Gather Little by Little

Last week I put up a new poll (over in the right sidebar) asking the question “What tool do you use for your budget?” I was really surprised by the results:

1. Spreadsheets: 33%
2. Quicken: 13%
3. Sheet of Paper: 13%
4. I don’t budget: 12%
5. Other: 11%
6. Mint.com: 9%
7. You Need A Budget (how I voted): 5%
8. Mvelopes: 3%

What surprised me was the number of people that use spreadsheets instead of finance or budgeting software. Another statistic that also caught me off guard was the high percentage of people that still use paper and that the percentage of Quicken users matched the paper users. I would have guessed Quicken would have been the #1 winner. Thanks to everyone who voted. I always find the outcome of these polls very interesting and insightful.

Announcements:

• I decided to follow in the steps of both Paidtwice and Lynnae and add a page containing all of my $25 ING Direct referrals to make it easier for you to get some free money! All you have to do now is click, no need to contact me.
• Pinyo from Moolanomy, being the creative person he is, started something called the Money Hackers Network. You’ll find the badge over in my right hand sidebar. Clicking on the badge will take to Money Hacker Site. If you’re a money hacker, you can join by visiting the information page. I’m both a Money Hacker and a Frugal Hacker.
• Some of you may have noticed some random slowness here on Gather Little by Little over the past couple of weeks. I know I have. I think this blog has finally reached the point of needing an upgrade to the Dreamhost base hosting plan I have. So over the next week or so you should see some improvement as Gather Little by Little is moved over to a Dreamhost PS plan. Based on feedback I’ve received from other bloggers this move should really help with performance and site stability.

The Gathering

Day Four at the Hospital at Making Money Journal
Please keep mmj in your thoughts and prayers, they are going through some tough times with their daughter right now. I believe in the power of prayer, so let’s all say a pray for his little girl, him, and his family that God will give them strength and quick healing!
7 Things Women Wish Men Knew About Money at Being Frugal
Attention all married men: Read this post, bookmark it, and read it weekly. I know I will!
9 ways Star Wars can inspire you to save money. at Wise Bread
Only one thing better than merging Star Wars with personal finance and that’s merging The Matrix with personal finance.
5 Frugal Ways To Make Your Valentine Swoon at My Two Dollars
Great tips. I need to get on this Valentine’s thing. I am not going to wait until the last minute this year!
Dave Ramsey and the Great Debt Payoff Debate at Credit Withdrawal
I vote to pay off the debt.
Communication: Talking with your spouse about money at Bible Money Matters
Another great article on working together with your spouse on finances and the importance of good and open communication.
Yes, I Paid Off The Credit Card Last Night at I’ve Paid for this twice already
Yeah! Always like to read about people paying off credit cards! They really are out to get you.
My Credit Card Companies Miss Me! at Single Guy Money
They miss me too. I received another set of convenience checks from Chase yesterday. How stupid do they think I am???
Blog Half-Year Party! at Mrs. Michah
Mrs. Micah reaches her 6-month blog birthday. Way to go Mrs. Michah!!!
What Loans Can I Get to Invest? at Millionaire Money Habits
Good follow-up to the guest article he had featured here this past Saturday
You Can Do This at The Simple Dollar
This is a really inspiring and encouraging post. You really CAN do it.
Beginner tips on money management at ChristianPF.com
Trying to get your finances under control? Check out Bob’s article for some awesome beginner tips.
Got My Verizon Free TV and Wished I Could Do It All Over at Moolanomy
Hindsight is 20/20
Roth IRA Versus Traditional – Which is Better? at Cash, Money, Life
Really good and easy to understand write-up on the difference in a IRA and a Roth IRA
A Microsoft — Yahoo! Merger is Good for Bloggers, the Internet and even Google at The Dough Roller
While no big fan of Microsoft, Google is quickly becoming the Microsoft of the internet. I really think they could use some competition before the internet becomes owned by Google. Not really sure I buy their “do no evil” policy anymore.