welcome to the first ever edition of the do-it-yourself (DIY) jubilee!

what is the DIY jubilee ?!

especially during these times of recession, many of us are finding ways to cut back on our expenses. this might include taking action ourselves for tasks that we normally might have done by someone else, or creating something with our own hands (or machines, etc.) rather than buying it from someone else.

how have you been DIY-ing?

the idea is that the project was done with the primary motivation being to save money.  my hope is that the editions will be accessible and appealing to money-conscious readers first.  enjoying the DIY task (while allowed of course!) is secondary.

for my part, i am working on making most of my gifts for the latest birthdays and winter gift-giving occasions.  since i have fallen in love with crocheting, what mutually beneficial way for me to produce some gifts for others?  not onliny will i enjoy the process and learn a few things, but i will also have something (hopefully) enjoyable to offer a friend or family member!  and while i’m at it, i might even be creating useful household or apparel items that were needed or desired anyway.

check out these 10 great submissions from november covering areas of gifts, home improvement, food, and more!

please visit the writers’ sites and offer feedback and support.  and while you’re at it, why not promote this carnival by sharing this edition on the web, with friends, and family?

• Kevin presents Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make posted at More4kids Family.  what better way than to make your own gifts from the heart for those closest to you?
• Joanne presents Personalized Gift Baskets For Thanksgiving posted at Personalized Gift Baskets.
• Condo Blues presents Save Some Bucks – How to Seal Heating Ducts! posted at Condo Blues.  heating does indeed claim the largest chunk in our energy bills..
• Heather Levin presents How to Insulate Your Home | The Greenest Dollar posted at The Greenest Dollar.

• Benjamin presents Maine Man Builds 105MPG Car posted at Trees Full of Money.  i must admit my motorcycle can’t beat that as is!
• Jeremy Zongker presents 76 Ways to Save Money While Saving the Environment posted at Destroy Debt.
• Neko presents DIY Projects Add Value to Your Life posted at Neko.  i would have to concur.

• Donna Freedman presents When life hands you leftovers, make ‘garbage soup’ posted at Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money.
• Vic presents Make Your Own Organic Yogurt At Home… posted at Yogurt Maker Central.  i do love yogurt!
• vh presents Ashes posted at Funny about Money.

i hope you enjoyed these readings!  submit your own DIY post for the next DIY jubilee at the blog carnival today!  share with us how you’ve found ways to save money!

to read the guidelines, please visit this announcement.  thank you!

hi there, and welcome to the 22nd edition of the finance fiesta! i am fwp, your host for this week.

if you haven’t been here before, welcome. while you are here, there are a few things i would encourage you, dear reader, to do:

• participate in FWP’s first book giveaway! this contest ends this weekend!
• subscribe to the FWP rss feed to receive my own humble lessons and advice in the form of the Wellness Wednesdays, Friday Cures, and Profiles series; stories, progress reports, reviews, and more!
• participate in the current Debt Bloggers Network’s group writing project — reflections on the recession
• volunteer to host an upcoming issue of the Carnival of Financial Resources, if you have participated in a past issue
• check out some of the most recent and popular posts here at FWP!

* * *

the finance fiesta has been a bit backlogged/behind, so i have looked at the last 3 weeks’ worth of entries for this issue.  those entries included anything that was submitted after 10/23 to end of the day wednesday, 11/12 (yesterday).  the previous issue was hosted at master your card.

please take a moment to visit each of the following bloggers’ sites to read their full posts there, and to offer feedback and support.  please also offer some link love, by sharing and socially-bookmarking this edition of the carnival.  thank you to everyone for participating, and for swinging by to visit this issue at FWP.

editor’s pick
.. goes to adam with his 20 strategic tactics and tips for wealth management at the iq matrix blog:

“Throughout this discussion on Wealth Management we will talk about creating the ideal Wealth Mindset, we will touch upon some sound principles to get out of a debt crisis, we will pinpoint some effective Wealth Building strategies that will get you focused and moving on the right track, and finally we will identify what components create a Poverty Stricken Mindset, and what we must do to avoid locking ourselves into this way of thinking and behaving.”

i found his ‘big picture’-ish article contained a thorough set of sound guidelines that we might adopt (if we haven’t already) as we each struggle through our own personal financial hardships and demons not just during this recession, but in our lifetimes.  it all begins with ourselves.

economics, current events

• jim at blueprint for financial prosperity discusses a second stimulus package
• seb at pinching copper discusses the scary and depressing reality of coping with a layoff
• twenties money asks us, what is volatility?
• billy from beating the stock market tells us about gdp, gpi, and how the growth of our country is calculated
• joe from tallahasee real estate blog instructs us on how to stay calm in the real estate market
• consumer debt and poverty, here at financial wellness project

investing

• brendan tells us why he believes there will be long-term stock winners at the iconoclast investor
• do you feel screwed by the financial crisis? is investing just a big fat lie? asks the shark investor
• christine discusses buying stocks in a volatile market, at me, my kid and life
• here are some investments to avoid, especially during this recession, according to jason from stock investing tips
• cash money life tells us how cd ladders are a great way to guarantee returns in any market
• investing school suggests we try a new tactic: try buying when you want to sell, and vice versa

money management

• how not to become rich — 10 ways, according to the christian finance blog
• j.money asks us if we ever feel guilty when we dip into our emergency funds? at budgets are sexy
• passive family income shares with us how making choices between saving money and using your time can be a difficult decision
• financial considerations for new parents in malaysia, according to kclau
• hanna from college finance 101 tells us that it’s not too late to finance our children’s college education
• how about 5 ways to escape credit card debt ? from michael at debt prison
• the smarter wallet asks us, why not use credit cards to reduce our mortgages?
• moneyning asks us if we believe that our credit card limit alone is enough to determine our credit scores?

other

• free money finance shares with us how to demonstrate that you deserve a raise
• bill from learn the stock market and how to trade teaches us some social security sense
• tanesha tells us about legal considerations when buying a new home at personal finance analyst
• beware of people selling you stuff you really don’t need, says mr. tough money love

there you have it!  submit your post for the next edition of the finance fiesta over at the blogcarnival.

FWP’s post trimming down expenses with two wheels was included in this week’s issue of the Money Hacks Carnival #30 (under frugality and saving), hosted by questtobedebtfree !

it occurred to me the other day that i hadn’t really explained this whole carnival participation thing, so i’ll do that here.

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