Gather Little by Little

Hey! Another Carnival at GLBL! Don’t worry; this is the last one until the Carnival of Personal Finance at the end of the year ;-)

Along with the Carnival, I’ve decided to share a few of my money successes. After sharing my money flaws last week, I also wanted to share some financial achievements from the past year. Handling personal finance is not always easy and it is important to acknowledge our failures yet it is even more important to acknowledge success!

But before we start, here are a few good readings from GLBL:

– 15 Uses for Coffee Filters

– Dave Ramsey’s Gazelle Budget

– Homemade car cleaning products

– Switch to zero percent balance transfer credit cards

#1 Editor’s Picks: My Biggest Money Achievement (creating an alternative source of income)

During these rough economic times, we are all seeking job security. Unfortunately, we have little to no control (besides doing your job right) over our employer’s decision. Therefore, the best way to improve your financial stability is by having an alternative source of income. Through my web company, I have been able to create an additional source of income; my plan B. While it doesn’t generate enough money to allow me to quit my day job, it would provide me sufficient cash flow if anything goes sour at work. This piece of mind is priceless. So here are the best articles of this carnival:

d. ninja presents Bring it on haterz posted at Punch Debt In The Face.

MoneyNing presents Take Some Time to Make More Money posted at Money Ning.

debt kid presents How To Stop Money From Ruling Your Life posted at Debt Kid.

J. Money presents My Wallet Gets Beer Goggles Too. posted at Budgets are Sexy.

#2 Money Management: Living in a Single Income Household

Back in May 2009, my wife quit her job to take care of our 2 children. While it is the best situation in terms of family lifestyle, it is far from being good news on the financial side. We have learned to manage our money differently in order to make sure that we have enough to pay all the bills. Here are the money management related articles:

Emily Simmons presents How to Make a Budget That Works posted at Be In Health Now.

Peak Personal Finance presents 5 Financial Rules for Women posted at Peak Personal Finance.

Madison presents Understanding Health Savings Accounts posted at My Dollar Plan.

Studenomist presents Finding The Perfect Debt Elimination Plan For YOU posted at Studenomics.

Chris Holdheide presents How The John Cummuta Transforming Debt Into Wealth System Works posted at StumbleForward.com.

Hank presents Five Steps To Get Out of Credit Card Debt Now posted at Own The Dollar.

Tyler presents Stop Feeling Guilty and Go Do Something Awesome posted at Frugally Green.

#3 Investing: Buying my First House Through Leverage

As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of leveraging. While borrowing to invest is not for everyone and should not be advertised abroad, this is how I managed to buy my first house. I borrowed $20,000 from my line of credit back in 2003 and I bought my first house with my investment profit in 2006. Technically, I didn’t take a penny from my own pocket into my property. Here are the investing articles:

The Financial Blogger presents 10 Trading Lessons for Free! posted at The Financial Blogger.

Intelligent Speculator presents Will commodity ETF’s exist a year from now? posted at Intelligent Speculator.

Hank presents Use Insider Information The Legal Way To Pick Winning Stocks To Invest In posted at Own The Dollar.

Manshu presents S&P 500 ETF List posted at OneMint.

Jeff Rose presents Good to Know Rules and Limits for the Traditional IRA posted at Jeff Rose.

D4L presents 4 Stocks With Higher Dividends posted at Dividends Value.

Matt_SF presents Charles Schwab Might be the Best Choice for Passive Investors posted at Steadfast Finances.

#4 Frugality and Debt Management: Consolidating all my debts in a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit)

Frugality refers to saving money and spending diligently. One of the best ways to achieve both side of frugality is to manage your debt correctly. You can save money on interest and spend less in order to avoid maxing out your credit cards. A few years ago, I decided to put all my debts together using my home equity line of credit. While debt management has become much easier with only one account, I also pay less interest. Here are other ways to save money or to manage your debt:

Craig Ford presents 10 Tips For Saving Money While Raising Kids posted at Money Help For Christians.

Darwin presents Why Do People Pay More Money for the Top of the Line Model? Incremental Value Analysis posted at Darwin’s Finance.

Barry presents 7 Tips To Save Money On A Vacation posted at Associate Money.

J.D. Roth presents Creative Cleaning with Everyday Products posted at Get Rich Slowly.

freefrombroke presents Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit May Not Be Good For Existing Buyers posted at Free From Broke.

David presents How Much Can You Save with a 0% Balance Transfer for 12 Months posted at Credit Card Offers IQ.

MatthewPaulson presents Best Coupon Sources Online posted at Fine Tuned Finances.

Billeater presents Mortgage Options You Can Afford to Pay posted at Billeater.

Mr Credit Card presents Chase Sapphire Card Review posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Top 15 Ways to Save Money on Heating Your House posted at Canadian Finance Blog.

Ray @ Financial Highway presents Frugal Thanksgiving Dinner Tips posted at Financial Highway.

PT presents Upromise Review: A Little Extra Savings for College posted at PT Money.

#5 Other: Making a Career Move

2 years ago, I decided to get my financial planner title and switch jobs to become a full time financial planner. The first year was rough and I didn’t manage to increase my pay check. In fact, I would have received a bigger bonus if I didn’t leave my previous job. However, this year has been fantastic and I am not only increasing my income but my bonus will compensate for what I had lost last year. You never know if your career moves are good or bad until you do them. I guess this time I made the right choice. Here are the other articles from the carnival:

Jeremy J. Ulmer presents Need Sales Coaching? Top 10 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a Sales Coach posted at Sales Coaching.

Miss M presents Financial Literacy Finally Gaining Attention posted at M is for Money.

Bucksome presents Three Electronics That Make Me Drool posted at Buck$ome Boomer’s Journey to Retirement.

Paul Williams presents Beneficiary Designations – Mistakes to Avoid posted at Provident Planning.

FMF presents How to Make Money as a Soccer Referee posted at Free Money Finance.

Author: Mike.