5/7/07 spin on the Blog Carousel

My Money Blog talks about trying to avoid lifestyle inflation. Similar to my article on buying the right size house, a smart financial life involves moderation and common sense. He does talk about being realistic about cars, which is so smart, but so very very hard!

Consumerism Commentary takes up the discussion on how renting makes you richer. As I stated in my article of yesterday, not every purchase you make in life has to be by the numbers. I would simply rather live in a house, a place for my family and I to call our own, so that's what we did. They say "the numbers never lie," but I choose to take a broader approach to this question.

All Financial Matters says young people are ignoring retirement planning. As I have stated and will continue to state, start now, start early, save often! It may not seem like a lot of money you're saving right now, but it will add up!

Get Rich Slowly discusses easy ways to spend less on your computer. Not buying more processing power than you need, taking advantage of free software, and even using Linux are all ways to save yourself some cash.

The Simple Dollar ranks 26 personal finance books, from worst to first. I spend most of my time reading the Wall Street Journal, and now PF blogs! I see a few Cramer books on there - the guy is a genius, but why don't humans come with a volume knob? :-)

Advanced Personal Finance says he pays more at Target than at Wal-Mart, and he does it on purpose! Bravo for this post - as I said in the comments section there, I wish I had posted that. Wal-Mart is a degrading experience.

Mighty Bargain Hunter asks "Is having an extra car worth it?" I say no, even though there have been numerous occasions where a 3rd car in our family would have really helped out. I cannot justify the expense, especially right now when my job is one mile from home.

The Sun's Financial Diary and Plus 6 Personal Finance both discuss the 7 net worth killers. My theme of the day seems to be real estate, so I will again point out the obvious - do not use your main residence as a retirement vehicle...... which means don't buy too much house.