Lifestyle Carnival – “I Hosted the Carnival and All I Got Was This Tee-Shirt” edition

It’s “back to school” day at our house. That means less travel, entertainment, wealth and retirement thoughts, but more health and fashion talk. But there’s good news: we’ll bring you every category as usual for today’s list of fun, along with some of the tee shirts I could have received for hosting, had that requirement been in place. (Where’s the suggestion box for this carnival?)

Here is the 17th edition of the Lifestyle Carnival! Submit your blog article to the next edition using our carnival submission form.

TRAVEL

A wonderful place to buy a travel tee shirt. I recommend going as soon as you get a chance.

Jeremy @ Modest Money writes Vehicle Insurance Better Safe Than Sorry – I am sure none of you are guilty of this, but amazingly some people take the risk of driving without insurance. Here in BC that is illegal and a pretty dumb risk regardless where you live.

Steve @ Canadian Personal Finance writes Is it OK to get a discount if you are good looking? – Would you turn down a discount because you were good looking? A customer received a discount for being good looking. This was simply a joke by the server but honestly it brings up a good question, do good looking people get discounts?

J Wayne @ All Things Finance writes The True Cost of Car Ownership – Car ownership costs much more than people think. It’s not just a matter of what you pay each month, but many more factors such as depreciation, insurance, fuel, interest and taxes.

FASHION

Julie @ FashionSmart writes Fashion Smart – For those who love to get inspired and inspire others. Share fashion via photographs. Share/respond with your own style via comments section; thereby, bringing diversity of style into one place. Everybody is welcome to join my blog, and share fashion ideas. FashionSmart22.blogspot.com

HEALTH

I feel this way every single time.

Jessica Moorhouse @ Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses writes I’ll Take Chipmunk Cheeks for $2,000 Alex – After comparing the pros and cons to taking out $2,000 from my emergency fund to pay for a dental procedure, I decided that my health is worth more than any amount of money.

Cash Flow Mantra @ Cash Flow Mantra writes Having a Daughter Changes Everything – After having started to read Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, I realize that there is so much I didn’t know about what goes on inside the head of a little girl. I am very glad that this book came as such a high recommendation by Dave Ramsey. There are tons of daddy/daughter books out there, and I’m sure I will read more over the years. But I’m grateful that I got this one first, to start a solid foundation for being the best father possible to my new daughter.

ENTERTAINMENT

Might be my favorite tee shirt of all time. My wife said this wouldn't ever leave the house on my body if I bought it.

Jason @ Live Real, Now writes Letterboxing – This week, I’ve been taking my kids letterboxing. We go to a letterboxing site(either LBNA or Atlas Quest), choose a letterbox, then follow the clues. When we find the letterbox, we stamp our letterbox journal with the stamp we find there and stamp the book we find with our stamp. It’s similar to geocaching, but without a gps.

WEALTH AND RETIREMENT

Consult with your mom before wearing this one to the prom.

John @ Calling the Puts writes Save Money by Learning to Spend Wisely – The first step to investing is saving, and the key to saving money is learning how to spend it properly.

harry campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes Why Borrowing From Your 401k is a Bad Idea – here aren’t many loans out there that allow you to borrow without a credit check and pay yourself interest, but that’s what a 401k loan does. Sounds pretty awesome right? Well it isn’t all good, and although pundits argue that 401k loans are a good alternative to commercial loans and definitely a better choice than an outright distribution, a 401k loan goes against the whole principle of retirement investing.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Tiny House Design Plan Book – Downsizing has been a hot trend during this recession (or recession as of late if you think it’s over) and one way some people are downsizing is in their everyday abode. From Tiny Tumbleweeds to small eco-footprints, small is the new “in.” And small sometimes becomes tiny – tiny can be linked to freedom in some ways; freedom from too much stuff, too much debt, or just too much of everything.

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes Deciding When to Retire – Deciding when to retire can be a difficult decision to make. Will I have enough income from my retirement accounts, pension, and social security to live comfortably in retirement?

Teacher Man @ My University Money writes Investing In Yourself Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive – There is plenty of buzz out there these days about “investing in yourself”. Usually it is in reference to some magical product that you should buy. The logic is that by investing in what they have to offer, you are really just spending the money to improve themselves, and really, who doesn’t want that?

Boomer @ Boomer & Echo writes Are You Counting On An Inheritance? – Many boomers are not well prepared for their own retirements and are expecting an inheritance windfall to reduce their debts and provide an income.

HOBBIES

MMD @ My Money Design writes Blogging Tips from All the Dumb Mistakes I Made My First Year – I made a lot of mistakes within the first year of my blog. Here’s a look back at them and my blogging tips for doing things the right way!

Grand Per Month @ Grand Per Month writes Make a Grand Per Month Writing Resumes – While the economy is rebounding, many are still looking for a job, which makes it a great time to create a side gig writing resumes. (Even in a strong economy, resume writers are generally in demand because resume writing seems to be a dying art form.)

Young @ Young And Thrifty writes How Far Would You Go to Score a Deal? – This is my journey to get myself 16,500 free Aeroplan points. It took a while, but in the end I was able to take a mini vacation!

GOOD EATS

And finally, when wearing the tee shirt didn't share your love of fruit nearly enough....

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Peach Tree Battle – Don’t fight the peach tree battle. Plant blueberries instead! We’ve had banner crops from two bushes for 4 years since planting them 5 years ago!

Alicia Sher @ wholesomehealthyhearts writes Running and Cooking and Baking, Oh My! – A post about running, eating healthy, and includes 2 recipes.

Linsey @ Lille Punkin writes My Recipe for Easy Pecan Crusted Chicken Fingers – Pecan crusted chicken is one of those dishes you probably think would be difficult to make at home; I would’ve agreed, had it not been for my accidental experiment in the kitchen that produced a beautiful version of pecan crusted chicken that even my kids enjoyed. This crispy and delicious meal takes just minutes to prepare, and it really does taste phenomenal.

Melissa @ Mom’s Plans writes Have a Bumper Crop of Cherry Tomatoes? Here Are Some Delicious Dairy Free Cherry Tomato Recipes – Our one little cherry tomato plant has been a prolific producer, already giving us 375 cherry tomatoes. The plant is still full of green tomatoes, and there are more blossoms. One of our CSAs is also experiencing cherry tomato overload, so every week for the last few weeks, we have been eating several meals created around cherry tomatoes.

Photos: Austin: The SeaFarer; Skull: antjeverana; Running: Sierrafit; Dollar: Demi-Brooke; Making Shirt: …love Maegan; beckett: Kripptic