DebtFREE-Revolution

My mind is quite blank today, so I think I’ll give some shout-outs and interesting links from my del.icio.us bookmarks.  First up, a couple carnivals I forgot I entered LOL

• The Baglady hosted the Carnival of Twenty-Something Finance and included my post about how the Foreclosure Crisis Means A Buyers’ Market.
• Chief Financial Officer hosted the Carnival of Money Stories #53 and included my post What Would Make You Feel Rich? which a lot of y’all had fun with in the comments

Now for some links to posts that caught my eye over the past week and made me want to bookmark them to share:

• Debt Free Playbook (great blog name!) posted a great essay on the ways we get into debt
• Free From Broke did a tongue-in-cheek April Fools’ Day post about 7 ways to get rich quick.  I was laughing!
• Frugal Dad asks the very pertinent question: Are student loans the next financial meltdown?  Judging from what I hear on campus, the worst may still be coming…
• Prime Time Money wrote a great motivational piece about how to prioritize your debts for PAYOFF!
• Can I Get Rich On A Salary? relays the story of how one California man had his HELoC revoked even with a credit score of 800 and a very good income.

Happy reading, folks!  Hopefully some form of inspiration will visit me soon and I can go back to ranting and raving as usual.

I’ve been up for over three hours, after going through a bit of insomnia last night.  I am on my FOURTH cup of coffee.  I’ve popped the best pain pill I have on hand.  I’ve looked at all kinds of blog posts, hoping for inspiration.  I’ve looked through some search queries for inspiration.  Nothing.  del.icio.us is acting up on me, so I can’t get to all my bookmarks, because I am majorly copping out and doing a link round-up for today before I drag into work.

• Money and Panic at How to be a Middle-Aged Man.  New post from a new blog, and I sure hope he can find a solution and work on a budget with his wife.  For the record, my teenage son is in private school.
• NCN has his preparation list for his new baby.  A super list for “just before” the baby comes!  Almost like he’s done this a time or two before ;)  Best wishes for a healthy baby and trouble-free delivery for mom.
• Money Kings has a humorous look at my favorite vice: eating out.  Never thought of it as “cheating” on my wallet!
• Get Rich or Die Trying asks if this is a good time to start an emergency fund with the Fed cutting interest rates.  “Now” is ALWAYS a good time to start an e-fund!
• Wide Open Wallet discusses the evolution of a budget with a good experience based way of handling money when you work on tips (like I do) and the transition to a steady paycheck.
• I was only listed in one blog carnival this week, the second edition of the Kids and Money Carnival which of course included a post about my teenage son and his food budget.

I have quite a few other things bookmarked as well, from blogging tips to humor (heads-up: some of the humor is decidedly “off color”).  It seems my experiment of putting the Teenager on a food budget has sparked some interest around the blogosphere as well:

• CleverDude has been enjoying it, although I think he commiserates and relates with the teenager.  Thank you for the spotlight post over at your blog, Dude
• CindyS from Oh My Aching Debts reflects on what her parents taught (or didn’t teach) her about money and budgeting, as well as being very active in the comments over here and giving me good feedback and ecouragement.
• Although he (?) first thought I was a “making money online” blog, the reviewer over at the mainstream Pro Blog Reviews has been following the teenager on a budget experiment as well, and gave my site a very nice review.  I appreciate the kind words

Finally, for being a “cop-out” post this sure does take longer to gather up the links than it would for me to just be inspired and type like a demon spouting off some opinion LOL  Enjoy the reading!  I am still trying to shake the zombie feeling before I head off to work.

 I’ve got my second cup of coffee, and am coherent enough to blog!  Some fun links for everyone this morning, and a reminder that this afternoon I will be interviewed on a podcast.  First up, the links:

• Ryan Healy held this week’s Carnival of Debt Reduction - the Moving Edition and selected my post Too Much Debt as one of his Editor’s Picks, saying: “This is probably the most passionate post in the Carnival. More of a rant than anything. I can’t say there’s much personally actionable advice, but it’s still definitely worth reading.”
• There’s a new graphic and link in the sidebar.  Yan from Pro Bargain Hunter is co-founder of the new bargain shopping site Buxr.com so if you’re looking to purchase something, take a peek there to see if his site can save you money.
• I’m starting to figure out how del.icio.us works and am actually using it now.  Don’t laugh, I am old and might crawl back under my rock if you do!  But y’all can add me to your network and even send me links through it that you think I’d be interested in.  Some of those bookmarks will certainly become fodder for future posts.

Now, for the podcast info: I was asked if I’d like to be the interviewee for All American Blogger’s “Field Guide” podcast, and while I am a bit nervous I was flattered and honored.  It will start at 3 PM Central Daylight Time (US) and not only can y’all listen live but you can even call in and ask me questions after the interview portion :)  I’ve never done a podcast before, and had no idea you could do it from your home with no fancy equipment!  Yes, I truly have been living under a rock … especially since I started organic chem this past fall.  Oh, here are some of the questions I’ll be answering:

• Why do you write about being debt free?
• Where do you get your inspiration?
• What are some benefits of being debt free?
• Where do people have difficulties in becoming debt free?
• What are some tips in becoming debt free?
• Why did you start Debt Free Revolution (the blog)?

For those of y’all who can’t listen live, the archive will be available and I will certainly link to it from here!  For the terminally curious wondering just how this happened, Duane (the one who hosts the podcast) says he’s been reading my blog after going through Financial Peace University himself.  Now if I can get him to play a certain song as “bump music” hehehehe…. Queensryche’s “Revolution Calling” off their masterpiece, Operation: Mindcrime.  I think it’s appropriate.

First up, the exciting happy news: my ink pen that an anonymous reader has bought for me is being shipped today.  I didn’t get the exact pen I posted a pic of earlier this week, but instead I got this one:

Same fancy “Rolls Royce” wood, but more gold trim :)  since gold is my favorite metal (to wear, not to invest in LOL)  Hans has done a beautiful job from the picture!  I can’t wait to see it in person … should be by the middle of next week.

I still don’t know who did it, but whoever my mysterious benefactor (penefactor?) is, I want to once again say THANK YOU.  Hans says he is sworn to secrecy, and I won’t even be able to waterboard it out of him … perhaps I should try tickling til he cries?  Is that allowed under the Geneva Convention?  LOL  I jest.  Of course, this post simply would not be complete without a link to Hans’ site, where you can order a custom handcrafted pen from him yourself if you desire.

Only one new blog carnival has been posted since my last rambling post, this one is the brand new kids and money carnival started by Money Hacks and included my post about Putting My Teenage Son on a Budget.

I have been invited to be interviewed on a podcast by my “Featured Blog” All-American Blogger!  Wow, neato!  That will happen on Wednesday, March 26th, at 3 PM CDT if everything goes as planned.  There is even a number y’all can call in to ask me questions LOL  Duane (the podcast host) has also encouraged me to sign up for Blog Talk Radio and start my own podcast.  Right now that sounds a little intimidating, and I am not sure y’all want to hear me ramble … or do you?  Maybe y’all should hear me first.  I’ll wait and see how well the interview goes.

Finally, I am going to try my hand at this whole social bookmarking idea again, and mark all the neat blog posts I find on del.icio.us so I don’t have to keep admitting I don’t remember where I see something LOL  Hold my feet to this one, folks!  Here is my bookmarks on del.icio.us page.  It seems like it should be easier than filling up my faves folders then needing to clean them out periodically because it got too much LOL  I’ve tried reddit, but it seems everything I submit is instantly downvoted.  Maybe I just need more “friends” there?  Give me a shout out if you are on either one, because I probably need some help figuring how to use these to their full potential.

Right now in my comments, someone has made a reference to tithing.  As a non-Jewish Non-Christian and Non-Moslem person, I am under absolutely no moral or religious obligation to tithe or even to give.  However, based on my personal experience, I believe that what you send out does come back to you eventually.  So, as a person who knows she is still a part of this world and community (offline and online) I do give when I feel moved to do so.

Tuesday I gave in a rather unusual way: I had my hair chopped off.  Yes, I went from long hair to a very short hair cut, and the portion of my hair I had cut off was donated to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children who lose their hair due to a medical reason.  For anyone who is interested in doing the same, you only need to have 10 inches of hair cut off and my hair salon ships to them directly.  Just ask whomever cuts your hair about it.

I’ve mentioned before I also donate blood to the American Red Cross for their blood drives on campus.  I haven’t been able to accomplish that yet this year, as it has been touch and go dodging the flu bug that is terrorizing campus.  Hopefully it will pass soon and I can get back to doing that.  I’ve met someone online who has the same blood type as I do who received transfusions at the same time I was giving last year.  He thanked me profusely for being a blood donor, and speculated at the possibility that he may have received some of my blood.  Pretty neat.

And, this weekend is the Easter holiday weekend.  While I personally don’t celebrate Easter, I do have the day off from work and will be out and about looking for a lucky waitress or waiter to give an extravagant tip to.  Most people working the diner and restaurant tables on Easter will be Christians, but they are more than likely working because their boss or bank account balance tells them they must work.  I know it makes my night to receive a great tip … and after the Christmas Eve tipping expedition I know it really brightens others’ jobs.  Don’t look for me in the fancy restaurants though, but do make sure I have plenty of coffee LOL

Now to share a little link love for everyone who hosted blog carnivals this week:

• The Amateurist Financial journey hosted the 4th Carnival of Money Hacks and included my post Stupid Tax: The Dumbest Thing I Ever Bought
• Veteran Military Wife hosted the 51st Carnival of Money Stories and included my post Putting My Teenage Son on a Budget

Both blog carnivals are quite big this week, with lots of interesting posts to browse

Wow.  I am just jazzed!  I found out earlier this evening one of my blog readers and fellow MyTMMO board members has paid for a gift for me.  No name was attached to the notification of the gift, just a message to pick one out because I “deserved” it.  I’m not entirely sure what I did that was so special to rate this:

This is a HandCrafted Pen by Hans, another fellow MyTMMO board member who started this out as a hobby and it has grown into a side business.  He takes great pride in his work and considers his handmade pens to be expressions of art (people from the board who have bought them agree whole-heartedly).  This particular pen is a “Big Ben Ultra” made out of Ambonia Burl, a very rare and exotic wood that was used to make the dash boards on the first Rolls Royces.  Y’all remember Radar O’Reilly from the series M*A*S*H who was mailing home an army jeep piece by piece?  Consider this the first piece of a Rolls Royce for me LOL  It may take 20 or more years before I get the rest of it, though.

I’m not sure who did this wonderful thing for me (although I have a list of “suspects” half a dozen long) but I would like to put out a public THANK YOU here on the blog.  This is one of these fancy things I always thought was cool but could never quite justify the expense.  Now I feel so special :)  Thank you!

Now to pass around a bit of blog carnival link love:

• Last week Quest For Four Pillars hosted the 50th Carnival of Money Stories and included my post Tip Your Pizza Delivery Person (which is still collecting interesting comments!)  Interestingly enough, QFFP has also delivered pizzas.
• Lynnae, in a continuing fit of insanity, once again hosted the huge Carnvial of Personal Finance (#144) and included my post about Changing My Major in the career section.
• Ask Mr Credit Card hosted the Carnival of Debt Reduction (the subprime edition) and included my post about the Debt Reduction Success Story in the Army Times
• I did a spur-of-the-moment guest post for Clever Dude that posted this morning, which he titled Couples In Conflict: Different Money Priorities.  Y’all know the fun I’ve had getting hubby on board, so go over and show CD some comment love
• Mrs Micah gave me free rein to rant in a guest post for her blog, and so I did: A Letter to the Fed (Federal Reserve Bank, of course!) with my honest thoughts on the subject of these rate cuts.  Not that it seems to be doing any good…

OK, I think that catches everyone up on my hijinks around the blogosphere … did I miss anyone?  Oh, and one more time: whoever bought me the pen, THANK YOU!!!

So my spring break is over.  I worked five nights instead of the four scheduled, and we got snow on both my nights off.  There’s still patches of snow in my yard from Friday night’s freak winter storm.  Snow on spring break in Tennessee?  I would have never thought it possible … but then again some folks think getting out of debt forever is impossible as well LOL

Which brings us to this week’s Carnival of Debt Reduction (I thought that was a rather smooth segue).  It was a small carnival this time, but I still have a couple of standouts  to highlight as Editor’s Choice:

• Amanda from Me Vs Debt recalls her “dumbest purchase ever” which turned out to be a debt reduction scam!  A cautionary tale about the perils of paying some company to do what you can do better for yourself, especially when the company just disappears…
• Vicki from Chic Saver brings her readers up to speed on her progress and her potential problems … and how she has a rock-solid plan to cope even though it will delay her debt reduction plans.  A wise strategy!

And now for the rest of the posts that made the cut for this week’s carnival of debt reduction:

• Christine from Me My Kids And Life takes a hard look at the age old Needs vs Wants
• Get Financially Fit lays out a simple but effective plan to eliminate debt
• Peter Anderson from Bible Money Matters recounts his Five Biggest Money Mistakes in another meme going around
• Paid Twice has an interesting essay on the Irony of Debt, and it’s one that will make you stop and think!
• Ryan Healy from Debt Reduction Formula explains how he is using a Prosper loan to cut his interest on his credit cards (this is the first blogger I’ve come across to write from the borrower’s perspective)
• Mr DebtBeater is using lower interest credit cards to “float” or “surf” his higher-interest credit card balances to save on finance charges (just be careful, Mr DB!)
• Small Cents does a February wrap up of her progress, and celebrates since it really is progress
• No Debt Plan tackles an issue I’ve been intending to get around to: procrastination and what it means in his life
• Simple Mom examines the idea of “sinking funds” and how it applies to someone working the Dave Ramsey plan, especially someone still in the debt reduction phase
• Free Money Finance asks if it’s worth it to get a store credit card for the promotional discount savings … and says no (I don’t think store credit cards are ever worth it, personally)
• And finally, another humorous poem from Madelaine Begun Kane titles “Loan Poem“  I think it’s a limerick (but I have never been good with poetry)

And there you have it, another week of debt reduction link fun :)  Be sure to hit this post and the particpating posts with the social networking love if you have it, leave some encouragement in their comments, highlight your favorites on your blog,  and enjoy your day!  As always, I need another cup of coffee….

First up, I would like to express my condolences to Dreamy from Blogging My Way Out of Debt for the tragic loss in her family.  I am very glad she had an emergency fund so she can attend the funeral, which puts her in a better position than I was back in 2004 when my cousin died three weeks after I came home from Iraq.  Bloggers, if you have a guest post laying around she has asked for help in this regard.  I’m writing one in a few minutes for her, and she says she could use about four more for while she’s gone.

In other somber news (no not really, compared to above) I did get my butt kicked in the Free Money Finance March Madness competition for the end of round one.  Madison from My Dollar Plan’s post Financial Strategies for Infants and Young Children mopped up the floor with my post Poor vs Broke.  Now it’s round two, and Lynnae from Being Frugal.net has already put the call out for her 1400 subscribers to vote for her post It Hit Me Like A Ton of Bricks which is up against my round one winner You CAN Get Out of Debt!  Help!  I’m outnumbered here!

A couple of mid- and late-week carnivals that were gracious enough to include my posts were the Carnival of Financial Planning at the Skilled Investor which listed my post What A Debt-Free Budget Looks Like at the top (many thanks) and the Carnival of Ethics, Values, and Personal Finance which included my post Thoughts on Becoming Consumer Debt Free.

Finally, Jesse from The Penny Saved put up my guest post and called it Debt Free Revolution Success Story.  It went up sooner than planned thanks to that nasty flu bug that is going around just about everywhere.

Enjoy the links, but be sure to go over to offer condolences to Dreamy.  And if you are a blogger, whip up a quick guest post for her so she will have one less thing to worry about in her grieving time.  Dreamy, have a safe journey!  Hug on your family while there, cry on each others’ shoulders, and come back safely.