May 2009

May 2009 – Best of Fiscal Fizzle

A review of the most viewed posts in May 2009, my favorite posts from the month, and what you can do to help grow my blog!

What's Sizzling? – May 29th Edition

A review of the week’s posts about personal finance – includes dealing with major purchases, grocery store tricks, specialty reports you can get for free, preparing for financial disaster, and staying disciplined in your savings.

Modeling Government After Business

A few weeks ago, my readers considered whether government should be run more like a business. Read their thoughts and my feelings on balancing the budget, efficiency, incentives, and potential solutions.

Make Brown-Bagging Efficient and Fun

Do you ever get bored of eating the same thing over and over for lunch? Brown-bagging can save money, but here are ways to make it more efficient and a lot more fun!

Saving on Groceries by Doubling Up Coupons

One of the easiest couponing strategies to master is doubling up, or using a manufacturer’s coupon in combination with a store sale or coupon. I go through an example to help you understand the process and how you can get started saving oodles of money on groceries!

How Credit Scores Are Determined

Learn about the components of a credit score (payment history, amounts owed, length of history, recent credit, and types of credit), why you should care about your score, and how to go about improving it (in simple terms).

What's Sizzling? – May 22nd Edition

A review of the week’s posts about personal finance – includes couponing strategies, cutting travel costs, starting a business after job loss, finding a great car mechanic, failing at your budget, and commuting to work by bicycle.

13 Lucky Ways to Save on Groceries

Easy ways to shave money from your grocery budget – tips like going vegetarian, stocking up on loss leaders, avoiding loyalty to a single supermarket, and using your freezer more.

Creating Graphic Tools to Motivate Your Finances

How to create four different graphic tools to help you save or pay off debt faster, and to keep yourself and your family motivated. Includes a link to a template.

Why I Use an Envelope Budget

Four reasons why I use an envelope budget – paradigm shift, savings goals, irregular expenses, and eliminating guess work. Includes a free e-book from the makers of Mvelopes.

The Basics of Setting Financial Priorities

Step-by-step to setting financial priorities – setting life goals first, then general financial goals, and finally getting specific and setting actions items.

What's Sizzling? – May 16th Edition

The best personal finance posts from this week – including teaching your kids about money, entrepreneurship, staycations, cash flow charts, and saying no to work.

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May 2009

Selected Reading