Mrs. Frugalwoods was asking about a pic of the bikes we bought, here they are!

Hey it is still the weekend, so better late than never for getting the weekender post up, right?

It was a very busy weekend for me personally, probably the last nice weekend without any rain so I was working on staining my deck, one of the things I mentioned in my goals.  It is complete, but it took most of the weekend to do so.  I think it turned out quite nicely, thanks for asking!

Not too shabby, huh?  Anyways, onto this week’s posts:

Prioritizing

Recent Stock Purchases

I actually didn’t do a typical weekend post the previous weekend as I participated in the ask  anything, so I am glad to get back in to linking to a few great articles I read over the week.  This week includes the following:

Live Like Were Dying: A 31 Day Challenge

This is a very interesting challenge from Kirsten at indebted mom.  I actually plan on participating in the month of October, so you will see several short posting in the coming month as I contemplate the value of my time in my last theoretical 31 days.  I feel that time is the only resource that has true value and this challenge should help me in my prioritizing what it important in my life.

Working Location Independent

I enjoyed this post from Steve at Kapitalist.  If you can get a gig that is flexible on time and location, it can be a very sustainable work career long term.  Steve got a taste of this while visiting with his friend whom works wherever he wants because his job is flexible.  Although it is a worthy goal to find a job that can work in this manner, he doesn’t wish to make the change if it would delay his ultimate goal of financial independence.  But, if he is looking for my opinion, I would say if you can enjoy the journey much more so with a small delay it is probably worth it.

Don’t Succumb to OMYS

I can think of worse positions to be in than OMYS.  Jason at Dividend Mantra advocates that we shouldn’t keep putting off retirement for one more year for “just in case”.  Just in case of what you may ask?  Well any excuse you can think of!  You can probably come up with infinite excuses to not do anything, but if you are in a position financially where you have this decision then congratulations!  Your wealth accumulation journey is basically over!  Now enjoy life!

So this upcoming October will be a bit different as I focus on my life as I participate in the 31 day challenge.  I do not actually expect to die, but I plan on looking at the decisions I would make if I found out I would be.  I am also a bit excited to see if I will being to see things differently or value other things more when looking deep inside myself.

How was your weekend?  Were you able to enjoy it or were you busy finishing up projects before winter?

First off, I had a couple new posts this week per my Tuesday – Thursday posting schedule.

Disadvantages and Advantages of Loyal3

Wondering what Loyal3 is in the first place?  Well it is a brokerage account.  But not your typical brokerage account either.  There are zero fees.

Income and Expense for August 14

August was a killer month here!  Had a HUGE savings rate which really helped build our Net Worth up in August.  Not every month will go like that, but you can dream, right?

With that out of the way, here are the highlights of the week!

Being Focused Can Improve Investment Results

I liked this post from Henry @ Living at Home, but I think it can apply to more than just investment results.  Really, focus can probably improve the results of almost anything.  The key is to make some long term goals, maybe even a road map, but use it more of a guideline and try to exceed your target.

The 4% Rule Examined

Jason from Dividend Mantra goes in to examine the 4% rule and why he believes dividend growth investing is a superior model for investing in a time frame greater than 30 years.  I happen to agree that living off of the income from your assets is the way to go, but I don’t mind having an allocation of my portfolio in the indexes.  You never know what companies will do well in the long run and at least that way you are getting a little bit of the entire market action.

The Power of the Word “No”

A very good article from Brian at Debt Discipline regarding a simple word.  Saying NO to things that don’t matter will allow you to have what truly matters.  Will a bigger house and stuff to fill it with allow you to spend more time with your family?  Probably not.

The Cost of Convenience

Do you wonder the about the things you buy because it is convenient?  Autumn at the Barefoot Budgeter has a pretty good sized list of items that people pick up or do because it is “easy”.  What things do you pay for out of convenience and do you know the long term consequences of your decisions?  I know this is an area in which I can probably improve in, so I am looking at the grocery challenge series from Canadian Budget Binder as extra motivation to stay on track here.

The Truth About Why I Can’t Afford to Stay Home

Now here is someone with a clear singular focus.  Kristen at Indebted Mom is constantly trying to find a way to make staying at home with her children possible.  She is blogging and trying to work her way into multiple streams of income through blogging, freelancing, and maybe part time exercise instructor.  Hopefully that recent raise she bargained for will give her enough breathing room to make this possible in the near future!

Well, I am glad this week is over.  It was a pretty busy week at work and it feels like I got nothing done.  And now it is cold and rainy this weekend, so I still can’t stain the deck.  On the plus side, it is good weather for having chili!  How is your weekend so far?

Anyways… my blog has made it around the inter-webs quite a bit recently.  Recent mentions include the following:

RockStar Finance

Roadmap 2 Retire

Our Big Fat Wallet

Cash Syndrome

Debt Discipline

No More Waffles (Which unfortunately still is not loading with AT&T internet)

Million Dollar Ninja

Living at Home

Indebted Mom

I think that covers the recent mentions between 4 different articles getting some love on the inter-webs.  So thank you all for the mentions!

My most recent articles this week include the following:

Net Worth Update – August

The Road to Financial Independence

Ok, time for the round up posts!

Balancing Ethics and Investing

Steve at the Kapitalust put together a very thought provoking post about the ethics of investing.  Are you against smoking or some sort of medical research?  Have a strong sense of being environmentally accountable?  Then this post may help you in your investing decisions.

You Can’t Cut Your Way to Wealth

I like this post from Grayson over at Sprout Wealth.  Earning more income really helps to build wealth… but you can get free cash flow by cutting expenses.  The key is to grow your spread between income and expenses.  Start investing or finding ways to grow that money you are saving.  If you just put it in a savings account, he is right, you won’t grow your wealth.

Wants VS Needs: House Edition

Autumn @ the Barefoot Budgeter put together a great post to remind us the difference between wants and needs in regards to housing.  My current house has ALOT more than the wife and I need.  It still would be more than we need when we start to have a family.  But the fact is once you realize the different between wants and needs you can start to value them monetarily which in theory you can then translate that to time.  So is an extra bedroom or an extra bathroom worth another $20,000 one time plus heating, cooling, property taxes annually?  Is that worth working another couple of years to acquire the extra $20,000 and have money saved up to pay the extra expenses perpetually?  If so, then go for it, but do it knowingly.

 New Game: Live Like you are Unemployed

I really liked this post from Zee at Work to Not Work.  If you could live off the money you would receive if you were unemployed you would do quite well saving your money.  Besides, if you do this regularly, it will be a great way to build up your funds and not have to work!  I guess that is the whole point of working to not work, right?

Reasons I’m Happy I’m Not Going to FinCon

Well both Debt Debs and I are not going to FinCon, along with many other’s whom commented on her article.  Hey there is also silver lining in anything!  These reasons should inspire you to be able to overcome possible disappointment.  That or give you a good way to laugh it off.  You decide!

Well I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend so far!  Busy here, but that is per the usual.

Update: I forgot to mention I updated my Liebstar Nomination page due to recent nominations from Debt Discipline and Million Dollar Ninja.  I think I need to add the picture to my side bar so people know that I have been nominated, but I have added in their questions and answers to the of the post.

Time for another weekend roundup!  I am thinking about doing things slightly differently, where I will post more than 5 blogs in weeks that I have had more time to read, such as this one.  But still probably cap it at 7 so it isn’t too extensive.  It is difficult sometimes, there are alot of good posts and content out there being created on a weekly basis, but not always time to read them all!

First off, here are my most recent posts from this week:

The Layers of an Emergency Fund

With this post I went into detail about where my money is to cover emergencies if one should arise.  I go into detail about several different accounts and how they can layer on top of each other to be a more effective emergency fund.

Can a Nissan Leaf Save Me Money?

I did a detailed analysis comparing the costs of a new Nissan Leaf to a slightly used car.

With that out of the way, here we go with the roundup:

Resentment

Jason @ Dividend Mantra put together a very personal post regarding what it is like when someone whom you personally care about resents you for your financial decisions.  This is one reason why I do not go around and tell my family members or friends what I am doing.  If they happen to find the blog and are genuinely interested in making the life changes towards frugality and saving I am more than happy to help them.  They will know it is me if they find it, there aren’t too many Kipp’s around and I have a picture of myself on the about page.

Making Big Life Decisions: The Regret Test

Dee @ Color Me Frugal has a very good idea as to how your should approach decisions in your life.  Ask yourself if would you regret doing or not doing said action.  It is a great post that can change your perspective.

False Frugality

Byran @ income surfer has a very good point when it comes to making purchase decisions.  Let’s say you but a whole pile of clothes or fresh fruit because of a “great sale”.  Well if you don’t need any more clothes or you cannot eat all of the fruit before it spoils was it really a frugal decision or just one that appeared to be?

Debt Payoff: How to Zap Discouragement

Laurie @ The Frugal Farmer has been having a tough time lately.  So she has sought out ways to better her mindset to keep on track to paying off her debt.  These suggestions do not relate only for paying off debt, you can use them for virtually any goal you set out to achieve.  In my opinion, it matters most in what direction you are headed rather than where you have been.

Overcoming FOMO

Do you Fear On Missing Out of life by saving or paying off debt?  If you do then check out Ryan @ Impersonal Finance’s post on how to overcome this issue.  There are so many activities in which we can choose from with are limited time, so why is it that some people gravitated towards the expensive options?

Enjoy the Small Things in Life

Tawcan has a very nice post that should serve as a reminder to us all.  There is much to life to enjoy right now!  Will making your self busier or constantly upgrading your house or car really make you enjoy life more?  Maybe for a moment, but after that will it just be another burden?

No Empire Lasts Forever

Mr 1500 brings up a great point how no business stays the king in their industry forever.  It doesn’t take too far to look back and see many companies facing tough times such as GM going bankrupt wiping out all of the previous shareholder’s equity or blackberry as an example in his post.  Once they were the company who created a phone that was, should I say, somewhat smart.  Now they are collecting dust in the wake of Apple and phones using the Android systems.

Well I hope you enjoy the extra long weekend.  I have alot of visiting family to do with birthday get together’s and the like.  Painting is off the table due to rain, so I will probably be stressed a couple of weekend’s this fall getting those last couple things on my goals list completed.  Oh well, I can’t do either if it is raining.  Hopefully I can take a moment this weekend to get ahead on posting, I have several drafts and the end of the month is coming so there will be updates for things like Spending and Net Worth as well.

Happy weekend everyone!  Summer weekends are just busy as usual.  Can’t work on the deck because of all the rain throughout the week, may not be quiet dry enough yet.  Other than that visiting family and just enjoying the weekend.  I did get a book in the mail Friday, Outsmarting the System, if you wonder what it is about I won it from a giveaway over at Debt Discipline.  So feel free to read the review over there, I am still working on finishing the library book so I am not sure when I will get around to it, but I plan on it soon(ish).

Anywho, I had another couple posts this week, they are:

August Stock Purchase and Dividend Update

Why you Should NOT Delay Parenthood

So if you haven’t read them yet, take a gander.  Well, I have a busy rest of the day, so I will be frank and get some of the articles i liked this week:

How Long Would Your Ideal Work Week Be

John @ Wisedollar put together an excellent post about our typical work week.  Be honest with your self, would you work as much as you do if you didn’t have to?  I think many people would like to work or volunteer in some fashion if / once financially independent.  But you probably wouldn’t be doing that for 40 hours or more a week unless if you absolutely loved it.  Food for thought!

Behind the Scenes of a Happy Frugal Marriage

Do you have a spouse of a significant other in which you need to talk to about financial goals?  Then this post from Mrs. Frugalwoods is made for you!  She goes in great detail as to how they come together as a team to make financial decisions and explains how you can as well.

5 Ways to Frugal Living

Tawcan has a nice post with some simple frugal ideas.  I would suggest checking it out, they are all simple, but they add up!  I have been doing all 5 of these before I started blogging, but some of these I have only recently started doing.  Saving money is half the battle!  The first half is earning it…

The Job Switch-A-Roo

Ok, so this is an interesting story-line from Bryan @ Income Surfer.  Basically he goes from laying himself off, to going to his first day at work where they seemed to not know what to do with him with his new boss off that day, to going in the next day to find out he has a different job than what he interviewed for.  What craziness!  You have to read it to get all the details.

Misplaced Faith

This one is actually a guest post of Kirsten’s at Indebted Mom over at Debt Debs.  Sometimes you need to have faith that everything will be ok to have the courage to make changes.  You can’t just say it… you have to believe it.  Do you have the faith that you can turn around your finances?  I bet you can.

Well, that is the wrap for this week.  Off to run some errands, have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Normally I have been getting these out on Saturday’s, but it is a busy weekend+ it seems!  Still trying to finish pressure washing the deck to repaint it, which is a little more tedious process than I like.  Also went to my Grandma’s 80th birthday party yesterday, have plans with my brother tomorrow, and then with my parents on Monday.  Busy but good!  Anyways, this week my latest posts were:

Net Worth Update – July

Save Over $25.00 a Hour Making Your Own Laundry Soap

Next week I don’t have specific plans on what will come up, I have a few articles that I have been working on or I have ideas for.  It doesn’t help I have been trying to plow through a book, Snowball, that I got from the library while still trying to do everything else I normally do.  Doesn’t work too well :).  So I haven’t browsed the blog world as much as I normally do, but here are five that I came across this week that I enjoyed:

 The Problem With Early Retirement

This article by the Cash Cow Couple reminds us that we need a purpose behind our early retirement for it to be fulfilling and offer a few suggestions.  For me it is to spend more time with my family, but at the same time I wouldn’t mind working in a meaningful (although not full time) way.  What is it that you desire out of financial independence?

Early Retirement Doesn’t Exist

That sounds like a bold statement from the new blogger on the block, Eli @ The Currency of Time.  The premise is that people have different abilities and goals.  If someone could make it to retirement by age 35 but does so at age 55, did they in fact retire early?  Or what about the people such as in the Cash Cow article whom have financial independence but continue to work in some sort of way that is meaningful to them?

60% Savings Rate Challenge

The Dividend Diplomats are challenging you to save 60% of your income each month, are you ready for the challenge?  It is a bit higher than my goal and after this house thing is done I am going to see if I can make a go at it in September.  Why not try to improve?

Why Do You Really Want to Get Out of Debt?

Grayson put up this post over at Frugal Rules, and it seems like an easy question, right?  WRONG.  It really makes you think about what you want to do, much like the post at Cash Cow Couple.  (If you haven’t noticed yet, I do really like articles that go behind the philosophy of “Why” early retirement)

Money Won’t Buy Love

I liked this post from Autumn at the Barefoot Budgeter, mainly, because I want to spend more time with the wifey.  And what better way to do some that a whole bunch of frugal ideas!?  I have actually been doing several of these this summer and it is a great list, check it out!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Time just seems to be flying by, now on my 5th weekend and 1 month birthday of this blog!  Crazy!  First of all, here are my recent posts from this week:

Income and Expense for July 2014

Valuing Your Time

Next week I plan to have my latest Net Worth update along with another post, hopefully on one of my recent frugality experiments.  Throughout the week I tweet articles that I find interesting, but I like to highlight a few that I really enjoyed on the weekend.  As always follow me on twitter or check out the blogroll if you are interested in reading more of what other bloggers have to say.

 Are You Part of the 20%?

Brain @ Debt Discipline has an interesting factoid post and I think it is kind of sad to think that only 20% of Americans have no debt.  I hope to join this 20% before my 40th Birthday, are you working to join the 20%?

That’s the Way I Want to Go

Retire before dad put out a post about two acquaintances he knew that recently passed.  If you don’t realize why you need to achieve financial independence now, will you when you see others pass away during your life?

Truly Passive Income

If you are wondering what passive income is then check out this post from Ryan @ Impersonal Finance.  The benefits of passive income are great and eventually your investments can pay for themselves just in the dividends they provide you over your lifetime!

Destination: Grand Rapids

I have to give a shout out to Jason @ Dividend Mantra for doing a blog post on the town I live nearby.  If you are interested in what the city has to offer this is a great place to start.

Our “Throw it Away” Society and Owning More Stuff is Not the Answer

I felt that these two posts fit really nice together and I am a bit too tired and out of it to pick a winner between the two, so screw it, I am linking them both together.  Andrew @ Living Cheaply talks about how we are to quickly discard items to upgrade and not repair the things we own.  FI Pilgrim takes a bit of a different approach to perhaps the same outcome where he argues that owning more stuff is not a solution.  So in essence, see if you can continue to make due with what you have BEFORE acquiring new (or used).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Here we are with the first weekend of August and I am quickly approaching one month in the blogging world!  Time just seems to fly by when either you are busy or having fun, or both.  I like to think it is the both part.  Anyways, if you have checked out my posts this week you can cheat and just click on the links below:

Life is Short – You Only Live Once

Choosing a Broker for the ROTH IRA

Earn Money Over 10 Times in a SINGLE Transaction

Now it is time to honor those other great bloggers out there!  I try to keep this list short with just five, but I do tweet articles throughout the week as well.  You can follow me on twitter @FranklyFrugalFI to see them as I find them.  Also the blogroll is a great place to find blogs with great content as well.  Anyways, the articles I want to highlight this week are:

What Would You Do With a Million Dollars?

This was a great hypothetical post from Dee @ Color Me Frugal.  We all like to dream, so why not dream big and ask yourself, What Would You Do With a Million dollars?

Who Wears The Financial Pants in Your Family?

Maybe it is my age or just the people I am around, but I don’t seem to any sexism in who takes care of finances around me, but it seems to be an issue for Holly @ Club Thrifty.  In fact, there are probably more women who I know than men… or some sort of really weird “this is your money and your bills” sort of thing.  That I don’t get, but to each their own.  So are you pants-less or do you wear ‘em?

Benefits of Dividend Investing

Keith @ DivHut put together a very good post detailing out the advantages of dividend investing.  If you are curious as some of the reasons investors go this path check out some of the benefits.

Are You Just Treading Water?

Jason @ Dividend Mantra puts together a great post as to why you need to living frugally.  If you want to be like the average American with a meager savings rate and just tread water your whole life until social security comes and saves you, then you are fine to live that way.  But for those of us that do not want to tread water we need to decide which luxuries are worth saving and which are basically frivolous.

The Easiest Way to Early Retirement is to Fast Forward Life

Zee @ Work to Not Work had a great post about the logic of early retirement.  The concept of our sometimes called “extreme” savings isn’t that much different than a person in their 50’s going “Oh $HIT, I GOTTA START SAVING!”.  But for some reason, no one would think to question the lifestyle of someone in their 50’s hammering down to save, but if you are in your 20’s or 30’s this is considered odd.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I haven’t setup an exact posting schedule yet for my blog, but going forward I am looking to do 2 posts a week plus a weekender edition such as this.  I know I have been posting more often as I have started this blog, but I want a schedule that I will be able to maintain long term as well.

Stop Paying for Indolence

This is another great one from Ryan @ Impersonal Finance.  Ya know, the easy way sounds nice in life.  Is it easier to drive over to my parents house and check out the place while they are on vacation?  Sure, but they live MAYBE a mile away at tops, so I choose to walk over there and get a little exercise in the process.  Besides driving just one mile is so inefficient…  What kind of things do you pay for out of convenience?

5 Life Changing Moments That Lead to Life Style Inflation

I really enjoyed this post from Brian @ Luke1428.  If you knew beforehand when the pressure will come for inflating your lifestyle I believe you will be better prepared mentally to avoid it.  So when one of these changes come your way, remember that MOST inflation is optional.

Your Debt Payoff Journey; Blazing Your Own Trail

Laurie from the frugal farmer put out a post that reminds us that you need to create a path that makes sense to pay off your debt.  The main thing is, if you’re not sticking to it, then how is it helpful?

Hate DIY but Love Saving Money? Here’s Your Solution

This post from Will at First Quarter Finance is almost a counter point to Ryan’s.  His argument is if you hate doing <insert painful routine chore here> can you make enough side money doing something else to pay for the service to be done?  While I understand Will’s point, it is important to remember that this concept should really only apply to things you hate.  Because if you love working on a car, cooking, or whatever, then why would you want to reduce your fulfillment by outsourcing that task?

Building a Snowball

Another great post by Jason @ Dividend Mantra.  The snowball works both ways, when paying off debt you are kinda pushing it up hill while shedding debt (getting lighter) and on the downhill side investing it starts off small and then picks up more snow and start to build on itself.

Well enjoy the weekend!  It appears that Debt Debs has already made plans to enjoy it, what about you?

You’re Either Growing Together or Growing Apart

Eric @ Big Money Guy reminds us that we are all growing, but that we need to actively choose to grow in the same direction otherwise we will grow apart.  It is a very thoughtful and insightful post.

Go All In or be a Trickler

Dividend Gravy is looking for advice on how to handle his upcoming rollover from his employer retirement plan.  He is also retiring in a couple of months as well!  So even if you do not have any advice, go over and congratulate him!  Retirement is basically the “end game” so to speak in personal finance in my opinion.

ROTH IRA Horse Race

Mad FIentist had a great post for me because I am planning on using the ROTH IRA ladder in my early retirement strategy.  This method basically allows you to minimize your future tax liability by picking the winning horse each year.  It is simple but brilliant!

To Get Ahead Get Started

Ryan @ Impersonal Finance out together a great post for anyone just starting in the personal finance realm, or really at any task in general.  You don’t magically get from point A to point B, you just simply start.  In time you will reach your goals, hopefully sooner rather than later.

All Debt is Risk

Dee @ Color Me Frugal has a great topic regarding debt.  No matter where you are at those monthly obligations will haunt you and I believe it is essentially to free yourself from debt for early retirement.  Cash flow is key and the lower your required cash flow will be, the greater the flexibility you will have to do what you want to do.  My plan is to personally pay off all debt including mortgage by age 40 as I talked about in my initial goals post.

Enjoy the weekend and come back next week!