Carnival Of Financial Camaraderie – Black Friday Edition

Welcome readers to this edition of Carnival of Financial Camaraderie. This is very long time since I have hosted a carnival at OCAAT. Enjoy the great articles and gain some knowledge from fellow personal finance bloggers.

Carnival in Indonesia, photo courtesy Dayoo

BUDGETING

Steven @ Grocery Alerts writes Making the Most of the Holidays on a Tight Budget – While every family, budget, and situation is different, I wanted to spend some time today to discuss some frugal gift ideas. Presents that you may be able to give regardless of how little you can allocate towards buying gifts.

Lance @ Money Life and More writes Be Prepared for Paycheck Shrinkage on January 1, 2013 – Sorry to break the news to all of my American friends but starting January 1, 2013 your paycheck will likely be 2% smaller and that is on the conservative side. It could be even smaller than that! So what am I talking about and why should you care?

Mike @ Experiglot writes Is Lifestyle Inflation Okay? – The role that lifestyle inflation plays on your finances.

Gary @ Gajizmo.com – Personal Finance writes Best Ways To Get Cheap Car Insurance Quotes – Tips on how to save on your car insurance rates, the factors that affect your premiums, and 5 reasons you should compare quotes online.

Sam @ http://creditcardselect.com writes FinanceNog, Sip On Holiday Tips with Leading Experts (Part 1) – Holiday savings tips from top finance experts like Stephanie Nelson of Coupon Mom and Adrian Nazari of Credit Sesame.

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes Keeping Up with the Jones’: Holiday Gift Giving Style – However, if you have debt or your money is tight, the peer pressure to buy a gift for your friends and family as well as acquaintances can cause you to make some unwise decisions. Here are three ways you should never pay for holiday gifts:

Matt @ Living in Financial Excellence writes Budgeting for Dummies: A Beginner’s Guide – Over the years, I’ve come across a lot of different approaches to budgeting. Naturally I feel that my approach is the best. That’s mainly because it works well for me. I finally realized that the method isn’t entirely critical as long as you’re accomplishing a few key things with your budget:

BUSINESS

Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes Engage in the Startup Community – Sometimes, starting your own business can feel lonely. Getting involved in a startup community can help you find peer and friends to relate to as you build your business.

Robert @ My Multiple Income writes The Most Comprehensive Affiliate Marketing Program List – The most common way to monetize a website is to join an affiliate network, which gives you access to advertisers that you can post on your site. This is an easy way to get access to a bunch of different advertisers, and most networks make it easy to ad the necessary code to your website.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Ways to Save Money on Your Small Business Expenses – If you have a small business, it is almost just as important to minimize expenses, as it is to generate more revenue. If you don’t watch your expenses, you could easily find yourself running a deficit and struggling to maintain your business. Here are some simple tips to save money on your small business expenses.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes How Do You Prepare for the Unexpected? – Are you prepared for the unexpected? This past week saw unusual weather hit the East coast and devastate the Jersey shore. Too many people’s homes and businesses are devastated and will take a long time to rebuild.

Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes Starting a Business? How To Have Work Life Balance – How to balance your life while starting your own business.

CAREER & EDUCATION

Mike @ The Financial Blogger writes Why You Should Earn a Degree That Actually Pays – Why you should seek out an education that matters in this economy.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes Our Bid for Financial Freedom by Age 50 – How much we earn from our money will determine how fast it grows. My husband and I have both learned that there are just some things that you can’t control. But it is nice to have a plan anyway.

ETZ25 @ Entertainment Timez writes Blogging Is Hard For Kids But Worth It? – Blogging for kids is hard, but can be a rewarding experience in many way. Read how my son is overcoming some of the previous problems.

Darwin @ Darwin’s Money writes The #1 Thing You Need to Be Successful in Life (That Nobody Talks About) – Success at anything – life, career, finances, you name it – depends on this one single thing. And it is rarely talked about.

TDB @ Tax Deduction Blog writes Balancing Retirement and Your Child’s College Tuition – Most people view college tuition as a parent’s responsibility, but its cost continues to rise with no end in sight. For example, the fees and tuition of public schools rose by 8 percent in 2011 alone. Likewise, the cost of living isn’t going down either, so the cost of requirement is rising as well. Together,…

Shawanda @ You Have More Than You Think writes How Lazy Bastards Make Money Without Lifting a Finger – What happens if you quit your job? It’s not a trick question. Read how to make money without lifting a finger!

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Job Ready – While this influx of applicants may make things more difficult when you’re hunting for a job, all you need to do is spend a little time making sure you are easy to find on the Internet.

Teacher Man @ My University Money writes What if Your Degree Doesn’t Match What You Really Want to Do? – Do you abandon your education in favor of what it is your really want to do, and waste thousands of hours of study and tens of thousands of dollars? Or do you just ignore what it is you really want to do? It’s a tough choice no matter which way you go.

Young @ Young And Thrifty writes 4 Strategies for Effective Workplace Communication – Since we spend more time in the workplace than we spend with our loved ones on a daily basis, trying to like your colleagues and work well with them is an important part of your day-to-day work.

Cash Flow Mantra @ Cash Flow Mantra writes Blogging from Las Vegas – There is probably not a lot to talk about when it comes to Las Vegas and cash flow other than stuff is really expensive. The conference is being held at the Wynn so we are in Encore. A bottle of water in the mini-bar costs $9. Thank goodness I am being reimbursed otherwise I wouldn’t be staying here.

FINANCIAL ADVICE

Robert @ The College Investor writes How Shark Tank is Making Me a Better Investor – Shark Tank, a reality show where entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to venture capitalists who decide whether or not to invest in a business. The show provides some great investment lessons from very successful business leaders, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists.

K.K. @ Living Debt Free Rocks! writes The Boiling Frog – At what point does one reach their boiling point where debt is concerned? The level where enough is enough and something needs to be done about debt. That’s the premise behind The Boiling Point.

@ writes Fin -

Kerry @ Frugal City Girl writes The Man vs Food guide to getting shit done – How to achieve difficult goals, with Man vs Food competitive eater Adam Richman as guru.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes How to Remodel Your Basement to Create a Bonus Room – If you’re feeling cramped within your existing space, remodel your basement to become a bonus room for your kids, an in-law apartment or a second living room for your entire family to enjoy.

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Skip Black Friday, Double Up on the Gift Cards Freebies Instead – I say skip Black Friday. Hit up Cyber Monday from your couch before work if possible. Look at the deals that no one is talking about… the gift card freebies.

Grand Per Month @ Grand Per Month writes Make a Grand Per Month with Your Head Under the Hood – If you are handy when it comes to cars and you do all of your own maintenance and repairs, I bet you could earn a pretty hefty side income of at least a grand per month.

Jason @ Live Real Now writes 5 Ways to Make Shopping Quickly a Breeze – Here’s my super-secret ninja plan to reduce the unpleasant time wasted while giving away my money in exchange for the privilege of not scooping manure straight from the source onto my crops to get both my burgers and my salads.

FRUGALITY

Michelle @ See Debt Run writes Time; Holding On Won’t Slow It Down – Do you have a hard time letting go of your children’s outgrown baby clothes? How I learned how to let go of the clutter while still holding onto the memories.

Bryan @ Gajizmo.com writes Why You Should Get A Home Insurance Estimate – After Hurricane Sandy and the latest natural disasters, it is more important than ever that Americans protect their largest investment – their homes.

Richard @ Modest Money writes Great Ideas For Simple Living – In uncertain times many families have been changing the way they manage their finances and lifestyles. The shift to simple living has become more and more popular. Often times it takes a serious crisis to get people to re-evaluate their situation and then change.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes 10 Fun Dates that Won’t Break the Bank – Good thing you can still have a fun time during a date without spending too much cash. All you need to do is to think outside the box. Here are ten suggestions on how to a have fun date without going broke.

Jessica @ Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses writes Why Do Rich People Get Mortgages? – If I had the money, I’d buy a house in cash. But so many rich folks are choosing to mortgage a mansion instead of buy a more reasonably priced property instead. Why is that?

Derek Knight @ Freeat33 writes Free Television with Shaw Canada LTSS – Many Bloggers have been talking about this deal. Free television with Shaw before Nov. 30th. Pass it on!

INVESTING

Bryan @ Gajizmo.com writes American Politics, The Fiscal Cliff, QE3 & The Gold Market – Do you know how the “fiscal cliff”, “QE3″, the dollar, and Eurozone crisis might be affecting the equities and commodities markets? Learn about the uncertainty ahead in 2013, as well as safe invesment options like gold bullion and silver as hedges against inflation, market volatility and a potential recession.

Div Guy @ The Dividend Guy Blog writes Forget About What You Read; The FED Is NOT Printing Money and There Is a Much Bigger Problem Just Ahead of Us -

Todd @ Financial Mentor writes Retirement Planning Is Dead – Traditional retirement planning has failed. Statistics prove it is an old world model in need of a facelift. If you want to retire with security this alternative…

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes 5 Investing Lessons To Live By – In a previous issue of Kiplinger’s magazine, Kathy Kristof wrote a column that compare’s the lessons learned in the movie Moneyball with investing advice.

Rich @ Growing Money Smart writes What is Dollar Cost Averaging? – Dollar Cost Averaging is an investment strategy where you are investing static amounts of chunks of money spread out over time (instead of a lump sum purchase) in a given investment.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes 4 Bond Strategies You Can Use To Grow Your Portfolio – Investing in bonds is just one way to diversify your investment portfolio. Bonds are a great investment if you want a regular income stream.

IMB @ Investing Money writes Diversification: Everything you Need to Know – Find out everything you need to know about investing diversification for your portfolio.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes How To Rollover An Old 401(k) Plan – Why do you need to know the details on how to rollover an old 401(k) plan? The average person holds 11 jobs from the age of 18 to 44, according to the Bureau

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Want to Avoid a 459% Product Mark Up? Make Your Own Home Made Play-doh – Make your own homemade playdoh, save money (459% mark up on the brand name!) and have more fun.

Roger Wohlner @ The Chicago Financial Planner writes My Search for the Worst Mutual Fund Yielded a Surprising Result – My search for the worst performing Large Cap Blend mutual fund yielded a surprising result, a fund once managed by a legendary fund manager. Even formerly top mutual funds can fall fast.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Should You Invest in Bonds? – Bonds are understood to be the middle ground between stocks and cash. Bonds are more volatile than cash, but offer higher returns.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Which Type of Mortgage is Right For You? – The most notable types of mortgage available for anyone who wants to buy a home, whether it is for the first, second or even third time are listed here:

J.P. @ Novel Investor writes What Is An ADR (American Depositary Receipt)? – There are many ways to invest in foreign companies. An ADR or American Depositary Receipt is an easy way to buy foreign stocks through your broker.

Infinite Banker @ Becoming Your Own Bank writes Mutual Fund Performance Infograph – Infograph showing mutual fund performance compared to the S&P.

Mr. Money @ Smart on Money writes 3 Tips for Choosing a Financial Adviser – Choosing a financial adviser can be a little bit trickier, though. Put some thought into it, and use the following 3 tips to help you make your decision:

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Bloomberg Businessweek Review – The Businessweek magazine of today is very different from the magazine just a few years ago. After becoming part of the Bloomberg empire, the renamed Bloomberg Businessweek is a fantastic American weekly business news publication.

SAVING

Maltier @ Bryan Maltier – The Insurance Expert writes How To Save With Cheap Car Insurance Quotes And Get The Best Policy Coverage – Ever wonder why you have to give up the coverage you want to get the lower premiums you desire? We focus on the factors that affect your car insurance costs, give advice on types of discount you can apply for, and insight on the average premiums for your state by type of coverage. If your rates aren’t close to the state average, it may be time for you to shop around for auto insurance.

K.K. @ Living Debt Free Rocks! writes Unconventionalism in Action – How and why I came to be living with my husband…and my mother-in-law!

Chris_MoneyandI @ Money & I writes Flight Ticket Refund and Compensation: What’s the difference and when to claim? – A PF blogger explains all you have to know about flight refunds and compensations before claiming them. Check it out yourself!

Beating Broke @ Beating Broke writes Need Money Fast? Have a Flash Savings Challenge – To get started, we challenged ourselves to have $3,000 in our emergency fund by December 9th. We started with $611 in the emergency fund, so that meant we had to come up with $2,389 in 4 weeks.

OTHER

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes What Makes a Company Successful? – Every entrepreneur wants his or her company to succeed. Of course, not every startup is going to enjoy the wild success that, say, Amazon, Google or Apple have had.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Cheap and Easy Thanksgiving Sides – Here are my favorite cheap and easy Thanksgiving side dishes and links to the step-by-step recipes!

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Attacking the Cost of Doing Laundry in Our Household – The two of us generate enough dirty clothes to run two loads of laundry per week (with one-two extra loads per month), or approximately 110 loads per year.

BARBARA FRIEDBERG @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes WHAT IS THE FISCAL CLIFF? – How the Fiscal Cliff will raise taxes. Financial wealth building strategies to cut your tax bill.

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes Extra Expenses Around Holidays – Thanksgiving is almost here for all of us who live in the U.S. and while that may mean extra vacation days from work, it also means one of the most expensive times of the year.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes My Zombie Apocalypse Budget – Three things happened to prompt me to write this post and make an emergency budget should there be a huge emergency, like a zombie apocalypse.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes What Happens After Liquidation – Personal finance focuses on how to make businesses successful; but more than 80% of them fail. Knowing about liquidation and what it means is important.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Best Alternatives to Credit Cards – Credit cards are dangerous and can get people into serious trouble. Instead of risking it, why not use these alternatives instead and safeguard yourself.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Budgeting for a Wedding – Find out how to plan for the expenses of a wedding and not let money prevent you from having a great time celebrating your union.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Will Google Calendar Save This Blog? – My posting schedule is slipping, can Google Calendar save this blog? Read why I think it can and what my new schedule will be and why!

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Why Do Stock Share Prices Change? – Even if you don’t yet know too much about the stock market, you’ll probably be aware that prices change on a regular basis… Read why!

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes What Will You Do In Retirement? – Have you figured out how much you need in order to retire? Have you adjusted this for how you actually want to retire? Retiring young would require you to start

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes 0% Interest – Can I really avoid cutting up my Credit Cards – Do you really need to cut up your credit cards or can a balance be found of wise spending versus interest rates. A great look at 0% offers.

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes Passive Income Challenge Update 1 – Learn more about my multiple streams of passive income and which source of income is the best.

Jason @ Work Save Live writes Understanding the Basics of Deferred Annuities – What is an Annuity? By definition, an annuity is: A fixed sum of money paid to someone each year, typically for the rest of their life A form of insurance or investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums.

Ray @ Squirrelers writes Are You What Your Record Says You Are? – A saying from the sports world suggests that we are what our record says we are. In other words, the numbers speak for themselves. When judging our own potential or acumen with money, should we look at our past history and present status, and be realistic about where we are financially?

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes The Failures and Eventual Success of Colonel Sanders – I love hard luck stories turned mega success. We see huge companies that have been there our whole lives and think that they just appeared.

TTMK @ Tie the Money Knot writes The Value of a Good Night’s Sleep – Are you trading off sleep for work, or moonlighting? Well, you just may be trading away wealth, as this post discusses!

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes No Mortgage Payments For A Year-Sign Me Up! – Quicken Loans is having an awesome Sweepstakes going on right now. If you win, they’ll pay your mortgage payments for an entire year. How could I not share this? I would love to win this sweepstakes.

harry campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes Why I Prefer to Make My Own Black Friday Deals – I’d much rather sit back in the comfort of my own home and shop online. And I say this, living in 60 degree winter weather; I can’t even imagine what it’s like to wait in line at 6 am when it’s literally freezing cold outside. But whether I find a deal on eBay or my favorite retailer Amazon, I can compare prices, use coupons and get free 2 day shipping(thank you prime!) all from the comfort of my reclining couch. This type of shopping might not be appealing to everyone but it defini

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Buying A Purebred Dog Is Like Buying A New Car – There are a lot of things that you must consider before buying a purebred dog. It is a lot like buying a new car with all the considerations that you must take into account. Here are some tips.

Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy writes Busy, Busy With a Focus Group (and a Spattering of Updates) – Read about my recent experiences with a focus group, and my latest updates

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Six Ways to Support Veterans Throughout the Year – A look at ways to support veterans, not just on Veteran’s Day but also throughout the year, allowing you to improve the life of veterans throughout the year.

Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Rediscovering Passion – I am slowly coming out of a pretty long low life cycle that I never thought would end. Now, I’m not sure what to be more alarmed by, the fact that I am getting old enough to have negative or positive life cycles that can last more than 5 years or that it freakin’ lasted 5 years?

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Prioritizing Your Holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s? – More and more Americans are working in jobs that don’t stop just because of a holiday. Which holidays are your priority when it comes to taking time off?

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Should You Pay The Nanny Tax? – It’s estimated that 85-90% of people who have household employees do not pay what’s commonly referred to as the nanny tax. But should you pay it?

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes The Middle Class Squeeze – The term “middle-class” originated around 1745 as a social class between nobility and peasantry. Within the confines of Capitalism, somebody that was born with nothing could become something and rival nobles. Speaking more modern, ANYBODY can become SOMEBODY. It doesn’t really matter how you explain it or define it, though.

Rod @ ROD Blog writes Chase Ink Cash Business Card Review – Chase Ink Cash Business Card is one of the few no-fee business credit cards. How does it stack up on rewards and benefits compared to other cards?

Kanwal @ Simply Investing writes The Dividend Toolkit Review – Matt Alden, and fellow dividend blogger at the Dividend Monk has recently published a great stock analysis guide. I’ve had the opportunity to read the entire guide and apply some of its concepts.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Frontier Bonds and the case for exotic investments – I had a phone call from a reporter this morning that was writing a story on frontier market bonds. Here is what I told her about this high risk investment.

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes Top 20 Dividend Stocks – November 2012 – My top 20 stocks according to my screening criteria.

Chris @ rVoice – The rplan Blog writes Brief history of the London Stock Exchange – Historical fun facts, stats and trivia on the fourth biggest stock exchange in the world. Check out the new post on the rplan Blog about the history of the London Stock Exchange!

Peter @ Bible Money Matters writes The First Meetup of Our FinCon Minnesota Meetup Group and Link Roundup – For the past few weeks I’ve been planning and putting together a meetup group for personal finance bloggers in the Twin Cities, MN area. It’s in conjunction with the Financial Blogger Conference, and it’s been a lot of fun putting the event together.

SB @ One Cent at a Time presents 101 tips to get love and respect in life. It feels good to be loved and respected, it gives you energy to proceed forward.  It gives you strength to fight odds.

This carnival is hosted every second week by My University Money and you can submit articles at Blogger Carnivals.