Here we go with the first round of Free Money Finance March Money Madness (to follow all the action click on my March Money Madness category link and scroll down to read all the posts involved in this subject.)
I've listed each "game" (one post versus another) in segments along with the wording provided by the author when the post was submitted. I've also listed a keyword after each post title to make it easy to vote (as a made-up example, you can just comment: Game 1: Saving; Game 2: Investing, etc.) Be sure to comment which one you like the best out of each set of two -- you will help determine the winner! Criteria for the best article is somewhat subjective, but you can use these factors as a guide: 1) practicality of the post 2) how interesting/provocative/unique it is, 3) the "personal-ness" of it and 4) its impact on net worth.
Here are today's games:
GAME 23
- Treat Banks Like Livestock! (Livestock) - There are three things that make this post great. First, I show the appropriate state of mind for dealing with banks, as anger and other emotions do not help one to make good decisions. Second, I show how easy it is to get banks to pay for your vacations. Third, I'm pretty sure I'm the first blogger to urge readers to treat banks like farm animals.
VERSUS
- My Money Design for How to Achieve Financial Freedom – November 2012 Update (Achieve) - This post gives the readers something they can really sink their teeth into - a physical blue-print of an early retirement plan (complete with estimations). A lot of books or blogs will make vague generalizations telling you to save for retirement, but very few (if any) ever really address how to structure your assets if you want to retire before age 59-1/2. Not only does the plan outlined in this post accomplish this, but it also asks the readers to re-think their investments in terms of when they can have access to them. A lot of work went into this post and I hope it will inspire the readers to some up with their own unique money designs.
GAME 24
- Build a Bigger Nest Egg Through "Investment Creep" (Creep) - Lifestyle creep is a popular personal finance boogeyman, and for good reason. If you’re not careful, your expenses will increase in lockstep with your income and you’ll never get ahead. But did you realize that you can use the same principles to supercharge your retirement (or other) savings? It’s really quite easy.
VERSUS
- My Top 5 Secret Places To Find Items For Free And Resell (Resell) - Most people don't realize you can get items for free somewhere so I think my post is great b/c many people are falling on hard times and need some extra money for gas or groceries and just plain living expenses. I have listed 5 places I find items for free and resell and end up mostly reselling items at my garage sales but some I resell on eBay. Some items still have the tags on them that people give away - amazing to me! Most I can resell as is but the furniture I usually end up sanding and painting. Other items I may need to just fix up such as a nail here or there on furniture or replace the fabric on a chair. I love my ideas and have not shared them with anyone until this post. This is one of the most popular posts on my blog so I know there are others out there like me needing some extra cash.
Achieve
Posted by: Michelle | March 06, 2013 at 02:09 PM
Livestock
Creep
Posted by: Nick @ PFDigest | March 06, 2013 at 02:22 PM
Livestock
Resell
Posted by: Toni | March 06, 2013 at 02:41 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: Leigh | March 06, 2013 at 02:55 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: My Money Design | March 06, 2013 at 03:04 PM
livestock
Posted by: jim | March 06, 2013 at 03:42 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Jeremy | March 06, 2013 at 03:53 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Jeb | March 06, 2013 at 04:08 PM
Achieve
Resell
Posted by: Ivy | March 06, 2013 at 04:13 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: Laura | March 06, 2013 at 04:16 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Sean | March 06, 2013 at 04:19 PM
Livestock
Resell
Posted by: Matt @ My Coin Blog | March 06, 2013 at 04:24 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: John S @ Frugal Rules | March 06, 2013 at 04:38 PM
Achieve
Resell
Posted by: Crystal | March 06, 2013 at 05:22 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Holly@ClubThrifty | March 06, 2013 at 05:29 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Michelle | March 06, 2013 at 05:32 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Jackie Blackstock | March 06, 2013 at 05:34 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Keri A. | March 06, 2013 at 05:52 PM
Acheive Resell
Posted by: Lance @ Money Life and More | March 06, 2013 at 06:28 PM
Ah I can't spell... I think you know which one I wanted to vote for though. I feel stupid now ...
Posted by: Lance @ Money Life and More | March 06, 2013 at 06:29 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Kim | March 06, 2013 at 07:47 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Lisa | March 06, 2013 at 08:14 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Craig | March 06, 2013 at 09:37 PM
Livestock
Creep
Posted by: JTS | March 06, 2013 at 09:47 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: Matt | March 06, 2013 at 09:57 PM
Creep
Posted by: Dave | March 06, 2013 at 10:00 PM
livestock
creep
Posted by: Michael | March 06, 2013 at 10:06 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: Jeremy | March 06, 2013 at 10:09 PM
Creep
Posted by: Mike Piper | March 06, 2013 at 10:20 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey | March 06, 2013 at 10:25 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Mike Singh | March 06, 2013 at 11:24 PM
Achieve
Posted by: jefferson @SeeDebtRun | March 06, 2013 at 11:31 PM
Livestock
Creep
Posted by: Bill | March 06, 2013 at 11:49 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Gary Blackstock | March 07, 2013 at 01:21 AM
Livestock
Creep
Posted by: Jeffrey | March 07, 2013 at 06:49 AM
achieve
creep
Posted by: Jose | March 07, 2013 at 07:12 AM
Achieve
Posted by: KJ | March 07, 2013 at 08:37 AM
livestock
creep
Posted by: Khaleef @ Faithful With a Few | March 07, 2013 at 09:40 AM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: jim | March 07, 2013 at 10:45 AM
achieve
creep
Posted by: Pauline | March 07, 2013 at 11:35 AM
Resell
Posted by: Joan | March 07, 2013 at 02:34 PM
Livestock
Resell
Posted by: ChasingThePoints | March 07, 2013 at 03:48 PM
Achieve
Posted by: Pam Young | March 07, 2013 at 04:17 PM
Livestock
Resell
Posted by: Nick @ ayoungpro.com | March 07, 2013 at 06:50 PM
Achieve
Creep
Posted by: Glen @ Monster Piggy Bank | March 07, 2013 at 10:45 PM
These games are now over. The winners are:
Game 23: Achieve
Game 24: Creep
Thanks to everyone for voting. Another set of games is out today -- be sure to vote!
Posted by: FMF | March 08, 2013 at 08:34 AM