Well you might have noticed that my posting schedule is a bit off this week but for good reason though because I’m finally moving into my new house.

Boo Yaa!

This week did not leave much time for writing at all, in fact I was only able to crank out one post which seems kind of pathetic but I like to put some time into my articles and not just whip something together.

On Monday and Tuesday I spent all of my evenings installing appliances and getting stuff ready to move.  On Wednesday night I said heck with it and took a night off, and Thursday night I plan to do some catching up as well before I lose my internet connection for a short time which is going to suck but it should be done sometime early next week.

Finally, you may have not noticed me commenting much lately either.  I’ve been able to comment here and their as I’m able to but I should let you know that my comments will be far and few between until things settle down after next week, and then after that things should pick back up.

I thought I would also show off another pic of my house as well.  Let me know what you think.  Are you as impressed as I am?

Now onto the Mentions of the week.

 Weekly Mentions

First off, if you haven’t taken the time yet Stumble Forward was recently nominated for Best Personal Finance Blog of 2012 and I would appreciate your vote.  To vote all you have to do is check a box and click submit.  You don’t even have to fill in your name or email address, and if your feeling really energetic you can vote up to 3 times which would be really awesome.  So take some time and vote now.

Second, I’m  also sponsoring a giveaway that is giving out $500 to the lucky winner, sponsored by Rather-Be-Shopping.com.   You can learn more about that giveaway here.

Finally, the last giveaway was held by Structured Settlements and they are giving away $999.99.  So if you get a chance sign up for that giveaway here as well.

Article Flashback

As part of this weeks mentions I thought I’d change things up a bit and do something different.  A lot of times as bloggers we write articles that deserve the attention and may have faded away with the times, so I thought I would dig up an oldie but a goody that is really worth read.

This weeks article flashback actually come from another blog I have.  The website is called My Debt Relief Options and the article is titled 6 Tips To Paying Off Debt Faster.  In this article I cover several ways you can leverage your debts to pay them off faster and get more bang for your buck.  So check it out and let me know what you think.

Top 10 Articles Of The Week

This week I’ve come across some great articles and it was really hard for me to choose the 10 best, but I did it.  So check them out.

•  Invest It Wisely - How To Avoid Your Own Personal Financial Cliff

• One Money Design – Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps and Crown Money Map Review

• Club Thrifty - Debt: 4 Reasons to Leave Debt Behind Today

• Debt Roundup  -  **Rant Alert** – An Online Business is NOT a Passive Income Source

• Critical Financial - 10 Great Tips For Selling On Ebay

• WiseDollar - Estate Planning – It’s Never Too Early

• Work Save Live - APY vs APR – Understanding the Difference

• Our Freaking Budget - WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE WHINING ABOUT?

• Your Life For Less - Should You Always Buy the Cheapest Insurance?

• Modest Money - 3 Wild Tales of Insurance Fraud

 Question Of The Week

Finally, this week on my Facebook page I asked, Do you have a savings plan in place?  My savings plan has been a crucial part in getting me were I am today.  It’s allowed me to take on other opportunities that I normally wouldn’t be able to partake in, live more comfortably, and even build a house.  So do you have a savings plan in place?  Share your thoughts below.

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks to everyone who has helped support Stumble Forward over the last week, I really appreciate it.

Well this week has been another stellar week and I’m really close to finishing my house in fact the guy laying carpet was still their at 9 pm yet last night.  With the flooring and plumbing almost done the appliances will be showing up bright and early Monday morning and we should be done sometime early next week.  BooYaa!

With all the excitement going on around the house I’ve also been gearing up to move out of my rental house and in to the new house.  However the good side to all of this is that most of my stuff is still boxed up and ready to move, which should make things ten times easier to move.  Finally, if you haven’t seen the pictures below yet, I thought I’d show off a teaser pic before I did my final review of the house.

  This Week On Stumble Forward

If you haven’t had a chance to read latest articles at Stumble Forward you can do so here.

• How to Live Debt Free For Life – 4 Things To Help You Make The Change – If you want to make some serious changes to living a debt free lifestyle you will want to check this article out as I go through 4 specific things you need to do to achieve this change.
• 10 New Home Upgrades To Consider Before You Build – In this article I cover 10 of the big upgrades I did with my house such as adding the wrap around porch and other things most of which didn’t really cost that much extra.  So if your planning to build this is a must read article.

 

Weekly Mentions

Now on to the weekly mentions.  This week I have several things I want to cover but first I want to say that I was recently contact by Laura from The Frugal Farmer because she noticed that some of her comments weren’t showing up on my site for some odd reason.  So I did some digging and found several of her comments plus a few other in my spam.  I am trying to get this cleared up ASAP. So if you notice your comments are not showing up just let me know and I will take care of it.

Secondly their is also a $500 giveaway going on which I mentioned last week by Rather-Be-Shopping.com.  The contest runs till the 25th so make sure you get your entries in before you forget because an extra $500 is defiantly worth it.  On top of that in that article I also covered a really cool Amazon shopping secret that you may want to check out as well.

Third their is also another big contest going on yet and they are giving away $999,99 as well.  This contest runs till the end of the month as well, so sign up here.

Fourth, if you haven’t heard yet FINCON 13 was recently announced that it is going to be held in St. Louis this coming October 17-20.  You can check out more details about FINCON here.

Finally,  I’ve also been nominated as one of the Top Personal Finance Bloggers of 2012 and I would really appreciate your vote here.  I’ve never been nominated for something like this and I would really like your vote.  Vote now here.

Blogger Spotlight – Reach Financial Independence

This week I came across a really great article by Pauline from Reach Financial Independence called Budgeting: The No Budget Approach.  The article takes a really bold approach and goes against the grain when it comes to what most financial professionals will say, but I like that kind of approach because who’s to say having a detailed budget really is the end all way to managing your finances.

The reason I say this is because sometimes we tend to over analyze things to much to the point that it causes analysis paralysis, which basically means we get so detailed about our budget that we forget to do the most important thing of all, follow it.  Instead I find Pauline’s approach a lot more refreshing and simple.

In fact I think that’s what really makes the best budget, one that is simple and easy to use.  Take me for example, my budgeting tactics are very simple.  I save everything over a certain dollar amount out of every weeks paycheck, take out a small allowance for the week and pay bills with the rest.  When it comes to vacations and the Holidays we save a little bit of that money back each month so we can do the extra things we want.

Finally, this may not be the best budget for everyone, I can agree with everyone there.  Not everyone has good spending habits and to those people it may take a more disciplined budget but in the end the simpler it is the more likely you will stick to it.

Top 10 Articles Of The Week

Back by popular demand I have my top 10 personal finance articles of the week were I list my favorite ten articles in no particular order as the articles I’ve enjoyed the most this week.

• The Fugal Farmer - The Road to Debt Free: Not for the Faint of Heart

• Canadian Budget Binder - Dumpster Diving~The Top 5 Rules For Finding The Good Free Stuff!

• Making Sense of Cents - How to Live on One Income

• Out Of YOur Rut – Your Kid Does Not Need a New Car

• WiseDollarn – An Easy Way To Save On Your Heating Bill

• Frugal Rules – Why You Should Just Say No to Refund Anticipation Loans

• Critical Financial - Raising The Minimum Wage | Critical Effects On Businesses

• Debt Roundup – Spending Money While on Vacation

• Modest Money – Qmee – Get Paid to Search Online

• Eyes On The Dollar - 7 Steps to Take Before You Put Your Home on the Market

Till next week, have a great weekend everyone.

I hope everyone has been having a great week,  I know mine has been a hectic one.  I’ve been talking between my contractor, the electric company, and gas company to get things hooked up and with any luck my house will be done by the end of next week.  So cross your fingers and wish me luck.

This week I have some really awesome mentions for you so let’s get started.

Weekly Mentions

$500 Giveaway.  First off, if you haven’t heard yet I’m co hosting my first giveaway ever.  I guess theirs a first time for everything but I’m kind of stoked to be doing this. Anyways if you would like to sign up for a chance to win $500 cold hard cash sent straight to your PayPal account check it out here.

$999.99 Giveaway.  Secondly their is another giveaway going on as well and the top prize is $999.99.  This giveaway is being held by Structured Debt Settlements and you can enter over 61 times.  I actually signed up for this giveaway because I sure could use the money right now.  However if you want to check it out you can head over to my good buddy Jeremy over at Modest Money to sign up.

Vote For Stumble Forward.  Finally the last cool mention I want to talk about is that I recently found out Stumble Forward was nominated for The Top Personal Finance Blog or 2012.  Now first off I am so exited to hear that I’ve been nominated for such a prestigious award.  The only way to even get nominated for this award is someone has to nominate you, which someone has.  So whoever you are that nominated me I want to say thank you.  So if you get a chance head on over to One Smart Dollar and vote for Stumble Forward as the top financial blog of 2012.

Odd Search Terms

This week I came across some odd and long search terms, all of which gave me a good laugh.

• Some time ago, we sent you an email asking you to help us solve a problem with your paypal account. your account is still temporarily limited because you have not contacted us – I don’t know about you but this sounds like a phishing scam to me.

• Accidentally told police i don’t have car insurance – You’re Screwed!  I guess that’s the simplest way to put it.  

• Best place to invest $240,000 –  3 words, My Bank Account.  LOL!

Blogger Spotlight – Well Kept Wallet

This weeks Blogger Spotlight is Deacon from Well Kept Wallet with 5 Habits of Broke People.  What I like so much about this article is that it covers the basic bad habits that broke people have.  I won’t cover all 5 here but I would like to touch on a few of them.

First off, broke people play the lottery.  I would totally have to agree with this.  I’m not really sure why broke people play the lottery in the first place since I feel it is a more of a tax on the mathematically impaired.  However, one guess is because they think that the lottery is the only way to get ahead in life, or that it’s the only real luck they can achieve.  On the flip side I feel rich people create their own luck.  My basic belief is if you do the right things long enough you will eventually succeed.

The second bad money habit that broke people have that I found interesting was that broke people hang around other broke people.  This is so true on so many different levels.  Think about it this way if you would combine the 5 most common people you spend your day with that would pretty much define a lot of your habits.  This especially goes true with your financial habits. So if you want to change your financial habits start hanging around people who have more money or at least the income you would like to have.

So take some time and check out this article I think you’ll enjoy it.

My Top 10 List

Finally, I’m trying something newthis week and I’ve put a list together of the 10 articles I feel deserve to be mentioned here.  So take some time to check them out below if you haven’t already.

Fearless Men – 10 Amazing and Unheard of Uses For WD-40

One Smart Dollar – The 5 Commandments of For Money and Marriage

Eyes On The Dollar – Money Decisions To Make In Your Twenties 

Frugal Rule – 5  Fun and Frugal Last Minute Valentine Gifts For Her

Debt Roundup – The First Step To Recovery Is To Admit You Don’t Have A Budget

Club Thrifty – My Credit Score: Why I Don’t Care And You Shouldn’t Either

Evolving Personal Finance - Irregular Income: Gravy Edition

Modest Money – How Can Invoice Discounting Help Your Business

Frugal Habits – Are Coupons Here To Stay?

I Heart Budgets – You Didn’t Save Any Money

Well their you have it for another week of mentions.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Happy Groundhog Day everyone.  Well, did the Groundhog see his shadow or not?  Up here in Ohio we went from nearly 60 degree weather to a high of 15 degrees on Friday. If that’s not enough we are getting 3 to 4 inches of snow today as well.  So if you’re a skier this is the perfect weather for you.  On the other hand if you are a warm weather type of person this may not what you were exactly looking for.

Latest Articles on Stumble Forward

If you haven’t had a chance to check them out here are the latest articles on Stumble Forward this week.

• 8 Unexpected Cost To Building a New House

• What Should I Do With My Tax Refund Money – 4 Real Options You Have

• Statute of Limitations on Debt: How Might This Protect You?

Weekly Mentions

First off, if you haven’t done so yet sign up for the Stumble Forward Facebook Page were you will get post updates, tips, and helpful advice.  On top of that you can also follow me on Twitter as well.

Finally, next week I be partaking in my first giveaway, but that’s all I can say for right now.  So make sure you check in with me later next week to learn more.

Blogger Spotlight – Work Save Live

This week for the blogger spotlight I came across a really interesting article by Jason from Work Save Live talking about Becoming Debt Free The Fastest By Using Ready For Zero.

If your not familiar with the Ready For Zero program it’s a free debt do it yourself program that shows you how to pay down your debt the fastest way possible by linking all of your debts into the program.

Jason’s article gives a profound in depth review of this product covering the in’s and out’s of the product.  In fact I’ve actually been looking to sign up with Ready For Zero but I’ve had a few concerns and Jason’s article did a great job of covering the details so check it out now if you haven’t had the chance.

Special Thank You’s

Finally, I want to give my special thank you to everyone who has help support Stumble Forward by either commenting, promoting me on social media, and linking back.  To you I say thank you and I really appreciate it.

• Grayson at Debt Roundup
• Jason at Work Save Live
• My Financial Programs
• Jeremy at Modest Money
• John at Frugal Rules
• Holly at Club Thrifty
• Harry at Personal Finance Pro
• Outlier Model
• Sean at One Smart Dollar
• Laurie at The Frugal Farmer
• John at Fearless Men
• Kim at Eyes On The Dollar
• Pauline at Reach Financial Independence
• Chris at Insurance Blog By Chris
• Mr. CBB at Canadian Budget Binder

What are you doing this Groundhog Day?  Do you have a Super Bowl Party planned?

Well it seems to be that part of the week again and this week been a great week.  My house is running on time and currently is on schedule to be done between February 8th to 13th.  Right now, they are finishing the dry wall and moving onto painting next week which means they will be hanging cabinets and trim along with the flooring.  It seems like the whole building process has gone so fast and the end is near.

Anyways lets get things started.

Latest Articles On Stumble Forward

This week if you didn’t get a chance check out my latest post.

• How to Control Your Debt to Income Ratio – A Guide For Beginners
• How To Save Money Building A House – 7 Ways You Can Save Big

Weekly Mentions

First off, if you haven’t had the chance the $1000 giveaway is still going on with Structured Settlement Quotes. Their are still 6 days to register so sign up now here.

Secondly,  I’m also looking for some talented writers to guest post.  Stumble Forward is a PR3 site, with over 200 visitors a day, and is looking for some high quality guest post. However, I am only looking for those that either a financial blogger or in the financial field.  If you are interested just shoot me an email via my contact page.  Also be sure to read over my guest posting policy as well.

Finally if you haven’t had the chance yet sign up for the new Stumble Forward Facebook page, where you will get article updates, tips, and important info to help you avoid life’s financial mistakes.  Sign Up Now.

Odd Search Terms

This week I also came across a really odd search term and normally I don’t see many of these but I could hardly pass up this one.

Do you think investing in Elvis is a good investment -  Seriously, the king is dead, let it go.  This person must be desperate if they think investing in a bunch Elvis stuff is going to improve their portfolio.  What’s your thoughts?

Blogger Spotlight – I Heart Budgets

This week I came a across a pretty awesome post by I Heart Budgets about an idea I’ve heard very little about, churning credit cards.  In his article Churning Credit Cards For Travel and Hotel Rewards, they talk about how to take advantage of special credit card travel rewards for various credit reward programs and get everything from free flights to free nights at a hotel.

One of the reasons this article interested me so much is because I am a big fan of traveling and seeing new places and I like the ideas he works through in his article to rotate through different reward cards every few months to get points for free flights and hotels.  In fact I’ve even given thought to possibly trying this in the distant future when my life isn’t so financially hectic.

On the other side this article did met a little bit of opposition because it breaks a lot of the codes we financial bloggers live by, or at least me.  I can see how this type of program could get out of hand really quick if you don’t have a solid plan in place.  So if you haven’t had the chance check out this great post.

Till then have a good weekend everyone.