Weekend Ramblings – January 26

Matt @ Living in Financial Excellence writes Budgeting for Dummies: A Beginner’s Guide – I don’t think there’s one magic solution or easy button for creating an effective budget. However, I do feel strongly that the steps mentioned above are definitely important ingredients in the recipe for success. That’s about as close as I can get to a magic formula.

Michael @ Excess Return writes Why A Strong Dollar Will Be Bad For Your Portfolio – Interest rates are low. Quantitative easing measures, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the American economy, are high. The fed has, for years, been following a course of flushing the dollar down the pan. The general explanation for this is that such a policy makes exports cheaper in the currency of the target market which will, in turn, drive the U.S. economy forward.

John S @ Frugal Rules writes Three Ways Advertising Companies Tempt You to Forsake Frugality – Advertisers are good at making you feel like you need or must buy something in order to have happiness. By being an informed consumer you can spot such advertising and not fall prey to such marketing schemes.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Setting Goals That I’ll Actually Accomplish – My finances are tricky; my income fluctuates from one year to the next making it challenging to set a budget. However, I know what the minimum is that I need to bring in to pay all the bills and have a teeny, tiny bit left to set aside for savings. Using the zero-balance method that I’m trying out this year, I should be able to save my regular up-front amount, boost it by $50, and then save whatever’s left at the end of the month.

Ken Faulkenberry @ Arbor Investment Planner writes Mr. Market and the Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham used a parable with an imaginary investor named Mr. Market to illustrate how an intelligent investor should take advantage of market volatility.

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes Funding Your Business – I love small business! Entrepreneurship is the heart and soul of this country. Someone with a dream and the drive to go out make it happen.

Suba @ Wealth Informatics writes How to get cheap prescription drugs and save money on medications – Health care is one of the major budget item for us. So I compiled a comprehensive list to get cheap prescription drug and save money on my medications.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Are You REALLY Financially Responsible? – Most of us like to think that we are financially responsible. However, it’s very possible that you aren’t actually as financially responsible as you think.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes The More You Trade, The Less You Earn – If you are a regular reader to my blog, I recommend a buy and hold strategy when it comes to investing. You should invest in low cost, high quality mutual funds and avoid selling until you need the money.

Steve @ Grocery Alerts writes Explaining the Target Red Card Loyalty Program – I wanted to share some valuable information with our Grocery Alerts readers about the popular Target loyalty program, Red Card. The Target Red card offers a flat five per cent discount on almost all purchases made with the chains debit or credit card.

Aloysa @ My Broken Coin writes Ten Things You Gain When You Stop Being Cheap – Read my list of ten things that you gain when you stop being cheap

Lance @ Money Life and More writes How Federal Tax Rates Work – Not What You May Think – Have you ever heard people complain that “The government taxes my bonus checks at a higher rate, even more than they take out of my regular paycheck!”? While more federal tax is withheld, you aren’t actually taxed anymore on this income. Intrigued or confused? Read on to learn more about why these commonly believed statements are FALSE!

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Doing Business With Friends – Could It Work? – Doing business with friends can sometimes have negative results despite our best intentions. Even with our best hopes, wants and intentions – results can be negative.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes 3 Ways to Impress Your Interviewer to Bag the Job – Three steps among the most fundamental that would witness a job seeker not only bag the job but also gain an impressive reputation with their employers.

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes The United States Will Absolutely Default – The Debt Ceiling debacle has posed a question to Americans: Will the United States, for the first time ever, default on it’s debt? The answer is absolutely, yes. The debt has grown too high for us to pay. We will not default in the traditional sense, but we will devalue the dollar so the end result is the same. The United States will absolutely default.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes 4 Ways To Save for Your Kid to Go to College – When it comes to saving money for your child’s college education, there are many, many ways to save.Here are four popular ways to save for your kids education.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes Job Hopping & Generational Differences in Opinions About Careers – This has been an interesting topic of discussion lately, and I’ve taken it to my colleagues, too. The generational differences are obvious.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Why I Bought Some Facebook Shares – This is the reason I bought some shares of Facebook’s stock even though I no longer use Facebook much myself.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes 5 Weird Ways to Save Money at Home – With home-related expenses on the rise, it’s not surprising that people are looking for creative ways to trim their expenses. Did you know you can do so in your very own home or neighborhood? With a bit of creativity and extra effort, you can easily trim your household expenses.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Savings Accounts for Us Lower and Middling Sorts – Thomas Eddy and other businessmen and economists of his time believed that they had a cure to the alarming poverty rate levels in post-War of 1812 New York

Ray @ Squirrelers writes The High Cost of Getting The Flu – Getting the flu is no fun, as we know, but it can also be expensive! This post discuss the value of trying to prevent the flu, and the various expenses that we can avoid.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Is It Worth It to Purchase Insurance for Your Smartphone? – Purchasing cell phone insurance in an economy that is still trying to get back to some sense of stability, at the end of the day, is generating another bill. So, when it comes to making the ultimate decision about whether or not you should purchase insurance for your smartphone, here are five main things to consider:

Jason @ Live Real Now writes Magical Thinking – Magical thinking, wishful thinking, and baseless hope are not rational methods of running your life. Criminals hunt for victims who wrap themselves in a smug, yet naïve, superiority. Murphy’s Law is waiting for someone arrogant enough to think that the laws of physics don’t apply when you’re commuting. The only rational means of predicting the behavior of others is to look at the signals they are actually producing.