This week, I participated in five blog carnivals and was honored with one editor’s choice. A big thanks go out to all the carnival organizers and blogmasters who worked hard to put these things together.

My Carnival Submissions

Carnival of Debt Reduction #141 - Hosted by Consumerism Commentary and featuring my post If necessity is the mother of invention…, which was honored with an editor’s choice. Thanks!

Carnival of Money Stories #61 - Hosted by Piggy Bank Blues and featuring my post A reminder about cash back credit cards.

Carnival of Personal Finance #154 - Hosted by Canadian Dream: Free at 45 and featuring my post Free wireless internet on the road.

Festival of Frugality #127 - Hosted by Funny About Money and featuring my post Why living in an urban area doesn’t have to be expensive.

Money Hacks Carnival #14 - Hosted by Prime Time Money and featuring my post Five ways to avoid being gouged by Ticketmaster. This carnival has a really unique theme (”weird golf facts”).

My Favorite Posts

…that are from these carnivals but are not by yours truly.

Do bigger payments really make for a faster payoff? - Thursday over at Wealth Junkies argues that paying off debt as quickly as possible isn’t always the best idea. Via the Carnival of Debt Reduction.

Mastering the Game of Money - The Baglady posts about how personal finance is like a big game and to win it you’ve gotta be smart, cooperate with others, and make sure you’re always having fun. Via the Carnival of Money Stories.

Tracking pennies: making the abstract concrete - I’ve Paid For This Twice Already… blogs about tracking your spending. I recommend this, too (see my recent guest post at Alpha Consumer). Via the Carnival of Personal Finance.

What I think of Dave Ramsey - Master Your Card argues that debt snowballing is a shoddy idea and that Dave Ramsey is bad at math. Personally, I think Dave Ramsey’s teachings are useful insofar as they promote financial responsibility, but Dave’s methods are frequently not the best methods (for instance, see my post The real truth about credit cards: why Dave Ramsey is wrong). Via the Festival of Frugality.

There are only two ways to save more money - Can I Get Rich on a Salary? reminds us of the obvious - but you know, the obvious is pretty powerful, and sometimes, it’s good to have a reminder. Via the Money Hacks Carnival.

Other Links

Gasoline isn’t only rising cost for drivers - Oh, man. This article from CNN Money points out that ridiculous gas prices are not the only cost increase drivers are facing these days. If you need any more reasons to start biking, walking, or taking public transportation, here they are.

How to save hundreds by playing the drugstore game - I’ve been reading about the “drugstore game” on several other blogs and have been contemplating trying it myself. This is a clear and concise explanation of the rules of that game. From Get Rich Slowly.

Tax rebates are a losing proposition - “The tax rebate gimmick is extremely inefficient,” argues Free Money Finance. After reading this, I’m inclined to agree.

Useful information from your social security statement - Jonathan from My Money Blog finds some uses for an apparently worthless social security statement.

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