Carnival of Personal Finance #210 – Punch Out Edition

I am honored to be hosting the 210th Carnival of Personal Finance this week. If you missed last weeks carnival you can read it at Living Almost Large, and stay tuned for next weeks at Green Panda Treehouse. Please feel free to check out the rest of my site, and don’t forget to subscribe for free to get future updates from SuburbanDollar.com

I was browsing around the interwebs the other day when I saw that Punch Out is available on the Wii. I was addicted to Mike Tyson’s Punch Out as a kid and couldn’t help but jump on the opportunity to theme this Carnival after it. So check out Little Mac’s favorite submissions as well as what each of the fighters have to offer, I was going to have the Punch Out theme playing but had way to many people make comments about that being bad. So imagine the sound or Click Here for the mp3.

Little Mac’s Editor Picks

Name: Little Mac

Age: 17

Weight: 107

From: Bronx, NY

Record: 0-0

Little Mac is young and he likes it when people make things simple for him. Alan with Saving for Serenity did just that with his article on preparing for annual expenses.

My Two Dollars talks about When Spending Money is Worth it. This article got Little Mac’s attention because paying for movers was the best thing he did, nothing beets drinking a beer and watching someone else move your stuff.

Matt at Debt Free Adventure discusses the joy that is Pick Your Own Fruit. I have never done the pick your own thing, but it sounds like a great way to save and get some fruit to can.

The Happy Rock presents 16 Year Old Skips The Last Two Years Of High School To Play Proffesional Baseball. This is just crazy, 16 years old you need to keep your arse in school and learn something, I can’t see anything good coming from this.

Glass Joe’s Money and Saving Posts

Name: Glass Joe

Age: 38

Weight: 110

From: Paris, France

Record: 1-99 (1 KO)

Money Monk looks at Why Americans Don’t Save. They list several reason, I think the most common ones I have seen are “I am young enough to start later” and “Things will always work out in the end.”

Money Energy helps you to understand how to Automate Your Income. An interesting perspective on how Automating (Making your income passive) will free up more time for you to deal with the business of your life.

Canadian Personal Finance blog submitted their Mid Year Personal Finance Check Up. Drop by and see what they are have been up to.

What I Plan to do During Retirement. I am not real sure what I plan to do yet, but then I have something like 60+ years before I will get a chance. So in lieu of my choices read up on Free Money Finance’s Choices.

Jim with Bargaineering has a look at Charity Fraud. A discussion about charity fraud and what to watch out for.

Wealth Pilgrim from Wealth Pilgrim presents Overcome Your Fear Of Asking For Help, and says, “It’s tough to ask for help – especially when it comes to our finances. Here’s step-by-step instructions on how to do just that.”

FFB from freefrombroke.com presents Confessions Of A recovering Spendaholic, and says, “I’ve gotten much better with my spending habits over the years but every now and then the urge to splurge comes back!”

Sonny from Modern Money Blog presents How to Save Money on Books.

vh from Funny about Money presents Planning for Layoff Induced Retirement.

Blogging Banks from Blogging Banks presents Why do you need an emergency fund? , and says, “Emergency funds are important for people who want to add some extra security to their lives. Emergency funds enable individuals to save a comfortable amount of money for their particular situation, which would provide a nice cash cushion in the event of an emergency.

Frank Curmudgeon from Bad Money Advice presents On Money and Psychology.

Matthew Paulsen from American Consumer News presents How to Get the Best and Most Affordable Life Insurance.

Von Kaiser Knows Real Estate

Name: Von Kaiser

Age: 42

Weight: 144

From: Berlin, Germany

Record: 23-10 (10 KO)

Will The First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit of $8,000 Be Expanded To Everyone…? Bible Money Matters explores the question and provides his viewpoint on the subject.

Aryn from Sound Money Matters presents Nine Signs It’s the Right House For You, and One Sign It Isn’t, and says, “After seeing 50 houses, I’ve learned a few things.”

Dan Melson from Searchlight Crusade presents There Is No Fairy Godmother for Loans.

Piston Honda’s Lessons on Economy

Name: Piston Honda

Age: 28

Weight: 174

From: Tokyo, Japan

Record: 26-1 (18 KO)

The Weakonomist sent in “What’s All This Talk Of Hyperinflation And Deflation About?” A look at whether or not hyperinflation is on its and way and what it is all about.

JS from Smart Money Daily presents The Biggest Losers – Financial Edition, and says, “With today’s economy, it’s easy to think that you’re the only one that’s being directly affected by the losses on the stock market or by the rise in prices on food at your local supermarket, but even the world’s most wealthy people are bleeding money. ”

David from Personal Finance Analyst presents Unemployment up. Recession continues. Waiting for the Stimulus to Stimulate….

Don Flamenco Does Frugality

Name: Don Flamenco

Age: 23

Weight: 152

From: Madrid, Spain

Record: 22-9 (3 KO)

Carrie on the Cheap has written an Ode to Summer. While this isn’t the kind of thing I am usually into the point is pretty on spot. You spend less in the summer because of all the great things you can do.

Matt from Steadfast Finances makes your mouth water with 5 Dishes from the Suburban Garden. I love the second dish on this list, mmm Caprese Salad.

MoneyNing asks What is a Necessity.  A great look at whether or not those things you think are necessary really are.

Fiscal Geek Covers a Frugal Fix for a waterlogged cell phone. This is a great look at how to hopefully save an otherwise scrap device.

For a great list of things you can do to reuse common household items check out this article by Jason at Improve the Quality.

Matthew Paulson from FineTunedFinances.com presents Fire Up Your Engine But Save Money on Fuel.

mbhunter from Mighty Bargain Hunter presents 7 tips for great coffee on a budget, and says, “Kick The Latte Factor(TM) where it hurts without drinking brown dishwater.”

Charlie from Pay Less For Food presents Use This Grocery Store Trick to Save Money at Home.

King Hippo Teaches Budgeting

Name: King Hippo

Age: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

From: Hippo Island

Record: 18-9 (18 KO)

Kelly from Almost Frugal from Almost Frugal presents I Want it All, I Want it Now- Curbing “The Gimmies”. King Hippo eats a lot but he didn’t get much budgeting action this week.

Great Tiger Talks Trash on Careers

Name: Great Tiger

Age: 29

Weight: 132

From: Bombay, India

Record: 24-3 (3 KO)

Your Money Relationship’s Adam had a great post on 14 Things to Avoid Saying in an Interview. Start doing some of these and the Great Tiger’s gem might start flashing.

Simply Forties says “The Unemployment Line – It Could Be Worse.“ She talks about how she has recently become a statistic in our economic crisis by losing her main source of income.

The Debt Ninja exercised some serious ninja powers and explains how government employees get paid on the GS Scale.

Rags from From Rags 2 Riches presents The Three Types of Unemployment, and says, “Explains the three types of unemployment: frictional, structural, and cyclical.”

passive family income from Passive Family Income presents 5 Ways to Create a Productive Work Environment from Home, and says, “5 Tips on how to help you work from home efficiently.”

Curt from PennyJobs.com presents The Transition to Dual-Income Families Has Not Increased the Wealth of the Nation.

Miss M from M is for Money presents Starting a Business – Costs. If you are thinking about starting your own business you should read this so you know what to expect.

Soda Popinski reviews more than just soda

Name: Soda Popinski

Age: 35

Weight: 237

From: Moscow, Russia

Record: 32-2 (24 KO)

The Incidental Economist from The Financial Buff submitted a Review of EconTalk. Econ Talk is a podcast which covers a wide range of topics on economics. I am going to have to check this one out.

Green Panda Treehouse did a review of Suze Orman. Check out what she has to say about her, she really worked to cover the points.

Fiscal Fizzle has taken a look at TED. TED, or Technology, Entertainment and Design, is a great resource for learning new ideas on the Internet

Patrick from Cash Money Life presents Swoopo – Legitimate Auction Deals or a Scam?, and says, “Swoopo is a new online auction site that offers high end electronics at pennies on the dollar. But are the deals too good to be true?”

Bald Bull Does Bull Market Investing

Name: Bald Bull

Age: 36

Weight: 298

From: Istanbul, Turkey

Record: 34-4 (29 KO)

Don’t Quit Your Day Job writer Paul Kamp has a good submission on not putting your investment eggs in one basket. He talks about how you are already being paid by your employer so you should limit your other investments in the same company.

If you are considering getting a financial planner take a look at Fee-Only Financial Planners is the advice the Canadian Finance Blog is giving.

Dividends Value discusses how Bogle Still Believes in Buy and Hold. I don’t know any better so that is the kind of investing I practice.

InsureBlog looks at why you might want to consider putting a little annuity in your IRA.

Bob from Christian Financial Help presents How to save money to invest, and says, “If you are looking for money to get started investing, these tips may help you save enough to get started!”

JS from Smart Money Daily presents The Biggest Losers – Financial Edition, and says, “With today’s economy, it’s easy to think that you’re the only one that’s being directly affected by the losses on the stock market or by the rise in prices on food at your local supermarket, but even the world’s most wealthy people are bleeding money. ”

Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Dividend Portfolios – concentrate or diversify? .

Dorian Wales from The Personal Financier presents How Should Households Invest? Sharing My Asset Allocation, and says, “Investing without an asset allocation in mind is more likely gambling than actual investing ”

Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents Can Stock Trading Software Make You Money?, and says, “Thanks!”

Money Smart Life presents Stock Investing Strategies for the Long Term.

The Smarter Wallet from The Smarter Wallet presents Trend Analysis For The US Dollar Index and Crude Oil Market, and says, “Thanks!”

ElizabethG (Modern Gal) from Modern Gal presents Avoiding Whiplash in this Market.

PT Money from Prime Time Money presents 529 Plans: The Smart Way to Save for College.

Mr. Sandman tries to put debt and credit to sleep

Name: Mr. Sandman

Age: 31

Weight: 284

From: Philadelphia, PA

Record: 27-2 (21 KO)

Olivia submitted an article talking about the recent changes to federal student loans. The article talks about Income Based Repayment (IBR) and includes a cute little video of a debt gremlin.

My Life ROI lists 7 ways to avoid or minimize the costs you incur using someone’s money (that’s all a credit card is, right?). Good info for anyone carrying balances!

Can you Handle Credit Cards? No really can you? That is what Wise money matters is exploring in this article. I know I can handle mine, but can you handle yours?

Financial Highway covers Bad Credit Loans and how to spot a scam. Good information especially if you think you may be getting scammed.

Patrick from Military Finance Network presents Discover Card Double Cash Back on Military Installations Worldwide, and says, “Receive double cash back and points rewards from Discover Card on all US military installations around the world.”

Andy from saving to invest presents Cutting Credit Card Debt Owed by 50% or more , and says, “A strange phenomenon is taking place – credit card companies are willing to really negotiate on how much you repay of your overdue debt.”

Jeremy Simon from Taking Charge presents The bad habits of identity thieves.

Single Guy Money from Single Guy Money presents Don’t Pay For Credit Repair.

Credit Cards from CreditCardAssist.com presents 5 Tips for Understanding Your Credit.

Debt Freedom Fighter from Discover Debt Freedom presents What Benefits Can Debt Settlement Offer.

Super Macho Man  and Mike Tyson Cover the Rest

Name: Super Macho Man

Age: 27

Weight: 242

From: Hollywood, CA

Record: 35-0 (29 KO)

Name: Mike Tyson

Age: 21

Weight: 220

From: Catskill, NY

Record: 31-0 (27 KO)

Darwin from Darwin’s Finance presents How to Hedge Gas Prices and Put Money Back in your Pocket, and says, “With gas prices rising at the pump this summer, this article lists 8 different ways to hedge your energy prices, including natural gas. ”

Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents 107 Things That Make Good Financial Cents, and says, “Comprehensive list off all the resources you need to achieve financial independence. From frugality to investing and everything in between. ”

Viviana from The Lean Times presents Where is the UK Dave Ramsey?. A look at how the UK lacks a Dave Ramsey type personality.

Michael Rubin from Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck presents Avoiding Identity Theft, and says, “Top tips for avoiding identity theft.”

J. Money from Budgets are Sexy presents My #1 financial goal each year : Max out my 401(k), and says, “I believe everyone should have one major financial goal each year – what’s yours?”

Kyle from Amateur Asset Allocator presents 4 Quick Money “Fixes” That Will Put You In The Poor House, and says, “The following 4 money mistakes will get you a one-way ticket to bankruptcy court.”

Madison from My Dollar Plan presents Money By the Numbers.

Check out number two on the list. That article rocks.

DR from Doughroller presents Weighing Health Insurance Costs: Co-Insurance vs. Co-Pay vs. Deductible, and says, “Understanding individual health insurance terms can help you pick the best policy for your needs.”

[email protected] from StretchyDollar presents Building Financial Momentum, a great look at getting things rolling with your finances.

Tagged as: Carnival of Personal Finance, COPF