Duct tape – a frugal parent’s best friend

June 11, 2013 by 3 Comments

You have probably heard over and over that duct tape is the magic solution for all problems. It might even prevent World War III. Here is one fine example of how it can save a parent some money.

Springfree Trampoline

Five years ago, I bought my girls a Springfree® trampoline.  What is awesome about these, pretty much as the name implies, is that there is no spring on which to catch one’s foot.  In fact the whole thing is pretty sleek.  Despite the seemingly hefty $900 price (I see they cost a bit more now), this is the best recreational investment I have made for the kids, for several reasons:

  • After five years, the cost is already down below $200 per year.
  • I set it up in early May and take it down in early November, so it lasts much longer than a swimming pool (here in Canada).
  • The girls use it almost every day that is not rainy when we are around the house, sometimes for as much as an hour a day between them.
  • The girls sometimes stay much longer than an hour on it together – not just jumping, but hanging out (which saved me the time, energy, money and swollen thumbs of building a tree house).
  • Sometimes they use the trampoline to practice dance moves they cannot yet do on the living room carpet, so it does improve their dancing.
  • When they have friends over, it is a natural attraction.
  • It’s an activity I can do with my girls, and I often do.
  • I occasionally use it myself, by myself, just to get my blood flowing in the middle of the day (not often enough, I must confess).

So what does this have to do with duct tape?

Cracks in the Springfree rods

Look carefully at the trampoline.  You see how the net is kept up by curved white poles?  And the trampoline mat is also kept up by curved white poles?  98 of them, in fact.

Well, those poles are not actually curved.  They are straight.  But they are in a state of flex, so they curve, which means they are under a lot of pressure.  Tension.

This spring, as I was taking the trampoline out of hibernation, I discovered cracks in a couple of the poles holding up the net. What was amazing was that these rods, under great pressure and with a crack in their outside curves, were not snapping. Nevertheless, I was worried. So I called Springfree for advice.

They told me (as I had guessed) that the plastic is just a sleeve. Inside was a fiberglass rod that did the actual work. The plastic sleeve’s sole role is to protect the fiberglass from the deteriorating effects of solar radiation.

The problem is that the plastic sleeves themselves will crack as a result of solar radiation.

Their suggestion was to buy new sleeves, for a price of $60. That was for the whole packet; you can’t buy them one by one. If I just let it sit, sooner or later the fiberglass rods inside would deteriorate – and that would be much more expensive to replace.

Then I noticed that it was not just the upright rods holding up the net that were cracked…

Cracks in the Springfree rods

This was a little unsettling, since these are the supports for the mat we jump on. And almost every one was cracked. In multiple places. Yikes!

But remembering that it is the plastic sleeves that are cracked, not the load-bearing fiberglass rods, I set to work with my duct tape.

I have no idea if the $60 would cover both the upper rod sleeves and the lower ones, but I suspect that the replacement cost for all of them would have been more in the $150 range. Never mind, duct tape is cheaper either way, and it does the job.

  • Duct tape covers the cracks, so that no sunlight can sneak in and harm the load-bearing fiberglass rods.
  • Duct tape holds together the plastic, so that small cracks don’t become larger.
  • Duct tape covers the area between cracks where new cracks are most likely to appear.

I used about half a roll in total and spent about an hour applying it.  Better even than saving the money, is the time I saved.  It took me about an hour to set up the trampoline five years ago.  This time it would take me about that amount of time to disassemble it, and again that amount of time to reassemble it.  So two hours plus an unestimatable amount of time and possible damage and/or pain of changing each sleeve.  But duct tape helped me avoid that for now…and maybe for another five years.

The result?  Ta da!

Duct tape fixes the Springfree

Duct tape fixes the Springfree

Pretty stylish, right?

Filed Under: Frugal Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Happiness Poem

May 23, 2013 by 2 Comments

If a happiness poem could bring forth a smile, Then my face would always dress in style.

Everybody loves happiness.  And everybody loves poems.  OK, but some people love poems.  Today, we combine the two in a short happiness poem to help inspire those readers who do love poems.

happiness poemThe Happiness Poem

If a happiness poem could bring forth a smile,
Then my face would always dress in style.

If my ears could hear my computer screen,
From one to another, they, too, would grin.

My keyboard types for my eyes not my tongue
This happiness poem will never be sung.

But what of my eyes?  Don’t they shine?
Yes, but not from this poem of mine.

The pen is mightier than the sword,
But a pen can write only words.

The feelings I sense and the senses I feel
For keyboard and screen remain far too real.

My ears and my nose remain at rest.
My cheeks and hairline are doing their best.

But if this happiness poem could make my mouth smile,
My face would forever dress up in style.

Your face can dress up in style, too.  All it needs is a smile.  Put away the blush and the lipstick and the mascara and the liner.  The only makeup that will dress your face in style is a smile.  For without a smile, all the other forms of makeup are just…paint.

Here is another happiness poem of sorts.

 

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Does good debt exist?

May 23, 2013 by 2 Comments

A frugal person tries to define good debt and bad debt. When does it make sense to get a personal loan?

You know me; I’m a frugal person and I hate debt of all kinds. I hate it even more now that I have too much of it, than I used to hate it when I avoided it like the plague.

But some debt does make sense, so sometimes a loan makes sense. Here are a few times that even I don’t mind going into debt…

Buy a home. Let’s face it, if you wait until you can pay for your house outright, you will never own a home. You will always rent from someone else and pay down someone else’s mortgage. There are very few frugal purists who will argue against this point. And since house prices historically climb at a somewhat predictable , if uneven rate, a mortgage is generally a good investment. Sometimes it’s an incredibly good investment.

But even on mortgages, look what Big Cajun Man says…

“Yup, you might have to get a Mortgage, but don’t get comfortable with it, treat it like you would a Cockroach or an Uninvited Guest (fill in your most unfavorite person here), want to get rid of it, as soon as possible.”

Buy a car. Cars are pretty expensive, so it is hard to save up enough to buy a car outright. But unlike a house, it is possible for many people. And unlike a house, a car depreciates in value.

I actually bought my first car outright. I simply waited until I had saved up for the vehicle, based on a simple premise: spend only what you have earned.

Nevertheless, most people will need to spread a car purchase out over several years, so unless you are very patient, you will want to finance the purchase. Which is what I have done with all further car purchases. But, I have bought used cars each time, rather than incurring debt at top dollar for a depreciating asset.

Watch this video on why you should not borrow to buy a new vehicle:

Pay for education. Taking out a loan to pay for college or university is generally considered to be worthwhile, for two reasons. First, at that point in a person’s life, large amounts of money are rarely saved up. Second, it is the degree that will help you to earn the money to pay for the education – until you get the education, it is very hard to earn enough money to pay for the education.

Michael James says…

” Borrowing to go to school gives you an education and a debt. The education part is good and the debt part is bad. When people say that this is a good debt, they mean that you’re better off with both the education and the debt than you are with neither. But by itself the debt is still bad.”

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are some opportunities that come along once in a lifetime. For me, it was when both my mom and my uncle were in Hungary at the same time, and I had the chance to bring one of my daughters with me and make it somewhat of a family event. The stars would not align so perfectly ever again, and there was no way on relatively short notice to save up the money for the trip.

Greetings from Budapest

If you need to borrow for these kinds of opportunities, be careful. If you want to borrow for other types of expenses…don’t.

People borrow for vacations and for entertainment and for leisure. These things are not necessary, and if the debt remains for five years at a 20-percent interest rate, the actual cost is double the sticker price. In other words, if you go into long-term debt to buy something that is 25-percent off, you are NOT being a crafty shopper. You are being a sucker.

People borrow for food and clothing; these are both necessities, of course, but instead of downsizing their taste, they upsize their debt. Bad idea.

Debt sucks. The only reason to take on debt is if the alternative would be worse. But understand that as soon as you take on debt, you are essentially saying, “OK, I’ll pay through the nose for that.” If it’s worth paying through the nose, then the debt is worth it.

Filed Under: Frugal

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Secret to Happiness

May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This article is an excerpt by David Leonhardt from 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life.

Do I believe there is a secret to happiness? I’ll bet you expect me to say “NO, there is just no simple secret.” While it is true that there are many factors that affect our happiness, I believe there is one secret that determines whether those factors will work for you, and that is the secret to happiness.

101 Great Ways to Improve Your LifeBut first, allow me to share a some history. In 2001, I published the first edition of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. I did all the things authors do, right up to getting myself some media interviews. Being an old hand at media relations (actually, Canada’s send-most-quoted consumer advocate at the time), you would think I would have been superbly prepared for the question that almost every journalist would ask me:

“So, which of the 9 habits is most important?”

What?! Which one is most important? Why, they are all important, of course. That’s why I wrote about them all. I was obviously too close to the forest to see the trees. Or, in this case, the tree.

After being asked this question a few times, I was forced to think, and think hard. And out of nowhere, I had an “Aha!” moment that stands the test of time five years later.

One of the 9 habits I wrote about is more important than the others. One of my 9 habits activates all the others. One of my habits is the secret to happiness. It starts on page 83 of the second edition.

“Count Your Blessings”

It sounds so simple, and so, well, almost corny. But let me give you a concrete example of how this works.

“Count Your Blessings” for Happiness

Have you ever bought a new car? Remember the pride you felt and the excitement when you made the choice? When you signed the papers? When you drove it off the lot? Do you remember that “new car smell”?

Then something happened. Where is that pride today? Where is that excitement now? What happened to that “new car smell”?

Simple. You stopped counting your blessings. When you bought the car, it was a step up. Perhaps it was a better car. Or a bigger car. Or simply a car that would spend less days on the hoist. You were grateful. You were appreciative. You were counting this blessing.

It does not take long for a new blessing to be taken for granted. And the new car becomes just another thing in your life that you take for granted. Consider this incredible set of statistics:

  • 99% of people in the developed world take shelter for granted.
  • 99% of people in the developed world take breakfast for granted.
  • 99% of people in the developed world take lunch for granted.
  • 99% of people in the developed world take dinner for granted.
  • 99% of people in the developed world take clothing for granted.

At the risk of sounding trite or glib, most people in the developed world take cars, televisions, computers, vacations, toasters, freedom of speech, paper clips and thousands of other conveniences for granted. In fact, a TV remote control that requires a battery change or a web page that takes more than five seconds to load are considered serious irritations.

Who is happier, the person grateful to be able to change those batteries and wait for that web page? Or the person grumbling about the time it takes and the inconvenience and the bother and why can’t things work better? (Why don’t they make things like they used to? Why does the lineup have to be so long? Why is it so cold outside? Why do I have to go to work today?)

Of course you have every right to complain any time you choose. Nobody wants to take away your right to be unhappy. But I would love to take away your unhappiness, if you are willing to take action.

Math is not everybody’s strong suit

This is where “counting your blessings”, simple and even corny, is not as easy as it sounds. Our knee-jerk reaction is to complain, to grumble, to be frustrated, to feel almost offended when things don’t work out “perfectly”, just the way we want them to. Imagine poor God, sifting through the millions of prayers he receives daily. Despite the cornucopia of blessings we receive, I am willing to bet that he receives ten times more “Gimmee” prayers than “Thank you” prayers.

Counting our blessings in this day and age of entitlement is not as simple as it sounds, and it sure is not easy to do. In fact, billions of dollars of advertising conspire to reinforce the belief that whatever we have is not good enough and that we deserve better. Who is there to tell us we have enough? Who can help us feel happy with what we have?

You. Only you. Are you ready to give up your own natural knee-jerk reaction and choose to be happy?

You can have all the confidence in the world, but if you do not actively feel grateful for the fruits of your confidence, it will not bring you happiness. You can have immaculate health, but if you do not think about how wonderful that is, it will not bring you happiness. You can smile, build friendships, achieve success, win the lottery, or do whatever you desire, but if you are not saying every day, “Wow! This is wonderful. This is grand. I am the luckiest man (or woman) alive because of this,” don’t expect it to bring you happiness.

Yes, there is a secret to happiness. The secret is gratitude. The secret is appreciation. Or, as I call it in Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness, the secret is to count your blessings.

Filed Under: Happiness Tagged With: ,

Laundry costs and how to save money

May 8, 2013 by 4 Comments

Here’s a great idea for people who want to save three of the most important things around:

  • Time
  • MoneySave money on laundry costs
  • Environment

First a tactic.  Then a strategy.

I did a quick calculation, which might be accurate or way off (I won’t embarrass myself by trying to reconstruct the calculations and start a debate over just exactly how inaccurate they are).  Suffice to say that your costs and mine could vary greatly, depending on whether you wear thick flannels or tiny tank tops.  Whether you wash in hot, warm or cold water.  Whether you have a top-loading or a front-loading washing machine.  Whether you are on a well or whether you pay for city water.

If a person is in the habit of tossing their PJs in the wash each morning, they could save close to $100 per year just by wearing them three nights.  $100 per person.  So a family of five could save almost $500 a year.

Factor in the cost of water and detergent, perhaps even hot water, and some fabric softener.  There is the extra wear and tear on the PJ fabric and also on your machines to consider, too.

But it’s not just money.  Consider also how much time you spend doing each load of laundry – time you would save.  All the sorting, all the loading, all the transferring, all the folding and all the putting away.  If you live in a vertical home, there is also a lot of up-and-down stairs.  And all that extra detergent that you would no longer be flushing into the environment.  And if you live in a city, how much less water will need to be sanitized.

Why can you save all this money, time and pollution?  Because you wear your PJs only seven or eight hours a day (usually).  If you wear them three nights in a row, that’s 21-24 hours.  Not bad.

Does this always work?  No.  Some people sweat a lot at night.  Some nights you might sweat, and not others.  If you sweat a lot, it might not be so wise to keep wearing the same PJs.  If you don’t sweat at all, you might even be able to wear them four or five nights in a row.

Save on all your laundry

Which brings us to the strategy.  This is not about PJs.  This is about when you need to do laundry.  All too often North Americans (and I assume other people in developed countries) think that you have to wash clothes after each time you wear them.

But that makes no sense. Clothes need to be washed when they are dirty.  And when is that?

When they start to smell.  That’s right, put them to the smell test.  If they smell like sweat, put them in the laundry.  If they don’t smell like sweat, they are ready to be worn again.  There is no magical period to wear something.  Sometimes you sweat more than other times.  That is the way things work.  Sometimes you will need to wash a piece of clothing after just a few hours.  Other times, after several days.

READ ALSO: 8 sneaky ways to get free furniture

The other time you need to wash clothing is if you dirty them from the outside – you spill something on them or they rub against something and get dirty.

Imagine how much time you would save if you had 50 fewer loads of laundry to do each year.   Or 60.  Or even just 30.

If your clothes don’t fail the smell test or the dirt test, there is no reason they should not go back in the closet.  They are still clean.  Wear them again, and save time, money and the environment.

Frugal tip:  Save even more by drying them outside. No fabric softener will ever make your clothes smell as fresh as gool ‘ol fresh air.

 

Filed Under: Frugal Tagged With: , , , ,

No Happiness Without Patience

May 1, 2013 by 5 Comments

Instant gratification is not the recipe for happiness. Let’s take a look at how cavemen searched for happiness, long ago…

I’m searching for modern happiness. The old-fashioned kind takes just too long. That happiness requires patience and I don’t want to wait. I want upgraded happiness. I want release 4.02, the “new and improved” version.

This is the 21st century and I demand instant gratification.

Once upon a time, you had to wait to eat your meal. Even when the Mammoth Burger walk-through was open, they offered only self-kill meals. And when you brought them home, you still had to get the fire started.

Patiently waiting for fire to be invented“What? Mammoth burger again? How you cook?”

“Put mammoth carcass on stove.”

“That thing rock.”

“Rock no want to start.  Must make fire for cave lady.”

“Hah. You probably burn cave down.”

“Hah you. No can burn cave down. Buy insurance policy.”

“How you start fire?”

“Rub two fingers together. Make big flame. Cook mammoth burger.”

“Last time you burn fingers.”

“Yummy.”

READ ALSO: How do you fill your time?

 

Nobody lights a fire these days. People don’t even light ovens anymore. It takes just too long to heat up a meal. It takes just too much patience. I’m hungry now, not 40 minutes from now. That’s why God gave us microwave ovens. Just pop the food in and whrrr –BEEP- out it comes, nicely warmed for immediate consumption. That’s how I want my happiness – toasty warm and right now!

“Ooh. No more burn fingers.”

Consider the Internet. You type “electric toothpicks”. You hit “enter”. Google responds: “Search took 1.02 seconds.”

“Seems kinda slow,” you think. “Google is ready for the geriatric ward.” You click on the first result – something about an electric eel eating a balanced breakfast – and a blank screen appears. You wait.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Did you know that Shakespeare once waited almost twenty seconds for a web site to appear, so he could find a word that rhymed with cardiologist? The web site finally appeared in 1997, but he had given up waiting by then.

Five seconds pass. Time’s up and still no site. Your instant gratification cells have been offended. You surf to another site.

“Ugh. No get Mammoth Burger web site. This thing no work.”That thing rock

“That thing rock.”

“Rock need reboot. Go to mammoth burger walk-through”

I don’t want to walk to get happiness. I want it delivered now. Not twenty seconds later, even if it does rhyme with cardiologist. Not 1.02 seconds later. I want happiness now.

Remote control happiness

Remember the olden days when you had to extract your posterior from the couch to change channels? That took such a monumental effort that most people sat through whole television shows without changing channels. Of course, that might have been because the other channel was playing Lawrence Welk.

Back in the two-channel universe there was always something on. Now we flip through 472 channels, which keeps us busy while wishing for something worth watching.

Thanks to the remote control, affectionately known by its technical term – the doodadder – we can flip channels at a relaxed pace of 15 to 20 per minute without even breaking into a sweat. Imagine our body odor if we had to extract our posteriors from the couch each time we change channels!

“Ugh. No like show. Change channels.”

“That thing rock.”

“Rock need more channels. This play only test pattern.”

READ ALSO: Stay grounded or reach for the stars

Happiness should be like television. If I don’t get instant gratification, I should be able to change channels with a zap.

The checkout clerk who doesn’t care…ZAP!

The driver kissing my rear bumper…ZAP!

The loudmouth yakking in the cinema…ZAP!

The telemarketer who calls during dinner…ZAP!

Come to think of it, all those annoying people in my way at the grocery store, at the ticket booth, in the parking lot, in the waiting room…ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

“Miss Wooly no give me mammoth burger.”

“What you do?”

“I zap her with club.”

“That thing rock.”

“I zap her with club. Take mammoth burger.”

“Ugh. You invent self-serve.”

Sigh. Happiness is not like a microwave oven. Nor like the Internet. Not even like a doodadder. Happiness does not run on the instant gratification system. Happiness takes patience. Lord, please grant me the patience I lack…and I want it now!

Filed Under: Happiness Tagged With: , , ,

Tiger and the Three Pigs

April 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A fairy tale about painting a positive self portrait and improving self-esteem and building body image

“Like hamburgers on the grill, teenage girls feel the heat and the pressure to squeeze every last ounce of fat from their bodies. If Claudia Schiffer can look so thin, so must they. If Naomi Campbell can be that slender, they can too. Why not?”
— David Leonhardt on improving self-esteem and building body image, from Climb you Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness

Somewhere in the land of low self-esteem and battered body-images …

tigerAfter years of terrorizing the countryside, hunting deer, poaching livestock, killing game, Tiger grew long in the tooth. Finally, he knew it was time to retire. So he packed his bag: “Poor self-esteem? Check. Poor body image? Check? Poor self-image? Check. Self-portrait? Uh … oh, well, three out of four ain’t bad.”

Tiger ambled into town and came to stand before the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. He rang the bell, and the first little pig appeared on the landing above. “What do you want?” asked the little pig.

“I come here to retire,” Tiger replied.

“Ooooh. I don’t think so,” the little pig declared. “You’re not like us. You’ve got big teeth. Very dangerous. We can’t let you in.”

Tiger, having poor self-image, went to the dentist to improve these apparent deficiencies, and had his teeth removed. The next day, he returned to the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. “What do you want?” asked the second little pig.

“I have no more teeth. I come here to retire,” Tiger replied once more.

“Ooooh. No, no, no. That just won’t do,” the little pig exclaimed. “You’re different. You have sharp claws. You scare us. We can’t let you in.”

No teeth, no claws, no self-portrait

Tiger took his poor self-esteem and even worse body-image to the manicurist and had his claws removed. The next day, he returned to the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. “What do you want?” demanded the third little pig.

“I have no more claws. I come here to retire,” Tiger repeated.

“Ooooh. Let me see,” the little pig muttered as he disappeared from sight. Tiger heard much whispering and commotion behind the big wooden doors. “Okay, come in,” said the little pig.

three little pigs

Tiger strolled through the doors, and there stood the three little pigs, grinning ear to ear. Suddenly they jumped on Tiger. Squealing with delight, they beat him up and sent him packing. No teeth. No claws. Yippeeee! Finally they got even with Tiger for terrorizing the animals.

Tiger should have known better. He should have accepted who he is and not try to conform to someone else’s image of him. What tiger in his right mind lets a pig paint his portrait? He should have painted a self-portrait instead.

Do you seek to improve your body or your body image? Do you seek to improve your claws or your nails, or do you improve your self-esteem? What do you see when you look in the mirror?

So, who paints your portrait?

Take this self-esteem test!

(Adapted from the motivational self-help book Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. The book includes two chapters dedicated to improving self-esteem and two chapters dedicated to building self-confidence.)

Filed Under: Happiness

Self-esteem Test

April 22, 2013 by 1 Comment

Take this free self-esteem test by Karl Perera to determine how strong is your self-image

This free quiz is extremely quick and simple, just answer TRUE or FALSE to each question (if you cannot answer 100% TRUE then answer FALSE):

self-esteem1. Other people are not better off or more fortunate than me

2. I accept myself as I am and am happy with myself

3. I enjoy socializing

4. I deserve love and respect

5. I feel valued and needed

6. I don’t need others to tell me I have done a good job

7. Being myself is important

8. I make friends easily

9. I can accept criticism without feeling put down

10. I admit my mistakes openly

11. I never hide my true feelings

12. I always speak up for myself and put my views across

13. I am a happy, carefree person

14. I don’t worry what others think of my views

15. I don’t need others’ approval to feel good

16. I don’t feel guilty about doing or saying what I want

Read also: How to Boost Your Self-esteem Quickly

TEST RESULTS:
Total number of TRUE answers you gave

15-16 You have a high level of self esteem!
12-14 Not bad, but room for you to improve.
8-11   Low self esteem – it’s holding you back.
Below 8 your esteem is drastically low.

Self-esteem is a key component in happiness and self-actualization – so much so that two of the habits in Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness are devoted to self-esteem. This free self-esteem test is meant simply to give you an indication of what kind of improvement you might wish to make.

Filed Under: Happiness Tagged With: , ,

Lifestyle Carnival – Happy Relaunch Edition

April 14, 2013 by 6 Comments

Welcome to the 50th edition of the Lifestyle Carnival.  This is the Happy Relaunch Edition, because it coincides with the relaunch of this blog.  We have moved it from the sub-domain to the main domain for extra exposure.  In the weeks ahead, the entire look of the blog will be upgraded, too.

Happy Blog Posts

TRAVEL

Melody @ Vacilando writes fun – Although we have created this fun and weird existence, living abroad and traveling on our 35′ sailboat, sometimes, believe it or not, we have to remind ourselves to have FUN.

Greg @ Club Thrifty writes Planning Ahead: The Advantages of Life Planning – OK, so we may take planning ahead to a whole new section of Crazy Town. Still, planning ahead can benefit your life in many ways. Find out how inside!

Steve @ Grocery Alerts writes Guide to Cross Border Shopping for Canadians – Many Canadians cross border shop in the United States. This guide shares tips on how much you can bring back, what you can bring and useful websites.

Jason Hull @ Hull Financial Planning writes Do FBAR and FATCA Affect You if You Plan on Becoming an Expatriate? – If you plan on becoming a backpacking vagabond living in the steppes of Tajikistan, you’ll still need money to live on. Will the long arm of the IRS touch you? Here’s how to stay in their good graces if you want to be an expat.

HEALTH

Robert @ Kids Ain’t Cheap writes Choosing Daycare: Finding the Perfect Fit – Choosing a childcare provider is one of the hardest and most thought through decisions parents make. No one would argue that the ideal candidate for proving childcare are the parents, but in today’s world, it is more common that both parents return to work after their child is born.

Stephan Ledain @ http://eternalremedy.com/ writes The Nice People – A parable of self-discovery on the topic of faith.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Spring Cleaning Tasks to Get a Head Start On – I actually enjoy the thought of spring cleaning. There is something about the thought of being organized and starting a season off on the right (clean) foot that is satisfying. However, I find that when I start spring cleaning, I am usually surprised by how much work it is.

ENTERTAINMENT

Jules Wilson @ Fat Guy,Skinny Wallet writes My New Sony NWZ-W262 Walkman From Klout! – The Sony NWZ-W262 Walkman wireless MP3 player recently came into my possession, and so far I love it! You can read my first impressions & see a video of the unboxing

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Are smart TV’s worth it? – Consumer technology evolves at such a rapid rate these days that your tech is probably out-dated by the time you’ve managed to save up for it. Advertising sometimes manages to convince you to save up for gear neither need nor want.

WEALTH AND RETIREMENT

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Fact or Fiction: 5 Passive Income Myths – Looking into starting a passive income? Before you try, it’s important to know the facts and falsehoods. Here are 5 passive income myths and tips.

Michael @ Financial Ramblings writes Dirty Money and Spending Behavior – Looking for new ways to save money? Consider asking for new bills the next time you withdraw money at the bank. While it’s well-accepted that currency denomination influences spending, there’s now evidence that the appearance of your money may be even more important.

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes Five Things to Look For in a Real Estate Investment Trust – There are five factors I analyze at a REIT, before putting my money to work in the sector. I used three REIT’s I own in this exercise in order to illustrate my strategy in action.

Bryan @ Gajizmo.com writes Best Paying Jobs For Women – Gender inequality is still an issue in America, but there are still certain careers that minimize the compensation gap and offer men and women relatively the same advancement. Healthcare continues to dominate the list of best paying industries for women, but what other jobs offer the highest pay?

MMD @ My Money Design writes Reader Debate – Would You Borrow Money to Invest in Stocks? – If real estate investors use other people’s cash to finance their investments, would it be wise for stock investors to borrow money to invest in stocks?

Arnel Ariate @ Money Soldiers writes 3 of the Best Budgeting Tips for Contractors – These are things that you need to do in order to stretch your cash in any job. Budgeting is an essential part of any financial plan and preparing a budget is essential to your contracting business.

Marvin @ Brick By Brick Investing writes Ridiculous Young Entitled Generation – My personal rant about a highschool senior who fills entitled to an Ivy League education.

Peter @ Bible Money Matters writes Work-Life Balance: More Time and Less Money – I started making more time for my son, but that pushed some work later into the night. It isn’t bad on some days. But between my full-time job and my side hustle, I can certainly see my side income slipping. Finally, I just decided that there were certain things I wanted to do, and that I wasn’t going to let the idea of making money overtake my family life.

Lynn @ Wallet Blog writes Home Warranties: Worth the Price? – A home warranty/home protection plan is a service contract that protects many of the appliances or systems (heating, plumbing, air conditioning) in your house in case they fail. They can serve as a security blanket of sorts to homeowners, particularly if you’re purchasing a home that is older or hasn’t had much in the way of upkeep over the past number of years.

Nick @ A Young Pro writes Recent Graduate Budget Infographic – I discuss the merits of an infographic aimed at helping recent graduates learn the basics of money management.

John S @ Frugal Rules writes Taking the Plunge: What the Hell Have I Done? – You learn a lot about yourself when pressed up against a wall. I found myself in this situation last summer after starting our business. By persevering through it I was able to grow and seeing the value of not giving up on oneself

Marie at FamilyMoneyValues @ Family Money Values writes WOMEN NEED MORE ECONOMIC POWER – Lack of economic power has forced women into lives of sexual slavery. Lack of economic power has caused women to stay in abusive relationships.Lack of economic power has caused women to lack access to educational opportunities.

Justin @ The Frugal Path writes Find Your Financial path – Sometimes the hardest step is the very first one that you must take. This can be especially true with personal finances.

Glen @ Monster Piggy Bank @ Monster Piggy Bank writes Time is Money – What are you Sacrificing for Money? – What are you sacrificing for money? Is it Time? Or perhaps physical or mental health? It is a question that I think many people don’t bother to ask themselves, as they don’t feel that they are sacrificing anything.

Jacob @ Cash Cow Couple writes Why You Probably Can’t Afford a Dog – Unless you’ve stashed a mound of cash in the doggy fund, you should probably take a good hard look at the total cost of owning a new dog.

Mr.CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes Life, Money and Retirement-Skype Doesn’t Reach Heaven – Sometimes we need to ask ourselves why we work so hard for all the money we make and whether we are spending our time wisely. Pouring your life into one basket risks leaving behind potential memories that you might not be able to go back and get. Take time to evaluate your life, your priorities and your future.

Edward Antrobus @ Edward Antrobus writes Could You Live on Minimum Wage? – 4.4 million Americans live on minimum wage. SPENT is a game designed to show the tough choices made everyday by the working poor.

HOBBIES

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Thank You. I See You. – To the amazement of my fellow bloggers, I try to respond to every comment I get. It makes me sad when I see someone leave a comment saying, that they’ve been reading for years, but never left a comment. We can’t share a moment, if I can’t see you. If you have a question for me reach out and contact me… let’s connect.

Carolyn Henderson @ This Woman Writes writes Bruce Willis Knitting – Anyone who thinks that knitting is a sedentary, boring hobby doesn’t go about it the way I do.

CheapSKate @ ConsumerFu writes 25 Ways to Upcycle – At ConsumerFu we love turning trash into treasure. Don’ t miss this compilation of some of our favorite finds on Twitter.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Making the Most of Your Small Garden Spaces – The good news is that with a few simple updates, you can create a beautiful garden, in spaces both big and small. Here’s a look at how.

GOOD EATS

eemusings @ NZ Muse writes Boyfriend in the kitchen: Beef and mushroom noodles –

Tamar @ DeviledEggs101.com writes No Mayo And Deviled Eggs – Like all our other favorite recipes, it is important to be able to substitute unhealthy ingredients with healthier ones. With summer around the corner, many of us are trying to shape up and trim down for bikini season. Here is a Deviled Eggs recipe that replaces mayo with healthier alternatives.

Alexis @ FITnancials writes Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe – Hello everyone! I am here to share with you one of my new favorite recipes. My boyfriend and I were recently talking about how we don’t really eat too healthy when we are together, so we decided to start making healthy dishes at home instead of eating out. Our first dish together was Stuffed Bell Peppers. This recipe was so delicious!

We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Lifestyle Carnival.  If you have a blog post to share you can submit it to the next edition using this handy carnival submission form.

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