Welcome to the 83rd edition of the Carnival of Money Stories on December 6, 2010.  There were a lot of fantastic articles this week and I hope you enjoy what I felt are some of the best personal finance stories out there.

Please keep in mind that many submissions were not selected, not because they weren’t great articles, but because they didn’t match the theme of the carnival, which is stories about money.  


The theme this week is ‘making the fantasy football playoffs’.  For those who indulge in playing in a league (or for some I know, up to six leagues), the next week or two is when fantasy football playoffs begin.  For leagues involving money, jackpots are on the line.  Below are a few things that dictate whether teams get in to the playoffs in fantasy football leagues.  Enjoy the carnival!

Drafting: Have a plan of attack on draft night but don’t be afraid to deviate from it if the right player falls into your lap.  Have at least two or three ‘sleepers’ identified that you think could turn into superstars.

Tim Chen presents Kim Kardashian Credit Card Gets Put Where It Belongs – In the Trash posted at NerdWallet Blog – Credit Card Watch
 
Sun presents Mint.com Cut Ties with Yodlee? posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

Erin Pavlina presents How I Got Every Job I Ever Wanted posted at Erin Pavlina – Spiritual Wisdom for Conscious People

Pinyo presents Why Budgeting is like Dating posted at Moolanomy.

The Financial Blogger presents From $18,403 to $124,514 In A Single Year! posted at The Financial Blogger

Finding That Diamond In the Rough: For those who play or know football, do the names Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis, or Mike Vick mean anything?  They are guys that were probably drafted low or not drafted at all, but have put up huge stats.  If you were lucky enough to target one of these guys and land them on your team, chances are you’re thinking about your playoff strategy.

Joe Plemon presents Becoming a Stay-at-Home Teacher posted at Personal Finance By The Book

liverealnow presents Mistakes Made posted at Live Real, Now

Michael presents How To Lose $10 Million Fast posted at Consumerism Commentary

Sandy presents My Tenant Paid The Rent posted at Yes, I Am Cheap

Lindy presents Zillow, We Must Quit Meeting Like This posted at Minting Nickels

Good News Weekly presents The $460,000 Bottle of Whiskey posted at Good News Weekly Vancouver

Danielle presents How I Almost Cashed Out My 401(k) to Pay Off My Credit Cards posted at DanielleLiss.com.

Barb Friedberg presents Why I Have No Budget This Year posted at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance

Knowing Your League: If the other members in your league love to trade, then drafting a ton of running backs might be a great strategy.  If nobody trades, then loading up might leave you with gaping holes for the season.  Know the fellow players in your league and play their tendencies to your advantage.

freefrombroke presents LIFE Has A Way Of Screwing Up Budgets posted at Free From Broke

misst presents Interview with Fresh Stories | Prairie EcoThrifter.com posted at Prairie Eco-Thrifter.

The Wise Squirrel presents Lessons Learned from a 7-Year old and a 97-Year old posted at Squirrelers

BWL presents Why I Think You Should Set A Goal posted at Christian Personal Finance

FMF presents Real-Life Case Study: How to Take Early Semi-Retirement, Part 1 posted at Free Money Finance

Luck: No matter how good or bad you are on draft night, on making trades, or picking up guys off the waiver wire, there is the factor of luck that nobody can predict.  Will you have a bunch of easy or hard matchups?  Will you have a slew of injuries?  Will your opponent sit the wrong guy, handing you the win?  I’ve played in a lot of fantasy sports leagues over the years, and luck has been a huge factor in each and every one.

vh presents A Handmade Christmas Present: Bath Powder posted at Funny about Money

J. Savings presents Gotta Push Through Even When You’re Mad! posted at Budgets Are Sexy

Kristina presents Carrying Cash Can Be Dangerous posted at Dual Income No Kids

Julie Mayfield presents Save Money on Christmas: Buying Holiday Food posted at The Family CEO.

Jeff Weber presents American Express Purchase Protection is a Great Perk posted at Smart Balance Transfers

Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Snowboarding on a Budget posted at The Canadian Finance Blog

That wraps up this edition of the carnival.  The next edition will be posted on December 13th and will be hosted by Yes I Am Cheap.  Click here to submit your articles for next week’s carnival.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the carnival!
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