I am a big music fan and I have a fairly large music collection (around 500 CDs). I don’t follow new music as closely as I used to and I don’t often buy music anymore. However, a couple months ago I received a Best Buy gift card for my birthday, and I just recently went out and bought a couple CDs.

I bought the new albums by REM (Accelerate), Counting Crows (Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings), and Gavin Rossdale (Wanderlust). My wife and I call Gavin Rossdale “Mr. Stefani.” If you aren’t familiar him, he is also former front man for the bands Bush and Institute).

All three albums are outstanding! I’ve been putting in some overtime at work lately, and I’ve listened to these albums through headphones in a constant rotation. They were definitely worth the $12 each!

Putting in overtime. As I already mentioned, I’ve been putting in some extra hours lately. My team has a deliverable due soon, so we’re trying to meet the delivery date. I’m a salaried worker so I won’t see any overtime pay, but I’m not complaining. I have a good job and work with some good people. I also know this is only a temporary situation.

We will probably remain busy for the next couple weeks, so I may miss posting a couple days here and there.

Declaration of Financial Freedom: This month’s Carnival of Financial Goals will be held at Military Finance Network. The theme is “declaring financial freedom.” Be sure to submit.

This week’s top articles from my reader:

• Lynnae declared Financial Independence Day. And I think her goal is one everyone should strive for.
• Kevin from Rich Credit Debt Loan wrote about making extra money with P2P lending . If you are interested in P2P lending, this is a good article to read.
• Have a stimulus check coming your way? Then check out this site - Buck64aday, where the blogger walks his readers through how to spend your stimulus check one day at a time (600/365 = 1.64). Awesome idea for a blog!
• How to Invest in Mutual Funds You’ll Keep During a Falling Market. The Dough Roller made his first online video tutorial. Be sure to check it out!
• Counter offers when leaving? Should you accept a counter-offer? I recently turned down a counter-offer, and this article supports doing the same.
• Are You Financially Healthy? The 5 Stages. Pinyo has a graphical example of how to determine if you are financially healthy. He also has a giveaway going on: eFinPLAN Financial Planning Software Giveaway ($98 value).
• A Reminder to Keep Your Beneficiaries Up-to-Date. A very important reminder for everyone.
• A Parent’s Guide To Wills and Trusts: Review. This is another reminder along the same lines.
• Your Take: Splurge on Experiences or Things?. I used to buy things, not I prefer experiences like going on a cruise or skydiving.
• Peer-to-Peer Lending in Ancient Times. This is an interesting take on Peer to Peer lending.
• Graduate Degrees Are Outdated. I think it depends on your environment and your goals, but I can definitely see how grad degrees can be over rated.
• Absentminded Eating and Absentminded Spending. These things go hand in hand I think; and they’re both bad habits!
• 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite. Free television! Woo-hoo!
• Sometimes it’s just better to pay someone. I agree. There are a lot of things I can do if I just wanted to take the time. But often it’s faster and easier to pay someone. And the job often comes with a guarantee as well!
• Top 10 Ways to Save Money in University/College. College is expensive, but here are some good ways to cut the cost.
• For Sale To The Highest Bidder: Your Identity. Identity theft is a huge problem nowadays. Take care you don’t become a victim!
• The Hidden Costs of Renting a Car.
• Get Ready to Consolidate Your Student Loans.

This week’s Carnivals:

• Carnival of Personal Finance #158 : Vampire Slaying Edition was held at Mrs. Micah. My article, think twice before canceling credit cards, was included.
• The Festival of Frugality #131 - Summer Savings Edition was held at Broke Grad Student. My article, Netflix Free Trial Offer, was included.

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