Money Obedience

This is our weekly roundup, where we share some interesting posts written by personal finance bloggers we follow. As always, when we list a post in this roundup we stick with our favorite themes: setting up a budget, household expenses, lower debt, and general personal finance topics that can aid in reaching financial goals. We hope that you enjoy the insights of these blog posts!

Setting up a Budget and Household Expenses

Unplanned Expenses and Your Budget - Flexo tells us how we can include unplanned expenses in our budgets. He also suggests ways to pay for such expenses.

"More Month Than Money: Tightening Your Food Budget While Feeding Your Family Well" - J.D. discusses an e-book called
"More Month Than Money: Tightening Your Food Budget While Feeding Your Family Well" that describes a frugal approach to feeding a family well.

Saving Money The Easy Way. - David tells us how he managed to save money even when his finances were in bad shape in the past.

Lower Debt

Credit Scores Matter More Than You Think - This post lists a few areas (beyond your ability to get credit and affect the interest you pay for any loan) affected by your credit score. You should know that your credit score comes into play when you get an insurance policy, find new employment, or even sign up for a cell phone plan.

How Credit Card Companies And Credit Repair Firms Deceive Consumers - This post shares with us some of techniques harmful to the consumer that some credit card companies and credit repair firms use. It also tells us how to avoid some of the traps some of these companies lay out for us.

Monthly Debt Reduction & Savings Statement - May & June 2009 - “Playing Catch Up” Edition - This blog shares with us the road to a debt free life. It's interesting to follow this blogger's progress, which you can do because he holds himself accountable for what he's achieved since his last update.

Investing

How Turnover in Your Portfolio Affects Performance - Mike tells us why it is better to invest in funds with low turnover ratios.

Your Home is Not an Investment - Don’t Treat It Like One - Jeremy points out that your home may be your most important asset, but that you still should not treat it like an investment. He makes his point by walking us through the financial details of home ownership.

Miscellaneous

Why Naming Beneficiaries Is Important - Jeff emphasizes that it is very important to name beneficiaries for various assets you own. If beneficiaries are named it is a lot easier to pass assets to the person of your choice, when you die.

A lesson from my German teacher - "Better late than never" is a good adage to apply to your personal finances.