Hello!!! I disappeared because I have been so busy. In addition to work I am in a summer program which means 5 nights of class and an unhealthy amount of reading. Hopefully it will be all for the best. Here are some good personal finance articles from the weekend.

Economy Can Wait; Stimulate Your Savings
Hoarding Nations Drive Food Costs Ever Higher
Is Your Tank Half Empty or Half Full?


By the way a personal project which I have always wanted to take on is one which can empower young women in developing nations to freely attend school during their menstrual cycle. Though strange to us, many young girls are forced to stay home from school for up to one week a month when their menstrual cycle begins. Menstrual pads are expensive or very inaccessible in smaller cities.

Though I was first put off by the idea of reusable menstrual pads, it now makes a lot of sense to me and it is a pretty clean invention. Many sites are now showing women how to sew these pads themselves and reuse them for years. With so many in the Western world now concerned with going green the idea is catching on albeit at a slow pace. However for the young girls in other nations this idea must spread like wildfire. It is appaling to think a menstrual cycle can possibly keep a young girl from passing a class if she misses too many days of class. Please visit the website of an organization green4girls.org which has already started this effort and hopefully when I get some time I will begin to teach myself how to make these later this summer. I have absolutely no sewing ability and have never tried but I will dust off my mother's old sewing maching and give it a try. It's for a good cause.

Simplify your (financial) life

I came across “Simplify Your Life” by Elaine St. James, a national best seller back in the 1990’s which is about exactly what the title states. Though the book is not about personal finance, it is amazing how much of the advice St. James gives also applies to anyone trying to straighten out their finances. Here are some of the best tips with regards to money that she gives.

1. Reduce the clutter in your life.
8. Cut your laundering chore in half.
19. Move to a smaller house.
20. Drive a simple car.
22. Build a simple wardrobe.
24. Rethink your meals with friends.
27. Cancel your magazine subscriptions. ( In addition to not having to pay for subscriptions, most magazines are trying to sell you more stuff.)
28. Stop the newspaper delivery.
33. If you don’t like the holidays, bow out.
37. Take a vacation at home. (Not applicable to me right now, because I need to really get away. But for the most part there are a lot of places right in our own backyard which we have never experienced.)
40. Rethink your buying habits.
41. Change the way you shop.
42. Reduce your need for goods and services.
43. Get rid of all but one of your credit cards.
48. Next time you buy a car, get it secondhand.
51. Work where you live or live where you work. (Though she was referring to the time saved not being on the road, gas prices today make this especially important.)
57. Simplify your eating habits. “Eliminate processed foods.” (These foods can be higher in fat and prices.)
58. Always split a restaurant meal.
60. Make water your drink of choice.
62. Pack your own lunch.