Posts Tagged ‘blogging’
I honestly don’t think this is going to feel real for some time yet.
I guess that’s what happens when you embark on something you’ve never done before, and thus simply can’t fathom.
A new chapter
I’ve always admired and envied the likes of Teacher Finance and Newlyweds on a Budget for their ability to stick to personal finance topics so tightly (I read almost every post on those blogs and shake my fist in disappointment that I didn’t write it first)
But that’s never been me.
This wee blog is evolving and it’s going to chronicle this new chapter, because writing isn’t just a hobby, it’s an essential part of my life.
I’m talking everything from narratives to practical advice and tips to posts where I’ll evaluate and share travel resources. Shoot me questions and ideas! Anything you’d like to hear about, I’ll try to cover. And I’m hoping to also do a few more interviews/features here on the blog – maybe with other long-term travellers, digital nomads, or Kiwis living overseas (as my posts on the differences in life in NZ always garner so much interest).
What kinds would you like to read?
Tags: blogging, reflections, travel
You know something? This is likely to be my last Link Love post for awhile. Next weekend will be full to the brim wedding stuff, and we’ll be hitting the road after that.
Speaking of blogging, I haven’t been getting pingbacks through comments since January. Therefore if you’ve linked to me since then, I may or may not be aware of it.
I think my theme might be blocking them somehow – or else maybe Dreamhost is doing something weird? Any ideas? Is anybody else experiencing a similar problem?
(I know, I know. Not really the best time to start stressing about this. Priorities.)
And so, to the links…
Cait reckons this is the only motivational post she’ll ever write – but it’s a cracker.
Nicole and Maggie’s post about their fantasy libraries is BEYOND. Fellow bibliophiles, click over there right now.
This post on the 9 traits of underearners at Get Rich Slowly is a thought provoking one. As some of the commenters point out, some of us choose certain career paths with the knowledge they won’t make us rich.
Little Miss Moneybags breaks it down: is it THAT much more expensive in NYC than the midwest?
And finally, Ms Career Girl lists some gems of work wisdom from four famous women.
Happy weekends, all!
I’ve had money on the brain even more often than normal lately (not helped by Women’s Money Week!) thanks to some financial setbacks.
- As you might remember, T had a SUPER AWESOME brush with death recently on his motorbike thanks to some idiot boy racer. After a few weeks of being off work/on half days/off again due to medical certificate snafus, he was finally sent back to work on full hours, thank the heavens – because as an HOURLY worker with no built up leave right now, him being off work was hurting. (As we’ve learned, ACC has a minimum 7 day stand down policy. Not that is matters, since they refused to cover this incident. A complaint is being filed about the handling of the case, which T’s company is going to handle going forward since we’re leaving the country.)
- His bike, which had just been rebuilt with new fairings in anticipation of selling it, also had about $1k knocked off its (cosmetic) value in a second due to that accident.
- Since then, he’s been avoiding even looking at the bike, which still needs a couple of things done to it to get it running smoothly. That would have been fine, until his friend, who was keen to buy it as is, went and bought a car instead. With just a couple of weeks left, I do not see it a) getting fixed up or b) sold. [insert rant about useless males]
- A couple of long-shot travel blogging pitches/sponsorship proposals went nowhere. Ah well.
Still in the works: my post about financing our trip. I want to be able to present the most accurate numbers, so I’m putting it off until as close to our departure as possible.
On the plus side, I don’t need to pay my wedding venue or wedding celebrant until the week before the big day, which is nice for cashflow.
Got any financial wins or losses of your own to share?
This week’s links:
In the wake of Dove’s new campaign (which I adore), Emily Jane pens a beautiful post on self-image and self-acceptance.
The Asian Pear makes a reasoned case for not driving. (Being shacked up with T, I have a car and driver, but personally would probably drive once a week to the supermarket, if that.)
Kelly Abroad recounts her New York love story from the very beginning.
Some snippets of sage career advice via Publishing Trendsetter, most of which are relevant to all workers, regardless of industry.
Make a Living Writing was on fire this week, collecting true tales of woe from a bunch of content mill writers and reminding us that we all have our own crosses to bear, even when we don’t publicly broadcast them.
When did I last link to A Practical Wedding? I can’t even remember. Let me rectify that. This week’s post on how to be in love is simply sublime – and timely for me, as it’s been a rough week on that front.
Americans, it’s been a hard week. My heart goes out to you. I saw the infamous uncensored Jeff Bauman photo earlier this week, and while I can’t unsee it, there have also been many photos and stories chronicling the depths and breadths of human generosity. And one of the few (only?) Boston bloggers I follow, Sweet Caroline, published a photo montage from Boston that’s really quite lovely.
Tags: blogging, money, rant
It’s funny how things happen sometimes. I’ve had Chicago mentioned to me multiple times in recent weeks in conjunction with our upcoming trip. Is this a sign?
I didn’t think we’d have time to visit the midwest, but I’ve been thinking…
Maybe we could take a couple of days out from our week in NYC to do an overnighter in DC. That would free us up to skip DC on the way back down – we could head to Chicago after Canada, then straight down to New Orleans, which would be the next major stop.
This would probably mean skipping Philadelphia, but is cheese steak really all that great? (The answer to your question: yes, i would visit somewhere purely for its food.)
Blast from the past
A year ago I survived a week without a smartphone, recounted all the crazy places I’ve lived, asked whether you find meaning in your work, and applied a few journalism lessons to life in general.
Two years ago I broke down my Myers-Briggs personality type and ran my first 10k.
Three years ago I got to experience living alone, very briefly, and asked what you cheap out on at the supermarket (ha, bread is so much more expensive now!)
And now, to the links! A fairly short roundup this week:
Fascinating: how women are invoking Sheryl Sandberg when asking for more money. I can totally see myself doing this in an attempt to negate any awkwardness I felt, though I imagine in certain situations it might not be appropriate?
Financial Samurai recounts three craptastic jobs that changed his life
Nicole and Maggie’s post in praise of their respective partners is rather lovely
A guide to cooking with vinegar, from Stonesoup
Save, Spend, Splurge explains how she’s made cold hard cash from virtual goods
Makeup and Mirtazapine shares some excellent dating advice for the diffident
And last but not least, I enjoyed Frugal Rules’ down to earth post on taking the plunge into self-employment
Happy weekends, all!
I seriously don’t understand people who go tramping/hiking for fun. Back in high school, my friends and I’d go roaming around the bush/creeks/cliffs/beaches just out the back of our suburb for hours in our downtime. Today, doing the same kind of thing is really not all that enjoyable, but at least it’s a good workout.
Last weekend we made the journey out to Kitekite Falls at Piha, which looks a heckuva lot like Karekare falls, but is much harder to get to.
It was way too icy to swim by my standards – wading around int he shallows for a bit completely numbed me from ankles to toes – but worth the trek anyway.
Along the way, we saw St John Ambulance staff helping out someone to the side of the trail – we’re still not sure what happened – and heard a rather loud alarm go off at one point … again, not quite sure what that might have been for (shark sighting? tsunami warning?) but there were no emergency vehicles or any sort of commotion when we left, so it can’t have been TOO bad.
To the links!
SO true. The best and worst things about getting older, by Obsessions of a Workaholic
And another hilarious piece by The Frugal Model: Friends don’t let friends…
Thinking it’s time to quit your job? Examine your reasons – remember, there is potential to be unhappy anywhere. Via Dumb Little Man
I can relate, very much, to Donna Freedman’s post today on family and forgiveness
Both Krystal and The Asian Pear just wrapped up their pescatarian challenges and have some insights to share
It is okay to be (relatively) unremarkable. We can’t all be rockstars, and that’s okay, via Grow. (Related: my ramblings on how my dreams have changed over time)
A cautionary tale from Social Diary for anyone who’s ever been filmed for TV broadcast in any capacity. Be aware of your rights…
Ashley totally killed it this week with all her posts. Here’s a quote from one that really resounded:
“I have known about myself for a long time that I am kind, but not particularly generous. I am especially selfish with my time. Most introverts can probably be accused of this, since we need so much time to ourselves, but even my introvert friends are more generous with their time than I am. I hoard time and protect my freedom like the world is out to collect.”
Finally, I’m late to this one, but still wanted to highlight it anyway: true confessions of a mean girl. I wonder if this is true universally? Can one be popular without being mean and without the cliquey infighting? Thanks to one of my close friends in my younger years, I occasionally had reason to interact with THE single most popular girl (the most awkward point culminating in my dad driving us both to school one morning, without my actual friend there to act as a buffer – she stayed home sick that day, I think). And in about 8 years total of being at the same school as her, I really never got any of those impressions; she seemed above it all.
It was a bit of a ranty pants week here on the blog. In case you missed it, I covered arranged marriages and name changing (in both cases, the comment threads are great and most definitely worth reading – some have even helped me further clarify my views, which is always appreciated. Oh, and I managed to learn something about my own culture to boot).
Off the blog, my friends and I were trounced at a music pub quiz (they’re always skewed toward the oldies – who the heck are the Boomtown Rats and have you ever heard of them?!) on Monday; I watched the entire Godfather trilogy for the first time and dug it; and I’ve been trying out the ring I bought off Etsy for the wedding, on a finger that it does fit. Result: I no longer know if I even want a wedding ring. I do like this ring and think I’d like to keep it for special occasions but I don’t like that it’s double the size of my engagement ring (and thus feels unbalanced) and still needs sizing. I’ve yet to find anything else I remotely like, and I really don’t care enough about jewellery to spend any more time on this.
To the links!
I was in the carnival of personal finance this week and last week
I think this is fascinating: one writer on why she keeps a Single Girl’s Starter Kit around, and what that entails
I like Donna Freedman’s take on buying quality stuff: “buy once, cry once”
Jess Lively reminds us that copying someone else’s formula for success may not work for you.
A powerful and inspiring read from Stephany about changing her life story, and thus, trajectory
Little Miss Moneybags talks ‘leaning in’
Over at So Many Places, some hard talk on seeing – and dealing with – beggars. I know to expect to see some in KL, as I have on previous occasions there – but I imagine it will be much worse in other countries we visit, and I don’t know how well equipped I am to deal with that
Are things really more expensive today than they were for our parents? Funny About Money crunches the numbers
How people really get rich (vs how we think they do). Via American Debt Project
Fully behind Meg of LandingStanding; sometimes being able to say you’re pregnant would be a great reason to explain some of your preferences without being judged for them
Hope your Easter weekends are going swell! If you have a five day weekend, I’m jealous. With any luck, I’ll be going for a bush trek today and visiting a waterfall.
Whenever people ask me how wedding planning is going, they get a noncommittal “ehh” and a weak shrug. Let’s face it, simultaneously planning a six-month trip is a much larger undertaking, and it’s taking a lot out of me. But it’s also way more fun.
With that, let’s get stuck into the latest Byteful Travel Blog carnival!
Emma Goho presents The Gohemian’s Guide: What To Do In Jaipur posted at gohemiantravellers, a piece on her favourite Indian city, Jaipur. “A beautiful city, full of beautiful people!” One of my best friends will be tying the knot later this year in India. Alas, I won’t be able to attend (I’m not sure where we’ll be as I don’t know her date yet, but we don’t really have the time or money for a detour to India).
Kevin Giffin presents 10 of the Best States to Visit with Kids posted at Summer Nanny, saying that planning a family vacation can be an overwhelming prospect, especially when the budget doesn’t allow for international travel. We’ll hopefully be hitting up about half of these states while in the US.
Go Green Travel Green presents Dog Sledding in the Okanagan Wilderness, Canada posted at Go Green Travel Green. Sounds like a real adventure.
Go Green Travel Green presents Best New Orleans Restaurants for First-Time Visitors posted at Go Green Travel Green. Still undecided about Cafe du Monde – but I suppose if we aren’t able to find beignets anywhere else (I have a tip about another beignet place to try buried in Evernote somewhere) then we might just have to make a stop.
Mariska presents Where I am.. Anguilla! posted at Bordélique. Annoyingly, my computer has trouble displaying images on some WordPress (usually hosted) blogs, but I’m sure your photos are stunning!
Dani Blanchette presents I’m Illegal posted at Going Nomadic. An epic tale of a North American who finds out what it is like to become an illegal immigrant in South America.
Pinch of Adventure presents São Jorge: Hospitality lessons in the middle of the Atlantic posted at A pinch of adventure. I think we all underestimate the capacity for human generosity.
Hannah presents Egyptian Pizza (And Other Travel-Bites) posted at DiscoverTravelLive. I can’t believe you don’t have Mars Bars in the States! (But whatever – they’re pretty nasty unless you’re into gooey caramel.)
Suz Crawt presents Are We Too Developed? – The Paleo Network posted at The Paleo Network. See how the locals live in Indonesia.
Holiday Baker Man presents Chili’s – Honolulu – Molten Chocolate Cake posted at Holiday Baker Man. I’m always down with cake.
Peg Peter presents How to Put On a Dry Suit – Beginner’s Edition posted at A Kilt and A Camera. A humorous account of a first time getting into a scuba drysuit, complete with humiliating photos. At least you can laugh at yourself.
Zhu presents 5 Canadian Culture Facts I Never Truly Understood posted at Correr Es Mi Destino. I’m really not looking forward to having to mentally add tax to everything we buy in North America.
Lindsay presents Year of the Durian: Ancient Durians in Uma Bawang posted at Year of the Durian. T is committed to trying durian in Malaysia. You can buy it here, too, but there’s no way we could make it through an entire fruit.
Peter Rudin-Burgess presents Compare Holiday MoneyForeign Currency – Three Top Tips posted at Compare Holiday Money. This is something I spent a bit of time researching – am planning a post at some point on how we’ll handle money while abroad.
Jeremy Zongker presents Cost Saving Alternatives to Hotels posted at Economy Trips. By researching alternatives you can save quite a bit on lodging on your next trip.
Go Green Travel Green presents How to Find an Eco-Friendly Hotel or Resort posted at Go Green Travel Green. Self explanatory really.
William presents Don’t sunburn your credit card posted at Card Guys Blog. A mid-winter or late winter getaway doesn’t have to break the bank.
Cherry Liu presents 10 iPhone Apps to Help You Get Around a New City posted at House Sitting Jobs. I’ve already got a few of these on my list!
David Thompsonn presents 20 Creative Ways to Save Money for a Family Vacation posted at Backup Care. Small savings add up fast.
Theresa Torres presents How to Deal with a Lost or Stolen Wallet While Traveling posted at Travidition. This has got to be a traveller’s worst nightmare.
Tourismjournal presents Items You Must Bring to Make Your Travel Easy posted at tourism journal. I’ve started compiling a packing list, and we’ll need to buy our backpacks in the next few weeks.
That’s it for this edition! Submit your posts to the next edition of byteful travel blog carnival using this carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.
Tags: blogging, travel
So, the big news this week was that Google Reader is being killed off. I’m not exaggerating when I say this poses the biggest single upheaval to my online habits of all time.
I’ve used Google Reader ever since I started reading blogs about five years ago. It infuriates me when Flipboard, for example, is touted as an alternative. IT’S NOT.
I use Google Reader primarily to keep up with personal blogs, where I don’t want to miss any posts, as well as a few feeds for work purposes. I use Flipboard to catch up on things at the end of the day from sites like Slate, Salon, The Atlantic, The Awl, and others. I use Twitter throughout the day to keep up on news, plus blogs that I don’t want to subscribe to but occasionally post good stuff, which I see via links on Twitter.
Google Reader is for subscriptions. Twitter and Flipboard are for discovery. These are two very different things.
The two Google Reader alternatives I’m currently testing out are Feedly (which is a bit media rich and bogs my browser down) and The Old Reader, which is nice and clean, resembling GR probably as much as possible without getting sued. I’m not sure yet which will be my eventual replacement.
Aside from that, it’s been a spendy weekend so far. After a bit of a heart to heart about how bored he is with our quiet weekend routines, this week we ended up dropping a bit of cash on food and alcohol and actually going out on both Friday and Saturday.
How are your weekends going?
Blast from the past:
One year ago, I tore into three personal finance topics I’m so over (one of my most popular posts ever), the hard side of cohabiting and compromising in relationships, did a wardrobe audit, explained how we manage being a one car household and gave you all an inspirational pep talk.
Two years ago, I paid tribute to my favourite New Zealand landscapes, some jobs that I could never do in a million years and shared a few confessions – another of my top posts ever.
Three years ago, I discussed surviving on an irregular income and pondered what kind of genes I’ll pass on to my kids.
Four years ago, I gave myself a bit of a kick up the bum about walking the talk.
And now, this week’s links:
Is your dream worth it? A thought provoking post at Life After College
There are three ways to cut your budget, according to Mochi and Macarons: Trim, chop, or shave
On contributing to society and building a life of value, via Get Rich Slowly
A timely read for me: Married with Luggage on how your habits impact your relationship (and what to do about them)
Punch Debt bemoans the bad timing that’s chased him since graduation
Finally, Leslie made an epic inside out Rubik’s Cube cake for us all to marvel at. All this in a New York kitchen.
Why hello there!
It’s fitting that I’m hosting the carnival of personal finance today, given we’ve just come off a week of thinking and talking about nothing else except money (Women’s Money Week, holler!)
Before we get stuck in, I’m going to have a little rant.
There’s a finance company that’s just started advertising here on TV. Every ad follows the same scenario: person calls up company in a tizzy because s/he has just blown tons of $$$ on gifts for a spouse / desperately needs to install a swimming pool / some other inane and irresponsible excuse for needing cash. Company rep on the other end delivers the good news: person is approved for finance and cash is coming right their way. Huzzah!
Madness. That’s all I have to say about that.
While we’re on the subject, I got pitched a a business-related infographic last month at work, one that wasn’t amazing, but was mildly interesting. I checked out the source, and did a double take when I saw it had come from one of a new crop of local payday loan sites. Cue instant dismissal and deletion.
I get it. It’s a hard sell to market these kinds of loans, and content creation is where it’s at these days. But credibility matters, and some things you just can’t overcome. (I can add payday loan providers/other financial predators to the list of places I would never consider working, not just because it would be so freaking hard, but from a moral POV.) Many people are just not going to even consider endorsing you in any way whatsoever. For bloggers who do, though, there must be plenty of money in it. I personally find it amusing to see how those kinds of sponsored posts have evolved – they’ve moved into more sophisticated placements, woven almost naturally into posts about other topics, and in one case I saw, even snarking on them editorially.
Meanwhile, the PF madness/excitement continues elsewhere, with the US sequester, the continuing fallout from some blogging plagiarism, and a Twitter stoush or two this week.
This is a carnival all about money talk, after all so MD from Start Freelancing Now’s Freaking Crucial Tools That Every Freelancer Needs to Make Money & Stay Focused gets my first nod.
Investor Junkie from Investor Junkie asks Will You Still Need an Emergency Fund When You Retire? Can’t say I’ve ever thought about it, but the obvious answer seems to be ‘yes’ – being retired doesn’t exclude you from potential emergencies…
Jon from Novel Investor lists the Best Investment Books Every Investor Must Read. Go forth, expand your mind.
Revanche from A Gai Shan Life reckons Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and that it’s about making the best of our individual situations. We can only play the hand of cards we’ve each been dealt in life.
Ray from Squirrelers says Check for Money Leaks, as money leaks can drain us before we know it. Don’t I know it! Plug ‘em up good.
Mrs PoP from Planting Our Pennies asks What’s An Appropriate Level of Stockpiling? Indeed, it’s a fine line between hoarding and stockpiling. We don’t have the room to stockpile, but my hoarding tendencies mean I have a lot of useless crap lying around that’s accumulated over the years.
Madness: the cost of the average wedding. Don’t want to spend a couple of months’ salary on a wedding venue? Me neither. Here’s Lance from Money Life and More on Finding a Frugal Venue for Wedding Ceremonies and Receptions
Madness: those who don’t get that pets, like kids, are a responsibility. Wish more people would take heed of this. TTMK from Tie the Money Knot presents Don’t Buy a Pet if You Can’t Afford One
Madness: sacrificing health for money. Does being on a budget mean eating crap? Didn’t think so. Amy from Money Mishaps suggests Economical Foods You Can Eat to Stay Healthy While on a Budget
Madness: the cost of sporting activities. Kiddie extracurriculars don’t come cheap. Jason Price from Family Living Finance presents How Can You Afford the High Cost of Youth Sports?
Madness: the cost of house renos. Considering buying a new house vs renovating? Sean from One Smart Dollar weighs up Affording a Major Home Makeover
Madness: compulsive clothes shopping. What’s up with that? Nicole from Nicole and Maggie: Grumpy Rumblings doesn’t get regular clothes shopping
Madness: blind hatred of credit cards. It’s all about how you use them. Jules Wilson from Faithful With a Few confesses I Hate To Say This, But I Was Saved By A CREDIT CARD
Madness: the importance of three measly digits. Everything you ever wanted to know about that all important number. Gary from Gajizmo.com presents What Is Considered A Good Credit Score?
Madness: the wealth equality gap. I’ve never earned the minimum wage (my first job paid nearly $1 over) but plenty of people have to get by on it. Michael from Financial Ramblings presents Who Works for Minimum Wage?
Madness: taxes, fees and all the other costs travel providers like to slap you with. Hidden fees can be a real budget buster. Kristen from My Dollar Plan outlines 11 Hidden Hotel Fees and How to Avoid Them,
Madness: growing up without any concept of the value of money. Start ‘em young! Bryan from BryanMaltier.com explains How To Teach Kids About Money
Madness: ruining bread. It’s summer here, so unfortunately this just doesn’t work for me right now: Money Beagle from Money Beagle says Get That Bread Out Of Your Refrigerator
Madness: mortgage rates. I DREAM of a 30 year fixed mortgage option. You guys don’t know how lucky you are. PK from Don’t Quit Your Day Job… on The Curious Case of The 30-Year Mortgage Rate
Madness: excessive procrastination. The key to getting started is … getting started. Michal from Dough Roller presents How to Start Your Real Estate Investing Journey: A 5 Step Plan
Madness: there’s an app for everything. The internet is a wonderful thing, no? Peter from Bible Money Matters suggests the Top Online Personal Finance Management Software to Get Your Budget Back on Track
Madness: it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. How do you turn a struggling business into a cash cow? Bob from Dwindling Debt presents Turning Distressed Credit Into Financial Gain
Madness: you need money to make money. Buffett: killing it in the market since … how old is he, anyway? Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Warren Buffett on Dividends: Ideas from his 2013 Letter to Shareholders
Madness: financial jargon. Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance explains What is a Stock Split?
Madness: we’re drowning in data. Financial information – it’s everywhere you look. But what does it all mean? D4L from Dividend Growth Stocks lists 6 High-Dividend, Low P/E Value Stocks
Madness: the stock market. Are we finally on the road to recovery? Darwin from Darwin’s Money on Why Stocks Are Breaking Records and it’s Not a Bubble
Madness: betting on beating the market every single time. Nonetheless, let’s all gaze into our crystal balls, preferably channelling Nate Silver rather than Sybil Trelawney. Div Guy from The Dividend Guy Blog reveals The Sector that Will Beat the Market in 2013
Madness: getting too complacent. Are your yields safe right now? Do you even have any? Pete from Intelligent Speculator presents What Makes A Dividend Yield Safe?
Madness: more jingoistic jargon. Almost read this as Aristocats, which would have been way cooler. Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents What Are Dividend Aristocrats and What You Need to Know About Them
Madness: how far a giant can fall. My first ever cellphone was a Nokia. Ah, nostalgia. But is the Finnish company on the way back? Sean Smarty from Grow Money presents 5 Reasons to Invest in Nokia
Madness: the dearth of worthwhile opportunities on the internet. That said, there are more ways to make a buck beyond answering poxy online surveys. Shaun from Money Cactus shares 6 Ways to Earn Money Online Starting Right Now
Madness: but if the government was to shut down … Pat S outlines How Military Members Can Survive a Government Shutdown
Madness: the amount of unpaid work we do every day. Is there money to be made in catering? Mike from The Financial Blogger ponders How You Can Make Money From What You Do Every day For Free
Madness: the majority of new ventures that fail. Don’t rush in blindly. Sam from The New Business Blog suggests Tips to Improve Your Odds of Small Business Success
Madness: taking one step back for every two forward. Trying to get ahead, but feel like you’re always falling behind? Matt Bell from Sound Mind Investing presents Swimming Upstream in Our Consumer Culture,
Madness: education inflation. Are student loans the next subprime mortgages? John from Card Hub Blog presents Ask the Experts: How to Fix the Private Student Loan Market
Madness: ignoring the humble emergency fund. Where do you keep yours? My Journey to Financial Independence presents All About the Emergency Fund
Madness: missing important dates, be it your anniversary or your next medical appointment. Know your deadlines! Philip from PT Money presents Last Day to File Taxes in 2013
Madness: taxes, the pillar of capitalism. Tax cuts produce economic success. Right? Well, maybe not. Michael from Financial Ramblings presents The Economic Impact of Income Taxes
Madness: thinking ignorance is bliss. Finally, we can’t forget about the kidlets. Big Cajun Man from THE Canadian Finance Blog explains When to File a Tax Return for Your Kids
One last word: I hate to be the carni-Nazi, but folks. This is the ORIGINAL personal finance blog carnival. Read the guidelines and respect ‘em, please. Don’t spam it with stuff you’ve already sent to every other carnival out there. This is for exclusive and recent posts. While I’ve done my best to filter out posts I saw in other blog carnivals published earlier today, I may not have caught them all.
Tags: blogging, money, personal finance
T and I tend to have opposing reactions to watching period films.
I’m usually thankful to have been born in the 20th century and not been subject to the conditions of life in times gone by – for modern medicine, for the ability to wear what I want, work in a job of my choosing, and enjoy a relatively safe home and means of transport.
On the other hand, he would probably have done well in the age of the survival of the fittest.
Speaking of first world problems, I recently stumbled across this Tumblr, When in Auckland. It is truly JAFA-tastic.
I’m in the carnival of personal finance talking about my financial wishlist (plus I’m hosting Monday’s edition, so submit your stuff!)
Too true. As Girl Meets Debt points out, sometimes there’s no frugal alternative
How can you save for retirement/education/house/car/kids/fun/emergencies and ALL THE THINGS? I fully emphathise with Newlyweds on a Budget on this front
My Alternate Life ponders whether she’s cut out for entrepreneurship
Marian recounts the best money she’s ever spent (there’s quite a few things on this list…)
An amazing true story on Yes and Yes this week on being kidnapped by your father
Here are 75 reasons you’re unhappy, via Dumb Little Man (with solutions)
Arrivals and Departures needs recommendations for books with a strong protagonist
I want to devour this smothered Mediterranean chicken by Iowa Girl Eats, but I’m writing this at 6pm on Friday before I leave the office
Ditto Closet Cooking’s pepperoni casserole
Ask A Manager explains in detail how to ask for a raise
Here’s a surprisingly decent list of ways to describe yourself during a job interview at Brazen Life
Neurotic Workaholic on being the wrong kind of workaholic, i.e., just trying to make a living while attending grad school
In honour of International Women’s Day, Ms Career Girl lists 10 women you should know (including our very own Victoria Ransom)
This letter from Amelia to her niece is the best thing I’ve read all week
Closely followed by Ashley’s post on the best blogging advice she’s ever read
Finally, if you have even a sliver of a toe dipped into the digital world, this week you would have seen the story about the Atlantic trying to squeeze free content out of a freelance writer. As a rule I really like the Atlantic, and they DO pay (at least some of their) writers, like my hero Rachel Hills. But this is shoddy and incredibly embarrassing.
That said, I am also a digital editor by trade (the site I run is much, much smaller and has no budget at all, unlike the Atlantic), and so I fully sympathise with this response from senior editor Alexis Madrigal, which succinctly covers all the pressures and realities of the job. Plain and simple, it sucks, and no one – not editors, not writers, not readers – is winning.
The Atlantic doesn’t have the answers, and I certainly don’t. Media is less a business than a charity these days. In fact, I was discussing this with a friend in the business world, who was baffled by how media companies can continue to pay us (their staff) at all given that rather than making money, they’re all in debt. Again, I don’t know how the financials work … (no doubt there’s some insane witchcraft being performed on the balance sheets every year) but for now the industry is still clinging on.
Also, here is Felix Salmon at Reuters on the issue (in which he concludes online can pay, but you better get a digital job because freelancing for a living wage is basically impossible and at the Awl, a very long Branch conversation in which a bunch of writers and editors get together to talk moolah and rates.