This is the 43rd edition of the Money Hacks Carnival, the “I’d rather be surfing” edition.

Welcome to Liberta. I’m Francois Viljoen and I’ll be your host. I’m 27 and I live in South Africa.

I don’t really like money. I like other things a lot more. Things like… surfing in Mozambique.

That said… I realized a few years ago that I live in a world where money is necessary for a lot of things and, to be able to do cool stuff, like surfing in Mozambique, I’d have to stay out of debt and work wisely with my finances.

So. If you want to improve your own knowledge about money, you can read some of the articles listed in this carnival. If you want to know how you can become financially free, you can read this: How to become Financially Free. If you want to know how to get out of debt, you can read this: How to get out of Debt. And if you want to find out more about me, you can read this.

And when you’re done reading all the boring stuff, I recommend you rather read about my recent surf trip to Mozambique. Personally, I find that a lot more interesting.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. Happy reading.

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Editor’s Picks

Todd presents Risk Aversion and Solutions posted at HarvestingDollars. (Editor’s note: I loved this article – simple and great advice to follow when making decisions that involve risk.)

Investing Angel presents I’m Betting On Oil posted at Stock Tips. (Editor’s note: This is speculation, but calculated speculation. I agree wholeheartedly. The time of the fire breathing engine driven by oil products is far from over and the market has probably over-reacted grossly. Oil is currently a very well priced and yet, still a very sought after commodity. In my opinion, going long on oil is not a bad idea at all.)

The Investor presents Three new ways to control your spending posted at Monevator.com. (Editor’s note: Three delightfully weird ways to control and test your spending urges. Mostly for those of us who are well in touch with our ancient hunter-gatherer instincts.)

LivingAlmostLarge presents My $170 Car Investment. (Editor’s note: Spending a small amount of money to satisfy a large craving. A great concept.)

Maria Gajewski presents How to Bootstrap Your Life posted at Never the Same River Twice. (Editor’s note: By deliberately not making the option of throwing money at problems readily available, and instead getting into the habit of using imagination and creativity to solve problems, we can achieve a lot more while spending a lot less.)

Funny about Money presents Why keep your pay statements, and how. (Editor’s note: This article explains why it’s very wise to check and make sure your pay statements and deductions are correctly handled by your employer.)

Wenchypoo presents Timely Rerun: The Importance of Research and the Art of Negotiation posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket. (Editor’s note: With a little checking up, and simply ASKING for a discount in the first place, you can make sure you’re getting the best deal, or at least, not getting ripped off.)

MoneyNing presents Let Your Children Handle Their Own Finances posted at Money Ning, saying, “Give your children a chance to make mistakes!” (Editor’s note: Well worth a read, this article basically shows how clever it is to let our kids to handle and take care of their own problems.)

The Shark Investor presents How To Outgrow The Self-Help Learning Stage posted at The Shark Investor, saying, “How not taking actions is turning you into passive learner forever.” (Editor’s note: A self-help article about the dangers of reading too many self-help articles… Hmmm…)

Career

Patrick presents Unemployment Benefits – How to File and Other Frequently Asked Questions posted at Cash Money Life. (Editor’s note: What to do if you suddenly find yourself in the undesirable position of being laid off or stuck without work.)

Economy

Tushar Mathur presents Staying afloat during a recession posted at Everything Finance. (Editor’s note: Tushar suggests building other income streams and keeping expenses down during a recession. My opinion is that these things, as well as emergency savings, should be in-place before a recession starts. Rather late than never.)

Ryan Suenaga presents Official but not Classic: the Recession Declaration posted at Uncommon Cents. (Editor’s note: Just in case anyone is still wondering. Yes, the United States is in a recession. Whatever your definition.)

Britannica Blog presents Credit Cards & the Genius of Marketing | Britannica Blog posted at Britannica Blog. (Editor’s note: Not very relevant, but I’m including this post about misdirected marketing simply because it made me laugh.)

Frugality & Saving Money

Aaron presents How To Save an Extra $150 Each Month posted at Where You Are Now. (Editor’s note: Aaron points out that even those of us that keep a strict budget sometimes fool ourselves by budgeting more than we need to for some items, so we’ll have a few extra $$$s available to spend on unneeded erm… flotation devices.)

Heather Levin presents Going Green On A Budget: Finding Money To Be Eco-Friendly posted at The Greenest Dollar. (Editor’s note: Heather gives us a few good tips for going green without going broke.)

Condo Blues presents 10 Green Gifts That Suck posted at Condo Blues, saying, “There are a lot of good green gifts out there. None of them are on this list.”

Big Larry presents Ten Easy Ways to Save $1,000 posted at Out of Debt Christian, saying, “Someone recently shared with me that their #1 money saving tip is buying a big block of cheese to shred themselves instead of paying more for the pre-shredded variety. What? It prodded me to produce this list of ten easier ways to save a whole lot more cheddar. No grater required.”

Relax presents Let’s talk about money posted at The Wise Curve, saying, “The good news is that being rich is not really difficult because it is just a state of mind.”

Dollar Frugal presents Agh! They’re Making Fun of Me At Work Again…. posted at Dollar Frugal. (Editor’s note: Being made fun of because of your saving habits? Smile, you’re not alone.)

ChristianPF presents Bank offers $150 gift card for opening a checking account posted at Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “If you are looking for a new bank, this is a deal you probably don’t want to pass up.”

One Family presents Frugal Living – Ten Great Gift Ideas for Frugal Families (Christmas Holiday Shopping Tips) posted at One Family’s Blog.

FIRE Getters presents Frugal Creative Gift Ideas for Holiday Cards! posted at FIRE Finance.

passive family income presents Christmas Lights – How long to keep them on? posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “The current debate in our family is how long should we leave our Christmas lights on?”

Andrew Chilton presents Are You Throwing Away Money? 5 Tips to Save You Money posted at Retire at 40.

Martin presents How to Go on Vacation posted at studenomics.com. (Editor’s note: Go on vacation for $20 a week. Super.)

Sun presents Popular Online Bank Routing Numbers posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

James K. presents 4 Ways to Save Money with Holiday Spending Tips posted at Money Maestros.

Income

Madison presents WTDirect $50 to $250 Signup Bonus posted at My Dollar Plan.

Investing

nickel presents 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) Contribution Limits for 2009 posted at fivecentnickel.com. (Editor’s note: A short overview of the contribution limits for 2009.)

Dividends4Life presents Dividend Investing vs. S&P Index Fund posted at Dividends 4 Life, saying, “Part of my kids’ college fund is invested in Vanguard’s S&P 500 Index Fund (VFINX). When I opened the October statement, I was mildly surprised to see the net asset value had fell below the September 1997 level. What if I had followed a dividend investing strategy?”

Investing School presents 52 Must Read Quotes from Legendary Investor – Warren Buffett posted at Investing School, saying, “Great quotes from a brilliant man!” (Editor’s note: My favorite – “I’ve reluctantly discarded the notion of my continuing to manage the portfolio after my death – abandoning my hope to give new meaning to the term ‘thinking outside the box.’”)

Intelligent Speculator presents If I Ever Hear Another Quote From Stephen Jarislowsky, I Shot Myself! posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “Is there anything more frustrating than make a mistake and having someone behind your back saying “I told you! You should have never do this!”.” (Editor’s note: LOL… I told you so, and agreed 100%, now is the time to invest.)

financefanatic presents Call Options Trading – How To Buy and Sell Option Contracts posted at Crash Market Stock – Stock Tips To Make Money During A Recession, saying, “good tips on trading call options” (Editor’s note #1: A good article on trading call options. Editor’s note #2: Because of the high volatility and risk involved, I generally don’t recommend anyone to get involved in option trading, except if it is as a type of insurance, e.g. an option to sell commodities you produce at a guaranteed price, or an option to sell at a certain price to limit potential losses on shares you invest in.)

Lisa Spinelli presents 4 Beginner’s Tips for Investment Success From William O’Neil posted at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance.

Taxes

Julie presents Siphon Your Money With Pre-Tax Mechanisms posted at Beef Up Your Piggy. (Editor’s note: Julie explains four ways to either lower your taxable income or make use of investment vehicles that allow you to delay paying tax until the investments mature, i.e. you can earn returns on money legally owed to the tax man).

Jim presents Ten Easy Year-End Tax Tips posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

freefrombroke presents 9 Year End Tax Savings Tips posted at Free From Broke, saying, “Some great tips to maximize your taxes before the end of the year.”

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents 5 Ways To Save on Taxes — Before Dec. 31 posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “Tips for saving money on your taxes before year end.”

Mr. ToughMoneyLove presents Year End Income Tax Guide (Part 1) posted at Tough Money Love » Hard Truth and Tough Love for Money Problems and Personal Finance, saying, “Tax law changes, tips and strategies for 2008-2009.”

Other

Scott Crawford presents Setting Financial Goals As A Couple posted at DebtGoal, saying, “Meeting financial goals as a couple requires both people to pull together, but getting on the same page can be hard. This post looks at the process couples can follow to discuss and set goals.”

FMF presents Free Money Finance: How to Use Dollar Coins posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Simple tips on how to use the new dollar coins.”

J. Savings presents Woot: I’d like to hire your marketing team for my blog. Deal? posted at Budgets are Sexy., saying, “Woot is awesome for 2 things: 1) getting stuff SUPER CHEAP! and 2) being funny…to get you to buy things SUPER CHEAP ” (Editor’s note: I can only agree. Go Woot!!)

Peter presents Success Is Made By Changing Your Habits And Behaviors Gradually posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “Change your spending habits by making gradual changes.”

Lazy Man presents A Horse of a Different Color is Still a Horse posted at Lazy Man and Money.

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That’s it for this week’s edition of the Money Hacks Carnival. You can submit your blog article to the next edition here.

People who looked at this item also looked at…

• Surfing Mozambique (Tofu, Inhambane)
• How to become Financially Free
• How to get out of Debt
• Benefits of sleeping on the floor
• Stages of Financial Freedom

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