Yakezie Weekly Round-up: Mother’s Day Edition

In appreciation of Mother’s Day, this week’s round-up recognizes the Yakezie PF blogs run by the ladies out there. Usually only 10-12 sites are included, but this special occasion deserves a little more.

Here’s the highlights for your reading pleasure:

151 Days Off explains how living on a small tropical island can be cheaper than the hustle and bustle of our cramped city styles! For a fraction of your current expenses – would you trade it all to live like a king in paradise?

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff wonders when was the last time you went on a fun, Friday picnic. The classic romantic… What is it about being outside with food that puts us at ease?

Money Funk asks us the question we’ve all thought about – lottery lump sum or not? $165M, that’s just stupid money! But don’t be stupid like the listed winners, from millionaires back to debtors.

Simple in France gives us a knockout one-two punch this time. She did two worthwhile guest posts on Well-Heeled Blog on whether her career is worth it and then another on Young & Thrifty on how to travel on the cheap by learning the language. Great job!

The Saved Quarter gave me by next book purchase. Extending the Table has 80 recipes from around the world. She lays out the week’s menu of delicious, international cuisine. How did the Kenya dish work out, that sounded amazing!

Centisble Life has been dominating the mommy blogger circuit *maybe I need to switch niches ;). Her newest sponsor, RetailMeNot, is a heavy-hitter. If you haven’t heard of the site – go there now. You can search discounts on just about anything!

More Style Than Cash tells how to live it up at home. Perfect timing, what mom wouldn’t want an at home spa? She really goes all out in preparation too! Sign on the front door?

Ultimate Money Blog has been battling with some internal issues. Struggling with her job and feeling like a sell-out, she wonders if she’s been putting money first. The idea of a mini-Mrs. Money blogger entering the world doesn’t help the situation either.

Rainy-Day Saver provides an interesting story, rejecting a credit rate increase. A perfect example of how powerful speaking up can be, you never know what you’ll get until you ask!

Yes, I Am Cheap gives us an uncommon excuse – the dog ate my money. This isn’t your raggedy 5-dollar bills laying around, these were crisp new $100 bills from the bank! In the end, she got newer, crisper bills back – but not after some laughter from the bank.

Barbara Friedberg goes through how to avoid living paycheck to paycheck. What’s interesting is that she goes beyond the obvious to raise a question that many researchers have realized, the rules & regulations imposed on smaller accounts or lower income individuals makes it much harder for them to raise above that level.

Eventual Millionaire gives some really, really good ways to turn your kids into entrepreneurs. First 3 are very creative. Of course, if you take the more humorous approach, you could always dress them up like mini-adults. Nothing screams entrepreneur like a 4-year old in pinstripes & suspenders.

Family Balance Sheet must be on the same wavelength as Eventual Millionaire. Having just completed the $500 challenge, those pennies which may have been thrown away accounted for $85 – almost 20% of the challenge amount! Goes to show the sum of the parts is greater than the whole of the parts. *Did I get that one right?

Little House in the Valley was also in the mood to write about kids and what they know about money. She’s devised an interesting game for her students to learn about money. Probably the best part is the honesty, and literalness, kids give with their answers.

Young and Thrifty does a review of my buddy Malcolm Gladwell (no, I don’t know him personally), and his latest book – Outliers. Good luck on your journey to becoming an outlier! If it doesn’t work out, you could always shoot to be part of the “long tail”.