Weekly Update 24

We have a place to live starting in August!  We signed a lease and paid the security deposit last Sunday.  It’s a townhouse, over $100 less per month than what we’re paying now, 1200 square feet (same as our current place), and closer to school and church.  It’s in exactly the neighborhood we were hoping for!  We have about a week overlap between our two places so we can move as slow as we would like.

I had a pretty good week at work – I learned some new things and tweaked a protocol that should get my research moving again.  I really enjoyed the workshop I attended and I started feeling positive about pursuing consulting after my PhD again.  Now to get more “leadership experience”…

This Saturday we participated in our church’s week of service by helping to paint several rooms at a local homeless shelter.  We did the same last year with this ministry and are looking for more ways to get involved, like by serving dinner or packing lunches.  Our group must have done a decent job because the guy in charge asked us if we could come back next month to do more painting!

Posts I Liked

Joe Plemon explored a very sticky subject at Christian Personal Finance – how Christian wives should respond to husbands who are not willing to tithe.

G.E. Miller from 20 Something Finance shared how many points his credit score dropped when he opened a new credit account – it’s not as much as you might think!

Kraig Mathias from Young, Cheap Living made a strong case against paying for cable.

Steven Zussino from Canadian Personal Finance cautioned readers of Modest Money to not trust everything PF bloggers say.  After all, there are plenty of people like us with no official credentials or training!  My lack of confidence in the subject areas requiring certifications and experience is why I stay away from informational posts on subjects I haven’t extensively researched and largely talk about my own experiences.

Peter Anderson from Bible Money Matters wrote a great summary of strategies and resources for getting out of debt.

Emily Guy Birken posted at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff a discussion of the competing views of the purpose of college – a liberal arts education or preparation for a job.  I happened to have experienced both simultaneously – I received a liberal arts education, majoring in a hard science.

Andrea from So Over Debt listed ten basic financial questions you should be able to answer.

Mentions

Edward Antrobus featured What Do You Consider a Good Salary? in the places he’s been.

Top Comment

Renee left a great tip on Have You Ever Canceled a Flight? that Southwest lets you rearrange flights you already booked for free and also gives two free checked bags – “I usually find that the extra $30 is worth the freedom of flexible travel dates.”  Great point, Renee!

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