Set in Aldergrove B.C., Million Dollar Neighbourhood challenges 100 families and encourages the community to come together to raise their collective net worth by a stunning one million dollars. The show shares the real life struggles we all face when it comes to finances and family.

The first episode called ‘Hidden Money’, aired January 22 on OWN Canada, and I was in it!

You can catch all of Episode 1 online at OWN Canada | Million Dollar Neighbourhood. I make my reality TV debut at the 32:00 minute mark. Note: I’m not sure if this video plays outside of Canuckland. Hopefully my American readers can view it?

About Episode 1 – ‘Hidden Money’
The neighbourhood must reach their weekly $100,000 goal by uncovering the hidden money in their taxes, by gathering all of the spare change in their homes, and by eliminating their credit cards and living cash only.

During the all-day shoot I was stationed in a big white tent for a frugality fair called the ‘Hidden Money Market’. I had a blast meeting the families and showing the community where to find hundreds of bucks in hidden money stashed around their homes.

To get them on the right savings path, I shared these 10 Money Saving Tips for a Million Dollar Neighbourhood — only a few made it to air. You’ll have to watch the show to see which ones made the cut.

Hint: Carl’s crazy green phone from The cost of collecting (your favorite post from 2011) just might make an appearance.

I posted many thank-you’s to the cast and crew here. I’d really love to thank Bruce Sellery again, and again, and again though. After seeing the show, I’m touched by his kind words.

Check out Bruce Sellery’s bestselling book Moolala: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things with Their Money (available on Amazon, Amazon Canada), and tune in to Million Dollar Neighbourhood Sunday at 8PM/5PM PT.

Lastly, big major thanks to W Expert, Globe Columnist, and top blogger Preet Banerjee of Where Does All My Money Go for helping me view the show before it went online. Don’t ask me how.

Your Thoughts: Did ya watch the show? Do you think the community can save one million bucks?

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

It worked.

After four years of blogging about money, Squawkfox.com has grown to over 31,000 readers and is now one of the bigger personal finance blogs on the internet. This is kinda scary, but mostly cool. Scary ’cause it’s just me over here writing, and cool ’cause so many people care about frugal living. Kudos.

To celebrate both the New Year and Squawkfox’s four-year blog anniversary (or blogiversary), I’ve rounded up the top posts you liked best. Based on comments, traffic, and emails received, here are your Top 10 Squawks from 2011!

1. The cost of collecting

Who knew that discombobulated Barbie doll heads, rustic farm barns, and a big old stack of denim could wreak so much havoc on my inbox. Some of you spewed coffee onto your keyboards (sorry), while others chuckled over my eating crow. Go on, jump into the comments and share — What do you collect? The responses are hilarious. The cost of collecting is easily your favorite post of 2011.

• The cost of collecting

2. Make a Starbucks Frappuccino for $0.32

My server squawked from the traffic load after posting this frugal food hack. With a million pageviews in 2011, this viral post shares the secret ingredient in a Starbucks Frappuccino. Big major thanks to Lifehacker, The Consumerist, and Pinterest for sending my $0.32 copy-cat frapp recipe to front pages around the world. I’m still buzzing from the caffeine hit.

• Make a Starbucks Frappuccino for $0.32

3. How to get married for $239.00

You either loved or loathed my wedding story. Regardless of your stance, getting hitched for A LOT less hit a deep emotional nerve, got you talkin’ across social media, and even became one of the most read stories on The Globe and Mail‘s website. I should have made Carl wear the white dress.

• How to get married for $239.00

4. Price Check Experiment: Is Costco really worth it?

I went undercover and did a price check experiment at Costco to see if shopping at a wholesale club is worth it, even after paying membership fees and enduring long lineups with reams of toilet paper. The comments say it all — you really loved this post.

• Price Check Experiment: Is Costco really worth it?

5. Breaking up with a cable company is hard to do

Deciding to quit cable was easy. Getting the cable company to sever my service was hard. A must read if you’re trying to break up with any service provider. They want your money and will do anything to keep you as a client.

• Breaking up with a cable company is hard to do

6. Should couples keep joint or separate accounts?

I don’t merge my money with my spouse, but it’s OK if you do. I went through the positives and negatives of different banking setups for couples, and pi$$ed off a few June Cleaver fans too. However you feel about The Beaver, it’s always a good idea to talk about money with your mate.

• Should couples keep joint or separate accounts?

7. 5 Investing fees that devour your savings

Do yourself a serious solid in 2012 by adding up all your investing fees. You could save tens of thousands of dollars by getting in the know and making less costly investing decisions. I shared a personal investing story and surprised many of you with newly found savings.

• 5 Investing fees that devour your savings

8. 1 Organic Chicken, 22 Healthy Meals, $49 Bucks

I stretched a single organic chicken into 22 healthy meals for just $49 bucks, and you loved it. This 8-part series took forever to write, and it shows. Brimming with several chicken recipes and boasting endless clucky ideas, it just goes to show ya how much money can be saved with a simple plan, a few frugal ingredients, and a slow cooker or a crock pot. This post has so many media mentions I’ve lost count.

• 1 Organic Chicken, 22 Healthy Meals, $49 Bucks

9. How to pack a suitcase

I did a magic trick by packing ten days of travel clothing into a single carry-on suitcase, and this post got forwarded to probably everyone who owns luggage. With airlines charging big fees for checked and extra baggage, it pays to travel light. What’s in your suitcase?

• How to pack a suitcase

10. Make healthier Lunchables for 32% less

I sliced turkey, counted crackers, weighed cheese, and added up the total cost for a less expensive lunch box friendly snack. With front page mentions on Lifehacker and mommy blogs around the world, I can’t complete this list without a frugal snack attack. Crunch into some healthy savings, kiddies!

• Make healthier Lunchables for 32% less

BONUS: The Wealthy Barber Returns

It’s not every day a humble blog gets a big mention in a financial guru’s book. I’m still a little shocked (and slightly horrified) whenever a new reader lands on my site by way of David Chilton’s new book, The Wealthy Barber Returns. I don’t recommend books often, but add this hilarious gem to your (virtual) bookshelf in 2012 and you could increase your bottom line while laughing out loud.

• The Wealthy Barber Returns

There you have it! The top ten Squawkfox posts from 2011. Happy New Year, you guys.

Love love love,
Kerry

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

Dollars, pies, dried beans, weddings, or Diva Cups?

None of the above.

How about 30,000 regular readers, ’cause that’s what my counter tool thingy registered this week.

Somehow, for whatever reason, over 30,000 people have signed up to receive my frugal living Squawks via email or through an RSS reader. Sure, hundreds of thousands more visit my site every month through social media and search engines. But any personal blog with over 30,000 regular readers is pretty astounding — and I don’t astound easily.

These types of numbers are usually reserved for media blogs, celebrity gossip blogs, or shopping blogs. Not blogs about frugal living.

This warms my heart.

So I want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has shared or emailed one of my Squawks to a friend, family member, or dog. Thank you.

Without you reading out there, I’d be pretty lonely over here.

Love,
Kerry

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

MoneySense Magazine

I wasn’t a normal kid back in school. While my classmates were doing Cosmo quizzes and poring over the pages of various fashion rags, I was securely crazy-glued to MoneySense Magazine, a fine Canadian personal finance read.

So when MoneySense writer and managing editor Sarah Efron shot me an email request to share my money-saving ideas in the April issue, I did a happy dance on top of my tall stack of back issues.

I nearly fell over when I saw the April cover story — ‘Save $750 Every Month: 62 easy ways to save without sacrifice’. Plonk! This mega bonus issue covers everything from saving money on food to cutting insurance costs.

My clucky chicken stretching experiment (1 Organic Chicken, 22 Healthy Meals, $49 Bucks) even got a sidebar mention. How cool is that?

Anywannabecovergirl, I’ll link back to the story if/when it’s posted online. I don’t think my American readers can hit the news shelves for a copy (sorry), but my fellow Canucks can certainly pick up this month’s edition in stores across Canada.

The Globe and Mail: Me & My Money

It’s usually a bit of a sausage party over in ‘The Globe Investor’ section, so I’m thrilled to see a lot more women invited to talk about cash for a change. The last three interviews for the Me & My Money column have all been gals, myself included. Yay!

Read the story: Me & My Money | Investing on the cheap

Sharing my investing style and portfolio composition with financial journalist and former economist Larry MacDonald was the easy part — I’ve been a fan of low cost ETFs and a foe of investing fees for years. What’s tough is reading the peanut gallery responses, and seeing some snarky anti-female comments fly. Like this one:

“Guess she missed the ultimate thrifty move of an attractive girl just out of college. Find a rich guy and give him all your bills!”

That’s a load of crap, and completely opposite to everything I believe in. There are some amazing responses too though — take this one:

“She paid off $17,000 in student loans within six months, saved up ‘six-figures’ by her mid-thirties. Wow, that is seriously inspiring. Good work.”

I would love to see more women (and men for that matter) get brave about their financial failures and triumphs, and feel secure enough to share them with others. Otherwise, money remains a taboo topic and we don’t grow past polite conversation. So I’m asking you for a small favour: If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, I’d love you to click and share my interview with others ’cause I’m a real person taking about real money. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon up their butt and most people could use some real conversation from an honest investor for once. Thank you.

Toronto Star

Is there such a thing as smart borrowing? That’s the million dollar question financial journalist Paul Brent asks in his Toronto Star story, Some debt is good, but most is dumb. I love it!

In this article a few money experts discuss their rules for debt. I just share why I’m debt averse. Now stealth Squawkfox readers will wonder about that doggy in the photo — ’cause that’s not my blue heeler, Pivo. To be honest, I have no clue whose dog I’m petting. I have a random habit of stopping for all friendly hounds, so if that’s your dog, my sincere apologies for smooching your pooch in public without permission. He is a lovely hound though.

Globe Special Report

Ok, so this story ran way back in February, but it’s online and ready to read for free. In Why choose a TFSA over an RRSP? financial journalist Paul Brent talks to a few bloggers and real Canadians about their registered investments.

This story may feature a big photo of me, but it’s about Kim Petch, the blogger behind Balance Junkie. If you’re wondering how to strike a balance between your mortgage and registered accounts, give this one a thorough read. And yes, that photo of me is freaking scary. And no, I’m not doing a product placement for Apple’s MacBook Pro (although I think it’s a lovely computer).

No joke here: Hope you enjoy this month’s money articles — you’d be a fool not to check them out.

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

Based on comments, traffic, and emails received, here are your Top 10 Squawks from year three on Squawkfox.

1. The real reason you’re broke

I took a moment to be mean, and you liked it. Your feedback was instant, and the media responded quickly too. This tough-love post got a big mention in Rob Carrick’s Globe and Mail roundup Broke? Cry me a river, was featured in a two-page Toronto Star spread Broke? Stop Whining!, landed a link in Time’s Your Money Blog, and was chosen as the “absolute favourite post of the year” by Kevin Press in Today’s Economy blog.

The media mentions are cool, but that’s not why this post tops my list — it’s because you didn’t hate me after I wrote it.

• The real reason you’re broke

2. How to Microwave Gourmet Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag

I wrote a fluffy piece about a tasty subject, and the internets gobbled it up. This post went a little viral after being featured on the front page of Lifehacker for two days, and the social media attention from StumbleUpon, Facebook, and Twitter together pushed the popcorn pageviews to over a million before year’s end. I guess you guys like affordable snack food. Yeah, me too.

• How to Microwave Gourmet Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag

3. Track your money with the Free Budget Spreadsheet

The most popular download of the year was the Free Budget Spreadsheet. This makes me happy ’cause I think budgets and spreadsheets are pretty darn cool.

• Track your money with the Free Budget Spreadsheet

4. Tiny Tarts: How to make Pie in a Jar

It’s a proven fact — jars make all frugal gifts better. Most posts on Squawkfox take me around 10 hours to write, edit, photograph, and publish. Pie in a Jar took me at least 20 hours. Since I snap every picture on this site myself, the posts with photos are the most time consuming, and thankfully among the most popular with you guys.

• Tiny Tarts: How to make Pie in a Jar

5. Yahoo! Front Page

Squawkfox grew to over 20,000 subscribers in 2010, partly because a few of my U.S. News & World Report posts were syndicated to the front page of Yahoo! Not many bloggers can say they’ve been tops on Yahoo! — I think I did it three times.

I’d love to send out a huge virtual thank you to U.S. News & World Report senior editor Kimberly Palmer for giving me the opportunity to make Yahoo! happen. Be sure to check out her blog, Alpha Consumer, and her new book, Generation Earn, for her amazing personal finance insight.

• On Yahoo!: 5 Ways to Fix Your Budget

6. Dig yourself out with the Debt Reduction Spreadsheet

You wanted to get down to the business of paying down your debt, so I shared my debt-busting tools with you in my popular budgeting series. It took me a long while to write the How to Make a Budget series — complete with worksheets, spreadsheets, and free goodies — and the dang thing nearly killed me. It’s a good thing you liked it.

• Dig yourself out with the Debt Reduction Spreadsheet

7. Should couples keep separate bank accounts?

I asked this seemingly simple question on the Sympatico YourMoney.ca blog and the readers responded like crazy. Do you merge your money in a joint account, or does your relationship work because you keep the finances apart?

I write for Sympatico every week, so be sure to follow me over there for financial articles with a Canadian focus.

• On Sympatico: Should couples keep separate bank accounts?

8. How to Set Financial Goals

Do you have a financial goal? Yeah, I’m sure we’ve all dreamed of making a million, but have you ever figured out what it takes to get there? Everyone who downloaded these three goal-setting worksheets knows what I’m squawking about.

• How to Set Financial Goals — Three Worksheets

9. Date with a Dragon

You like reading about first impressions, millionaire rich guys, TV shows, and Fluevog boots. So I wrote a long story about a short interview with rich guy Robert Herjavec from the TV show Dragons’ Den, and gave you some insight into the inner workings of my brain before a big interview. Yes, I was a bit of a mess. But the encouraging email you sent me was amazing. Thank you!

• Date with a Dragon: Meeting Robert Herjavec from Dragons’ Den

10. Best of the Money Blogs

I was never one of the cool kids in school (maybe you weren’t either), so when The Globe and Mail readership voted this bloggy blog the #1 Money Blog in Canada, I nearly fainted. Seriously. You can read the full Globe and Mail article here: The best of the Canadian money blogs.

For my American and world-wide readers, don’t let my Canuck citizenship scare you — Canadians are super friendly people, and Squawkfox is a blog where frugal living topics are broadly written for everyone. Yay!

• Best of the Money Blogs 2010

There you have it — ten very popular posts to celebrate my third Blogiversary. Thank you for reading the blog, following me on Twitter, chatting with me on Facebook, and sharing this site with your friends and family. I wonder what frugal things I’ll squawk about in year four.

Happy New Year!
Kerry

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

But sometimes balancing a budget and avoiding bank fees is interesting. Go figure. So over the last while I’ve been doing my best to explain my frugal ways to the kind media people who have noticed my bloggy blog.

I’d like to take this opportunity to share these stories, introduce you to some amazing writers, and welcome the new readers who have found me through the media.

Canadian Living Magazine

The December issue of Canadian Living ran a little (ok, big) feature called Have Yourself a Merry (Budget-Friendly) Christmas, by Jill Buchner.

Canadian Living | Have Yourself a Merry (Budget-Friendly) Christmas | By Jill Buchner

This article features money coach Nancy Zimmerman and me. We each share our thoughts on how to make the holidays fun and affordable. This was a fun interview, and journalist Jill Buchner is amazing.

More Magazine

Does your banker deserve a Coach bag for selling you a chequing account? In the November issue of More Magazine, financial journalist Dan Bortolotti writes about the lucrative business of credit card and bank fees, and shares seven ways to lower them.

More | Freeze your fees | By Dan Bortolotti

This article covers two things I love most: cutting costs and Ellen Roseman. For those who don’t live in Canada, Ellen Roseman is the Toronto Star’s personal finance and consumer issues columnist — she has a blog too. Over the years Roseman has helped many of my friends and family members resolve a myriad of consumer-related grievances, for free.

I am beyond thrilled to be mentioned in More magazine with Ellen Roseman, and I’m giving Dan Bortolotti a huge virtual hug for interviewing me. Oh, and if you’re looking for ways to lower your investing fees, check out Dan’s blog Canadian Couch Potato for his tips on index investing.

The Toronto Star

Since I grew up in Toronto there are a few Ontario things sacred to me. The smell of hot pavement after a violent summer thunderstorm, the Blue Jays’ back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993, and cracking open my dad’s copy of the Toronto Star before he could get to it. Snicker.

Toronto Star | Broke? Stop whining! | By Paul Brent

Well, if you cracked open the business section of the Toronto Star on October 13, 2010, chances are you saw ‘Farmer Kerry’ playing with Pivo the dog and driving a blue Smart Car in a full colour two-page spread. (Canadian spelling of ‘colour’ for obvious reasons, people).

The article pulls points from my popular post, The real reason you’re broke and shares my snarky thoughts with Toronto readers.

Journalist Paul Brent had no idea the story would run so big, so when it hit the shelves, I was a little shocked to see my inbox filled with various Hellos, Greetings, and friends sending kudos. This article is available online, so surf on over and check it out.

A huge thank you to Mike Holman, Money Smarts Blog; and Dan Bortolotti, Canadian Couch Potato, for sending me a copy of the story. As hard as I tried, the Toronto Star just doesn’t deliver in rural British Columbia. Smile.

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

Read about the winners in: The best Canadian money blogs

So you can understand my surprise, gratitude, and a tad bit of horror to find that Squawkfox was voted a winner in The Globe and Mail’s annual Best of the Money Blogs poll.

My surprise comes from finding a like-minded audience looking to save a few bucks by soaking dried beans. I’m grateful because you follow my squawks and took the time to vote. And I’m a little bit horrified since it’s not every day a photojournalist shows up to shoot my mug for the next day’s edition. Good thing I know a bit about dental floss.

Anypearlywhites, I’d love to thank The Globe and Mail’s nomination panel for considering my frugalicious blog as a contender in a field of amazing money blogs. On the panel were blogger Canadian Capitalist, Globe Market Blog writer David Berman, Chaya Cooperberg who writes the Globe’s Home Cents Blog, and Rob Carrick, the Globe’s personal finance columnist.

This year the panel chose from their favourite Canadian personal finance and investing blogs. Squawkfox topped the personal finance category and Preet Banerjee’s blog, Where Does All My Money Go, won the investing category.

Writing and maintaining a popular money blog takes a considerable amount of time and passion. To gain any kind of recognition is truly remarkable and very much appreciated. I’d love to tip my hat and introduce you to the top money blogs in the poll.

Top Investing Blogs

1. Where Does All My Money Go | Preet Banerjee is the brains behind Where Does All My Money Go — a blog that exposes the sometimes dubious inner workings of the financial industry. Banerjee is also a television celebrity, winning the W Network Experts Challenge last year.
2. Canadian Couch Potato | Journalist Dan Bortolotti makes the case for axing mutual funds in his blog Canadian Couch Potato. By showing you the considerable benefits of index investing using the simple Couch Potato method, Bortolotti’s blog could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in investing fees. Americans can benefit from his outstanding articles too.
3. Larry MacDonald | Larry MacDonald blogs frequently for Canadian Business. As an economist and author, he writes on a myriad of topics, including: portfolio management, investment ideas, and business.

Top Personal Finance Blogs

1. Squawkfox | Long time readers of Squawkfox know me from my weekly posts. I used to write anonymously, but since the launch of my first book 397 Ways To Save Money I decided to blog under my real name. New readers can discover all the juicy details in My name is not really Squawkfox or read my About Page.
2. Million Dollar Journey | The Million Dollar Journey blog is the work of FrugalTrader, an anonymous blogger who aims to be a millionaire by the time he reaches 35 years young. Readers enjoy his candid journey.
3. Gail Vaz-Oxlade | Author, television star, and now top blogger Gail Vaz-Oxlade requires little introduction. Vaz-Oxlade is the host of the reality show Til Debt Do Us Part and is the author of Debt-Free Forever, a #1 Bestseller in Canada (also available is the US here: Debt-Free Forever).

A huge thank you to personal finance columnist Rob Carrick for his article on The best Canadian money blogs. I bet it’s not everyday he gets to write about ice cream.

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

This year the poll features Canadian blogs, but Americans can still vote too! So if you love money blogs and you want to give a blogger a thrill, then please vote for your favourites (or favorites if you’re an American!)

How To Vote!

If you enjoy reading my frugalicious Squawks and have a click to spare, I would very much appreciate your vote. Here’s how to do it!

1. Click Best of the Money Blogs.
2. At the bottom of the page, vote for at least one Personal Finance Blog, click Next Question.
3. Vote for at least one Investing Blog, click Submit Survey.

Thank you! Love you! Owe you!
Kerry
and her crazy dog, Pivo

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

Easter Stuff

• Rejoice this day! | Geek humor from Indexed
• Natural Egg Coloring | Simple ideas for childhood fun
• How To Host a Holiday Dinner on a Budget | He needs fewer relatives
• Spring cleaning: Get your finances in order | Hating on clutter
• Easter: A New Beginning | Serious stuff

Money, Life, Fun Stuff

• How to get unstuck in life | Slathering yourself in Crisco won’t help
• 15 money rules to teach your kids | I didn’t get a trust fund either
• Time is a Valuable Commodity | Good thing I don’t wear a watch
• How do you say “bubble” in Chinese? | Thank goodness for the video
• Wealth and Socioeconomic Class | Rags to riches anyone?
• A Mutual Fund Refugee | You’re not alone!
• Higher Deductibles for Lower Insurance Premiums | It’s a crap shoot!
• Your tax return: Should you do it yourself? | Accountants are cool
• Fed up with bank fees? How to break up with your bank | Pink slips for everyone!
• Fast Food, Slow Food, and Your Dollars at Work | Eating well is an investment
• 3 Disadvantages of Ready Made Meals and TV Dinners | Don’t eat this crap
• Low Calorie Food and Long Term Costs | Cheap is expensive
• Student loans: How to save $23,000 | Sounds good to me
• How a Can Collector Died a Secret Millionaire | Life is a bummer
• 27 Must-Check-Out Business Tools for Freelancers! | Comprehensive!
• Say it loud: I’m childfree and I’m proud | But she loves kids
• How I Saved $2,500 By Ignoring My Inner 5 Year-Old | Lawn mower meltdown
• Being in Debt Sucks | No kidding

Carnivals

• Four Pillars hosts the Carnival of Personal Finance | Very pretty spring photos!
• Simple Web Toolbox hosts the Twitter Buzz Carnival | For those who Tweet!
• Amateur Asset Allocator hosts the Carnival Of Personal Finance #249 | May contain Zombies.
• Maximizing Money hosts the Money Hackers Carnival | Most green I’ve seen on a blog
• One Family’s Blog hosts the Road to Financial Independence Carnival | I want that road

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love the blog? Get the book: 397 Ways to Save Money

Top Squawks

• How to make a budget (series with downloads)
• How to write a resume (series with downloads)
• Frugalicious Recipes
• 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
• Credit Card Calculator
• Download your free 92-page eBook: The Insider’s Guide To Frugal Food & Fitness

Booties!

Now, I’ve never been one for doggie dress-up or feline fashion since “pet wear” is expensive and mostly silly, but there are indeed times when a dear pet can benefit from winter footwear. So yes, when the weather outside is frightful I do protect my dog’s paws with the super durable Muttluks booties.

I’m pretty impressed with Muttluks since they’ve lasted many seasons on the farm. If your pet is suffering with dry cracked paws, a good dollop of Bag Balm on the foot pads and in between the toes is super frugal, healing, and helpful too. I use this balmy stuff on my own hands and feet too, so there.

To answer your most pressing dog bootie questions I’ve put together this video showing you how they go on and whether our mutt likes them. I’ll let you be the judge of the latter.

Backyard Chickens!

Now let’s talk chickens. Last year I had some major plans to build a little coop and house some backyard chickens since I love a good project and because organic eggs are tasty. All of my fine feathered plans took a left turn when a flying truck wheel nearly killed us in this car crash. Dealing with whiplash, replacing the car, and trying to promote my book were all I could handle — mentally and physically. So now I’m feeling better and back to sourcing chickens, feed, and finding coop plans. If you’ve got some backyard chicken knowledge then please do get clucky and share your comments.

Link Love

I’ve rounded up a series of financial and frugal posts from various blogs around the blogosphere. Enjoy!

Financial Fun for Everyone

• Would You Relocate for the Perfect Job? | Wise Bread
• How I Paid off $63,000 of Debt in 11 Months | Fiscal Geek
• Haiti Earthquake Relief – How To Help! | Million Dollar Journey
• Personal Financial Statements Shouldn’t Be Top Secret | Budgets Are Sexy
• Bringing Back the Organizing Challenge | Organizing Junkie
• Clutter Free Home: 6 Tips | Blogger For Hire
• What are the S&P Dividend Aristocrats? | Bargaineering
• Your Spouse: Financial Teammate or Financial Enemy? | No Debt Plan
• 3 Ways to Get Started Investing with $1,000 or Less | Debt Free Adventure
• Save Money and Protect Yourself When You Are On Vacation | Gather Little By Little
• What Are Opportunity Costs? – Textbook Personal Finance | Mrs. Micah
• Should I Buy ETFs Or Index Funds? | ABC’s of Investing
• Book Review: SuperFreakonomics | Four Pillars
• When And How To File A Credit Report Dispute | Amateur Asset Allocator
• 6 Tips to Lower Cost on Your Auto Insurance Policy | Good Financial Cents
• Is Variable Life Insurance the Best Investment for You | Consumer Boomer
• Is there such thing as good debt? | Personal Finance By The Book
• How To Save Serious Money in 2010 | Studenomics
• Don’t Forget About The Free YNAB Giveaway | Wisdom Journal
• Prepare Your Own Taxes – It’s Not Hard | Being Frugal
• Alternative Investment Options | Debt Kid
• Ambitious 2010 Business Goals | Man Vs. Debt
• 5 Tips for Making Extra Money | PT Money
• Carnival of Personal Finance: Support Haiti Edition | Million Dollar Journey

American Money Matters

• New Law Makes it Harder for Teens to Get a Credit Card Starting February 22 | Gen X Finance
• Get Organized For Filing Your Taxes | Bible Money Matters
• Best Tax Software for Your 2009 Return | Money Smart Life
• Best 2010 Dividend Stock Picks | Intelligent Speculator
• How Does The CARD Act of 2009 Affect Credit Card Holders? | Free From Broke
• 2010 Roth IRA Conversion, Important Things to Know | Moolanomy
• How to File Your Annual Tax Returns Online | Dough Roller
• How to Break Free from Your Escrow Account | My Dollar Plan
• Survival Skills To Barter | Money Energy

Canadian Money Matters

• New Blog Alert! Couch Potato Investing Basics Part 1 | Canadian Couch Potato
• A unanimous vote for index investing | Wealthy Boomer
• Should You Close Your Credit Card Account? | Gail Vaz-Oxlade
• How to cut your car insurance costs | Chaya Cooperberg
• Book Review: Winning the Loser’s Game | Canadian Capitalist

Got a request?

Do you have a frugal, financial, or fun post/question/thingy request you’d like me to write about? I get considerable questions on investing topics, frugal wedding ideas, and some farming things. I’m wondering if there’s something YOU would like to read on Squawkfox? I can’t promise to write about everything — I like to stick with topics that are sexy, delicious, and fun — so if you’ve got a request within this theme then feel free to shoot it my way. I’m not out of ideas (my head is packed full) but I’d like to hear your thoughts too.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be adding some book reviews to the mix and finally finishing off my How To Write A Cover Letter Series. No, I haven’t forgotten. Hope you guys liked the video!

Cheers,
Kerry

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