Friday Finance Findings For May 9th

Another week, and another set of links. I wish I had something exciting to talk about or some news to share, but I’m experiencing a bad case of writer’s block this week. In fact, I could use some time off, so if you are a blogger that talks about personal finance and would like to submit a guest post, you can contact me and see if there is something available. Otherwise, on with the links:

3 Tips for Budgeting Success – Creating a budget is the easy part, but sticking to it is hard. Learn a few of the traits needed to keep you and your budget on track.

Retirement Accounts Across Borders – I worked a little bit with Frugal Trader to help compare and contrast the major differences between the U.S. and Canadian retirement accounts. It was a good learning experience for me since I had little knowledge about our Canadian counterparts.

Great Places to Earn and Save Money on Used Items – SVB highlights not only great ways to make money by selling your old stuff, but also provides some great resources on where to go if you’re looking to save money by buying used items.

7 Tips to Simplify Today – Is your life a bit hectic with so many things that need to get done? Well, brip blap has some tips that can help you simplify your life. I especially like number 1 as I love to cook, and we cook over 90% of our meals at home.

Chrysler’s Cheap Gas: Trick or Treat? – If you haven’t heard, Chrysler is running a promotion on some new car purchases that will basically lock you in at $2.99 a gallon gas. Seems pretty good considering we’re upwards of $4.00 now. But is it really a good incentive, or just marketing?

6 Steps to Secure Your Financial Future – One of the best things you can do is to plan ahead. Don’t wait for something to happen in your life that forces a change. You can prepare early so that you’ll be more than secure in the future.

Cut Your Health Care Costs by Understanding Your Coverage – There is nothing more confusing and frustrating than health care costs and insurance plans. Ben points out that by taking the time to understand your coverage, you can actually save money.

Save Money With These Gas Tips from Consumer Reports – Who doesn’t want to shave a few dollars off their next fill up? The Sun highlights some tips that can help you save at the pump, plus provides some information on gas reward credit cards.

The Homeowner’s Expenses Nobody Tells You About – Oh boy, do these creep up on you. We spent about $150 last weekend just to buy some retaining wall bricks, plants, mulch and the like for a tiny 10′x10′ area by our front porch. Bad news is, we’re still a few bricks and a couple bags of dirt short of completing the job.

Homemade Chinese Chicken/Turkey Meatballs Recipe – These sound delicious, and I do a lot of cooking at home, so I’m going to have to try these. It is always nice to add a new dish to my arsenal.

Surviving a Recession: What You Need to Do Now – If you’re worried about the economy like many people are, you might want to take some action now so that you’re prepared if we enter any sort of extended recessionary period. Gather Little by Little has some great suggestions.