Most people probably won’t think about it until tax preparation time, but the economy has had an impact on the people that prepare taxes too.  Plus, there are more online or software solutions out there that let the basic return become a do-it-yourself job.  What’s the result?  Tax preparation fees have increased this year!

In a recent article at SmartMoney.com, Jami Makan discusses three great ideas for lessening the financial burden of getting your taxes prepared.

1. Look for group discounts for family members.  Also keep an eye out for referral offers and special coupons being presented on social networking sites such as Linked In.
2. Do some of the work yourself online and then have it reviewed in person.  Some companies are offering considerable discounts from what you would pay by having the work done by a pro.
3. Avoid the tax time rush.  Work with tax preparers to get your taxes done earlier for a discount, or some will even provide a discount if you have them done after April 15^th.  Of course you’ll have to file an extension.

And now, on with the personal finance blog post links and roundup…

Personal Finance Links

I hope you’ll take a few minutes out of your day to explore these interesting and helpful posts from other personal finance blogs.

• Bible Money Matters: PT Money provided a guest post this week on the top 10 tax credits to take advantage of.  Personally, I like the first time home buyer tax credit this year available to new and existing home buyers!
• Wise Bread: An interesting post that provides 7 ways to cut your food bill without clipping a single coupon.  Personally, we are coupon clippers because we play the grocery game.  But this post provides some good suggestions to help save money on what can be one of the biggest budget busters!  My favorite tip?  I like the weekly food run.  All those little trips typically add up to spending more than what you would with just one trip.
• Free Money Finance: Everyone wants to impress their boss, right?  Well, do what your boss wants you to do!  J  You’re guaranteed to improve your performance if you exhibit the behaviors mentioned in this post.  They may seem obvious, but many people don’t do them.  I like the behavior of streamlining processes to save money and time.  Some processes can just bog us down and keep the company and people from being productive!
• Thrive Blog: Looking for some ways to save money on your cell?  I didn’t know about OverMyMinute.com.  What a cool service!  Or, avoid calling information.  I was just dinged over $10 on my latest bill between my wife and me calling to get phone numbers.  Agh!
• The Simple Dollar: The title of this post, “Why Work”, caught my eye this week.  This is an inspiring post exploring why we work, what keeps us from doing what we really enjoy and how to bridge the gap to do what you love.  As an aside, I believe we can glorify God in whatever we choose to do as long as it’s ethical and moral.

One Money Design Around the Web

This week I discussed how much to save for retirement in my article at Bible Money Matters.  I’ve decided not to join the panic about retirement savings. Read my post to learn why!

Personal Finance Blog Carnivals

What is a personal finance blog carnival?  If you’re interested in learning more, here is a great definition from BlogCarnival.com:

Blog Carnivals typically collect together links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic. A Blog Carnival is like a magazine. It has a title, a topic, editors, contributors, and an audience. Editions of the carnival typically come out on a regular basis. Each edition is a special blog article that consists of links to all the contributions that have been submitted, often with the editor’s opinions or remarks.

The benefits for the reader include reading a wide variety of content about personal finance.  A further benefit is the ability to interact with the writer or other readers in the comments.

One Money Design was recently featured in Carnival of Personal Finance #244: The Fiscally Irresponsible TV Characters Edition

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