Make sure you check out some of these carnivals… the hosts put in a lot of time and effort to put together the best articles they can.

The ABCs of Invested hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance, and included my interview with Ramit Sethi. Make sure you check it out – it’s a 3000 word interview with the author of the latest PF best-seller, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich”.

I Pick Up Pennies hosted the Carnival of Everything Money, and included my post on 26 Tips for Surviving Your First Job.

Weakonomics hosted the Carnival of Twenty Something Finances: Final Four Edition. It was a great theme, and he included my article on Ten Tips for Young Investors? The Media Doesn’t Get It.

Money TLD hosted the carnival of Personal Development – Gandhi Edition, and was nice enough to include my post on Paying it Forward, Every Day.

And last but not least, Kavmerica hosted the Carnival of Economics, and included my article on Canned Goods and Condoms – What are People Still Buying?

Sorry if I haven’t been replying to comments as quickly. I’ve had some family and friends over recently, and I’ve got to give priority where it’s due. I’ll be back in full force next week though!

Today marks a special day for me – my first interview!

Your Money Relationship has a weekly segment called Saturday Sneak Peakwhere he interviews up and coming bloggers. This week, he’s chosen me! It’s quite an honor!

Make sure you check out his post to see me answer the following questions:

1. What inspired you to start a PF blog?
2. You have had some pretty rapid success getting your name out there over the past few months. How do you explain that?
3. Which article has been your favorite so far?
4. Do you think we’ll ever have too many PF blogs?

The Guest Post

I’m also really proud of a guest post I have up at Divorced Dad Frugal Dad. It’s about a topic that is very close to me: grilling!

In it, I share all my Top Tips for Backyard Barbecues.

• Choosing meat
• Freezing/thawing
• Preparing meat
• Preparing the grill
• Cooking

I take grilling very seriously (as does Divorced Dad Frugal Dad), so make sure you check it out. Now is perfect time to be outside cooking, and you just might learn a few things.

I hope you have a good rest of the weekend!

The Writer’s Coin hosted the Comics and Cents Carnival. It’s a festival combining finances and humor. My post on The Top 43 Songs About Money was included as an editor’s pick!

Pecuniarities is hosting the Carnival of Pecuniary Delights – Madoline Hatter Pecuiniary Arts Edition. It’s a new festival that puts an emphasis on quality writing. They included my article on 20 Questions with J.D. Roth, Author of Get Rich Slowly. If you haven’t read it yet, check it out. J.D. has some great thoughts on starting a business/website, personal finance, and goals.

Ask Mr. Credit Card hosted the Money Hacks Carnival – April Fool’s Day Edition. It’s a fun theme. It includes the story of the most famous April Day’s tricks throughout history. He included my post that asks, Are Savers Dooming the Economy? No!!!

Make sure to check the carnivals out! Two of them are new, and the other is always full of good links.

I’ll be back in even more carnivals next week. I fell behind in my carnival submissions, but I’m making it more of a priority again.

Green Panda Treehouse hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance: Music Edition, and chose my article: Are Savers Dooming the Economy? NO!!! as an editor’s pick. This is an honor…the Carnival of Personal Finance is one of the biggest around.

Good Financial Cents hosted the Money Hacks Carnival – March Madness, Baby! edition. They included my post on Why Budgets Fail; Use Accrural Accounting to Ensure Success.

And last, but not least, The Penny Daily hosted the Carnival of Investing Strategies, and included my recap of Jim Cramer’s Response to Jon Stewart. It’s a funny feud, but make sure to check out the facts behind it too.

In other carnival news, I’m going to be hosting the Carnival of Twenty Something Finance this Monday, so make sure to get your entries in! I’m going to take a mustache-based approach to personal finance, so it’ll be good for a laugh as well as learning.

Also, there’s going to be a new carnival starting soon. It’s called the Carnival of Pecuniary Delights, and more than any carnival I’ve seen, they’re putting an emphasis on quality writing and quality articles. Not just accepting as many borderline-spam posts as possible for the sake of links.

Check out the carnival homepage for more details. The first edition is in two weeks, and they’re looking for hosts and submissions.

Thanks again to all the carnival hosts out there!

I’m a big fan of carnivals… both from the contributing side, and also as a casual reader.

This was a good week for me, and I was included in no less than 9 carnivals – including twice as an editor’s pick!

Please take some time to look at each of the links below… it takes a lot of work to put them together, and I’m sure you could learn something from it.

That being said, here are the ones I was featured in.

Money TLD hosted the Carnival of Twenty Something Finances – Last Hour Edition. I loved this theme. I hated giving up my hour of sleep this weekend, when I could have used it most! My article on 13 Things to Never Share with your Co-Workers was chosen as an editor’s pick! Thanks for the honor!

The Penny Daily hosted the 5th edition of the Carnival of Everything Money, and did a great job. There are 40+ articles. They even chose my article on How Much is $787 Billion as an editor’s choice! Thanks!

Mighty Bargain Hunter hosted the Carnival of Debt Reduction, Spring Forward Edition. He included my Get Out of Debt – February Update! post, and even gave me a compliment on my progress! Many thanks!

Money Ning – one of my favorite sites – hosted the Carnival of Money Hacks, and was kind enough to include my post on the Top 43 Songs About Money.

Funny About Money hosted the Festival of Frugality, and included my 10 Tips for Saving More at the Grocery Store.

The Military Finance Network hosted the Carnival of Financial Goals, and chose my post on how to Trick Yourself into Saving More. Please check out the site…he’s helping military families, which we can all respect.

Stock Trading To Go hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance, and included a whopping 91 links! One of them was my article on whether or not the recession will lead to A Generation of Risk Aversion?

Life Made Great hosted the Carnival of Personal Development, and includeded one of my favorite articles I’ve written so far: The Escalator Not Taken.

Kavmerica hosted the Carnival of Economics, and included my post questioning How Did Your 401K Really Stack Up in 2008? Not only did he include my article, but he corrected it after I totally botched the link. Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed my posts, and especially the Carnivals themselves. Please check them out! The hosts put a lot of effort and pride into it.

PS – wear something green, and try some black and white pudding in honor of March 17th!

Wait, that’s not quite right. Let me try that again.

Today is my 100th post!

I knew it would be hard to start a blog, but I still underestimated just how much work there would be.  There were times I got discouraged and wanted to give up.

Reaching my 100th post is symbolic for me, because it shows that I can tough it out and stick to my goals. However, I could not have done it without the help of many people – especially you!

Without readers, I’d be yelling into the wind.

Without commentors, I’d have been tempted to give up.

And without people linking to this site, no one would know about it.

As a thank you, I have created a carnival of links, consisting of everyone who has commented on my site. I sorted through my 400+ comments, and checked out every one that left a website. There are 70 finance links in all, broken down into 15 different categories.

Please take a look at these links…I spent a lot of time to bring you the best articles I could find from each site, and there’s some quality stuff in there.

So without further ado, here is my Carnival of Gratitude.

On Blogging

A lot of us in the financial community are bloggers, so it only makes sense to include a few tips about blogging.

Blogging and Blogger has some great thoughts about How to Build Traffic.

Penny Jobs shares 7 Secret Tips I’ve Learned About Personal Finance Blogging. My favorite? Helping others. You win with people. It’s amazing how far you can get just by treating others with respect.

On Budgeting

We’re all trying to save a few bucks, and the best way to do that is with a budget.

Funny About Money explains How to Budget for Extraordinary Costs. You gotta plan for emergencies, folks. One oversight could be enough to throw your budget off for months.

Paying for Retirement asks How is Your Monthly Budget? I’m a big believer in the importance of setting a budget and sticking to it. It’s like the front line in the war on poor finances.

On Entrepreneurship

There are two sides to the personal finance coin. Part of it is spending less, and equally important is making more money. Here are a few posts about entrepreneurship.

Blueprint Economics – who gave me my first comment ever! – has some good thoughts on Building Your Team with the best personnel possible. If you want to be successful, surround yourself with those who are already successful.

Penny Seeds has an interesting article on Lessons Learned from Struggling Entrepreneurs in Other Countries.

Seven Figure Psychic asks if you are Still in Love with your Niche? You have to specialize to be successful, but what happens if you get tired of your area of expertise?

On Frugality

A penny saved is actually more than a penny earned. Here are some ways to stretch your pennies.

Lovely Las Vegas  has some tips for Saving Money in Downtown Las Vegas. I love Vegas… I just wish it was as easy to beat the casinos as it was to get a good deal.

Pecuniarities tackles self-responsibility by asking Who’s to Blame for Your Spending? I’ll give you a hint. It’s you!

Prime Time Money runs down a list of 15 Things You Should Never Pay For. No sense in wasting money, after all.

Moolanomy tells the man that I Don’t Want Your Freakin’ Extended Warranty. After all, why would companies offer extended warranties unless it was better for them in the long run?

Budgets Are Sexy asks How Frugal is Too Frugal? After a certain point, the returns are diminished, and you could be hurting yourself.

Shrinkage is Good tells us How Banks Steal $2 Billion from Us Every Year through bank fees. Don’t let them get even more of our money!

My Life ROI gives some advice for Saving $4000 a Year. They’re good tips, designed to save money without impacting your quality of life.

On Fun

I love posts that can keep a good balance of informative and interesting. Sometimes, fun is the best way to go. Here are a few examples of that.

My Journey to Millions lists 9 Financial Lessons Learned from the Legend of Zelda. You can’t go wrong if you’re mixing video games with personal finance.

The Road Through Middle Earth has a great Tolkien-related post about Dreams and Legends that Appear out of the Grass. In addition to discussing some of Tolkien’s best writing, it can also be a metaphor for overcoming adversity.

Obscured Clarity has 11 Spectacular Bird Photosby David Hemmings. I’ll admit, it’s not finance related, but it’s a great set of pictures.

Weakonomics has a great and creative article comparing Your Favorite Politicians as Star Wars Characters. My inner-nerd greatly appreciates this one.

On General Finance Topics

In life, you have to be flexible and accept what may come. The same goes for link carnivals too.

Green Panda Treehouse explains Why She Doesn’t Use Automated Payments. I don’t blame her – I don’t either.

The Paycheck Chronicles describes how the GI Bill has changed since 9/11.

 One Advice tackles the age old question of What is Good Debt? What is Bad Debt?

Hannlyn tells us how to Replace Your Variable-rate Student Loan Rates with One Fixed-rate Loan.

On Goals

If you don’t know where you’re going, you can’t be unhappy with where you’re at.

My Quest to Build an Empire tells us Why It’s Important to Set Goals.

Creating Momentum is going to Quit Screwing Around, and really get working on her goals.

The Wonderful World of Slinky writes about their dream. What’s Yours?

Second Child, Last Born gives us an update on their March 2009 Goals.

Personal Finance Firewall has an update on his February Goals.

Checkbook Diaries tells us why his goal of Fully Funding an Emergency Fund is important.

All Things Financial tells us about a Vacation Worth Taking.

On Kids

It’s never too early to start educating your children when it comes to finance.

 Cash Money Life explains how to Make Your Child Your Financial Guru.

Father Sez shares tips on How to Prepare Your Kids to Handle Financial Stress.

On Mental Attitudes

You have to have the right attitude if you want to get anywhere in life.

15 Minutes to Riches warns that Information Overload Will Eat Your Brain.

Wealth Junkies gives 5 Tips for Taking the Long View with Money.

Hustle Up is going to Live Below His Means.

Money Young explains The Difference between Broke, Poor, Rich, Wealthy, Frugal, and Cheap.

Life Made Great writes about how We Get What We Ask For.

Retirement: a Full Time Job is Choosing Happiness. I think we all should!

On Personal Development

Your financial journey should also be a quest to learn and grow on a personal level.

Thriveal asks How Will You Change the World?

Financial Matters has some tips for How to Come Out Stronger in this Economy.

Your Money Relationship shares some Financial Lessons from Flight 1549.

 The Happy Rock ponders if we’re In Search of Perfection, or Seeking Honesty and Growth.

Divorced Dad Frugal Dad says that if you’re Feeling Helpless, Knowledge Will Empower You.

FIRE Finance has a list of 1001 Financial Words You Need to Know.

This Improved Life thinks that Sometimes You Just Have to Say No to Yourself.

Seek Wisdom, Find Wealth explains what the true Cost of Wisdom is.

Taking Charge Credit Card Blog is Growing Up, and Got Her First Collections Letter.

The Amateur Financier shares Three Things He Wish He Knew When He Was Younger.

Scordo gives 5 Reasons Why It’s Important to Have Social Skills.

On Real Estate

Buying a house is the biggest purchase you’ll make. It’s important to do it right.

Bankruptcy Access asks Who’s the Real Owner of Mortgages?

Free From Broke has some Frugal Ideas to Help Your Home Sell.

On the Recession

There’s no point denying the elephant in the room. Times are hard.

Monevator explains that The Recession is Not a Choice.

All Financial Matters wonders When Things Will Get Back to Normal.

Stretchy Dollar has 5 Great Recession Tips From 5th Graders. Sometimes the best advice is also the most simple.

Curious Cat Investing is also wondering When Will the Recession be Over?

My Two Dollars asks What, If Anything, Have You Given Up During the Recession?

My Notes on the Stock Market says this is a Depression, Not Recession. That’s the Impression, at least.

Elementary Finance has a similar point of view, and thinks that An Economic Depression is in Our Future.

On Stocks

Even though the market is down, it’s still a great opportunity. Maybe even more so than it was before the bottom dropped out.

Saving to Invest describes Another Panic Monday on Wall Street.

Passive Family Income says that with a Recession in America, it’s Trading Stocks, not Investing.

The Digerati Life asks How Do You Feel Now that the Dow Jones Closed at 6700?

The Oblivious Investor tells us that the Biggest 401K Mistake People Make is Not Accepting Free Money.

Money Progress explains some Investment Changes for After the Crash.

My Covered Call gives some information on the Historical Performance of the market.

Taxes

Only two things are certain in life, and taxes are one of them.

Fine Tuned Finances explains How to Get Tax Credits and Deductions by Saving for Retirement.

My Barnabas asks What Are You Going to Do With Your Tax Refund?

Don’t Mess With Taxes (awesome name, by the way) lets us know that the New Withholding Tables are Ready.

Work

Are you working to live, or living to work? I know it’s a cliche, but try giving it some serious thought.

Finance Your Life describes how Young Professionals Do Not Need a Work Life Balance.

The Strump gives tips on Dealing with the Behaviorial Job Interview.

And last – but certainly not least – The Online Investing AI Blog tells us how Getting Laid Off Can Be a Good Experience.

Again, thank you all for reading, commenting on, and linking to my site! I sincerely appreciate your contributions, and appreciate being able to learn from you.

I hope you continute to join me on my next 100 posts, and beyond!

Free Money Finance hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance, and included my article on What Would Mario Do? 9 Money Lessons from Super Mario Brothers.

The Penny Daily hosted the Carnival of Investing Strategies, and included my post on Fear and Loathing on Main Street.

Don’t Mess with Taxes hosted Tax Carnival #9, and included my post about how E-Filing Your Taxes May Cost More Than You Think.

Thanks to everyone who included my links!

I’ve been submitting to more carnivals recently, and I wanted to start a regular post where I list the carnivals I’m appearing in. I’m doing this as a “Thank You” to all the hosts, because I know how much time and effort it takes to put them together.

So if you have a few extra minutes, please check out some of these carnivals. The hosts put in a lot of work, and it’s a great way to read some of the best blog posts out there.

Broke Grad Student is the home of the Carnival of Personal Finance – YouTube edition. He broke down ~75 links into 10 categories, and has interesting YouTube videos scattered throughout to break things up. He also chose my article on What Would Bilbo Do? 14 money lessons from The Hobbit as an editor’s pick!

The Penny Daily hosted the 3rd edition of the Carnival of Everything Money. It’s got 30 links on everything related to finance, so it’s a good one if you’re looking for variety. My post on Consumers Cut Back, but Have They Changed Their Ways? was also chosen as an editor’s pick.

Ask Mr. Credit Card hosted the Carnival of Debt Reduction - Quotable Quotes edition – and chose to include my Get out of Debt! – January update.

Fat Pitch Financials hosted the Carnival of Stocks, and included a guest post that I hosted. To give credit where it’s due, it was written by the Oblivious Investor, but the article appeared on my site. It’s called Want to Know How to Succeed at Investing? Stop Trying.

Bankruptcy Access is the home of the Bankruptcy and Debt Carnival, and they included my post on Debunking Credit Card Myths.

Student Scrooge is the host of the Festival of Frugality - Winter is almost over edition, and included my post on How 5 Everyday Businesses Try to Trick You.

Personal-Finance-Ology hosted the Carnival of Money Hacks – Bailout Edition, and chose my article asking Is David Bowie to Blame for the Credit Crunch?

Many thanks again for everyone who hosted, and chose to include my articles. Your hard work is appreciated.

The guest post can be viewed here. It’s an introspective look at the things I’ve learned about life from starting a blog. I knew I’d be writing about finance, but I didn’t realize how much I’d learn about personal development and achieving goals along the way.

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has read it, commented on it, and shared the link with friends (especially Get Rich Slowly and The One Ring).

If you’re a new reader who is checking out Pimp Your Finances for the first time, thanks and welcome!  The Hobbit post is indicative of what I aim for: a good mix of finance and fun.

I try to keep things interesting, informative, and sustainable.  The site is aimed at younger readers, but contains information that applies to all ages.

If you’ve got a hankering for more Tolkien related posts, stay tuned!  I’ll have another article – this time on Tolkien himself – coming up in the next week or two.

In the mean time, readers have suggested some great Tolkien links in the comments, so I wanted to share them here:

• A Tolkien scholar’s blog
• A blog on everything Middle Earth and Tolkien
• A blog for a book in progress on spirituality in the Lord of the Rings

So again, thank you all very much, and I’m happy to have you as readers!  I hope you keep coming back!

I am honored to say that I was included in the list.

If you have a chance, stop by and check it out.   The author made a point of choosing sites that are passionate about sharing knowledge, so I guarantee you’ll learn something if you click on a few of the links.

I could really use your help.  Please go here, and vote for my article by adding a comment that says “Game 9: Roth”

Thanks in advance for your help!

Thanks to No Debt Plan for hosting it.  It’s got a great “Historic Moment” theme.

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out the article – it’s already become our second-most viewed post in less than a week!