Money Hackers Carnival #20, Chicago style

Welcome to this week’s Money Hacks carnival! Putting my own Chicago spin on the list, I’m showcasing some of the city’s sights, compliments of Flickr. Enjoy!

EDITOR’S PICKS, along the Chicago River/Trump Tower, image by spudart

**J. Money presents Start Investing by 26, Retire a Millionaire by 67 posted at Budgets are Sexy. I totally agree. If there’s one thing this almost-26-year-old girl (I’m talking about me, here) knows, it’s that you should invest now.

**I couldn’t agree more with FMF, who presents How to Hire a Good Tax Professional posted at Free Money Finance. Personally, I found my fantastic, saves-me-tons-of-money accountant through a referral.

**Think looks don’t matter? Think again. Silicon Valley Blogger presents Get Hired, Get a Raise and Get Paid More By Improving Your Appearance posted at The Digerati Life.

***It’s always possible to start saving/investing, and this article shows you one way to do so. FFB presents A CD Ladder Plan For Beginning Savers posted at Free From Broke.

**If you love your pet as much as I do, you’ll want to take a look at Amanda Milne’s The Undeniable Pet Insurance posted at Value For Your Life.

CAREER/INCOME, with the foggy Windy City, ala OZinOH

Paul Piotrowski presents Why Does it Feel Like You’re Going Backwards posted at Inspired Money Maker.

BlogDebt presents Want extra money to save? Increase your means! posted at Blogging Down Debt | Becoming Debt Free One Post At a Time.

Passive Income Investor is inspiring with Monthly Passive Income Finally Breaks $3,000 Barrier posted at LIVING OFF DIVIDENDS & PASSIVE INCOME.

DEBIT & CREDIT, with Millennium Park, photo taken by StuckinCustoms

Madison presents Best Travel & Hotel Rewards Credit Cards posted at My Dollar Plan.

Card Blogger presents The Best Credit Cards posted at My Credit Card Blog.

Ken Clark, CFP presents Four Neighborhoods That Will Pay For Your Child’s College Education posted at Saving for College - About.com.

Ray presents How To Generate Valid Credit Card Numbers posted at Money Blue Book Personal Finance Blog.

Ryan Suenaga presents Money Hacks Challenge: Maximize Rewards or Time Your Cards? posted at Uncommon Cents.

Heather Allen presents Beware Online Credit Fraud posted at The DebtFree Playbook Blog.

GBlogger presents Is Big Brother Lowering Your Credit Because of Your Drinking? posted at CAN I GET RICH ON A SALARY.

INVESTING, next to the Sears Tower, taken by Cowboyneal

Steve Faber presents - Stock Market Terms – The Top10 Market Terms You Need to Know (Part 1) posted at Debt Free.

MoneyEnergy presents Gold Dividends: 11 Mining Stocks That Pay Them posted at MoneyEnergy.

Todd presents Weber’s Law posted at HarvestingDollars.

The Shark Investor presents I’d Be The Growlingest Bear on the Internet If Only I Were a Bear posted at The Shark Investor.

Raag Vamdatt presents Residential / Commercial Property for a Non Resident Indian (NRI) :: RaagVamdatt.com :: Financial Planning demystified posted at RaagVamdatt.com.

The Financial Blogger presents How to trade commodities? posted at The Financial Blogger.

Slackerwealth presents Procter and Gamble, A Case for Going Long posted at A Slacker’s Quest for His First Million.

Joe Manausa presents Understanding Trends In Real Estate posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog.

SAVING MONEY, next to the beautiful Cloud Gate, photo by ancawonka

LAL presents Matter of Perspective posted at LivingAlmostLarge.

Sean talks about the subject on everyone’s mind lately with his Locking-In Low Gas Prices vs. Locking-In High Fuel Efficiency posted at Financial Ramblings.

Tanesha Morgan presents The Basics of Life Insurance posted at Personal Finance Analyst.

PFI presents Financial Benefits of a DVR posted at Passive Family Income.

Curt presents Trick Yourself into Saving Money posted at PennyJobs.com.

Lisa Spinelli presents “I Haven’t Saved a Dime,” or “Will I Have a Heart Attack When I Retire?” posted at Greener Pastures.

Dorian Wales presents 10 Tips on More Efficient and Economic Use of Air-Conditioners posted at The Personal Financier.

Anand presents How to Master Money & Wealth | Money Management posted at AnandDhillon.com - Self-Help for Self-Mastery.

Coupon Artist presents Stockpiling Food: How to Buy and Organize a Food Stockpile posted at artofthecoupon.com.

Anand presents How to Master Money & Wealth | The Key to Financial Freedom posted at Anand Dhillon’s Self-Help Blog.

Brooke asks for tips on saving money on school supplies, Halfway Thru Summer Already and… posted at Dollar Frugal. The winning tip will get a free one-month banner ad on her site.

Larry Russell presents Living Expense Tracking Methods posted at Pasadena Financial Planner.

admin presents Don’t Chase High Interest Rates posted at Best Interest Rate Banks.

Lauren presents 10 Tips on buying a new car or used car posted at FGC Auto Blog.

TAX & ECONOMY, with Navy Pier, another photo compliments of StuckinCustoms

jim presents How to Get Old W-2 and 1040 Tax Forms posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

The Happy Rock presents Have We Finally Hit Our Gas Price Tipping Point? posted at The Happy Rock.

KCLau presents How inflation affects your life? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips.

Toni Graybill presents The Road to Wealth is Stuff posted at Maximize Health and Wealth.

And, last but not least is everything else: RETIREMENT/ GENERAL / PHILOSOPHY / MONEY, next to a classic Chicago landmark, the Marshall Field’s clock, photo by atelier_tee

Wanda Grindstaff presents Retirement or Lifestyle - It is Your Choice! posted at Creating Abundant Lifestyles.

Fred Black presents Toilet Paper Millionaire! posted at Fred Black: Internet Business Blog..

Cash Money Life bares all with What’s in Your Wallet? posted at Cash Money Life.

C. King presents Why Soft Selling Appeals To Cultures With High Femininity posted at Get International Clients.

So Cal Savvy presents A day at the beach posted at So Cal Savvy.

Aryn presents The Documents You Need: List of Accounts posted at Sound Money Matters.

SF Tips from a Real SF Girl!

Intro: Who better than a SF native to give you tips on the city? I am such a big fan of SF Money Musings. She’s a writer. She loves good food. She gives fabulous, frugal, fun tips on her city. We are so sympatico (and I’m probably tasting some of these bakeries right now, if all’s going well).

So here you go: you’re in for a real treat with these tips from SF Money Musings on visiting San Francisco.

I’ve been living in San Francisco for almost two years and found no shortage of pastry shops (sugar is my weakness) and places to explore by foot.

Here’s a short and relatively inexpensive guide to San Francisco from my experiences of walking several miles during the weekend.

Little Star Pizza – I’ve heard they make a deep dish pie comparable to Chicago’s. It’s also BYOB. The lines are long so either go early around 5 or 6pm or go for lunch (it’s cheaper too).

Golden Boy Pizza – This is one of my favorite late night post-hangover cure. Their foccacia-like pizza with garlic, clams, mushroom and pesto sauce will melt in your mouth. They’re small and sort of pricey but if you’re in the North Beach area late at night and need a quick fix, the pizza will hit the right spot.

Sugary foods:

Tartine – Looking for a slice of France in San Francisco? Head to this French-pastry shop in the Mission for soft, buttery ham and cheese croissants or sweet plum pies. The lines are long here also so it’s better to come here early in the week and mornings before the rush starts.

Dianda’s Italian American Pastry – I discovered Dianda’s by accident. Last summer I went to a potluck my then CPA was hosting. I was getting ready to leave mid-afternoon when one of the other guests told me to wait a bit longer. She said dessert was on its way and if I love sweets as much as I talked about them, I wouldn’t want to miss the surprise.

About 45 minutes later, a large rum-spiked cream puff cake glued together with maple syrup appeared. They call this the “St. Honore” cake, so rich, heavenly and perfect for any occasion. You have to order this one in advance. But the éclairs and cookies are perfectly acceptable substitutes for cake.

Along the same line of Italian pastries, Victoria Bakery and Stella’s Pastry in North Beach are just as stellar and a closer walk from downtown San Francisco. Victoria carries delicious lemon meringue cookies and cranberry croissants. Victoria bought Stella Pastry last year so they carry roughly the same items. The interior of Stella is so warm, friendly and a cozy place to hang out with friends and share a cup of coffee and cookies.

Good Mong Kok – This Chinese dim sum hole-in-the wall on Stockton Street makes the best plain steamed buns. And the ladies who work here are so nice and sweet. They greet you in Chinese with the highest honors, well for a young girl, at least. The steamed buns and dim sum are their specialty. They also carry other standard Chinese pastries such as pineapple red bean buns and the Chinese custard bun.

Golden Gate Bakery – I think their egg tarts are overrated. And they’re expensive at $1 each for a tiny little egg tart. Try if you must but you can get comparable ones from other bakeries in Chinatown for way less.

Tacqueria Cancun – This tacqueria is such a wonderful gem in the Tenderloin especially their cheap burritos. The plates are pricey at $7.75 so I’d stick to the burritos, most are under $5 ($5.41 with tax, technically) for a regular size one which can easily be split among two people. I love the chorizo or carne asada, tender and lightly grilled burrito, which comes with homemade chips and salsa.

Acme Bakery in the Ferry Building – No other sourdough bread in San Francisco compares except Boudin which comes close. It’s best purchased when they open at 6am – fresh off the oven. It’s best consumed plain with the exception of Cowgirl Creamery cheese such as a Humboldt fog goat cheese (another Northern California specialty). They also make sandwiches using only local ingredients at Acme including the Mt. Tam cheese.

Cowgirl Creamery – This place is like the Wal-Mart of cheese. They have what seems like a million varieties to serve your pleasure including the Rogue Blue cheese which combined with macaroni makes for a light dinner.

Ferry Building Farmer’s Market - On Saturday, the Ferry Building turns into a gigantic (several parking lot sizes) farmers market. You will find generous samples to feed your hungry bellies from large plump red strawberries to unique varieties of fruits that sound strange. The market is good for sampling and browsing. Unfortunately it is severely overpriced, expensive and caters to tourists.

So by now you’ve probably had too many samples at the market and need to walk off those excess pounds. San Francisco has the luxury of being a small but urban city. Walking will allow you to see, hear and experience more of San Francisco. Don’t ride the MUNI unless you enjoy watching the bus driver make every single stop on every block in the neighborhood. Walking will get you there much faster and you’ll discover all kinds of interesting places.

A walk to Coit Tower climbing massive amount of stairs is a fun exercise with a group of friends. Start at Montgomery Street BART station and walk straight for about 10 blocks. You’ll see nothing but big empty buildings and some restaurants. You’re on the right track. Once you walk up the hill, you’ll pass the Scientology Church but stay on path and continue until you reach Broadway Street. At Broadway Street make a left past strip clubs and walk one block to find the set of stairs to Coit Tower. The signs will point you there and once you reach the top, you’ll find gorgeous views of The City. It’s also a nice lunch stop to stop and take in the sights. (Note from GG: We are SO doing this!)

City Lights Bookstore – This is a fun place to stop on your way back from Coit Tower. It is THE spot if you’re into poetry, the BEAT generation and literary adventures such as chap books or obscure magazines.

Popscene 330 Ritch Street – On Thursday nights, this little club/dive in SOMA lets you relive the 80s with other 18 and older club goers. It’s a scenester and hipster hangout. You’ll find boys dressed in Fred Perry polo shirts with the collars popped up and in skin-tight jeans. The girls wear their Nicole Richie big shade sunglasses and big billowy dresses with fake pearls. You can hear and check out the latest up and coming bands here before they become mainstream. And the cover is usually less than $10 which is a bargain for a bit of true indie treasure. After the bands leave, the DJ’s spin 80s, Brit pop, new wave, shoegaze and all sorts of random tunes suitable for dancing. The cover charge is $5 if you’re over 21 after the bands leave so if you only want to dance and skip checking out the bands, that’s another option.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – This museum features a collection of modern and contemporary art. Their exhibitions and collections are interesting and thought-provoking depending on how you view art. Frida Kalho is on display including a collection of her life history with husband Diego Rivera.

DeYoung Museum – This is one of my favorite museums in San Francisco. Chihuly, whose collection of stained art is massive and colorful. There are videos throughout the museum that demonstrate the entire process and his studio in Tacoma. His creativity and passion for stained glass shows clearly in the displays.

Spend less time in Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. There’s not much to see or do except buy overpriced souvenirs. There’s an In-N-Out burger in Fisherman’s Wharf, home of the infamous criss-cut fries and animal-style burgers.

SF Tips from Kim!

Intro: I’m a big fan of Kim’s Kitchen Sink. Kim’s awesome. She works at Google, she likes lists and she makes me laugh. And as a Cali native, Kim was quick to help me out with San Francisco tips for my upcoming trip. PLUS: even though she’s on her big NY trip, she was also quick to help me out with a guest post. (Thanks, Kim!)

So here you go: tips from Kim on visiting San Francisco:

Grad Girl asked me to write a little guest post while she is on vacation, so here it is: a list of my favorite touristy and non-touristy, pricey and frugal-friendly places to visit in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ok, so I don’t know TOO much about SF, because I live in Berkeley, which is across the bay, and I don’t venture into the city all that often. However, here’s some of my advice…

Restaurants:

It’s very touristy, but you should visit the Boudin Bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf. Honest to goodness San Francisco sourdough, and I think there are factory tours and such. Even just checking out the store is cool — they have the bread in baskets circling around the ceiling on a track.
Of course, Ghirardelli square (which is very close to Fisherman’s Wharf) if you like chocolate…again, touristy, but omg their ice cream sundaes…
The Carnelian Room - at the top of the Bank Of America building, it’s the highest public viewing point in SF. There’s a bar, where drinks around all in the $8-$10 range (I recommend the “Girl Scout Cookie,” and The Boy says they also make a very good “Perfect Manhattan”), but the view is spectacular on a clear night.
• If you like seafood, and want to splurge on a very expensive meal, I’d go for Farralon. You can easily spend $80-$100 per person (entrees in the $20-$30 range), but the food and the atmosphere are spectacular.

Cool attractions/things to do:

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The Exploratorium (a lot of it is geared towards kids, but it’s in an absolutely stunning area, and the exhibits are really fun)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the de Young and the Legion of Honor)
Theatre Bay Area has discounts and information for all kinds of theatre in the bay - you might want to check out a show or two, and this is a good way to find cheaper tickets.
You’ll probably want to check out Haight/Ashbury, if you’re interested in the whole hippie side of San Francisco.
It might be fun to do a walking tour, or even a bus tour, just to get acquainted with it all. There are a ton of options for tours, depending on what your interests are.
• Golden Gate Park - museums, gardens, and it’s also just generally a lovely park.

And of course, if you want to venture across the Bay to Berkeley/Oakland (it’s only about a 25-35 minute BART ride, depending on your start-stop points), I would recommend Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Zachary’s Pizza (deep dish deliciousness), The Albatross (a bar with board games, $0.25 popcorn, and pub trivia on Sunday nights), Fenton’s Creamery and Top Dog.

Enjoy your trip to the Bay Area!!

HULU.com

Do you know Hulu? You can watch all kinds of shows, movies, clips. For free.

I’m loving it!

Check it out: www.hulu.com

My Spending, Lately

Thanks to the wonderful PF blogosphere, I’ve been spending less lately. This past weekend, I spent $15 for lunch Sunday. Like, that was ALL I spent, all weekend.

Other little victories:

1. Haven’t bought myself new clothes since February 5 (over a month ago!) when I bought about $50 in stuff from H & M.

2. Haven’t eaten out during the work day since February 21–OK, OK, I did spend $4 on Tuesday when we all went for fast food. Turned out, though, when they reimbursed me for the meal after I picked it up, they’d paid for my $4 meal, too. I guess just rounding up their dollars worked in my favor, and they wouldn’t take a penny back.

We’ve all resolved no more ordering until April 1.

Thoughtful Christmas Gifts under $1

A few years ago, I saw a Martha Stewart gift idea in the Chicago Tribune: holiday CDs with style. She gets full credit, but right now I’m going completely off memory. It’s an easy, inexpensive way to give thoughtfully to a large amount of people: think teachers, hosts, co-workers, etc.

The following directions will create 80 CD gifts, with 20 CD-Rs/labels leftover for your own use. Enjoy!

Supplies:
100 CDs (you’ll have 20 left over for yourself) 2 packs of 50 Blank CD-Rs: $24.00
80 CD labels 2 packs of 40 CD Labels: $26.00
100 CD sleeves (you’ll have 20 left over for yourself) 100 CD envelopes: $2.45
Your own holiday mix of songs (price varies based on what you purchase): est. $15
Your own Christmas pictures (think scenes. I used a B & W of downtown Chicago, a clip art of snowflakes and something else): free
Paper (preferably card stock): if you’re like me, you already have some
A computer printer with ink: again, check.

Approximate Total cost: $67.45 ($0.84 each)

Directions:
1. Following the CD label directions, print 80 labels with the Christmas photos you’ve chosen. The CDs will look awesome–and it’s so easy!
2. Compile a list of Christmas tunes via your favorite music player (iTunes for me).
3. Burn the list onto your CDs.
4. Create a printable mix list that fits into the envelopes.
5. Slide the CDs and mix lists into envelopes.
6. Seal, and you’re good to go!

Hint: You may also want to affix a holiday sticker on the back for extra style. I stuck these in with Christmas cards two years ago, and it was a big hit!

Christmas Gifts under $5

I thought this recent post at Wise Bread was one of the most practical ones I’ve read about Christmas gifts. It lists 25 different ideas for quality, useful items–each one at under $5. So inspiring!

And really: wouldn’t you rather get a brand-new Pyrex measuring cup than another bottle of Bath & Body Works lotion or another sweater you’ll never wear?

Just another example of how thoughtfulness more than compensates for cost.

A Cure for the Shopaholic within

If you walked into my bedroom, you would see a neatly made bed with a white and red down comforter, complete with matching throw pillows; a glass-paned case with color-coded bookshelves; a dresser with just a lamp and candles on top; a nightstand with another lamp, lotion and an alarm clock; a stand-up mirror; a teeny-tiny desk with my laptop; and a chair.

The point is: you would see no clutter. I have a total paranoia of the cutesy, knick-knacky way that people live. I like things to have a place and stay there.

But. I also have an attic storage space off my closet that is filled with boxes and plastic containers. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve saved: An entire rectangular box stuffed with years and years of journals. Bridesmaid dresses. Candles. Old clothes. Old bags, purses, slings. A leopard-print pillow, a pillow an old roommate made me that doesn’t match my room’s decor. There are school books and class notes, syllabi, even a poster someone made about Ezra Pound. I want to go through this stuff and get rid of a lot of it. I’m sort of brainstorming about it right now, determining if I want to purchase containers, if I want to just get rid of most of it, if I want to continue hoarding old letters that go back at least 10 years.

I’m pretty sure this is going to be a New Year’s resolution, as strange as it says to predict that for oneself in November. I just know I won’t have the time to get to it before then. I might plan to take out one thing every day–that’s a start.

One very positive side affect of looking at this task ahead of time is how it makes me not want to shop now. I don’t want to go out and buy more stuff to have end up in the storage space, you know? When did I become a person with tons of junk?

Sigh.

tagged: 7 things

Emm tagged me for the 7 random things meme. For my version, I’m going to share 7 of my good financial habits (I’ve written about bad ones before):

1. I bring my own lunches to work.
2. I never pay full-price for a movie ticket (if I do go, $3 budget theater or $5 matinees).
3. I drive a diesel car that gets over 50 miles to the gallon.
4. I always put money into savings from every paycheck.
5. I keep track of my purchases and budget my money.
6. I supplement my regular income with part-time work.
7. I let myself buy something if I really, really want it and it’s within my means.

link worthy

When is A Good Time to Buy?

10 Cheap Ways to Have Fun