Welcome to the Carnival of Personal Finance #272, which is going to be riddled with my favorite Yogi Berra quotes since it’s Monday and we all need a smile!  I hope you enjoy it and come back to visit BFS!

Editor’s Picks – “A nickel isn’t worth a dime today.”

Donna Freedman from Surviving and Thriving presents Can’t stand the heat? Get into the kitchen — but only long enough to make iced tea.  How can you overlook a post that starts with “I’m working in my underpants”?

Mrs. Frugal from Cool to be Frugal with Preparing for a Baby – What Do You Really Need?  This is one of the most comprehensive lists I’ve seen.

FMF from Free Money Finance with Keep an Open Heart and a Critical Eye  I’d highly suggest following these steps and concentrating on inspecting the place yourself – this is personal experience talking…

Money Management – “Yeah, but we’re making great time!” — In reply to “Hey Yogi, I think we’re lost.”

Squirrelers from Squirrelers presents Myths About Millionaires.

MD from Studenomics presents Systematic Personal Finance– Does It Work?.

Daniel from Sweating The Big Stuff presents 10 Essential Tips for Online Shopping Safety, and says, “You can save a penny each day by not buying something and then lose three thousand in one minute once you are get scammed!”

Barb Friedberg from BarbaraFriedbergPersonalFinance presents No-Brainer Money Management For College Students

Kaye from Mrs Nespy’s Frugal World presents 8 Financial Benefits of Being Single, and says, “There are pros and cons of being single (or not) as far as your finances are concerned. Let’s look at 8 reasons it is good (for your finances) to be single. ”

Lauren from Richly Reasonable presents 5 Stupid Things You Can Do With Your Money, and says, “Surely there are more than 5 stupid things you can do with your money, but I’d be writing forever.”

Craig Ford from Money Help For Christians presents How to Graduate from College Debt Free, and says, “A step by step guide for graduating college without debt.”

Grad Money Matters presents 10 Great Ideas to Earn a Part Time Income.

Ron from The Wisdom Journal presents Things Your Traditional Banker Won’t Tell You About Online Banking, and says, “Online banks are just as safe and offer many of the same services as traditional banks. So why settle for dismal interest rates from your traditional bank when an online bank can give you everything you need?”

WellHeeled from WellHeeledBlog presents Why We Are So Bad At Buying Happiness, and says, “There’s an art and a science to buying happiness, but most of us are quite bad at getting the most happiness bang for our bucks because of these 6 reasons. ”

B Simple from Simple Financial Lifestyle presents Cure for the Financially Overwhelmed

Suba from Wealth Informatics presents Getting the best student checking account, and says, “Checklist and issues to look out for getting the best student checking account”

ElizabethG (Modern Gal) from Modern Gal presents The New Financial Normal: Are You Prepared?.

Investing – “Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.”

Nunzio Bruno from Financially Digital presents Backyard BBQ Investment Advice, and says, “This was kind of an awkward experience turned awesome blog post. It was one of those days where I didn’t get to take my work hat off but I did get to help someone over some great BBQ. ”

Craig from Free From Broke presents Why Invest In Mutual Funds, and says, “With all of the investing options out there, an investor needs to know about mutual funds any why they can be an important part of a portfolio.”

Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Eight Dividend Stocks Yielding More than Fixed Income, and says, “There are many solid Blue chip stocks which yield more than fixed income. In addition to that solid dividend stocks could also afford to increase the dividend payment, which offers protection against inflation.”

Bret from Hope to Prosper presents Why I Invest in Mutual Funds, and says, “There are a number of key reasons I invest in mutual funds and I strongly recommend them to other investors.”

Dividends Value presents When To Sell A Dividend Stock, and says, “As a long-term buy-and-hold investor, most of my evaluation efforts are aimed at determining when to buy a stock. Sometimes it is necessary to sell a stock and we need to be equally adept at identifying those times.”

Mike Piper from Oblivious Investor presents Motley Fool Retirement Calculator: Try Again, and says, “Online retirement calculators can be dangerous. One unrealistic assumption can make an otherwise-great calculator do more harm than good.”

ctreit from Money Obedience presents Why Use a Retirement Planning Calculator? , and says, “A retirement calculator is like a map in an ever-shifting landscape. You still want to use a map, but you got to adjust the route as you travel towards your destination.”

Ricky from Qwoter presents IRA Hardship Withdrawal, and says, “Are you going through financial hardships and need to withdrawal money from your IRA? Familiarizing yourself about the IRA withdrawal rules is crucial to avoid high penalties and fees.”

Arjun from Investing Thesis presents Investing in small and micro cap value stocks with Matt Miller of Chanticleer Holdings

Clint from Accumulating Money presents The Best Bonds are Low Risk

Finance – “It’s deja-vu all over again.”

RJ Weiss from Gen Y Wealth presents Asking The Experts | What Advice Do Financial Planners Have For Members of Gen Y , and says, “I contacted a few financial planners, asking them, “What advice do you have for members of Gen Y?” The responses I got back were nothing short of amazing.”

Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents The Rise of No Fee Money Market Funds, Savings and Cash Accounts, and says, “I discuss the issues behind financial industry, as it relates to consumers and savings products.”

Kevin from Invest It Wisely presents How I Almost Got Scammed: Lessons Learned from Trouble in “Paradise”.

Budgeting and Saving – “You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn’t enough in the second half you give what’s left.”

Kevin from Financially Poor presents Cost VS Value- Three Strategies for Success.

Jason from One Money Design presents How Do You Save Money for a Vacation?, and says, “Looking to get away? We all need a vacation every once and a while. When and where you want to go will not only determine the cost of your vacation, but the method you save. ”

Kristina from Dinks Finance presents What To Do When Your Nest Egg Cracks, and says, “Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself using your savings. That is what savings are for!”

DR from Dough Roller presents List of Personal Finance Software Options, and says, “List of the most popular personal finance software options, including free online budgeting tools.”

Frugality – “The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase.”

Nicole from Nicole and Maggie: Grumpy Rumblings presents What’s your cooking system?, and says, “Nicole and Maggie discuss different systems of organizing cooking at home. Do you use a system? Which?”

frugalscholar from frugalscholar presents CPW and LBD: Some Thoughts.

MR from Money Reasons presents Living With Your Parents While Being Young, Successful And Married, and says, “A story of wise young couple’s frugality even though they are very successful.”

Car Negotiation Coach from Car Negotiation Coach presents Your father was wrong: How NOT to negotiate car price.

FIRE Finance from FIRE Finance presents Back To School – Super Savers Guide, and says, “Back to school season is here. Parents and students alike are busy planning, budgeting and shopping to meet the semester head on.”

FT from Million Dollar Journey presents How to Save Money when Eating Out, and says, “Some tips on how to save money when eating out.”

Kristia from Family Balance Sheet presents Perform Your Own Home Energy Audit To Help Trim Your Utility Expenses, and says, “It is amazing what you can find by just walking around your house with your eyes wide open.”

Ray @ Financial Highway from Financial Highway presents 5 Extreme Ways to Go Frugal and Save, and says, “Frugality is a popular discussion topic around the web, but how frugal can you be? Can you go to this extreme frugality? ”

Ryan from Obsessed Analytic presents Avoid Scamming Auction Sites At All Costs, and says, “A number of scamming auction sites are popping up all over the internet. Learn how to identify and avoid scamming sites like swipebids and quibids”

Adam from Magical Penny presents Lust Hunger and Desire, and says, “Too often we allow our emotions to drive our purchases. So I’m using time to help make a more rational purchasing decision.”

Ryan Ayres from The Financial Student presents How to Not Suck at Buying College Text Books, and says, “Shopping at your campus bookstore is a huge mistake if you want to save some money when buying text books. ”

Debt - “Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded.”

Paul Williams from Provident Planning presents How to Get Out of Debt: Step 10 – Don’t Get Trapped Again!, and says, “This last step in getting out of debt is focused on keeping you from ending up in another mess again.”

David from Credit Card Offers IQ presents Say No To Credit Card Debt With These 8 Tips, and says, “Say No To Credit Card Debt With These 8 Tips”

Simon Zhen from Realm of Prosperity presents We Are Forever Indebted to Technology.

Miss Bankrupt from Miss Bankrupt presents Congratulations!You’re on the Verge of Bankruptcy!.

Credit – “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Neal Frankle from Wealth Pilgrim presents 5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score Fast, and says, “You probably don’t need me to convince you that you should always be looking for ways to improve your credit score.”

Tim Chen from NerdWallet Credit Card Watch presents Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Is the 25k Point Bonus Worth It?, and says, “Chase is offering a Sapphire Preferred in addition to the regular Sapphire, and charging an $85 annual fee. So is it worth it? Or should you stick with the Sapphire?”

Cecil Dellison from Clear Choice Credit Cards Blog presents NFL Credit Card Owners Lose Points in Bank Change.

Junior Boomer from Consumer Boomer presents How to Make Corrections on Your Credit Report.

Mr. Credit Card from Ask Mr. Credit Card presents Visa Signature Concierge.

Jim from Bargaineering presents Is a Balance Transfer Worth It?.

Sean Smarty from Grow Money presents How To Build Good Credit History Using A Credit Card.

Career and Family – “How long have you known me, Jack? And you still don’t know how to spell my name.” — Upon receiving a check from Jack Buck made out to “bearer.”

Jason from Live Real, Now presents Bonding Relationships, and says, “Managing a successful career is easier when you have people looking out for you.”

Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents Back to School Shopping: What Are You Teaching Your Kids?, and says, “When it comes to finances, nearly everything you do offers teaching opportunities for your children.”

Paul from SavingFreak.com presents What We Can Learn From Texas About Housing, and says, “An article examining why Texas was not affected by the housing bubble like other states of similar size.”

mbhunter from Mighty Bargain Hunter presents Stores can now refuse small credit card charges, and says, “This is not good. Time to carry a lot more cash for those little purchases …”

Real Estate – “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

Roshawn Watson from Watson Inc presents My Big, Fat Trashy Home: The Fall of the McMansion, and says, “Your house is about 6,000 square feet, almost triple the size of the national average. It has all the bells and whistles. With a crib like this, how could anyone not be impressed? Well, many aren’t. ”

Ken from Spruce Up Your Finances presents Buying a Home: What You Need To Know About the True Cost of Homeownership, and says, “If you think the monthly payment on your house is only the amount of your PITI (or principal, interest, property taxes and insurance), think again!”

FruGal from FruGal presents Will you ever be able to afford your own home?.

John from Passive Family Income presents 8 Tips to Consider When Refinancing a Mortgage, and says, “Refinancing a mortgage on your home can provide several benefits to your personal finances.”

Other – “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”

J. Money from Budgets Are Sexy with 5 Things to Always Keep in Your Car  I loved this list and can’t stress having the extra small bills and cash – this has helped me when I’ve forgotten my wallet and for toll roads when I didn’t have the sticker.

Jason @ Redeeming Riches from Redeeming Riches presents True Wealth – Defined., and says, “A story of uncovering True Wealth and the 3 P’s!”

Mr. GoTo from Go To Retirement presents Preparing Your Retirement Plan for Tax Increases, and says, “2011 promises to bring significant tax changes that can affect your retirement planning. Are you prepared?”

Khaleef @ KNS Financial from Faithful With A Few presents Helping Those in Need is a Reflection of God’s Love!, and says, “According to the bible, helping others is a very tangible, practical way to express God’s love.”

JLP from AllFinancialMatters presents Presidents and Economics (Roosevelt – Bush).

Briana Ford from Go Banking Rates presents Personal Finance Lessons from Super Mario, and says, “Here are the top savings and personal finance lessons Super Mario taught us.”

Eric from Narrow Bridge presents Finance in Hollywood: Michael Scott, and says, “A look at Michael Scott of The Office and why he is pretty much the opposite of what you should look at as an example of good personal financial management.”

PT from PT Money presents TradeKing Online Stock Broker Review , and says, “A full review of the discount online stock broker, TradeKing, including pricing, platform, and customer service.”

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