Micawber’s Favorites – A Roundup of My Favorite Financial Articles from November 2016

Here are some of my favorite personal finance articles from November 2016.  Enjoy!

• “The Giving Fund” by Ms. Montana @ Montana Money Adventures

We enjoy giving to people in need and causes we believe in but there is not a lot of slack in our budget for spontaneous giving.  We learned a long time ago that the best way for us to give is to make giving part of our plan – to include it in our budget.  Otherwise, it never seems to happen.  We do that but we often find giving opportunities during the month that we didn’t plan on but would like to contribute to.  The best way to handle these situations is to have an account just for spontaneous giving.  You fund the account each month, then when opportunities arise the money is available.  That is the idea behind this wonderful article that not only teaches you how to set up a giving fund but also shares some personal experiences of meaningful ways the author has used her giving fund to help others.  Great stuff!

• “A Simple Tool for Creating a Killer Debt Repayment Plan” by Matt Becker at Mom and Dad Money

Several years ago, when my wife and I got serious about getting out of debt, I created an Excel spreadsheet to track our progress.  My spreadsheet has served its purpose but is not nearly as nice as the free debt repayment spreadsheet featured in this article.  I wish I would have known about this before putting all the work into creating mine. 

• “Outrageously Fun Facts About Spreadsheets (Plus Over 100 Free Budgeting Spreadsheet Downloads!)” by Derek at How Do I Money

Speaking of spreadsheets, did you know that October 17^th of each year is National Spreadsheet Day?  I didn’t until I read this article.  It commemorates the day in 1979 when VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program, was released.  That is just one of the fun facts from this article.  Another is that spreadsheets were invented over a decade after we first put man on the moon.  Landing a man on the moon and bringing him safely home is impressive enough, but doing it without the aid of spreadsheets is hard to believe.  Maybe it really was a hoax.  Like many of you I use spreadsheets every day, and I have a hard time imagining a world without them.  Yet they are a relatively recent invention.  When VisiCalc was released in 1979 I was just getting my driver’s license and couldn’t have cared less about the invention that would change our world.  How things have changed. 

Here is a link to a fascinating Planet Money podcast that recounts how spreadsheets were invented and how they have changed our world.  If you have a soft spot in your heart for spreadsheets I highly recommend it. 

• “Family Game Night! A Fun Way to Teach Your Children How to Budget” by Jacob Merkley, who blogs at Power Over Life.  This was a guest post on Centsibly Rich

This post describes a creative and fun family activity to teach kids about money.  It doesn’t just teach kids how to budget in general, but helps them understand how your family’s budget works.  After participating in this activity your kids will be much less likely to argue with you when you tell them something “is not in our budget.”  I wish I would have known about this when my kids were younger.   This is a great idea. 

• “16 Classic Quotes To Jumpstart the Gratitude Conversation With Your Kids” by Bill Dwight at Family Finance Favs

A collection of 16 great quotes on gratitude and contentment.  Don’t wait until next Thanksgiving to read and discuss these quotes with your kids.  Gratitude is needed all year round.  And if you don’t have kids, share them with someone else or simply treat yourself. 

• “The Early Retirement Grid” at Four Pillar Freedom

The Micawber Principle is all about creating freedom and happiness through living below your means.  This article contains an awesome chart that shows you how soon you can achieve financial freedom based on how far below your means you are currently living.  There is a lot of great information in this one chart. 

• “Retirement Activities” by Jim McCarthy at Ready-to-Retire

In this activity you drag pictures of possible retirement activities and locations into different baskets.  It is designed to help you think clearly about what kind of retirement you want.  This would be a great activity to do as a couple, and then compare what areas you agree on and what areas you differ on.  This is both a fun and useful activity for those of you who are getting close to retirement. 

• “Grit, Early Retirement, and Financial Freedom” by Jonathan Bing at My Money Blog

I recently finished reading the best-selling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth.  I loved the book and highly recommend it.  This article is a great overview of the book and how the concepts it teaches relate to personal finance. 

• “I’m Not Spending a Penny On My Wife for Christmas, and She’s Going to Love It.” By Travis Pizel at Enemy of Debt

As you prepare for the holidays, here is a good reminder that often the best gifts we can give are gifts of time and service. 

• “The World’s Most Aggressive Christmas Shoppers (and Eaters) Ranked” by Jason Karaian at Quartz

Most of you probably think America would win just about any shopping contest, but after looking at retail data from 8 countries this article concludes that Canadians increase their spending on electronics and clothing in December far more than any other country (with America coming in a distant 2^nd).  When it comes to increased holiday spending on food, America comes in dead last, with the European countries of Italy, France, and Spain on the podium.  Interesting!