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	<title>PT Money &#187; Money Stories</title>
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	<description>Real Personal Finance for a Life Without Limits!</description>
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		<title>Question of the Week: Are You Lucky with Money?</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2010/03/12/question-of-the-week-are-you-lucky/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2010/03/12/question-of-the-week-are-you-lucky/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:13:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>PT</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[question]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[st patricks day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[success]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=5919</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
We&#8217;ve got one of my favorite holidays, St. Patrick&#8217;s Day, coming up next week.  I thought I would focus on luck today. Have you been lucky in your financial life? Was it your smarts or your luck (or something else) that got you where you are today?
Looking back over my life, I can&#8217;t really [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/03/05/get-oil-changed/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Question of the Week: Who Does Your Car Service?'>Question of the Week: Who Does Your Car Service?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/26/how-do-you-budget/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Question of the Week: How do You Budget?'>Question of the Week: How do You Budget?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/a-money-experiment-a-week-without-spending/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Money Experiment: A Week Without Spending'>A Money Experiment: A Week Without Spending</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<p>We&#8217;ve got one of my favorite holidays, St. Patrick&#8217;s Day, coming up next week.  I thought I would focus on luck today. Have you been lucky in your financial life? Was it your smarts or your luck (or something else) that got you where you are today?</p>
<p>Looking back over my life, I can&#8217;t really pinpoint a single lucky incident or event that has catapulted me into financial success. I didn&#8217;t win the lottery or stumble upon a fantastic business idea. However, I do feel like I&#8217;ve lived a blessed life.</p>
<p>Richard Wiseman did a small <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky-its-an-easy-skill-to-learn.html">study on luck</a> back in 2003 where he concluded this:</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;although unlucky people have almost no insight into the real causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their fortune.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p><em>Do you attribute your financial success to luck or something else? And if you feel like luck can be created, what are you doing right now to create your own luck?</em></p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/03/05/get-oil-changed/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Question of the Week: Who Does Your Car Service?'>Question of the Week: Who Does Your Car Service?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/26/how-do-you-budget/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Question of the Week: How do You Budget?'>Question of the Week: How do You Budget?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/a-money-experiment-a-week-without-spending/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Money Experiment: A Week Without Spending'>A Money Experiment: A Week Without Spending</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/12/the-plan-making-every-dollar-count/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/12/the-plan-making-every-dollar-count/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:35:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tiffany</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[divorce]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[save-money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=4947</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
This is the second post from Tiffany, a newly single mom. Tiffany discusses what I describe as going hardcore frugal. This is exactly how you should treat your finances if you&#8217;re going through a transition time like hers.
My previous blog post, Single Mom Redux, discussed the challenges my family will be facing in our transition [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/01/11/make-extra-money-tips/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 5 Tips for Making Extra Money'>5 Tips for Making Extra Money</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/03/a-new-story-to-tell-single-mom-redux/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A New Story to Tell: Single Mom Redux'>A New Story to Tell: Single Mom Redux</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/10/08/international-travel-tip-making-inexpesive-phone-calls/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls'>International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<p><em>This is the second post from Tiffany, a newly single mom. Tiffany discusses what I describe as going <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/01/16/hardcore-frugal-its-time/" target="_self">hardcore frugal</a>. This is exactly how you should treat your finances if you&#8217;re going through a transition time like hers.</em></p>
<p><em><img class="size-full wp-image-5200 alignright" title="The Frugality Plan" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/The-Frugality-Plan.png" alt="" width="237" height="167" /></em>My previous blog post, <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/03/a-new-story-to-tell-single-mom-redux/" target="_self">Single Mom Redux</a>, discussed the challenges my family will be facing in our transition to a one-income family. While I was always the primary bread-winner, my ex-husband&#8217;s contribution will be missed. What will really help us is having a solid plan in place.</p>
<p>We had our family meeting last night and put our thoughts and ideas onto paper.</p>
<h3>I. Complete Analysis of Spending</h3>
<p>A printed bank statement gave us a visual of where we are spending (debit card and check spending). While it&#8217;s easy to remember when the car payment is due, I did not have a strong grasp on when all of the &#8220;little stuff&#8221; came out of my bank account. In some cases, I was even unsure of exactly how much was coming out per month (Netflix is how much per month?).</p>
<p>We have minimal cash spending, so it was very easy for us to see at a glance where most of  our money goes. This also gave us a glimpse of our impulse spending. I was completely taken  aback by how many $1-$3 fast food breaks I had on there.</p>
<h3>II. Is There More Money to be Had?</h3>
<p>Can I do some freelancing? Sell some of our stuff?</p>
<p>The determination was made that our primary goal is to  make better use of our current resources.  In other words, Mom doesn&#8217;t really have time for a second job!  I&#8217;m going to do a little <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2010/01/25/make-extra-money-freelance-writing/" target="_self">freelance  work</a> (writing mostly), and most certainly get back into the groove of selling some of our stuff  (de-cluttering is a bonus!).</p>
<p>My daughter is 14 and can do some babysitting work. She has occasionally turned down  babysitting opportunities because she preferred doing fun things with her friends. We’ve agreed  that <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/01/28/52-ways-make-extra-money/" target="_blank">money making opportunities</a> for her do not often present themselves, so when they do, she  will accept them. This will give her some spending money for her outings with friends and the  extra &#8220;stuff&#8221; she wants.</p>
<h3>III. Where Can We Make Big Cuts?</h3>
<p>Do we need satellite TV? My 9 year old son is the only one of us who watches TV and it&#8217;s agreed that he is happy to spend his time doing other things.</p>
<p>Land line phone? We all have cell phones, and we also have internet-based options that can be explored.</p>
<p>Close examination of our cell phone bill and a phone call helped me to determine that we have a minutes plan that can be reduced to save us about $75 per month overall.</p>
<h3>IV. Where Will We Have to Add Expenses?</h3>
<p>We live in a rural area and my ex-husband took care of the trash by burning it and making a haul once a week to the local dump for other items. This is not something that we&#8217;re prepared to take on, so we will add trash service to the expense of $20 per month.</p>
<p>Minor repairs to home? We may have to contract out some things, but we don&#8217;t expect this to be a major expense. My daughter and I will learn to do a lot of things and make an adventure out of it. Also, the kid&#8217;s dad (the first ex-husband) and my father will help us as needed.</p>
<h3>V. Small Ways to Save that Will Add Up!</h3>
<ul>
<li> <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/01/21/netflix-review-netflix-com/" target="_blank">Netflix</a> and Gamefly unlimited rental plans will cut down the trips to the video store where we rent games and movies.</li>
<li>Save the &#8220;big show&#8221; for really special occasions and go to the dollar movie instead.</li>
<li>Start buying the Sunday paper again, or &#8220;clip&#8221; coupons online for things that we buy consistently. Doing this will save us an estimate of $20 per month.</li>
<li>Making sweet treats from scratch. Just as easy and healthier. Plus the added benefit of fun family memory creation!</li>
<li>Whenever possible, anything that can easily be bought used will no longer be bought new.</li>
<li>Minimize <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/02/29/dining-out-how-can-we-spend-less/" target="_self">dining out</a>.</li>
<li>Kids and Mom can both pack a lunch at least half the time.</li>
<li>We will barter out services with a stylist friend who needs a babysitter.</li>
</ul>
<p>We felt very positive at the end of our meeting. Doing all of these things will help us to break even and not miss the extra income. Most are minor tweaks and will be relatively painless. We may even end up saving money. But that&#8217;s another article&#8230;.</p>
<p><em>What ideas do you have for immediate changes that can make a big difference?</em></p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/01/11/make-extra-money-tips/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 5 Tips for Making Extra Money'>5 Tips for Making Extra Money</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/03/a-new-story-to-tell-single-mom-redux/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A New Story to Tell: Single Mom Redux'>A New Story to Tell: Single Mom Redux</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/10/08/international-travel-tip-making-inexpesive-phone-calls/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls'>International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A New Story to Tell: Single Mom Redux</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/03/a-new-story-to-tell-single-mom-redux/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/03/a-new-story-to-tell-single-mom-redux/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tiffany</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[divorce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frugal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=4809</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Today&#8217;s blog post comes from Tiffany, a &#8220;Frugal Single Mom&#8221; and Community Manager for a local E-Learning Website. In the coming weeks and months she&#8217;ll be offering up her stories, as well as some tips and tricks for living the frugal life. Check out her current situation below and be sure to welcome her in [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/02/14/investing-in-single-stocks-why-i-dont-do-it/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Investing in Single Stocks &#8211; Why I Don&#8217;t Do It?'>Investing in Single Stocks &#8211; Why I Don&#8217;t Do It?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/12/the-plan-making-every-dollar-count/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count'>The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/10/06/the-trouble-with-living-the-frugal-lifestyle-part-3/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Trouble with Living the Frugal Lifestyle &#8211; Part 3'>The Trouble with Living the Frugal Lifestyle &#8211; Part 3</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<p><em>Today&#8217;s blog post comes from Tiffany, a &#8220;Frugal Single Mom&#8221; and Community Manager for a local E-Learning Website. In the coming weeks and months she&#8217;ll be offering up her stories, as well as some tips and tricks for living the frugal life. Check out her current situation below and be sure to welcome her in the comments.</em><em></em></p>
<h3>Single Mom Redux</h3>
<p>Frugal.</p>
<p>Having never been wealthy, and perhaps most importantly, having always had the innate desire to find creative ways to do more with less, the word &#8220;frugal&#8221; has been an automatic add-on to nearly every role/title I&#8217;ve ever had. I&#8217;ve been a:</p>
<ul>
<li>Frugal (starving) ramen-noodle-eating college student.</li>
<li>Frugal young professional.</li>
<li>Frugal young married couple.</li>
<li>Frugal stay-at-home mom.</li>
<li>Frugal single mom.</li>
</ul>
<p>What never occurred to me, until now, is that I might have to repeat a role.</p>
<p>When I re-married six years ago and ended my glorious and successful three year run as a &#8220;frugal single mom&#8221;, I momentarily forgot that nothing is guaranteed. I always assumed that I&#8217;d experience most of life&#8217;s phases with full abandon before slipping cheerfully into the next phase. It&#8217;s rewarding to sit from where I am and gaze back fondly at &#8220;the good old days&#8221;, but I&#8217;m not eager to jump back into the aforementioned roles.</p>
<p>Well, too bad. Here I am.</p>
<p>Early forties…ensconced in a successful and rewarding career…enjoying watching my two amazing children &#8211; Frannie (14) and Liam (9) &#8211; grow into amazing human beings.</p>
<h3>And single. Again.</h3>
<p>As a single mom in the early part of this decade, I had a lot of confidence and a renegade spirit. Even with a job as a grossly underpaid state employee, a beat-up single-cab pickup truck, a kindergartner, and a baby, I felt that we could conquer the world. And we did!</p>
<p>This time around, the confidence is still there, but the spirit is more cautious and is eager to &#8220;play it safe&#8221;. To not let my guard down again. To get serious about frugality.</p>
<p>I have a solid income, with minimal bills and expenses. Big concerns facing me are increased premiums for <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/30/should-you-move-to-a-high-deductible-health-insurance-plan-and-use-an-hsa-to-make-up-the-difference/" target="_self">health insurance</a> (with an eye-popping deductible attached) and college for my daughter in four years. And…the sobering state of our economy has given most of us a wake-up call. I don&#8217;t know many people who are taking things for granted these days.</p>
<p>Though I have practiced strong thrift in the past, I&#8217;ll admit that I&#8217;ve become lackadaisical in recent years. Because it&#8217;s not been a necessity, I&#8217;ve let go of too many of my frugal practices and I&#8217;ve bought into the &#8220;convenience society&#8221;. I shamefacedly acknowledge that I&#8217;ve turned away from the teachings of The Great Ones. <a href="http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/05/14/an-interview-with-amy-dacyczyn-the-author-of-the-tightwad-gazette/" target="_blank">Amy Dacyczyn</a>. Heloise. My Grandmother.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve convinced myself that my frugal practices &#8220;really didn&#8217;t save me that much money, did they???&#8221;. After all, a person MUST factor in convenience and quality of life, right? Not to mention the value of my time. Right? Right?</p>
<h3>Not right. Back to basics.</h3>
<p>My team (the kids) and I are diving into this headfirst. I have done what I recommend that everyone do: talk openly and honestly with kids about important issues, and that includes the topic of money. Not only is what we are doing right now essential to our family&#8217;s financial health, but it&#8217;s essential that I lay the groundwork to helping my children make their own healthy financial decisions in the future.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m prepared to bring all of my tools and resources into play. This includes not only my significant store of frugal tips and ideas from many years of necessity, but also my extensive experience with business practices. My team is equipped and ready to be proactive in setting up a solid foundation that will ensure that we&#8217;re making the most of what we have.</p>
<h3>A Frugal Family Meeting</h3>
<p>A family meeting has been scheduled to pull together our &#8220;Project Plan&#8221;. My next posting will detail &#8220;The Plan&#8221;:</p>
<ul>
<li>We need to schedule a detailed analysis of where we are spending. Make immediate and appropriate adjustments as needed (quick fix: no more fast food just because it&#8217;s easy!).</li>
<li>Are there ways to bring in a little more income?</li>
<li>Are there ways to decrease current expenses?</li>
<li>What can we live without?</li>
<li>What can we NOT live without?</li>
<li>Will our new living arrangement add any expenses, such as tasks previously done by my ex-husband?</li>
<li>Will we actually make gains in some areas by being lighter one person?</li>
</ul>
<p>We will put it all on paper and create a final budget. Having a solid, real plan will help us to keep our finances organized and stay on track. Getting the whole family involved increases our chances of success!</p>
<h3>What Tiffany Brings to PT Money</h3>
<p>I&#8217;m not a guru who is here to tell you how to invest expertly. I don&#8217;t really know a lot about getting the best fixed rate mortgage that will save you tons of money. And I&#8217;m not an expert on the twists and turns of the economy.</p>
<p>My expertise lies in getting by with nearly nothing, and using it to create a true, quality existence for my family.</p>
<p>My articles will show you how to feed your family for a week with $50 if that&#8217;s all you can afford. I&#8217;ll discuss the benefits and pros/cons of growing your own groceries. I&#8217;ll address with honesty and candor the stress of lying awake at night worrying about bills, only to awaken in the morning with a feeling of dread as the same worries hit you again.</p>
<p>And most importantly…I hope you can help you find your own &#8220;renegade spirit&#8221; and offer that little bit of hope that comes when I remind you (and myself) that my team and I conquered the world once, with far fewer resources than we currently have, and we will again.</p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/02/14/investing-in-single-stocks-why-i-dont-do-it/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Investing in Single Stocks &#8211; Why I Don&#8217;t Do It?'>Investing in Single Stocks &#8211; Why I Don&#8217;t Do It?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/12/the-plan-making-every-dollar-count/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count'>The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/10/06/the-trouble-with-living-the-frugal-lifestyle-part-3/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Trouble with Living the Frugal Lifestyle &#8211; Part 3'>The Trouble with Living the Frugal Lifestyle &#8211; Part 3</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The Benefits of a Joint Checking Account For Your Relationship</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/02/joint-account-checking-account-relationships-benefits/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/02/joint-account-checking-account-relationships-benefits/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Austin</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=4731</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
In this post, Austin, from Foreigner&#8217;s Finances, shares his thoughts on the benefits of a joint checking account. 
I like to have control over my money. I like to know where it is at all times and I don&#8217;t like lingering IOU&#8217;s. So when my girlfriend of two years and I started living in the [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/04/joint-savings-account/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: What is a Joint Savings Account and Why Should You Care?'>What is a Joint Savings Account and Why Should You Care?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/11/20/possible-fraudulent-switch-to-bank-of-americas-advantage-checking-account/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Possible Fraudulent Switch to Bank of America&#8217;s Advantage Checking Account'>Possible Fraudulent Switch to Bank of America&#8217;s Advantage Checking Account</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/03/08/online-checking-accounts/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Best Online Checking Accounts'>Best Online Checking Accounts</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<p><em>In this post, Austin, from <em><a href="http://www.foreignersfinances.com/" target="_blank">Foreigner&#8217;s Finances</a></em>, shares his thoughts on the benefits of a <strong>joint checking account</strong>. </em></p>
<p>I like to have control over my money. I like to know where it is at all times and I don&#8217;t like lingering IOU&#8217;s. So when my girlfriend of two years and I started living in the same apartment complex last year and sharing groceries, it caused some tiffs.</p>
<h3><img class="size-medium wp-image-4995 alignright" title="Couple With a Joint Checking Account" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Joint-Account-300x249.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="249" /></h3>
<p>On top of that, we were over the chivalrous stage of the man buying all the meals and instead splitting dinners out. We were constantly trying to figure out who paid last, who owed money, and who was paying more. It always seemed to cause a $15 headache.</p>
<p>Fortunately, ING DIRECT&#8217;s <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/09/06/ing-direct-electric-orange-review/" target="_self">Electric Orange Checking Account</a> came to the rescue and we quickly became a 21st century couple.</p>
<p>We both already had ING DIRECT savings accounts, so we decided to open a joint checking account with them. There are plenty of online checking accounts that you can open up right now:</p>
<h3>Top Online Checking Accounts</h3>

<table id="wp-table-reloaded-id-8-no-1" class="wp-table-reloaded wp-table-reloaded-id-8">
<thead>
	<tr class="row-1 odd">
		<th class="column-1">Bank</th><th class="column-2">Rate</th><th class="column-3">Review</th><th class="column-4">ATMs</th><th class="column-5">Rewards</th>
	</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
	<tr class="row-2 even">
		<td class="column-1"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/fnbobillpay/">FNBO Direct Online BillPay Account</a></td><td class="column-2"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/fnbobillpay/">1.25%</a></td><td class="column-3"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/09/09/fnbo-direct-review-online-savings-account/">FNBO Direct Review</a></td><td class="column-4">840,000 PLUS locations - 4 Free Withdrawals Per Month</td><td class="column-5">None</td>
	</tr>
	<tr class="row-3 odd">
		<td class="column-1"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/perkstreet50/"><br />
PerkStreet Financial</a></td><td class="column-2"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/perkstreet50/"><br />
0%</a></td><td class="column-3"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/22/perkstreet-financial-cash-back-checking-debit-card-rewards/">PerkStreet Review</a></td><td class="column-4">37,000+ free ATMs through STARsf®</td><td class="column-5"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/perkstreet50/"><br />
2% Cash Back</a></td>
	</tr>
	<tr class="row-4 even">
		<td class="column-1"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/electricorange/"><br />
ING DIRECT Electric Orange</a></td><td class="column-2"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/electricorange/"><br />
0.24%</a></td><td class="column-3"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/09/06/ing-direct-electric-orange-review/">Electric Orange Review</a></td><td class="column-4">35,000+ free ATMs through Allpoint™</td><td class="column-5">None</td>
	</tr>
	<tr class="row-5 odd">
		<td class="column-1"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/AllyInterestChecking/">Ally Interest Checking</a></td><td class="column-2"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/AllyInterestChecking/">View</a></td><td class="column-3"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/07/01/ally-bank-review-high-interest-online-savings-account-and-more/">Ally Bank Review</a></td><td class="column-4">All Fees Refunded</td><td class="column-5">None</td>
	</tr>
	<tr class="row-6 even">
		<td class="column-1"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/everbankchecking/">EverBank FreeNet Checking</a></td><td class="column-2"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/everbankchecking/">2.25%</a></td><td class="column-3"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/2010/01/30/everbank-a-big-rate-for-big-funds/">EverBank Review</a></td><td class="column-4">All Fees Refunded if Balance >$5,000</td><td class="column-5">None</td>
	</tr>
	<tr class="row-7 odd">
		<td class="column-1"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/etradechecking/">E*Trade Checking</a></td><td class="column-2"><a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/etradechecking/">0.15%</a></td><td class="column-3">Pending</td><td class="column-4">All Fees Refunded</td><td class="column-5">None</td>
	</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h3>How Our Joint Checking Account Worked</h3>
<p><strong>1) We could easily pay one another with a shared account</strong>.</p>
<p>We linked our respective savings accounts to the joint checking account. If I owed my girlfriend $22, I would transfer $22 from my savings account to our checking account. The transfer was automatic, and then she could immediately transfer the $22 directly from the checking account to her savings account. If we had two computers, the transfer would take less than 30 seconds and we no longer had to worry about lingering IOUs.</p>
<p><strong>2) We got a debit card and used it for joint purchases. </strong></p>
<p>With the joint checking account we each got a debit card. At the beginning of the month, we would each transfer $100 or $200 to the checking account to cover any shared purchases. This was great for groceries, dinners, gas, and anything else we bought and shared because it was split 50/50 every time. Not only were there no longer any money fights, but there was no need for any discussion because it just became normal to pull on the ING checking debit when we were buying something that would be shared.</p>
<h3>A Word of Warning About a Joint Account</h3>
<p>This little time-saver can be great for married couples, those soon to be married, or longtime girlfriend/boyfriend, but it&#8217;s definitely not for every one.</p>
<p>Make sure you have a committed and trustworthy relationship with your significant other before you decide to link your accounts. ING made online banking easy, but this ease can also cause a relationship fight to escalate into a boyfriend stealing $2,500 from his girlfriend&#8217;s saving&#8217;s account. It sounds comical, but don&#8217;t be naive and think your relationship is indestructible.</p>
<p>Regardless, linking to a joint checking account just might be the money hack your relationship has been looking for.</p>
<p><em>This article was contributed by Austin, who lives in Japan where he teaches English and writes about personal finance for twenty-somethings at <a href="http://www.foreignersfinances.com/" target="_blank">Foreigner&#8217;s Finances</a>.</em></p>
<p><span style="color: #888888;"><em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/katietegtmeyer/124315323/" target="_blank">Katie Tegtmeyer</a></em></span></p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/04/joint-savings-account/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: What is a Joint Savings Account and Why Should You Care?'>What is a Joint Savings Account and Why Should You Care?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/11/20/possible-fraudulent-switch-to-bank-of-americas-advantage-checking-account/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Possible Fraudulent Switch to Bank of America&#8217;s Advantage Checking Account'>Possible Fraudulent Switch to Bank of America&#8217;s Advantage Checking Account</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/03/08/online-checking-accounts/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Best Online Checking Accounts'>Best Online Checking Accounts</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>A Money Experiment: A Week Without Spending</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/a-money-experiment-a-week-without-spending/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/a-money-experiment-a-week-without-spending/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:05:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>PT</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnivals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[craigslist.org]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dining-out]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[experiment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=4078</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Remember 7th grade and the science experiments? Ah, good times. Well, today I&#8217;m not going to make you dissect a frog. We&#8217;ll be looking at more of a monetary experiment.
Just a few more days till the end of the month, right? I&#8217;ll get paid and we&#8217;ll have a little more breathing room in the budget. [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/11/01/results-of-a-week-without-spending/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Results of a Week Without Spending'>Results of a Week Without Spending</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/01/14/are-you-spending-less-this-year/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Are You Spending Less This Year?'>Are You Spending Less This Year?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/07/01/how-is-your-spending-your-mid-year-financial-check-up-1/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How is Your Spending? &#8211; Your Mid-Year Financial Check-Up #1'>How is Your Spending? &#8211; Your Mid-Year Financial Check-Up #1</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<p>Remember 7th grade and the science experiments? Ah, good times. Well, today I&#8217;m not going to make you dissect a frog. We&#8217;ll be looking at more of a monetary experiment.</p>
<p>Just a few more days till the end of the month, right? I&#8217;ll get paid and we&#8217;ll have a little more breathing room in the budget. You see, Mrs. PT and I have been saving aggressively over the past few months for some upcoming goals. We do our saving automatically, a few days after we get paid. That way we have the rest of the month to spend the remaining funds on whatever. This month, however, our aggressive saving <em>and</em> spending finally got the best of us. Now we&#8217;re running a bit low. So, instead of dipping into our savings or using debt, we are <strong>challenging ourselves to not spend any money this week</strong>.</p>
<p><em>One exception</em>: If we <a href="http://ptmoney.com/52-ways-to-make-extra-money/" target="_self">earn extra money</a> by selling something or by returning something and getting a refund we get to use that money however we like.</p>
<p>Because of the exception above, I made some moves over the weekend. I grabbed a few items around the house that we didn&#8217;t need anymore and listed them on Craigslist.org. Two have sold so far, giving us $38 dollars. We also brought some of our old clothes by a consignment store, which gave us an additional $10. That&#8217;s almost $50 to spend this week without having to dip into savings. And if a few more items sell, we&#8217;ll have even more cash. Sweet!</p>
<p><strong>More thoughts going into this week</strong>:</p>
<ol>
<li>I don&#8217;t pretend to think that this is going to be easy. We&#8217;ve gotten into the habit of spending when we feel like it. Especially dining out for lunch or dinner. So, believe it or not we normally spend a lot more than $50 on food in a week. It&#8217;s our biggest frivolous expense, you could say. Plus, we have all the other normal expenses to avoid: groceries, personal care, and convenience items. Although, I think the groceries will be easy since we have so much in our cupboard already.</li>
<li>I know some of you guys are a lot smarter with your spending, do this sort of thing all the time, and are probably laughing at me right now.</li>
<li>Hopefully we can do it successfully and get more in tune with our needs vs wants. I see it as a chance to get back to the basics.</li>
</ol>
<p>I&#8217;ll report back on Friday and let you know how we did.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;d like to take on this experiment with me, let me know in the comments below. You can also follow along <a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/twitter" target="_blank">on Twitter</a> for more timely updates.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re tweeting too, use the hashtag <strong>#weekwithoutspending</strong></p>
<p>Carnivals from the last two weeks:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.onemint.com/2009/10/25/economy-and-your-finances-carnival-oct-25-2009/">Economy And Your Finances</a>, <a href="http://www.thefinancialblogger.com/29th-carnival-of-pecuniary-delight-money-and-songs-edition/">Pecuniary Delights</a>, <a href="http://www.greenpandatreehouse.com/2009/10/money-hacks-carnival-87/">Money Hacks</a>, <a href="http://www.miss-thrifty.co.uk/2009/10/20/festival-of-frugality-fireworks-night/">Frugality</a>, <a href="http://creditcardoffersiq.com/blog/welcome-to-the-86th-money-hacks-carnival-platinum-edition/">Money Hacks</a>, <a href="http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/carnival-of-twenty-something-finances-amazing-anime-edition/">Twenty Somethings</a></p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/11/01/results-of-a-week-without-spending/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Results of a Week Without Spending'>Results of a Week Without Spending</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/01/14/are-you-spending-less-this-year/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Are You Spending Less This Year?'>Are You Spending Less This Year?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/07/01/how-is-your-spending-your-mid-year-financial-check-up-1/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How is Your Spending? &#8211; Your Mid-Year Financial Check-Up #1'>How is Your Spending? &#8211; Your Mid-Year Financial Check-Up #1</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
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		<title>Carnival of Money Stories: Halloween Candy Edition</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/carnival-of-money-stories-halloween-candy-edition/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/carnival-of-money-stories-halloween-candy-edition/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>PT</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anecdotes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[balloon-boy-costume]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finacial-lessons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lessons]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=4047</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		


Welcome to the October 26, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Money Stories. Who doesn&#8217;t love a good story? And who doesn&#8217;t love some Halloween candy? I actually prefer to skip the candy corn and go straight for the chocolate. What about you? What&#8217;s your favorite kind of Halloween candy? While your thinking of that, [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/05/18/carnival-of-money-stories-may-two-four-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Carnival of Money Stories: May Two-Four Edition'>Carnival of Money Stories: May Two-Four Edition</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/29/the-89th-carnival-of-debt-reduction/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction'>The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/15/carnival-of-debt-reduction-mothers-day-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Carnival of Debt Reduction &#8211; Mother&#8217;s Day Edition'>Carnival of Debt Reduction &#8211; Mother&#8217;s Day Edition</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<div><!-- The next few lines insert the BlogCarnival LogoLink for the October 26, 2009 edition of "carnival of money stories 2" here. Presence of the BlogCarnival LogoLink allows this carnival edition to be listed at blogcarnival.com. This example puts it in the upper right corner, but it can go anywhere in the blog post. --><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4051" style="border: 0pt none;" title="Candy Corn Domo" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Candy-Corn-Domo1.jpg" alt="Candy Corn Domo" width="500" height="386" /></div>
<div>Welcome to the October 26, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Money Stories. Who doesn&#8217;t love a good story? And who doesn&#8217;t love some Halloween candy? I actually prefer to skip the candy corn and go straight for the chocolate. What about you? What&#8217;s your favorite kind of Halloween candy? While your thinking of that, check out these scary money stories, delicately interspersed with some great Halloween treats. Alright, I&#8217;m off to go make a <a href="http://www.microflight.com/Balloon-Boy-Halloween-Costume-Kit" target="_blank">&#8220;balloon boy&#8221; costume</a>.<!-- Carnival Submission --></div>
<div>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<h2>Credit</h2>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>MoneyNing</strong> presents <a href="http://moneyning.com/credit-cards/credit-vs-debit-transactions-with-your-atm-card/">Credit vs Debit Transactions with Your ATM Card</a> posted at <a href="http://moneyning.com">Money Ning</a>, saying, &#8220;Are there any difference with saying credit or debit when you hand over an ATM card?&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Intelligent Speculator</strong> presents <a href="http://www.thecredittoolbox.com/take-that-call/">Take that Call</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thecredittoolbox.com">TheCreditToolBox.com</a>, saying, &#8220;Whenever I see a number I don’t recognize on my telephone, I tend not to pick up. For reasons beyond my understanding, I broke that rule the other day. As it turns out, the phone call was nowhere near as disastrous as I first thought it might be.&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>SpendOnLife.com</strong> presents <a href="http://www.spendonlife.com/blog/saras-identity-theft-story">Unconditional Love &amp; Identity Theft – Would You Put Your Parent in Prison?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.spendonlife.com/frontpage">SpendOnLife</a>, saying, &#8220;Post about my friend Sara&#8217;s encounter with family identity theft after her dad stole her identity and ruined her credit.&#8221;</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4053" style="border: 0pt none;" title="Halloween Pumpkin Peep" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Halloween-Pumpkin-Peep.jpg" alt="Halloween Pumpkin Peep" width="500" height="201" /></p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<h2>Debt</h2>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Carrie Bradshaw</strong> presents <a href="http://carrieonthecheap.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/my-finances-werent-always-this-good-the-finale/">My Finances Weren?t Always This Good: The Finale</a> posted at <a href="http://carrieonthecheap.wordpress.com">Carrie&#8230;On The Cheap</a>, saying, &#8220;This week on my blog, I did a &#8220;My Debt History&#8221; series.  I started my blog after getting out of debt and I wanted to show my readers that I&#8217;ve been there before!  It was a great experience for both me and my readers (I hope!) because I was able to reflect on how much I&#8217;ve learned and share that with my readers.&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Jeff Rose</strong> presents <a href="http://www.goodfinancialcents.com/dave-ramsey%E2%80%99s-baby-steps-explained/">Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps Explained</a> posted at <a href="http://www.goodfinancialcents.com">Jeff Rose</a>, saying, &#8220;Learn how the baby steps helped Joe attain financial peace.&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Darwin</strong> presents <a href="http://www.darwinsfinance.com/living-paycheck-to-paycheck/">5 Reasons Living Paycheck to Paycheck Costs You Thousands</a> posted at <a href="http://www.darwinsfinance.com">Darwin&#8217;s Finance</a>, saying, &#8220;5 Reasons Living paycheck to paycheck is costing Thousands of Dollars due to these hidden fees and missed opportunities.&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>studenomist</strong> presents <a href="http://studenomics.com/credit/a-student-a-koosh-and-credit-card-debt/">A Student, A Koosh, And Credit Card Debt</a> posted at <a href="http://studenomics.com">studenomics.com</a>, saying, &#8220;A guest post from FFB outlining is life long battle with debt.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Housing</h2>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Ben presents</strong> <a href="http://moneysmartlife.com/furnance-repair-bill/">Furnance Repair Bill</a> posted at <a href="http://moneysmartlife.com">Money Smart Life</a>.</p>
<p><strong>freefrombroke</strong> presents <a href="http://freefrombroke.com/2009/10/moving-tips.html">Ten Things I Learned Moving And Tips</a> posted at <a href="http://www.freefrombroke.com/">Free From Broke</a>, saying, &#8220;We recently moved and it was a crazy, whirlwind experience for us.  Here is some wisdom we&#8217;d like to pass on!&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>April</strong> presents <a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/10/20/which-comes-first-the-house-or-the-nest-egg/">Which Comes First: The House or the Nest Egg?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog">Get Rich Slowly</a>, saying, &#8220;April from Get Rich Slowly offers up her own personal dilemma about whether to prioritize a house or retirement. Do you think it’s a good strategy to build a down payment if it means compromising your retirement savings for a short period of time?&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>The Smarter Wallet</strong> presents <a href="http://thesmarterwallet.com/2009/ready-emergency-preparedeness/">Ready For An Emergency? Preparing For A Big Storm</a> posted at <a href="http://thesmarterwallet.com">The Smarter Wallet</a>.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4054" style="border: 0pt none;" title="Halloween Sugar Cookie" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Halloween-Sugar-Cookie.jpg" alt="Halloween Sugar Cookie" width="500" height="429" /></p>
<h2>Investing</h2>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Silicon Valley Blogger</strong> presents <a href="http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/stock-investments-stock-picking/">My Stock Investments: Stock Picking With Diversification</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog">The Digerati Life</a>.</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>The Dough Roller</strong> presents <a href="http://www.doughroller.net/mortgages/lease-option-guide/">A Buyer’s Guide to Rent to Own Homes</a> posted at <a href="http://doughroller.net">The Dough Roller</a>, saying, &#8220;This experience has taught me two things: (1) tenants make major mistakes when entering into a lease purchase agreement; and (2) some landlords take advantage of tenants who don&#8217;t understand how to approach a contract for a rent to own house.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Other</h2>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Single Guy Money</strong> presents <a href="http://www.singleguymoney.com/2009/10/rip-grandpa-thanks-for-teaching-me.html" >RIP Grandpa &#8211; Thanks For Teaching Me About Life and Money</a> posted at <a href="http://www.singleguymoney.com/" >Single Guy Money</a>. </p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Joe B</strong> presents <a href="http://www.thefinancialblogger.com/what-annoys-me/">What Annoys Me</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thefinancialblogger.com">The Financial Blogger</a>, saying, &#8220;I decided to write about all the little things that tend to annoy me, perhaps you will at least rejoice knowing that you are not alone&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>FMF</strong> presents <a href="http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2009/09/when-family-members-steal.html">Free Money Finance: When Family Members Steal</a> posted at <a href="http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/">Free Money Finance</a>, saying, &#8220;The story of one reader who had a family member steal from him.&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>jim</strong> presents <a href="http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/true-power-of-compound-interest.html">BVC #21: True Power of Compound Interest</a> posted at <a href="http://www.bargaineering.com/articles">Blueprint for Financial Prosperity</a>.</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Allan Inocente</strong> presents <a href="http://www.akosiallan.com/building-rich-money-habits-101-my-personal-finance-story/">Building Rich Money Habits 101: My personal finance story</a> posted at <a href="http://www.akosiallan.com">Rich Money Habits</a>, saying, &#8220;The blog post shows how to build rich money habits to achieve financial freedom.  It tells about my personal finance story of learning my money habits, getting into credit card debt, being able to pay it up, build an emergency fund and get started in learning how to be financially free!&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>J. Savings</strong> presents <a href="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/2009/10/making-babies-is-easy-but-paying-for.html">Making babies is easy, but paying for them?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/">Budgets are Sexy.</a>, saying, &#8220;The talk of baby making has entered our household, and I&#8217;m trying to figure out how much those boogers cost <img src='http://ptmoney.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';)' class='wp-smiley' /> &#8221;</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4052" style="border: 0pt none;" title="Halloween Candy" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Halloween-Candy.jpg" alt="Halloween Candy" width="500" height="196" /></p>
<h2>Shopping</h2>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Mrs. Accountability</strong> presents <a href="http://www.outofdebtagain.com/2009/10/our-grocery-budget-how-its-evolved/">Our Grocery Budget – How It’s Evolved | Out of Debt Again</a> posted at <a href="http://www.outofdebtagain.com/">Out of Debt Again</a>, saying, &#8220;How our grocery budget/shopping style has evolved over the past twenty years.&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>Peter</strong> presents <a href="http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/2009/10/when-getting-great-deals-on-the-things-you-buy-make-sure-youre-actually-getting-the-deal.html">When Getting Great Deals On The Things You Buy, Make Sure You’re Actually Getting The Deal</a> posted at <a href="http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/">Bible Money Matters</a>, saying, &#8220;Sometimes when you get a good deal you need to follow through and make sure that you&#8217;re actually getting the deal that you thought.&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- Carnival Submission --></p>
<p><strong>BWL</strong> presents <a href="http://www.christianpf.com/spend-money-wisely/">4 ways to spend your money wisely</a> posted at <a href="http://christianpf.com/">Christian Personal Finance</a>, saying, &#8220;This article looks at a couple personal examples to help us discover how to make the best purchases&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<p><!-- EDIT THIS: the conclusion begins with this paragraph: --></p>
<p>That concludes this edition.  Submit your blog article to the next edition of <strong>carnival of money stories 2</strong> using our <a title="Submit an entry to “carnival of money stories 2”" href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_7067.html" target="_blank">carnival submission form</a>. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our <a title="Blog Carnival index for “carnival of money stories 2”" href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_7067.html" target="_blank"> blog carnival index page</a>.</div>
<p><span style="color: #c0c0c0;"><em>Photos by: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewblank/2869726308/">mateoutah</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/delphien/1802339139/sizes/m/">Henry M. Diaz</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalflickr/50295720/">Crystl</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sykosam/432096992/">SykoSam</a></em></span></p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/05/18/carnival-of-money-stories-may-two-four-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Carnival of Money Stories: May Two-Four Edition'>Carnival of Money Stories: May Two-Four Edition</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/29/the-89th-carnival-of-debt-reduction/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction'>The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/15/carnival-of-debt-reduction-mothers-day-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Carnival of Debt Reduction &#8211; Mother&#8217;s Day Edition'>Carnival of Debt Reduction &#8211; Mother&#8217;s Day Edition</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Thriving On A Teacher&#8217;s Salary and Inspiring Others</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2009/07/20/thriving-on-a-teachers-salary-and-inspiring-others/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2009/07/20/thriving-on-a-teachers-salary-and-inspiring-others/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:31:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cash]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Danny-Kofke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free-stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frugal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[guest post]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[halloween]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[library]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teacher]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=3281</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Today&#8217;s post comes from Danny Kofke, a school teacher with a family of four that he raises on his salary. His wife is a former teacher and now stay-at-home mother to his two young daughters. Despite earning a moderate income, he has no debt except the mortgage, has a 12-month emergency fund, invest so that they are on track to retire with a sizeable nest [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/01/28/are-you-getting-paid-salary-survey-results-for-finance-careers/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Are You Getting Paid? &#8211; Salary Survey Results for Finance Careers'>Are You Getting Paid? &#8211; Salary Survey Results for Finance Careers</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/08/good-news-for-our-careers-national-teachers-day/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Good News for Our Careers &amp; National Teacher&#8217;s Day'>Good News for Our Careers &amp; National Teacher&#8217;s Day</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/12/the-plan-making-every-dollar-count/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count'>The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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			<a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fptmoney.com%2F2009%2F07%2F20%2Fthriving-on-a-teachers-salary-and-inspiring-others%2F"><br />
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<p><em><img class="size-full wp-image-3290 alignright" style="margin: 10px; border: 0px;" title="Danny Kofke How to Thrive on a Teachers Salary" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/danny-kofke-how-to-thrive-on-a-teachers-salary.jpg" alt="Danny Kofke How to Thrive on a Teachers Salary" width="150" height="210" />Today&#8217;s post comes from Danny Kofke, a school teacher with a family of four that he raises on his salary. His wife is a former teacher and now stay-at-home mother to his two young daughters. Despite earning a moderate income, he has no debt except the mortgage, has a 12-month emergency fund, invest so that they are on track to retire with a sizeable nest egg, and <strong>lives a financially secure life on a teacher&#8217;s salary</strong>.</em></p>
<p><em>Danny recently wrote a book, &#8220;<a href="http://www.dannykofke.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">How To Survive (and perhaps thrive) On A Teacher&#8217;s Salary</a>&#8220;, to show others how they can make the most out of their salaries. You can <a href="http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-5988690-2-6" target="_blank">pick it up for yourself</a> in paperback ($9.99) and digital download ($5.99).</em></p>
<h3>Tips to Live on a Small Income</h3>
<p>It seems like everywhere we look these days we see something telling us how bad the economy is and how tough times are. I agree that it has become more difficult for some but also feel that this a great learning opportunity for many. Here are some tips that have enabled my family to live on a teacher&#8217;s salary:</p>
<h3>Get a New Cell Phone Plan</h3>
<p>This might not apply to all, but we only use our cell phone for emergencies. A few years ago we had a plan in which we were paying $50/month and barely using it. We switched providers and now spend an average of only $10/month.</p>
<h3>Look Into Changing Your Home Phone Plan Too</h3>
<p>A lot of people are now using their cell phones in place of a home phone. If you still find yourself in need of a home phone, it is important to analyze your plan and make sure you are signed up for what you really need. I once analyzed my bill and realized we had too many options that we were not using. I changed my plan to the basics and saved almost $25/month by doing so.</p>
<h3>Use Cash</h3>
<p>Cash is king these days. Most stores are hurting and are willing to negotiate prices &#8211; especially if you are <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/03/04/go-cash-only-for-a-week/" target="_blank">using cash</a>. I recently had a friend that wanted to buy a new tv that was listed for around $1,000. I told her to walk into the store with $700 in cash and say that she really wanted the television but could only spend the money she had. Well, after some talk, she walked out with this TV for the money she had in her purse. Not all stores will do this, but, with the economy where it is, it doesn&#8217;t hurt to ask.</p>
<h3>Use Your Local Library</h3>
<p>We all know that the library is a great place to get books for free but most do not realize that many libraries also have CDs and DVDs that you can check out. Instead of renting or buying many videos for my children, we visit our local library and check them out for free. You can also use the library to get passes to activities in your area. We have checked out a book that contained free passes to state parks. This enabled us to have a fun and, better yet, free family day.</p>
<h3>Make Your Own Halloween Costumes</h3>
<p>Tracy has made my oldest daughter&#8217;s Halloween costumes the past two years. Two years ago, Ava saw a skeleton costume in a Pottery Barn catalog and wanted that to be her costume. Instead of buying this, Tracy made an identical-looking costume using a tee-shirt and felt material. This homemade costume saved us $50. Tracy did the same thing last Halloween with a butterfly costume.</p>
<h3>Ask for Free Stuff</h3>
<p>Okay, this might surprise you, but we have The NFL Sunday Ticket. This is one splurge that is important to us &#8211; we have family time together watching football on Sundays (plus I never miss a Miami Dolphins game). I saw an add in a local magazine saying that new subscribers to this service would receive an added feature worth $99 for free. I called up my satellite company and said that I already subscribed and wanted this free feature too. Well, after about 15 minutes of being placed on hold and being told that I probably would not be able to receive this free item, I got it free and clear. It never hurts to ask.</p>
<h3>Save Money on the Weekends</h3>
<p>I know there are some people that go out every weekend to dinner and a movie. Let&#8217;s say the cost of this night out totals $50 &#8211; this is probably too little an amount. Instead of going out every weekend, just stay home one Saturday night and rent a movie and order pizza. This one act alone can save you at least $35! If you do it more than once a month your savings goes up. <em>For even greater savings on movies check out <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/01/21/netflix-review-netflix-com/" target="_blank">Netflix</a>.</em></p>
<h3>Save a Little Every Day</h3>
<p>There are some things you can do each day to save a little money that will add up over time. Make your own coffee at home. Some buy their coffee from a store on the way to work. This practice can easily add up to over $100 a month. If you instead make your own coffee at home, you can save up to $25 a week which adds up to over $1,000 a year! Another way to save is to bring your lunch to work. On average, you will spend at least $5.00 eating a fast food lunch &#8211; more if it is a sit-down restaurant. Instead of <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/02/29/dining-out-how-can-we-spend-less/" target="_blank">eating out</a> everyday, bring leftovers from home only 2 days a week. You still get to eat out a majority of the work week and will save over $40 each month.</p>
<p>These are some of the tactics we use to get the most out of my paycheck. For most people, it is not how much you make but, rather, how well you plan and spend your money that leads to financial success. This philosophy has enabled us to live a very wealthy life on a moderate income.</p>
<p><em>Thanks for the great tips, Danny. As a husband to a teacher, I can attest to the hard work you go through, and how tough it is to make it on that salary. Kudos to you for having your family in such good shape financially, and for sharing your tips above and in your book.</em></p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/01/28/are-you-getting-paid-salary-survey-results-for-finance-careers/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Are You Getting Paid? &#8211; Salary Survey Results for Finance Careers'>Are You Getting Paid? &#8211; Salary Survey Results for Finance Careers</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/08/good-news-for-our-careers-national-teachers-day/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Good News for Our Careers &amp; National Teacher&#8217;s Day'>Good News for Our Careers &amp; National Teacher&#8217;s Day</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2010/02/12/the-plan-making-every-dollar-count/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count'>The Plan: Making Every Dollar Count</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>5 Money Tips For Travelers</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2009/06/26/5-money-tips-for-travelers/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2009/06/26/5-money-tips-for-travelers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:41:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>PT</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ATM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[capital-one]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ING Direct]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[skype]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=3155</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
With the heavy summer travel season now upon us, I thought I&#8217;d throw out some quick travel tips. These are mostly based on the money-related lessons I learned while travelling to Ireland the past three weeks. For more detailed banking information see my previous post, Banking Tips for International Travel.
Know Your ATM and Foreign Transaction Fees- We ended up using [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/10/08/international-travel-tip-making-inexpesive-phone-calls/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls'>International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/01/11/the-best-credit-card-for-world-travelers/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Best Credit Card For World Travelers'>The Best Credit Card For World Travelers</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/06/03/international-overseas-travel-money-banking-credit-cards-optimized/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Optimize Your Banking For International Travel'>Optimize Your Banking For International Travel</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<p>With the heavy summer travel season now upon us, I thought I&#8217;d throw out some quick travel tips. These are mostly based on the money-related lessons I learned while travelling to Ireland the past three weeks. For more detailed banking information see my previous post, <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/06/03/international-overseas-travel-money-banking-credit-cards-optimized/" target="_blank">Banking Tips for International Travel</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Know Your ATM and Foreign Transaction Fees</strong>- We ended up using our ATM card once and thought we&#8217;d only see a $2 fee. To our suprise, our ING DIRECT Electric Orange account charged us 2% foreign transaction fee. This is definitely something we should have researched prior to making the ATM withdrawal. Foreign transaction fees weren&#8217;t that bad on us the rest of the trip since we just used the local currency (Euro), but that&#8217;s definitely something you need to be aware of prior to using your credit card. Most fees are set at 1% to 3%. Capital One is one of the only companies that doesn&#8217;t charge you this fee.</p>
<p><strong>Download Skype to Save on Phone Expenses &#8211; </strong>We&#8217;re still really big on <a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/skype" target="_blank">Skype</a> and used it make all our calls back home. We called both our friends and family who have Skype themselves, and occasionally used it to call a land line or cell phone using the Skype credits I had left over from my last trip. <a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/skype" target="_blank">Skype</a> is free for computer to computer video calls.</p>
<p><strong>Consider Cancelling Services Back Home &#8211; </strong>Prior to leaving on our recent trip we&#8217;d been having some trouble with our Internet connection. So, we decided to call and just cancel it to save us from paying almost a month of service fees when we were out of town. AT&amp;T offered to give us a month for free and then lowered our rate going forward to keep us from cancelling. Call your service providers today and let them know of your complaints or if you think you&#8217;re paying too much. They&#8217;ll likely work with you to help you cut some from your monthly expenses. Note: before cancelling anything, make sure you&#8217;re aware of any cancellation fees or big fees to have the service set back up when you return.</p>
<p><strong>Inform Your Bank and Credit Cards &#8211; </strong>Most banks and credit card companies have fraud alerts set up on your account that prevent your card from taking any unusual charges, like in a foreign country. So, it&#8217;s usually a good practice to call them and let them know where you&#8217;re going. I usually do this at the airport while I&#8217;m waiting. We actually forgot to do this this time around. And suprisingly we never had a transaction questioned. Maybe it was because we were in Europe, I guess, versus a less developed country.</p>
<p><strong>Add-On a Cell Phone International Feature - </strong>If and when we didn&#8217;t use Skype on our trip, we used our cell phones. Prior to leaving though, we called and made sure we had the international flat rate feature turned on. This usually costs around $5 for the month, but it lowers your per minute and per text charges to a more reasonable rate.</p>
<p>Do you have a good money-related travel tip? Leave it in the comments below&#8230;</p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/10/08/international-travel-tip-making-inexpesive-phone-calls/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls'>International Travel Tip: Making Inexpesive Phone Calls</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/01/11/the-best-credit-card-for-world-travelers/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Best Credit Card For World Travelers'>The Best Credit Card For World Travelers</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/06/03/international-overseas-travel-money-banking-credit-cards-optimized/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Optimize Your Banking For International Travel'>Optimize Your Banking For International Travel</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Blockbuster Takes on Redbox with $1.99 One-Night DVD Rentals</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2009/06/24/blockbuster-takes-on-redbox-with-199-one-night-dvd-rentals/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2009/06/24/blockbuster-takes-on-redbox-with-199-one-night-dvd-rentals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:20:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>PT</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blockbuster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netflix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[redbox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the-new-release]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ptmoney.com/?p=3156</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
This past weekend I visited Blockbuster for the first time in a while. I&#8217;d written them off to a certain degree after my discovery of The New Release, Redbox (and Insideredbox.com), who let you rent DVDs for $1 or even $0. To be honest, the only reason I even considered entering Blockbuster was because I [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/11/blockbuster-total-access-should-you-try-it/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Blockbuster Online &#8211; Should You Try It?'>Blockbuster Online &#8211; Should You Try It?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/03/25/rent-dvd-movies-for-1-with-the-new-release-and-redbox/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Rent DVD Movies for $1 with The New Release and Redbox'>Rent DVD Movies for $1 with The New Release and Redbox</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/06/02/man-vs-debt-blockbuster-total-access-egiving-and-movies-on-the-cheap/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Man vs. Debt, Blockbuster Total Access, eGiving, and Movies on the Cheap'>Man vs. Debt, Blockbuster Total Access, eGiving, and Movies on the Cheap</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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<p>This past weekend I visited Blockbuster for the first time in a while. I&#8217;d written them off to a certain degree after my discovery of <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2008/03/25/rent-dvd-movies-for-1-with-the-new-release-and-redbox/" target="_blank">The New Release, Redbox</a> (and Insideredbox.com), who let you rent DVDs for $1 or even $0. To be honest, the only reason I even considered entering Blockbuster was because I desperately wanted to watch a particular movie and it was out of stock at the $1 rental box closest to my home. And I&#8217;m not quite up to speed on the online movie watching, nor do I have an on-demand type cable or <a href="http://ptmoney.com/go/dishnetwork/" target="_blank">satellite TV service</a>. I&#8217;m a bit old school when it comes to movies. Hey, at least I don&#8217;t watch VHS anymore.</p>
<p>So, reluctantly I stepped into the nearest Blockbuster, knowing I was about to pay $5 for something I could have rented for $1. Still, I was pleased to find the movie I wanted heavily stocked on the shelf. Then, I proceeded to the register where the person checking me out asked if I wanted to rent it for the <strong>one-night price of $1.99</strong>, or keep it for a week at $4.99. Obviously, since I was planning to watch the movie that night, I happily opted for the $1.99 price. <em>Does anyone know when Blockbuster began offering this price and if it&#8217;s a nationwide offering?</em></p>
<p>Anyway, I left feeling good about my purchase, and at the same time, pleased with Blockbuster (a Dallas-based company) for altering their pricing structure to compete with the $1 boxes. The way I see it, this move will keep the brick and mortar Blockbuster stores around for a bit longer. Eventually everything will be digital and you won&#8217;t need a store, but for now it&#8217;s nice to see them making the smart changes required to stay competitive.</p>
<p>I realize $1.99 still isn&#8217;t $1.00 or $0 (the Redbox price with promo code), but Blockbuster has the advantage of being able to stock more DVDs. Thus, increasing the chances you&#8217;ll actually leave with the movie you want. I think I&#8217;d pay $2 instead of $1 if I knew the movie would be there. Also, Blockbuster allows you to turn the movie in by store closing, whereas the $1 boxes seem to give you a 24 hour window to return the movie (correct me if I&#8217;m wrong about that one). All this to say, I think going forward, I&#8217;ll probably be using Blockbuster more for my movie renting needs.</p>
<p>By the way, I&#8217;m not really a movie rental subscription service fan, but I have tried both <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/11/blockbuster-total-access-should-you-try-it/" target="_blank">Blockbuster Online</a> and <a href="http://ptmoney.com/2009/01/21/netflix-review-netflix-com/" target="_blank">Netflix</a>. Both have their advantages over visiting the store.</p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/11/blockbuster-total-access-should-you-try-it/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Blockbuster Online &#8211; Should You Try It?'>Blockbuster Online &#8211; Should You Try It?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/03/25/rent-dvd-movies-for-1-with-the-new-release-and-redbox/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Rent DVD Movies for $1 with The New Release and Redbox'>Rent DVD Movies for $1 with The New Release and Redbox</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2008/06/02/man-vs-debt-blockbuster-total-access-egiving-and-movies-on-the-cheap/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Man vs. Debt, Blockbuster Total Access, eGiving, and Movies on the Cheap'>Man vs. Debt, Blockbuster Total Access, eGiving, and Movies on the Cheap</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Carnival of Money Stories: May Two-Four Edition</title>
		<link>http://ptmoney.com/2009/05/18/carnival-of-money-stories-may-two-four-edition/</link>
		<comments>http://ptmoney.com/2009/05/18/carnival-of-money-stories-may-two-four-edition/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2009 10:30:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>PT</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Money Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[calgary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fairy-tales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[may-two-four]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[oh-canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[queen-victoria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tall-tales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vancouver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[victoria-day]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Welcome to this 2nd edition of the newly re-established Carnival of Money Stories. And Happy Victoria Day! I&#8217;m not Canadian, but I love Canada. So far I&#8217;ve visited Vancouver and Calgary and loved both trips. Today just happens to be Victoria Day, also called May Two-Four. Can you guess the double meaning of that nickname? [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/carnival-of-money-stories-halloween-candy-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Carnival of Money Stories: Halloween Candy Edition'>Carnival of Money Stories: Halloween Candy Edition</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/29/the-89th-carnival-of-debt-reduction/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction'>The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction</a></li>
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</ol>]]></description>
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<p><em><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-3017 alignright" style="border: 0pt none; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" title="canadian-flag" src="http://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/canadian-flag-150x150.jpg" alt="canadian-flag" width="150" height="150" /></em>Welcome to this 2nd edition of the newly re-established <a href="http://www.carnivalofmoneystories.com/" target="_blank">Carnival of Money Stories</a>. And Happy Victoria Day! I&#8217;m not Canadian, but I love Canada. So far I&#8217;ve visited Vancouver and Calgary and loved both trips. Today just happens to be Victoria Day, also called <em>May Two-Four</em>. Can you guess the double meaning of that nickname? Today, Canadians celebrate Queen Victoria&#8217;s birthday and the end of their long winter season.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve got some good stories from my trips to Canada that I&#8217;ll save for another time, eh. Instead why don&#8217;t you spend some time checking out the huge list of money stories below. Thanks to everyone for participating and for <strong>linking back</strong> to the carnival.</p>
<h3>PT&#8217;s Picks</h3>
<p>Madison presents <a href="http://www.mydollarplan.com/an-auction-experience-to-remember/">An Auction Experience to Remember</a> posted at <a href="http://www.mydollarplan.com">My Dollar Plan</a>.</p>
<p>Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents <a href="http://cashmoneylife.com/2009/04/27/decide-stay-at-home-mom-working-mom/">Be a Stay at Home Mom or Working Mom?</a> posted at <a href="http://cashmoneylife.com">Cash Money Life</a>.</p>
<h3>Business</h3>
<p>Celes presents <a href="http://embraceliving.net/blog/2009/05/passion-paycheck/">Passion Paycheck</a> posted at <a href="http://embraceliving.net/blog">EmbraceLiving.Net</a>.</p>
<p>Penelope Pince presents <a href="http://pecuniarities.com/business-decision-turning-away-a-customer/3975">Business Decision: Turning Away a Customer</a> posted at <a href="http://pecuniarities.com">Pecuniarities</a>.</p>
<h3>Debt</h3>
<p>Chris McClelland presents <a href="http://www.thelucrativeinvestor.com/reasons-your-bank-never-wanted/">10 Reasons Your Bank Never Wanted You to Read This</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thelucrativeinvestor.com">Lucrative Investing</a>.</p>
<p>Mr Credit Card presents <a href="http://www.askmrcreditcard.com/creditcardblog/readers-success-story-auto-loan-after-bankruptcy/">Auto Loan After Bankruptcy &#8211; One Reader&#8217;s Success Story</a> posted at <a href="http://www.askmrcreditcard.com/creditcardblog">Ask Mr Credit Card</a>.</p>
<p>Dave Ozment presents <a href="http://doyoudaveramsey.com/bad-money-decisions/">Bad Money Decisions</a> posted at <a href="http://doyoudaveramsey.com">Do You Dave Ramsey?</a>.</p>
<h3>Housing</h3>
<p>glblguy presents <a href="http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com/2009/05/what-should-i-do-with-my-house/">What should I do with my house?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com">Gather Little by Little</a>.</p>
<h3>Investing</h3>
<p>Dividend Tree presents <a href="http://www.dividendtree.net/life/shake-the-dirt-off-and-take-a-step-up/">Shake the Dirt off and Take a Step-Up</a> posted at <a href="http://www.dividendtree.net">Dividend Tree</a>.</p>
<h3>Net Worth</h3>
<p>KeithMcC presents <a href="http://www.bewealthygethappy.com/2009/05/02/never-move-for-money/">Never Move for Money!</a> posted at <a href="http://www.bewealthygethappy.com">{be} Wealthy / [get] Happy</a>.</p>
<h3>Shopping</h3>
<p>BeThisWay presents <a href="http://justshootmenow.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/frugal-lemon-leads-to-frugal-lemonade/">Frugal Lemon Leads to Frugal Lemonade</a> posted at <a href="http://justshootmenow.wordpress.com">Are You Going To Be This Way The Rest of The Time I Know You?</a>.</p>
<p>That One Caveman presents <a href="http://www.thatonecaveman.com/2009/05/dont-fall-for-the-convention-center-liquidation-sale-scam.html">Don’t Fall For the Convention Center “Liquidation Sale” Scam</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thatonecaveman.com">One Caveman&#8217;s Financial Journey</a>.</p>
<p>Money Beagle presents <a href="http://www.moneybeagle.com/2009/05/12/how-were-trying-to-support-the-local-economy">How We&#8217;re Trying To Support The Local Economy | Money Beagle</a> posted at <a href="http://www.moneybeagle.com">Money Beagle</a>.</p>
<p>FMF presents <a href="http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2009/05/do-you-respond-to-solicitations.html">Do You Respond to Solicitations?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/">Free Money Finance</a>.</p>
<p>Adam presents <a href="http://www.moneyrelationship.com/shopping/our-cell-phone-company-is-scamming-us/">Our Cell Phone Company Is Scamming Us</a> posted at <a href="http://www.moneyrelationship.com">Your Money Relationship</a>.</p>
<h3>More Stories</h3>
<p>Silicon Valley Blogger presents <a href="http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/17/business-entrepeneurs-entrepreneurial-mind/">Have A Mind For Business? Entrepeneurs Think Differently!</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/">The Digerati Life</a></p>
<p>The Happy Rock presents <a href="http://www.thehappyrock.com/2009/05/13/saving-money-with-old-school-technology-answering-machine/">Saving Money with Old School Technology &#8211; Answering Machines</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thehappyrock.com">The Happy Rock</a>.</p>
<p>Lazy Man presents <a href="http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/save-money-on-cell-phones/">» Save Money on Cell Phones</a> posted at <a href="http://www.lazymanandmoney.com">Lazy Man and Money</a>.</p>
<p>Peter presents <a href="http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/2009/04/hard-times-make-us-stronger-the-story-of-the-butterfly.html">Hard Times Make Us Stronger: The Story Of The Butterfly</a> posted at <a href="http://www.biblemoneymatters.com">Bible Money Matters</a>.</p>
<p>J. Money presents <a href="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/2009/05/credit-card-roulette-to-play-or-not-to.html">Credit Card Roulette &#8211; To Play or Not to Play?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/">Budgets are Sexy.</a>.</p>
<p>Mr. ToughMoneyLove presents <a href="http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/05/11/whittling-away-at-the-expense-ledger/">Whittling Away at the Expense Ledger</a> posted at <a href="http://toughmoneylove.com">Tough Money Love</a>.</p>
<p>My Journey presents <a href="http://www.myjourneytomillions.com/articles/barter-system-is-alive-and-well/">Barter System is Alive and Well!</a> posted at <a href="http://www.myjourneytomillions.com">My Journey to Millions</a>.</p>
<p>AG presents <a href="http://letsbecurious.blogspot.com/2009/05/haggling-works-try-it-save-money.html">Haggling Works: Try It, Save Money</a> posted at <a href="http://letsbecurious.blogspot.com/">Let&#8217;s Be Curious</a>.</p>
<p>KCLau presents <a href="http://kclau.com/make-money-tips/rich-habit/">The Most Common Habit of Rich People</a> posted at <a href="http://kclau.com">KCLau&#8217;s Money Tips</a>.</p>
<p>Shadox presents <a href="http://moneyandsuch.blogspot.com/2009/05/car-trouble-still-worth-it.html">Car Trouble, Still Worth it</a> posted at <a href="http://moneyandsuch.blogspot.com/">Money and Such</a>.</p>
<h3>Even More</h3>
<p>Jeff Rose presents <a href="http://consumerboomer.com/how-to-prevent-identity-theft-capital-one-saved-me/">Identity Theft &#8211; Capital One saved Me!</a> posted at <a href="http://consumerboomer.com">Consumer Boomer</a>.</p>
<p>DR presents <a href="http://www.doughroller.net/personal-finance/lies-damn-lies-personal-finance/">Lies, Damn Lies, and Personal Finance</a> posted at <a href="http://www.doughroller.net">The Dough Roller</a>.</p>
<p>MB presents <a href="http://www.creditbluebook.com/tradeking-review-best-online-broker/">TradeKing Brokerage Review</a> posted at <a href="http://www.creditbluebook.com/blog/">Money Blue Book Blog</a>.</p>
<p>jim presents <a href="http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/what-is-a-good-credit-score.html">What Is A Good Credit Score?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.bargaineering.com/articles">Blueprint for Financial Prosperity</a>.</p>
<p>nickel presents <a href="http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2009/05/13/investing-with-lending-club-low-vs-high-risk-loans/">Investing With Lending Club: Low vs. High Risk Loans</a> posted at <a href="http://www.fivecentnickel.com">fivecentnickel.com</a>.</p>
<p>Ryan Suenaga presents <a href="http://www.uncommon-cents.net/2009/05/15/whats-in-my-portfolio-toyota/">What’s in My Portfolio: Toyota</a> posted at <a href="http://www.uncommon-cents.net">Uncommon Cents</a>.</p>
<p>Donald presents <a href="http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2009/05/14/how-to-make-more-money/">How to Make More Money</a> posted at <a href="http://www.lifeoptimizer.org">Life Optimizer</a>.</p>
<p>Dan presents <a href="http://everydayfinance.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-discover-current-card-like-spying.html">New Discover Current Card &#8211; Like Spying on Your Kids?</a> posted at <a href="http://everydayfinance.blogspot.com/">Everyday Finance</a>.</p>
<p>Darwin presents <a href="http://www.darwinsfinance.com/advanta-freezes-credit-cards/">Advanta Freezes Credit Cards &#8211; High Yield Notes in Jeopardy?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.darwinsfinance.com">Darwin&#8217;s Finance</a>.</p>
<p>FIRE Finance presents <a href="http://firefinance.blogspot.com/2008/04/top-7-energy-saving-tips-for-this.html">Top 7 Energy Saving Tips for this Summer!</a> posted at <a href="http://firefinance.blogspot.com/">FIRE Finance</a>.</p>
<p><em>Photo by <a title="Link to René Ehrhardt's photostream" rel="dc:creator cc:attributionURL" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rene_ehrhardt/">René Ehrhardt</a></em></p>
        <p>© PT Money - Visit <a href="http://ptmoney.com">PT Money</a> for more articles on saving money, frugality, and debt reduction.</p>        

<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/10/26/carnival-of-money-stories-halloween-candy-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Carnival of Money Stories: Halloween Candy Edition'>Carnival of Money Stories: Halloween Candy Edition</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2007/05/29/the-89th-carnival-of-debt-reduction/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction'>The 89th Carnival of Debt Reduction</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ptmoney.com/2009/05/26/carnival-of-debt-reduction-193-new-credit-card-rules-edition/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Carnival of Debt Reduction #193: New Credit Card Rules Edition'>Carnival of Debt Reduction #193: New Credit Card Rules Edition</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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