're eating, what you're working on, or just tell us a joke :) Either way, leave it in the comments by this Friday (April 3rd) by 12 noon EST for your chance to win your very own FREE copy.

And as my brotha from another motha (Ramit) would say, "Getting started is more important than becoming an expert". Follow this 85% solution to your finances and it's smooth sailing ahead!

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*UPDATE: Giveaway now closed...Winners will be shown tomorrow at noon est :)

Labels: book reviews, giveaways