Friday Finance Findings for April 30th

This weekend I was hoping to be firing up my new smoker for the first time and smoking some baby back ribs. Unfortunately, my plans have been foiled. I purchased a Weber Smokey Mountain late last week along with a few other things and because of the size of the smoker it had to be shipped separately. I figured no problem. After all, with free shipping it was about the best deal around. I was notified that it shipped out on Monday and should be here on Wednesday. Great!

Well, it’s Friday and I still don’t have it. In fact, I don’t even know when I’m going to get it. Apparently there was an issue with the barcode on the package and it was held for an exception and the barcode was replaced in Chicago. They then said it was to be delivered Thursday. It never came. It’s still sitting in Chicago either on a truck or in a warehouse and hasn’t moved and the status has not been updated. I called last night and they said it would be added to the next truck. Apparently someone is a big liar because that does not appear to be the case.

Either way, my weekend plans of testing out my new smoker have been foiled and I’m bummed. I’ve been waiting to get one of these for a few years and finally got around to it, but now it’s nothing but problems. It’s ok. While I sit here in disappointment you can enjoy these great finance reads from the past week.

Maximize Your Cash Rewards Credit Cards – Most people who use credit cards use one with rewards. It only makes sense to get something back when using a card, but are you getting everything you can out of your rewards? Here’s how to maximize your cash rewards.

Easy Credit Card Management Tips – Speaking of credit cards, how do you manage your cards? On the surface it seems as easy as paying your bill when it comes each month, but there are some tips that you can use to make managing your credit cards even easier.

How to Cure Financial Constipation – Does weighing on financial decisions sometimes create mental blockage? You’re not alone. Sometimes you can spend more time thinking about big decisions that opportunities can pass you by. Here’s how to cure your financial constipation.

Backing Up Your (Personal Finance) Data To The Cloud – Whether you realize it or not, you have a lot of financial information at home. From paper statements and tax returns to data stored in Quicken or online. All this data is important, and it’s important to keep it safe. Here’s how to back up your financial data.

A Plea for Credit Score Transparency – Lazy Man is calling for credit score transparency. There’s no denying the credit scoring industry is a bit mysterious. There are different scores and a lot of criteria that go into a credit score, but most of the details are behind closed doors. Maybe a new transparent scoring system would do everyone good.

Are You Obsessed With Your Finances? – Everything is good in moderation, right? The same goes for your finances. It is possible to become obsessed with your personal finances to a point it becomes detrimental to your financial health.

How to Find Disability Insurance – I’ve written about disability insurance in the past because I think it’s important and often overlooked. But what I haven’t done is explain how to find disability insurance coverage. Steve breaks down the process for you.

In Defense of The IRS – The IRS is evil and only wants to audit people and ruin their lives, right? Not exactly. While nobody likes to get probed by the IRS they are actually there for a reason and can be helpful.

The 4 Keys to Saving Money on Food & Groceries without Sacrifice – The grocery budget is one area most people can always find ways to save money. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t because they feel it means sacrificing. You don’t have to, and here’s how.

Growing Your Tax Refund – Put that tax refund to work! Jim over at Bargineering gives you some ideas on how you can make your tax refund grow.

Who Should Face the Music When the Banks Fail? – It’s been in the news all year. Companies failing, especially banks, cause major problems. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of the economic crisis, but who is responsible?

Carnival of Personal Finance #254: Inspiring Quotes – By the way, check out the latest Carnival of Personal Finance I was in. It’s a good one.

Related posts:

1. Friday Finance Findings for July 30th
2. Friday Finance Findings for April 22nd
3. Friday Finance Findings for January 30th
4. Friday Finance Findings for April 15th
5. Friday Finance Findings for April 9th