Sunday Money Roundup - Not So Shiny New Car Edition.

As I mentioned earlier this week, we just bought a brand new Subaru Forester…and the shine is already gone. Yes, our new immaculate car got some dirt on it and some footprints inside on the mats. It will never be as clean as the day we brought it home again…so sad. *sigh* On to the roundup…

Great articles from the M-Network:

• Being Frugal talks about her dumbest purchase ever - a manufactured home she bought in 1997.
• Cash Money Life answers a readers’ question- “What debt to pay off first?“
• Gather Little By Little talks about the economic stimulus plan - is it a loan or a rebate? Personally I don’t think it will do anything for the economy, whether it is a loan or a rebate. Let’s hope I am wrong.
• I’ve Paid For This Twice Already… has a bit of a controversial post up titled “Someone Had To Buy The House You Rent“. Go check it out!
• Moolanomy talks about his dumbest decision and what he learned from it.
• Mrs. Micah has an important post up about why you should always keep your warranty information - and how she got a company to fix something they were not going to fix!
• Plonkee Money has part 3 of the basic guide to Stocks and Shares ISAs.
• Single Guy Money is No Longer Worried About His Home Value. Go see why!
• The Dough Roller has 8 Articles to Help Motivate You to Improve Your Finances - you need to read these, trust me!

• Five Cent Nickel talks about the high cost ofinstant gratification.
• Money Ning wants you to Truly Take Advantage of an Increase in Income.
• Chance Favors has a great article that I learned a lot from - ““Fee Based” vs “Fee Only” Financial Advisors“
• Frugal Dad talks about paying for good grades. My parents didn’t do this and I don’t plan on doing it either; I think it sets young people up for failure later when the real world doesn’t automatically pay them just for doing a good job.
• Remodeling This Life talks about being frugal with her time.
• No Credit Needed lays it all out - Contribution Goals And Time Frames For Retirement And Education Savings Accounts.
• My Dollar Plan has a tremendous post up that is a must read - “Financial success has little to do with money, stocks, bonds, asset allocation and retirement plans. Sure those matter, but let’s not confuse financial tools with the fundamentals. The foundation is based on preparation, planning and the relationship that money has with other aspects of your life.”
• Rocket Finance talks about how their family reached the end of their rope and dug out of the hole with bank bonuses, credit card arbitrage and other interesting techniques. An excellent read.

This past week I also took part in the Carnival of Personal Finance which was hosted over at Four Pillars. Thanks for hosting Mike!