As you all know, I’ve been a member of the Yakezie group for quite a few months now.  The first phase of the group was to improve our Alexa rankings by learning to work together, and build each other up.  I’m happy to say that I went from a ranking of about 2,000,000 to just about 213,000 today.  That’s pretty incredible and is only a minor display of the power that the Yakezie group has unleashed.

Yesterday, August 16th, 2010, Phase 2 of the Yakezie plan began.  It’s now time to unleash the collective power we have created on the world at large.  A sharing of the wealth, if you will.  At the center of this plan, is the Yakezie.com website.  It’s a central location for the Yakezie.  It’s a blog, but it’s going to be so much more.  Over the next several weeks, each of the members of the Yakezie will be sharing their story with you.  You’ll be able to find out why they are where they are and what brought them there.  And from there, we’ll begin what the Yakezie is really all about.  We’ll be sharing our knowledge and expertise and using that to selflessly help others through the Yakezie Scholarship program.  It’s not a scholarship program in the same way that you’re likely thinking.  It’s kind of hard to explain, but it’s really quite cool.  You can read more of it in the Yakezie Scholarship section’s initial post.

As you can tell, this is all pretty exciting and it’s going to be a lot of fun to see where it goes from here.  Keep an eye out, there’s going to be a lot of Yakezie action coming up soon.

Also, a big thanks to Sam at Financial Samurai who is the mastermind that brought the Yakezie together.  And also to Chris, the web design mastermind behind the great Yakezie.com site.

Hey, look!  Is that a carnival pulling into the fairgrounds?  It sure is!  It’s the Yakezie Carnival!  Buckle your seatbelts, and hold on tight to your darlin’, cause, boy do we have a show for you!  Come on down, folks, the rides are running and the corndogs are frying!  Penny for the gents, ha’penny for the ladies!

• Save Money, Save the Environment
• Tips for Sticking to your Shopping List
• How we Vacation for $500!
• Focus on the Debt Snowball
• Factors of a Credit Score

Over here folks!  In the tent to your left, is the Bearded Lady!  And, to your right is the Hall of Mirrors.  Stick out your tongue at the mirrors, not the lady, if you please.

• Happiness – The last week of the BFS way to diagnose your financial health series
• Post Transaction Marketing: Helpful or Rip-off?
• Capital One changes terms on no-hassle cash for excellent credit
• Make Money Online
• I want the new iPhone and I don’t care what’s in it

Step right up folks!  Step right up!  Have you ever seen a needle wink it’s eye?  A rubber band play a tune?  An elephant fly?  That’s right folks!  In this very tent, right behind me, we have a genuine miniature horse!  Smallest one in Rhode Island!  Take a peek for free, only a nickle for a picture with the mini horse!

• Must read for new traders and a giveaway!
• A frugal breakfast that’s good for you
• How to watch tv for free or cheap without paying for cable
• The Joy and Folly of Emotions
• The Cost of making your house a home
• It’s (unofficially) summer
• June 1 Check in
• A Light Bulb Moment
• How to get stuff for free
• Is it wrong to strive for job security?

Lions, Tigers, and Bears!  Oh My!  There’s no yellow bricks here, folks, just the lion tamer tent!  Watch as he sticks his head inside the lions mouth!  Watch the bear balance on a ball!  Then, watch as the tigers perform complex financial calculations.  Or, they might just jump through flaming hoops!

• Financial Pillar of Strength
• Make your own baby memory book
• Stockpiling vs. Hoarding
• More Groceries
• 5 Tips for the money saving mom
• Slip of the Tongue or Truth in Advertising
• Dental care makes a difference
• Are you really saving all that you can
• How to invest into bonds
• The future of college education

Ladies!  Gentlemen!  Point your eyes and ears over here to center ring!  Watch as the amazing Yakezie Trapezie Troupe test the fates with every swing!  Don’t cover your hair and your eyes, you might miss the excitement!

• What’s the difference
• Have you got the blogger blues
• How to get into debt part 0
• SocialSpark
• Are you a lending tree user
• 5 ways to get good customer service
• Book review and giveaway
• Black Swans circling
• Harvesting your own food for health, fun, and savings
• Is a debt snowball an answer to your financial troubles

Bend your eyes up to the highwire folks!  What you’re about to see will astound you!  It will amaze you! Watch as a man teeters along the line with only a tiny net below to save him if he should fall.

• Essential Insurance after College
• Life without a cell phone
• Should you pay off mortgage early or invest
• I isn’t perfect
• Best self employed retirement plans
• Fixed or Variable, why not both?
• Do your kids understand how to use credit cards
• The voluntarily dispossessed
• Marriage and managing money
• How to make hair conditioner

And now, in the far ring, the cage of death!  Two motorcycles, spinning at breakneck speeds, passing within inches of each other!  Then, watch as Liandra enters the cage to stand, unprotected, while the motorcycles spin past her head!

• Book review and giveaway
• Is renting a financially viable option
• Enough by John Bogle, What’s enough
• Priceless Memories
• Is Billionaire the New Millionaire?
• Genius Personal Branding
• How to pack effectively for vacation
• 5 little things now to save money later
• Early retirement extreme 21 day makeover
• My advice to college grads

What a show!  That concludes our broadcast day!  Be sure to stop and win your girl a stuffed animal at the dart throw and to grab a bite to eat at the corndog emporium on your way out!

• Response to Term vs whole life insurance
• Surviving the rags to get to the riches
• People who refuse to change
• Can you believe I’m selling Enemy of Debt?
• Are BP shares a buy
• Dave Ramsey was Wrong
• Only the poor or super rich say Money can’t buy happiness
• Senior life insurance rates

What a show, indeed!  That’s what you get with the Yakezie Carnival!  Lots of bang for your buck!

Welcome to yet another weekend wrap-up.  We’re gonna mix it up a little bit this week.  I want to update everybody on where Beating Broke stands in the Yakezie Challenge, as well as give every body a few extra links to check out this Memorial Day weekend.

So, first off, the Yakezie update.  This is the first update I’ve given since joining the challenge.  The basics of the challenge was to join a group of like-minded bloggers and attempt to achieve an alexa rank of <200,000, then 100,000.  When I first joined the challenge, my alexa rank was 1,445,837.  I had a long way to go.  And a short time to get there.  (Watch ol’ bandit run!)  Today, I’m happy to say, my rank sits at 151,578!  Lookout 100,000, here I come!  It’s been incredible, and the most incredible part of it has been the Yakezie participants.  Each and every one of them is incredibly helpful and each is trying to bring everybody else along for the ride.  Officially, the challenge was meant to end on July 4, 2010.  And the first phase will.  However, it looks like the group will continue on together in some form.  There’s even a website in the works!  I hope that you, as my readers, have enjoyed my time as a Yakezie challenge participant.  I know it’s meant more content produced.  There’s something about having a group of peers pushing you that gives that extra motivation to do more.  I’m looking forward to hitting 100,000.

Note: If you’d like to help me hit 100,000, you can download the alexa toolbar for your browser.  Then, alexa will count your visits and help improve my ranking.  Here’s the download link: http://www.alexa.com/toolbar

Now, for some links.  Normally, I include links from sites that I’ve enjoyed over the last several weeks, Yakezie or not.  But, since this wrap-up is kind of dedicated to the Yakezie update, all of the links in this wrap-up will be to Yakezie participating blogs.  Enjoy!

• Zach Younkin: Yakezie Roundup #8
• Cash Flow Sherpas: The Latest Employment Requirement, Good Credit
• Consumerism Commentary: Is it time to give up on the Stock Market
• Smart on Money: Don’t fall prey to a victim mentality, be responsible for your actions and live free
• Frugal Confessions: Sometimes it’s easier to preach than to practice
• More Style than Cash: Frugal Gift Packaging
• Inexpensively: Top 10 Budget saving books
• The Saved Quarter: Treating Upset Tummies Cheap
• Money Help for Christians: Faith based investing – Is it a good idea?
• Learn Save Invest: Billionaires who live below their means
• Eventual Millionaire: 10 ways to increase your productivity
• Bible Debt: Faithfully Rich
• Simple Life in France: Technology and Entertainment making us Unhappy
• Single Mom, Rich Mom: The High Cost of Raising Children Myth
• Narrow Bridge Adventures: Invest in Chocolate Bonds
• Cool to be Frugal: Baby on the Way… Back in a while! (Congratulations!)
• Saving Money Today: The financial impact of the Super Bowl
• Personal Finance Journey: Bringing Snacks into a Movie Theater – Frugal or Unethical
• One Money Design: Emergency fund verses getting out of debt
• The Amateur Financier: Deep Thoughts – Tipping
• Eliminate the Muda: Thought Experiment – Cottages
• Free From Broke: Yakezie Carnival

Wow.  That’s a lot of links.  And that’s only the ones that I thought were excellent.  There’s nearly 100 Yakezie blogs to choose from, so it’s quite the task to choose from them all.

That title is so going to mess up my template.  Way too long.  But, with all the earthquakes lately, it seems appropriate.  In any case, this is gonna be a rocking wrap-up.  Lots of fun links for y’all this weekend!

• Money Crush has a $100 Giveaway
• Consumer Boomer talks taxes and health care
• Personal Finance by the Book gets down to the nitty gritty with Dave Ramsey
• Ending the Rat Race is giving away a DVD and a Book!
• Personal Finance Journey asks if you Invest in Sin Stocks (I have)
• One Money Design talks about what the Bible says about Money
• Red discusses the role that money has taken in her wedding plans
• Canadian Finance Blog hosted the Yakezie Carnival #6
• Couple Money presents the Debt Reduction Strategies Guide
• Deliver Away Debt is talking about Christmas already.
• Well Heeled Blog got a new job! (Congratulations!)
• Money Funk wants to know how much they paid you to give up your dream
• Planting Dollars talks about Storing your financial records
• Financial Samurai is playing games

Whew!  I think I’ve got a cramp in my finger from all that linking!  There were just so many good posts since last time.

Another week gone by, another weekly wrap-up!

• Christian PF talks about the pros and cons of variable annuities
• Stay at Home Mom CFO gives us the low-down on a terrible new debt collection practice
• Simple life in France is growing oranges.  She thinks.
• My Journey to Millions is questioning the Constitutionality of the Health Care bill
• Christian Common Cents doles out a bit of common sense about never lending money to friends and family
• The Amateur Financier details the history and methods behind Keynesianism
• And Cool to be Frugal hosted Yakezie Carnival #5 this week!

That’s it for this week.  Still lots of good reading there though, so make sure you check them all out.

Another week has passed us by, and if you’re anything like my friends, you’re likely not reading this until Monday.  Take a few more aspirin, and then dig in for a super duper wrap-up!

• First and Foremost, there’s the weekly Yakezie Carnival hosted by Sweat the Big Stuff.
• Something tells me that Financial Samurai likes to be on time.
• Money Funk is talking about traveling with teens.  Our kids aren’t quite there yet, but a good heads up for us.
• Couple Money is celebrating by giving a way a Netbook!
• Out of Debt Again is talking about something that I, gladly, don’t worry about much anymore.  How to properly write a check.
• One Money Design has a great article on your options if you can’t pay your taxes on time.
• Rainy Day Saver is fixing up light switches.  We did that when we moved into our house and the wiring looks just about as old!
• Don’t make these 401(k) mistakes from Saving Money Today
• The Girl with the Red Balloon isn’t going to float away, ’cause she’s got a shiny new rock on her finger!  Congrats!
• Jim would like to know Why Are You Frugal? at Bargaineering.
• The Consumerist has some of the details on the K-Mart Scam Coupon Debacle.

And that concludes our weekly wrap-up.  Whew!  That should keep you busy for the rest of your recovery Monday.

Here’s some great articles from around the personal finance blogosphere this last week.

• Money Beagle talks about When Saving Money on Groceries Isn’t Necessarily a Good Thing.  I’ve made a similar argument many times.  Saving Money does not always equal less spending.
• I think Free From Broke likes Health Savings Accounts.  What do you think?  Speaking from experience, HSA’s are awesome!
• Brad is going Minimalist, and it’s effects are showing.  I’ve seen the minimalist movement in several places recently, and frankly, the prospect scares the bejeebies out of me.
• Valentina has a thing for McDonalds’ Fries.  Why else would she write an entire article about them?  Go read it to find out.  A great perspective on business and life in general.
• Ryan ponders BFF-hood with people of another financial bracket.  It’s a complicated subject, for sure.  And a hard one to really wrap your head around until you experience it.
• Mrs. Money likes to rub her food all over her body.  I bet this link gets more traffic than any of those other links.  But, get your mind out of the gutter, it’s not what you think.
• And if Surviving a Tax Audit is in your future plans, you’ll want to go and read Jim’s post on the subject.

All-in-all, a pretty good week for articles.  Lots of great reading.

Here’s a weekend wrap-up of some links that you should check out.  And since I’ve just joined the Yakezie group, all of the links are also from Yakezie group members!

• The 5 Books that changed my Money life, from Foreigner Finance
• Maternity Coverage and Health Insurance Choices, from Stay at Home Mom CFO
• One Car Family this Week, from CoupleMoney
• Rainwater Collection Ideas, from Little House in the Valley
• Can you be Content while in Debt, from Deliver away Debt
• We are Credit Card Debt Free, from Ultimate Money Blog
• Should you Keep “Emergency Cash” at Home?, from 20sMoney
• How I got $8 Glasses, from Canadian Finance Blog
• Why the Gym is a Waste of Money, from Fiscal Geek
• 5 Ways People Waste Money, from Eliminate the Muda
• Smiles are Free, from Budgets are Sexy
• Treat Your Job as if you Won the Lottery, from Financial Samurai

Some great reads there.  You should check them out.