Sunday Money Roundup – Visiting Family Edition.

This week my brother and his girlfriend are coming into town and we need to think of some things to take them to do. One of the things we are definitely doing is going whitewater rafting – the Rio Grande runs right through town and offers some great rafting trips. And while we are looking forward to it, I do hope the weather holds…someone just told me that they have seen snow in September here, so look out! While I contemplate snow in the next week, here are 10 articles that caught my eye this week, along with the carnivals and festivals that My Two Dollars took part in:

Carnival of Personal Finance #168 – Fire Up the Grill, It’s Labor Day at One Caveman’s Financial Journey. My article “13 Ways To Save Money And Go Green” was included.

Festival of Festival #141 over at Almost Frugal. My article “How to Frugally Decorate Your House on a Very Tight Budget” was included.

If you’re like me, you probably eat at home most days of the week – which means spending time buying food, cooking, cleaning, and doing all the other little chores that need to be done. If you aren’t careful, this can expend a lot of time and money. But it doesn’t have to! These tips, and the reader tips that follow, are sure to help you find ways to save money in the kitchen. – Cash Money Life

Nowadays, we can literally stop our bills from coming to us. Most companies let us receive our bills electronically, which allows us to cut back on the number of mail that we receive. When I first noticed companies advertising this, I was thinking to myself that this is yet another way that companies are trying to cut cost. “How does receiving bills electronically help me?“ I thought to myself. – Money Ning

Asset allocation is an investing a strategy for maximizing gains while minimizing risks in your investment portfolio. It involves diversifying your assets among different broad categories of investments, such as equity, fixed income, and money market, etc. By reducing your investment risks, you’re in a better position to meet your financial goals. Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Asset Allocation – Moolanomy

How to Complain: Getting the Most from Customer Service Reps. The journey from the checkout lane to the family garage can be bundled with regrets, especially if purchases fail to live up to advertised promises or expectations. – The Frugal Duchess

To me he’s like the ultimate scam artist, for no other reason than no one can be an expert on everything under the sun, although I have other reasons for my assessment which a simple internet search can turn up for anyone. This infomercial caught my eye (and not because I want to buy it). It seems he’s moved into fixing people’s debt problems, for his new book is called Debt Cures. Late Night Infomercials Won’t Get You Out Of Debt (I agree, this guy is a joke) – Paid Twice

My wife and I have recently (finally!) started using a babysitter somewhat regularly such that we can get some time to ourselves. With that as a backdrop, I thought it would be interesting to hear how much you guys are paying your babysitters (or how much you’re getting paid to babysit). How Much Should You Pay a Babysitter?…I’ll go first. – Five Cent Nickel

Several months ago I was impulsive. I booked a trip to Egypt and then when my friend asked me if I wanted to go to the Oktoberfest in Munich. Within the next two months, I’ll have been on two trips. Both of these are things that I can afford to do, just about. But I can’t afford to go wild. The only trouble is that in my experience there are all sorts of sundry expenses with travelling, and they’ve just started – I’ve split my jeans. – Plonkee

It looks like I am going to be eating rice and beans for the rest of the month. I just updated my budget for the month and out of the $4000 I’ve budgeted for expenses, I only have about $54 left to last me for the rest of the month. How did I get so close to maxing out my expenses? – Single Guy Money

I love ING Electric Orange accounts, for example, and I’m glad that I have one. I even feel fine recommending them to others. So why are they a bad idea? – Mrs. Micah

Looking for ways to save money this year? Want to boost your savings in a tough economy with little effort or pain? Good. I’ve got 50 (fifty) ways to painlessly stash some extra cash without losing a limb or getting a second job. – Squawkfox