One Money Design

The weekend is here and I’m looking forward to some extended fun over this Labor Day holiday.  Yes, that’s right, it’s a four day weekend for me!  I was on vacation today, so I can happily say this is a nice little vacation for me!   A longer weekend is always a great opportunity for spending time with my family, catching up on chores around the house, and working on some more personal finance posts.  It’s already off to a good start as I’ve reflected on this week.  On with the round up!

This week I had the opportunity to meet up with another personal finance blogger in-person, Phil @ Prime Time Money.   Phil has been blogging at PT Money for over two years.  In just a short meeting, I learned a lot from Phil and got a sense for his passion of blogging and personal finance.  Check out PT Money when you get a chance.  Oh, you can also find PT Money on Twitter.

One Money Design posts

• I think the return on investment is there with Mvelopes as you’ll read in the  Mvelopes Personal Finance Software Review .  Mvelopes is personal finance software that helps you budget wisely and perform better spending management.
• Managing the cone of uncertainty when it comes to estimating expenses can help create a more accurate personal budget or spending plan as I discuss in The Cone of Uncertainty and How it Impacts Your Personal Spending Plan. 
• The Money Map and Baby Steps are great financial roadmaps to financial freedom. I’ve taken my favorite steps from both plans and combined them in The Best of the Money Map and Baby Steps.
• Are you intense about paying off debt?  Getting out of debt provides the ability to seize opportunities, build wealth and live prosperous lives.  Check out my post, Servant to the Lender – Are You Intense About Getting Out of Debt?
• Cash for Clunkers, while some say stimulated the economy, has put America deeper into debt.  Get the Cash for Clunkers – Final Numbers and Thoughts (posted last weekend).

I’m pleased to announce my article, How Do You Manage Unexpected Expenses?, was included in The Carnival of Personal Finance  #220 - History of Football Edition this week hosted by Stretchy Dollar.

A few of the articles I enjoyed reading around the personal finance blogosphere this week

•  5 Things Your Parents Didn’t Teach You About Money @ Green Panda Treehouse. 
• Spending Filters – How I Save Money On Just About Everything @ Debt Free Adventure. 
• 5 money saving ideas to help you save even in tough times @ Christian PF. 
• On the Road to Financial Independence @ Get Rich Slowly.
• Consumer Mindshift: Can we sustain it? @ Terri’s Blog (The Grocery Game).

Grocery Game update

Each week, we’re trying to save money by playing the Grocery Game.   This week, I made a trip to Tom Thumb to shop with our Grocery Game list and coupons.   Some might ask, “Isn’t Tom Thumb one of the more expenses grocery shopping options in the Dallas area?”  Not when you’re playing the Grocery Game!  Check out the savings below.

• Debit Card Total:  $55.52
• Remarkable Savings (savings because items were on sale):  $31.22
• Coupon Savings:  $15.22
• Total Savings Value (46%):  $46.44!!!

Something for free

• Check out the Mvelopes Personal Finance software 14 day free trial.