Christmas came and went. I had a wonderful time with my wife and her family. We arrived two days before Christmas - several hours after the birth of my new niece. She is a beautiful, healthy baby (her parents jokingly referred to her as “their little tax deduction.”)

Here are some great articles from around the M-Network and beyond:

M-Network:

• Being Frugal - Our Frugal Christmas. Lynnae and her family had a great Christmas, and it didn’t take a lot of money to make that happen. That’s the way it should be!
• Christian Finance - Simplify Closet. This is the way I have been trying to go for some time now. My wife and I recently donated a lot of clothing to Goodwill and we feel better about all of our clothes in general.
• Gather Little By Little - Our Best Christmas Ever. Christmas is much better when you don’t have to worry about paying for it. Glblguy and his wife planned all year for this and had a stress free Christmas.
• I’ve Paid For This Twice Already… - How To Set A Good Financial Goal. I love trying to set realistic and achievable goals. This article is a great primer for how to do just that.
  
• Moolanomy - Would You Like to Pay My Taxes? No I wouldn’t. But that’s not what this article is really about… Mutual funds distribute dividends and applicable taxes at the end of the year, so buying them at right before these distributions can expose you to a lot of taxes if your funds are not in a sheltered account such as a 401(k) or IRA. It’s often best to wait until the after the distributions are made.
• My Two Dollars - I Did Not Get a Wii For Christmas. David didn’t want one either… until he played one. Now he is rethinking his wish list!
• Plonkee Money - Exploring My 2008 Financial Goal. Plonkee discusses how she plans to accomplish her professional and financial goals in 2008. Good luck!
• Single Guy Money - 2008 Financial Goals - The Complete List. SingleGuy reviews his progress from his 2007 financial goals and states his goals for ‘08. It’s amazing how much he accomplished in one year! Congrats!
• The Dough Roller - My Annual Investment Portfolio Tune-up: Did I Beat the S&P 500 in 2007? Many investors like to track their performance vs. that of a benchmark such as the S&P 500. DR did a lot of work to properly weight and measure his holdings. So did he beat it? Click through to find out!

Personal Finance Blogs:

• Brip Blap - You Might Be a Personal Finance Redneck If… This is a great take on Jeff Foxworthy’s comedy skit.
• My Money Blog - Have Your Baby Before New Year’s Day, Save Thousands. My brother-in-law and his wife had their baby just in time!
• Consumerism Commentary - Small-Time Philanthropy: The Charitable Gift Fund. I had never heard of a charitable gift fund before. It allows someone to make a contribution to a general fund now without specifying a direct recipient. It also allows the donator to take a tax deduction for the contribution this year while taking their time to decide where the money should go. The finds can be invested until the time they are donated, which can mean a larger donation. Interesting concept.
• Punny Money - How I Scored $1,000 Worth Of FREE Food in 2007. Free is almost always the best price!
• My Dollar Plan - How Do I Organize 181 Accounts? Wow! 181 different financial accounts. That is way more than I want to handle!
• Wise Bread - Credit Card Fees: Hidden and Otherwise. Credit card fees suck - and if there is a way for the CC companies to get you, you better believe they will find it.

This week’s Carnivals:

• The Carnival of Personal Finance #132, Whimsical Christmas Edition was held at The Digerati Life. My article, Earn $1 Million By Not Buying a Nintendo Wii!,was included.

Have a great weekend everyone, and ring in the New Year with style!

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