Weekly Update 41

I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but I just feel like I had a great week!

• I took some confusing data from my projects that are making me think deeply about my system.
• I completed my certification to use a tunneling electron microscope.
• Kyle and I attended an AMAZING home basketball game (a bit unexpectedly – last minute tickets).  I couldn’t see worth anything but I love the atmosphere.
• We went to a great party last night – lots of time hanging out with our friends and the best round of telephone pictionary I’ve ever been part of.
• I got back in the gym for a heavy weights workout.

I went shopping yesterday for the first week of our reduced-grocery-spending month.  I went to 5 stores in 2.5 hours and spend over half our budget!  Um, is that how that was supposed to go?  I think I made the mistake of listing everything we ever eat instead of what we can reasonably eat in one week.  I chopped and cooked a lot yesterday so I hope that will save me some time later in the week.  Oh, and I brought sausage-stuffed mushrooms to the party last night and got tons of compliments.  That recipe as an extremely high tastiness-to-effort ratio (only 3 ingredients!).

Posts I Liked

Kraig from Young, Cheap Living lays out wonderful suggestions for limiting your spending to $25k/year.

Jason from Work Save Live shares four strategies for achieving financial peace.

Amber Gilstrap from Money Under 30 instructs us in how to get through the holiday season when you haven’t budgeted for gifts.

Ninja from Punch Debt in the Face lays out what convinced him to buy a house even though he has no interest in being a homeowner.

Jacob from iHeartBudgets tells the intimate story of the first time he and his now-wife sat down together to make a budget.

Holly from Club Thrifty lists four illegitimate excuses for not saving for retirement.

L Bee from L Bee and the Money Tree boils saving advice down to just two vital rules.

Mentions

Jessica from Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses listed How to Tell If Your Means Are Just Not Enough in her weekly link love.

Carnivals

What’s In My Wallet was featured in the Yakezie Carnival.

Boomerang Kids, Listen Up: It’s Not All about You was featured in the Festival of Frugality #364.

The Benefits of Targeted Savings Accounts – And Their Uncertain Future was featured in the Carnival of MoneyPros.

Top Comment

Kim from Eyes on the Dollar reinforced my point on bad boomerang kids by saying on my post on good boomerang kids “I never moved back in with my parents after I left for college but did spend a summer or two with them when I was transitioning to optometry school and before my residency. That was the hardest part. I was not considerate of my parent’s feelings and they did not accept that I was a grown up. If we’d had a talk beforehand it might have been better.”

Most Frequent Commenters

1. Edward Antrobus
2. Kathleen @ Frugal Portland
3. Emily too
4. John S @ Frugal Rules
5. Terry @ Fix ‘Em Up Rent ‘Em Out
6. eemusings

Top Blogs Referring to EPF

1. Punch Debt in the Face
2. Money After Graduation
3. 20 Something Finance
4. Club Thrifty
5. Broke Professionals
6. Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses