What do you get when you mix a group of personal finance bloggers that believe in selflessly helping others with the holiday season that’s all about giving?  One heck of a giveaway, that’s what!

A bunch of the Yakezie members (myself included) got together and pooled some money and books together and came up with one heck of a great giveaway.  There’s over $500 in prizes that included cash and personal finance books, and lots of ways that you can get entered to win!  Just go on over to the Yakezie site, and sign up in the Yakezie Holiday Giveaway! Better hurry, there are only 12 days left to enter.

Late last week, I participated in the 10th Yakezie Blog Swap. It’s a fun project where a bunch of Yakezie Personal Finance Blogs get together and swap some posts to give our audiences a little bit different perspective with a different voice. This time around my fellow bloggers and I were to share our Best Go Green Method To Save Money. It’s always incredible to go through and read the different perspectives on each topic.  Go through an read them, I’m sure you’ll pick up a few hot tips!

Nickel by Nickel tells us how they read green using ebooks over at Beating Broke.

Everything Finance shares with us his success in growing his own veggies at Retire by 40.

Narrow Bridge Finance tells us how going green has saved him some green at Mom’s plans.

The 60K Project shares 8 ways she has made her kitchen green at Stock Market Basics.

One Cent at a Time shares 23 ways reusing household items can save you money at Sustainable Life Blog.

Prairie Eco-Thrifter  shares numerous recipes for making your own cleaning products at Financial Success for Young Adults.

Debt Eye tells us how to eliminate the paper trail at Little House in the Valley.

Sustainable Personal Finance tells us why air sealing your home is a good idea at Financially Consumed.

Stock Market Basics shares 5 ways to go green and save natural resources at Free Money Wisdom.

Financially Consumed tells how you can go green at home incrementally at Sustainable Personal Finance.

Little House in the Valley shares how going car-lite can save money at Debt Eye.

Financial Success for Young Adults shares how you can go green on a budget at Prairie Eco-Thrifter.

Sustainable Life Blog tells us to watch out for a leaky window at One Cent at a Time.

Free Money Wisdom shares why we should avoid country funds at 60K Project.

Mom’s Plans tells how we can eat green at Narrow Bridge Finance.

Retire by 40 shares how living in smaller home is green at Everything Finance.

Beating Broke tells how cycling makes you green at Nickel by Nickel.

As always, it was a ton of fun participating.  We’re already working up some fun topics for future blog swaps, so keep your eyes open for that!

photo credit: HikingArtist.com

The following is a guest post by Andrea from Nickel By Nickel. This article is part of the Yakezie blog swap #10 and the topic for this blog swap is The Best Go Green Method to Save Money.

I’m sure you’ve all read the posts on laundry detergent, compost piles, insulation, rain-barrels and gardening and I’ve implemented most of those things into my life already so I was trying to think of something a little more off the beaten path and I started thinking…

If you’ve read Shane’s post from Beating Broke on my blog today you’ll know that in order for him to jump on the ‘green’ bandwagon, it has to be frugal! So with that in mind you should know that unlike Shane I’m willing to drop a pretty penny to ‘go green’. I’ll buy the fancy paint and the fancy insulation and the organic clothing – locally manufactured stuff – even though it costs twice as much as the stuff right next to it. I’m not sure if I’m harboring a bit of a crazy Greenpeace-style environmentalist inside me or what’s going on with that. In any case, in the past I’ve been willing to spend MORE to go green than to do things the ‘normal’ way. Because of that (perhaps a little crazy) mindset I had a tough time coming up with a topic to go green and be cheap! I really had to dig for the cheapo inside me to come up with something:

I recently purchased a wonderful piece of technology, the Sony Arc, and while I’m a bit of a geek anyway it was my first smartphone and let me say this; I’m never going back to whatever-it-is-I-had-pre-smartphone. The problem is that with that one fancy piece of technology you can end up spending A LOT of money on add-ons. Have you ever checked out the Android or iPhone market? Have you seen how many ubercool apps there are… for like a few dollars? I got a headset too, I considered a hands-free for in the car… It’s easy to let go of the frugal mind-set in these situations. But I found a way to make this fancy phone work in my favor;

Aside from being a technology-lover I’m also a bookworm, hello! I blog and read other blogs! I LOVE reading! When one of my friends found out about my smart phone purchase he emailed me an ebook in epub format. In the weeks following this he sent me a few more that I devoured and I then downloaded several apps (for FREE!) that allow you to browse, select and download ebooks for a fraction of the price of real books. In fact there are thousands of free books out there.

Because I’m currently going through a big-crazy renovation I’m purging a lot of stuff and I’m letting go of a lot of my books, there are very few books that I will re-read and unless I keep something as reference material it really just ends up sitting on the shelf collecting dust.

I’ve found ebooks to be a fabulous way to actually spend more time doing something I love while saving cash and saving a few trees that would otherwise end up in the form of a book-collecting dust on my shelf. I read in the car, on breaks at work, on the bikes at the gym and I’ll even sneak in a few pages while in bed. I’ve finished a few books already in the past weeks and today transferred another 76 titles to my phone. (Yes you read that right!)

If you haven’t tried ebooks, I highly recommend them – and the ones you really love you can always pick up at a yard sale at a later date to add to your collection.

(Editors Note: Since we’re on the subject of ebooks, this would be an excellent time for you to pick up a copy of the Beating Broke Guide to Your Credit Score)

This is an article by Sandy of Yes, I Am Cheap.com as part of the Yakezie Blog Swap. This swaps’ topic is “What motivates you to be financially responsible.”

I had a somewhat difficult time with the topic of this blog swap, since I have never really sat down and thought about the things that motivate me in general. I like to think of myself as more of a doer and less of a thinker, and exploring the external forces that propels me to act in the way that I do seems to be such an intangible bit of fluff that I almost didn’t write this article. But, I have committed myself to swapping articles today, and so I must.

The simple answer to the question of what motivates me to be financially responsible is fear. I’m not talking about the kind of fear that you experience from going to see the latest teen slasher film, but the fear that I will reach a point in my life, look back, and wonder what the hell I was thinking. I know that I should say something along the lines of wanting to retire early and live a fabulous life, but really, that’s not it for me at all.

I mentioned in a previous article that I grew up in serious poverty. I did not have the opportunity to grow up as a carefree child because I was acutely aware of my family’s financial shortcomings: as children we had holes in our shoes and wore them long after we had outgrown then; we walked to school because my mother could not afford to pay the $3 per day in reduced bus fare that it would have cost for us to attend school; Santa did not ever bring us toys and games, instead be brought practical items like socks; we qualified for free lunch at school and joined the food lines at church when they were available; and when possible, we took advantage of every government program that we knew about and qualified for.

When you have lived life as I have, you have the opportunity to make two general choices about your life. You can continue to live as you have and use the excuse that the life you have known is all that you will ever know. This is the reason for poverty that extends from generation to generation. Or you can take a completely different route and vow to do better, be better, reach higher, and fail upwards so that you will never know that life again. This is the route that I took.

So, I could have said that what motivates me is having grown up poor. But no, it’s not the growing up poor that motivates me. What motivates me is the fear that I will make choices that would leave my future progeny in the situation that I grew up in. It is my responsibility to ensure that the generations after me will never know that life, and that I will never know that life again. Fear then, is not always a negative, but can have positive implications as it has had in my life.

Is there something that motivates you to be financially responsible? Was there a point in your life when you learned the benefits of being financially responsible?

Beating Broke Note: Also, if you’d like to read my post on What Motivates you to be Financially Responsible, please head over to Yes, I am Cheap!  My thanks go out to Sandy for being my partner in this blog swap!

photo credit: donbuciak

The Yakezie March Madness BOY round 4 has come to a close. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to overcome the last ditch voters for Wealth Informatics. Congratulations to Wealth Informatics, for advancing to the next round. Only two more rounds to go! There’s only two “matches” to vote on this time, so it will take no time at all to make your votes.

Go and vote!

It seems every year, about this time, everybody starts talking about this madness thing.  And they always attribute it to March.  I’ve never thought of March as that bad of a month, really.  (Ok, yes, I’m playing dumb.)  This year, Eric at Narrow Bridge, decided that the Yakezie group of Personal Finance Bloggers needed to have a March Madness bracket contest of their own.  So, he took the official list of Yakezie bloggers, seeded them by rank, and then created his own bracket for us all.  The catch here is that you can go and vote on the winners!

I happened to get matched up against Punch Debt in the Face.  How am I supposed to compete against his stick figures?!?  So, I need your help!  Help me to Punch “Punch Debt in the Face” in the face.  His advantage is decreased a little since he’s moving to Seattle, but I’ll need every little bit I can get.  While you’re there, be sure to vote for the whole bracket.  As each round goes down, we’ll be working our way toward a Yakezie Blogger of the Year!  I’d love to pretend that I’m planning on being the Cinderella story here, but I can’t do it without your help!

Go and vote!

Last Friday, I participated in the 3rd Yakezie Blog Swap.  As usual, it was a smashing good time, and I look forward to the next one.  A special thanks to Eric of Narrow Bridge Finance (and DJ Y0fi fame) for putting together the below list of links and saving me the trouble.

Eric wrote about my journey to become a DJ here at Beating Broke.

I wrote about shoe shopping at Narrow Bridge.

Barbara Friedberg got a really nice couch and shared the experience at Wealth Informatics.

Suba doesn’t think the rent is too damn high, in fact, Suba thinks it is worth it and shares at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance.

Mr. and Mrs. BP spent a lot when they got a dog. Read about it at 101 Centavos.

101 Centavos went nuts on an anniversary, but you know what that can get you… Read about it at Broke Professionals.

Latisha Styles’ post at Bucksome Boomer is I Spent How Much?! My Birthday Trip to the Bahamas.

Kay Lynn spent her heart out on a new car with all the bells and whistles and you can read about it at Financial Success for Young Adults.

Derek got a sweet new digital camera and tells us about it at My Personal Finance Journey.

Jacob has splurged a couple of times on travel and outdoor gear and has no regrets and shares the experiences at My Life and Finances.

Miss T. likes to splurge on travel. We have something in common. The difference? She wrote about it at Live Real Now.

Jason is a fan of the luxury of vacation. You can read about it at the Prairie EcoThrifter.

Squirrelers went to Europe for three weeks. Totally worth it! Read about it at Money Sanity.

Money Sanity likes good champagne. I can’t judge, I like good Scotch. Read about why at Squirrelers.

Melissa took 10 days and took the trip of a lifetime to visit a friend in China. Read about it at The Saved Quarter.

The Saved Quarter bought a Blendtec blender. Yes, the blender from “will it blend.” The story is at Mom’s Plan.

This is a guest post from Eric at Narrow Bridge Finance. This post is part of the third Yakezie Blog Swap. You can see my post, Cheap Shoes, Spendy Shoes, on his site too! You can find Eric on Twitter as @DenverEric.

A Dream Was Born

In middle school and high school, I grew to love music. Throughout the years, my tastes have ebbed and flowed. I have always loved rock, I occasionally enjoy hip hop, and I always despise country. One type of music that has lasted through the years is electronic dance music, often incorrectly referred to with the blanket term “techno” music.

I remember rocking out to classic tracks like “Get Busy Child” from Crystal Method, “Block Rockin’ Beats” by The Chemical Brothers, and the Darude hit “Sandstorm.” In high school, I decided I wanted to become a DJ. Sadly, though, DJ equipment is very expensive. I was able to hack into a music production program and created my first dance songs in high school and college. I called myself DJ Fire at the time. You can listen to my first songs at ACID Planet for free.

I never stopped loving dance music. At Bar Mitsvahs, school dances, cruises, weddings, house parties, and dance clubs, I always loved to let loose and dance the night away. My appreciation of dance music and night club culture skyrocketed during my semester in Jerusalem with nights dancing till dawn at top clubs like HAOMAN 17.

Becoming DJ Yofi

Just last November, I had the chance to see my favorite DJ live. I took the trek up to Broomfield, Colorado and saw DJ Tiesto perform one of the greatest live shows I have ever seen (see videos on my Youtube Channel). That sparked my interest in repeat visits to the local popular dance club, Beta, to see artists like Sydney Blu and Sharam throw down on the mixer.

That is when I had the urge to become a DJ return. However, this time I was older and had a job.

I began to research the DJ world to see how popular DJs make incredible dance music. Top DJs use a combination of vinyl turntables, CDJs (compact disk turntables), and digital mixers. I didn’t intend to start a vinyl collection or update my CD collection, so I decided digital mixing was for me.

This Is Gonna Be Expensive

From there, I began to learn the nuances of digital mixing. There are tons of guides that perplex the typical reader with lists of software mixers, sound editors, DJ controllers, DJ packages, amplifiers, sound cards, and speakers. I eventually navigated my way through the noise to find the best digital mixer package available today: the Traktor Kontrol S4 with Traktor Pro software. The cost: $900.

Oh yeah, I would also have to upgrade my laptop to run the software smoothly, buy big speakers, and get DJ headphones. The cost of all of that ended up around $120, $300, and $95 respectively.

But one day I walked into Guitar Center for the fourth time and they offered me $100 off on the S4 and speakers. I took it.

To make a longer story short, I had a dream. $1,500 later I became a DJ.

Living The Dream

I have no regrets. I love my package. I love the feeling of the bass flowing through my apartment. I love the way I look with my awesome Stanton Pro 2000S headphones. I can’t get enough. I even made a few bucks putting mixes together for people on Fiverr, but that is just the beginning.

What started as frivolous fun might go somewhere. I am quickly learning how to seamlessly transition songs, add effects, and give people a great beat to dance the night away. House parties are certainly in the future. Night clubs and bars are serious possibilities. I might be able to turn this hobby into a third income stream. Not too shabby for something I would do for free.

If you are interested, you can find my DJ life online too. Head over to DJYofi.com to check out some of my mixes for free.

The following is a guest post from Squirrelers, as a part of the 2nd Yakezie Blog Swap. The topic is “What is your best day-to-day money saving tip”

Most of us who are personal finance bloggers and/or blog readers are interested in finding ways to save money. Over the years, we have been given advice on how to do so, and have probably come up with our own strategies as well. These money saving approaches are often geared toward bigger picture expenses such as a mortgage, education, or even a vehicle. However, the day-to-day expenses are more than worthy of being looked at as well.

For me, there are different ways to save on day-to-day expenses. The best overall money saving tip I have for such expenses is:

Have as few bad, unnecessary day-to-day habits as possible

What, were you expecting something about bringing lunch from home, walking to work, etc? Well, those are good specific tips for saving money.  I’m talking about daily habits that are not necessary, harmful, and are truly wants rather than needs.

One example of an unnecessary habit is cigarette smoking. Thankfully, the rate of smoking in the U.S. has declined, and it has become harder for people to smoke in public places. In the state in which I live, Illinois, smoking became banned in restaurants/bars a few years ago.  Public buildings don’t allow smoking. So there are plenty of economic disincentives to stop, not to mention the incredibly greater importance of the health reasons. But when you do look at the cost of that habit, it’s clearly staggering, both in today’s costs (cigarette purchases) and tomorrow’s costs (health care expenses).

Fortunately, I never engaged in this habit – nor did I ever have any temptation to do so. It probably saved a ton of totally unnecessary expense.

A second example is caffeinated drinks.  Actually, it could be any unnecessary drink, but let’s stick to those with caffeine. This is one that I have battled in recent years. Last year, I gave up caffeine for a few months, only to be drawn back into it….then I gave it up again, which is where I’m at today.

I really liked Diet Coke.  Each day would include a diet coke in the morning, and one in the afternoon – either with lunch or during the home stretch at work.  Often, one of those drinks would be of the 32 ounce variety. I probably averaged 40 ounces or so per day during some stretches – or the equivalent of 3-plus regular cans.  Each day.  It was a habit.

The thing is, it wasn’t necessary. It was a habit, and one that involved getting hooked on these drinks.  I would say each working day involved spending at least $2 on such drinks.  If you annualize, using 250 working days, that’s $500 per year. Instead of going to all water, I might have a decaf coffee or other drink twice a week.  Projected forward, this comes to about 100 days a year of purchased drinks, at $1 per drink, totaling $100. Just by eliminating a bad habit, and substituting some occasional non-habit forming beverages on occasion, that cuts expenses by $400. Just for that habit.

This can go on and on, to cutting a vending machine habit, and yes – eating meals out. Either way, it’s about cutting bad habits and living a healthier, less complicated existence. Being able to make good habits a part of daily life instead of bad, unnecessary habits is my best tip for saving money day-to-day.

photo of smoker credit: JavierPsilocybin

photo of Diet Coke credit: roitberg

I had intended on posting a wrapup this weekend, but the weather was just too nice and I had way too much outside stuff to try and get done before it turns into a winter wonderland up here. So, you get the wrapup today, a day late, but there none-the-less. Here’s some great articles from my fellow Yakezie:

Check out this cool new Retirement Planning website and the iPad contest they are running.

Jacob at ERE got his book published!

Misti is building some cushin’ for pushin’?

Inexpensively suggests hosting a Halloween costume swap.

Kelly is participating in the 31 days of pink breast cancer awareness project.

Forest has some great suggestions for things to do on family night.

Car Negotiation Coach is giving away a Skinny On ebook!

Red is replacing worn out furniture.

Deliver Away Debt is one year old!

Jim has some great tips on How to beat an adverse credit history.

And that’s it!  Short but sweet.  Enjoy!