Labor Day Round Up

It’s 11:30 on Sunday night.  I’ve been cleaning the house all evening, and finally got a chance to sit down and read through some of my favorite blogs.  From the Frugal Blog Network this week, Andy From Tight Fisted Miser has a post about the lessons he’s learned about law school.  I would say that this transfers well to any type of school, or indeed any pursuit that involves a lot of time and/or money.  Frugal Zeitgeist has a post about the media and how it influences us, whether we know it or not.  I love her idea of going tv-free.  I grew up without a tv, and didn’t have one until I moved in with my husband.  I could easily give up tv (except for The Office!), but internet would be a whole different story.  I would have a much harder time with that.  Almost Frugal has a great list of ideas for frugal gift-giving.  I would love a gift-certificate to a thrift store, or a donation to an organization that I support.  Not Made Of Money has a list of projects that are best left to professionals.  We’ve worked on our furnace, and fixed the problem with a good deal of help from my parents.  And we’re toying with the idea of replacing our roof, although we’re going to get estimates and see how much we’d save by doing it ourselves.  I hate paying to have stuff done if there’s any chance at all that we could do it ourselves, but I guess that’s what an emergency fund is for.

Mrs. Micah has a post about how TransUnion is giving out free credit reports and credit scores over the next six months, as part of a settlement in a class action lawsuit.  I might just have to check this out, as I haven’t seen our credit scores since 2002 when we were applying for the loan on our house.  Burning curiosity….

Green Baby Guide has details about a “staycation” – taking your vacation right where you live.  Lots of advantages – very little stress, less money spent, less fuel used for travel… I think this is a great idea.  And you might just find hidden treasures under your nose when you’re being a tourist in your own town for a week.  And at the bottom of the post, you’ll find links to tips on other thrifty green ideas from other bloggers.

Paid Twice has a post about how paying bills monthly might be costing you money.  I remember back when we were in large amounts of debt, we were paying our car insurance quarterly (and even monthly a few times) and paying a $2.50 fee every time we paid less than six months.  These days I always make sure to pay six months at a time.  I have better things to do with that $2.50 (which really adds up if you’re paying monthly).

Have a great Labor Day, and Happy September!