Yakezie Carnival – Best of Yakezie this week…

I have really enjoyed participating with Yakezie. My writing has improved and my appreciation for quality blogs has improved as well. If you have not checked out my “Smart Blogs I Follow” page, you can see a sample of the wisdom and insight from the recent articles from the Yakezie community.

Free Money Wisdom: Use These Tips to Save on Your Next Prescription – Saving money on prescription medications should not be hard. Check out these five tips!

The Year of Shopping Detox: A story of free(ish) furniture – Want to furnish your apartment with mostly free furniture? Embrace a “grad student chic” aesthetic and ask your friends what they’re got lying around! You might be surprised at the awesome stuff people have to offer.

One Cent At A time: What To Do When You Don’t Have Health Insurance – 50 million Americans live without health insurance. When you are not insured what you should do to protect your health and money, alternate ways to stay insured and pay less on premiums.

Frugal Confessions: Can You Live Off of Your Estimated Retirement Benefits? – There is a lot of speculation about Social Security that probably leads many of us to just forget thinking about it, just like when science says coffee is bad for you one year, then touts its benefits after new studies several years later.

Sustainable Life Blog: Big Purchases – Does making big purchases cause you to spend more than you normally would have otherwise?

Investor Junkie: OptionsHouse Promotional Code – OptionsHouse is currently offering two great offers. In 2011, Barron’s has rated OptionsHouse one of the best options trader three years in a row.

Invest It Wisely: Living on the High Seas – How would you like to live on the high seas, in a community of fellow-minded travellers? The oceans are the last uninhabited and unexplored frontier on Earth, and for good reason — living on the seas is not easy, nor is it cheap!. However, recent decades have seen an explosion of cruise-based travel, and more and more people are spending more of their lives at sea. The time could soon be ripe for the colonization of the oceans.

The Penny Hoarder: Bad at Spelling? It Could Make You a Millionaire – How entrepreneurs are making millions of dollars from all of our typos and misspelled words…

Prairie Eco Thrifter: It Really Does Get Better – Are you so far in debt that you think you’ll never get out? Are you bone weary of scrimping and saving? Do you believe that what you are doing will never pay off – that you will always be financially insecure? Do you peer into the hazy future and think “life is not getting any better, will not get any better and I will end up as poor as I am today”? Don’t despair. It really does get better. You can stay the course. I know from personal experience, you can get where you want to be.

Money Cone: Sending Money to Family and Friends: My Search for a Pay Pal Alternative Ends Here – My search for the perfect money transfer solution ended when I found this service called PopMoney.

Living in Financial Excellence: Refusing to Participate in the Recession – Government doesn’t fix the economy. Businesses do. We need to stop waiting on the government and start supporting businesses to bring this country out of a recession

Debt Free By Thirty: Eating and Drinking to Stay Cool – Frugal and visual guide for cooling down with food and drink .

Live Real Now: What Do You Do? – I am not my job. I am not my career. I am a father, a husband, a writer, a blogger, and more. I have hopes, dreams, and ambitions entirely apart from my career. I hope you do, too. The next time someone asks you what you do, try responding with your passion.

Money Reasons: Getting Rich On An Average Income – This article is about how to become rich off of a middle class salary!

Darwin’s Money: Is Storing Cord Blood at Birth Worth the Cost? – New parents will inevitably be propositioned to have a company store umbilical cord blood from their child’s delivery. Here’s how to assess whether cord blood banking is worth it.

Family Money Values: Beneficiary Designation Checkup Time – A periodic review of the beneficiaries you have designated on your assets and financial accounts is a necessary estate plan health checkup. No one that I know loves to review their beneficiary designations, but if you are looking for something to do in the silent, heavy heat of the dog days of summer, you could get this one out of the way. Here, in six easy steps, is how to do it.

MONEY HEALTH CENTRAL: How Much Is Your Home Worth? – You need to know what your home is worth in order to make any sense of family finances. And what it is worth means, what a willing buyer would pay your, right now, as is.

Mom’s Plans: How We Plan to Buy Organic Produce on a Budget – I plan to have the organic produce delivered to our home 3 weeks of the month. During those three weeks, I will freeze whatever extra I have.

The Happy Homeowner: 10 Reasons for Biking to Work – The following is a list of financial benefits incurred by biking to work instead of driving!

Financially Consumed: Broken Windows Money-Fix – Applying the broken windows theory to our personal finances can help to solve our biggest challenges. Experts argue that paying attention to the smallest details have a massive positive impact on larger, more important issues.

Financial Success for Young Adults: Apple iPhone vs Google Android Market Share – Do more consumers purchase a smartphone with the Google Android OS or an iPhone with the iOS? We look to marketshare of the smartphone titans to find out.

Everyday Tips and Thoughts: My Youthful Perception of Rich, And How My Perception Evolved – How my personal perception of wealth has changed from when I was a kid to where I am now. Includes my thoughts on what it takes to become wealthy.

Money In The 20s: Ideas for Unemployed College Graduates – Finding a job right out of college can be a really difficult thing to right now, so use the following tips to help improve your chances.

The $60K Project: How To Analyze Spending Habits – This is a ‘How-To’ article focusing on analyzing spending habits and using my own spending habits for the past six months as an example. Tips include comparing time periods greater than a month to even out one-time expenses, and thinking carefully about determining your expense ‘buckets’ prior to completing the analysis.

Control Your Cash: We’re scrapping the ads. And therefore raising the viewing price. – Commercials make stuff awesome

Not Made of Money: At What Age Should You Teach Kids About Money? – You should starting teaching kids about money as soon as they are old enough to desire things, and they can understand basic communication!

Squirrelers: Firing Your Doctor – Remember that your doctor is a service provider. If you get bad service, and aren’t getting what you pay for, it may be time to make a change!

No Debt MBA: When buying in bulk doesn’t make sense – Buying in bulk can be a great strategy to save money… as long as you do it right, but sometimes it just doesn’t make sense.

krantcents: When Did I Get Old? – Getting older just happens and you can not stop it! What are you doing to achieve your dreams and accomplish your goals? Make everyday count, work toward your goals.

Yes, I Am Cheap: Who Are You? A Guide To Protecting Your Identity Online – Protecting your identity while shopping online is relatively easy, if you follow a few basic rules.

Deliver Away Debt: Different Types of Bankruptcy – No one likes discussing bankruptcy in any of its various forms, but knowing and understanding bankruptcy options can help you make the best financial decision for your current situation.

Outlaw Finance: Is Boring Better? Index Funds 101 – Defines index funds, compares them to mutual funds, and weighs the pros/cons of them.

PT Money Personal Finance: Don’t Let Love Destroy Your Finances – You can save yourself a world of hurt by avoiding these five faulty decisions.

Little House in the Valley: How’s That for Inflation? – An analysis on the cost of living between 1971 and today. Boy! You sure don’t get much for your money anymore.

101 Centavos: It’s Getting Better All The Time – Are things all going to hell in a handbasket, or are our lives getting better?